Ivan

Nice work. Seems like its been a good year so far on the Larry. I can't wait to get up there a few days next month, especially since we didn't make the trip last fall. Might have to force myself to fish longer through the night but thats always so tough after fishing all day. Nice website and sweet boat. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Nice going. It sure was windy the last few days. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Tearing them up on those eels. Nice Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Very pretty pattern on that fish. I won't judge. Congrats on an amazing and very lucky/special catch. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Balsa is a little weak for muskie baits. Most wooden muskie baits are some type of cedar, but I also have baits that are made from mahogany, poplar, basswood, and maple.

Nice stuff Bob. I'm sending you a pm.

You should post some pics of your paint jobs on muskie baits. Your spoons look great...I'd like to see your work on some muskie crankbaits, gliders, or the spinners you are making. Maybe you could paint up some of those Swim Zag spoon blanks Raaven was talking about in the spoon thread last week.

Very cool action shots. Congrats

Nice size walleyes Justin. Good job...you certainly have your program down out there. We had some nasty wind gusts with heavy rain at times yesterday morning on Chautauqua.

Thanks Chad Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Nice one. Congrats. What was the water temp? Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

That's not really true John. It depends. If you were under-equipped and hooked into a muskie on bass or walleye tackle, they will give a long fight to the point of exhaustion and would probably be hard to release. Muskies have alot of power but not much stamina. This big fish I caught was in the boat within 5 minutes or less of when it hit. Most muskie fisherman use heavy equipment and get the fish to the boat fast. Sometimes casting, if the hit close to the boat, they are in the net within seconds. Heavy line, leaders, heavy rod, big net, keeping the fish int he water in the net for unhooking, a quick bumpboard measurement and pic and then back in the water immediately. The faster you are at all this stuff, the better survival chances. Unfortunately, I can't follow my fish around after I release them, but I'm confident that the fish I release survive. Maybe not every single one, but the vast majority. Once you get a fish in the net and start to unhook or cut hooks, my thinking is always speed. Keep the fish out of water for as little time as possible (seconds). I also don't photograph fish under 45"s usually. Some fish don't even need to be netted and can be shaken off at the side of the boat while still in the water. Size of muskie and water temps also make a big difference. The bigger the fish, the more fragile they are in terms of release. The warmer the water temps, the tougher the release.

Thanks again for the congratulations and all the comments. It really is a great group of fisherman on this site. Makes the decision to post pictures of a nice fish easier. This will be my last weekend at Chautauqua for about a month so I probably wont have more pics to share. Besides, it only took me 16 years of fishing Chautauqua to get this fish, so I'm probably not going to top it any time soon. I'm ok with that though...still smiling ear to ear over this one. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Nice boat. I think I saw that you are running a Verado also. I'll send you a message today. Are you a friend of Andy Z.'s? Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Hey wet the net. What boat are you in? I remember seeing a Ranger 600 series trolling when i was running sunday morning. Dont have a pic of the bait and not sure id put that online anyway. Hope you understand. Sounds like you're doing pretty well and are probably running alot of the same baits i am. What i mean by magic is the bait is catching fish and big ones. It isnt about color, the bait is just unique or special. Even though we have too many baits, I try to run ones that have produced for me in the past...my consistent ones. Just need to find them. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Based on what i saw and experienced over the weekend with my usual trolling program... If you are a caster, id cast. Stick with what you are good at and have confidence in because it has been tough. But it will probably get better as the week goes on. Old mAn gave you some good north end spots. Sometimes ive found if im struggling south, ill head north or visa versa. That has worked for me. They really are like two connected lakes at the bridge/narrows in bemus. One can be completely different than the other fishing wise at times. Good luck. You'll get some fish going soon. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

That big cold front that came through really made things tough. We got some fish over the weekend, including the big one, but it was way tougher than it usually is. We went 6hrs without a rip sunday before the 53 hit. I also have a couple different friends fishing today and have not heard good reports from either of them. Stick it out, stay positive, and stAy sharp! Need to make the limited chances count. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

I've only ever waterfowl hunted once. That had to be a ton of fun. Nice job...that's a bunch of birds.

I was very surprised by this fish. Perfectly clean and healthy on both sides. Not really a mark anywhere. I expected any fish to live long enough to attain that length in Chautauqua would be old, beat up, and skinny.

Thanks guys. Heres another pic...slightly different angle. Huge gator head and bottom jaw on that fish. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Nice pike guys. ThAt one is pretty solid old man. Sounds like the pike were going crazy. What day? Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

It hit a boat rod Justin. Had two hits on the boards this weekend. Neither hooked up for whatever reason. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Not a numbers weekend but a couple big bites. Cold front has water temps down to 67/68. Bad algae in some spots. A hunting buddy of mine that fishes with me once a year, netted this 53"er for me today. Caught on one of our magic Wileys. Still in shock over this beauty. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app