2014 Musky Season...I Can't Wait !

[choo-choo]

My first year ever trolling for muskies and I really enjoyed it. I fished this past october and  into the first week of November before the first cold wave.I learned so much and it was really exciting at times...every strike is a super rush...and the hours trolling and waiting for a bite is surely worth the effort.

 My friends Bruce and Anne, showed me the ropes...what works in some conditions and locations, changing speeds and direction along certain structure and flats, keeping those plugs running at the right depths and weed free,...and always having the net,camera ,tools ready for a safe and quick release.

 I got to fight 5 Muskies, and was able to land 3 of them ( 45"...43"...33"..) . One of the fish I lost was a real monster...and the other was real BIG too,and she cleared the water 2 times during the fight, only to come un-buttoned just behind the boat. What a sight and thrill that was for me to see that fish clear the water like that....Man , they are awesome.

 All our fishing was done in the 1000 islands, just a beautiful place to be. I am looking forward to fishing those waters again,and trying some new spots and lakes next year.

 

 

[Ivan]

You are off to a great start and it's nice to see someone so excited about trolling for muskies or just muskie fishing in general. I know I said this before, but you are really lucky to have someone show you the ropes. It can make a big difference, especially on a tougher body of water like you are starting with. I know when I started muskie fishing in 1998, I had a mentor that helped me quite a bit, and I've done the same for a few people now. Even though I've been at this for a while now, and have been fortunate enough to handle and release about 2000 muskies from my boat, I still love it and run like a kid on Christmas morning to every reel that goes off.

 

My advice, for what it's worth:  

Join a club, if you haven't already. Do what you can to help the sport and support your fisheries. There's lots of good, helpful guys that belong to Muskies Inc. Almost all of my closest friends now are from muskie fishing.

Don't take people for granted that are willing to help you.  Make sure they know how much you appreciate their help. Pass on some of what you've learned to somebody else when the time comes.

Keep having fun. Unfortunately, there can be lots of negativity around the muskie fishing community if you let it get to you. I know it's gotten to me in the past.

There is no substitute for time on the water. While getting a head start with the help from others is a great, learning on your own is how you will become a better muskie fisherman.

Keep a good log book of conditions and catch details. I've been doing it since I started. I still reference my older books every year. Successful trolling can be alot about repeatability. Paying close attention to water and weather conditions, line lengths, speed, depth, baits, colors, etc can put more fish in the boat for you. I have found what works at specific times on specific water bodies, works year after year if repeated.

Work to find a pattern every day you are on the water. This is tougher to do on low density waters, but finding a pattern to put multiple fish in the boat is my favorite thing about muskie fishing.

 

Enjoy the off season. Come check out some of the muskie shows this winter. There are two in PA and one in OH.

I can't wait for 2014 either.

Edited December 12, 2013 by Ivan

[choo-choo]

You are off to a great start and it's nice to see someone so excited about trolling for muskies or just muskie fishing in general. I know I said this before, but you are really lucky to have someone show you the ropes. It can make a big difference, especially on a tougher body of water like you are starting with. I know when I started muskie fishing in 1998, I had a mentor that helped me quite a bit, and I've done the same for a few people now. Even though I've been at this for a while now, and have been fortunate enough to handle and release about 2000 muskies from my boat, I still love it and run like a kid on Christmas morning to every reel that goes off.

 

My advice, for what it's worth:  

Join a club, if you haven't already. Do what you can to help the sport and support your fisheries. There's lots of good, helpful guys that belong to Muskies Inc. Almost all of my closest friends now are from muskie fishing.

Don't take people for granted that are willing to help you.  Make sure they know how much you appreciate their help. Pass on some of what you've learned to somebody else when the time comes.

Keep having fun. Unfortunately, there can be lots of negativity around the muskie fishing community if you let it get to you. I know it's gotten to me in the past.

There is no substitute for time on the water. While getting a head start with the help from others is a great, learning on your own is how you will become a better muskie fisherman.

Keep a good log book of conditions and catch details. I've been doing it since I started. I still reference my older books every year. Successful trolling can be alot about repeatability. Paying close attention to water and weather conditions, line lengths, speed, depth, baits, colors, etc can put more fish in the boat for you. I have found what works at specific times on specific water bodies, works year after year if repeated.

Work to find a pattern every day you are on the water. This is tougher to do on low density waters, but finding a pattern to put multiple fish in the boat is my favorite thing about muskie fishing.

 

Enjoy the off season. Come check out some of the muskie shows this winter. There are two in PA and one in OH.

I can't wait for 2014 either.

Thanks for the great reply Ivan...much appreciated.  2000 muskies!! Awesome ! I will definately take your advice on keeping a log book, spending lot's of time on the water,doing some solo trips, experimenting ,paying attention to detail etc.. I will definately join a club if one sprouts up along the St. Lawrence...hopefully a musky inc. chapter. I did participate in the SUNY -ESF angler diary program this october/early november to help them in their study to evaluate the musky fishery status on the St. Lawrence....and volunteered to help in any way during their spring and summer spawning /nursery studies. They are monitoring the musky sport fishery, water quality, and  the spawning/nursery habitat,and educating the fisherman to the importance of catch and release, so the St. Lawrence musky population can be healthy and self sustaining.

 John Farrell is the study leader, and Director of the Thousand Islands Biological Station, and Jacob Runner,SUNY-ESF Syracuse NY is the lab manager for the study and angler diary program.

 Thanks again Ivan....good luck to everyone in 2014 !!

[Ivan]

You're welcome Choo-Choo. Thanks for the comments too, but part of those numbers are because of where and how much we fish. At this point, I would trade some of those numbers to be closer to a trophy fishery like the Larry. I think our ratio of 50"ers to total fish is something just under 2%, but I bet on the Larry a guy could have a ratio that would probably be closer to maybe 20%. You are in a great location for big fish.

 

Here are links to the muskies shows I referenced if you or anyone else is interested. They are always a good time.

http://www.ohiomuskyshow.com/

http://www.muskiemax.com/

http://www.butlerfishingshow.com/