3 fish day, new personal best, and tangled toothy!

[longbeard11]

Well, it's been awhile since I've been able to get on here and post since I've got a new job recently and also staying busy with our adoption. I have managed to get out after work some lately and get on some nice fish though.

I went a few weeks ago with my wife and lost a nice musky on a jerk bait. I followed that up by going a few days later and raising 6 muskies one morning but couldn't get one to eat. I had been in a terrible slump and hadnt caught a fish in a long time, I was ready to put another one in the boat and get some slime in the net!

About a week later I got free to go one evening and I couldn't have asked for a better evening! Front was coming through, had on and off rain and moon was just right. I got on the water with Joel about 6:30 and we set out to our first spot to start casting. 15 minutes in Joel cast over a big tree out off the bank and here came a fish HOT!!! First turn of the 8 and it engulfed it! Quick fight, netted it, got some pics and it was back in the water and gone. Great way to start with a little 30 incher!

So we continued on down that bank casting. We go about 50 yards and Joel casts over another tree off the bank. This fish shoots up out of it like a missile and hits his bait but no hooks. It continues to follow it up to the boat and into the first turn of the 8 where it eats the bait and Joel pulls it out of it's mouth. Hate when that happens!

Keep on going. Go probably another 80 yards and I cast along a big lay down tree. There was a terrible glare on the water and I couldn't see anything behind my bait that I could tell. I did a half turn of the 8 and pulled my bait out of the water. Then Joel says "crap there he is, figure 8" a nice fish was right there with his mouth open ready to eat I just didn't see him with the glare. Dang it!!

Well we quickly fished through some timber and motored to the next spot where we really wanted to be. Here's where things get fun. I had raised a nice fat fish here about a week back and was hoping to catch it and Joel had seen a big one there a few days prior. As we approached the spot I was telling Joel that's where she was and a few cast later here it came! It was HOT and was right on the bait, I knew it would eat it! First turn in the 8 and it missed the bait, second turn and it didn't miss! Inhaled it and the fight was on. She dove hard and got a little tangled in a limb but got off it quick. I was tangled with the net and trying to act fast. After a quick fight we got her in the net and high fived! Pulled her up for a quick pic and measurement, 40 inches, and back in the water she went. Thank u Lord!



What a day it had already been and we were just really getting into the best time of the evening! We continued on around the point of trees casting. We come to the other side, across from where Joel caught his, and he says "this is where the big girl was".  We continue to cast around the trees, as I'm reeling back I see a good one following right behind my bait and closing fast, "here she comes Joel"! The fish followed all the way to the boat and missed in the first and second turns of the 8, on the third time through I went fast in the turn and hung it right at her nose and she inhaled it! Fish on!!! That fish went crazy and fought as hard as any I've ever caught. Took me under the boat twice and did a huge jump boatside, I'm kicking myself for not having my gopro! We managed to get her to the boat and net her, and I lost it!!! I was hollering, I knew it was the best one I had ever caught and was my first in a very long time! Pulled her up and got a quick measurement and some pics, she was super fat, not the big one Joel had seen but a dang nice one and my new personal best and first over 40, taped out right at 40! Was pretty awesome for us to catch 2 40s within sight of each other about 15 minutes apart. After I watched her swim away I had to sit down I was so tore up and just give The Lord the thanks and praise for such a blessing! I'm still on cloud 9 about it! Pretty great evening when u can go our for about 2 1/2 hours after work and boat 3 fish and lose 2 other ones!




So I went back out there a few days later in the morning to fish and fishing was slow, as expected with the temps and post front. Did however manage to hook and lose a small musky in the figure 8 on film and raise one other nice musky! After the sun came up we decided to do a little fishing for bass bluegills and crappie. We caught a bunch of nice fish that afternoon before it got real hot, but this one was the star of the show! Probably the prettiest little fish I've ever caught! Had to share!


Well one last fish story to finish it off. Finally got to get out on the water and share a boat with my good buddy Scott Smith, who as most know is a musky master! As we were putting the boat in the water the sun was beating down on us and it was hot! Scott said "well we didn't get the cloud cover they were calling for so I give us about a 7.5% chance of catching one, but better than being on the couch" lol. Off we went on the hunt.

We fished a few spots that I had seen fish then decided to motor on to a few of the better areas and fish our way back. We got up in some timber and still hadnt seen any fish up to this point, but the sun was starting to set and this timber had shade on it now.

We were casting from the outside in and got hung up so we had to motor up into the heart of the entangle of trees. We are sitting in the middle with trees all around and Scott says "man this would be fun to fight one in here huh?" Lol a few casts later we found out just how fun!

Scott came by a tree and a musky explodes on his jerkbait like a shark eating a seal on shark week!!! Fish on! Before he even had time to crank down the fish dove strait down and became entangled with a limb! Long story short we did everything we could think of to get that fish unhooked and untangled in a timely manner, and after 15 minutes we managed to net it limb and all. Measured out at 41 inches and what a mess that fight was,  an experience we will never forget and one I don't want to go through again! We thanked The Lord for the catch and allowing us to successfully release her. Ill let the pics and video do the rest of the talking, thanks for checking it out!!

http://youtu.be/TFBwbzKa-kE

[Crappiepro]

Congrats on some fine fish! Great story too!

[Rapscallion Vermilion]

Nice read.  Awesome fish and photos.

[surehuntsalot]

 

[hunter-b]

Awesome those are some nice Muskey !

[longbeard11]

Thanks alot guys! Glad u enjoyed it and thanks for checking it out.

It's definitely been a good couple of weeks fishing for sure

[Grant Flaming]

I always enjoy a thorough hunting or fishing story and this post didn't disappoint! I imagine you'd get a pretty healthy shot of adrenaline from watching a fish like that come up and grab a big flashy bait right at your feet. I would love to hook a musky on a fly rod someday. Good luck on your future outings! 

[SCGobbler]

Awesome pics!

[longbeard11]

There is absolutely nothing like seeing a musky eat in the figure 8. Muskies will ruin u for sure, no other fish will do after u hook into one. It's a blast!

[barry]

Looks like y'all done found waterwolf heaven!

[beagler]

Outstanding!

[snapper1982]

Awesome man. We boated 3 this morning. 33 inch 39 inch and 41 inch.

[longbeard11]

Awesome man!!! That's a great morning! U fishing in WV?

[Deputy 14]

Very nice!!!

[wisconsinteacher]

Very cool.  Could you give a little more info on your lures and what kind of water system you are fishing.  I am trying to learn as much as possible about these amazing fish.