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Goal's for the new 2009 season.


b1gf1sh1

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At my age, just waking up to see the sun rise again, is my main goal. smile

Boating 50+ muskies would be a very cool thing. Been close a couple times, but haven't done it yet. That is a combined total for me and my clients. smile

I would love to reach the 55 inch mark, I have come close in the past with 2 53.5" fish.

Otherwise, just being able to go fishing every day and be happy that I can still do it.

Go fishing with my grandson and get him on some more fish, he's 10 and has caught several large Muskies already.

"Ace"

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1. Make the muskie show in April (new lures and seminars)

2. Learn more about the lakes I fish, should help with the lake chip

3. Catch one on the Mighty Miss! Saw the Keyes Outdoors on St. Croix, can't wait!

4. Get a new PB (43"+)

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Hugobox I did the pan fishing with my young ones too, good muskie opportunity. Go to your faverite muskie lake take kids sunny fishing, when sunnys suddenly quit biting, start casting wink My goals are to catch the one I saw last year cry and add another muskie lake to southern MN!

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Be able to fish as much as last year. If gas doesn't get out of hand again we might be able to.

Outfish the kid.

40+ between the two of us.

Fish Canada

Fish smarter

Wash less baits. Or wash more different ones.

Learn more

Take better pictures

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Catch a musky on artificials, all my fish boated last year were off bobber fishing, lol.

Get out more, I'd like to learn Tonka this year.

Fish at least once a week.

Catch a 42"+

Learn more about muskies. I know all about the lures, but as far as the fish themselves, if you put me on a random lake, I'd probably just fish the weeds with whatever I thought would work. I need to get the "If conditions are like this then the muskies will be here so use this" kind of thing down.

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Spend a lot more time on the water and return to some lakes haven't hit in a while. Last year was tough with all the cabin work, but this year there shouldn't be anything that can't be done during inclement weather.

Oh, and bring up some friends for free fishing weekend and get them in the boat. Probably won't target skis but I'm sure I can get them on their first northerns.

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My goal this year is the same goal I have had since 2000, and that is to catch 40 muskies. 2000 was a good year for me I caught 35 muskies that with 8 over 40". The last fish for that year was a 38" tiger, through the ice on Calhoun in December. The closet I have come to the goal was is 2006 when I got 21 for the year.

My brother and friends have a traveling trophy for the person that catches the most fish for the year, my brother got it last year, he caught 12 fish. I was having a terrible year till September - November when I caught 8 fish, (most of them were on the fig 8) and ended the year with 11 fish. My brother was glad to see the ice come in.

Good luck to everyone I hope you reach your goal.

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For me, theres always the core goals

1) Catch a musky. have an 11 yr streak going and want to get 50,60+ someday

2) Always try to get a new PB for pure(46) and tiger(39)

3) Start fishing rivers, been a goal the last 3 yrs and still haven't gotten to it

I'd also like to learn to catch more fish earlier in the year. Over my musky career, excluding july trips to woods, i catch probably 90% of my fish august through nov...don't know what it is

Zelmsdawg

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My goal is to get 20 legals in MN excluding LOTW.

Fish outside my comfort zone a little more.... new tactics and getting out with different muskie nuts this year. Cracking the infamous "true 50" mark. Not that i'm sick of catching a couple mesikomers!

Most of all pay attention to all the little clues and put them in a journal.

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Quote:
3) Start fishing rivers, been a goal the last 3 yrs and still haven't gotten to it

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Oh I forgot about more river fishing too.

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Along with fishing some river time.

jred, smeese and zelmsdog. grin ... not sure how much river rat you have in you ( smeese i know is a cat man, so you have some) but be prepared for the highest of highs and the lowest of lows when river fishing muskies. there's very little about lake fishing you can even use in a river as far as location except maybe ''structure''. and structure of the same type is even used different by a fish in a river.

a log for one example... in a lake no matter how the log is positioned (i'll make this simple so i don't have to type 2 pages, lol) a fish can set up anywhere it needs to to be in an optimum ambush position. i.e. sun angle can be anywhere and fish sets up in a shadow whenever it feels like, a branch hangs down and it can set up there, etc... on a river it's not that simple. potential prey won't just come from any angle in a river in current. current dictates where prey are willing to swim and if the ambush spot available using a particular log is exposed a muskie goes hungry. a guy could cast all day at the wrong areas and go right by a tiny tree holding one because it's just right for ambush.

because of these differences i'd suggest starting very simple. fish eddies formed by the mainland only for starters. there's alot of fish in them to build confidence. then slowly learn the rest. people get hung up a lot i notice on trying to do too much and get frustrated quick. but if they'd just fish these type of eddies they would absolutely, 100% possitive, catch fish. of course spending time casting, lol. then when that get's boring it's time to move on to other areas and the eddies used as back up for those slumping times.

BTW, two to three inches different in water level can mean that hot eddy is cold and that eddy that was cold is now hot. and a twenty foot eddy can hold multiple fish and a one hundred yarder can hold no fish. have fun, and try and not get frustrated to the point it's time to give in. you'll be happy in few years you stuck with it. smile

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hey bigfish, i'm a big river rat but never fished muskies in the river... maybe you should start a "river tip of the week" smile

thanks for the advice, I look forward to conning my buddies into taking me out on the upper Miss this summer. Somehow i think musky fishing out of my canoe on the Miss isn't the best idea...

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bigfish - That's one of my goals as well. Thanks for the tips. I just watched a video the other day with lots of good info as well.

I should be able to handle the struggles since I dealt with it all last year on the lake I fished most often. There is always the option to switch to a phenomenal smallie bite as well.

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thanks b1gf1sh1,

I feel rivers are one of the last frontiers of musky fishing so to say. Not at lot of people seem to fish them and those that do don't say much. I will definitely be fishing rivers at some point of my life. Sadly, probably not this year again as partly because i want to find someone more experienced to fish with before i venture out but more so because i'm off to who knows where for grad school. But mark my words, one day i'll get out there and then I'll start catching more fish...I hope

Zelmsdawg

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Somehow i think musky fishing out of my canoe on the Miss isn't the best idea...
lol. outrigger is an option. once you feel a muskie get inside that fast current up there and go south you'll be hooked wink .

on the smallies... i've pulled some monsters out of rivers using muskie tackle. ever held a 24'' smallie fed very well on gizzard shad? pretty and ugly at the same time. but mostly pretty. smile and i give tips pretty regular i think, used or unused i don't know. but every one givin is one i use and have success with for muskie or other fish in other threads. good luck.

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I feel rivers are one of the last frontiers of musky fishing so to say. Not at lot of people seem to fish them and those that do don't say much.

really, i think everybody knows rivers have muskie and most try. i also believe they give up and go back to their comfort zone too fast. when i said a few years up above i wasn't kidding. and that's fishing hard not as a weekend warrior. on most lakes you can cover it pretty quick and learn it. start your motor zoom to a spot, fish, shoot, fish run, whatever. same in a river but travel can be 30 miles in a day one way. structure is pretty much unlimited on a river too. and one day theres none and the next theres a nice log jam on a straight run that's holding. the end game to a river, too me, was worth, and is worth, every fishless day, week or month.

i'm sitting here smiling laugh because i bet 1 in 100 people that are considering rivers and actually fish them will last more than just a few outings.

honestly, and i mean this, i learned more about fishing rivers (fish habits, current nuances, baitfish behavior, etc) off shore than i ever have in a boat. i like going to spots in my boat, mooring and fishing from shore in several situations.

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big, u ever tried fishin the stretch north of checkpoint to big marine area?? any good advice for that area?

i used to years ago before the zebra restrictions. now it's a hassle. the water up there is pretty skinny and a lot faster. fish the mainland created eddies. if the water is right theres plenty of backwaters that hold muskie/pike. and theres so many islands and log jams most times all you'd have to do is float down and control it with your electric, casting away. but my advice is keep it simple... fish mainland created eddies, the smaller the better and stay as far away as you can to cast to them. your deeper drops on an eddy are the best and with the rock faces theres plenty of steep ciff-like drops. plastics and spinner baits. cheaper the better and bring lot's of tackle because you'll lose some. extra line too. blush

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My goal is to catch the state record... Not sure if I will keep her yet but it's a goal none the less.

she's coming out of a lake that no one suspects too!

I also want to divide up my time and play more golf this summer, that means that I need to get up to Vermillion a few times, Muskie fishing, golf and poker!!! Thats a goal that I can reach!

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I also want to divide up my time and play more golf this summer, that means that I need to get up to Vermillion a few times, Muskie fishing, golf and poker!!! Thats a goal that I can reach!

I like that plan, except the Poker I won't be doing much.

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My goals are to get my fishing partner on his first 50 ( iowa minnesota i don't care )Put 60 in the boat ( 40 from iowa )and just have fun fishing with friends and family. Man i can't wait till opener hopefully the trip to Jamacia in 2 week then turkey hunting and then walleye weekend will make the time slip by quicker.

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I caught my first and biggesfish on a figure eight. Got into the habit of doing figure eights after every cast and it paid off. By far my biggest rush fishing.

I want to catch my first muskie fall trolling. Haven't really been able to pattern the fish after turnover. Even kick around the idea of going up to the Angle and getting Doug Johnson to guide me next year.

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