A muskie tale

[h8go4s]

I don’t do a lot of muskie fishing, partly because it gets boring and partly because my shoulders can’t take all the heaving and cranking those big baits. So it probably stands to reason that most of the muskies I’ve caught have been while I’m bass fishing. Here’s the tale of one of those, although you could argue that I didn’t actually catch this one, just hooked it temporarily.

I was bass fishing one of my favorite docks Wednesday, skipping a Slug-Go under the dock. It’s on the edge of a sand flat, just where the sand ends and the weeds begin. I released a small bass and was moving out past the leg of the L in the dock and noticed a swirl of sand just beyond the dock. Carp, I thought. No, muskie! It was better than 36” for sure. It made 2-3 quick dashes, kind of circling in the same spot. Then it just stopped and sat there in 2-3 feet of water, maybe 15 feet from me. As I drifted by, I tossed my Slug-Go past it and twitched it back, stopping it right in front of its nose. In the blink of an eye, the Slug-Go disappeared, I set the hook with everything I had, and the muskie went screaming toward the shoreline taking line. Not to worry, I had a full spool of 20-lb Sufix, I thought. He then took a right turn paralleling the shoreline and I walked to the stern, rod held high, and snugged up the drag a little. He had to be in 2 feet of water or less, going like a freight train but never came out of the water. Then my line went limp. Bit off, I thought. No, my Slug-Go was still there, undamaged, not even a tooth mark. I must have skin-hooked him and pulled it out when I tightened the drag. So I grabbed my muskie rod with a 6” Jake on it and started casting. Wouldn’t you know, half a dozen casts later I hooked into a 12” bass.

Does anyone have an opinion on why that muskie was doing donuts in 2-3 feet of water when I spotted him? At first I wondered if it was spawning behavior, but I have no idea when muskies spawn. Water temp was 69. I also wondered if he had snatched the bass I had just released.

Ron.

[raiserlures]

Muskys are a different type of fish. There behavior changes from day to day. I think it was excited that there was a bass in the area and wanted to eat or it was just showing off for you. Who knows but its all ways fun to here a good musky story.

[kustmoboy]

Fun story. I don't know why they do it, but I have seen 50+ inch muskies in less than two feet of water. I have caught up to 46 inch is less than 2.5 feet.

[smeese]

Catching some morning sun maybe....as far as the circles....maybe eating some small baitfish.

[Jmeyers]

Tracking down baitfish or settiling in the warmer water for the day I would say. They've really never been to active for me when I find them sunning up in the sand but its such a cool thing to see. funny story!

[Slabasaurus]

heh... good story. I was panfishing with a crawler in 5 fow and the same thing happened basically. Got my bait back, worm and all, til that was slammed by a pike after i had pulled it out of the water. Nuts.

That musky sounds like it was just really really excited to see either your boat or that bass... kind of like how your dog acts when you come home from work... dancin in circles and whatnot.