Muskie

[Rick]

Lets talk about muskies here.

[guideman]

I know this can be a very emotional subject,
but what are your opinions on C&R of Muskie?
The guideman is a believer in total C&R, I
always inform my clients that this is my
policy. I will photo and take mesurments so they can have a replica made, but all fish go back.
And please remember to keep it friendly guys
Ok!

Guideman.

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www.aceguideservice.com

[TUMBLEWEED]

I agree with C&R , With todays modern mounts
there isn't a need to take the fish to have it mounted.So far,my best fish was a 45 incher.Lots of fish in the high 30's ,but still looking for one to have a mount made for!!

[delmuts]

hey we have no problem with c&r. i'm still trying to figure out how to catch one. but we turn loose almost all of the northern and bass that we hook, but we shouldn't condem those that do. just smile, bite your lip, tell them nice fish , and leave. you'll never change everbody,but the attitude is changing. del

[guideman]

Good post Dell, I have said before that I am in favor of total C&R, but I agree that as long as you have caught a legal fish, and haven't exceded the limit, It's your choice
and your right to keep a fish.

Guideman.

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www.aceguideservice.com

[Guest]

I recently picked up a few new rods from Bass Pro from the Pete Maina Signature series line and man are they SWEET!

Most of you know me as a catfish and walleye man and yep, that be me, but I also like toothy critters when the opportunity pops up. I see these rod and reel combo's as a great cross species tool, they are great cat rods and even fit into the walleye range in some instances.

The combo's run ONLY $119 bucks! I feel the reel is worth that much easy! If I can cast 40 lb. big cat line as easy as 10 lb. mono these reels are smooth!

The reels come in two choices the high speed PQ3000MH with 5.2:1 ..BUZZZZZZNNN. The second is the PQ3000M with 4.2:1 hog hailer power!

Rod choices run from 6'6" MH to 9' two piece trolling rods. IMX-6 construction with high alloy Fuji titanium guides and reel seats make them a serious rig to carry in your arsenal. I think the 9' is a great long liner for walleye! Oh and get this they have weight systems also, sweet!

My personal favorite , so far, is the PM80XHT-T telescopic handle with 9 guides Fuji rod guides and seats IMX-6... ARRR-ARRR-ARRR!!!!!

This rod be a piggy pullers with a touch of fines to it! I used this rod two nights ago to troll cranks, jig frogs, and bait rig up walleye! Works fine for a bunch of serious piggy duty! The whole line is top notch A-1 stuff Maenad! I have paid much more for much less in the past.

So if a great combo deal is what your need check it out! Page 16 and 52 of the 2000 Bass Pro Master catalogue will fill in the blanks I may have missed. Or check them out on the http://www.basspro-shops.com/ web site in the Musky section.

Backwater Eddy here saying theses rods aren't just for Musky nooooo more!

[Guest]

Review.... ESOX ANGLER

There is a new publication out that is for the toothy critter hunters on the world, ESOX ANGLER. Very well done publication run by top anglers and guides with contributing writers like Pete Maina, Chad Cain, Mark Carlson (No relation),Dan Craven, Chris Depaola, Steve Herbeck, Doug Johnson, Debra Johannesson, Rob Manthei, Rob Kimm, Dick Pearson, Tony Rizzo, Bruce Shumway, & Gregg Thomas.

There goal as Pete Maina states "Is to give you the real deal." That is what I have read and seen in there first two issues, top notch real deal writing and high quality graphics. Sound straight shooting reporting filled there pages and my only complaint is I read it too fast and was eager for more!

Check it out at www.esoxangler.com and go for a subscription, it may be the best money spent on a magazine you have made this year, in my opinion.

I am a hard sell on new publications but this one was a long time coming and has what it takes to do the job, educate and entertain!

Check it out!

Backwater Eddy...........><,,>

[Guest]

I had a very unusual experience last night. I was fishing for pike, and ended up getting my first musky. It was a 39" Tiger. Man what a thrill. I had one heck of a time getting it through the hole. It was released unharmed to swim again.

[Guest]

I am not a real big muskie fan(they eat all the crappies dont ya know) kidding, but i have caught small ones, pretty hard hitters! and one larger one 48". Quite the tussle on four pound test. And i would never keep any muskie. I am a strong believer in personal choice on keep or release, but i dont see much value in keeping one. I fish michigan for the big kings, so do see the value of large fish in lakes, they are a blast to catch. I may be wrong(imagine that!) but i think most all muskies are stocked fish? At least originally in lakes, and not really for that many years. I would also wonder how many naturally reproduce, or to an extent to perpetuate the species in many lakes. They are stocked, and restocked. It all sort of reminds me of the "native" steelhead on superior. These are fish in low populations and need to all be released, and i think people sort of feel that way about muskies, like if they keep one it render the species extinct. Muskies can be replaced, and are every year, the hatchery has lots of them. The dnr is not greenpeace, it stocked the muskies with the intent that people would keep them, as they do with all fish in the state, fish are a renewable resource. If only a big fish is a good fish to anyone i would say they are spoiled not sportsman. A suggestion perhaps,,ask the dnr to clip the fins on half they stock, and make them release only? Maybe this has been tried, i dont know...good luck..

[CodyDawg]

What does "bump" mean?

Last year was my best ever, highlited by a 49.5" 10 casts after my buddy caught a 48". That will never happen again. I gave a little thought to stepping on its tail while pulling like crazy on its head to squeek out another 1/2", but thought the fish might not appreciate it (obviously, not serious thought). I had always worried about catching a 49.5", cuz I wanted a 50 on the wall (replica), but since it was a neat fish to catch (4 tailwalks) I am having it made anyway. I saw a couple of posts by Eddy about rods, so I thought I would throw my 2 cents in. Thorne Bros custom rods are the best I have ever seen. You see a lot of "custom" rods out there that are some hack building a rod in his basement, but these are professionally built. You can get whatever action/length/handle configuration you want. In reply to the C&R question, I always C&R, and I will politely ask people who think they should keep them why they want to do that. As someone had said, attitudes are changing, but we need to help change them, just make sure to do it in a nice way. If they get mad right away, forget about it since you will never change their mind, but many people are open to hearing C&R ideas.

[Dave]

When someone posts a response, it "bumps" the thread topic to the top of the list I think.

Or else, Rick was "bumpin'" the lure off a muskie's nose

[This message has been edited by Dave (edited 01-18-2001).]

[David Swenson]

In reply to muskies being stocked by the DNR with the intent of harvesting. I would guess the DNR stocks muskies knowing muskie angler's on the whole release the majority of the fish they catch. I believe the DNR will only stock muskies in a lake after finding there is a need for more predation. This could be due to a number of reason's, such as, a low pike population or a die off of predators.

Just like the shark, the muskie gets a bad rap. There are stories of small dogs to children being eaten (okay I'll give you the small dogs). The fact is the muskie diet contains mostly whitefish, ciscoes, and suckers in northern lakes. This is based on scientific studies. Granted they do eat walleyes and crappies, but these and other fish make up less than 25% of their diet. They are a creature of opportunity. If your bringing in a struggling walleye, the dinner bell rings.

Even with catch and release there is mortality. Fish get gill hooked, over stressed, and handled improperly. There is also the non muskie angler who catches a legal muskie and keeps it. It is probably the biggest fish they ever will catch and therefore is a trophy to them. I have no problems with this.

Most of what people say when bad mouthing the muskie or muskie angler is myth. But then again, I am afflicted with the disease of muskie fever and can see it no other way. Good luck in your fishing adventures.

[Guest]

HI I am sorry for getting off the C-R subject since that seems to be the way this topic is going but I just wanted to share this fish tail. I was out on cedar lake just north of hwy 19 in my 14ft lund and 5hp motor the weather was hot and calm so I headed out from the access on the east side of the lake and went to the other side since everyone knows you cant catch fish unless you go to the other side of the lake right! I trolled that big old bucktail for a wile then decided to cast into the weeds. I was having a great time and lots of fish. Then towards the end of the afternoon the wind started to pickup a little [6-7kts]and I was pretty sunburned so I decided to call it a day and headed back and that's when my day got interesting. half way across the waves where almost as high as the boat so I slipped on my life vest and floored it. The DNR was watching me come in because some bigger boats where saying that it was getting bad out there and they said that they almost came after me when they started to see the bow going below the height of the waves. I was in the navy so the waves didn't bother my but the lack of power was a little concerning, at the bottom of the crest the wave would splash in a little[not fun in a 14ft boat]. but after I passed that point that jets out the water was like glass and the pucker factor went way down. After docking and pulling up the DNR came over to see if I was ok and to give me some late advice, that was nice right. Even though that lake is not that deep the wind really moves the water out in the middle and now I just head to french on the windy days when I have the urge to pull on a muskie, and stay buy the edge. O and on top of that I lost my best bucktail to a pesky northern and that 15$ muskie killer in the weeds so back to fleet farm for me.

[Guest]

David, i do see all nonendangered fish as a renewable resource, and i am very fortunate i guess, in that i can catch 30# salmon, and the next day be just as happy catching little sunfish off a dock. To me, every fish is a trophy, and every outing is that trip of a lifetime. I make the most of every trip, and it really is my passion. The WHOLE trip,,,the getting ready, anticipation, planning with a buddy, making a lunch, getting out on the water, looking at the lake, the birds, shoreline, weeds. I have been blessed with an ability to catch fish, since a very young age, and everyone i know asks me, "arnt you tired of fishing yet?" the answer is no. About the muskies eating all the crappies? I have no idea what impact they have, i guess it would depend on the lake, numbers and such. I made the comment cause i knew it would get someone going, it is a very widespread myth. People who dont even fish seem to know some how that muskies eat all other fish in lakes. I just find it funny. Go figure,,,Why do muskie fisherman love winter? Gives their casting arm a well needed rest! Good luck,,

[Rick]

OK Muskie maniacs...where are ya?

[jkrash]

Does anybody have a good idea on how to build a box to store all these large muskie baits. Or who sells a good box.

[David Swenson]

Rollie and Helens should have them. You can visit them at: http://www.muskyshop.com/ .

Gander Mountain also carries them as well as Reeds Tackle in Walker, Minnesota. Reeds has a web site but I do not have the address handy.

I believe Plano and Flambeau manufacture large musky boxes.

[cluelessfisherman]

I wouldn't mess with a muskie box. You want those lures, mainly bucktails to dry out in the open air so they don't start to rot and fall apart. I have cut pvc pipe into 10-12 inch lengths, hot glued them together and then tied a rope around them and stood them up on end and put the lure in hanging by the back hook. This way if you need to swap lures, you just reach down and grab one without messing with a tackle box. I use 2 in pipe for mine and have about 7 tied together for my muskie lure storage. I still have yet to catch a muskie however...

Maybe this year...

Clueless - -

[Guest]

I still use the old heavy duty styrofoam cooler. I've popped a few weap holes in the bottom in the event of rain, and find that my baits stay in perfect shape despite always being exposed to the elements. If my memory serves me I've been using the same cooler for better than 10 years.
One word of caution though, if you have little kids around keep that musky box well out of reach. I think if a kid were to reach in there you probably wouldn't find em' again till next season.
You know, I love ice fishing, it's right in there as one of my favorite outdoor activities, but the thought of that first violent boil of water behind a surface musky bait, well it just gets my heart a racin'. I can hardly wait to chase muskies again.
Heh! That reminds me. I just watched a Joe Bucher show the other day and he was pitchin' a "Bucher surface raider". I haven't run across these anywhere before. Has anybody out there seen them in the northern end of Minnesota yet?

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FOREVER WISHIN'FOR MORE FISHIN' }<//)"~>

[Maryjl]

Her it is Andy all you need to do is go to show all topics

[andy j]

Not funny ciscokid!

[andy j]

I need some information about early Muskie fishing on Mille lacs. I know that there are muskies in the bays on the south end early in the year but are there any other spots I should try. What baits seem to work the best this time of year and what times of the day.
Thanks AJ

[Guest]

andy j,

Use big redtail chubs with two trebble hooks fished under a bobber. When a fish hits let the fish take the bait for at least 15 minutes. This way you know they will have swallowed the hooks and they will not be able to get off. You may pick up some nice walleyes fishing this technique also.

[DickUrban]

Ciscokidz

I hope you will keep in mind that several thousand people read this forum; for information and enjoyment. Smartass comments serve neither purpose but they do reveal the author's immaturity and lack of life experience. Next time you're tempted, get off the forum and go play solitare.

[This message has been edited by DickUrban (edited 03-27-2001).]

[DUCKJ]

TO CAOPYSAM, I DONT KNOW WAIR YOU LIVE BUT I JUST BOUGHT ONE LAST MONTH AT FLEET FARM IN BRAINERD. THE NAME OF THE LURE IS A DANCIN RAIDER. GOOD LUCK IN FINDING ONE.

AS FOR YOU CISCOKIDZ, YOUR NOT A SPORTSMAN YOUR A KILLER. PEOPLE LIKE YOU ARE KILLING OUR FISHERY. DONT LISTEN TO HIM ANDY.