A couple basic muskie quesitons

[HugoBox]

I'm ralatively new to really muskie fishing - I used to do it once or twice a year or get one by accident but now I've got the sickness pretty bad.

I have two questions for you all.

1- Is it better for the fish to cinch the drag down and winch them in fast for a quick release to reduce stress on them (risking injuring them while unhooking or cutting hooks off) or do you play them out more in order to have an easier time releasing them? How do water temps play into your decision?

2- Do you keep a log of fish caught including lure, location, weather, wind, sunrise, moonrise, and any other misc info? I don't want to overthink this thing, but I'm guessing even with the low numbers of big fish I've caught I could figure out the similarities.

3- In your mind, how big is big - 36 - 40 - 45 - 50? I still get pretty excited for any muskie I catch? Once of my favorite photos is of a 22 incher that came last year on a 10" Jake. I'm hoping I meet that one again in 12 or 15 years!

[DUCKJ]

1)I tighten my drag as tight as I can get it. Even with my drag this tight they still have no problem going on short runs. Get them in the net as soon as you can, get yur pics and let her go. The more you play them out the more tired they get and that will increase the chance of killing the fish.

2)I dont keep a log. Tryed once but kept forgeting to wright in the darn thing. Wether it helps for future fish or not I cant answer that one.

3)What i go by(and this is just me). Anything under 40 is a nice fish. From 40 to mid 40's is a big fish and from upper 40's and up are very big fish.

[dippydawg]

muskie can be anywhere at anytime, they often show up when you would least expect the fish. When you do get one on, every fish is different!!! Some are wild some are mild. I've had them get snagged on the lure and the hooks were in there eyes and they generally don't fight as hard when this happens, if the fish is hooked in the gills and the gills are broken the fish generally do not put up as much of a fight. If they are just hooked in the mouth is when you get the really good fights and often times they will jump and raise all sorts of heck..but like I said every fish is different, if lightly hooked in the mouth the muskie may opt to dive and use the bottom to get the hooks out of its mouth and others opt to jump out of the water and shake there head to get the lure unhooked.. I normally run my drag extremely tight and get the fish to the boat asap!! If I'm fishing alone I always keep the net,tape measure and the camera and the hook out ready to go!! If I have a partner in the boat as soon as the fish is hooked and verified to be a muskie it is their job to get realed in asap and have the net ready to go so I can bring the fish right into the net..often times I will get the fish to the boat faster then they can get the net in the water!!!which usually results in having to fight the fish to get her backto the boat again so she can be landed!

On a larger muskie it may be needed to play the fish out some in order to get it landed but the longer the fish is on the more chance it has to shake the lure.

As far as keeping track of where the fish are caught and what lure,etc.,etc, We all do but I don't how muh any of it matters!!

Often times the fish come out of nowhere and for no particular reason. If your trying to figure them out..good luck LOLOLOLO.

It's a time game. fish places that are known to have trophy fish. I've had streaks of up to 4 years with out a single fish and I've had several days where I've caught 2 fish. I've seen many trips where we have a trophy landed with in 5 minutes of being in the boat and other times it's 9 hours later.

In the last 8 days I have caught 5 muskies but for all I know I might go the rest of the season and not land another fish or like I said it might be years down the road.. you just never know..

it's a time game, if you really work hard at it and keep at it for several years and get lucky enough to land several trophy's you too will form your own opinions of what is what and just about the time you think you have something figured out you find out otherwise LOL.

for best results for catch and release is in the fall when the water is cooler, these fish will fight to the death and they are weaker in warmer water like this time of the year, also for the best release do not remove the fish from the water and if you do,do it quickly..after you have caught several 30 pound plus muskies you will come to the realization that unfortunately not all fish can be succesfully rleased for one reason or another, obviously if the gills are broken and the fish is bleeding the odds are against that fish or if the eyes have been damaged.. other times like in really warm water just the act of catching them will kill them even if they are lightly hooked. But luckily often times the fish will swim away, she might be a little lazy after first being released and even hang around the boat but is fine!!!! My point is to be prepared that not all fish can be successfully released and that is why we have taxidermist, if you can not afford to mount or for some reason do not want to mount the taxidermist are always looking for fish to have given to them.. it is against the law to wanton waste so if you have a dead fish do not improperly dis-card it..

good luck and remember it's a time game!!! fish,fish and fish some more!!and never get discouraged and never forget the net or the camera!!done that before and it is like a guarantee that a trophy will show up that day LOL

[Muskycrazy]

These guys are on the mark . Good advise . If I may add one thing about the record keeping . One thing to consider is joining MuskiesInc. and you'll be able to access the lunge log . You'll be able to keep your info on line , its easy , and it provides MuskiesInc. with info as well . There is a sticky page that keep all your info that doesn't change often and then you just add the different info such as water depth , weather , lures , stuff like that . I used to keep a log but this is much easier and more complete that what I used to write in my little book .

[MUSKY18]

I have an Excel spreadsheet all made up that is used for a Musky log. Do I use it....NO!!! Mainly for the reasons that Duck stated. I forget to write things down and probably more because of just plain laziness more than anything!!

I keep my drags cranked down as tight as possible. When I do catch a fish, and they want to run, I just free spool and control the line with my thumb. Works great and is super easy.

Big fish are anything over 50". Really nice fish are in the 40's, and anything under 40", we call them Norskies.

[Capt. Quicksteel]

Great responses, esp. Dippydawg. I just have 2 things to add. ANY musky you catch is a good one. I still get a kick out of all of them. Second, I have a log that goes back to 1960 between me and my dad. It has everything in it, even from the prerelease days, the stomach contents of the fish. I read it all the time but then some bozo(usually from this site!!) says they're biting on perch colored bulldawgs in 90 feet of water, that's where you'll find me. It's a disease, not a science! But keeping a log is worthwhile if for no other reason than that it's great to go back and remember fish and trips that you would otherwise forget....

[8-Ball]

One other must have at your immediate disposal is a pair of Knipex to cut the hooks out of her mouth or wherever. Trying to shake them out w/ a hookout or forcefully pulling at the hooks can seriously damage the fish. Cut the hooks, get a quick pic if you want, and get her back where she belongs-roaming the depths and causing havoc under the water. Don't bother with any other hook cutter- Knipex cuts them on the first squeeze, every time.

[dippydawg]

just to add some more, we had an excellent trip today. the fish were on a bite. 3 muskies and 2 major misses. I cpr a 48 incher today..the catch was very hard on this fish as my net guy had his head up his tail so i had to bring the fish back to the boat twice, she really fought when she seen the boat and the harder they fight the worse for them,, but we got some nice pix on a disposable(forgot my digital today) and I think she will be ok,, she was very lazy when released but we pumped her in the water and she took off..on a sad note, mybro hooked into a little one, maybe 5 pounds or so but this one got major gill damage, fish swallowed the bucktail, major bleeding but luckily the other litte guy he caught released with ease as it was just hooked in the lip. Thats the way it goes. but darn, the bass and northerns were very aggressive today, it does seem when the other fish are active so are the muskies.. color made no difference on the skies!!!today

this 28 pounder is muskie #6 in the last ten days!!!for me. would like to go back out this evening(especially knowing they are on a bite and I have some monsters spotted) but I'm shaking hands with MR.windsor now LOL. gotta stay put. thats the other side to fishing trophies LOL. a little booze helps even it all out for us trophy fisherman!!! wether we are on a hot bite or in a slump!!

[cableguy031]

LOL @ HugoBox....you got the sickness.....

[BoxMN]

Don't let him fool you, he is okay with muskies, just hasn't gotten a really big one yet, but plenty in the 40-45 range and below. Here is his latest:

But yep, he definitely has got the sickness He is trying to make me catch it, but so far I am simply "sort of into it", but he did me to got out at 10:30 pm last week for the night bite, I always hate the night bite! ha!