Been Kinda Quiet Lately

[Guest]

So I figure I'd share this St.Croix Pike.. 36" in length. Did not weight it.. Had no problem bringing it in with the Steez setup.

[Stratosman]

hey web I know that spot!

Nice piker man!

[Dan Thiem]

Hey Web! Nice one. What's a Steez set up?

[Guest]

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hey web I know that spot!

Nice piker man!

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ITs a nice spot Kinda shallow with weedbeds.. I worked the point and BAM! The pike it and I thought for sure it was a muskie because it was pretty aggressive! haha

[Guest]

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Hey Web! Nice one. What's a Steez set up?

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Steez setup is:

Daiwa Steez baitcaster

Daiwa Steez 7'1 heavy action bass rod

[Dan Thiem]

Cool. Thanks. What lure did it fall for?

[Guest]

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Cool. Thanks. What lure did it fall for?

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It fell for my neon green spinner

That neon green spinner with a white / green skirt has gotten my Both my muskies and both my 31"+ pikes and my bass in the picture this year!!

[steffanf]

I've just been busy fishing... trying to find time to post now. Remember that monkey on the back thing about muskies? Well, I think I done buried that monkey! Here's a picture of the 31" I caught on 'Tonka last week:

And here's the one I caught yesterday before the severe storms rolled in... 33.5"... my biggest yet... that's 3 so far in just under a month.

Again, sorry about the poor picture quality (cell phone camera) and the non-typical pose (fishing by myself). Both were released and swam away with little coercing. Do I sense a 36" next? Maybe a 40"? Think my spinning gear can continue handling this punishment? Stay tuned...

-Gregg B.

[MJBo]

Hi. Congratulations on those fish. Sounds like you're doing very well. I want you to know what I'm gonna say next isn't criticism, just a little friendly advice. If you're gonna target these guys further you probably oughta think about really gearing up properly. If you fish tonka and are on fish, like it sound like you are, sooner or later you're gonna latch into a truly big fish. Maybe you'll get it in and maybe you won't but I can tell you that the sinking feeling in your stomach when you realize you're jeapordizing a big fish's life is horrible. I know its expensive, but I would at least get a heavy duty combo, some decent bolt cutters an a much bigger net to handle a big fish.

I have a net I was thinking about upsizing and a baitcasting rod I can't stand and would be willing to sell you both on the cheap. Good luck and continued success.

[Guest]

Congrats on your catches!! I haven't had any luck with them on Minnetonka but on the St.Croix and a local lake, I landed my 2 personal bests!! keep them coming!

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I've just been busy fishing... trying to find time to post now. Remember that monkey on the back thing about muskies? Well, I think I done buried that monkey! Here's a picture of the 31" I caught on 'Tonka last week:

Again, sorry about the poor picture quality (cell phone camera) and the non-typical pose (fishing by myself). Both were released and swam away with little coercing. Do I sense a 36" next? Maybe a 40"? Think my spinning gear can continue handling this punishment? Stay tuned...

-Gregg B.

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[steffanf]

Thanks, Web... I really like that pike you caught on the Croix... hope to get one that big eventually.

I welcome criticism, MJ. These past 4 months have been a learning period for me, just moving to the area from Illinois. I have been realizing that all my fishing gear has been constantly getting upsized as the season progressed. I started fishing with a medium-action rod combo that I quickly found inadequate after landing a 30" pike. The net I used landing it was also way undersized. Within a month I got a new net, which is a large Frabil and more than twice the size of the last net I had, followed shortly by a new extra-heavy action spinning combo (never been a fan of casting gear). The constant upsizing of lures has recently made me realize that even this extra-heavy spinning rod is a little too light. Just a couple weeks ago I went to Thorne Brothers to get a custom-built muskie rod. This will basically be a heavy-action 8' musky blank, but made into a spinning rod. It will even have a wells grip and an extra-long handle. It's going to put me back some $300, but I feel this will be the only way to get a quality rod for such a specific and untypical purpose. I already have a pair of Knipex, that I have yet to use on a muskie so far... the lure always seems to get wrapped up in the net, pulling it free from the fish. I probably would want a bigger net eventually, but my small 14' boat doesn't have alot of room. This relatively large Frabil I have now has a sliding handle, yet still takes up alot of room in the boat. I am thinking about getting a new boat next year, so maybe the net situation will change. I will keep your offer in mind when the time comes.

-Gregg B.

[MJBo]

Sounds like you're well on your way! Congratulations on catching this expensive and frustrating disease.

[steffanf]

I thought I would add this as well...

33.5" pike:

It is my biggest pike so far, caught on Minnetonka last Sunday. For once, you can also see me in the picture, holding my catch. You can also see the boat I'm in and get the feeling what it's like fishing out of such a small boat on a larger lake. Talking about last Sunday, that was the first time I went out fishing on Minnetonka on the weekend. What a Madhouse! I can't tell you how many of those yachts went by and produced a wake big enough to throw you overboard. There was actually traffic jams around the channel areas between bays. Of course, I managed to stop traffic with that pike, fighting it right in a high-traffic area and ensuing much curiosity. Note the wake on the left hand side of the picture from one of the yachts circling around.

-Gregg B.