Musky Encounter

[cherokee]

Took the afternoon off and went spearing. I was in 8 feet of water on an inside corner and had on a 7" perch decoy. Decoy down about 3 1/2 feet.

At 3:30 this 47" musky shoots in,inhales my decoy and just sits there. I grabbed the reel/rod the decoy was attached to and slowly pulled the musky up to the hole. THe musky did not fight but when it got near the hole and I touched its back it let go of the decoy and gave me a good splashing.

I've fished for muskies for about 30 years now and this was right up there with sticking a big fish in the figure 8. What a rush to have that hog come in the hole and inhale the decoy.

Saw carp but no northerns. That certainly made my day.

[Fish Toys]

Has your heart slowed down yet? To bad you didn’t get a picture of it. Just think he might be back!

[mrklean]

haha now thats cool

[triggertrav]

where are you spearing, cherokee?

[Scott M]

Cool story cherokee. Too bad he wasn't more greedy and then you could've taken a picture!

[bassNspear]

where are you spearing, cherokee?

He was, he stated that in the first line!

That is a rush to see that stuff happen. I see a few of them a year up north whenw e take out trip up there at the end of Dec! There cool to watch down there, and there fun to play around with when you bring them up to the top. I have not been wet yet, but i hope that it will never happen!

[cherokee]

It was a rush. As always with muskies they get my blood pumping. The decoy was totally gone. I really didn't want to lose the decoy so I gently pulled on it expecting her to take off. She just came up. Not until I touched her did she release my deke.

Where, I may give a northern spot away but rarely a musky spot

[bassNspear]

lol, what did you touch her with, your hand or boot?

[Gordie]

and they say we cant tell the differecne great story cherokee

catch and release and a bath to boot

[cherokee]

I was raising the rod in my right hand and feeding the line through my left. I touched her with my finger tip.

[bassNspear]

ahh, thats awesome. Glad you had a fun experience

[pinkfloyd4ever]

Just an honest question here- I thought lakes that had muskies in them could not be spear fished?

[cherokee]

There are quite a few lakes that have muskies and spearing is allowed. With stocking and rivers running into other lakes, some muskies have migrated to other bodies of water and done quite well. Designated musky lakes only cannot be speared. Check the dnr site. Some that come to mind Sugar, Minnetonka, Little Boy etc. I think Bass N Spear listed them in another thread. Also, I know of several lakes that muskies have been stocked without DNR authorization and muskies have taken off. These lakes are some of my favorites (secret) to fish in the summer as pressure is light.

When spearing these lakes one has to be carefull. Although I will say a musky stands out like a sore thumb. Kinda like hunting and making sure a turkey has a beard or a deer has horns.

[B@ssDoctor]

Originally Posted By: triggertrav

where are you spearing, cherokee?

He was, he stated that in the first line!

I believe he was asking WHERE ARE YOU SPEARING - Not WERE?

[pinkfloyd4ever]

Ok, I didn't know, that is why I asked, I fish for muskies, so when looking at lake map books just noticed that it seemed all the lakes with muskies were off limits for spearing.

[cherokee]

YoPaul, that was a good question as there are a lot of different regulations on all lakes.

Have you been fishing muskies for long?

[shamalex72]

Cool story! When I used to spear out on Lake Alex I would see the ocasional musky. Some would slowly swim in like a log and the next, if you blinked you would have missed it, and the sucker would be gone.

I was just thinking about this yesterday, I spear northerns in the winter, and do a lot of musky fishing in the summer. I was looking through a MDAA newsletter and they seem to be so anti- musky. Just curious, how many other spearers like to fish muskies?

[Central Bassman]

Great story!!! I have also been able to see a big musky in a spear hole, The one i say came in right under the ice, he was really high in the water, He didnt hit my decoy but he was really close to doing it. He came in a few times then left. Got the heart pumping!!!!

Shamalex72, i enjoy fishing for muskies, I dont do a lot of it but when im in Canada i do it. They are a great fish!!!

[FishOn!]

Originally Posted By: Bass N Spear

Originally Posted By: triggertrav

where are you spearing, cherokee?

He was, he stated that in the first line!

I believe he was asking WHERE ARE YOU SPEARING - Not WERE?

very funny! my brain was twitching about this too! it cracks me up seeing things like that! there was no confusing the line, "where are you spearing?" why would he say, were "are" you spearing? hehehe! oh well. thanks, b@ssdoctor! it was a good chuckle!

[merkman]

I was looking through a MDAA newsletter and they seem to be so anti- musky. Just curious, how many other spearers like to fish muskies?

It will be cool to see how many people out there are in "both camps"

I am not sure that the MDAA is anti-Muskie.

I think both the MDAA and other groups such as Muskies Inc are both so passionate about what they would like to get done that many times they seem to lock horns.

But in general,

I think it is wrong for any group of sportsmen to "go after" any other group of sportsmen. There are enough outside groups trying to restrict our rights to hunt, fish, spear, trap, bear arms, etc. Those groups have whittled away at enough of our rights, we don't need to help them out.

There is no reason why spearing northerns and fishing muskies can't go hand and hand. As others have said, Doe tags and Buck tags work in deer hunting. The same thing goes for turkey hunting. If a sportsperson can't tell the difference between a musky and a northern he/she should not throw the spear until he/she can. Sportsmen do the same for buck/does before they shoot.

Spearing is not a matter of no option for catch and release as some may want to portray it; it is a matter of when the catch and release decision is made, spearers have the advantage of making that decision AFTER they have seen the fish and BEFORE touching it in any way. Once again, much like a hunter hunting deer. Musky sportspeople practice catch and release religiously which is very good for the fish, and they care deeply about fish habitat and stocking. There are allot of Musky people out there doing some very good work shoring up our resources to ensure there is habitat and forage for our fish. Spearing sportspeople practice look and release and only take what they need, they also care deeply about habitat for their fish. It is very apparent just what the MDAA has done for spearing even in the last year. I had a grin from ear to ear as I was sitting on 4” of ice spinning my decoys Thanksgiving weekend. If you enjoyed the early opener this year thank the hard work of the MDAA for working to get that though.

Musky sportspeople and spearing sportspeople alike should all be working to increase the habitat and forage for both Muskies and Northerns. And most of all they should be looking for ways to work together to make both sports have a long and prosperous future.

So far I have only referenced sportsmen, if it is poachers that people are worried about; then making laws and rules that only law abiding sportsmen will follow, isn't doing anything but restricting the law abiding sportsmen. The bottom line is that no matter the rules; the poachers will still poach (until they get caught… and even that don’t stop some of them)

In the end, we need to break down all the stereotypes that exist between true sportsmen no matter how they choose to enjoy their sports. If we don’t work together we have the distinct chance of losing it all.

[cherokee]

Merkman, good post.

I am passionate about both and I think within each sport we need to educate the people involved.

For spearers it's ok to watch the big one and not spear it. Who says you have to get your limit each time you go out. Spear enough for a meal and watch the rest. Most of the fun is watching all the different fish come into the hole and the rush one gets. The best thing now is one can angle at the same time one is spearing. Great for the kids.

For musky fisherman it's ok not to bring a big fish in the boat for a picture or lay it on the floor to get that all important measurement, or fish during super hot periods. If you catch a personal best and want to mount it. Do it as long as it is legal. Or better yet get a replica.

Maybe spearers could get a replica made of one they passed

Both sports have come a long ways. Yes there will always be those that oppose, even hate, the other sport. But agreed we need to protect our resources and work together.

[pinkfloyd4ever]

YoPaul, that was a good question as there are a lot of different regulations on all lakes.

Have you been fishing muskies for long?

Fishing for? Oh about 6 or 7 years? Catching- not enough, LOL. Only have 2 to my name.

[glenn57]

i am not a muskie person but wont go after there passion. quite simply put, WE ALL NEED TO GET ALONG. not really so hard is it?

[Huey]

I was just thinking about this yesterday, I spear northerns in the winter, and do a lot of musky fishing in the summer. I was looking through a MDAA newsletter and they seem to be so anti- musky. Just curious, how many other spearers like to fish muskies?

I'm a "muskie guy". I saw the same thing and emailed the author of the article to let him know that some MDAA members support muskie stocking.

Merk + Cherokee - Really good posts.

[merkman]

Maybe spearers could get a replica made of one they passed

Or beter yet a video to share on sites like these!!!