05-11-2003, 05:46 AM
[font "Verdana,Arial"][size 1]Well late last night Hellsangler69 and myself decided to hook up today for some Muskie fishing at Pineview. After several PMs and a phone call we decide where we would meet to decide where we would go. I met him at Chris's around 1:00 PM. We chatted for a few, then I went in and got a dozen nightcrawlers just in case. Then off we went to the North side by Eden. HA69 said it was about a, 100-yard walk. Sounds good to me. I think HA69 needs one of those road measures, you know the one with the wheel that you walk along side. Man it was more like 500 yards[
] packing that big ole bucks bag made it seem even farther LOL! But now were there and he's sneaking up on the lake throwing his grub tail jig trying to catch the hiding Muskie by the stream. But no luck today, Mr. Muskie has left for safer waters.
So he launches and starts paddling out, while I stumble around trying to get everything together and launch. I finally make it and we paddle over to the cover north of us. I started with a Finnigan, changed to a Rapala perch, then fire tiger but no takers. So now I go to the jigs two and three inches. Still no takers, but we have fish jumping all around us. Some of the lakes well fed carp, lots and lots of carp. I guess I should say here the water temp was around 55 and we were in 1 to 5 feet of water generally. So off come the jigs and on go the tubes 3 inches and still nothing. Colors well look at the rainbow boys and gals they just weren't having anything to do with us. So now out of desperation I add nightcrawler to the tubes ........... nothing. Change back to jigs; add nightcrawlers ......... again nothing. Well nothing big or medium was working so I get out the bass box and dig out this little Chartreuse/lemon shad. For all the wiper fisherman it is one size smaller than you use at Willard. This lure is an American Fisherman (Wal-Mart brand for those who don't know). I start tossing it into the cover cause I know there just has to be fish in there, I hear them jumping behind me all day now! I'm using a jerk and wait then reel retrieve. Here's where it gets exciting! I’m on my third cast with this little shad from the discount tub. I'm jerking it through the willows, when it gets about nine feet from me, about 3 inches below the surface. I see a huge head appear out of no where. It slides up next the shad, then smacks it with the left side of its head. I mean it hit it hard, so I jerk it forward watching its whole body appear in the blink of an eye. It was like this Muskie was shot out of a cannon; he hit that shad not 6 feet in front of. I reared back and set the hook. The fight was on! He dove to the bottom turning up the mud as he went. Right for about 10 feet then a quick turn to the left for another ten feet, all the while leaving a mud trail in the water as he went. Then he starts a run toward Hellsangler69 whose about 40 yards away, changes his mind and does a 180. Now he’s heading back right to me on my left, he no longer wasting his energy turning up the bottom. He’s at full speed making a run for it. Just before he gets to me he veers to my right turning me around in the tube. As he passes he can't be more than three feet from me, the shad hanging out the left side of his jaw. I guess at this point he knew that he was hooked. Up out of the water he came not more than 6 feet away, shaking his head from side to side as violently as he could. He did this absolutely beautiful tail walk for about 2 feet on top the water after the leap, still shaking his head from side to side, his powerful body twisting and flexing with each movement. I set the hook again turning his head to the right as I did. He hit the water and started peeling off the line zezezezezezezezezezezezezezezez. He was making his run for freedom!! Then bam the line stayed tight but there was no fight on the other end. I hesitated, waited, and tested the line ... still no movement. Hellsangler69 hollers out "Did he wrap you around the willows?" No I say I don't think so. I could see the line clearly; it was against a clump but not wrapped. I approach slowly keep tension on the line in case he is playing possum. When I get there, still no fight, no movement, but I still have tension. Slowly I run my hand down the line. I find the swivel, move on to the leader and find the lure; rear hook stuck into the willow and partially straightened out. Front treble hook and ring missing and so is my fish [
]. Hellsangler69 estimated it at over 40 inches. I honestly have no idea how long it was. Just that it was able to strip line off that Catalyst like it was nothing. I had just spooled that line this morning and set the drag weight at nine pounds. Moral if you buy a bargain basement lure, check the rings to see what they are made out of. I stripped down a rapala and used it rings and one of its hooks to re-set the shad. The rings from the shad were not too hard to straighten out. I know it is steel, just not very good steel LOL. The rings from the rapala were also a different size and it changed the action of the shad, So I will get some of the right size and finish the repair.
All in all it was great day fishing! Hellsangler69 is a great fishing partner. Thanks HA69 for such a good time ... heck you aint even half bad as a guide. That little walk ... all is fair for the love of fishing. Oh yeah the weather was great! It snowed like the dickens on the way there. But once on the water the sun shined, the blew mildly, and it was just a nice day. The only downside was HA69 didn't get to hook up with his Muskie. Next time HA69. I think the trout lost another fisherman today. All the fishing shows on TV could not compare to what that was like today. [/size][/font][size 2][/size]
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] packing that big ole bucks bag made it seem even farther LOL! But now were there and he's sneaking up on the lake throwing his grub tail jig trying to catch the hiding Muskie by the stream. But no luck today, Mr. Muskie has left for safer waters. So he launches and starts paddling out, while I stumble around trying to get everything together and launch. I finally make it and we paddle over to the cover north of us. I started with a Finnigan, changed to a Rapala perch, then fire tiger but no takers. So now I go to the jigs two and three inches. Still no takers, but we have fish jumping all around us. Some of the lakes well fed carp, lots and lots of carp. I guess I should say here the water temp was around 55 and we were in 1 to 5 feet of water generally. So off come the jigs and on go the tubes 3 inches and still nothing. Colors well look at the rainbow boys and gals they just weren't having anything to do with us. So now out of desperation I add nightcrawler to the tubes ........... nothing. Change back to jigs; add nightcrawlers ......... again nothing. Well nothing big or medium was working so I get out the bass box and dig out this little Chartreuse/lemon shad. For all the wiper fisherman it is one size smaller than you use at Willard. This lure is an American Fisherman (Wal-Mart brand for those who don't know). I start tossing it into the cover cause I know there just has to be fish in there, I hear them jumping behind me all day now! I'm using a jerk and wait then reel retrieve. Here's where it gets exciting! I’m on my third cast with this little shad from the discount tub. I'm jerking it through the willows, when it gets about nine feet from me, about 3 inches below the surface. I see a huge head appear out of no where. It slides up next the shad, then smacks it with the left side of its head. I mean it hit it hard, so I jerk it forward watching its whole body appear in the blink of an eye. It was like this Muskie was shot out of a cannon; he hit that shad not 6 feet in front of. I reared back and set the hook. The fight was on! He dove to the bottom turning up the mud as he went. Right for about 10 feet then a quick turn to the left for another ten feet, all the while leaving a mud trail in the water as he went. Then he starts a run toward Hellsangler69 whose about 40 yards away, changes his mind and does a 180. Now he’s heading back right to me on my left, he no longer wasting his energy turning up the bottom. He’s at full speed making a run for it. Just before he gets to me he veers to my right turning me around in the tube. As he passes he can't be more than three feet from me, the shad hanging out the left side of his jaw. I guess at this point he knew that he was hooked. Up out of the water he came not more than 6 feet away, shaking his head from side to side as violently as he could. He did this absolutely beautiful tail walk for about 2 feet on top the water after the leap, still shaking his head from side to side, his powerful body twisting and flexing with each movement. I set the hook again turning his head to the right as I did. He hit the water and started peeling off the line zezezezezezezezezezezezezezezez. He was making his run for freedom!! Then bam the line stayed tight but there was no fight on the other end. I hesitated, waited, and tested the line ... still no movement. Hellsangler69 hollers out "Did he wrap you around the willows?" No I say I don't think so. I could see the line clearly; it was against a clump but not wrapped. I approach slowly keep tension on the line in case he is playing possum. When I get there, still no fight, no movement, but I still have tension. Slowly I run my hand down the line. I find the swivel, move on to the leader and find the lure; rear hook stuck into the willow and partially straightened out. Front treble hook and ring missing and so is my fish [
]. Hellsangler69 estimated it at over 40 inches. I honestly have no idea how long it was. Just that it was able to strip line off that Catalyst like it was nothing. I had just spooled that line this morning and set the drag weight at nine pounds. Moral if you buy a bargain basement lure, check the rings to see what they are made out of. I stripped down a rapala and used it rings and one of its hooks to re-set the shad. The rings from the shad were not too hard to straighten out. I know it is steel, just not very good steel LOL. The rings from the rapala were also a different size and it changed the action of the shad, So I will get some of the right size and finish the repair. All in all it was great day fishing! Hellsangler69 is a great fishing partner. Thanks HA69 for such a good time ... heck you aint even half bad as a guide. That little walk ... all is fair for the love of fishing. Oh yeah the weather was great! It snowed like the dickens on the way there. But once on the water the sun shined, the blew mildly, and it was just a nice day. The only downside was HA69 didn't get to hook up with his Muskie. Next time HA69. I think the trout lost another fisherman today. All the fishing shows on TV could not compare to what that was like today. [/size][/font][size 2][/size]
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] JK