If you throw enough lures in the water, over the years you eventually wind up reeling in all kinds of things that have no resemblance to a fish.
But a muskie lure? Seriously?
This had to be a first.
Years ago I used to fish the stretches of the Fox River where higher concentrations of muskie live, but since I don’t suffer from LDS I never bothered fishing for the things.
A half dozen times a year or more while out fishing for smallies I would tie into one. They would either shake themselves loose or bite off my little jig and twister. Every now and then I’d reel one in next to me, but since I was usually standing in waist deep water the last thing I wanted was some crazed creature with sharp teeth going absolutely nuts with it’s mouth anywhere near my crotch.
Hmmmm…
Well, anyway, I was pretty good at shaking them loose before any real blood loss was involved.
I used to have friends that would go out to the Fox and concentrate only on catching muskie. I recall them using lures the size of the one I snagged. I don’t recall too many fish being caught by them and I still think I was hooking into more on my little jig and twister then they were on these monster lures.
I could be wrong, but I doubt it.
I did learn one thing with all these muskie getting hooked while I was out fishing for smallies. I know where muskie live in a river. I know where they like to cruise, where they like to sit and that for the most part they’re just hanging out snacking on any little thing that comes along.
It’s not what you throw in the river at that point, but where you throw it.
RK Henderson
7 Aug 2013You don’t suffer from Latter Day Saints, eh? Or does that mean something else back east?
Here on the North Coast there’s only one lake that has muskie in it. They were planted several years ago as an experiment. My nephew is dying to go try them. Interestingly, it’s impossible to catch a keeper, because minimum size is larger than any are yet. But people still like to catch and release; they’re very exotic here.
When I lived in Québec, now… muskie fishermen were like steelheaders here. (I.e., obsessives who monopolised the fishing culture.) But out here, we got none of those freshwater barracuda (pike, walleye, muskie, pickerel) that are such a religion back there.
By the way, that must be one attractive lure you’re throwing if other lures are biting it.
Robin
Rusty Ring: Reflections of an Old-Timey Hermit
Ken G
8 Aug 2013I’ve never found the attraction for fishing for them Robin. Nice bycatch now and then, but that’s about it.
I read years ago that muskie are river fish, first being found in the Ohio Valley. The one cool thing about river muskie is that they’re sleek and all muscle, fight a lot harder than their lake counterparts.
Those little grubs do catch everything. The hardest thing I ever reeled in was a big soft shell turtle. That’ll make your arm hurt.
Dan "The Impractical Fishermen"
7 Aug 2013More proof that ANYTHING can be caught on a grub. 😀
Ken G
8 Aug 2013I vaguely remember 23 species caught on it Dan, but I stopped paying attention a long time ago. Even little sharks out in South Carolina. Doesn’t get more versatile than that.
Richard Velders
8 Aug 2013It only took me 20,254 casts to get my first musky. I lost a 14 dollar Double Cowgirl lure while fishing for them at Rock Creek outflow. I’ll have you check your inventory Kenny. The Producto grub is my new favorite lure for inadvertent musky hookups. I’d rather just do smallies. Dick
Howard Levett
9 Aug 2013Looks like you found where the fisherman thought they should be but weren’t.