Muskies stink!

[muskieman]

This week has been a roller coaster ride with the muskie bite. Nothing is making any sense. The best bite was Saturday with a 48 and a 44 within a half hour and during the moonset. Everything that I have learned this summer, you can throw out the window. I guess the best thing is to just go fish and cross your fingers that this warm south breeze produces.

[Jeff S]

JDC........Jealousy gets you nowhere. The muskieman is very good at what he does and I'm sure he would not harm the fishery that he makes part of his living on.

If I enjoyed trolling I'd do it too, however I prefer to cast so I can see the giants follow to the boat. I'd never look down on someone and how he fishes as long as he is legal. Lifes too short to get your shorts in a knot.

Go out and fish and enjoy what you have today because you never know what tomorrow will bring.

Jeff S

[mudman]

I have been on 3 trips with Gene. He has never even let me consider keeping a fish under 50" let alone bring it out of the water for a picture.
Gene your alright by me, this guy's a clown and just trying to ruffle some feathers

[Scenic]

JDC,

If you want to confront this individual please do it else where. These forums are not the place for accusations and they will not be tolerated. Besides that if you want to get real honest here it is legal and most peoples right to keep fish. Even muskies.

Jeff

[This message has been edited by Jeff Beckwith (edited 10-06-2004).]

[This message has been edited by Jeff Beckwith (edited 10-06-2004).]

[mudman]

JDC you are way out of line!!
Its nice to see you have such confindce behind a computer

Jealously will get you NO where!

[This message has been edited by mudman (edited 10-06-2004).]

[JDC]

You were politely warned via e-mail to not instigate fights Josh.

You chose to ignore that warning and repeat your error.

[This message has been edited by Rick (edited 10-07-2004).]

[catchin'whopper]

I think it is safe to say that 95% of hard core musky fisherman release their fish they catch and the good ones catch 10+ fish a year. There is definitely a smaller population who do not actively fish them, rarely seeing more than 10 in their life, and if they keep them, so be it, because as was mentioned, it is a right and legal.

People shouldnt jump all over this issue, in the past 10 years, it seems that more and more of the "recreational fishing public" have endorsed and taken on the catch and release philosophy anyway, with many "active/every weekend fisherman" consistently pursuing a selective harvest mentality with catch and release of trophies.

So for one person to say they want to keep a trophy, be it a bass, musky, walleye, etc, they are entitled. Big Deal. I am comfortable in knowing that more and more people practice a catch and release/selective harvest mentality than in the past, and we are positioned to have the same knowledge passed on to the next generatation and enjoy our own future of pursuing trophies.

[Scenic]

Good post there Catchin’whopper!

Jeff

[Jeff S]

Rather than judging people and how they fish and what they keep or release we need to spend our time and energy teaching our next generation proper ethics. It kills me to see fish/ game taken illegally then we jump down someones throat when, or even if in this case, someone keeps a fish legally.

I had a really neat experience a few weeks ago while muskie fishing. We have a cabin on a lake near Mille Lacs so we fish there very often. I've been taking out a 13yo neighbor kid out every weekend since the season opened to catch a musky. We have talked about catch and release and keeping fish alot and I told him it is totally his decision when that time comes. He has fished very hard with much more determination than most adults have. I feel so bad for him because he has yet to catch a muskie. However, a few weeks back he did catch a very fat 40in. northern. All of his efforts were rewarded. I asked him several times if he wanted to keep him to put on the wall and he never hesitated once and said he would rather release him. Pretty remarkable for a 13yo boy who hasn't ever caught a fish like that. I feel bad that I may have pushed release to hard on him. It would not have killed the fishery had he kept it. Now I'm in the process of getting a replica made for him instead.

His dad does not fish and it feels really good to introduce a young person into a lifelong pastime. It ain't over yet and maybe he will still get his muskie. The best part is he is already excited about next year!

Let's not judge someone by how he fishes or what he keeps as long as what they do is legal! And introduce the young into the sport we all love so much, and take the time to teach them proper ethics! That will pay off in the long run for us all.

Jeff S

[fishface5]

Jeff S. Very nice.

[cjac]

Hi guys.

I'm a 32 year old "boy" who boated his first muskie this year on Mille Lacs. Healthy and fat 47 incher. Saw a lot of fish, and thru experience I will learn how to turn more follows into hook ups.

Due to what I've learned thru this site and all the educational tools and literature available out there, she returned to the water in exactly the same condition she left. Had the right gear, proper rods/reels, terminal tackle, big net, cutters, etc., so hooks were quickly out/cut, couple pics, and back in the water. Never touched anything but net. All that with shaking hands! Not sure if I'm more proud of the catch itself or the quality release.....

That's what this forum is all about, providing anglers with quality info. Got a long way to go to meet the high standards of catchin'whopper's 10+ fish a season yard stick, but I'm 10% there!!! Lookin' to make it 20% this weekend.

Thanks for the education!

[AWH]

Nice job cjac! It's good to hear that your first release was as successful as it was. That's not always an easy thing for someone's first, especially a quality fish like that. Welcome to the sickness!

[muskieman]

I did not view the post most are responding to. I get $3 a inch for every replica I sell. So, if a client gets a 50 inch fish it is $150 in my pocket. If he kills the fish I get $0. What some other people say doesn't matter. When I see a man who had a stroke and is 78 and cannot talk catch a 47 incher on my boat or a man that cannot move from the neck down and has to bite a botton on a power reel to catch a fish it it my reward to see the smile on their face. To take a 88 year old lady out (Irene Long from Isle) and watch her catch 3 muskies and a 41 inch northern within one hour, is my reward and there isn't one human that is going to throw a wet blanket on my parade by his critical comments. I love watching a young 8 yr old kid catch his dream fish. I guess you just have to be there. If it was easy more would be doing it and when they can't they attack. Now, on to what this forum is really about and that is helping people catch fish. I had the previledge of having Greg Wollner of Rapala product developement on my boat. I am excited about the lures that will be introduced to the market soon. I know tackle companies put alot of time and effort into developing lures that produce fish and I guided a few of them that are not real good producers. I had a tackle company that had never caught a muskie on their lure and got a 49 incher on their lure with me. It is on their website. I really have a very good feeling about the new Rapala coming out. I am anxious to test the lure and will report back on this forum with the results.

[This message has been edited by muskieman (edited 10-09-2004).]

[This message has been edited by Rick (edited 10-09-2004).]

[Rick]

Thanks Gene,

well spoken!!!!

[half2fish]

No offence to anyone here but Gene, you are telling me that if a client is on your boat and catches a fat 45 or 47incher after paying you all of the money they do you are not going to let them keep it if they want to? And i am not trying to make anyone mad and i know i havent caught a ski yet but i know i would keep a fish if it was 47" regardless of whos boat i was on. If they tried to tell me that i cant, i would let them know that they should taker me and my fish in. Sorry to everyone but this is my 2 cents and it might make a few of you mad but it is how i feel. If a fish is legal to keep and i want to thats what i am going to do.

[AWH]

Half2fish,

I don't see anywhere in his post where he says anything about not letting a client keep a fish. The only thing I see is a statement regarding graphite reproductions and skin mounts, nothing on his guiding philosphies in that regard. But maybe I missed something.

Most guides will tell you up front what their expectations are if they have any kind of policy like that (I have never heard of one that doesn't). Some musky guides are strictly catch and release. But their clients know this up front. And if they want to keep a fish of a certain size, they will hire a different guide. Pretty simple. I have actually never heard of a guide telling a client he couldn't keep a fish of legal size if they didn't know this was his guiding policy prior to the trip. Not having a clue about Gene's guiding policies, I really doubt that he is any different. I'm sure his clients know what to expect up front, however it is that he might feel about keeping a legal sized fish.

AWH

[muskieman]

Half2half: I understand your line of thinking because a 47 incher is a nice trophy for alot of people. But, there are thousands of them in Mille Lacs. Once you land a 47" you would naturally raise the standard for yourself. If you killed it, mounted it, and then caught a 52" you would regret your decision. If you fish muskies on Mille Lacs you will catch dozens of 47 inchers in your life. If you kill a 47 incher you are taking a legal fish and no one has the right to condemn you for it. Most of the people who make negative comments have killed fish themselves. Who hasn't killed a fish in their life? They are usually just jealous. I hope you catch a monster muskie!

[fishface5]

Life is life. Isn't it? Is long, (inches wise), life more precious than short life? Is muskie life better than sunfish life? Is mosquito life better than frog life? Human life IS more precious than fish or animal life. ! Is unborn life more precious than born life? Life, what a trip! I do Know that the postmasters life is funner than the average bears life!

[wheelierida]

I will keep some eater sized fish on a regular basis. However I always let nice sized breeders go. I have set some tough size limits for myselfe to keep a trophy. 15" crappie 15" perch 21" smallmouth 30" walleye or 50" muskie. when I catch any fish that reach these limits I will bring them directly to the taxidermist. I may have a change of heart when I actually catch them and get a replica made. we will see?
don't worry to much, I been fishing my whole life and havnt been lucky enough to land any fish within these limits. but I will keep trying.

[Big G]

I have one fish on the wall. A 29lb pike caught in this state.

Today, with the quality of perfection that the replicas have reached, I will never get another skin mount again.

Today's replicas look just as real as the skin mounts. I couldn't say that 3 years ago, when I caught my pike. The replicas then looked cheap, plastic, with phony gills, gill plates, and a throat.

Yesterday's replicas were not much better than "the talking Billy Bass" (you know, the singing fish).

But today, you cannot tell the difference. This year, up on LOTW at Angle Inlet Resort, they had a replica up there, that I really scrutinized over. I was looking for a reason as to why the fish wouldn't look real........I couldn't find a flaw. The fish was "perfect".

That fish, has changed my method of thinking and I will never keep another skin mount because of the quality of that fish.......I was impressed!!!

Get a replica........If you don't believe me, shop around and look at today's quality.

The problem I have, is that my pike is 3 years old. I had a top quality taxidermist do the work, but I want to take it back to get more work done to it and I don't like the look of one of the gill plates today. In another 15 years, I will have to trade in that skin mount and get it exchanged for a replica, because my skin mount is going to get crudy........Plastic last forever......skin doesn't.......And last I checked there aren't too many 29lb pikes running around this state, so I don't plan on beating that record anytime soon......

[LEECH21]

Big G, I totally agree with you. Replicas today look as good as the real deal(plus they last forever.) Most rep makers give the repos a lifetime guarantee as well. Even if you drop it and it's your fault, they will replace it. A very good company out there is Artistic Anglers out of Duluth. I've seen their work at the MN Sportsmans Show and they make all the repos for the Cabela's stores. I wish they had a web site, but they don't. Yes, there are still the crappy companies out there that make the "Billy Bass" looking mounts. The key is to searce around . There are some awesome companies out there that do fantastic work. A month ago I caught a 22 inch largemouth bass. Before it was even in the boat I knew I was going to release her. That bass was fat probably pushing seven pounds or better. We took some good measurements and photos and back she went. I plan on getting a repo done in the future.

Just my 2 cents...LEECH

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[GEO]

On the north end of ML this summer I witnessed a couple of guys in a Lund C&R a 51"X26" trophy. What impressed me most (other than the fact that the fish was just as big as the guy holding it) was how skillfully they did everything-from trimming the outboard and electric to keeping the fish in the water while removing the hooks to getting pics and quickly getting the fish back in the water. I made a comment to my buddy that we had witnessed a text-book C&R. The funny thing is that I have never caught a musky over 22", but I like to watch fishing shows and have watched how pros like Mehsikomer and Bucher handle fish. I have had several friendly debates about C&R with a friend (he's never caught one either) and I think I'm getting him to see the light ..I told him "as long as we're in my boat, If you want to hang on to a big musky you can do it while I'm releasing you." For some reason he hasn't come fishing with me for a while now, HMMM
That being said, I don't look down on anyone for keeping and mounting the fish of a lifetime, I just think C&R-replicate is better.

I've got all the tools you need for a good C&R, over 100 lures (bull dawgs, jakes, phantoms, AP lures, low-riders, stompers, squirly burts, tiger tubes, top-raiders, inhalers.. and of course you can't be without bucher tails, mepps musky killers, vipers, slammers, creepers, lilly tails, hawg wobblers, super shad raps, eagle tails, reef hawgs, pace-makers, funky chickens, giant jackpots, etc, etc, etc ..and of course an assortment of colors of each to insure I don't get caught on the water without that one right lure) ...whew ...I'm educated and ready, and I can't get one of those fish (with a tiny brain) to bite! The funny thing is, after all the time on the water not catching one, you'd think a guy would want to kill the @#$@#$^#$% out of one, yet he'll treat that fish better than his wife--it's kind of a crazy sport if you think about it. What I've learned about musky fishing from my own experience--it makes me want to stick to walleye fishing.