Accidental Muskie

[CATransplant]

I haven't really fished for Minnesota's biggest trophy. It's just not my thing. But, today, at Bald Eagle Lake, I caught one anyhow--my very first. Not big, as muskies go, it just measured between 35" and 36", but it was a muskie, and a big surprise to me. I was fishing for bass and northerns, with a medium-light spinning outfit and 8 lb. test mono. I always put a light 6" steel leader on to keep from losing lures to the northerns. On the end of that, I had a mini Booyah 3/16 oz. triple willow blade spinnerbait, with a green skirt.

I was fishing on the edge of a lily pad bed, in about 3' of water, casting along the edge of the pads. No sooner did the spinnerbait hit the water than WHAM! it got sucked up by a huge swirl in the water and the battle was on. I fish with a fairly light drag and it was buzzing away as the muskie took some line in an initial run...away from the lily pads, thank goodness. I made an adjustment and started working on the fish.

After some serious rod-bending and drag buzzing, the thing got near the boat...then went under the boat, of course. Rod tip in the water, I coaxed it back out on my fishing side and grabbed my net. After a few more short pulls, it was in the net. I unhooked it, gave it a quick measurement, then slipped it back in the water. No photos. It's just too hard to do that while fishing alone.

So, am I hooked on muskie fishing? Nah. I'll keep on going after the bass and pike, but it sure was nice to finally catch my first muskie. WooHoo!

 

[Bass Man Bruce]

Re: Accidental Muskie

No one laughing at your tinnie now! Good on ya!

 

[Tyme2fish]

Re: Accidental Muskie

Nice story about the one that didn't get away. Congrats to you and thanks for the nice read.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Accidental Muskie

Way to go CAT...I can't imagine that was an easy fish to handle with the lighter tackle you were running.

I would like to catch a muskie someday- it's good to know that you don't really have to use 30lbs test with 100lb steel leaders to get one in the boat, that's what I've been told to use my experienced musky fishermen around here.

Did it pull the boat around at all?

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Accidental Muskie

Well, there was a guy nearby fishing for muskies with his big boat, big tackle, etc. He didn't look all that amused when I caught that one with my "toy" rod and reel and little boat.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Accidental Muskie

Way to go CAT...I can't imagine that was an easy fish to handle with the lighter tackle you were running.

I would like to catch a muskie someday- it's good to know that you don't really have to use 30lbs test with 100lb steel leaders to get one in the boat, that's what I've been told to use my experienced musky fishermen around here.

Did it pull the boat around at all?

Didn't pull the boat around much. Actually, that length of muskie only weighs about 12 lb, and that's about what it felt like. I've had tougher fights from 5 lb. Northerns, frankly.

It was just a big surprise, and I had to adapt to a hard-pulling big fish on that tackle. There are a lot of myths about muskie fishing, some of them propagated by the tackle companies. That it hit a really small spinnerbait is a clue that you don't have to throw huge baits for these fish.

I suspect there are more muskies hooked by bass fishermen in Minnesota than by all the specialist muskie anglers put together. They hang out in the same places as the bass and pike, and pretty much eat the same stuff, so it's no surprise that they sometimes get hooked by guys out for milder prey.

I've watched the muskie anglers on that lake, which has a pretty good reputation for them. I've only seen one caught, and I suspect it's because they aren't fishing where the muskies are most of the time. They like to hang in the weeds and ambush passing fish, but the muskie guys are out making long casts across rocky points and places like that. I'm sure they're there sometimes, but I suspect they spend more time in the weeds.

 

[gonfishn]

Re: Accidental Muskie

Alot of Muskies are caught by mistake by Bass folks This time of year up north they start to feed hard. They come to the skinny to feed. Congrats Cat. She go about 12Lbs or better? wait til one one hits your lure as it comes out of the water beside the boat. Talk about a heart thumper. Headn to leech Lake next sat. if all goes well. Have to close the homestead down. We will have to catch up some day Cat when i come North.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Accidental Muskie

Yeah, right about 12 lb. Good luck on your Leech Lake trip. Hope you catch 'em all!

 

[4JawChuck]

Re: Accidental Muskie

Sounds like fun!

The wife also had a surprise today, she got tired of jigging for walleye today and switched to a spoon and did a little bait casting. A few minutes later she says she's snagged, I didn't even look over until she stood up to try and unhook the snag and I seen the line move towards the front of the boat.

I said "thats no snag you got something big there". As she tried to pull this log in it starts pulling out line...lots of line. We were drifting so I just coached her to not try and pull it in all at once and let the fish tire out a bit since all she had on the spool was 8 pound mono.

15 minutes later shes exhausted fighting this thing and asks me to take over, I stand up on the bow and tighten up the drag a bit and start to reel him in bit by bit...whatever it is it's huge and I am pulling the boat out into deeper water trying to reel him in. As soon as I get 25 feet back on the spool he pulls off another 30 feet.

I tell her to start the motor and idle it towards this thing so I can make some headway on this pig, after 5 minutes of getting some line back on the spool I see a big splash about 100 ft away. As we get closer we can see the fish on the surface of the water and its fat and obviously tired...so was I!

Anyway to make a long story short its a 40 inch catfish and it's hooked through the tail and there is no way it was going to fit in my little hand net. We pulled up beside it and I reached down to grab it by the belly and mouth and he did one big shake and the hook popped off his tail and nearly took me out of the boat. I managed to keep a hold of him but it was a haul to get him in the boat.

Not having a camera with me the only thing I had was the cell phone so I got her to take a picture with my phone, she wasn't touching this fish...haha it was ugly!

I got him back into the water and asked her to show me the picture and she handed me the phone, she took the picture but didn't save it to the library when she closed the flip lid...DOH!

Oh well, I got a nice 22 inch walleye today...and I wasn't letting go of it until I seen the picture! She may have caught the biggest but I got the tastiest haha!

WooHoo!

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Accidental Muskie

Great story! It's amazing what you can do with light tackle. Sounds like a flathead catfish you had on there, and a nice big one, too. That's the thing about fishing on a river...you just never know what will turn up on the end of your line. I use a little heavier tackle on the river than in the lakes.

Fishing's always an adventure.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Accidental Muskie

Well, there was a guy nearby fishing for muskies with his big boat, big tackle, etc. He didn't look all that amused when I caught that one with my "toy" rod and reel and little boat.

I recognize that feeling! IT IS A GOOD FEELING!

We get it walleye fishing up to Carmi; we're weaving in and out of boats trolling or anchored casting whatever it is they are casting or jigging, and we get hits and catch fish. And some of the boats are Smokercrafts and nicely outfitted Lunds. I get some weird stares in my retro site-to-see little 14' Niagara. Just goes to prove you don't need a $40K boat or $500 rods to catch fish.

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: Accidental Muskie

WTG on your first. It reminded me of my first as the circumstance was similiar. I had just cast out the body bait to start a troll and it hit before the bait had a chance to go under. Turned out to be 37" and 18 lbs. Not bad for 8 lb. test. It's a good feeling, isn't it?

 

[fisherman290]

Re: Accidental Muskie

whos to say you need expensive gear to catch the big ones??? Keep fishing the edge of those lillies and ou are very likely to hook into some more!!!

 

[Sibley18]

Re: Accidental Muskie

Thanks for the nice read CAT. How was it out on Bald Eagle? Pretty busy? Also how was the bass fishing, might be heading out there this week.

 

[lowkee]

Re: Accidental Muskie

After some serious rod-bending and drag buzzing, the thing got near the boat...then went under the boat, of course. Rod tip in the water, I coaxed it back out on my fishing side and grabbed my net. After a few more short pulls, it was in the net.

That, sir, is a killer day on the water! 35".. wow. I'd alomsot be afraid to fish for them. Bass are my kind of fish as well, but that is cool to catch such a big fighter!

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Accidental Muskie

Bass fishing has been slow for me on Bald Eagle. I'm not sure why. The colder weather seems to have taken them off the flats and weeds and into deeper water. I think I'd try a jig and pig in the tall, scattered weeds in the 8'-10' water. They'll be scattered, but that might work. Or, just keep working the heavy weeds with a spinnerbait. They're in there some of the time, I'm sure.

 

[aspeck]

Re: Accidental Muskie

My 7 year old has been enjoying fishing for panfish with small jigs and plastics. While she has been doing that I have been using the same on my ulta-lite trout rods with 2lb & 4lb test. Catching 2lb smallies on them has been a real challenge, and a LOT of fun! Been having a blast right along side the littlest aspeck as she develops a love of fishing and is anxious to start catching some bass ... only tiime till that happens.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Accidental Muskie

I suspect there are more muskies hooked by bass fishermen in Minnesota than by all the specialist muskie anglers put together. They hang out in the same places as the bass and pike, and pretty much eat the same stuff, so it's no surprise that they sometimes get hooked by guys out for milder prey.

Back in the late 70's, I was fishing a BASS regional tournament on Lake Minnetonka. DNR had released some muskies into the lake a few years earlier, and had not seen any of them in test nets, nor heard of any being caught. They asked us to record any catches.

100 bass fishermen, in 2 days, caught and released 29 of em, all about 29 inches. I managed to keep my diver from a couple of them by popping it out of the water just as the durned muskie took a run at it coming up from a point. (I was fishing for place in state, I didn't want to waste any time or tackle on muskies.) The fish generally slammed right into the side of the boat.

 

[dr_bowtie]

Re: Accidental Muskie

congrats on the catches all who got them...and those that didnt...better luck next time.

I have been getting back into fishing beings work is slow and, well, there is just much more time...I havent really fished for like 8-9 years and the last was Salmon fishing...most fun I have ever had at 3am...lol

been taking the wife and my next to oldest daughter...they both like to fish and the kid is good...she usually catches the most and the biggest...

wife got a 12in catch fish she thought was a whale...lol that was funny and then she had a large bass try to jump in the boat going after her hook...funny part was watching her scream and almost jumping off the other side...

wouldnt mind going Salmon fishing this year and we'll see how it goes...the guy I learned from used Marshmallows and it is funny seeing the looks on peoples face when you catch Salmon with Marshmallows...

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Accidental Muskie

how the heck do you catch a salmon on a marshmallow?!!