Musky Tales
Tony Fernandez (September 2014):
I arrived at camp a couple of days earlier than my fishing buddy, so I ended up fishing the first evening by myself. Since it was getting dark and about time to head in, I decided to troll my way around Turd Rock, since this area is known as a good spot for muskies. (About ten years earlier, Ron Luhrs caught a 41 inch musky the same time of year at that very spot). I'll let Joe Dolney tell the rest of the story.....
One of our members this week dispelled all the theories about musky fishing (the fish of 10,000 casts). So, let me see if I get the story straight. He borrowed an old J-Plug off the ice machine (I believe you use these type of plugs when you fish up in the Pacific Northwest, for salmon or something), hooked up this plug to his rod and trolled for less than 5 minutes, caught and landed a 42" musky. You can't make this stuff up! That's the beauty of fishing in the waters of our Georgian Bay. Right, Tony?
Right, Joe.
Rick Knipe (August 2009):
The first hook-up came on Sunday evening on the point of Ritchie Bay. It was the first time I ever trolled that point and I hooked up on a big, big fish. I was running my drag tight on 30 lb. Sufix line (new ). I was set up this way as my line was creeping out as I trolled a big bucktail fast 7.29 mph. I took the rod out of the rod holder and before I could loosen the drag, it was off with a tail splash. I thought it broke me off but the lure just pulled out. The rest of the week was family fun and pretty uneventful. When I left the dinner table on the last night of camp, members and guests alike thought I was crazy going out in the rain, wind and occasional thunder but I knew this was it, the moment I'm always waiting for. Fifteen minutes out I hooked up at the original spot Tim Belcher shared with me in 1997: Chocolate Drop. Fish was 45 inches. I don't measure girth or weigh musky as I'm too focused on the release and I don't want to kill the fish.
Nice Fish!! I think that is the same bad boy that followed Bill Hasely's lure in at the exact same location at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 21 during our family week. Bill described the wake from the fish converging on his lure at his boat as appearing as a crocodile taking an antelope at the water's edge. He tried for multiple times every day for the rest of the week and only one additional follow-up. Congratulations on your catch and release. - Jim H.
Tony Fernandez (August 2007):
Jim and I were in Clear Bay, fishing in fairly shallow water of about 5-6 feet, over weeds, when there was a surface strike. It missed and I kept the retrieve going. Then close to the boat, it hit again, but no hookup and then I saw it as it took off. I figured it was either the biggest pike I'd seen or a musky. I threw the spook it the direction I saw the fish go and started another retrieve. Nothing happened until I was just about to pick up the lure right next to the boat, when this streak came in from the side and grabbed the lure. This time I could see that it was a musky.
It jumped twice right away then went down deep. Well, not too deep as the water was only about 6 feet. I was afraid it would get all wrapped up in the weeds, but it didn't get too far down into them. I figure it took 5-6 minutes to land it. We measured it at 45 inches.
I guess when a musky is hungry, it eats whatever it wants, even if it's on the surface or right next to the boat. It only took me 17 years to land my musky (I'm not counting an 18 incher I caught years ago). The lure was a Zara Spook, the regular size, not a Super Spook. It was about sunset and we had been having some action for pike, lots of strikes, but not many hookups. Also a couple of bass.
