Great weekend Muskie action

[The Frog caster]

Hello All, I was lucky to land two Musky's this past weekend. Both were caught on local Mercer lakes. Both fish were returned safely to fight another day. The sizes were not great (37" and 41") but exciting none-the-less ! .......... What is interesting is the opposite spots they were caught. One was caught up against some lily pads, and the other was caught in the center of lake in deep water. I thought I'de try the center of the lake hoping to catch one suspended in the deep water. My strategy paid off, and I was able to get pictures of the 41 incher. The 41" was hooked good and I snipped the trebles to avoid any damage to the fish. I've never caught a Musky in all the years I've fished the Mercer area............ many,many strikes and follows, but never landed one. So two in one weekend was quite a thrill ! Best Regards, Larry F.

[Musky Mauler]

Way to go, Larry! Trouble is, you've now created a backlog. The musky is known as "The Fish of 10,000 Casts." So, if you've caught two without making 10,000 casts between the catches, you now have a backlog. You'll hafta make that many casts, now, just to make up what you owe to the musky gods for that second catch. Then, it'll take yet another 10,000 casts before you hook another one. Imagine the number of boils and follows that will now haunt you. But, remember to always do that figure eight anyhow - - just in case!

[Musky Mauler]

Hey, Larry - - this brings to mind something that happened way back when. This was back when Al and Millie Weseman ran Al's Place, which has since been turned into privately-owned condominiums.

A guy from Milwaukee was camping at Al's Place. In those days the favorite walleye rig was a June bug spinner and a weedless hook with a live mud minnow attached. This guy was a novice fisherman who bought these items and went out just past the dam into the area known as "the elms." He cast out and hooked and landed a big fish. He didn't know what it was. He dutifully hooked it onto his stringer, and kept fishing for awhile. Then, he got thirsty and came back to Al's Place for a cold one. He brought in his stinger, with a legal sized musky attached thereto! (In those days 30" constituted a legal musky.) After a bunch of "Wow's" and chides of "beginner's luck" the musky was deposited in Al and Millie's freezer.

The guy then went back out to the elms; cast out his June bug spinner and mud minnow; and hooked yet another legal-sized musky!

Not knowing any better, he, once again, hooked it onto his stringer and kept fishing for awhile. When he brought in THIS one, everybody finally told him that the limit was ONE musky per day. It was now dead, so it, too, was reluctantly elegated to Al and Millie's freezer in the "lodge." Of course, those of us who were grown men and musky fishermen, just couldn't help shedding a tear or two and cryng over the injustice of it all.

This is NOT a tall fisherman's tale. It really happened. I still lament over the unfairness sometimes doled out by the musky gods.

[St Croix Kid]

that's a very cool story. i remember the june bug spinners. lots of walleyes but never a ski on those rigs.

[DonH]

To my knowledge, my dad never caught a legal musky. Always fished with minnows for walleye and we would take one day on every trip to musky fish. We'd leave at dawn, he'd row for the first 30 minutes and I'd cast. We'd be towing a large chub and the guy rowing would keep his eye on that. Every 30 minutes we'd change spots. Stay out until mid afternoon. One time as we're rowing back to our dock, a lady on the dock is landing about a 40" musky. She was crappie fishing from the dock with a cane pole and a 2" minnow. I really thought my dad was going to break down and cry.

Another time I had our 7 year old son (Randy) and my dad had our 8 year old. We were both fishing the Fourmile area in the TFF. We were using 3" to 4" walleye minnows and the 7 year old had a hit from a musky. It jumped once and a 3rd boat in the area estimated it at 48". Randy never had a chance. That fish had way too much power for him and it was gone in less than a minute. Later that night (after he stopped crying), my dad asked me why I didn't grab the rod to try and land that fish. I explained that it was his fish, on his rod, and it's his memory. I wouldn't mess with that.

I told him that what amazed me was there were 6 people fishing that area that evening and the musky hit the bait of the youngest person fishing. Then my dad started crying again.

[The Frog caster]

Hey Mauler, Your story along with Don H. are really interesting. I really like to hear those tales. I too remember Al's place as I stayed there one week with my Dad and Bob Roders back in the mid 1960's.
The Flowage was a real frontier back then. In fact my first trip to the Flowage was 1961. Hyw. FF was a miserable firelane type road bearly passable in some spots. Seems like it took us hours to get to our fishing spot using my dad's 7 1/2 hp. evinrude. many, many stumps, log jams and driftwood. We started out from Joe Popko's resort. We fished the Flowage every year in July. Now I'm a home owner on Mercer Lake. I haven't fished the TFF in over 35 yrs. Seven grandkids, and lot's of hair, mostly gray !!! ........... As for the 10,000 cast rule, the musky gods owe me, you are forgetting the 10,000,000 casts I've made for 50yrs. till I hit pay dirt !!!! ............Kind Regards, Lar

[hawkblock]

Sounds like we will be heading to TFF during a desent fishing night. I will heading up next Saturday to kings resort just looking for some good spots to hit.