A November Musky (2013)

This past November, Peter talked me into squeezing a last run (for me anyway) at fishing.  As I've mentioned in a couple of my previous posts, I've been a bit busy this year.  After doing a little "figuring," I manged to make a plan to allow me to squeeze in a day with the guys to target Muskies in Northern Wisconsin.

I met part of our crew up at Peters relaxing cozy cabin late Friday night.  We had a shortened "catch-up" session and we headed for bed.  The funny part is that Mike and I shared a room that night and we were chatting and laughing in the dark for at least an hour or more like we were back at a middle school sleep-over.  I half expected a booming voice from the dark telling us to "shut-up and go to sleep."  It was a fun time and it was good to catch up with Mike since I hadn't seen him much this year.

The next morning our two boats and the gang met up at the landing and prepared our rods, gear, clothing, etc.  We had Peter, Mike, Rob, Wendy, Larry and myself together for this little adventure.

Since I don't have crap for musky flies, Peter let me use his "exclusive" Gopher-fly as tied by Mother Feiker. He didn't let any of his clients fish it all summer, but thought it would be ok for me to use. So I tied it on and hopped aboard Wendy and Larry's boat.

It was a bit cold and damp out that morning and throughout the day for that matter and we were all sporting our Simms rain gear and several layers of fleece.  We drifted along about 30 minutes or so and when casted my fly on to a thin layer of ice that covered an eddy on the side of the river.  I pulled it into the water and took a couple of strips when a musky came up to take and miss it like trout would when dry fly fishing.  Keeping my cool, and staying like ice, I didn't flinch, change stripping speed or even mutter a word (all are a miracle if you haven't been big-game fishing with me before).  I just kept doing what I was doing and then just a few feet from the boat, I felt something and set the hook as hard as I could.  Boom!  I hooked it, and the game was on!

I was using a 9wt, and was very glad I didn't grab my 8wt. that I had considered earlier.  He circled the boat several times, and tried to go under.  Larry insisted I keep pulling up harder than what I was doing, but I was reluctant to do so as I could feel the rod bending into the cork handle!  While trying to bring this alpha in, I was also envisioning the rod exploding in my hand and losing it if I put anymore pressure on it.  It probably took me all of 5 minutes to land it, but it felt like 15 or 20 minutes!

Out of nowhere, Larry had pulled out this garbage can sized landing net and was able to boat the musky for me.  It was a very iridescent green 42" Musky!  It was a nice, strong, wide fish with velociraptor teeth in it's face!  It was awesome!!!  Wendy got pictures of Larry holding it up for me, I was shaking pretty bad out of excitement and also suddenly very scared and intimidated by my lack of Kevlar gloves to handle that guy when I saw the teeth as he flared his gills wide open at us!

Larry, Critter, and 42" of Musky happiness.

The secret "Gopher" fly

Lunch Break - "Team Simms"

If I remember correctly, I think almost everyone had a "follow" that day and a couple of pike were landed.  But no other Muskies were landed, so I way lucked out!!!

We stopped for a celebratory beer at one the local pubs and to thaw and dry out a little bit.  I think we did a good job entertaining the two bartenders and the single customer that was our audience there for the two beers we stayed for.  Then back to the cabin we went.

The next morning, I made breakfast for the cabin, packed up my stuff and headed for home to get ready for a project meeting I had with my class group.  Peter, Rob, and Mike went to float a different stretch of water for the day in hopes that they too would be able to land a musky.

I am so glad they talked me into going, and that I hit the lottery landing a nice fish, and that I could have another nice Fall memory being with friends fishing. Oh, and Peter let me keep the fly so that I could hang it in a frame with a picture of us with the fish!

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Weekend Summary

Friday:

Jen and I drove up in snow flurries to my friends cabin in northern Wisconsin.  I Realized that I forgot to pack my fleece pants to wear under my waders at home.  We chatted and formulated a plan for the weekend over Jameson on rocks, and then headed off to bed.

 

 

Saturday:

Peter and I fished for Muskies on the Flambeau River in the blowing snow...I was reminded by my cold legs and numb hands that I forgot fleece pants at home.  We did not catch or land any fish, but it was good to see Wendy from the Hayward Fly Fishing company again and so many eagles flying along the river.  After the day was done, we headed even further North to thaw out with some pretty decent home made pizza at the Kro-Bar.  We bumped into my Joe form Merrill, WI and talked to him and his buddy for awhile and played a little pool.  I only see him like once, maybe twice a year, so that was a nice surprise.

 

 

Sunday:

We woke up to thick frost on the car at 23 degrees.  Got our stuff together for a day of fishing for Steelhead, woke up Joe and his buddy, who asked me why they decided to try to keep up in doing shots with the 23-year old's.  I just laughed, and wished them a good day on the river and thinking it was good that I didn't participate in that game with them. 

 

We got down into the river, and reconfirmed my irritation towards myself for forgetting my fleece pants at home and the growing list of crap that I forgot, broke, or misplaced that I have to work on before coming back up.  Peter started his steelhead season within fifteen minutes by landing a healthy skip-jack.  We fished for a few hours and then took a lunch break before driving off to another spot where I caught nine and landed five fish.  Four were future steelhead ranging from 8" to 14", and the fifth one was a legit skip-jack coming in at 17-inches.  Three took the pale yellow egg, and two took the #12 PTN.  So the search for their feisty parents continues. 

 

I also had a foot and a half long witness checking out my casting technique.  He swam across the river to hang out with me.  He hung out on the shore behind me for about twenty minutes after his swim, and then disappeared.  My guess is the 42 degree water might have slowed him down and needed a little sun bathing on the beach to get going again.

Common Garter Snake sticking tongue out at me.

To top off our great fall day, Jen and I headed home through Duluth, MN and stopped in for a nice anniversary dinner at Black Woods restaurant where I proposed to her.  The service and food was great, and it was nice to stroll down memory lane and reminisce about our earlier days together.

 

More to come later, as for now we to put a "pause" on our fishing as we have a wedding to attend next weekend someplace in Iowa called "BFE" I think.  It's between "Some-town-I-haven't-been" and "it's-that-close-to-Illinois-really???" Then after that, it's back to the north woods fishing adventures.

 

 

 

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And the winner is...Me!

That's right, me. 

 

Two weeks ago I won a random drawing for pretty nice healthy cooking cookbook.  Hey that's cool right, I haven't won any thing in a while. 

 

Then two days later I logged in and found an email from the National Trout Center in Preston, MN informing me that I had won Grand Prize for the 2012 Raffle!  The Grand Prize being a Headwaters Bamboo Company fly rod.  Specifically, a Peerless Santiam 7'0" 5/6 wt, Medium action with two tips and a very nice rod sock and tube.  I confirmed that they address they had was correct and they said they would send it to me via UPS.  Great!  But, it showed up the day after inland trout season closed.  So I'll have to wait a bit before slaying some trout with my newly won prize, but I think it will be worth it. 

 

I did take a peek at the Headwaters website and it would appear that the value of the rod is the $800 range, not bad for spending much less than that on the raffle tickets, unless you count up (and let's not do that) all the raffle tickets over the years trying to win a bamboo rod made by Dave Norling at various Trout Unlimited Raffles.  The Headwaters rod felt very nice and has great looking real seat.  I'll have to take some pictures to post of it when I have some free time later on.

This coming weekend, I'll be fishing for Muskies on Saturday with a friend on our annual trip with Wendy from the Hayward Fly Fishing Company.  As for our 12th wedding anniversary on Sunday, Jen and I will be holding on to our tradition of the past several years, which is that we will be standing in cold water fishing for steelhead in the north woods of Wisconsin taking time to stop from our busy lives to enjoy mother nature, friends, hopefully a fish or two and life in general.

Fall is here...go hunt, go fish, go ride your motorcycle, just go out and enjoy it all whatever it is that gets you going!  Winter will be here before you know it.

 

Our group (Star Chapt 444) that went on the Lienie's fall motorcycle ride.

 

 

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