Dragking
08-26-2011, 02:21 PM
Hey All,
I just returned from a trip to Northern Wisconsin, where I reunited with some college buddies for a fishing trip. I spent most of my time chasing muskies in familiar waters, but this was the first time I brought a fly rod for the job. In short....great success. If you haven't caught one of these things and you find yourself in Northern Wisconsin or Minnesota, get on it.
The first two photos show my first musky on a fly, and the biggest of the trip. It measured just over 43 inches, and I estimate that it weighed just over 20 lbs. The fight was epic-- I was sure my rod would snap when it made its final run under the boat. It took two botched net jobs before we got this girl in the boat.
The second musky was the one I'm most proud of. I was out by myself mid-day, essentially getting the feel for my new rod. It was REALLY windy, so it was hard to cast, and the boat was blowing into structure after every 4 or 5 casts. As my fly neared the boat on my last cast of a drift, I saw this girl come up and strike. I made a late/lame set, and she tail walked next to the boat, spit the fly, and slow swam away. As the boat was blowing into a downed tree, I false casted a couple times and shot one out about 15 feet in front of her as she slowly swam away. Strip, strip, strip, BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE. And I saw the whole thing. It was the most memorable fly rod strike for me, for sure. Luckily, some guys motored around the point as I was netting her so I was able to get these pictures. This fish was just under 43 inches.
The bass was a nice sundown bonus I caught while musky fishing with my fly rod. You'd be surprised at how many big smallies show interest in large musky flies.
All in all, the trip was great, and I will return at my earliest convenience. If you are interested in giving Wisco a try, shoot me a PM and I'll steer you to some great areas/guides.
-Dragking
I just returned from a trip to Northern Wisconsin, where I reunited with some college buddies for a fishing trip. I spent most of my time chasing muskies in familiar waters, but this was the first time I brought a fly rod for the job. In short....great success. If you haven't caught one of these things and you find yourself in Northern Wisconsin or Minnesota, get on it.
The first two photos show my first musky on a fly, and the biggest of the trip. It measured just over 43 inches, and I estimate that it weighed just over 20 lbs. The fight was epic-- I was sure my rod would snap when it made its final run under the boat. It took two botched net jobs before we got this girl in the boat.
The second musky was the one I'm most proud of. I was out by myself mid-day, essentially getting the feel for my new rod. It was REALLY windy, so it was hard to cast, and the boat was blowing into structure after every 4 or 5 casts. As my fly neared the boat on my last cast of a drift, I saw this girl come up and strike. I made a late/lame set, and she tail walked next to the boat, spit the fly, and slow swam away. As the boat was blowing into a downed tree, I false casted a couple times and shot one out about 15 feet in front of her as she slowly swam away. Strip, strip, strip, BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE. And I saw the whole thing. It was the most memorable fly rod strike for me, for sure. Luckily, some guys motored around the point as I was netting her so I was able to get these pictures. This fish was just under 43 inches.
The bass was a nice sundown bonus I caught while musky fishing with my fly rod. You'd be surprised at how many big smallies show interest in large musky flies.
All in all, the trip was great, and I will return at my earliest convenience. If you are interested in giving Wisco a try, shoot me a PM and I'll steer you to some great areas/guides.
-Dragking