Fishing Report 7.7.14

[Scott McKee]

Prior to today I had never caught a musky on a top water lure.  When I started fishing for muskies in the Kawarthas I gave them a fair shake.  I have had great success with them for bass and pike, but muskies always alluded me.  After a few years of giving them a halfhearted try on the River and in the Harbor, I gave them up entirely.  I would carry one or two in my tackle box, mostly because I think Creepers are neat.  A few years ago I started giving them some more time, and made one of my musky goals each year to get one on the surface.  I had a few "hits", if you can call them that.  The fish never actually hit the lure.  I've had swirls, jump-overs and outright misses, but never a honest to goodness hit.  Avoiding the wind today along the Ontario shoreline in UN2 a musky finally smacked one of my top water lures, a Bucher Top Raider in black with orange spots.  I was daydreaming prior to the catch when I made myself pay attention.  If I was going to fish with surface lures, I damn well wanted to see the strike.  Just as I fixed my gaze back on my lure, a dink smoked it.  Finally, I thought.  It has been a long time since I was as excited catching a 30" musky.  I'm still excited to be honest with you.  The fish hit in about 3-feet of water.

About two hours later I found myself in UN1.  The water by the bakery was really dingy.  I'd say about 3 feet of visibility.  I generally don't like clear water and was happy to see a deep stain.  I took off the tube I was using and snapped on a clown colored jointed Depth Raider.  A few cast later a 35" or 36" hit just as I started my "L".  I never saw the fish follow and I was half asleep when it happened.  The little guy went ape (for a little guy).  After changing the front treble, a really nice, fat bass decided she'd like to try Depth Raider.  The smallie hit on the "L" exactly like the musky.  Great fish.  It put up a really good struggle considering I was using an 8'6" musky rod.

Just before 7PM Jojo called.  What does it look like out there?  Over the lake had ominous skies all afternoon.  They still looked ugly, but we decided it would be worth a shot for Jojo to head to the River.  After I re-called CAN PASS, we set up shop in UN1, Joe casting and me crushing pulled pork sliders.  We didn't see a fish all night, but we still had a good time.  We tried UN1, the spine and the Motor Drift.  We had to get off early as the lightning moved up the West River.  We were good boys.  Once we saw the second flash we ran home really fast.

Very nice afternoon on the River, and I finally got that top water monkey off my back.  I'm sure I'll look back on the dink with the ape repellant and kick myself for wasting so much time throwing surface lures.  I so want the cannonball strike, but a dink on a surface lure to break the ice is still pretty cool in my book.  Good luck out there.

[John Jarosz]

Nice report, Scott.  I've always felt that anything on a surface lure is a great hit, anything from a 'gill to a 'skie.  There's something about the breaking of the surface with the boiling bubbling water that sets it apart from all the other hits.

[Stephen Glassic]

I agree wholeheartedly with you John. Every time you stimulate another sense in the experience, the more exciting it is. With topwater, you are using all your senses except smell. Of course you have to be watching the lure to get the full effect.

[John Jarosz]

That's for sure, Steve.  Top-water fishing isn't for the half-asleep (ha!).  Dan Scheda & I are trying at the Cass tomorrow & I've got my top water that will give you a shower when it "pops."

[John Jarosz]

Scott...over that 3 feet of H2O that you got it on the surface, were there a lot of weeds in the area?  How close to the surface did the weeds go?

[Scott McKee]

I cast to a sand patch between weed clumps (grass patches really).  When the lure reached the weeds the fish hit.  The grass was still submerged.

I would bet that not watching your top water baits would improve hooking percentage, but the strike is so cool.