How ready are you and do you have any fishing questions?

[Scott McKee]

I have been getting my equipment ready for the 2014 campaign; rods, reels, line, leaders, terminal tackle and the seemingly never ending selection process and hyper-organization of my lures for June 21st.  I was wondering if you've been doing the same thing?  Do you always keep your stuff ready to fish?  Are you as ridiculous as I am about organization (my lure playlist will be out soon)?  Or do you just wing it the night before the season finally opens?  I am the farthest thing from an organized person, unless we are talking about my on-the-boat musky gear, and winging it would make me less confident.  Weird, huh?  (It get's worse: I have a shopping list for lunch and boat snacks already made for opening day, and yesterday I practiced tying knots in the dark.  Stop laughing!)

The site has been a bit stagnant lately and I understand why completely. With spring yard clean-ups, open seasons on other species, the on-again/off-again decent weather and life itself, muskies may not be high on the list of importance for those who haven't caught the sickness, yet.  I guess I'm just bored, but let's get some fishing discussions going.  We have a slew of new members, many of whom have just started musky fishing.

New members (or old), use our forum to ask questions.  There are hundreds of years of experience at your disposal.  Musky anglers have been historically characterized as being tight-lipped.  This isn't generally the case with NMA members.  We love to help out new guys and gals.  Fire away...

[jojo wilczewski]

Jojo 's starting line up
1) shmo double baloney
2) shmo spinner Double 8 's to burn
3) Grandma
4) ROB
5) shmo bucktail jig
6) OBP PB
7) ROB Twister or Bulldawg
8) shmo dlb bunny
Good luck jojoout

[Mike "the facilities" Fortunate]

my 1st cast this year will be with a orange belly perchbait!!!   and shortly after will be either a tube or a jointed depth raider!     unless I troll, those 3 baits will be used all day  lol

[Jim Kinner]

this will be the first time i won't be out for the opener since 1986. Kind of bummed about the break in tradition. Good luck to everyone!

[Scott McKee]

Jojo, a double 8 Shmo is a Double Baloney Slider.  What pig doesn't eat baloney after all, but sometimes they just want a snack that's a little crispy.

My day one starting line-ups are a lot like mock NFL drafts. Most of my selections and predictions are wrong.  I just hope to get one pick right on the 21st.  Breaking the ice and getting the monkey off my back is sometimes the most difficult fish of the year for me.  Here is my pre-pre-pre-opening day starting line up, as I change my mind on these every year as the season approaches like a politician in an election year.

Trolling (night)

Outside rod starboard: jointed Depth Raider, black perch with orange lip.  My second lure on: Depth Raider, Niagara walleye.

Down Rod starboard (If I start in US waters (yeah, right!)): 10" jointed Believer, Niagara Walleye.  My second lure on: 10" jointed Believer, Night Shiner. 

I'm sure Carrie will pull a 10" jointed Believer in Carpe Diem.  You could stop my boat at any point of the season and as long as we are targeting deeper water, that's what she'll be washing.  Brilliant move really.

Trolling Day Shallow

Outside rod starboard: 5" Wiley Musky King, Brown Perch.  9" Grandma, brown pikie. Hair: Beaver Spinnerbait, black, red and silver.

Carrie usually pulls a 5" Wiley Musky King in silver shiner.

Casting

Bucktail: Shmo Double Baloney Slider, black and silver.  Great minds think alike, Jojo.  So what's our excuse?

Creature: ROB Boo Tube in whatever color Marc comes up with for me.

Jig: ROB Ninja Tube in black.  Nobody said I was creative.

Crankbait: Baker Bait, Michael Jack Schmidt (red).  This lure is far too pretty to leave in the tacklebox, and Schmidty usually had a hot start for the Phillies.

Crankbait (small): 7" Grandma, perch.

Jerkbait: Manta, chartreuse bandit.

Top Water: Top Raider, orange coachdog.

Secret Weapon: Spar's Tube, Beluga.

Attention lures I just mentioned (yes, I talk to and correspond with my lures):  Don't get too comfortable!  All of these predictions are subject to change, except for the black perch D-Raider.  THE Depth Raider has earned it over the years, and almost always gets the first pull.

[Scott McKee]

Jim, what's up?  I'll miss you and your spinning rods!

[Scott McKee]

It has been less than 24 hours since I posted my pre-pre-pre season starting line-up and I am changing it already.  I bid and won an Ownage 7" twitch bait in golden perch in the MI Chapter 50's on-line auction.  The lure arrived today.  This baby is a beauty!  It gets the nod for first small crankbait in my starting line-up.

I've contacted the owner of Ownage Muskie Baits, and hopefully a few of these wonderful baits will appear on our raffle tables soon.

[Jim Kinner]

Got other plans this year. It's been a few years since i did anything on the opener anyway. Would have gone with the #5 giant killer as always.

[Stephen Glassic]

Nice looking bait. It even has the little red spot under the tail. Can you tell if it is male or female?

[Scott McKee]

I hope it's female, because damn is it sexy.

[Tony Scime]

Not ready (not unusual). Cleaning out my boat. Trying to find my favorite rods and reels. Lost in the mix of 35 years of accumulation. I'll find them yet. Hope the motors start. Hope the boat floats. I'll be trolling opening day just like I have for most of the past 35.

[John Jarosz]

Bought a new boat & motor last year & spending way too much time trying to get it ready where everything is just where I want it.  It took years to get the old boat that way.  I think it might be better just to "go out" knowing I'm not ready & figure out what needs to be done.

I did buy a new 5 hp kicker last week though.  Got tired of starting the small one after the winter.  Opened the wallet, went to Brobeil's & got a propane powered 5 hp O/B.  No choke, no Stabil, no ethanol, no gasoline, none of that gumming stuff.  My spare tank is one of those little green propane tanks.  And I figure that on the bad days I can also cook up fried double Shmo baloney & onions on rye, with Weber's horseradish mustard, of course.