June 25 report

[Tony Scime]

Well, I decided to stick to my plan and go out for a few hours this am despite the smallcraft warnings, cold front, and north winds. Winds were forecast north 10 to 20. So didn't sound too bad.

In recent years I probably would have passed, but since I've been re-born I figure I can handle smallcrafts in the river. After all, I used to do it on a much smaller boat on a regular basis. Back then, I figured if the winds were under 50mph I could handle it, well only if from the south. I'm smarter than that now. I think.

And as far as cold fronts, I know you can catch muskies after a cold front.  Might not catch many, but we almost always caught 1 or 2. Although I especially liked them while there were clouds still darkening the sky. Once the clouds clear, the winds usually start to howl and the fishing gets tougher (but not impossible).

And if there's one good thing about muskies, it's that they're almost always catchable,  no matter the conditions. But that doesn't mean you'll always catch them, or that they're ever easy. But I do know that I much prefer cold northerlies than flat calm and hot.

So when I started out at 5:30am or so it wasn't too bad. A bit windy, but manageable. I tried casting the CA shoreline from FC down. Boat control was a bit of a challenge with the wind moving directly against the current. Tried the TH drift. Had to work the electric hard. Also tried in front of SI and BI. BI area was actually sort of serene at that time. But no luck. So moved back to FC. But by now the wind was picking up. It was about 9am or so.

I saw Carl casting away. Now, that Carl, he's really hardcore, or retired, or a bit nuts (I swear he's out every time I'm out). Of course, it helps to be a bit of each to be a really successful musky angler.

Well, trying to control the boat in the increasing wind was becoming futile. So I decided to try something a bit archaic. I decided to, um... troll. Afterall, I'm not too cool to troll, and I know how to do it, and I have about 2000 trolling lures (but only about a dozen in my boat). And it's a lot easier to control the boat trolling than casting when the winds are really blowing. So I choose an old beat-up straight firetiger depthraider. This lure used to catch a lot of fish, but it's probably been about ten years. Hmmm, sounds familiar.

I start at FC and trolled downstream along CA, holding and working my rod (I used to do that too). As I approached the UN13 line, I have a fish on. It jumps completely out of the water. I'm a bit surprised, but quite pleased. Unhooking the fish wasn't easy. It took both trebles (I only use 2 on DRs). Had to cut them all quickly, as the boat was drifting fast towards Canada. Fish measured at 39inches. Good cold front fish. She was pretty and clean.

I'm beginning to really like this musky fishing.

Trolled for about another hour. But the winds started to really pick up. Even the SYs were getting rough, and they weren't bad before. Quit fishing about 10:30am and headed back. East River was as rough as I can remember. Waves high and tight. Like the gauntlet at 30mph SWs.

Luckily the Sheridan docks are protected from northerlies, and was surprisingly calm. Weather Bureau now saying the winds were gusting to 30.

I think I'll try the warming gusts of Wednesday.

It's nice to catch fish again. 

 

 

[Scott McKee]

T-Bone has the hot stick!  I had to gas up my boat today after my brother took out a few girls from work Saturday on a site seeing / fishing excursion.  The pictures he took were nice and I seem to remember one or two of them with fish in the photos.  Like I said, I was out of go-go juice, so Carrie and I thought we'd hit the River for a few hours before she had to go to work despite the nasty north wind that Tony wrote about earlier.  I only dislike a north wind trolling downstream.  The constant chop chop makes boat control difficult when you have to reel in a moss loaded bait, but other than that I don't care.  A north wind keeps pleasure boaters at home.

Almost baby blue skies and a north wind are usually a death knell for fishing and they held true to their form today.  We tried trolling slop.  We upstream trolled off the edge between Motor and Strawberry and did a little bottom crushing which, as I stated earlier is a pain the bass.  The only musky we saw was a low to mid forty inch fish swimming just off the weeds behind Motor with its head entirely out of the water.  I have seen this happen twice now, and both times there was a north or north west wind. I didn't catch anything either day.  Does anybody have a theory why they do this?  Keep your damn heads in the water and hit my lures you stupid muskies!

Carrie and I will be out again tomorrow in the north wind. I can't wait until Wednesday.

[John Pensyl]

I thought that was your boat loaded with hooting and hollering women saturday

[Josh Ketry]

I have seen them with their heads out of the water a few times now.  Weird stuff. 

A few years back I saw one fish who did it on and off for about an hour and a half up near Thompson's Hole. I remember the day clearly because it was when my friend Dave Smith - a guide on Cave Run Lake, KY - and his wife were visiting. This day was very hot and calm so I don't think it was the NW winds that cause the phenomenon.  Our theory was that because Amber was dangling her feet in the water the first time we saw it, that her feet must have smelled and scared the fish up. Scott, were you or Carrie dangling your toes overboard?

haha.  Tony, if you want to try your luck in the harbor on Wednesday, I think I am going solo as long as I get my truck back tomorrow (inspection).

[Scott McKee]

My little brother, Party Boy Bruce, was impressing the gals with my boat and gas.  (Kidding!  He did buck up and I think the girls cleaned my boat a little, which is always nice.)

[Scott McKee]

If I put my toes in the water we'd have a fish kill that would dwarf the St. Larry's VHS plague.  I might meet you out there Wednesday.  Two boats are better than one in the Wasteland.

[Tony Scime]

Josh:

Thanks for the invite, but I already made plans with Jon. The muskie gods really have it in for Jon, so this will be a real test.

Tony

[Josh Ketry]

I look forward to it!