Military assault on LSC Muskie

[Gone Fishing]

A while back, one of our members posted that he was looking for a LSC Muskie charter. I noticed in his profile that he was a member of our armed services so I figured the least I could do is invite him on my boat for a trip and hopefully he could catch his 1st Muskie. I had also promised Bolodunn (Barry) and his son Bret a day on the water in hopes of the catching their 1st Muskies. Well, yesterday it all came together and we headed out at approx 10:30 under some ominous skies. I decided to try an area where we usually get some decent numbers of fish but the big boys are not the rule of thumb there. As I was setting my second line, I noticed the first line had already released. I grabbed the rod and it felt like a snag and I couldn’t feel any head shakes. I cranked down the drag and snap, there goes a $15 bait given up the LSC Muskie goddess. I don’t think it was a fish but I guess we’ll never know for sure. We retied and got all our lines set. It took a while for our first hit but when it finally came, our military man (Chris) was up. He was really putty the heat to this fish but it was quite the battle. When it first surfaced, well behind the boat, we could see it was a pretty good fish. Chris did an excellent at getting the fish to the net and it took a little help from Chris to hoist his 1st Muskie over the transom. I think everybody’s jaws dropped as we looked at a 53 1/2 inch Muskie laying on the deck. By length, this was the biggest fish ever taken on my boat. I’ve fished Muskie my whole life and he beats my best on his 1st fish! Way to go Chris! This was a very old fish nearing the end of its life span. It had very few teeth left and probably hadn’t been eating too well which was apparent by its slim body. I really didn’t get a good pic of the head of this fish but it was massive. Anyway, enough blabbing, here’s a couple pics of Chris and his 1st Muskie. Somehow, when I loaded them into the gallery, they came out blurry. Not sure why, they didn’t look that way in my photo program.

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/528/100_0086.jpg

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/528/100_0087.jpg

Next up was Bret and he did at great job on getting his 1st Muskie to the boat. It wasn’t a big one like Chris’s but it was a special fish for Bret. This kid definitely knows how to handle a rod and reel. Good job Bret!

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/528/100_0089.jpg

When the next rod went off, it was Bolodunn’s turn. He made quick work of getting his fish to the net and now we had all 3 Muskie virgins slimed! Anything from here on out was a bonus.

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/528/100_0090.jpg

Gone Fishing Jr (Paul) was up next but he did the right thing and gave up his turn in hopes that our guests could land another fish so Chris took the next one in the rain.

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/528/100_0091.jpg

[Gone Fishing]

At think it was this point in the day when the sky opened up and we had a torrential downpour. Naturally, this was the time for a planer board to break off! With visibility less the 50 ft, I set a waypoint and turned the boat as quickly as possible. We spotted a board and went to retrieve it but it turned out to be the one still attached. Duh! Finally, we got lucky and it showed up right next to the boat and Barry netted it. During that fire drill, somehow 2 baits got sucked up into the prop and another $30 in baits were sacrificed to the Muskie goddess.

Now it’s Bret on the rod again and took a little better fish than his last one. Again, great job Bret!

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/528/100_0093.jpg

Somehow Barry got out of turn which I believe was his own choice and Chris ended taking a little guy.

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/528/100_0094.jpg

When the next rod went off, it was Gone Fishing Jr’s turn to put a Ski in the boat. Good job Paul!

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/528/100_0096.jpg

About a minute after Paul’s fish, we had a little fire drill with a double header!

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/528/100_0095.jpg

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/528/100_0097.jpg

At this point we decided to call it a day even though the fish were starting to get very active. I think a couple fish went back without a picture but we ended up boating 9 fish and I believe we had a total of 15 hits. With the exception of Chris’s big boy, the fish were on the small side but nobody complained and I’m pretty sure everybody had a good time. Thanks for a great day guys!

[Steve]

Nice job John.

[maxemus]

Awsome pics!! You should run a charter :yikes: I hope to catch a muskie soon! That's one fish I haven't caught before. What's the best time of year for muskies? Any charters you can recommend? Thanks for any replies...

[Gone Fishing]

What's the best time of year for muskies? Any charters you can recommend? Thanks for any replies...
The peak for numbers is usually July and August but the fall is usually when the big boys are caught. As far as a charter, I would recommend Captain Steve VanAsche of Bushwacker Charters. He's a great guy and very good at catching Muskie. His number is Hm 586 783-8985 Cell 586 524-2827

[Dick Graves]

Nice work John, did you guys get hit with the downpour? Plan on taking the parents who just lost their daughter to M.D., probably one night this week, were you fishing on the U.S. side and in what general area? P.M. me with the info. if necessary! :fish:

Dick :dizzy:

[Kevin]

Fantastic guys!

Glad you all had a productive day and a lot of fun.

I think I held my first muskie in one hand :lol: (I think there is a picture in Esox or Trout's gallery.)

Great story, thanks for sharing.

[Gone Fishing]

were you fishing on the U.S. side and in what general area? P.M. me with the info. if necessary! :fish:
Dick :dizzy:
PM sent, a friend of mine has been working this same area and he might not appreciate me giving it out on the internet. I do answer PM's though. :)

[bolodunn]

that was hands down one of the greatest fishing trips we've been on!!!
even though "murphy" showed up with his"law" !! :yikes: :lol:
john & paul definately know thier musky's!!
i think they got chris & myself hooked on the musky fishing!
i don't think any of us expected to boat 9 fish yesterday & we dang sure didn't expect that 53 1/2"!!

thanx again to john & his family for having us!!
it was good to meet you chris, & thanx for all you are doing for our country!!
i think your coast guard stories have brett leaning that way with his military decisions!!

[maxemus]

thanks gonefishing!

[ESOX]

Great job guys.:)

[Natlight]

Nice job, looks like an outstanding day on the water. :D

[CGA97]

Chris is a good guy...I turned him onto the site last summer. I tried setting him up on some salmon fishing in Lexington last fall, but we all know how bad it is getting for harbor fishing up there.

HOPEFULLY YOU MADE HIM KISS HIS FIRST FISH!!! (too bad there is no "kiss" smile)

[handliner]

I am a firm believer that what goes around comes around, Gone Fishing and hopefully it won't be long until you break the new muskie record that is presently held on your boat. Your kindness is to be applauded and multiplied many times. WAY TO GO!!!!!!

[Rondevous]

Nice!!!!!

Looks like all of you had fun that day!

[Gone Fishing]

I am a firm believer that what goes around comes around, Gone Fishing and hopefully it won't be long until you break the new muskie record that is presently held on your boat.
I don't think that will happen any time soon for 2 reasons: 1st, I haven't reeled in a Muskie in quite some time. I get much more enjoyment out of watching other people catch them and besides, who would be the netman? :lol: 2nd reason, that was one long fish! I don't know for sure but I haven't heard of a fish that long that was entered in any of the LSC Muskie tournaments. Could be wrong though. Too bad that fish was past its prime. It could have been close to a 40 lber if it had some girth to it. :)

[Houghton laker]

Fantastic story and outing!! John..your one heck of a sportsman!! Congrats. on a job well done!

[PencilPlugger]

Good job on the fish!

[SimsShark]

I just got done reading all the posts on this thread. All I can say is that if you haven't ever caught a Muskie.....you're missing out. This was an awsome trip with an Awsome group of people. John, you defiatly represent this site at its best. Its amazing that sombody can loose 3 luers and still be so friendly before catching a fish. The entire gang of people on that boat had a great time...even though Paul owes John 20$ :lol:

I'm gonna go ice my should....pulling in 53.5 inches of fish will make you sore.:D After that I'll look at pictures again. Windi is getting tired of the story, so I guess I'll tell someone else.

Good luck to everyone and try not to make it obvious when you are following Jon's boat. I thikn he has a guided torpedo in that thing.

[wishtofish]

John:

Great job on the Mushies. The photos came out fine. I comend you on taking a member of our "Armed Forces" and the kids fishing. You covered everything in one fishing trip....... So it cost you a few baits...... That can happen any time we go fishing......

Thanks for sharing the day with all of us............

[swamprat1954]

gone fishing looks like a lot of fun,nice pictures too.:D

[Ed Michrina]

What can I say"WOW" looks like a great time.

[mwp]

Congrats!!! what a day on the pond,and way to create some great memories!!!.A commendable job on supporting a military member.

[Gone Fishing]

Thanks for all the nice words guys! One thing that really surprised me on this trip was the bait that hooked the most fish. I hear on the radio from time to time that somebody catches a decent fish on a bucktail. In all my years fishing, I have never tried them trolling. I know they throw them casting with some success but I didn’t have any faith trying to troll them. Digging deep into the cobwebs of my brain, I remember my dad having bucktails in his trolling box. I decided to ask ESOX for some pointers because I know he uses them. He told me what brand and where to get them. Anyway, Friday night I stopped on my way home from work and picked up a couple. New baits that I don’t have confidence in usually sit in the tackle box until I’m really desperate. Well, this time I decided to try one from the get go. Any idea what Chris’s big fish hit on?..........You got it, a bucktail! That lure hooked more fish that day than any of my other tried and true baits. I’m not saying that will be the norm in the future but I certainly learned a little something that day. Seeing how they have no diving lip, I ran it 40 - 45 feet back with 6 oz of weight and that must have put it in the strike zone. Bottom line, I’ll always have a few bucktails with me when I head out to target Muskie!

[Trollin' Dave]

Awesome job on the fish!! I am the other Military man that wanted to tag along with you once, and it appears that I missed one great trip. Well once again great job.

Dave

[Gone Fishing]

Darn it, did you send me an e-mail or a PM? :( My site sponsoring membership expired and my PM box showed full along with my photo gallery. I ended up deleting almost all my PM's and many of my photos before I figured out what the problem was. Send me a PM with your phone number and if I can make it happen, I will. Also, I don't know if you like Perch fishing but that is not too far away and we've been know to catch a few of those as well. Not as exciting as Muskie but when the action is hot, it's a blast. I promised my son a Sturgeon trip this summer and next weekend we plan to do that. I may have an open seat if your interested. :)

[bounty hunter]

perch or muskie? hmmm perch are a lot better eating.

[1fife]

nice job again boys

and jr

what a fine man passing the rod over
john-looks like you doing soemthing right with that young man

wished he lived in my school district

the stories we could tell in my nature studies class
they would think they were sroies, but we would all know the truth

[PencilPlugger]

I decided to ask ESOX for some pointers because I know he uses them. He told me what brand and where to get them. Anyway, Friday night I stopped on my way home from work and picked up a couple.

Are you willing to share the brand? I'm always looking to give something new a try...please PM me with the name of the bucktails if you don't want to give a public endorsement.

Thx.

[Ed Michrina]

Darn it, did you send me an e-mail or a PM? :( My site sponsoring membership expired and my PM box showed full along with my photo gallery. I ended up deleting almost all my PM's and many of my photos before I figured out what the problem was. Send me a PM with your phone number and if I can make it happen, I will. Also, I don't know if you like Perch fishing but that is not too far away and we've been know to catch a few of those as well. Not as exciting as Muskie but when the action is hot, it's a blast. I promised my son a Sturgeon trip this summer and next weekend we plan to do that. I may have an open seat if your interested. :)

John I got a 1/4 cooler (my big cooler) of nice fat jumbies (along with a few smaller ones) American waters. All were eating crayfish and minnows. They were on the feed. It won't be long. I normally hit them 3 to 4 weeks prior to the Canadian harvest :evil:

[MSUICEMAN]

good god john.... VERY NICE! congrats on a fine day.

steve

[Big Laker]

My hat is off to The Gone Fishing Crew! You guys NEVER dissapoint! What a fine day out on the water you had. And Go Bucktails!

[SimsShark]

Darn it, did you send me an e-mail or a PM? :( My site sponsoring membership expired and my PM box showed full along with my photo gallery. I ended up deleting almost all my PM's and many of my photos before I figured out what the problem was. Send me a PM with your phone number and if I can make it happen, I will. Also, I don't know if you like Perch fishing but that is not too far away and we've been know to catch a few of those as well. Not as exciting as Muskie but when the action is hot, it's a blast. I promised my son a Sturgeon trip this summer and next weekend we plan to do that. I may have an open seat if your interested. :)



I''ll be the first to advise you to not pass the offer up. The time on Saturday was awsome. Bring a camara and don't forget the cold ones. You'll have a blast with or with-out fish.....I don't really see how you wouldn't catch anything with him though. Good Luck whatever you do.

[Gone Fishing]

Are you willing to share the brand? I'm always looking to give something new a try...please PM me with the name of the bucktails if you don't want to give a public endorsement.
Thx.
No secrets here but I'm not up on the brand names. I believe it was a Bushertail, double treble hook rig with a chartruse/orange/black spinner and a red/black/yellow tail. It worked well that day but I'm not sure what it will do in the future! Give it a shot and good luck!

[FowlWeather]

Wow! What an incredible trip. Thanks for sharing the pictures.

[PencilPlugger]

No secrets here but I'm not up on the brand names. I believe it was a Bushertail, double treble hook rig with a chartruse/orange/black spinner and a red/black/yellow tail. It worked well that day but I'm not sure what it will do in the future! Give it a shot and good luck!

Thanks, I'll have to pick some up.

[Splitshot]

John,

Outstanding for most people, ordinary for you. You are indeed a great sportsman. Nice job Paul giving up your turn and following in your dads footsteps. The world is a better place because of you guys.

[ESOX]

Buchertail and Grim Reapers are my favorites. They make some nice heavy baits. They still need a weight run in front of them for trolling. I usually prefer the V style (bass style) baits because they have a larger profile and are more weed resistant, but the inlines catch a heck of a lot of fish too. John caught most of his fish on an inline (straight shaft) bait.

[Will Schultz]

Great job - That is the best way I could think of to support our troops!!!!

[SimsShark]

Great job - That is the best way I could think of to support our troops!!!!


:yeahthat: That was a great Moral boost for sure! It was much apreciated. I'll probably never be in an area again that has muskie, and WHAT AN EXPERIENCE.