Musky Monday

[Johnsfolly]

I had planned a musky trip with a couple of guys for the 3rd. We were going to fish the northern Missouri musky lake. Jamie is the experienced musky fisherman who volunteered to take out a couple of novices. It probably helped that he is one of my employees and we have been talking about musky fishing for some time. As of Thursday the weather was going to be questionable if it would be good musky weather, i.e., overcast, blowing winds, chance of rain. Seems like the weather stalled and we did get some reasonable musky weather. It was mostly cloudy with a pretty steady 10 mile per hour wind. We were on the water around 10 to 10:30 am. We saw a musky surface in a wooded cove, but never saw it again. We didn't even see any follows to our casts. So we left theupper lake and headed towards the dam. We were fishing laydown trees on the windblown bank. This wood was on a bank were there was dropoff into some deeper water. Jamie made a cast to about 2 feet from shore near some wood and his crappie colored shallow crankbait got hammered as it was heading back to the boat. We had our first musky in the net by 12:10.

It was a 41.5" musky.

We were ecstatic to have one boated. I had figured that we would see fish follow and possibly catch one or two. So far so good. We headed further down this wind blown shore hitting wood structure with our baits.  We came around this main lake point.

Jamie had on a glide bait that his uncle makes and sells around Pomme de Terre. He gets another fish again off a large tree on the protected side of this point. This one was 38.5" in length. Again this fish hit a bait that was cast up near the bank and pulled along the structure back into deeper water. 

Now we had two confirmed follows that resulted in two landed fish. I had on this bucktail bait, another one created by Jamie's uncle.

I made a cast near another blowdown along that same bank and I saw the fish come out of the brush and blast my bait. I was able to get my first musky to the net. She was 39" in length and like the first two fish had heavy shoulders. I couldn't have been any happier at that time. 

This wss definitely one of my bucket list fish. It was awesome to hold a fish like this one. Now it was up to Jon to land one. He has been fishing the crappie colored crankbait and a made a cast just off that same windblown point and had a huge blowup but no fish. No matter what we threw we could not get another rise from that fish. By 1:30 we had netted three and had another serious encounter with a large fish. Jamie still kept saying that we havent gotten to his favorite productive spots yet. 

We fished for a couple more hours. Off of one point with some unseen brush I had one 28 to 30" fish follow my bucktail, but it didn't like my figure 8's at the boat. We got to one of Jamie's favorite spots. He had a large fish shooting out of the brush and it did not get after his bait again. However she turned onto Jon's crankbait figure 8's and got hooked at the boat. We were able to net our fourth musky of the trip. Here is Jon's 38.5" musky.

Now all three of us had caught fish. The most fish that Jamie has caught on this lake was four. So now we had a couple more hours to try a get a fifth fish. On a big flat by the dam Jamie had a fish hit his shallow invader, but it got off at the boat. Fished a couple of unproductive areas and then back to the brush that Jon caught his fish. He pulled his crankbait between two cedar frees and got bit. The fish leapt completely out of the water like a tarpon and threw the bait. She looked like another 38 to 40" fish. We kept hitting many of the same spots. Just as it was getting dark, we fished a shallow point that extends way out into the lake. Jamie had on the shallow invader and got bit off of a stump. The fish got off again. Jon threw in the crappie crankbait and she hit on his figure 8's. He was able to bring her to the net and the fifth fish was in the boat. She was 41" in length.

So at the end of the day, we had five follows, eight fish on, and five in the boat. this was an awesome day of fishing. I appreciate Jamie putting up with a couple of rookies and putting us on fish. I can see how folks can get addicted to fishing for musky. I'm now thinking about how can I catch a 40+" musky. Maybe next year.

[Plastic_worm]

Congrats on an outstanding day!!  

[BilletHead]

   Way to go John Buddy! Outstanding.

BilletHead

[Johnsfolly]

Like I said it was a great day and I owe it to Jamie. His boat, baits, rods, and experience made this trip successful.

[Gavin]

Outstanding! Good for you guys!

 

[MOPanfisher]

AWESOME!

[fishinwrench]

That's the best day of Musky fishing in Mo. that I have ever heard about.  Good Job!!!

[nomolites]

Awesome-thanks for sharing.

Mike

[JestersHK]

Wow!  Just saw this John.  Way to go!  That is a heck of a day for you guys.  

[Johnsfolly]

Thanks everyone. I'm still awestruck by how that day played out. I could not have ever imagined that we would have that great of a day. I would love to get out after them again now that I am a seasoned pro . Just way too many interests and work issues. I love and hate the next 6 weeks.