Further North

Dude...I hope the reason was that you weren't' fishing for them...? If you were fishing for them...and went 16 years...I greatly admire your dedication... Seriously, I catch most of mine as a by-catch chasing pike. I'll take similarly sized pike over musky all day, every day, any day. Until a couple weeks ago, you had me beat by one this year...then I tripped over 3 in rapid succession...but it's been weird...all three footers...along with pike the same size. I dunno what's up. I've never quite figured out why that happens...some of it is that bigger pike go dormant when water temps get too warm...it's like smaller pike and larger pike are two different species.

Is this the same video? Thanks Mick. I keep a few of those in the boat already, will try it out tomorrow.

No kidding. I've often mentioned that I hate tying the Palomar. I understand that it's a great knot, and I understand that most people have no problem with it...but I do. Dunno why. I use it anyway, but I hate tying it... Any chance you can take a photo and post it? Sounds like a great idea. ...another trick is to tie a quick loop in the tag end of the braid, loop it around the reel handle, snug it up and then you can tie the knot with the rod in your lap, or where ever it works best for you. Don't get it too tight though, that creates its own problems.

I love the Alberto and use it almost exclusively when I'm building fly fishing leaders...unless I'm making a pike/musky leader, then the final connection from mono/fluoro/co-poly to wire leader is an FG. I go almost 100% the other way when fishing with gear as the FG goes through guides better than the Alberto, but I seldom have issues with my FGs and If I do they show up as I'm testing them after tying. The one exception is Knot-2-Kinky leader material. There's no way anyone's ever gonna get an FG to work on it as there's nothing to bite into, so I use an Alberto to tie in the 15# leader on my Mepps rod.

Thanks! They were out of stock, but I was able to get the part number and order from another on-line source, actually one I've used before so I know they are for real.

I tie FGs with 30# braid to 7# co-poly lines all the time...works fine. Lasts for weeks, if not months, if I don't beat up the leader too much. If you haven't already figured it out, consider a few more wraps, it'll only take a couple extra seconds. I've gone up to 30. Cinch it tight as soon as as you've got that first half hitch in it. How tight? You need to see a color change where the braid bites into the leader. ...looking forward to the video!

...otherwise known as the little port on the bottom where you apply lube to the gears...I need to find one. I dropped one of mine the other day and it bounced to wherever the other sock goes when they go missing... Can't seem to find one via a reasonable search on-line, thought I'd ask here. It looks to be the same part on every other low profile reel they make, I swiped one off an SX so I could fish the LTX, but I still need one.

I caught one of my biggest bass on a Lazy Ike, about 1979 on the flats of a medium size SE Wisconsin lake. They worked really well for the rest of that summer ...I don't think I've caught another fish of any type on one since...

Just saw this...agree with the others, you're going tot take a beating, particularly this time of year in Wisconsin. The only people who buy boats this time of year are cheap sons-of-guns like me, looking for a deal. I'm also with 3dees in that when I'm fishing places like the Mississippi, I'll go a lot shallower in my Aluminum boat than I would with a glass boat...but that's just me. That 190 sits low in the water, so I don't see anything else getting you low enough to help with getting blown around. Before I looked it up, I was thinking you were talking about a high sided multi-species boat, but that rig is about as low in the water as you're going to get. If you just want a different boat, go for it...but be ready to take a beating on trade in and slightly less if you sell it outright.

That's interesting, as I'd rather catch pike than musky...the musky last year were simply a by product of chasing pike. I think truly big pike are rarer, and harder to catch than big muskies, and I think pike fight harder. Sunday afternoon, I tangled with three ~3-footers all within an hour or so...one was a musky, the other two were pike...both pike had me thinking I had much bigger fish. BTW, the reason I throw that rig above is that pike seem to just hate it...and it throws easy, all day, if you want.

That's a gorgeous fish. The 10,000 casts is a myth. I caught 20 last year and I sure as heck didn't make 200,000 casts. I couldn't begin to count the number of pike I catch a year. There's a local guy - Ace Sommerfeld - who writes for some of the musky publications...broke 200 in one season a couple years back. If you know what you're doing, you'll catch them. ...the other myth is that you have to throw huge lures. Nonsense. My two PBs (48", give or take a 1/2") came on a #5 Mepps and a Texas rigged Strike King Smokin' Rooster. The latter would be a killer bait for you down there...T-rig over a wire leader, happy to show you how I do it.

Bummer on the musky...that'll happen with those big girls though. You think they're all done, then one big head shake at the boat with the line going straight up to your rod tip...and bye bye... been there, and I'll be there again... If it helps any, I wouldn't have put a tape on the musky either...I seldom bring them in the boat any more, just de-hook in the water if I can. My favorite Esox are in that 30" 45" range...not that I turn down smaller or bigger...but to me those are the most fun to catch. I seem to be on a mission to catch three-footers the last few weeks...One pike and one musky that size up near Hayward a couple weeks ago; one musky and two pike about that size yesterday...and all within an hour of each other...it was kinda weird... ...other than that, sounds like you're on a roll. I think your assessment of teh bass bailing out with that many pike and musky around is a solid theory. I've had that happen in Canada in a shorter time frame...decent smallie bite going on...then nothing...then BAM! Big toothy fish. Yeah...you get a really unique perspective on the food chain when you get one of those big Esox...and you realize why they aren't afraid of anything that swims... They is...and you've got 'em down there...at least in the rivers if not the lakes.

Your observations on how the muskies and pike mingle will be interesting as the fishery matures. I know what I've observed locally here, it'll be interesting if you see the same things. The really chunky Esox I see - mostly Canadian Shield and Great Lakes fish for me - always seem to be in water that have trout...usually lakers. I caught a pair of 42" pike on a big lake north of Ignace known for lake trout and walleye that were so big around they looked distorted. The same lake produced a pike just short of 30" that weighed a nudge over 9 1/2 pounds...it was so fat I had to put it on a scale, something I almost never do...in June.

Fun times. Chunky musky there, wonder what it's been eating? Looks like a LOTW fish with all that girth. August and early September here...also at 45° N...has been warm...way, way too warm. Was 90° both days last weekend...and we had 85° - 87° water temps on the Chippewa Flowage mid August...still 72° pluss last weekend up near Hayward. The good news: Tonight's low is supposed to be 35°...that should knock some of the warmth outta the water.

Here you go: https://www.ginkandgasoline.com/fly-fishing-tips-technique/wood-is-good-3/

There was just a piece...either on Midcurrent or on Gink and Gasoline...about this. I'll post a link if I remember. But yeah, you're spot on.

It's OK for poppers and topwater like the Ol' Mr. Wiggly...even little pike don't often go after them below certain sizes. We think very much alike. I wanted to try the leader above to get a softer presentation...something less than a "splat"...and got it dialed in after few tries. I have not been a long leader guy in the past...I definitely have some things to learn about them.

I didn't think to mention leader length - you are spot on. With all the toothy fish around here a lot of rods set up for subsurface are rigged with about 4' - 5' of heavy mono or fluoro and a foot or two of tieable wire. Seems to be the best way to not donate flies to the Esox Fly Collector's Club. You'd love ow I have my H3 leader rigged right now...3 ft. sections of co-poly stepped from 30# to 20# to 10#, with a two foot hunk of 7# co-poly tippet to the fly. It'll flutter an Ol' Mr. Wiggly down like a leaf on a pond.

Picture worth 1,000 words: Orvis Helios 3F, 8 wt., Lamson Force SL Series II 3, Rio Single Handed Spey Floating line, 300 grain.

Great advice. Re conditions dictate: think about weighted flies, sinking line and sinking (fluorocarbon) leaders relative to the water you'll be fishing. One of my most painful (and expensive) early experiences was fishing weighted flies on a sinking line in water way too shallow for either.

Happy to help... ? Woolley Buggers and Clousers are a great place to start...watch out for the weight of the Clousers though...they'll need more line speed to cast well (and stop you from wearing them). Tons of other choices out there, depending on how you want to fish. The pics above show a baitfish pattern and a deer hair diver...I also like Decievers... Here's a couple of hollow tie baitfish patterns I use: They are on a 5/0 EWG hook and run virtually weedless. That they take about 10 minutes to tie but still have a big profile are a bonus. Look up the "Ol' Mr. Wiggley" fly for subtle topwater, and poppers for less than subtle topwater.

...and while I'm at it... Flies work great for largemouth: ...and smallmouth: Those fish were caught about 5 minutes apart inthe same bay...

Just to be clear...the Single Handed Spey lines are not for Spey or switch rods. They are for "regular" single handed rods...they just give us the ability to do some of the things folks do with Spey and switch rods...like get a good amount of line out on a cast when we're backed up to brush, or a tall bank. Lots of good videos out there about the lines, and Rio is not the only maker offering them. Here's one video from Rio:

If your fly fishing budget can stand it, consider the Rio Single Handed Spey line for smallie fishing on heavily wooded water. You can easily roll cast your way through most of the day without ever having to get the line behind you...and when you do get the chance to overhead cast the lines do a great job there too...as long as you keep your line speed up.

Buy some of each and test it. Better to know than not. As I mentioned above, I know the Seaguar leader is a different critter than the fishing line...and reflecting on this a bit...the Maxima leader I have on hand would make terrible fishing line.