T-Billy

Lol!!! Thanks for the compliment Katie, but I'm not alone here. I'm not gonna mention names because I'm certain I'll screw up and leave some out, but this place doesn't have a shortage of hardcore anglers. Think about it, we have offshore charter captains, those who fish the gator, moccasin and python infested Everglades at night, some who wade weed choked waters in the dark, folks who navigate big lakes and swift rivers both day and night, the list goes on... You're pretty hardcore yourself, dragging that canoe around through the dark woods, unarmed, to go catch a few bass. Quite a few usually. That's why this place is so great, it's a community of folks who are truly passionate about this sport we all love. I've never met any of y'all in person, but many of you feel like friends to me. My awesome wife is 65, and she chucked double 10's for 4 1/2 hrs straight yesterday morning in the dark, and said "this really isn't that bad to throw." No more whining about big blades for the rest of us now!!! 😂 Actually, I've found, they really aren't bad if you have the right rig. They used to hurt me, throwing them on a 9' H with a 7.4 reel. I bought a 9'6" XXH and a 6.4 reel, and I can chuck 'em fairly painlessly for hours on end now.

After I switched to a mod fast rod and braid for chatterbaits, hooking them like that became the norm rather than the exception. I lose far fewer fish on them than I used to.

👆👍 I've never found them very controllable either, with the exception of flippin gear. The only thing predictable about 'em is, just when you think you have a big brownie whipped, it sees the boat and goes ape all over again. I've lost several really nice ones when they got that second wind and went ballistic on a short line.

LOL!!! Thanks Crick. It's been an awesome couple weeks. Especially Thurs and Fri in the dark. They were absolutely mauling that double 10. Unfortunately, the streak came to an end this morning. Tammy and I hit the water this morning at 02:00 with high hopes. We took a skunking. I had one miss the 10's in the 8 about a half hour in, and we never moved another fish. What a difference a day makes. We're just getting into prime time though, and I'm currently at 56 fish on the year with 13 huskies. ODNR calls a muskie 42" or over a Huskie Muskie. I'm stoked for the next four months. I'm in familiar territory as far as seasonal movements and effective techniques now. We also just bid shifts at work, and I was finally able to get the shift I've been wanting. I'll be able to get four trips a week in now, and Tammy will be able to join me for two of them. Yeeeee Haawww!!!

Well, the early start proved to be a good call. I wish I'd started even earlier. They were chewin. I got into the bay where I wanted to start at 02:30. The first fish hit the net at 02:50. I ended up with four by 06:10, and missed four more. Four bites on the 5" Tuff Shad, zero hookups. Four bites on double 10's, four in the bag. They're killing that thing. I have to rewire it and put new hooks on it today. Both of the 7/0 Mustad's got mangled this morning. 36" - 38" - 42" - 44". The 42 and 44 are stout for summer fish. I had three follows after the 44, with one taking a half hearted swipe at the bait in the 8. Never moved a fish after about 07:30. Fished until 11:00. That spinner ain't the only thing that got mauled. My left hand is getting fairly well thrashed at this point. Those slimy critters aren't very cooperative when you're trying to lift 'em outta the net. Lol. I can't wait to get back out there tonight!!!

Mmm Hmm. Quite a bit. 😂

Beaver on a flippin rig. Green pumpkin and black/blue flake.

Yup. Sometimes it's a complete clown show with the right gear.

I'm taking little white pills and my eyes are open wide... 😂

Hmm... Seems those cooler August nights stay north of the Mason Dixon. 😉 It was 47 when I hit the water this morning.

I think it's temp. The cooler nights of late August cool the shallows down. It brings fish shallow, including big fish. I generally pick up a few big's pitching super shallow cover in late August and early September. I don't see that happening this year though. I'm focused on those big muskie that have come shallow.

Only when I'm licking the bus windows. 🤪

I got started at 04:30 this morning. At about 04:50 my double 10 got absolutely smoked by this big girl. Biggest fish of 24 so far. 46.5". A few minutes after 06:00, as the sky was just beginning to lighten a bit this 40" came up and mauled that double 10 just as I was about to swing it into the 8. Awesome bite, and then chaos on a few feet of line. Both fish really wanted that 10, as they both got the front hook. I didn't move another fish until a little after 09:00 when this 40" came up out of some shallow milfoil and latched on to a musky killer. That little spinner has been getting it done here lately, and it's putting some quality fish in the net. One missed fish, and one follow after that. I called it quits at noon. I'm gonna get an earlier start tomorrow, hopefully get a line wet by 02:00.

My bass numbers are WAAYYY under average this summer. I'm not sure if spending 90% of my time on the water muskie fishing has anything to do with that or not, but I suspect it might. 😁

Dang Jar!!! Glad you're mostly OK. Praying for your healing brother.

I used to, but don't any longer. The fish don't care.

5 or 6 power rod, straight 50# 832, snelled straight shank flippin hooks.

I thought of you the other morning A-Jay, when I found my night bite had made the annual August transition to rock. Water temps are coming down. I thought, it's about time for A-Jay to run into some of those big brown sows. That window is opening here. I'm gonna try to make it down to my favorite SM lake next week, and see if I can get some to eat in the dark. That lake also has a good muskie population and several weedy bays with feeder creeks. I'm anxious to see if I can get on the same blade/crank bite down there that I've been on at Leesville once the lights come on. Brownies all night, slimers all morning, sounds like my kinda party!!! 😉

It sure is @MassBass. It's my favorite way to catch 'em.

My work schedule has me rotating back into some weekend days off, so I got to go fishing with my bride for the first time since late June. We had a great morning and put a couple fish each in the net. Both of hers were bigger than mine. 😁 I love it when she gets the better of me. I started things off with this 37" on a Tuff Shad at first light. Tammy followed that up shortly after with a 40.5" on a Muskie Killer in the shallow milfoil. It's only her second over 40", so we were both tickled with that. After a few hours with no action, it was Tammy getting it done again with the Muskie Killer with a 38.5". I picked up my second with time running out, again with the Muskie Killer in a shallow creek channel. 38" Back to the grind tomorrow for the next four days. #HAPPYWIFEHAPPYLIFE!!!

My favorite time of day. I'm with ya 100% Katie. I don't have any lonesome waters available, but I often have the lake to myself for awhile during the hours I operate during the warmer months. I love those bog pics. Looks like my idea of Heaven. Streets of gold and a mansion on a hill don't interest me. A dirt road leading to a cabin on the shore of a quiet lake on the other hand...

You do that in a canoe? THAT'S IMPRESSIVE!!! 😉

Pretty much the same here. Surface temp was 76 this morning. It was 82 two weeks ago.

I don't know what y'all got going up there, but here the water temp's down about 6 degrees from it's peak a couple weeks ago, and they're stacking up in all the bays that have a feeder creek. 4"-5" cranks and smaller blades have been producing best. The fish are moving into the back of the bays and back out to the weeds in 10'-15'. That pattern will hold up clear into October. Ours are man made reservoirs with a shad forage base. I don't know if the same pattern happens up your way or not, but it might be worth checking out.

It's been kinda tough sledding lately. Stable high pressure, little wind, and clear water. I've been moving lots of fish, but getting them to commit has been tough. Took a skunking Wed, and only managed a 31.5" yesterday. Last night some storms rolled through, and this morning we had some showers and a low cloud ceiling. That put 'em in a much better mood. Started the morning off with this 37" on a 5" Tuff Shad. SLOW cranking it over deep coontail at first light. Next up was this thick beast of a 45.5" on a Mepps Muskie Killer, about an hour later. I've been getting lots of follows but few bites on bigger blades, so I downsized this morning. It proved to be a good call. Cool story on this fish. It followed my double 8 spinner in yesterday about 100yds further back in the bay in just a couple feet of water. It saw me and wouldn't follow into the 8, but didn't spook either. It just sat there for a bit looking at me, then slowly swam off. I recognized it as I was releasing it today by the white scar on it's head that I had noticed yesterday as it was sitting there. The final catch of the day came just over an hour after that in the back of another bay, again on the Muskie killer. It's a lean but beautifully marked 44". It was all down hill after that. Lol. I lost two at boatside while trying to net them. Not heartbreakers though, a mid 30's and a high 30's. Missed two that absolutely smoked my Tuff Shad. Not sure how they didn't hook up, they were violent hits, and I had five follows. Pretty busy 7 hours by muskie standards, and two mid 40's in the net is an awesome day. Happy, happy, happy!!! 😁