T-Billy

I hear ya. I know all about frustration lately. My last muskie was 12/9. Been skunked the last 5 trips in a row, and 7 of the last 9. All the while, I'm looking at dozens of muskie on side scan and down scan. Lot's of follows, but can't make 'em commit. Today will be my last trip of the year. Temps are fixing to crash later this week. Stepping back and looking at the big picture, though this fall has been frustrating, I've had an awesome year. No complaints. I'm currently at 55 muskie over 30", with 13 of those being over 40", including the new PB in my avatar. 49 of those have come since mid August when I started targeting them outside of A-Rig season for the first time. I also caught a new #3 LM, a new #3 SM, and a new #2 Saugeye this year, and was solid numbers wise. After today, it's time to catch up on the honey-do list, service equipment, make baits, and get organized for the 24 season that'll get underway sometime in March. Merry Christmas to Y'all, and I hope y'all have a blessed new year.

Sorry to hear about your dad.

I feel for ya brother. I had a similar experience my last bass trip this year. I was working my flippin rig through a shallow bushy treetop. Mid 40's water. I went to move the bait and had just enough time to think, am I up against a thin branch or... The whole limb suddenly shook, giant boil, totally wiffed the hookset. CRAP!!! Giant for sure. I know better than to feel for it that long, and yet... Sigh... Misses really hurt when you know it was a possible PB, and you blew it by making a rookie mistake.

Already did.

Married 12. Together 17. The main thing to remember is that in every marriage there's one person who's always right. The other one's the husband. 😉

Females getting all dolled up for the upcoming coming spawn. 😉

I have a bunch of em. Mostly Invokers, and Tharps, a Cobb, an Essence, few Lancers. I only use braid and mono. Zero issues with any of them.

Your version of getting skunked is WAY WORSE than the way most of us get skunked!!!

Let's make it top three. 🦫 🦎 🪱

Around 100.

That trout is awesome. That, plus an AOY, plus serving your community, and mentoring those young anglers gets you a solution designation. Congratulations on this prestigious award. 😂 I know, it's not as cool as a fishnet leg lamp, but it's the best I got.

Yep. Crappie love little jerk baits.

I'm a fan of Infinity. Smooth and color fast, I have it on several moving bait rigs. I still prefer 832 over anything else I've tried for bottom contact.

I don't feel guilty about catching any species while bass fishing. I enjoy catching them all, but......

Arctic muck boots, striker ice suit, insulated rubber gloves, fur hat, I'll be comfy. You're right about the muskie addiction. Crazy acrobatics in warm water, violent strikes in the 8, then the mayhem that ensues at boatside... The struggle it sometimes is just to get bit, the letdown of having big ones get away, the exhilaration of landing a giant...They're in a league of their own in fresh water.

It's a start, but you've got some catching up to do if you wanna compete with me. LOL. I've been skunked 3 of my last 4 trips, and taken more than I care to think about over the course of the last 6 weeks. Muskiepalooza 23 hasn't been even close to what it was last year. I've caught about half the number of fish over the same time period, and taken a bunch of skunkings. Surface temp was 39 this morning and the bite's really getting tough, but I've been around fish, and getting follows. Getting them to commit is another story. My guide buddy caught a few giants this past week, couple 47's and a 49", so I'm not quite ready to hang it up yet, but the end is near. I'll be back out there after church tomorrow, in a 42 degree rain, grinding away.

23 ain't over yet. It's prime time for giants at our latitude this year. Our water temps are hovering at 40-42. Go chuck an A-rig around bait schools. Might just catch the fish of a lifetime.

Ain't we all???!!!

I'm a fan of pad stems in the early spring. Bass, eyes, muskie, all relate to 'em early on. Goals? I'll be looking to up my muskie game in 24. There'll still be a good amount of bass fishing done, but this muskie addiction has really gotten it's hooks into me. Hoping for a 49" or bigger ski, and a 7# + LM. I intend to spend more nights on Piedmont chasing big smalljaws as well. I've been slacking on them for a few years in my pursuit of a giant green fish.

I think the term is kinda like a nickname. If you refer to yourself using it, you look like a dork. It's something that can only really be used by your peers to refer to you.

Yep, and this guy is one of the biggest hammers here. 😉

I told my wife that I'm a hot glue gun. Now she laughs every time she looks at me. I just hope she doesn't start calling me Elmer.

Wanna go into a fish catching slump? Tell everyone what a "hammer" you are. Guaranteed to work. The 🦨 will visit you often for awhile, and the 🐵 will convince you that you need new tackle to get back on track.

Fins XS Big Game.

Just stressed over, and over, and over from casting I guess. I've had old knots fail with both the Palomar, and the the Improved Uni. I've never had either knot fail with less than several hours of chucking heavy baits. It's a known issue to me now, so I don't sweat it. I just retie a couple times a day when throwing heavy baits.