Susky River Rat

I run ST. Croix premiers across the board. Spinning and casting. I do this because of the price point. Being made in the USA. I also stick with one because a heavy in this brand might feel like a medium heavy in that brand. I want consistent feel. I also do like the way it looks to have a whole row of the same rods on deck.

When I bought my boat from bass pro in 2019 I can’t remember what the rate was. I do remember being upset that their lender would not let me put more than 10% down as a down payment. They were upset when I wanted to have the loan for a shorter term. I would think the only way around their lender is to get a loan from a bank write them the check then owe your bank that you choose.

@newapti5 hey buddy just curious what stretch of the susky you fish? I’m anywhere from bainbridge to fort hunter generally.

Everything is outdated. It’s going to cost millions. It is very gross to think about and why I personally would not keep any fish south of sunbury.

I don’t fish many lakes anymore. I do prefer the river and think overall it can be better fishing. Most of the lakes are just ditches with no real structure. Then they kill the weeds.

If you are both struggling and the boat owner asks what do you think don’t reply “it’s your boat you decide” he is asking for input to turn the day around and bounce ideas off of you. A lot of times this idea exchange can lead to catching fish.

Section 3 and 4 of the susky is stocked. There isn’t enough natural reproduction there. Even trout from the hatchery are tested for mercury lead pcbs and you should only eat so many per month. Human waste is the biggest issue with the susky in the Harrisburg area not the stuff mentioned in that article. https://www.pennlive.com/news/2021/11/fecal-bacteria-contamination-of-susquehanna-river-is-getting-worse.html?outputType=amp

Tiger Musky themselves can not reproduce. Tiger musky can happen naturally due them being the esox family. So yes it does happen naturally but it’s not tiger musky reproducing tiger musky. It’s the two pure bred pike or musky fertilizing the eggs of one or the other.

No, that's incorrect. There are 13 lakes in the Twin Cities area that have them stocked. They are generally smaller sized lakes. I specifically target three of them within 30 minutes of my house. Gotcha, I was under the assumption that your state did not stock them. I was not 100% sure though. That is why I assumed yours were natural tigers. PA used to stock tigers heavily everywhere. They have got away from that recently but, my side of the state gets the bulk of them. My musky set ups average $700 other then my trolling set ups those are like $300 Musky guys do tend to be just as stubborn as the fish at times.

I think one of the biggest differences is here and in Utah they are stocked as tigers and not naturally occurring tigers like where you are. Correct me if I am wrong on that. I do not think your state stocks tigers. you mean 1000s of dollars lol. Seriously I do think as anglers we try to push this is right because we do this or that. I will also tell you musky in 3ft creeks loves dawgs and big gliders just like ones in deep lakes. I also think the misconception of musky want to eat your bait is wrong most the time. They will bite them out of aggression more so than feeding. Hence they they figure 8 when they could have smashed the lure the second they saw it.

I promise in tiger only lakes he will be running into 40” plus tigers often. I know I did here. So it is something worth considering for him if it’s something he wants to do. They have 50” plus tigers out where he’s at from what I’m aware of. Utah is the monster tiger state.

There are tiger only lakes around me. I never fished them differently than I do pures. Pike regularly eat full size musky baits. Pures eat them too. I have never bought into the smaller is better with tigers. Dawgs, Medusa’s, gliders are great. Double and single 8s in the spring time and 6” gliders are killer. Even in the colder months I may pause longer but, all my jerks/rips are still very fast and hard. Get a good hook cutters to cut buried hooks in them to remove them faster. I use pretty much all the different leader types 130# fluorocarbon, 7 strand and solid wire depending on what on throwing. 8-14 inches is a good length. I just get stealth tackle ones. Trolling I run 3.5-5.5mph depending on baits and time of year.

I use google earth to try and see where I can run my boat. I try to look for the possible ledges I may have to get over and dams are also a biggie. Obviously sometimes when I pull up to a place it’s a bust. I always try to have a back up plan.

Welcome aboard buddy!

That’s a lie lol. You made a post that you’ve been google earth fishing. Looking for new spots and researching them in the off season is great homework.

The bait monkey has got me pretty good this winter. I blame that on taking bass fishing more seriously and not focusing on musky anymore. I haven’t been out for about two weeks. I don’t make fishing that much of a priority Dec, Jan, feb. I will do it if the opportunity presents itself. I try to stack overtime hours if I can. once March hits its go time. That’s when the water starts to warm up from mid to low 30 into the 40s. As far as boat stuff needed done I want to shampoo the carpet. I also want to sharpen my jet impeller. Which is a never ending battle anyway.

I did the whole canoe thing for years. Got my boat with a 20hp prop still did the same lakes and the river if it was the right height. All but one lake within an hours drive of me is unlimited horsepower. They rest are electric only. Once I got the jet I stopped fishing electric lakes and focus on the river. When the river gets below a certain level I may visit a lake but, that’s a once maybe twice a year trip to an electric lake. I can run in 4” of water on plane. So when I stop fishing the river you can walk across it at most spots.

I have never fished it. Always wanted to for musky. If it’s reasonable for you why not make the trip to the susky? Maybe even some spots on the condi you could get on as well.

I tend to lean more towards smaller stuff in most situations. You will always catch more fish on what you throw the most. You learn the ins and outs of that specific presentation.

Once you get a jet you’ll forget all about that kayak. Just have to get the kahunas to run it shallow. I played the canoe and kayak game for years. I’d quit before I ever did that again. Get that rowing machine out! Kayaks are made to paddle. If it’s just you and some fishing stuff not a big deal. If you add another 400lb of stuff then start to worry. The TMs come from not wanting to paddle and to get places faster than paddling. The hobie kayak tournaments you can’t use a TM for the tournament part only prefishing. The way those guys load them up you’ll be fine.

This hasn’t been talked about but, people will used drift chain /anchor in the susky to control their drift speed. It’s supposed to drag across the bottom but not actually get stuck. That clangs and bangs off the bottom and doesn’t seem to affect those guys catching fish. My buddies grandfather doesn’t even have a TM he uses this technique of controlling it. It’s not that he couldn’t have one he just doesn’t want one.

I was going on the side of if you take away most of the modern conveniences we have today. How many people today would survive. If things are not easily obtained by people they don’t work hard enough to get them.

So I did look back an saw about a year ago people were talking about them. I don’t Think I’m that thread anyone had the tranx yet. I have two tranx 500 for musky fishing so I am sold on that series as far as durability. I did have a curado 300 for musky at one point as well and that was a bullet proof reel just not near as smooth as the tranx. My bait casting experience only comes from the musky side of things. I know the tranx is geared towards saltwater but, does anyone have the two reels and give me a comparison? I am most concerned about how it casts down to 1/4 jigs.

Can’t go wrong with a Ned

Exactly how it is here if powered. They consider it a xx size boat.