Susky River Rat

Something that I would recommend is an anti inflammatory all the days not just if/ when you get sore. Do not let yourself get to that point or you won’t be able to dig your way out. Ice anything that may nag you. As important as the pre getting in shape is maintaining yourself while doing it is key. I would also try to simulate at least 3 days in a row or as many as you can before hand.

I would guess back then there was not as many gear ratios or maybe even 1-1. They were not as smooth etc. today bait casters are works of engineering. I enjoy both. They each have their purpose. I do lean more to spinning.

This has been preached in the musky world for a very long time including the 80 degree water temp mark. Not using light gear etc. I have practiced those same thoughts when I pretty much went exclusively to bass.

I can’t say I am disloyal to any brand. I just prefer certain brands. Not that I wouldn’t buy more rapalas I just prefer 6th sense is an example. I do have some loyalties though. Yamaha outboards, shimano reels are the biggies.

I am not sure where at in PA you are but, I can tell you Blue marsh is being harder than normal. I cannot buy a fish there. I am not much of a lake fisherman this year. The susky has been slow. I’ll run into schools of them but, I’d you are in that school or throw EXACTLY what they want you will not get them. On trip it was burning cranks the next it’s Ned rigs. You really have to have all the pieces of the puzzle together right now. this weather has been screwy to say the least. The best we can hope for is a nice even warming trend.

I am so used to the AL jet boat life it didn’t even look like you were moving. I thought it was a still the whole time at first. I run ski goggles

I always run ethanol free. I have gone on trips and loaded up a few gas tanks of it for the weekend just in case.

The time difference is a little wacky. I can only say good things about them. Yes 3 days is pretty much when I get it to my door step.

Awesome truck! Be safe he’s gonna need a bigger boat now. I will let your wife know.

@CaughtMeABiggun they are learning fish aren’t where we always thought they were or react how we think they did. They also know they can’t catch those fish without it. You are spot on. It’s not teaching you how to fish. It’s just letting you cast to them and see them in real-time.

Great read! I have had decent success with cranks in spring.

@BucksBasser yes

This is the exact reason I quit musky fishing. The areas are to small and I don’t stand a chance without using it. I watched a guy take a near impossible lake around here and bag 2 and 3 a day using FFS.

Ned rigs, tubes, grubs smallies in rivers really tend to like bottom bouncing.

@BucksBasser 2d sonar is not going to get that good to see something that small through the water column. I highly doubt that anyway. That also becomes a safety factor. You need to know what’s below you. Don’t go scorched earth and make a crazy hyperbole. Up until this point we have not other than flashers been able to see a fish in real time. This is letting us fish for them in real time bother them go through our boxes till it eats. You are literally pin pointing fish to cast at. I do not feel that is sporting or has integrity. Spot lock keeps on a spot. Side scan helps you find structure. 2D and down view let you see what’s there. None of that lets you snipe individual fish. I’m not debating whether it will kill off the fish. I am not saying there is not skill behind it. It’s literally going against what most of us got into fishing for. You feel a tug had no clue it was going to happen and you have fun reeling it in because it was unknown. Everyone wants to take the easier way out instead of embracing the chase. Everyone wants instant gratification because that’s what society has bred us into. Pros are telling you they don’t want to fish this way but, they have to. I am not some old grumpy guy who hates technology or can’t afford it. I’m 33. I could very well go out today and drop 30k cash to set my boat up like the pros. I choose not to.

I feel this.

Generally higher water. Fish push up during higher water. Spawn does have a part to do with it. Food also follows higher water.

@TnRiver46 you’re older than I am and I’m firmly against it.

I fish up the creeks as far as I can get my boat off the river

I feel like for most sports outside of the big ones this is the case. They just want to win and be the best. The moneys great but, knowing what they accomplished is what keeps them going. I watched some of the coverage. It was a slow day it seemed. Hard to make something “entertaining” when not much is going on. That’s fishing though, not every second of every day im on the water is it exciting. I don’t know what anyone could really ask for coverage wise in thst respect. Also on that note having the lead within a couple pounds all day is a nail biter. At that point all it takes is one to make or break it.

@Glenn I thought that too. Sad when you have to use someone else’s name to get your point across

Everyone sees them out in open water chasing them. Then the comments get made so and so is shallow flipping docks! He is using FFS to look under the docks. It’s not just a deep open water tactic. Miliken pulls them out if trees using it. It’s not just open water abyss fishing it’s being used. They are pin pointing casts to fish you would never know are there.

There is probably 12 different threads on here that all turned into a FFS battle going pages and pages. Now the principal wants to have a discussion and everyone is quiet. I also would like to add I think FFS is neat from what people have learned about fish and either proved or disproved theories for decades. I still do not think it had a place in professional/ competitive fishing of any sort. Personally I would not like it used recreationally with but, I think that would be even harder. If laws rules and regulations didn’t work to some extent we wouldn’t have a modern civilization.

I 100% agree with him. Every professional sport has something restricting technology so that it stays to the core. Pros are suppose to be that much better than your average person they do not need the crutch to exceed what average Joe can do. The pro level should be the hardest.

Boat: 18’ center console G3 Tunnel hull. Yamaha 115/80 jet plus: 1: It’s a jet I can run in inches of water 2: it drafts extremely shallow 3: I like the layout Minus: 1: it’s a jet 2: steering is very unresponsive, you slide more than you complete the turn. 3: it is by no means a boat built for comfort. Bonus minus: 4: I can only have a ft of bunk in the water or it will not load on the trailer it will just float. 5: it cannot handle rough water at all. why would I buy such a boat that pretty much sucks? It’s a 100% a need to fish the water I do. Do not get me wrong either. I love my boat. It is perfect. It does everything I need it to do. Aluminum jet boats are just a special breed of boat.