Hooked up on a musky my first trip to TN.  PowerteamLure Craw Douerve on a Biffle hardhead.  He came off the hook.  

 

Now I have spent $200 on musky lures and leaders the past few days.  

 

Never been addicted to something so bad.  

Make sure you have a good way to land them and some tools for safe handling and hook removal

Invest in GREAT hook cutters. Don't skimp on them. It's more important than any lure, rod, or reel you might invest in Musky fishing. 

 

Next, plan a trip to Eagle Lake, Ontario.    Welcome to the Esox addiction.

$200 on musky lures? That's about 3 lures, right?

I live in Alabama and fish out of a kayak.  We can land them with our fish grips, unhook them and get them back in the water fairly quickly.  $200 will buy you about 13 lures.  good starter kit.  haha

There are musky in Alabama? I didn't know that. I would have to assume they aren't as far south as I am, but where can I go catch some? I'll have to load up the wife and the yaks and hit it sometime.

Where at in TN were you fishing?

There are musky in Alabama? I didn't know that. I would have to assume they aren't as far south as I am, but where can I go catch some? I'll have to load up the wife and the yaks and hit it sometime.

He's mistaken. Those are pickerel he's catching

One of my friend's guides for Musky on Melton Hill.  It's sure addictive.  I don't even wanna know what he's got invested in his baits.

Musky fishing definately needs some "addiction" or obsession over it, otherwise no one would do it. I would suggest just to keep it simple. I have 300+ musky lures, yet I usually only take a select few with me that I have confidence in. I will say, there is no greater reward to me than catching a musky. Good luck in your new addiction.

Thats a beauty LC Man. Congrats on that shovel head!

I got bit by the same bug several years ago, and I live in a horrible area to want to catch a muskie. The closest lake with muskies is 3 hours away, so I don't get to fish for the often. I went to Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota and Eagle Lake, Ontario chasing them, never caught one either trip. After several trips to the lakes with the best populations in Missouri I caught a 36 incher on a 1oz Teriminator spinnerbait. The next 2 years I caught 1 each year, an 11 incher on a crappie jig and a 32 incher on a bucktail. Then last year I went with my brother in law to bass fish one of the muskie lakes. In 3 days of bass fishing we boated 9 muskies up to 42 inches. My brother in law caught 1 on a tube and 2 on buzzbaits and had one chase a worm to the boat. I caught 3 on squarebills, 2 on spinnerbaits, and 1 on a bucktail. I also had 1 chase a deep diving crank to the boat and one explode on a muskie chopper topwater. It was the craziest thing I've seen to have that many muskie coming to the boat in such a sort amount of time. The 42 incher was a big accomplishment for me because I really wanted to catch a legal muskie in Missouri.

 I went to Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota and Eagle Lake, Ontario chasing them, never caught one either trip. 

That's hard to believe you didn't boat a Ski at Eagle.  The two times I've been up there we've had 20-30 follows each trip.  Seeing those big torpedos coast right up to the boat makes the knees weak. Such a cool experience.  First time in 2008 we boated 8 musky and the second time in 2010 we boated 6 or 7.  

 

You should go back! A good population of 50+ in that lake.  The biggest for me and to date is 45".  Still awaiting my first 50+.

I remember when I caught my first musky... 

That's hard to believe you didn't boat a Ski at Eagle.  The two times I've been up there we've had 20-30 follows each trip.  Seeing those big torpedos coast right up to the boat makes the knees weak. Such a cool experience.  First time in 2008 we boated 8 musky and the second time in 2010 we boated 6 or 7.  

 

You should go back! A good population of 50+ in that lake.  The biggest for me and to date is 45".  Still awaiting my first 50+.

We stayed at Andy Meyers Lodge and they had a replica of a 57 incher on the wall in the dining hall. This was back in 2000 and I was only 13 and my muskie gear consisted of a 7' MH Abu Black Max rod with a 6500C3 Ambassaduer with 50lb spiderwire and the 2 bucktails I was able to buy with lawn mowing money. We didn't get to muskie fish a lot because my dad was a walleye guy and since he obviously paid for most of the trip that's what we fished for. At one point I had what I'm pretty sure was a monster muskie follow my bucktail to the boat but it was very cloudy and windy so I couldn't tell for certain if it was a big fish or just the way a wave rolled but it sure looked like one to me at the time and it looked like it stopped by the boat then just sank out of sight like big muskie are so famous for doing. 

I was a hardcore muskie guy before I got into bass fishing, now I muskie fish only a few times each season. I'd say i've caught around 60 total.  I would hate to see how much money my father has spent on muskie tackle, luckily I was in my teens/ low 20's when I did most of my fishing so he let me choose from his 400, give or take a few, baits.  

 

Here is my biggest at 48.5. My dad has a 52 and my mom, mrs. lucky, has a 55 and 50 to her credit. 

 

Got some BEAUTIFUL pics in here!!

Lucky Craft Man that's a fish I could only dream about!! I remember your post you made about the story behind it remarkable! I use to fish in NJ and there was a Resivour that had pickerel, pike, and musky. I pulled in my fair share of big pike and pickerel but never managed a musky.

He's mistaken. Those are pickerel he's catching

thought the same i fish georgia and bama waters never once even heard of anyone talk about musky fishing. we do have pretty large pickerel in some of our lakes.