Other Species Latest Catch Pics Thread

[TnRiver46]

14 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

Drum are NOT picture worthy.

 

 

                                                              

I post them just for you specifically 

[TnRiver46]

Since @T-Billy was asking about skipjack, I took some video while getting some today. I got 6 in a 20 minute session along my work route and I was piddling with my phone most of the time 

 
They are a speedy variety of fish, I then just starting waking my paddle tail on surface and they were attacking it like crazy 

[roadwarrior]

5 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

I post them just for you specifically 

Thanks!  I have always wondered what they look like...not.

[T-Billy]

5 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Since @T-Billy was asking about skipjack, I took some video while getting some today. I got 6 in a 20 minute session along my work route and I was piddling with my phone most of the time 

 
They are a speedy variety of fish, I then just starting waking my paddle tail on surface and they were attacking it like crazy 

Those things look like a bunch of fun on light tackle. Then you get to use 'em to catch big stuff. Win, win.

[T-Billy]

Got started at about 8am. By 9:05 I had four in the boat. 31-34-40-43. The 40 and 43 came four casts apart. Had to swap out the hat. I was sweat'n in 26 degrees. At about 11 I had one come off that I would have traded all four of these for. Never got to see it, but it was BIG!!! Hooked it on my 7'9" HF Abu Veracity rated 5/8 - 3oz and it locked up the rod and started peeling drag like I'd hooked a bus, right up till the hook pulled out. Grrr. In comparison, the 43" never pulled more than a few feet of drag. A dozen or so casts later, I hooked another good one, and it pulled off too. Grrr. That was it for the day. Called it quits at 3, after four hours without a bite. Still, another solid day of muskie fishin. Extended forecast is fairly mild. Hopefully have a few more weeks of this fun. Never know this time of year, every trip could be the last.

7 hours ago, gimruis said:

It could have been an outboard motor.  I often see muskies just hovering near the surface, especially when the sun it out, looking for warmth I presume.  They could easily get dinged up by a prop.

I caught one with prop marks once. These were definitely teeth marks. I caught one the same size last year that was chewed up too. 

[A-Jay]

1 hour ago, T-Billy said:

Got started at about 8am. By 9:05 I had four in the boat. 31-34-40-43. The 40 and 43 came four casts apart. Had to swap out the hat. I was sweat'n in 26 degrees. At about 11 I had one come off that I would have traded all four of these for. Never got to see it, but it was BIG!!! Hooked it on my 7'9" HF Abu Veracity rated 5/8 - 3oz and it locked up the rod and started peeling drag like I'd hooked a bus, right up till the hook pulled out. Grrr. In comparison, the 43" never pulled more than a few feet of drag. A dozen or so casts later, I hooked another good one, and it pulled off too. Grrr. That was it for the day. Called it quits at 3, after four hours without a bite. Still, another solid day of muskie fishin. Extended forecast is fairly mild. Hopefully have a few more weeks of this fun. Never know this time of year, every trip could be the last.

I caught one with prop marks once. These were definitely teeth marks. I caught one the same size last year that was chewed up too. 

What a Musky Hammer ~

That's like 20 fish in 3 weeks.

Supremely Impressive !

Congrats Again Sir.

#dialed

A-Jay

[Smells like fish]

11 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Since @T-Billy was asking about skipjack, I took some video while getting some today. I got 6 in a 20 minute session along my work route and I was piddling with my phone most of the time 

 
They are a speedy variety of fish, I then just starting waking my paddle tail on surface and they were attacking it like crazy 

Making me want sardines!! Throw some hot sauce or mustard on those skippies 

[TnRiver46]

4 hours ago, Smells like fish said:

Making me want sardines!! Throw some hot sauce or mustard on those skippies 

? 

[T-Billy]

11 hours ago, A-Jay said:

What a Musky Hammer ~

That's like 20 fish in 3 weeks.

Supremely Impressive !

Congrats Again Sir.

#dialed

A-Jay

 Thanks brother. Nothing complicated about what I'm doing. I'm just throwing an A-rig to outside weed lines, around big laydowns, and ledges that have BIG shad schools around them. Find the food, and the apex predator in the system is there eating it.

 Then, it's simply a matter of are they up high in the schools chasing, or down close to bottom? Three 1/8 heads for up high, three 1/4 heads for down deep. No problem fishing the 1/4oz rig down to 30' - 35' slow trolling it with the TM set on 2 or 3.

[TnRiver46]

I had about 45 minutes of free time, set some cutbait out on the local kayak launch dock. Just as I was putting up all my stuff at dark, the rod went off, nice little channel that got to walk 1/3 of a mile back to the truck with me 

[Swamp Girl]

This thread is great! I was stuck in the bass threads, but I'm going to be visiting this thread from here forward. Go, @T-Billy, go! 

[TnRiver46]

On 12/1/2022 at 4:33 PM, roadwarrior said:

Man, you are on 'em!

 

 

                                                    

@T-Billynew hat 

 

 

[T-Billy]

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

@T-Billynew hat 

 

 

I like it, but it needs some fur on it!!! Beaver would be best!!!

[T-Billy]

It was a weird day on the water. Cloudy and slick calm all day. I was around lots of muskie. Probably saw two dozen surface, but getting them to eat was a different story. Had a three footer follow early, and follow the figure eight round and round, but it wouldn't commit. Spent the next four hours around fish without even a follow, then caught a 42" and 43" off the same point within five minutes of each other. Then, right back to nothing for another three hours until I called it a day. Supposed to have some wind tomorrow. Hopefully that'll get 'em chewing.

I also caught my first double on the A-rig today!!! LOL.

 

[roadwarrior]

 

 

                                 

[gim]

10 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

I also caught my first double on the A-rig today

At first I thought maybe there would be two freaking muskies, but then I saw what you were referencing.

 

Gotta be the hat…

[T-Billy]

9 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Gotta be the hat…

For sure. @A-Jay and I have this thing pretty well dialed in. Red plaid with fleece lining for big brown bass, brown plaid and fur for muskie. ?

[Aaron_H]

1 hour ago, T-Billy said:

It was a weird day on the water. Cloudy and slick calm all day. I was around lots of muskie. Probably saw two dozen surface, but getting them to eat was a different story. Had a three footer follow early, and follow the figure eight round and round, but it wouldn't commit. Spent the next four hours around fish without even a follow, then caught a 42" and 43" off the same point within five minutes of each other. Then, right back to nothing for another three hours until I called it a day. Supposed to have some wind tomorrow. Hopefully that'll get 'em chewing.

I also caught my first double on the A-rig today!!! LOL.

 

 

Musky anglers: The fish of 10,000 casts! Hardest fish to find in the world!

 

@T-Billy: Hold my hat

[bulldog1935]

16 hours ago, T-Billy said:

...

 

Hope you don't get a double on that rig. 

[T-Billy]

It was an 8hr grind for one bite today, but was an absulutely gorgeous day on the lake. Family stuff tomorrow, and it'll be feeling like December by the time my days off roll around next week. Today marks the end of Muskiepalooza 2022, and wraps up what has been an outstanding year. Looking through the pics, I caught 24 muskie between 31" and 45" from Nov. 9th to Dec. 9th, and a total of 30 for the year, plus the wifes 44".  FAR AND AWAY my best muskie year ever. Best year ever for big largemouth and saugeye too. Time to put a couple deer in the freezer, hibernate for a couple months, and catch up on some stuff around the house I've been putting off. Come ice out, I'll be tossing some truly muskie worthy A-rigs from the T-Billy tackle shop.

 

Today's skinny 40". Beautifully colored fish, and a gorgeous December day.

 

[TnRiver46]

Meat mission weekend 

[TnRiver46]

[AlabamaSpothunter]

1 minute ago, TnRiver46 said:

This is why people talk about Southern cooking all over the world ?

[TnRiver46]

3 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

This is why people talk about Southern cooking all over the world ?

Ironically My northern transplant wife made all that. Fried fish is quite popular where she is from in northern Ohio . You can even get fresh fish from Erie at restaurants, a little jealous that is illegal in TN (otherwise I would probably run a fish restaurant) 

[Fishlegs]

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

MMM, MMM, MMM! You always bring another dimension to your latest catch pictures. Maybe you should start a thread called, "How the latest catch tasted". ?