I know a bunch of the the guys guiding in this video.  It's a short-ish peek into the nuttiness that is fly fishing for muskies.

 

“Beer me”

 

cool video. I’ve got some guide co workers that drift boat fly fish musky, they talk all this technical stuff then catch the musky with a fly that’s just dangling in the water next to the anchor on a rod nobody is holding haha. “It’s all about presentation….. to the client not the fish” 

Real nice thanks for sharing. ?

15 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

“Beer me”

 

cool video. I’ve got some guide co workers that drift boat fly fish musky, they talk all this technical stuff then catch the musky with a fly that’s just dangling in the water next to the anchor on a rod nobody is holding haha. “It’s all about presentation….. to the client not the fish” 

Esox are unpredictable and frustrating...and do stuff like that all the time...

A friend caught one on a small bass popper about a month ago...

5 hours ago, Further North said:

Esox are unpredictable and frustrating...and do stuff like that all the time...

A friend caught one on a small bass popper about a month ago...

That’s why it makes me laugh when they are like “yeah if you would have figure 8ed counterclockwise with a French twist at the end, it would have hit” hahaha

They are a neat fish. They are in my smallie river. There are a couple of guys I know (not real well but from the ramp) that troll for them. Over the years my experience with them is only what I’ll call a bonus catch while fishing for smallies. All of them were 36” or under. 
 

There is something to the video comments about their smell. Maybe not so much with the Tiger Musky but certainly the two Spotted I’ve caught. They had a strong smell of sulfur to them. Fish were not sick, strong and healthy. 
 

Have to put a shout out to In Fisherman from way back in the day that informed me (by video/show) that they are fish you don’t want to over-handle and to get them back in the water quickly. 
 

You guys have fun with them. Neat fish. I hope to keep getting a bonus catch once and awhile. 
 

6 hours ago, Spankey said:

There is something to the video comments about their smell. Maybe not so much with the Tiger Musky but certainly the two Spotted I’ve caught. They had a strong smell of sulfur to them. Fish were not sick, strong and healthy. 

 

It is very unique and different than the smell of a pike. You think they'd be the same since the species are so close but they're not. It lingers in the boat for a while after you've caught one and the water drips off it onto the carpet. 

1 hour ago, Vilas15 said:

It is very unique and different than the smell of a pike. You think they'd be the same since the species are so close but they're not.

You're right.  The stinky smell of that slime off a pike is strong and obvious.  Not so much with a muskie.  Even a tiger muskie, which is half pike, doesn't have that snotty skunky odor that pike have.

How big is a big Musky?   I recently found out the SC state record Musky was caught a few miles from my house in a river.   I was talking to a guy Tuesday night at a boat landing about local fishing.  He was telling me about catching the SC state record years ago.  I looked it up when I got home and saw a picture of him holding the fish.   It was 22 pounds or something like that.  He said it wasn't huge for a Musky.   

Anything over about 40" is pretty big fish, IMO.

 

50" is sort of the Holy Grail.

 

Weight isn't really a thing in musky circles.   No way to get it with any accuracy without hurting the fish.

9 minutes ago, Further North said:

Anything over about 40" is pretty big fish, IMO.

 

50" is sort of the Holy Grail.

 

Weight isn't really a thing in musky circles.   No way to get it with any accuracy without hurting the fish.

X2

 

50 inches is kind of the bench mark of a trophy caliber pure strain.  I'd label 40 inches as a trophy caliber sized tiger muskie.

 

Really, the only reason you should be weighing one is if you think it has state record status.

On 10/7/2022 at 7:50 AM, gimruis said:

Really, the only reason you should be weighing one is if you think it has state record status.

I wouldn't even do that.  Getting my name attached to a record is about the last thing I want. 

On 10/8/2022 at 9:34 AM, Further North said:

I wouldn't even do that.  Getting my name attached to a record is about the last thing I want. 

Yeah, even if you were to release it people would say you killed it 

When I land that 12lb smallmouth she is going on  ice!

 

 

                                                         

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

Yeah, even if you were to release it people would say you killed it 

You're probably right, but I am gifted with the ability to not care what others claim and say...I mean...consider the source...