I know during the fall I tend to get carried away with hunting, so this post is dedicated to the mighty muskellunge, and to keep all those autumn anglers happy.
Back in the days when I actually had the time and freedom to hunt and fish during the fall, there was nothing I enjoyed more (expect maybe hunting) than chasing the elusive muskie
Although I haven’t pursued ‘lunge’ in a couple of years, I’m sad to say, my heart is still there every time I drive alongside the river.
So do me a favour will you, please send me a big fish story or two so I may live vicariously through you muskie hunters this fall.
Come on Bent hooks, where are you? Chris Purdy? Ed Hand? Matt Clay? Hedrik Wachelka? Chris Pepper? Jim Hutchins? Michael Kadoura? Eric Sanchez? Stefan McClelland? Dave Headley?
And for goodness sake guys, embellish the story if you have to I’ll be hanging on your every word!
Outdoorsguy
Jeff,
Not much of a story but I caught a beauty muskie this past August; my first one. It was only about 13lbs but I tell you it gave me the itch to start “hunting” them in the fall. I release it after taking a couple of pictures.
wish there was a way to send you a picture via this blog but not sure how!
great blog….looking forward to reading some good posts.
note: “fishing is good for you” my new slogan! taken from my new St-croix rod! LOL!
Alain, you do realize that once bitten by the muskie bug, you’ll be hooked for life?!
And hey, a 13-pounder is nothing to sneeze at..what was it…37-38″? Yes, it might be thought of as small to average for our rivers, but would be considered big for many lakes up north where I used to fish!
I’ll never forget my first muskie..it was around 1993..caught it in a lake back home in the Laurentians..and I had spent most of that summer ‘hunting’ for it..lost a half dozen or so before I boated that one…a real nice 43″ weighing about 17 pounds. I thought it was frikin huge at the time…till I started to see larger ones!!!
Alain, in my opinion there is nothing so exciting as watching a big muskie follow your bait into the boat. It makes your heart go pitter patter and your knees turn to jelly…they just have that affect on people.
I’m glad to hear that you released your first lunge…I actually kept that first..only muskie I ever killed and I still feel bad about it..they are a very fragile species.
Best of luck pursuing what I believe to be North America’s top game fish..you are destined to spend many hours and copious amounts of money in pursuit of muskie now that you’re under their spell..but God bless you man!
I’ll never forget those early days..geez, I’d fish for muskie 4-5 times a week…it was all I could think about. Sadly, I don’t have the time anymore but have vowed to get back into it one day.
Alain, please keep us posted on your muskie hunting endeavours; I’m sure your second fish isn’t far away….
St Croix makes a fabulous rod btw…I never owned one quite that good course I was a starving student back then….hehe
Outdoorsguy
ok DonW, I hate to say it, but you’re right about bass being bonafide fall trophies!
This past weekend while fishing at our trailer near Cobden, I hooked into what I first believed to be a big fall northern…boy was I wrong!!
When I was out of Sat, the water surface temp was 57 degrees…damn I thought, we’re still in the middle of Fall Turnover – traditionally a very poor time for fishing. But since Turnover is usually complete and settled by 55 degrees, I know I was close to some hot fishing action!
By Sunday, water was down to 55 degrees and my prediction was right. Within a few minutes I had spotted a couple of pike follow my bait to the boat and then I had one on!
I know it was big and heavy as it powered its way along the bottom in about 20 feet of water. As I steered it to surface, though, it was the surprise of my life when the GIANT head of a bass appeared beside the boat!
A bass holy crap man!!
The thing was frikin huge..and unfortunately I was alone at the time with no friggin camera!
Doohh!!!
All I could do was take a couple of measurements and admire the lunker for a moment or two, until my arm got tired.
This behemoth bass without a word of a lie was 24.5″ long and weighed – as a conservative estimate – a good 7 pounds!!
I have never seen such a large bass and it was easily twice as big as any I had caught all summer long.
I am happy to have released the big girl safe and sound, but would have liked getting a picture of it…oh well; guess I’ll just have to catch it again next fall!!
My apologies to Don W..as I am man enough to admit when I’m wrong.
Outdoorsguy
Hey Jeff: Fall is a fantastic time for most fish. As a dedicated bass angler, there is nothing better than canoeing out onto one of my favourite rivers on a fall afternoon and hunting down some hawgs. The two biggest largemouth I’ve ever caught came out of rivers in Eastern Ontario on beautiful, sunny September afternoons.
And let me tell you, these were both lunker largies.
These fish seem to go on a feeding binge when the days start to shorten up, and unlike summer when bright sunshine can send them deep into cover, in fall a nice sunny day seems to make them more active.
Now, all I’ve gotta figure out is how to get off the football field long enough to get in some fishing time .
Good stuff Don..yes autumn is a great time for most angling, but you’re not honestly trying to compare largemouth with muskie, are you? Man, we eat you guys for breakfast and are still hungry again at lunch!
Kidding of course as I do enjoy bass fishing but have to say, I’ve never done it in the fall.
Outdoorsguy
By the time fall comes around, many fishermen (and women) have already put their boats away for the season. Many others trade their rod for a rifle or a bow. The lakes see a lot less action, and in my opinion and experience, fall is one of the best times of the year to get out on the lake in search of the BIG one! I have never fished Muskie. I have wanted to give it a try, but I know nothing of them and have a hard time finiding anyone who has for advise. I have researched it in the area, and there are some charters on the Ottawa for a Muskie adventure, maybe I’ll give it a try this year. I’m a walleye and pike kinda guy. Walleye are one of the best tastin fish in these neck of the woods, and pike is one heck of a good time to land – and will make a very tasty dinner if cleaned right. We were out in a remote lake in Quebec a few years ago in mid-late October. On one of the days the snow was flying! But it was one of the most productive trips I’ve ever had. We would catch our limit every day and have a walleye feast at night. On the first day out, I hooked on to a big one! The kind of hit that hits your rod like a sledge hammer. Instantly, I knew I had hooked on to a monster of a pike. I was alone in the boat and I knew I had to net the fish with one hand while holding on to the rod with the other. I also knew I was fishing for walleye and didn’t have a leader on my line. I fought for a good 10-15 minutes with this thing. As soon as it would see the boat, the line would start buzzing again as he took off in the other direction. He finally got tired, and I got him to the boat. My jaw dropped, and my eyes were the size of toonies when I saw its huge head, followed by a body bigger than I had ever seen. I grabbed the net, bent over to scoop it up, and SANP! The line cut, my rod popped straight and the monster was gone. This is my “the one that got away” fishing story. I still see its head when I close my eyes! We have a short trip planned for Thanksgiving weekend and hopefully it will be another productive and fun fall adventure.