Crystal and I have been on a couple excursions trying to find a New Year's musky. We've had a couple close calls, but none to the boat. We've tried to dodge the frequently murky water, but wind, subfreezing temp drops, and full moon stubborn fish have made it tough. However, I've been scouting new river stretches, and finding great water in the mountains of Virginia as well as closer to home.
Nice stretch full of logjams:
Crystal had a nice fish fought down, but a boatside headthrash, shook the 12" purple fly out of its jaws before the net could be lowered. I also had a day in the rain solo with a nice mid 40's fish hooked and lost, preceeded by a 15 turn figure 8 on a fish that would not let up, but never snapped.
I've become quite proficient at hooking creatures that aren't muskies:
Pure Chaos--Motored the boat upriver, swapped to the front of the Crawdad with Crystal so I could launch the trolling motor. As I cast out 40 ft of 400 grain, we start to drift lazily downriver. Crystal immediately casts the 50 lb braid and snags a tree. Before I could secure my baitcaster and plug off to the side, Jazzi zips to the front of the boat and pierces her right ear with a 4-0 treble hook. Holy Shit! She starts screaming and yelping bloody murder. My fly line tenses up as the heavy line drags the bottom , and I'm yelling at Crystal to flip her bail and grab the bolt cutters. I'm now running the trolling motor upstream to relieve the two snagged lines, while holding firmly on Jazzi to keep her from thrashing, as I perform a hook cutting operation on my screaming dog---without getting hooked myself.
Note to self--No more exposed treble hooks with Jazzi in the small boat. Everything worked out fine, and Jazzi was soon soaking up the sun like nothing happened--with a new piercing wound.
Waiting at the ramp, ready to hit the water:
Round Two: Fishing Solo, I launced a jumbo fly at a fishy hole between steep cliff and a bridge piling. I sunk the fly into the dark water, and WHAM! my fly gets clobbered. I just knew there would be a musky in this unfamiliar water. I set the hook and missed, as the fly rose up I see a massive swirl appear behind...and a 20 lb river otter appears, and scares the living hell out of me. I must have scared it as well, because it Bolted with a huge splash. SO glad I didn't hook that critter.
Round Three: Found some deep flat water about 20 mins from home, so I launched a few casts with a 10" (with tail) HellHound Glide bait. About cast #5, I get a bankside Crash. Musky atlast! or so I thought. The battle ensues, and I soon land a smallie pushing 22 inches. Nice fish for sure..and judging by the pools upstream and down...I'm sure he shares the water with some bigger toothy friends. Now I've got to find out how to get around a FAT rapid to a deep stretch full of cliffs that will haunt me until I reach it.
Good fishing to everyone in 2012.
Travis
