Ohhh the agony of muskie fishing! My longest dry spell in the midst of some of the best conditions I've ever seen---poor me. Numerous internet posts of friends who are having the best days ever---Four fish days, five fish days----I had one friend who wound up boating six fish (38"-44") with his friend on his first attempt EVER chasing these darn fish--then boating four on their second outing. Once you get the "SKUNK" like FishTN and myself have: it's hard to shake it off. It seems like the more you get feverish and obsessed with catching these demon fish...the more they elude you. I've found myself starting to get bitter like BD and Ichthus.
On the other hand: here's really how I should look at it. My chores and priorities are a tangled mess right now. Our December is slammed with almost NO chances of fishing possible, and I haven't had my head clear of stress in a long time. My outings have been on short windows, and I've made it a point to explore as much new water as possible in the ideal conditons. I've been encountering some feisty follows, aggressive nips on the fig 8's, and really blew some chances at fish that could have easily matched my biggest yet.
The new scenery is amazingly gorgeous, and exploring the new horizons of musky water is addicting, and makes me realize just how little I've scratched the surface. Though the exploring has cost me some "known" hot spots, I really believe I'm on the verge of hitting the jackpot of the most remote untouched water that may be my best find yet.
Sept Paddleboarding:
(There’s a musky that just gulped at the ring in the water…just to tease me)
Sketchy Crawdad Water:
Perfect Day with Jazzi Dog:
Early November: Bree and I chased Crystal on the bike, while she ran 20 miles training for an upcoming marathon. The ride took me along some of the most intriquing musky water that’s gonnna be incredibly difficult to reach…but I guarantee the Crawdad and Paddleboard will float these waters in the next couple years—can’t wait to get back.
Some Post-run hugs from the support team:
Jay came down, and we jetted down into some incredible water after camping out in a cheap hotel.
Tundra almost didn’t make it out of this ramp…thank God for the new tires:
My latest excursion—the Hog got me to some great stretches of river …but the rapids kept me from some wonderful spots. Crawdad will have to take me past the ledges.
So here’s my offering to the musky gods….two pumpkins chunked into a musky river to get this skunk off.
After I get all my loose ends tied up, and take my December pause from the musky chase---I feel that my time will come in January to end this musky curse…and I feel like this fly will do it.
Until next time, guys.
