zach

count me in larry- will send $$ when i can. zach +1.

count me in larry- will send $$ when i can. zach +1. trying to get the old man motivated to fish w/ me on this one.

better than work!

thats musky fishing for ya- look back in the archives here on this site and we have posted lots of info on this subject for lots of people.

i saw a ton of fish on bottom and went deep after them and nada. i thought nitro knew something i didn't when i saw him going out. i was skunked for the first time there all year on the tigers ! some of those fish on the bottom looked good size at least according to the graph.

"a homemade double 10" is a big 10" bucktail with twin #10 colorado blades on the front and alot of skirt material in the rear, they are pretty easy for everyone to make at home w/ huge 6/0 trebles in the back. no dumb questions here buddy. you think i always knew what a "dcg10" was? no, someone told me. you think i always knew how to short-line? no, someone told me. what the hell is a "wiley" i used to ask? "how do you catch them out in the middle of the lake in no-mans land"? yes- someone told me that one also. why those damn long 4 foot trolling leader? someone told me too. the big bucktails pull very hard (like a 5lb clump of grass on the end of your line) and even w/ 6oz trolling weight 4 foot in front of them, i bet you a dollar i never got deeper than 10 feet down while trolling around 4.0mph. nitro and sol- all work and no play makes for unhappy boys, get out fishing. it has actually been nice being the only boat out there a few nights this year but i don't need to rub it in anymore than i have. good luck everyone that is lucky enough to get out musky fishing. sol and nitro- don't worry your time will come, i will be jealous reading about you guys crushing the fatties come october and november when i am hunting and not fishing. so it will all come around full circle. P.S. ray- keep the comments coming, i really think you have an amazing sense of humor and i laugh after reading most of your posts. keep it up, i love it! "the fashion police of corning" . this was actually the only picture i took b/c the i wasn't gonna take that expensive camera out in the rain. this was the first fish i got right when i started. 39"

not posting any pics this time but waneta lit up last night. i was watching the radar at work yesterday morning and told boss man i had musky fever and had to leave work. a storm was going to push through waneta last night and i had to be there. i took off from work early and got down at 3pm and by 3:15pm i had a thick 39" in the net shortlining shallow weeds! towards evening the storm came through, the light switch flipped on for the fish and the heavy feeding began. bam, bam, bam, bam. the muskies went crazy before the storm and stayed that way until after dark when i left at 10pm. all hits were high up in the water column on "bigger" bright baits trolled slowly ( slow for me ). ended up w/ a 34", 37",39", 41" and a solid 43" while losing another fish before i could grab the rod it came off. an hour before sunset it was totally pitch black because of the rain clouds, there was lightning all around the lake, real high winds and you could feel the electricity in the air. i had my headlamp on my head and needed it by 8pm. crazy times and i am at 23 muskies for the year. i am getting spoiled but the tough months of august and september will set me straight. all fish were caught trolling in the top 5-10 feet of water no matter how deep the bottom was. all fish and hits came from the same "general" southern area of the lake. the fish were so hot i even got one to hit a trolled homemade double 10 w/ 6oz of weight in front of it. bty i am not condoning fishing during hostile weather as it could be dangerous.

thanks very much "ice legend"! i just finished an article from indiana that talked about during warmer conditions they use billgills alot. it said that it is common for almost every boat to have "a few" hanging off them while the anglers cast. thanks again!

can any tell me if this is legal? i hear of indiana musky guides using bluegills and crappies for livebait while they are casting muskies during the warmer months when suckers die too quickly. question is, if you catch a bluegill or crappie on the same water you are musky fishing and don't transport them to another lake can they be used as livebait? if you can't use 'gills or crappies- are there other types you can use?

dont forget to get that rod wrap if you want your handles to last.

just tie on a leader, troll and wait to hear the clicker go off. larry runs 50lb and long line sets to get the lures down. would wire be a better option?

how could chad cast w/ leadcore. i think at slower speeds leadcore would come into play but at 5mph? i don't think its really needed to get bit. good luck chad i am dying to get back.

go to stripertackleonline and get them or order directly from down-east. i have ordered through both and am super happy w/ both companies service and shipping. stripertackleonline got them to me in a day and a half before the first tourney cause i was running 6 rods total and needed 2 more holders and didn't want a crappy plastic one (which have broke on me in the past). get the salty clamp-on's or my favorite the taller horizontal mounts. if you need it today, drive all the way to seneca marine. they were the only place semi-local i could find them when i was looking. imo, i would get a rod wrap for the foregrip on your rods as down-easters are rough on the cork from my experiences. some people like those new folbes rod holders also as they don't eat up the cork as bad but i can't comment on them since i don't have any. you may also be interested in running a rod leash from the butt of the rod to an eyelet in the boat as i have heard down-easters failing but have never seen it yet myself. funny i just checked my e-mail after posting this and stripertackleonline says if you make them a friend on facebook they will give 10% off an order! its a start nolad, hope it helps.

i really think its something new to those fish and old man- once again, great job! i think you may have another musky hit that net this year w/ a hunk of plastic hanging outta its mouth at the rate you are going! sorry to ask so many questions and thanks for your response. i think a sucker in colder water w/ those baits next to them or casted would be very hot! good luck next time out! did you ever get that lawn cut? or did it storm on you?

i over analize everything about my fishing nitro and attempt listen to what i consider a good fisherman w/ experiece has to say hoping to learn something. even if it only helps me get one extra fish a year its worth it to me. i look at my all my tubes and all the differant ways to use them but have yet to get them wet. i got them like a month ago and have them all rigged differant ways but yet to try them. i think you (nitro) would be intrested b/c you are the deep jigger sometimes.

old man- you jigging it or casting it? looks tough to cast so i would assume your jigging. i almost brought my red octobers last night to cast but thought i didn't have enough daylight to fish them correctly. i will bring them down next time since you have proved it works. nice job either way. i am guessing 37" and jiggin'? good to see you finally took off your lucky spinnerbait (was your snap rusted on yet?). anyone here ever try trolling cowbells in front of your lure? seems like a better idea than behind the lure. how about 4-5 big blades in front of it. think they would see it then? would need a brick to keep it down though. old man- how was the hit when the musky picked it up? a hard pound or just feel the weight of the jig dissapear? was it hooked well also? i have alot of questions about tubes and all the differant ways you can rig them. the jimmy has a nose rig ment to be casted and have a jerkbait sort of action but you proved they can be jigged also. is that the 11" or 14" jimmy? i think they would be deadly in the late fall jigged on bottom. i also see my catch rates go straight down come august/september and i really think its b/c of pressure (cause its gets BEAT) and i think tubes will get those pressured fish easily. i don't really know what muskies do after mid-october since i am always bowhunting but early october i usually struggle and will maybe do 1 a day.

???? i don't know where this stuff i come up w/ comes from but i think he has a new name with me. lets just hope "the big one" doesn't make up a name for me b/c his may be true. hope he's not p*ssed off at me for this. i just love to laugh even though the funniest person i know is me. 16 so far for me this year!

i don't know if "solgigalo" has a singles mingle this weekend or not? if not, he maybe down w/ part of his fan club members. i try to avoid the weekends if possible but fish when i can. have fun! I saw a bald eagle flying around before dark last night for the first time at waneta, i haven't seen one there before and don't know if he was just flying by or has made a home nearby. you should have some nice weededges to fish since i cleaned them up last night dragging that damn crank around. 2 fish hit after cranking into the weeds and ripping it to clean it and bam they hit like freight trains. the small one hit 10 feet out as i was ripping the bait towards the surface to get ready for the 8. all fish took off just fine and were honestly very scrappy for the 78-79 degree water temp. no hits/follows/wakes or misses on topwater for me. i am secretly a "closet case topwater junkie" but will do what i have to do to put fish in the boat.

i hand landed 3 last night b/c they were smaller and didn't want to get the net tangled up. horrible pics, this i know. all fish came after dark. first one at 9pm and last one at 10:30pm. was able to get out from 6pm to 11pm. not one other musky fisherman out there last night. did a 41", 37 and a 31" casting rattling deep divers along the deep weededge taking a play from what i learned from night fishing w/ my ole man for all those years. all fish casting! we used to do alot on those straight night shiner depthraiders along the weed edge! alright- heres my bad hand landing story from maybe 12 years ago. hand landed a low 40" casting suicks in asheville bay in jamestown. reach down and grab fish boatside and lift fish into boat, fish thrashes and hooks on suick get caught in the arm of my sweatshirt, i go to bring fish into the boat and it thrashes cutting open a 2.5" gash straight down my left thumb, cut was deep and cut up my hand also. bleeding like a pig my ole man thinking quick comes right over to hold the fish still on the floor with his foot, hands, knees, and what ever else he could as we first cut hooks from my shirt w/ a pocket knife, that he helped me take off and then the fish. we released the fish and i went to go get stitches right then, ohh the good ole days before i had my net. bob(solgrande)- may have a story about a northern and a 5/0 for you if he ever gets off his social networking dating sites. (he's the main gigalo in his area if you didn't know, they call him solgigalo).

free meal? i'm in! don't worry i won't invite more than 10 people with me over at a time. hey nitro- free meal, bring the whole family and neighbors it's on! best meal i have had at "()>,":*%#?.$@/" lake was when solgrande hooked me up with some grilled sausage in the parking lot trying to get all my secrets. so, whats for dinner?

i am told not to comment on him....... those that fish that certain lake all know who he is, i just call him "bob's buddy" !

after 16 years of chasing muskies- if i wasn't humble before hand, i am now. they make you that way after time. we all get hot sometimes and we all then go a long time between fish so we understand when its hot to enjoy it 'cause i may be awhile before we get to see another fish. it's funny that you say we are humble, because i think the most cocky fisherman out there are the bass fisherman and they chase small fish that hit anything plastic . as for me being a "nut"? maybe (depends who you ask)... i don't get to fish as often as i want because of responsibilites at home, so when i get to go out i call 'em "musky missions" and fish as hard as i can, to do the best i can. anyways welcome to chad's awesome site, he puts hard work into it. i just discovered it last year.

gotta get more of those musky rockets, they are on fire! most well made plug that is built today imo! no more falling apart or chunks missing and bent screw eyes from them like other lures after a tangle or two w/ a musky! highly, highly recommend them to anyone.

got more fish on these than any other lure i have this year including my pb 50".

so if i just keep dragging my "lure" boatside, i'll get a keeper to grab ahold of it?