Ivan

You're welcome Choo-Choo. Thanks for the comments too, but part of those numbers are because of where and how much we fish. At this point, I would trade some of those numbers to be closer to a trophy fishery like the Larry. I think our ratio of 50"ers to total fish is something just under 2%, but I bet on the Larry a guy could have a ratio that would probably be closer to maybe 20%. You are in a great location for big fish. Here are links to the muskies shows I referenced if you or anyone else is interested. They are always a good time. http://www.ohiomuskyshow.com/ http://www.muskiemax.com/ http://www.butlerfishingshow.com/

You are off to a great start and it's nice to see someone so excited about trolling for muskies or just muskie fishing in general. I know I said this before, but you are really lucky to have someone show you the ropes. It can make a big difference, especially on a tougher body of water like you are starting with. I know when I started muskie fishing in 1998, I had a mentor that helped me quite a bit, and I've done the same for a few people now. Even though I've been at this for a while now, and have been fortunate enough to handle and release about 2000 muskies from my boat, I still love it and run like a kid on Christmas morning to every reel that goes off. My advice, for what it's worth: Join a club, if you haven't already. Do what you can to help the sport and support your fisheries. There's lots of good, helpful guys that belong to Muskies Inc. Almost all of my closest friends now are from muskie fishing. Don't take people for granted that are willing to help you. Make sure they know how much you appreciate their help. Pass on some of what you've learned to somebody else when the time comes. Keep having fun. Unfortunately, there can be lots of negativity around the muskie fishing community if you let it get to you. I know it's gotten to me in the past. There is no substitute for time on the water. While getting a head start with the help from others is a great, learning on your own is how you will become a better muskie fisherman. Keep a good log book of conditions and catch details. I've been doing it since I started. I still reference my older books every year. Successful trolling can be alot about repeatability. Paying close attention to water and weather conditions, line lengths, speed, depth, baits, colors, etc can put more fish in the boat for you. I have found what works at specific times on specific water bodies, works year after year if repeated. Work to find a pattern every day you are on the water. This is tougher to do on low density waters, but finding a pattern to put multiple fish in the boat is my favorite thing about muskie fishing. Enjoy the off season. Come check out some of the muskie shows this winter. There are two in PA and one in OH. I can't wait for 2014 either.

In case anybody else is interested... Water temps at Long Point were about 52 over the weekend. Temps south were around 49. Barely any floating weeds. I was able to run my big boards all weekend and lines stayed very clean. Just a few leaves to contend with. Water clarity still not very good, but I would expect that to improve more soon. It felt good to have the float suit back on and fish some nasty fall weather...can't wait to get back next weekend.

Thanks guys. Good luck Joe.

Does anyone have a water temp from Chautauqua over the weekend? From my experience, turnover usually happens at Chq around mid to end of October. I haven't been up to the lake in a few weeks, but I'm guessing with the cooler temps and all the wind over the weekend, the lake may have turned.

Congrats on your first muskies. One of the hardest places around to catch them. Good job.

This is not anywhere near the original topic, but it's interesting. Because muskies get larger than most fish people have seen or caught, I think their size tends to get exaggerated. A 40lb muskie is huge. It takes a low 50" fish with a big girth 25"+ to get that weight. Most muskie guys will never catch a muskie that heavy. They might get a 50"er, but it probably won't weigh 40lbs (legitimately weighed) A 50lb muskie takes a 55"+ length and a huge girth of 27"+. A legit 50lb muskie (weighed) is pretty rare and probably doesn't exist in Waneta or Chautauqua. You would want to look places like the Georgian bay or the St Lawrence River, maybe Buffalo Harbor back in the day, but even then...not very common. Some of the MN lakes like Mille Lacs can produce fish like this now. A 60lb muskie may or may not exist anywhere, let alone Waneta. I can think of a couple from the Georgian Bay that were supposed to be that size, but nobody can seem to agree on the authenticity. Even the new muskie world record organization (whatever Ramsell's group is called) has a 59lb muskie as their current world record, after dropping the 60lb minimum requirement. What do you think max potential is for a place like Waneta of Chautauqua, Mike? Do you think either lake could produce a 50lber? I would like to think Chautauqua could with it's size/depth, forage, etc, but I've never seen/heard of anything close being caught from there.