muskiedreams

Very beutiful and healthy looking fish. She should have the potential to add on a few more inches. It must have been a serious adrenalin rush.

Chad, was that 51.5'" on Friday before the tournament?

Friday I got a blowup on a Top Raider at dusk bit it didn't hold on to it. The day of the tournament, I got nothing as usual. I have been in all seven of them and havn't entered a fish yet. Today I got a 36" and one about 33" on a Chinese Shad Rap imitation in perch. I caught them within 100 Ft of each other but about 2 hrs apart.

Years ago we used to troll in the Niagara river and Buffalo Harbor in the fall and catch purebred muskies at night. There are still some angles that catch them at night in the river during the summer and fall. It can be very productive sometimes.

panfisher, The fish was caught out of season. The law requires that it be released immediately even if it will not survive. Mounting it would have been asking for trouble. Many serious musky anglers would release even a fish that large when caught in season. If you want a mount, you can get a very good quality replica these days.

Eye Spy,

I think they need to show a little leniency. I can see if there is someone who is continually violating the rule, even after they have been informed and educated. Obviosly it is not good to hold a fish like that but pike fisherman who normally keep pike, might not be aware of the potential of causing harm. I don't know if he could have sucessfully released the fish without removing it from the water or if he even knew it was a musky until after he removed it. The best thing here might be to try to educate the angler and appeal to him to try to be more carefull in the future.

Ivan, Here is my take on the regs.

I beleive what they mean by catch and release angling is purposly fishing for said species. I think there would have to be very clear evidence of intent. I think they are planing to reword the regs a little to avoid confusion. The main intention here is that if you unintentionally catch a fish out of season or a protected species, you must release it without causing any unnecessary stress or harm. This would include not bringing it in the boat unless, for some reason, you have to in order to release the fish safely. That technically would mean not taking a poto while holding the fish out of the water. Even if there was a valid reason to remove the fish from the water, that type of photo would increase the amount of time the fish was out of the water beyond what would be considered necessary.

You should be very careful if you take a photo like that about who you show it to and not posting it on line. I believe there have been some people prosecuted from photos but in this case, I don't think it would happen. A boatside picture is probably the safest for you and the fish.

Steve

Thanks Brad.

Cool looking fish!! Does anyone have an info on them, such as their history and habbits?

hey gert...i`ll be heading up there friday night sept 27 for the wknd to distribute flyers for our muskies inc meeting/outing in oct in clayton and i will be doing some trolling and casting in that area and i`ll let ya know the conditions and the outcome of the trip.Got some new toothy`s and bakers i`m itch`n to get wet.I`ll more than likely launch outta cedar pt or prescision marine(keeping my boat there for mid oct/nov so i don`t have to haul it back and forth).will post when i get back sun.

sol

hey gert...i`ll be heading up there friday night sept 27 for the wknd to distribute flyers for our muskies inc meeting/outing in oct in clayton and i will be doing some trolling and casting in that area and i`ll let ya know the conditions and the outcome of the trip.Got some new toothy`s and bakers i`m itch`n to get wet.I`ll more than likely launch outta cedar pt or prescision marine(keeping my boat there for mid oct/nov so i don`t have to haul it back and forth).will post when i get back sun.

sol

Good luck this weekend!!  See you at the Mark Troy tournament. I will be there Fri. afternoon through Sun.

Steve G.

I would never use a Boga grip for any freshwater fish. Maybe it can be useful with some saltwater fish. I have seen some videos of musky fishermen literally yanking them out if the water with a Boga grip and then releasing the fish. You can easilly damage the fish's jaw that way.

The anual Mark Troy Memorial Musky Tournament will be held Saterday October 5th. It is put on by Jim Reynolds, Bob Saucke and Captain Ed Cragg in memory of Jims friend and fishing partner, Mark Treau, who passed away several years ago with cancer. I beleive this will be the 6th anual. Last year we had a great tournament and the anglers kept Ed and Jim very busy since they were in the only judge boat. This year there should be two judge boats as usual. Last year there were 41 anglers and close to half that number of fish entered. It was a very good day with continuous action throughout the day. The first and second place fish were caught in the final minutes of the tournament for an exciting finale. The cookout with awards presentation and raffle table was a great time with lots of stories, good conversation and comarederie.

This is a catch and release tournament. Judge boats are used to verify your catch. Tournament hours will be 7 am til 3:30 pm. Morning fog could delay the start. Registration will be at the boat launch between 6 and 7 am. The entry fee is $25 per angler and this is a cash tournament with prizes for first, second and third place. I do not have all the rules but I beleive they will be the same as last year and will be provided to partisipants before the start of the tournament. We will have the cottage at Swarthout point where we will have the cookout and awards presenation immediately following the tournament. Bring your own drinks. We still have some space available in the cottage for Friday and Saturday nights for anyone who is interested, for $25 per person per night per person. Respond here or call Jim in advance if you are interested. If you stay at the cottage, there is a boat launch on site and docks to use.

If you have any questions, you can call Jim at 585-670-0422 or post them here. If you are planning to attend, please let us know here or call Jim so we can get an idea of how many will be there.

I have fished this tourney every year since the first one and it has always been a great time even though I have yet to enter a fish.

Maybe it is laying it's eggs by your pool because there is no suitable habitat by the canal.

If you live in Tyrone, you must be famillir with Waneta lake. There is a healthy population of muskies there. Eddie Cragg of Reel Rippin' Charters lives out that way and charters for muskies on that lake. I belong to both The Niagara Musky Association and NY Muskies Inc. Chapter 69. There are members in both organizations that can give you advice on fishing Waneta. It is a little different than the big waters of the Niagara and the tactics are a little different. Since it is a small lake it is a good place to get started.

They should be partnering with recreational boaters and anglers to be their eyes to report suspicious activities. Instead they are alienating those who are no threat to security. US Homeland Security is talking about instituting new border regulations that will complicate things even further. I wonder if citizens and  local, county and state governments will even have a say in what they decide to do. I would like to think so but it seems we are loosing our voice and rights all the time.

It is at Darian Lakes State Park at Shelter 1. Brad said in an email that the picnic is at 3PM. I'm not sure if that means we will be eating at that time or what but I am going wit Mark and his wife and I think we will be there at least an hour or two earlier. Below is a link to the park's website. Their map has a lot to be desired. The shelters are not shown on the map. It looks like there are only roads near the lake (pond) and the campsites. The rest is just trails.

http://nysparks.com/parks/144/details.aspx

Here is a map to the location. It looks like you have to enter on Harlow road. Take 77 south from the Pembrook exit of the Thruway. Go past  Reynolds Rd. and take a right on Summer Rd., Then take a left on Harlow Rd. The entrance will be on Your left.

http://mapq.st/16WVVAm

Steve

Ha Ha!! I hope it's a catch and kill tourney.

Nice pictures Justin.

What is the water temp. there now.

Passport is not needed at this time. Also you don't have to check back in with US Customs if you did not land (or anchor) or connect with another boat in Canadin waters. The US border patrol  is currently considering requiring vessels to check in at a video phone (which may not be conveniently located) when returning from Canadian waters. Supposedly having a Nexus card ($50 and good for 5 years) will allow you to call in. I don't think it will come up for discussion like state fishing and hunting regulations. It may be totally up to the discression of Homeland Security.

So it may become more expensive and inconvenient to fish in Canadian waters.

You will need:

1)Canadian outdoor card

2) Canadian fishing lisense

3)Nexus card (unless there is a convenientty located video phone which still might not be very convenient)

You will have to go through the motions of getting these things. Then you will have to report when you enter Canadian waters and report back into US when returning. Everyone on the boat will have to have these things. It may not be worth the expense and agrivation unless you intend to fish Canadian waters on a regular basis.

1-888-CAN-PASS. Call this # just before or as you enter Canadian waters. They will ask you a bunch of border type questions, including your boat #, passenger names and B dates, weather you have alcohol (illegal in Canada) firearns, weapons, etc. They will give you a confirmation # you will need if you are stopped by Canadian authorities. If you go over another day, it will go a little faster because they will already have your information from before. If you are just traveling through Canadian waters, without stopping, to get to another location in US waters you don't have to call in.

There are some guys who do well in the Nagara on them. Edges where it drops to 15 to 20 ft and drifting in areas with humps where depth changes from 12 to 20 or 25 ft that have a steady current (say 1.5 to 2.5 mph) will produce fish there. They generally vertical jig with quick lift and slow drop. The fish almost always hit on the drop, so if you suddenly don't feel the bait, set the hook. Sometimes they use the trolling motor to slow th drift. They told me they also have had a lot of success with one angler casting cranks to lure them toward the boat, then the fish will hit on the other angler's Bondy below the boat. They will also attach a large saltwater frog hook or trebble hook to the line tie to increase hook up percentage. Red October Baits tubes can be used in the same areas but drift and jig upstream from the boat.

Steve

Who's going to be at the picnic this Sunday at Darian Lakes State Park? I'm planning on going with Toothy.

Hello Bob,

It is generally most productive to use smaller musky baits 4 to 6 inches but baits up to 10 inches can also produce fish. Shad type crank baits with 3 to 15 foot depth ranges, jerk baits, glide baits, bucktails and plastics such as bulldogs and tubes have all produced fish there. Perch is probably the most productive color patern (especially with gold in it) but other natural colors, burnt orange, fire tiger, red/white, black/white and chartreuce can all produce fish. Steady retrieve can work but irregular retrieve and stop and go is usually more productive. The north and south ends in 6 to 12 ft. of water and shoreline breaks (especially around points and irregularities) generally hold fish that time of year.

I am not sure where you live, but I am a member of Muskies Inc. Chapter 69 which we started a little over a year ago. http://www.nymusky.com/#  We meet on the third monday of every month at the Moose Lodge on West Henrietta Rd. at 7 PM. Also, this Sunday August, 18 we are having a picnic at Darian Lake State Park. You are welcome to join us. Several of our members are regulars at Waneta. Our President, Jim Reynolds hosts a tournament on Waneta on the first Saturday of October. Last year we had a great turnout and a reel good time. There were 41 anglers and 19 muskies were caught. The first and second place fish were caught less than 15 min. before the end of the tournament. We have a cookout and party after the tournament at a cottage we rent for the weekend.

One last thing Bob, please read the topic on catch and release that is pinned to the top of this forum and try to be as prepared as possible for a safe catch and release for the fish and for you. We must all do our part in protecting our valuable resources.

Good luck!!

Steve

Nice!! Even though it would have been nice to land the big pike, it would have been worse to loose the musky. And landing it alone always presents a challenge.

Congratulations Chad!! She's very cute. Definately a keeper.

Yes, the hooks don't get caught up in the net as bad.