muskiedreams

These days there is no real need to keep a fish for a mount. As long as you get a good picture, length measurement and girth measurement you can get a very good replica made that will be every bit as good as the real thing. Also it will last longer. Too me though, the memory of the experience and the picture (or better yet, video) are the most important.

Here are some measuring devices commonly used by musky anglers. This board would not let me post the images from google image search so go to the links for examples. This is a 60 in tubular floating measuring stick. It has inch markings gong in both directions so you don't have to worry about which end is which. They are available at many catalog tackle outlets. Good for in water measurement but not always accurate. You can use it on a flat surface but should be careful not to lay the fish on a surface such as a carpeted floor which will remove the fish's protective slime. Here is one example of what is referred to as a bump board. You have to remove the fish from the water but it is considered to be the most accurate type of device to measure length with as long as the nose of the fish is at the stop and the fish is straight and flat on the board. Very often in catch and release tournaments, a clear photo or video on the board is required for proof of size so it is best to have one with a ruler that is easilly visible in a photo. It is best to wet it down to minimze how much slime gets rubbed off the fish. It is typically accecptable to squeeze the tail to get a maximum indication. They are commercially available or many anglers make their own. You can use a tailor's measuring tape to measure girth. You can get them anywhere you find sewing supplies.

Very respectable fish.

Tough name to pronounce, or spell for that matter.

Just a wish to Lary and all the anglers participating. Good luck!! Catch a lot of fish!! Have a good time!! Wish I could be there. I will be looking forward to hearing your stories. Steve

Zach, The man of many faces. Could he be one of those shape changer aliens?

The only thing I can think of is if you could find a different make and/or model kicker motor that is not quite as wide.

I have that Garelick bracket for a 15 hp 4 stroke Evenrude. It works OK except I had to have a brace installed inside to give the transom extra strength. I also have to cinch the motor against the transom with a ratchet strap while trailering to keep the motor from bouncing.

I agree. It doesn't look good. Also, It looks like the kicker is mounted on a bracket on the side of the transom. Over time, the weight of the kicker bouncing on the water and on the road may have created weakness in the transom and water may have been leaking in around the mounting bolts for the kicker bracket. I have an aluminum boat with a 15 hp 4 strole kicker and I had the boat repair shop install a knee brace behind the kicker when I had the transom replaced. I also use a ratchet strap to cinch the whole deal tight toward the transom while I am towing it. I would also suggest that you should have the rest of the boat checked out for structural integrity. There is probably wood in the structure of the hull and if there are problems there too, it may be very costly to repair. Steve

I couldn't get ahold of Jim on the phone this morning. I have a feeling he has been busy fielding calls about the article.

It would have nice to see a little more emphasis on the importance of being prepared for and practicing sound catch and release. As far as the little lake is concerned, we just have to do our best to emphasize the importance maintaining the health of the fishery in every way possible.

Zach, Nice hand model in the pic. LOL!!!

Opening day it was about 63 in AM and 71 at end of day on surface.

Nitro and Zach, You guys did better than us. Mark and I launched the boat just before dark on Friday. We parked at a friend's cottage and slept in the back of trucks. Hit the water just before 6AM and immediately observed a boat fighting a fish. It was a mid 30's fish and they netted it with a nylon net and brought it in to the bottom of the boat to release it. I tried to tell them to leave it in the water to remove the hooks but they seemed to ignore me. Some people either don't care or or are oblivious. BlueEye, I would like to make a suggestion that a catch and release topic be pinned to the top of this forum page to hopefully educate some of the anglers who are unaware of proper catch and release practices and their importance. I will bring this up at the NY Muskies Inc 69 meeting tomorrow. We started out casting the points on the southwest shoreline. Mark had one follow and I caught a pickerel on a small crankbait. The fish managed to flip its tail around so one hook was in its mouth and one was in its tail. Started trolling about 9:30 and Mark boated a 33.5 in. fish about 11:AM on a jointed depth raider in chartreuse with red nose. Kept trolling but nothing else for the time being and took a break about 2PM. Got back on the water about 4PM and went back to trolling. Mark had another fish on but it got off. About 1/2 hr before sunset, we went back to casting. I watched a mid 30"s fish hit my black and white Bulldog just under the surface about 30 ft from the boat and fought it about 6 seconds before it got off. It was my 3rd cast with it. We only fished another 20 min. because we wanted to get packed up and to the launch before dark. Steve

I will be on Waneta with Mark. Launching Friday night. Have a place to dock overnight. Brad, Zach and Bob See you there. My boat is an 18' grumman with NMA stickers on the side. Steve

Zach, Where did you hear about a die off? I was talking to Booger two days ago and he didn't say anything about muskies dying. I was orriginally thinking about going to Waneta but I am undecided now because I heard that there is always a bass tourney there on opening day. That would mean that I would probably have to get there by 5AM to get a place to park at the launch or have the boat in the water the night before. I know a couple people who might let me park at their dock. Otherwise I will go to the Upper Niagara.

Good luck today Larry. Maybe this weather will get them active.

I tried slowing down to about 2.2 to 2.4 for a while and used an 8 oz Jojo ball but was only puttung it down to 25 to 30 ft. I was using small musky lures. If I go there again before the water gets too warm I'll have to try large walley size lures, slow down a little more and use a flourocarbon leader. Justin, were you using downriggers?

I fished there with Mr. Toothy from 11AM til about 8:50PM. All we got was a LM bass each. Saw a lot of big hooks from 16 to 40 ft down but could not get them interested.

Tigerhunter. If you see an 18' Grumman at Waneta on opening day with NMA stickers on the side, say hay. It will be me. I'm prety sure I will be there that day. Steve