# Myth or True about Muskie



## fishcrazy (Apr 6, 2004)

1. Can you grab a muskie up under the gill plates and not hurt anything? Hand, Fish 
2. Will muskie bite unpolite jet skiers?
3. In Mr hebobs post he mentioned holding back water to help the states muskie stocking program? He explained that the water could'nt be held for fish. BUT THEY CAN HOLD BACK WATER SEVERAL TIMES AT PAINT CREEK LAKE FOR KAYAKS TO PLAY. If they can do it for Kyaks they can do it for the Muskie!!!!!!!!! Lets talk to corp of engineers????
4. Do muskie eat alot of crappies or mostly shad??
5. What are Ohio Muskies favorite fish? 
6. How did Catking ever catch a muskie?
7. If you were on vacation next weeek and could fish muskie anywhere in the state were would you go?
8. Is it to early to troll?
9. Prop wash or long line trolling which is best?
10. What is the best muskie rod holder?
I guess thats all for now next I'll ask about gas prices!!!
FishCrazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzy


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## Worm Drowner (Apr 5, 2004)

1) Not a good idea. The fish's body s/b supported by a hand to keep from injuring it.
2) I'm trying to train a few to do just that.
3) Kayakers have a better lobby with the state than muskies.
4) Shad is by far the preferred forage base. Of course they will eat anything if the right circumstances are there.
5) See 4)
6) He was in the right place at the right time. 
7) Leesville or Pymatuning
8) No, but troll shallow
9) Depends on the time of year.
10) Down East S-10


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## Spike (Apr 10, 2004)

I can tell ya from experience that the gills are just as dangerous as the teeth. Sliced me to ribbons! 

The rest I'm lost on.


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## catking (Apr 5, 2004)

Because I'm DA KING !!! silly arse boy...........  ........


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## Mr. Creosote (Apr 6, 2004)

Good ques. There are various schools of thought on this. Most say the body needs to be supported and this sounds sensible enough but sometimes I wonder. To prevent injuries to internal organs the hand supporting the body needs to back far enough to avoid them yet when this is done it bows the spinal column downwards. This can and does pop vertebra. Not always but it's not unheard of and more apt to occur on larger, heavier fish. It's also an injury that could very easily go undetected. I firmly believe that fish that are later found dead and warm water is blamed were actually killed by internal injuries sustained when organs were crushed and/or vertebra were popped while a pic was taken. It would help to prevent this if the fish is cradled in the crook of the elbow with the arm placed behind the gills in the rib area to reduce the span between the supported areas. However, this leads to another issue, that of slime removal. If one were wearing a cloth sweatshirt, jacket, or long sleeved flanel shirt and held a muskie this way it's likely that enough slime would be removed to let fungus get a foothold. This would be as fatal as a popped vertebra. I've seen pics in old In-Fish mags of European pike fishers holding pike in the 40 lb. range, (and even bigger carp), in this manner while wearing raincoats to prevent slime removal. The hand closest to the tail had one finger slightly inserted into the anal opening. This would be back far enough to prevent crushing internal organs yet providing adequate support while holding the fish still. (Bet it would. Lets hope they at least bought the fish some dinner). One pike, the U.K. record, was caught multiple times so their fish handling techniques apparently work. I saw Al Linder lift a 20+ lb. pike out of the water by the corner of the gill flap where it is attached to the chin. It was on one of their shows and featured in one of their pike vids. Whether or not this can be done with a muskie I don't know. One would certainly have to be brave to do this on a fish with a mouth full of razors and a Grandma. Even so it would seem to be a lot of weight and strain to put on the head, jaws, and vertebra especially on a heavy fish. Nets have issues too as some can cause fin damage. Another way to land a muskie is a landing cradle. This is basically a piece of vinyl with two poles along each edge. Once the fish is played the cradle is slid under the fish, wrapped around it and the fish is lifted into the boat. There are downsides to this method. In order to wrap and lift the fish into the boat one has to lay the rod down and put the reel in freespool unless the fish has been played dern near to complete exhaustion, which can cause recovery issues upon release especially in warm water. Perhaps the only foolproof way if possible is to unhook the fish at boatside with long handled needle nose pliers. Removing large, heavy, fish from the water to get pics runs the risk of fatal injury. I personally believe the European method is the best way to hold a fish while taking pics providing steps are taken to prevent slime removal via wearing a raincoat or some sort of synthetic jacket or windbreaker. This combined with a rubber landing net or a cradle should result in succesful c&r virtually everytime.


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