# WB Saturday



## bubba k (Mar 29, 2006)

My buddy and I hit WB on Saturday. We started at about 4pm and trolled until about 6pm with no luck. We then tried casting a cove off the main lake. We marked some bigger fish in a few weed beds so we tried casting a variety of lures until I finally got slammed! I landed a 35.5 incher on a white muskie inovations chatterbait. It slammed it on the first cast! I had casted the same weed bed 4-5 times with an in-line spinner and a safety pin spinner with no luck. It must have really liked something about that chatterbait! It was released after a few pictures (I'll post later), and I had another fish on about 5 minutes later, but it got off after a few seconds.


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## Muskie_Guy (Mar 14, 2007)

I was there also ... but no biggins... not alot of boat traffic for Labor day


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## bubba k (Mar 29, 2006)

Muskie_Guy said:


> I was there also ... but no biggins... not alot of boat traffic for Labor day
> 
> 
> I was the one in the green and white Monarch that gave you the thumbs up or down. Two fish, big or small, is always a good day!


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## MikeC (Jun 26, 2005)

That top fish looks pretty good to me. And a double day at wb is even better.


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## BaddFish (Jun 20, 2009)

nice fishes guy! 
My future father-in law picked up a dink- his first ski today... It was a good weekend to be out- wish I could of made it to Pymo today with that T-storm that rolled thru.


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## ShutUpNFish (Apr 17, 2007)

For a minute there, I thought you finally got a haircut Guy, but then I saw your hair peeking out on the second pic! Nice fish...


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## Pikeman3 (Jul 21, 2009)

They both look like nice fish to me man. What is that duck tape on the finger, one of them get ya?


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## Muskie_Guy (Mar 14, 2007)

kewl .. I was doing the deeper water troll for awhile.. but there wasn't anything there... I stayed out till midnight woking the full moon deal.



bubba k said:


> Muskie_Guy said:
> 
> 
> > I was there also ... but no biggins... not alot of boat traffic for Labor day
> ...


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## Muskie_Guy (Mar 14, 2007)

naw just cut my finger at work. I put duct tape over the band aid to keep it on... and it kinda waterproofs it



Pikeman3 said:


> They both look like nice fish to me man. What is that duck tape on the finger, one of them get ya?


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## bubba k (Mar 29, 2006)

Finally able to post the pics.


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## g1pper24 (Aug 21, 2009)

a musky caught is a victory in my book. nice pics and i love when they swim away unharmed. thanks for the pics and nice fish.


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## fishingfoolBG (Oct 30, 2007)

Nice muskie bubba k!!!!!


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## MuskieJim (Apr 11, 2007)

Sweet fish. That's an awesome release pic too....


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## bubba k (Mar 29, 2006)

Thanks guys....I've hooked into a fair share of 32-36 in fish over the last 3-4 weeks.....I can't imagine what it will be like hooking into something 20-30 lbs!!!!!


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## ShutUpNFish (Apr 17, 2007)

Those fish really look beat up out of that lake...Whats up with that?


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## tomb (Oct 9, 2004)

Nice fish guys.





Aren't all muskys scarred up? Everyone we've caught has at least had a few scars. Just thought this was normal.


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## freyedknot (Apr 10, 2004)

nice fish bubba. gotta try that one day again.


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## Muskie_Guy (Mar 14, 2007)

They've prolly been caught before.. But I've caught some real clean fish there as well... like they had never been caught.. no scars, missing scales or split fins.. I've seen some beauties !





ShutUpNFish said:


> Those fish really look beat up out of that lake...Whats up with that?


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## magnus (Mar 10, 2008)

Shutupnfish i know what you mean in those pics the fish do look really beat up. Fins seem very red and stressed out. But thats not how all the fish in there look thats for sure. Long fight/mishandling maybe, already been caught and mishandled, anybody got some good C&R tips because there are a lot of new guys out there, including me(2nd full year). Im always lookin to hear some also, cant know to much. Here are some things we do:

- Don't troll more poles than you can keep track of. Getting a fish on and having that line tangle another sucks. We only troll 3 poles unless its open water then we go 4 poles, IF we have a third person on. This happened to us once.

- Have pliers,glove, measuring tape, scale etc out and ready to use b4 fish is caught.(This has also been known to trigger a strike) This had happened to us b4, get the fish netted and end up looking for above items.

- Keep the fish thats netted submerged in the water as much as possible b4 you begin unhooking it.

- Try not to lay the fish on any surface where it can loose its slime.

- Don't try to hold the fish forward to make it look bigger, then when it kicks it can go flying out of your hands/grip. I could post a funny pic, more like a 1 in a million pic, but someone i know wouldnt be happy!! However fish was unharmed , it swam away fine. 

- Pics are cool, but if the fish is stressed and not a giant get the pic next time.

-Get or make out of PVC a netholder, so your net can be extended already and ya don't snag the net trying to grab it outta the boat, that sucks.

-Stay calm, although its hard sometimes!

And unfortunately i know all these from personal mistakes, but haven't had an unsuccesful release yet thankfully. What do you guys think about getting a C&R topic stickied. It wouldn't hurt with the growing interest. 

Congrats on getting on the fish Bubba, hard work pays off buddy. Maybe we'll see u out there sometime, we're in a GreenandWhite Lowe


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## Weatherby (May 27, 2005)

Catch and release is one of the most important tools in fisheries management of any species (especially in these tough economic times), its benefits are lauded around the world, are endorsed by most nations, and is practiced from pole to pole to preserve the resources we all enjoy, for this reason it is very important to implement the practices correctly with as few mistakes for the benefit of the fish and your safety.

I'm going to go over some tools that we use to get the fish back in the water with little or no time wasted. 


Net  There are many muskie nets on the market. Frabill and Stowmaster make really good nets. A good quality muskie net is well worth the investment to you and the fish. These nets act as a large live well. The fish will have plenty of room and you can easily keep them in the water with the large, coated, deep bags. I do not promote the use of a cradle. They are too difficult to use if fishing alone, and not nearly as safe as a net.

Mini Bolt Cutters  Sometimes you just cant get the hook out. Mini bolt cutters make short work of those large treble hooks. The hooks will dissolve in the fish and the hooks on the lure are easily replaced. 

The Diagonal Cutters  Reaches into those places to cut hooks that the bolt cutters cant get into. Make sure you get a large pair. 

The Long Nosed Pliers (Needle Nosed Pliers)  I prefer a set that is long. Reaches the hooks, and keeps your fingers away from those teeth. There are two types of long nosed pliers needed, straight and curved models. Each has their place.

The Hook Pick  The longer the better for the same reasons as the long nosed pliers.

Gloves  Protect your hands and the fish. If you prefer to not use gloves always remember to wet your hands before handling any fish.

Vinyl Girth Tape  The type used to measure fabric for sewing. This is used to measure the girth of the fish.

Length measuring instrument  There are many varieties of these on the market. Floating ruler, sticker (to be placed on the outside of the boat), bump board, etc.

Camera  This is your personal choice. Digital cameras are cheap these days and most cell phones have a camera built in although they do not offer very good quality pictures.

These are what I call the starter set of muskie release tools. There are others available that you may want to experiment with as you progress through your muskie fishing career but these will get you started. Remember these are tools just the same as if you were a carpenter. Dont skimp on the quality. Sure a cheap set will work for awhile but a good quality set of tools will last your lifetime. You may wish to attach lanyards or rope to your tools and tie them to the boat as they may get kicked or dropped during the course of the day and you dont want them sinking to the bottom.

Now that you have your set of quality release tools it is time to hit the water and do some fishing!

You cast your buck tail up next to a fallen tree; turn the handle on your reel and BAM! The fight is on. You fight the fish, get her up to the boat, and she is in the net! Congratulations you have caught a muskie. Now what do you do? 

A million thoughts will be running through your head. Where are my pliers? What if I need to cut a hook? How big is she?

Rule #1 ALWAYS HAVE YOUR RELEASE TOOLS OUT AND AT THE READY BEFORE YOU MAKE THE FIRST CAST. This is not the time to go digging through your storage compartment to get the tools out, or open the net after you have a fish hooked especially if fishing by yourself.

Ok, she is in the net. Take a deep breath and relax. 

If fishing with another person have them get the camera ready as you begin removing the hooks.

The hooks are free and the camera is ready. Get a firm but gentle grip on the fish. Begin by placing your fingers inside the gill plate (being careful not to touch the actual gill), slide your fingers up until you feel the jaw. Place your thumb on the outside of the lower jaw and squeeze just tight enough to get a grip. Slowly lift the fish and place your other hand under the belly of the fish to support its total weight. Never hold a fish vertical. Always hold them horizontal. This will cause less damage to the fish and get you into better position for release. Now snap a couple pictures and she is ready to go back.

Putting her back into the water  Gently lower her into the water making sure she is still horizontal. Take the hand that was under her belly and grab her around the tail. Once again firm but gentle. Now slowly release your grip from her jaw and slide your fingers free from her gill plate, remember to not touch any of the actual gills. As you are doing this your partner should be getting the measure stick, and girth tape ready if you want measurements. 

Now just hold her by the tail until you feel her get ready to go. Do not drag her back and forth through the water as this can cause damage to the gills. When you feel she is ready, give her a gentle push forward and watch her swim away! 

In most instances from the time the fish is in the net until she swims away again is less than two minutes if everything goes well. The key to the entire thing is time out of water. Minimize the time out of water, and you minimize the damage to the fish. 

With a little practice and a few fish under your belt all of this will become second nature. The moment someone in the boat yells fish! you go into action.


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## magnus (Mar 10, 2008)

Thanks weatherby, as you say Rule # 1 is very important, have your glove, pliers, cutters, etc.. out b4 you start fishing


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## bubba k (Mar 29, 2006)

Thanks for all of the advice guys, but I have a question - why do the use of gloves make a difference in handling fish???


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## LimitOut (Sep 28, 2009)

Free fishing weekend last year my buddy and i saw 15+ muskies landed in a weekend...one of which was 49". You can't beat the Mahoning!


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## MadMac (May 2, 2005)

bubba k said:


> Thanks for all of the advice guys, but I have a question - why do the use of gloves make a difference in handling fish???


If your hands are dry when you touch the fish they will remove slime and could damage the fish. The slime coat is very important to help fight off infection and such. Gloves will also protect you and allow you to handle the fish correctly.


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## bubba k (Mar 29, 2006)

MadMac said:


> If your hands are dry when you touch the fish they will remove slime and could damage the fish. The slime coat is very important to help fight off infection and such. Gloves will also protect you and allow you to handle the fish correctly.


makes sense....thanks


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