# Hocking gator



## bobcatbasser (Sep 20, 2014)

Happened to hit a familiar stretch of the hocking on lunch break today and felt that this would be a productive outing. Two casts in, throwing across the riffle and reeling into the pool, a hungry kitty inhales my 3 inch Tennessee shad bomber square a with authority. Nothing massive, but backs up my gut feeling. Couple casts later, throwing the inside seam of the riffle and pulling back through the pool I feel what seems to be a crappie take the bait-light stoppage of the lure with a dull tap. Thinking I've hooked a soft-mouthed fish I wait a second then sweepset to avoid pulling the bait free. After some vigorous head shaking and bulldog fighting-this "crappie" had stripes. Muskie that weighed 8 lbs and was 33" long. A playful nip, and off he went. Can't post pics until I post more since I'm new. 


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

bobcatbasser said:


> Happened to hit a familiar stretch of the hocking on lunch break today and felt that this would be a productive outing. Two casts in, throwing across the riffle and reeling into the pool, a hungry kitty inhales my 3 inch Tennessee shad bomber square a with authority. Nothing massive, but backs up my gut feeling. Couple casts later, throwing the inside seam of the riffle and pulling back through the pool I feel what seems to be a crappie take the bait-light stoppage of the lure with a dull tap. Thinking I've hooked a soft-mouthed fish I wait a second then sweepset to avoid pulling the bait free. After some vigorous head shaking and bulldog fighting-this "crappie" had stripes. Muskie that weighed 8 lbs and was 33" long. A playful nip, and off he went. Can't post pics until I post more since I'm new.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Ohub Campfire


Someday I will get lucky enough to have a lunch break and head down there with you, man. That was the first muskie I have ever seen pics of coming from the area and I grew up here. Awesome catch! And FYI, chicks dig scars.


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## bobcatbasser (Sep 20, 2014)

That sounds like a great idea, shoot half the credit for that fish goes to you for guiding me on that hot spot. You schooled me that day we went, on the fly no less. I'm done working in Athens oct 17th so we should hit it before then. 


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## bobcatbasser (Sep 20, 2014)

Now that I've gotten to 2 posts, here's the fish.










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## 1basshunter (Mar 27, 2011)

Nice looking ski,


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## ClickerCrazy (Feb 4, 2006)

wow, that's the first one I've ever seen too.


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## kparrott154 (Mar 26, 2007)

bobcatbasser said:


> Now that I've gotten to 2 posts, here's the fish.
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> ...


Nice, congrats man


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## PapawSmith (Feb 13, 2007)

bobcatbasser said:


> Now that I've gotten to 2 posts, here's the fish.
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> 
> 
> ...


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## fishing_marshall (Jun 12, 2004)

Awesome! First one I've seen from the hocking. I still need to get back down there to fish


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## Mr. A (Apr 23, 2012)

PapawSmith said:


> bobcatbasser said:
> 
> 
> > Now that I've gotten to 2 posts, here's the fish.
> ...


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## I Fish (Sep 24, 2008)

That is awesome! I'd bet you weren't prepared for that! I wonder where it came from? I know a couple of guys that say they've caught some in the Ohio, but I've never seen proof. I wonder if it came up from there? The old timers I knew always said there used to be musky and pike in the Hocking. I believe them, as they knew the river before OU did their part to ruin it.

If you caught it, it yours, but, I was curious if you kept it or put it back?


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## bobcatbasser (Sep 20, 2014)

I Fish said:


> That is awesome! I'd bet you weren't prepared for that! I wonder where it came from? I know a couple of guys that say they've caught some in the Ohio, but I've never seen proof. I wonder if it came up from there? The old timers I knew always said there used to be musky and pike in the Hocking. I believe them, as they knew the river before OU did their part to ruin it.
> 
> 
> 
> If you caught it, it yours, but, I was curious if you kept it or put it back?



I was not prepared for that toothy critter, that's for sure. There are naturally reproducing populations of muskellunge in the ohio river, Lake Erie, and some smaller creeks in mostly the southern half of the state near the scioto and ohio rivers. It likely made its way upstream from the ohio and yes TheCream showed me photos of a pike caught in the same stretch last year about this time. 

I only keep crappie and perch, and that's if I remember my fish basket, so like all good monsters this one swam off unharmed only to exist in a blurry photograph that will lure many to the hocking in search of such a beast. 




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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

Sweet catch!


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## RiverWader (Apr 1, 2006)

Very Very nice , never caught one on the Hocking


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## turkeyt (Apr 13, 2006)

Lot of Ski's in the Ohio River. They will travel for many miles and they have found tagged fish that were a long way from home. Biologist tracked a tagged fish from transmissions through points and it traveled almost the length of a lake in a day and a half (over 6 miles)


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## Snyd (May 5, 2004)

Nice fish and on a crank that I caught two bass on last night. Congrats especially out of the hocking.


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## Bigwormy (May 28, 2014)

There are BIG Muskie way in 12 pole creek off of the Ohio river in Wayne, WV. We've caught a few dandies in there bass fishing. The farther back you go, the better the Muskie fishing is.


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## beans (Jan 24, 2008)

I caught 1 about that size last thursday a little north of marietta, trolling out in the middle of the ohio goin about 10 mph or better. Boy that thing hit hard and the line screamed for a bit it was a good fight.


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## youngunner (Jun 21, 2009)

Marietta pool on the Ohio holds a substantial amount of Muskie. I've caught numerous in the creeks right over the hill from my house. Congrats on the Hocking Muskie!


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

Heck, I figure if there are 'skis in the Mahoning River, which was basically an open sewer for so many years, you never know where they might turn up. It seems almost lucky that the city of Youngstown was forced to breach the Lake Milton dam because they couldn't afford to fix it, flushing all kinds of walleye and 'skis down the Mahoning, just when the river had started cleaning itself up after so many years of abuse!


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