# My first muskie of 2010.......



## BuckeyeTom (Apr 6, 2004)

Not a big one, but after some tough conditions(high water and ice) here lately I'll take what I can get. Also my second snow muskie this winter, gotta love that! Water was pushing hard....very lucky to have landed anything. This one took a firetiger invader. Hoping the conditions are right/safe enough next weekend to get a boat on the water. 15 degrees when I started and 23 degrees when I stopped....cold, wet, and busy busting ice out of the eyes all day but I got one,lol. Am I crazy....yes I am!


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## 1roofmusky (May 20, 2008)

Nice Job! Must be nice to be able to fish right now.


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

Nice catch and picture. Thanks for sharing and good luck on getting #2.


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## JIG (Nov 2, 2004)

You never stop! Thanks for the pic.:B


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## sploosh56 (Dec 31, 2008)

You have mad skills buckeyetom great catch


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## THUNDERBUG (Apr 28, 2008)

Sweetness!

I wouldnt even know where to begin looking for them this time of year...

T*BUG


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## BaddFish (Jun 20, 2009)

Way to go man! I'd be chasing the steel if anything was open up here...


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## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

Congratulations on a nice fish Tom. Well done! A few questions for you, if you don't mind. When the water is cold like it is now, are you really slowing down your presentation whether it be Rapala, bucktail or other crankbait? Do you do slow pulls and twitches with pauses. Do you work fast ever during this time of year? I was thinking a steady retrieve speed would be fine, but I am just not sure as I haven't had much success in cold water when fishing musky. Also, are you keying on current breaks when the water is up? Are the fish always set up on structure or do you find them throughout the stream. Just looking for some pointers for when I start floating a stream in this area.


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## MikeC (Jun 26, 2005)

Congrats, great catch, thanks for sharing.


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## fishingfoolBG (Oct 30, 2007)

Way to go, Nice fish! FFBG


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## MuskieJim (Apr 11, 2007)

Nice Tom. Let me guess?? RAPALA!!!!


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## BuckeyeTom (Apr 6, 2004)

Crittergitter, I love a steady retrieve. Sometimes if I get a follower, I will burn it and more often than not they attack it. Don't be afraid to twitch/jerk a crank as soon as it lands by strucure then go into a steady retrieve. Out of a boat figure eight often. From the bank, it has to be a deep cut to be able to do it but it can still be effective. Worst thing you can do is stop a bait at the end of a retrieve for the muskie to just look at. In the creeks you will have no problem finding stucture(mostly wood), but sometimes I get them in the open water. Fish the entire water column! Slack water/current breaks for sure when the water is up.... big bends, log jams, and under cut banks.

MuskieJim, Muskie Innovations Invader in a "LOUD" Firetiger. Not always casting a rapala,lol.

HOPING! for some open water this weekend, but with these temps the creeks will probably freeze again.


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## Steelhead Fever (Dec 31, 2009)

nice fish your crazy going after skies this time of year lol looks like it pays off tho......nice catch


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## woodyandarron (Nov 24, 2009)

Nice! We fish below the Dam at CC, but have not seen one yet. I've heard that they are in there. But no fishies yet. Great to turn on the computer and see a Musky catch. Thanks, I needed this!


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## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

woodyandarron said:


> Nice! We fish below the Dam at CC, but have not seen one yet. I've heard that they are in there. But no fishies yet. Great to turn on the computer and see a Musky catch. Thanks, I needed this!


Woody, you guys ever float it or fish some place other than right below the dam. I figure Cowan used to get musky, East Fork gets them now and CC has been getting them for years. There has to be some musky in that river somewhere.


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## BuckeyeTom (Apr 6, 2004)

After three trips in Jan. in miserable conditions with no fish, I needed that little Feb. Muskie just to get me out of the slump,lol. Feb. and March have produced some awesome fish for me in the past. Some of you may remember last Feb. produced my nicest muskie of 2009. I'll post a pic/this is what winter fishing to me is all about...........


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## Mason52 (Aug 21, 2009)

Nice fish Tom, and no I don't think your crazy. The one thing I do know for sure about Musky fishing is you can't catch um if you ain't out there.



Crittergitter, for sure fish in the LMR, where do you think that that (plaker) fellow catches those fish. Now that I think of it you may not ever get on the SW Ohio fishing, anyway I have caught 1 fish and had a few others on in the LMR, but our lake dosent pump out as many as Muskies as Alum because of the difference in our dams I have heard of a Musky over 50 + incher caught out of the LMR


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## woodyandarron (Nov 24, 2009)

Well there is not much water below CC. You can fish all of it right from the bank. Or just wade it with knee boots. No need for a tube or small boat. However it is just the opposite at CC. You can go up the creek at the far north end of the lake in spring on foot. No boat.Just to shallow, but there are some Muskie up there. I mean way up there! I know of a few Guys that wade fish for them up to 8 miles north. Not very easy fishing. Some times you need to get out of the water and walk around some of the deeper spots. Have hooked some nice bass while doing this. No Muskies yet, but just started doing this last summer. Mason and My son and Me catch some decent fishies in our beloved CC creek, but fish long and hard for them. Its strange, saturday We will catch them, and go back on Sunday with the same weather and see nothing.


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## woodyandarron (Nov 24, 2009)

TOM! I about fell over when I clicked on Your post. All I could see from one side of My moitor to the other was this giant creek fish! How big was that girl? I like big girls LOL! I know You got that fish as soon as You started fishing. Cause there aint one drop of water in your boat. The floor is bone dry. Was that one of them first cast of the day fishes. I've done that before and I just want to go home after that. Its like bad luck for Me to bust one on the first cast.


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## BuckeyeTom (Apr 6, 2004)

fish out of three different Jons a 10, 12, and 14. The 14 is the green boat that you remember with water in the floor,lol. The 45 inch big girl was caught out of the 12 footer that is somewhat dry. The 10 footer is my favorite, but it takes nerves of steel in this cold water....no room for error.

That fish was fish 5 of a 6 fish day.......one of those special days! Now I'm tore up(MUSKIE FEVER!) and the creeks will be locked up solid by this weekend.


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## SConner (Mar 3, 2007)

Nice fish, your efforts paid off!


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## BITE-ME (Sep 5, 2005)

I'm looking out my window at a foot of snow in my front yard and this post is killing me!!! Anyone out there have a time machine that I can use to fast forward mysef about 45 days into the future? I would miss the Ohio Muskie Show, but that's okay, I got to much crap anyway.

:good: Nice fish Tom!!! 

I might have to get out on the creek as soon as the water softens up - give me a call Woody.

Later,
George


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## MuskieJim (Apr 11, 2007)

Tom, the size of that musky is absolutely ridiculous compared to the stream that it came from. Massive!


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## BuckeyeTom (Apr 6, 2004)

the best part about it is she is still swimming! Love to hook up with her again this year! That was definately a well fed 45 inch creek muskie. Her girth was amazing! Good pics always help too. Digital photography is awesome. I've only got one better than her in the creeks and that was a beautiful 47 inch beast. I don't think that the 47 had the girth that the 45 did though. Any creek fish that tops 40 is very special! I want a 40"+ fat girl with a bunch of white stuff in the background. That would really get everybody fired up including me,lol!


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