# PB Muskie Tennessee



## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

I caught my PB (first and only) Muskie over the weekend.
We were pulling jacks, from 8" to 15" give or take, jacks were REAL hard to come by.
Planer Boards and one on a float WAY behind us.
Fishing for Stripers.
We were at the end of the day, Tenn Tech was tracking Muskies from a boat, 23 Muskies tagged w/transmitters, 17 they could ID in the area. A few boats around us throwing HUGE Spinners and "Rats" at the banks.
Nobody caught a Musky but us. Hmmmm, they might want to change their tactics........ Grin
The Jack got nervous, then real nervous, then the rod went down, Ezell gave the wink and the nod and fish on.
It gave an ok fight, my first look at it's back I'm thinking "this is not a stripe, a carp?Huh" and Randy grabbed the net, this is where it gets fun.
Ever try to get your foot in a shoe 5 sizes too small? And, there's no "lipping" a musky. He had bad breath to boot.
We tried head first, we tried from the tail up, it was hooked under the jaw in the white flesh, good hook set, so this comedy was pretty secure it turned out, I was wondering when it was going to bite through the line or gill cut the line.
Ezell finally pulled the "toothbrush" out, clamped it down and hauled it in the boat.
Ezell has a 48" rule riveted to the back deck, pinched tail to tip of jaw 45".
Bruce, the lovely gloves are compliments of Dewalt tools, which seems to have a preference to Yellow. Cool
He went back in the water molested severely by our attempts to put it in the boat, but swam away a happy musky.
As awesome as it was, it just didn't put up much of a fight, no trashing no splashing, we were a more entertaining show than it.
A 45" Striper would have pretty given us a pound per inch per Ezell.
No stripes on Norris, water is COLD we found some bait on Saturday, ran U-Rigs, water around 40-44 degrees, real clear, 90 feet to 25 feet as we trolled. Birds were a little help, but mostly loafing on the water.
Ezell, Randy, THANKS for an awesome weekend, you guys are the best, I'm going to do my best to keep some of Tennessee here in SW Ohio! Smiley
LMJ



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## dacrawdaddy (Aug 31, 2008)

That is a beautiful musky. Congrats on the PB.


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## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

thank you sir


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## cmalinowski (Aug 25, 2007)

Saw your picture on eastenneseefishing.com but didn't realize you were living up here in the Buckeye State. Great catch, had no idea they had them that big down there.


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## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

cmalinowski said:


> Saw your picture on eastenneseefishing.com but didn't realize you were living up here in the Buckeye State. Great catch, had no idea they had them that big down there.


Well I didn't know I was making such a forum impact, I'm a legend in my own mind now! 
Thanks for the kudo's!
Ezell Cox and Randy Perry put me on that bad boy, make sure you look them up, Ezell's on Norris or Cherokee most days..... 
LMJ


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## SConner (Mar 3, 2007)

Jeff, that is pretty nice "first and only" muskie. Congratulations on a very nice well fed catch!


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## Roscoe (Jul 22, 2007)

That's a beautiful Musky.Good Job!There has to be larger ones in there.Maybe next time you can hook up with a 50".


Roscoe:


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## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

Roscoe said:


> That's a beautiful Musky.Good Job!There has to be larger ones in there.Maybe next time you can hook up with a 50".
> 
> 
> Roscoe:


I heard a 53" was caught, not sure if that day or earlier in the week.
LMJ

I found another pic from Ezell Cox, his boat I was in.



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## Esox Ozzie (Jan 22, 2011)

Congrats on your magnificent catch Jeff. Welcome to the Musky Community!

Let me be among the first to thank you for your efforts, both on behalf of your quarry and that of the thousands of folks across the nation who champion her conservation, promotion, protection and pursuit. The legacy & heritage surrounding this elusive and misunderstood species goes back well over a hundred years, yet lots of folks still do not realize these beauties are historical natives to the river systems and watersheds in this part of the country. 

Thank you for your conscientious actions and for leading by example in a situation where many of these incidental catches are killed because of mishandling, misunderstanding or for often just being the biggest fish many anglers have ever caught. 45-inches of Volunteer State 'Ski don't come easy and that Southern Belle you released shall will now have the opportunity of making yet another wonderful memory for her next opponent. 

Thanks again my friend for deciding a live release and "Happy Musky" to be the RIGHT thing to do. Fair chase, ethical pursuit & handling, resource conservation... respect!

Bob "the Fin-Addict" Osborne

Fishing is a living Legacy... Lets work together and PASS IT ON!


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

Awesome story and fish!! Certainly beats my first 4 muskies.....Now your part of the CNR club, appreciate that and now you have earned some respect for these magnificant critters!

On to the that 50+" Super Tanker....

Salmonid
PS I used to spend a ton of time on the Easttenn message board when I was doing a ton of trout fishing down that way but havent been there in a while, its a great community down there.


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## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

Esox Ozzie said:


> Congrats on your magnificent catch Jeff. Welcome to the Musky Community!
> 
> Let me be among the first to thank you for your efforts, both on behalf of your quarry and that of the thousands of folks across the nation who champion her conservation, promotion, protection and pursuit. The legacy & heritage surrounding this elusive and misunderstood species goes back well over a hundred years, yet lots of folks still do not realize these beauties are historical natives to the river systems and watersheds in this part of the country.
> 
> ...


Bob, that's the nicest thing anyone has said to me here lately on OGF, I appreciate your appreciation. It is a beautiful fish, healthy, HUGE, and hopefully swimming along nicely as I type and you read this! 
LMJ


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## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

Salmonid said:


> Awesome story and fish!! Certainly beats my first 4 muskies.....Now your part of the CNR club, appreciate that and now you have earned some respect for these magnificant critters!
> 
> On to the that 50+" Super Tanker....
> 
> ...


Thanks Mark, I've done a TON of CPR and CNR over the years, but you know the old story, one "ah shucks" wipes the "attaboys" clean off!  Do you recall that nice wiper from your boat near Mill Creek on the OR? What did I do with that fish???? ;0)
Thanks for your kind words.
LMJ


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## Rod Hawg (Jan 13, 2011)

Wow! Was down their over the summer. Wish we would've targeted skis instead of Trout in the streams.


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## FSHNERIE (Mar 5, 2005)

Nice Fish...


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## dtigers1984 (Jul 24, 2007)

Great fish. We're headed to Melton Hill next weekend for muskies.


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## Esox Ozzie (Jan 22, 2011)

dtigers,

Going with any of the locals... maybe Chris Halley or some of that group?

Good luck to you. I hear there is reason to be optimistic!

Ozzie


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## dtigers1984 (Jul 24, 2007)

esox ozzie,

Taking my boat and not fishing with a guide. There is an informal tourney on the 5th being put on by Billy Davis, who runs the TNmuskies.org website. Hope to meet some local fisherman there.


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## BaddFish (Jun 20, 2009)

Well Done LMJ,

Kudos to you for the release... had the water been around 65-70 that big girl would of fought a bit more!


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## Erterbass (Jul 4, 2005)

Beautiful 'ski, LMJ! That is an awesome fish in anyone's book!! 

So if I read your thread correctly you caught that one on a lake other than Norris? Given the water level in your pic it looks like Melton Hill or Watts Bar since neither of those reservoirs have drawdowns like Norris. (Norris swings 20 feet or more from winter to summer pool... )

Can't wait to head back down there in March - what beautiful country!!

Bob


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## socdad (Jul 25, 2005)

Great fish! Where did you get the "toothbrush" ... that big red clothes pin?


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## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

Ezell had the clip, we would have had a hard time gilling it into the boat, probably would have had to get the hook out boatside and let it keep swimming from there. 
It was caught on the Clinch, I'm going to leave it at that, on Melton Hill pool.
LMJ


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## BassAddict83 (Sep 21, 2010)

Wow! That thing is a monster! Nice job! Kinda makes our "trophy" fish in the LMR look like guppies haha!


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## downtime8763 (Jun 22, 2008)

Great fish,even better that it's a released one.thanks
Heading to Norris in April for stripers and eyes,hope to do well again this year.


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