# Searching for a 50



## GRMuskie (Jul 28, 2012)

Cold weather this weekend. Was about 23 degrees when we started out. I am really trying for a fifty incher and a personal best this year. Caught and released a 48, a 47, and a 33 and my buddy released a 43. We had four more on but none of them would have been a 50 incher.
I'm thinking with high forties being caught in there, that there has to be a fifty incher lurking around somewhere...


----------



## Legend killer (Apr 20, 2011)

Congrats on all the catches. I am chasing a 50" as well, I am stuck on 49".


----------



## MuskieJim (Apr 11, 2007)

Nice fish! And good theory on the 50, I'm sure there's one close! 


Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


----------



## Catproinnovations (Dec 8, 2009)

Nice fish great job!! As for the 50.... I normally get about 35-45 Ohio Muskie a year and have yet to land a 50 it's a little frustrating sometimes!!


Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


----------



## ShutUpNFish (Apr 17, 2007)

Those are ALL quality fish you should be proud of! 50" would certainly be a nice bonus though! Good Luck!

Are you catching these fish casting or trolling?


----------



## tomb (Oct 9, 2004)

Beautiful fish! My best is only in the high 30's. 46" is largest in the boat. Good luck in your quest.


----------



## GRMuskie (Jul 28, 2012)

ShutUpNFish said:


> Those are ALL quality fish you should be proud of! 50" would certainly be a nice bonus though! Good Luck!
> 
> Are you catching these fish casting or trolling?


Thanks! We are catching them casting. The 48 came in about 3 feet behind my lure and hit about half way into the figure 8 right off the very back of the boat. That was super exciting for me. I've only caught about 4 muskies while doing the figure 8. I seem to have trouble with them losing interest after a couple of revolutions sometimes.


----------



## GRMuskie (Jul 28, 2012)

tomb said:


> Beautiful fish! My best is only in the high 30's. 46" is largest in the boat. Good luck in your quest.


Thanks! I still get just as excited over catching a 30+" fish. 
If I ever can land a 50, I'll most likely faint from the excitement.


----------



## turkeyt (Apr 13, 2006)

GRMuskie said:


> Thanks! We are catching them casting. The 48 came in about 3 feet behind my lure and hit about half way into the figure 8 right off the very back of the boat. That was super exciting for me. I've only caught about 4 muskies while doing the figure 8. I seem to have trouble with them losing interest after a couple of revolutions sometimes.


Dandy fish for sure and you gota be tough to fish in that cold weather.

What length rod do you use? Rule nowadays seems to be a longer rod makes figure 8's easier to do and lets you get a little deeper and farther from the boat while doing a figure 8. Whats' your opinion?


----------



## Legend killer (Apr 20, 2011)

I learned to make the widest turns possible. If you shorten it, it is hard for a big girl to stay on it.


----------



## GRMuskie (Jul 28, 2012)

That's probably part of my problem with the figure eights. Most of my rods are 7 footers. I may have a couple of 7'6" rods. 

Last year I made it my goal to do more figure eights and it did turn into more catches. My son and I are watching two guys muskie fishing on WFN right now and they are wearing them out on figure eights. I've decided that this year I'm going to make it my goal to keep doing figure eights and do them for longer periods of time, instead of giving up when the fish disappears beneath my boat.

A person's gotta have goals. Trouble is, most of mine are senseless.


----------



## Musky Addict (Dec 11, 2012)

Nice fish, congrats for your great start to 2013. I love catching them on the figure 8. It is awesome to watch a big girl go around a few times and then see the gills flare. You can do good fig 8 with a 7 footer it is just a lot harder on the back than with a 9ft rod and obviously you can't go as wide and deep.


----------



## Legend killer (Apr 20, 2011)

I switched from 8's last year to 9's and will never go back. My jerkbait rod is 8' however.


----------

