# 2008 Most Memorable Moment



## BITE-ME (Sep 5, 2005)

I think it was Muskie Jim that started a thread last year where you could post your favorite or most memorable muskie fishing experience of 2007. I enjoyed all the posts so much (particularly all the muskie porn), I decided to start a new thread for 2008. It could be your first muskie, your biggest muskie or just a good story. Tell us about it. 


I'll kick it off with my favorite / most memorable moments:

Mom's first Muskie









Got my first 50" ski


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## Cutt'em Jack (Feb 17, 2008)

Bite-me, where's the story behind those great fish? I would love to hear about them.


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## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

Sadly, my most memorable moment of 2008 is a lost fish. It would have been my first via casting and it was about 39-40" class. She slammed the bait about 12 feet out from the boat. I fought for about 30 seconds and then she shook the bait free. I only logged about 30 hours on the water. I plan to get out more in 2009.


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## ShutUpNFish (Apr 17, 2007)

This Day: My buddy and I landed 12 fish, had on several others that got off....All but two fish were 40"+. 2-46s, 3-44s a 45", 42", 41", 43 1/2" and a 51"...Here are some pics from that day...Craziness I like!


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## Muskie_Guy (Mar 14, 2007)

My womans first muskie ! ( now it's easier to get her to go ! )


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## Coon_Shark (Feb 6, 2006)

My most memorable experience last year was 11 muskie in about a 5 hour span at Alum. It was Father's Day (fished for 3 hours) and the day after (fished 1/2 day). A 2 1/2hr feeding spree each day. I was actually tired after each feeding binge.

Caught them all trolling in the main basin. On the down side....9 of the 11 were sub's. It was driving me crazy, 'cause I know there's a lot of size at Alum. The two legals (out of the 11) I caught were a 39" and 34" musky. 

This year should be a great year at Alum in 2009. All those 28's and 29's will be 33's and 34's.  There should be quite a few fish in the 40's (fingers crossed).


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## MuskieJim (Apr 11, 2007)

No pic to post for the story, but the fish got off right at the boat. 1roofmusky and I were fishing Leesville all day and were trolling from one spot to the next. We had 2 linecounters out, but I decided that I wanted to drag a bulldawg by hand behind the boat. I BOMBED a black/orange tail bulldawg about 100 feet behind the boat. We came around the next two turns and WHAM! Fish on, fought her all the way to the boat, probably mid 40's fish, where she proceded to headshake like crazy and somehow, get the lure out of her mouth. I am blaming the fish for 80%, and Gabe for 20%. haha.

Not only that, but the next casting spot produced a fish for Gabe, on a soft plastic as well. This fish completely inhaled his bulldawg, only to be hooked on the top single hook. As soon as the fish was next to the boat, it opened its mouth and POP! Lure came right out. It sucked losing two different fish, but we did also land a 6-7 pound largemouth on a Grandma. Gabe, post that pic.

And George, WoWzers. Congrats on your first 50! That is an absolute pig fish! Paul, I am coming on your boat next year at St. Clair!


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## MuskieJim (Apr 11, 2007)

I also forgot this one. Stream_Stalker (Nick Blackie) and I were fishing a deep hole and he stated his lure was "snagged". This "snag" proceeded to jump about 5 feet out of the water directly in front of us. Not only were we wet from the splash, but I think Nick may have wet himself. Hahahahaha. Great times.....


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## Mean Morone (Apr 12, 2004)

MuskieJim, that sounds like my first musky experience. My buddy and I were fishing Paint Creek. This was back when we were about 11 or 12 yrs old. We didn't know what we were doing. I put on a big daredevil spoon and cast it way out. We were standing on the bank right in front of a deep eddy. Just as my spoon came through the eddy, the lure just stopped. My buddy tells me that I am hung up. I'm cranking hard on the cheep reel as my dinky bass rod was bent double. I'm telling him it's a huge fish and he tells me again that I'm hung up. He walks down the bank in front of me and grabbs the line and starts pulling. I guess the musky didn't like him tugging on the line like that because about 20 ft in front of us comes a big musky up out of the water shaking his head. The lure landed on the bank at our feet. I think both of us were in shock. Man was I upset with him. I know I wouldn't have had a chance to land that fish anyway, but it just fried me when he wouldn't believe me and started grabbing my line. Man those were good times though.


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## fishing_marshall (Jun 12, 2004)

My most memorable trip was my first day out casting for muskie, April 12th. I caught a 45" that we estimate around 30lbs and a fat 43" an hour later. That trip spoiled me for the rest of the year.


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## luredaddy (May 25, 2004)

My most memorable moment in 2008, was catching my first Canadian Musky. I was told that they were wild/crazy fish and they are. I was running one of John Snow's baits with 23' of line out, and when another fish stopped its intitial FAST run, he had peeled off over 70' of line. John


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## BuckeyeTom (Apr 6, 2004)

My 2008 most memorable moment was the weekend after Christmas. It started with a stop at a convenience store for a bottle of pop and a lottery ticket on my way muskie fishing the day after Christmas. As I'm walking out I scratched the ticket and the first number matches mine and has $15,000 under it. I could'nt believe it. I took it back in the store and ask the ladies if they are messing with me. They said no, but told me I did win $15,000. Finally, I started to believe it as they were taking my pic in front of the store. I continued to go muskie fishing caught one. As lucky as that was, I headed back out that Sunday(same weekend) and landed four. None of those fish were huge, but it is a weekend that I will remember forever.

Good muskie hunting to everyone in 2009!!!!


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## BITE-ME (Sep 5, 2005)

Cutt'em Jack,

Here's a link to the thread about my mom's first ski 
http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/showthread.php?t=102968
Mom has muskie fished with me on Caesars over a half a dozen times and had only see me get one lazy follow. But on this day she got the full experience and hooked up on a figure 8. 

The 50" ski came out of Munuscong bay on the St. Mary's River on the last weekend of September.  I raised the fish late in the afternoon on a glide bait while drifting through some scattered patches of cabbage out in open water. She followed pretty hard & looked like she was on the verge of attacking, but she puss'd out about 10' from the boat. After picking my jaw up off the deck of the boat and tossing a few throw back baits at her, I marked the location on the Lowrance and tried drifting it a couple more times about a half hour apart but had no success. 

It was the first day we were up there, so my dad and I continued to search out new areas with intentions of coming back to the spot a few hours later at moon set. While we were out exploring and just trying to cover some water, Dad ended up catching the best pike of the weekend








My dad was pretty thrilled, but he said he would have preferred if it was a muskie and longer than my mom's 42" ski so he could reclaim the title around his house.

Anyway, back to the muskie... about a half hour before moon set we moved back into the area I had waypointed the fish, set up a drift and began burning some double cowgirls. Right on que, the fish hit within five minutes of moon set and exactly where we had marked her earlier on the GPS. A few seconds after setting the hook she boiled on the surface and there was little doubt of what I had after a huge tail broke the surface. She put up a nice fight and we almost lost her at botside while making multiple attempts to get her into the net. Needless to say, it took about an hour for the adrenaline shakes to go away.


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## ShutUpNFish (Apr 17, 2007)

BuckeyeTom...Awesome story there! I love how the luck just proceeded into your fishing excursion....classic - congrats!

The pike above almost looks like a muskie body-wise...the fins give it away.....nice one!


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## MuskieMan35 (Mar 5, 2008)

My story or fish is not as great as you guys but???
I took my girlfriend to Leesville -Labor Day weekend for her first camping/fishing trip with me.
We started out fishing for anything- just casting- got into some crappie
(which was fun for her) and then she landed a 20" or so walleye/saugeye! I think I was excited more then her... I said "OK you ready for the real fish" so we started trolling- 
(figuring we had at least cought some fish so the "pressure" was off- ) Threw out a couple Monster Shads and settled in for some trolling.... I started following the contour of the shoreline- kinda cutting in & out and avoiding a logjam and WHAM! 
Drag was buzzing, rod was bouncing- my first Lunge on by trolling... 36" - and largest to date.
This little guy came in like dog on a leash but when he saw the net he went bananas!
It was really exciting for us and we still laugh about it.... But the better news is: She wants to go back this year and even try Salt Fork too! Needless to say she's a keeper and I will be buying the ring in a few months!


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## Sirmanski (Oct 7, 2008)

My biggest thrill was last July when my wife and I were Walleye fishing with jig/minnow combos on Lac Seul in Ontario and she hooked a Musky. She fought it for a while and did very well in trying to land it but when we got it close to the boat it turned around on her and I think the line got cut on it's gill plate. We could see the jighead sticking out of it's mouth but when it turned the line was over it's head...Goodbye

We of course never got it in the boat but based on some Pike we have caught I would say the Musky was in the 40" to 45" range. After the fish got away we sat down in the boat and both had to catch our breath. It was a great thrill and now she wants to take some Musky epuipment along next year and actually fish for them. So we will.

Sirmanski


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## Vandal1982 (Oct 6, 2008)

Actually had two most memorable moments of the year one was in July at west branch trolling caught 4 fish all on the same monster shad and my biggest today 47.5", 45", 42, and a 30". Second experience was in august at leesville loaded the kayak up with the musky gear and headed out caught a 33 in front of the camp ground at clow's. Fish hit a showgirl on a figure eight next to my face then jumped over my head. Here are pics of the 47 and the 42 from West Branch.


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## BITE-ME (Sep 5, 2005)

Vandal - Muskie fishing out of a kayak and a figure 8 fish to boot. Thats pretty outstanding.

ShutUpNFish - 12 fish in one day is insane. I deffinetly gotta get up to LSC this summer. Just need to know when you'll be up there & what ramp your taking off from so I can spy on your boat all day.


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## ohiojmj (Apr 16, 2004)

With regard to pike fishing, it was the week I spent with my son in Biscotasing, Ontario. We caught nothing noteworthy, but i had a great time with my son! It's not entirely about the catch, but it would have helped too...


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