T-Billy

I think the delayed mortality due to water temp deal gets blown out of proportion, at least when it comes to shallow fish. Pulling them up out of deep water in the summer is definitely a bad idea though. Most folks have gotten pretty good with proper handling these days, and the big nets available to us are a great thing for both anglers and fish. The little lake I fish most gets hammered all summer long and I don't see many floaters.

77 before the sun got on it this morning, down a couple degrees from last week. I haven't had any issues with releasing them in warm water, but I don't pull 'em out of deep water this time of year.

Long, lean 44" today. I also lost a high 30's and had four follows. This fish didn't have much belly, but it was thick across the back and has a big head. Kinda makes me think it's a big male. Time's running out on me to achieve my goal of 100 ski's over 30" in my first full year of chasing them. I only have six more days to fish before August 10th, and I'm currently 14 fish short. I need to go on a tear.

^THIS^ Happy to hear Lynn's home. I hope things are going well. You two are in my prayers every day brother.

Catching is the most exhilarating part. Successfully putting the puzzle together is the most satisfying part.

Me thinks you underestimate yourself. Just keep all the steady pressure on 'em you can muster with that 766. You'll do better than you think. 😉

If the Lord blesses me with a long enough life, there will come a day when I'll have to put the musky rods down also. Father time catches up with all of us eventually.

I'm not gonna say I won't do it, because when it comes to muskie, that seems to be a guarantee that I will. 😂 I said... I'm not gonna hurt myself throwing double 10's. I do. I said... No way I'm throwing pounders. I do, but not often. That's just brutal for an old fat guy like me. I used to think chucking an A-rig all day was tough. Ha!!! That's child's play compared to big blades and big rubber.

I had an awesome morning. 34.5" - 37" - 38" - 42.5". I got to watch 'em all eat. All four came on blades in less than 4' of water. The 38 was especially fun. I was waking a double #8 through a channel in the pads, and this joker blows up on the bait but misses. It comes right back up on it, nose on the bait, but I can't trigger it. I made several speed and direction changes, but it just kept following, nose right on the bait. So... last ditch effort, I stick the rod tip in the water and start burning that spinner as fast as I can, and just rip it into the 8 full force. I came through the first turn hard, then slowed up and hung it just under the surface on the outside of the turn. That fish came absolutely unglued on it. WWWWWWHAT A RUSH!!! 😂 One more day of fishcation left. I hope they're chewing this well again tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Tom!!!

I started throwing rubber baits for muskie this year, Bulldawgs, Medussa's, Assault Eels, etc. Nothing fun about it, just pain....... until you get bit that is. POW!!! They hit those baits like a freight train. They've been productive enough for me to endure throwing them for a few hours each day. That's all I got. Still throwing the same 'ol bass baits. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

Search BFS.

I could get by quite happily with a chatterbait, a beaver type bait, and a black 'Ol Monster all summer long.

I started actually targeting them with the A-rig in the fall of 22, but it was just last August when I started buying muskie gear and fishing for them outside of the cold water seasons.

Two little fish sure beats the two skunkings that I took the last couple days. I caught the 32.25" on double 8 blades at first light, and the 33.75" cranking deep coontail later in the morning. The 33.75" is number 30 over 30" for the year.

Yeah, I do OK. Just a little self deprecating humor there. I tell ya though, those slimy buggers will humble ya. It doesn't help my ego any that the two guys I compare my success with are a full time guide, and a guy who's lived on the lake and muskie fished it for 40 years. I'll have my first full year of chasing them in next month. I'm a wee bit behind on the learning curve compared to those two guys. LOL!!! They're both great mentors to me though. I'm blessed to have their guidance and friendship.

The night bite continues to be slow. I got started about 02:00 and by first light just after 05:00 I only had half a dozen bass and this nice eater eye. Best bass was this 3.42#. I also lost a much better eye while trying to turn my light on to net it. That's the second time in two weeks I've lost a big eye like that. They're all getting boat flipped going forward. After daylight I found some muskie stacked up in the back of a bay, right in the creek channel. 6 follows with two of those buggers nipping the grub off the back of my double 8 spinner. 🤦‍♂️ Grrr... On the way back to the ramp I stopped to chat with a buddy. He also moved six fish this morning. Difference is, he put four in the net, with two over 40. He also got a 47 yesterday afternoon. Thus proving... I suck!!! 😂

Tough to beat the Lew's LFS in that price range.

Sufix 832 is an excellent braid at a fair price. Fins Infinity and XS Big Game are also excellent and made in America.

Sorry for your loss.

Not really. We get some heavy rains and flooding from the remnants sometimes. Four or five years ago one came through and brought my #1 lake up 4.5' in four hours.

Well... Beryl didn't do me any favors. It largely missed us to the west. All we got was a few showers and a little wind. It's not gonna be enough to stain the lake. It did kill the bite I was on though. The chunky little 31.5" below kept the skunk out of the boat. It absolutely choked the mid Medussa I was ripping over a weedy point. I only moved one other fish. It was a mid 30's that lazily followed a crank in. The game plan for tomorrow is to move out of the bays, and spend a bunch of time ripping rubber on main lake points. 🤞

I feel for ya brother. Been there done that, but with a different species. 33"-34" saugeye in my case. It's a sick feeling watching the fish of a lifetime swim off with your lure for sure.

The fish continue to be finicky in the clear water. I lost one yesterday and had 6 more follows. Today was a bit better. I was fortunate to go 2 for 2 today as both fish just had the rear treble. I also had 8 more chasers. It was a short bite window, with both fish coming about 15 min apart. Hopefully Beryl helps me out and stains the water up tomorrow. 35" 38"