when i met my boyfriend back in the beginning of january, little did i know how big of a musky hunter he was and the influence it'd have on me! it's quite the understatement to say he's
obsessed, lols, but i guess you can't deny passion! hah.
although i've always enjoyed fishing myself, i was moreso out rippin' lips, jigging for walleyes, or just bobbing for panfish. honestly, all i knew about the elusive muskellunge was that they were the top freshwater predator! nothing more. and that quickly all changed!
this past valentines day, he gifted me a few of his favorite and hottest lures to "start me off..." (in retrospect, this was the beginning to something very dangerous! smh, haha.) march came around and the big musky expo was in town. there, we got me my first musky setup; a heavy action rod and baitcaster reel spooled with 100lb line. and by the end of april, he'd invited me to fish a summer league with him. despite my reservations in that i'd never hunted muskies in my life before, the adventurer in me was definitely up for the new challenge!
being the lifelong learner that i am, i'd taken it upon myself to read steve heiting and jim saric's "the complete guide to musky hunting," all the "in-fisherman" magazines i could get my hands on, watched numerous musky dvd's, as well as read any and every online publication on this toothy critter to get an idea on how they behave and what this sport was all about! and in short, i basically learned they were the most finicky creature out there, dubbed the fish of 10,000 casts! and for me to be prepared to go months on end without even seeing one! how encouraging, haha. and another new interest was born!
before the season even began, i also found myself joining a local musky club... and now, league! and one of the first things i noticed about the esox hunters community was how compassionate they are about restocking efforts and ensuring muskies for future generations to come! very, very cool and much respect!
fast forward to the southern zone season opening, it was exactly what i had expected! days upon days on the river... and nothing! i had already mentally prepared myself not to get my hopes up... until i saw my first musky as he came up to hit my bait, and missed! he may have missed, but i was hooked at the mere sight of big beautiful fish!
the next week, i got another glimpse of one, clear as day, after the boyfriend raised it boatside on a figure 8! this was now more than enough to keep me motivated! i really wanted to catch one..!
continuous casting and throwing out these
big musky baits hours on end and not seeing a thing can easily get exhausting. but it's all about patience and persistence. roughly a month into the opening and going into week 2 or 3 of league... i caught my first musky! as if that weren't exciting enough, i also doubled up! and if that weren't awesome enough, these 2 catches were with back to back casts!!! ;D this was all the motivation i needed! they may be small, but they are 'skis - and it's a start!
