muskefisher
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/07/22 16:53:22
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fished chautauqua quiet a bit in the past but haven't been there this year yet, they raised the out of state license to $70 this year. have a week trip planned first week of september. did good last sept. with a 46" on a leo jerk being the biggest.
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donpgh
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/07/22 20:25:50
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I'd just be happy to be able to go out with someone who has musky experience, so I can pick up some knowledge 
My wife told me that if I didn't stop fishing every day, she'd leave me. Some days, I really miss her.
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benthook62
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/07/23 06:26:40
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I will know a little more the next few days, i just talked to my son in law on his way to work, he is gonna start hitting the Mon. after the rain this weekend, he had 3 hook ups friday night at tygert lake, and has done well, he said he wouldnt mind helping you out. I will send you a PM, the next few days. Hope this helps.
post edited by benthook62 - 2010/07/23 16:57:15
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carpediem
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/01 09:27:09
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Hey All,
I like to fish the Buffalo Creek pool on the Allegheny for Muskies and I'm heading out tomorrow morning... I'm taking my little brother out with me tomorrow. He was dead bored the last time I took him so this time I thought I would rig him up with some shiners so he was at least catching fish while I cast for the big toothies. Does anyone know where I can buy bait near Freeport? I did some searching on this forum and on Google and there is very little information out there on bait shops. It seems that some of these shop owners need to get with the times and get their names on the web.
Any info would be appreciated...
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ddubs3
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/02 06:49:10
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ORIGINAL: carpediem
Hey All,
I like to fish the Buffalo Creek pool on the Allegheny for Muskies and I'm heading out tomorrow morning... I'm taking my little brother out with me tomorrow. He was dead bored the last time I took him so this time I thought I would rig him up with some shiners so he was at least catching fish while I cast for the big toothies. Does anyone know where I can buy bait near Freeport? I did some searching on this forum and on Google and there is very little information out there on bait shops. It seems that some of these shop owners need to get with the times and get their names on the web.
Any info would be appreciated...
The few times I've fished there I went to Butch's Bait Shop. 357 Freeport Road
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Esox_Hunter
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/02 09:37:49
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Butch's is a waste of time for the most part. They have a very, very limited selection and it is hit or miss whether or not they will be open. I also don't really like going to get the guy out of the bar next door for service.
Depending on which way your coming from I would drive the extra 15 minutes and go to Allegheny Bait under the Tarentum Bridge. They will have everything you need down there...
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carpediem
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/02 17:37:29
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Yeah, we went to Allegheny Bait and ended up fishing in Tarentum.
For the record, I fished until 1:00 throwing bucktails and trolling various plugs. Not a follow to show...
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musky maniac
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/03 08:24:30
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picked up this 44incher yesterday
Attachment(s)Attachments are not available: Download requirements not met
WORK HARD.....FISH HARDER !
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carpediem
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/03 21:12:53
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Heading out either Buffalo Creek or Tarentum tomorrow at dawn. Will probably troll all morning although there are some nice shoals around tarentum to cast on. Will post pics if I happen to get lucky...
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musky maniac
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/03 21:40:52
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is that on the allegheney..? i never fished allegheney i just fish in my backyard.
WORK HARD.....FISH HARDER !
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carpediem
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/03 21:50:54
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ORIGINAL: musky maniac
is that on the allegheney..? i never fished allegheney i just fish in my backyard.
Yep, Allegheny... Buffalo Creek = Freeport and Tarentum = Tarentum 
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avidangler
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/03 22:48:01
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ORIGINAL: carpediem
Heading out either Buffalo Creek or Tarentum tomorrow at dawn. Will probably troll all morning although there are some nice shoals around tarentum to cast on. Will post pics if I happen to get lucky...
Just a heads up, but the allegheny was up around 1' tonight and off color/dirty.. It was nice looking last night though..
Born to fish, Forced to work... "Balls deep, or why even bother"
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carpediem
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/04 04:06:41
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ORIGINAL: avidangler
ORIGINAL: carpediem
Heading out either Buffalo Creek or Tarentum tomorrow at dawn. Will probably troll all morning although there are some nice shoals around tarentum to cast on. Will post pics if I happen to get lucky...
Just a heads up, but the allegheny was up around 1' tonight and off color/dirty.. It was nice looking last night though..
Sure was clear on Monday... Except for all of that horrible brown sludgy stuff floating around Tarentum. What is that?
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avidangler
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/04 06:25:40
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ORIGINAL: carpediem
ORIGINAL: avidangler
ORIGINAL: carpediem
Heading out either Buffalo Creek or Tarentum tomorrow at dawn. Will probably troll all morning although there are some nice shoals around tarentum to cast on. Will post pics if I happen to get lucky...
Just a heads up, but the allegheny was up around 1' tonight and off color/dirty.. It was nice looking last night though..
Sure was clear on Monday... Except for all of that horrible brown sludgy stuff floating around Tarentum. What is that?
I know i fished Monday evening and landed a pretty good fish, my buddy text me and told me the water was up and real off color/dirty tuesday evening. That foam is typically from the dam areas, dont know that i've ever seen it anywhere else. And a little tid bit of info, the bite has went back to the shallows at the moment, my guess with the water temperature drop.
post edited by avidangler - 2010/08/04 06:29:05
Born to fish, Forced to work... "Balls deep, or why even bother"
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musky maniac
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/04 16:34:58
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did get out today, tied into a 40in fish got hooks stuck on outside of net while trying to net him , he was being pretty calm so tried lifting it into boat when got it half out of the water it started headshaking and got off so didnt get a pic to post and my fishing buddies say its not a catch so maybe next time out i get it in the net and not on outside of the net.
WORK HARD.....FISH HARDER !
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carpediem
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/04 17:20:45
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Good tidbit AA, I found that to be true today also. Trolled mostly shallow today, although I spent enough time on the deep edges to tell that I wasn't spotting any fish. I had what looked to be several follows on the sonar, and I had one hit and hook up for about 6 seconds, then get off. Water was indeed about a foot higher today than it was on Monday and it was stained, although not as bad as I had thought it might be.
These fish are so hard man... I feel like I'm right on the cusp of doing things right. I need to invest in some better gear. If anyone has some trolling or casting rigs they're looking to part with, shoot me a PM. I ran across an old timer on Craigslist last night with some Down East rod holders. I met up with him today and bought them. They are much needed and I need to get a few more.
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avidangler
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/04 19:45:10
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ORIGINAL: carpediem
Good tidbit AA, I found that to be true today also. Trolled mostly shallow today, although I spent enough time on the deep edges to tell that I wasn't spotting any fish. I had what looked to be several follows on the sonar, and I had one hit and hook up for about 6 seconds, then get off. Water was indeed about a foot higher today than it was on Monday and it was stained, although not as bad as I had thought it might be.
These fish are so hard man... I feel like I'm right on the cusp of doing things right. I need to invest in some better gear. If anyone has some trolling or casting rigs they're looking to part with, shoot me a PM. I ran across an
old timer on Craigslist last night with some Down East rod holders. I met up with him today and bought them. They are much needed and I need to get a few more.
Even doing the right thing sometimes just doesn't work with musky fishing. Time on the water and being relentless and confident in what your doing is my moto to live by. Keep bangning away at em'. Your time will come. P.S. No rods or reels left to unload at the moment but if your looking for any specific lures i'm still clearing out some of my inventory that never sees any water. Just let me know what your looking for maybe able to help you.
post edited by avidangler - 2010/08/04 19:47:22
Born to fish, Forced to work... "Balls deep, or why even bother"
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carpediem
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/04 20:31:43
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ORIGINAL: avidangler
ORIGINAL: carpediem
Good tidbit AA, I found that to be true today also. Trolled mostly shallow today, although I spent enough time on the deep edges to tell that I wasn't spotting any fish. I had what looked to be several follows on the sonar, and I had one hit and hook up for about 6 seconds, then get off. Water was indeed about a foot higher today than it was on Monday and it was stained, although not as bad as I had thought it might be.
These fish are so hard man... I feel like I'm right on the cusp of doing things right. I need to invest in some better gear. If anyone has some trolling or casting rigs they're looking to part with, shoot me a PM. I ran across an
old timer on Craigslist last night with some Down East rod holders. I met up with him today and bought them. They are much needed and I need to get a few more.
Even doing the right thing sometimes just doesn't work with musky fishing. Time on the water and being relentless and confident in what your doing is my moto to live by. Keep bangning away at em'. Your time will come.
P.S. No rods or reels left to unload at the moment but if your looking for any specific lures i'm still clearing out some of my inventory that never sees any water. Just let me know what your looking for maybe able to help you.
Yeah, I'm staying patient because I know this isn't an overnight thing. Plus I know the payoff will eventually be big At the moment, I need rods and reels more than anything else. Right now, in my current situation, I'd rather buy used. I've got so much information to try and consume, it really makes no sense to be beating new expensive gear when there is always good used gear available... As far as baits, I need to get some jerk baits - suicks, believers maybe? Bucktails are always necessary but nobody wants to part with those unless they're crappy colors (I have my share of those). I'm fascinated with Jakes and Grandmas, although they've yet to produce for me, I just have a feeling they will pay off in a big way at some point. Same goes for the Leo's. I have yet to add any real top water baits to my collection either, although I'm watching and waiting on a few Ebay bids. You're always a great source of information AA, I certainly appreciate it. The one thing I've noticed with a lot of new musky fishermen, THEY TALK TOO MUCH  I think it pays to just listen and get as much information as you can. At this point, everyone on the water has more experience than me, I can stand to learn a lot. I ask the occasional question and try to disseminate the BS (there's a lot of that out there too).
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avidangler
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/04 22:35:16
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Well seems like your on the right track. One thing i've noticed is you fish alot of mornings? Like everyone you have to fish when you can but i can say from my experience on the allegheny(all species) my success has been very minimal in the mornings. I'm to the point now that i usually pass up the morning opportunity and fish all afternoons if possible. Dont get me wrong if i only had mornings and early afternoons to fish i certainly would but i'm lucky to have the opportunity to fish mainly evenings with my job. I experience alot of my action from 6pm to 830 pm, and i feel that with musky fishing alot of it comes down to timing and each body of water has its own time when the action is accelerated some. Even when we get into the fall alot of my fish end up coming within the last 2 hours of light with other action mixed in here and there. The river fish seem to really love blades of all types and colors so i'd keep throwing them now,and remember some days they want them burned and some days they want them slower so mix up your presentations some, if no response with them then i'll get out jerkbaits like leos and reef hawgs or bulldawgs, some years they are all over topwaters and some years(like this year) they dont want much to do with them. Once fall gets here i usually only throw dawgs and glider style jerkbaits and mix in some swimbaits. They seem to work best and force you to slow your presentation down some. Another thing you gotta remember is theres only limited numbers of fish around so you could fish all day and maybe only put lures over 1 or 2 fish or none at all so sticking to areas that are fishy looking or have produced action in the past can help with your confidence. You'll hear guys talk about setting up a pattern, well with the river conditions are ever changing with water levels and clarity so its real tough to get anything steady going for any amount of time, on top of low numbers of fish and only being able to fish a few times a week the task can be real daunting.
Born to fish, Forced to work... "Balls deep, or why even bother"
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wayne c
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/05 17:25:11
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Hey MM, where are the tigers? Been catchin any/many this year or last?
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musky maniac
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/06 00:01:44
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ya a few here and there, they used to stock both pure and tigers , tigers are more aggressive think they get caught esier and people keep them or kill them and dont live as long as the pures, but they are out there, next time i get one ill put a pic on here.
WORK HARD.....FISH HARDER !
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musky maniac
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/08 22:42:33
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just seen a video about this..they say mostly tiger muskies do this and it is believed that they are forcing air in to neutralize air bladder.. just thought u would like to know. ORIGINAL: Snag_826
Last friday me and the gf went flathead fishing on the north shore, landed a nice 20lb fish at 1:30am then nothing. was sitting with my feet hanging off the wall just a few inches from the water, enjoying the view of the city when a monster surfaced and scared the crap out of me. fish was around 40 inches and swam right under my feet with its mouth wide open and head out of the water. i followed it down the wall for a few hundred feet and realized it was a musky. first time i ever saw one in this area. i tried grabbing its tail but it took off. A few regatta security guards saw me and said that fish was doing that all day. said it scared the crap out of a few people earlier that morning. Why do you think this fish had its head out of the water? im not very familiar with musky habits. strangest/scariest thing ive seen in a while lol
WORK HARD.....FISH HARDER !
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MUSKYJUNKY
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/10 13:03:47
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Fishing been slow last few weeks been raisin fish everywhere just can't get them to eat my baits over the last two weeks I've raised at least 15 muskies none of which I have contacted trolling not a big fan of it. Had a newbie out last night both raised and lost 2 fish apiece but that's just musky fishing. They have been showing a preference to bucktails and crankbaits turnin and burnin and its not like I don't vary my retrieve speed ill fish fast for 5 min then medium and slow only been raising them fishin fast guess just need to wait for the water to cool down a lot of lazy follows
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avidangler
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/10 19:19:11
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Hit 4 between last monday and this past sunday. All but 1 were decent fish, 44.5",46", 40.75" and a 30.75..Fished a few different stretches of river but managed to be successful all 3 times i fished for the week. Same program, dbl 10s taking most of the fish and 1 on a mag dawg. All fish in 10' or less water.
Born to fish, Forced to work... "Balls deep, or why even bother"
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wayne c
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/10 19:49:12
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Was out today, did some casting for a bit and had one small fish follow showgirl. Then trolled for a few hours, something i know little about. lol. Anyone with any insight/advice would be appreciated! Since i didnt have to run the boat today, for a short while i had been holding a rod, thought i had a hit, a decent whack but wasnt sure, or didnt care to react figuring the boat speed would set the hook if it were a hit, and if it werent, maybe just hit something, but water was deep enough where i wasnt that close to the bottom. Then while later, on the same rod, this time in the rod holder, had alot of slack come into the line all at once, then a quick couple of tugs, not really bowing the rod hard or anything though... Dont mean to sound like a dumbarse, but is that how skis sometime hit while trolling...Ive been expecting the rod to double (or triple) over, but anyway, i didnt react to it, figuring things would work themselves out. Mighta shoulda set the hook? Didnt know if either incident had been a hit, didnt pay much mind to the lure, but when i was packing up, i looked at ol' grandma, and she had some pretty obvious chopper marks down both sides.  . Not sure which incident was when the hit occurred and what i mighta done wrong, or is that just "life" when trolling for musky?
post edited by wayne c - 2010/08/10 20:01:18
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musky maniac
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/10 20:33:03
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hey wayne...how fast were u trolling? im usually trolling between 5 & 6 mph with rods in rod holders and when a musky hits its screaming drag but at a varied speed, usually if drag remains constant screaming usually means snag. ive heard of the fish hitting and passing the boat creating slack but i never had that happen to me. ive had them in falltime when waters colder naturally trolling at slower speeds move pretty much same speed as boat at strike and barely pull any drag and turn out being a mid 40 fish.
WORK HARD.....FISH HARDER !
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wayne c
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/10 21:29:23
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Didnt hook up a speed-o cable to the FF, so dont know the speed. Nothing precise about what we were doing today.  But i did judge speed fairly well as far as lure action i think, based on a fast slow or medium retrieve by keeping an eye on boatside lure action. Was running different speeds throughout though, cant recall at which times the incident occurred. Was running slower for awhile, cause aside from the grandma which i left on all morning, had on some slower runners... A shallow raider.. and forget what dad had on, but matched them to slower speed. Then we got to running some other stuff when we picked up the speed a bit. But had the thump while holding the rod, while going faster. We ran slow medium and fast basically, Honestly cant recall which it was at the time of the slack line, because to be honest, at the time i didnt even really give it much thought, but think it was on the slow roll, just before switching over. Was out at dayligh. Did get rained on just enough to get wet, then baked by the sun till about noon thirty. Lotsa chopped up weeds floatin'. I was busy reeling in rods and cleaning off 4 lures most of the morning. That tends to be a bit of a pain in the arse. lol.
post edited by wayne c - 2010/08/10 21:39:42
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musky maniac
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/10 21:39:10
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if u were going slow when u got slack line i can see that prob hit it coming towards the boat.. best way to keep ur lures from pickin weeds is angle ur rods into the water, half my rods are submergered that way all the floatin debris gets on the rod not ur lure. my finder has built in gps knowing ur speed is important in trolling, u can buy a hand held gps unit if ur finder doesnt have it. that way when u catch one u can duplicate the speed to get more cause sometimes the speed is key. if i manage to stay off from work tomorrow ill be out in morning, i hope so havnt been out for awhile not had time between work and going to hospital everyday. good luck to ya.
WORK HARD.....FISH HARDER !
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wayne c
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/10 21:50:43
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Yeah ive heard about submerging the rod to keep the weed problem down, but my holders arent set up for it. They were set up with still-fishing in mind and not trolling. They sit too low to tilt rods over the side of the boat. Gonna have to look into the taller extension bases for the "quickdraw" holders. I figured it would be definately a big plus to know exact speed for precision, ive seen hand held gps's mentioned for that purpose by aa too. Gonna have to look into one soon. Add it to the list of things i need. Until recently, my thoughts were that i didnt measure the speed when casting that it would be ok to "generalize" lure speed when trolling as well. If you're gonna do it, may as well do it right though i guess. Good luck in the a.m.!
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musky maniac
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RE: Musky fishing the three rivers and tributaries
2010/08/12 17:37:34
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got out this morning..had good day landed 3 muskys and blew a net job which should have been number 4... ill post the pics..
WORK HARD.....FISH HARDER !
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