Back from LOTW

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Jaybird
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Back from LOTW

Post by Jaybird »

We went up 3 weeks later this year due to grandson finishing his HS Baseball career. Fishing Muskys in hot weather with water temps over 80 in some areas is not good for Musky fishing. However, we adapted well on the fly, and still did well. We ended up taking 10 in 9 days of fishing, enough Northerns for some fish frys, and a few Smallies. Negative was we put the 225 into a rock coming out of the hole, just before popping up on plane the last hour of fishing before the trip was over. Map said there was 14 feet of water in that area, which was obviously wrong. Damage to skag, and prop will put the son back a few bucks. However, we were able to run back to the resort without any problems. For those fishing Canadian lakes, they are known for being a mine field for lower units due to fluctuating water levels, and certain areas not mapped correctly. A few pics of the trip.
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Re: Back from LOTW

Post by Gobbler »

Those are some great pictures. Glad to see you made it home safe. I love eating northern pike.
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Jaybird
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Re: Back from LOTW

Post by Jaybird »

gobblerD wrote:Those are some great pictures. Glad to see you made it home safe. I love eating northern pike.
So do we. Those are all Muskies, but we catch Northerns in the "slot" requirements we throw them in the live well for dinner. We tried eating a Smallmouth, along with the Northerns, and the Smallmouth wasn't even close for taste. I have most of my trip pics posted in my gallery, so ya'll check it it out. Thanks, Jay
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Hognutz
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Re: Back from LOTW

Post by Hognutz »

Welcome back, Jay. Nice pictures. Sorry to hear about the motor. I would be worried sick about my lower unit, the whole time I was up there. Those rocks are hard on them. Glad to see that you guys did alright on the fishin'. It don't get much better than that..Well done, ol' boy..Mike
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I am the man from Nantucket.
“Leave the gun, take the cannoli” -Clemensa
When attacked by a group of clowns...Go for the Juggler!!
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Jaybird
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Re: Back from LOTW

Post by Jaybird »

http://s284.photobucket.com/albums/ll24 ... =slideshow
Here's a slideshow of our trip. Just hit the link, and you should get an idea of why we love it up there so much. Thanks, Jay
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Re: Back from LOTW

Post by Turkey Talker »

Beautiful Photos, looks like it was an awesome time!
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Hognutz
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Re: Back from LOTW

Post by Hognutz »

The slide show was beautiful..Well done..Catch any walleyes??
May I assume you're not here to inquire about the alcohol or the tobacco?
I am the man from Nantucket.
“Leave the gun, take the cannoli” -Clemensa
When attacked by a group of clowns...Go for the Juggler!!
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Jaybird
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Re: Back from LOTW

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We seldom catch Walleyes on the lures we are throwing due to size. However, years ago when I threw large Rapalas I'd usually take a few big Walleyes. I am a bit surprised we don't take some Walleyes, when we are throwing the smaller crank baits.
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vaturkey
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Re: Back from LOTW

Post by vaturkey »

Great pics Jay !! Looks like you guys had a blast. What did those muskie weigh ? I have always heard that it takes 1000 cast to catch a muskie. I live in a subdivision that has a 51/2 acre lake. Someone put a muskie in there & no one can catch it. Its about 31/2 to 4 feet long. and aprox 25-30 lbs. Wish we could get him. He is working on the crappie, bass , & bream. What lure do you suggest to try & catch him ?

Thanks vaturkey
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Re: Back from LOTW

Post by caller »

Very nice trip. Thanks for sharing it.
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Jaybird
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Re: Back from LOTW

Post by Jaybird »

vaturkey wrote:Great pics Jay !! Looks like you guys had a blast. What did those muskie weigh ? I have always heard that it takes 1000 cast to catch a muskie. I live in a subdivision that has a 51/2 acre lake. Someone put a muskie in there & no one can catch it. Its about 31/2 to 4 feet long. and aprox 25-30 lbs. Wish we could get him. He is working on the crappie, bass , & bream. What lure do you suggest to try & catch him ?

Thanks vaturkey
The Musky population was decimated due to over harvesting up to the 80's, when a move was started to protect the fishery by extending the length on keepable Muskys. Currently at LOTW it is 54", so basically all are catch and release. What fishermen didn't realize that the bigger Muskys are almost all females, so for years they were slabbing them out vs releasing. Anytime you target the females in any fishing/hunting scenario you will have an issue. Consequently, because of low numbers the "fish of a thousand casts" arose. Currently, in our boats we average over a Musky per day fishing LOTW, and we usually fish around 8 hour days. Granted, because of years of experience, and knowing our Lake, we are at an upper level at the Sport. Wasn't always like that, so we paid our dues with some real crappy trips years ago. This trip was a real test, because of the water temps to put fish in the boat, and a lot of the Musky guys weren't doing it. Took us 1 day to figure it out, and we were off and running. We lost more than our share of fish, or it would have been even better.
I'd throw top water at night to catch your Musky in calm water.
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Re: Back from LOTW

Post by Gobbler »

Jay did you see any Northern Lights when you were up there?
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Jaybird
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Re: Back from LOTW

Post by Jaybird »

gobblerD wrote:Jay did you see any Northern Lights when you were up there?
Not any that weren't alcohol induced :mrgreen:
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ICDEDTURKES
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Re: Back from LOTW

Post by ICDEDTURKES »

Looks like an awesome trip... That is one fish I want to tie into.. I really want to go down to St Clair where you can boat several in a day..
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Re: Back from LOTW

Post by Gobbler »

You can catch Muskies in Lake St. Clair? In Michigan? I want to go.
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Re: Back from LOTW

Post by ICDEDTURKES »

gobblerD wrote:You can catch Muskies in Lake St. Clair? In Michigan? I want to go.
We actually have a bunch of Muskie lakes.. St Clair is the famous one with more muskies per square mile than any other lake in the country.. The small mouth is phenomenal too it hosts a Bassmaster top 150 event as well..
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