Sunday morning i decided to fish a spot on the Allegheny River that i have not fished since spring. It was foggy and cold at the start of the day. I was on the river by 7:00. Fished the shore line and weed beds for about 2 hours catching only two small bass. It was a nice day so i just kept paddling and hitting some occasional spots now and then. I was working along the shore line when something just smashed my Rapala and started to strip of line. I set the hook and just held on. I knew this was a big fish. The sleigh ride was on. I fought this fish for approx. 10 minutes until it jumped and i got to see what it was. A large Musky. I looked at my net and thought this fish is never going to fit. What do i do. I figured my best bet was to get to shore where i would have a better chance. I managed to get to shore get out of the boat and finish landing the fish. 34" long and fat as a log. My personal best.
About an hour later a hooked into a large Northern Pike which would not fit into the net and ended up breaking my line. Caught one more small bass to finish the day off. Not one of my best days numbers wise but it sure was a memorable day. Forgot to take the camera. Go figure.
We lost one Sun. , on the Potomac …
..... fishing from our canoe this time .
This was her first ... she wasn't ready for what was to happen after it grabbed her lure and took off running .
She just held on tight to the rod and reel and listened to the drag sing ... never set the hook ... and eventually it just went slack ... must have shook the hook .
Didn't break or cut the line (stealson leader) , but when she recovered her lure (plastic) , it was shreded !!
Powerful aren't they ?? ...... glad you found one !!
I have such a difficult time during this season deciding which fish is my prime target , Mr. Teeth or the Smallies .
This time of year the Muskie bite starts to pick up pretty good , I believe as the water gets colder and colder and their prey become more scarce , they become less picky ... and take what they can get .
ed: ... I'm thinkin you lost track of time there ... 10 mins. is hardly enough time to land a 34" Muskie ... more like 20 or more on a bass rod set up !!
Bigger than the boat
My best was a 55 pound grass carp (white amur) that was caught out of a 46 pound boat using a 4 wt fly rod. It took a long time to tire it out dragging the boat around the lake. Next time I paddle to shore and cut the time.
David
Nice
I’ve never caught a muskie or a northern, so you had a better day than I’ve had year. Good for you!
- Big D
I hope to get my red fish this season ,
As the cooler temps make their way to Florida – red fishing gets hot. I have yet to catch one from my kayak. I have friends who’ve caught some nice size. I’m hoping this is my year.
My largest is about a 5lb bass and I had some fun with a Spanish Mackerel.
But nothing to take me on a ride yet.
I’ve got my golden spoons ready to go and my ugly stick rarin’ to go.
I love fishing!
Lemon Shark
We were camping at Sunday bay in the Everglades. I had a small (12") Ladyfish as bait for big snook in the channel. Hooked a 7’ lemon shark and got it up to the canoe then cut the line. The rest of my group on the chickee couldn’t figure out how I was moving so fast without a paddle in my hands!
You ought to try for the False Albacore
when they are off the Florida coast… I caught some last Christmas near the Skyway Pier on the Bradenton side…
In a kayak they would be a HOOT! I was planning on heading down there this year, and fishing for them near Venice…
I was also going to go down to Sebastian Inlet and try for some of their killer Snook, Reds and King Mackeral.
FY
Biggest fish
While fishing Siskiwit Lake on Isle Royale, my girlfriend hooked a 44" Nothern. We did not have a scale to weigh it. We do now!! My friend who was with us had a lake trout on a stringer when a huge lake trout grabbed onto it and started pulling him backwards.
Salmon
A hen salmon on the American River in CA. 28 lbs gutted and the skeins removed.
for me
the biggest fish I caught and was able to land in my kayak was a 28" redfish, about 7.5lbs, and it fought great. I’ve caught dozens in the 20 - 26" range.
The biggest fish I’ve fought but couldn’t land was an aligator gar. About 6.5 - 7’ long, probably in the 100lb range. Fought him for 20 minutes on 10lb line until I was able to tire him out and raise him to the surface. I got him right next to my boat for a good observation and then tightend my drag and waited for him to swim off and snap the line.
Best of all…got it on video!