Toothy Critter Success Thread

[Crawdad31]

Paying dues wgmiller...it makes landing one the first time so much sweeter...I think the ones you miss or lose make the addiction worse. I lost 2 musky and 2 or 3 pike before I landed my first musky..now every time the weather is bad I get the itch to chase musky..today would have been perfect

 

[PACOFRANSICO]

Ya gotta like punishment to fly fish musky. If you not on ragged edge your not going "all in". Mentally and physically it's a tuff fish to keep your focus on. They require every ounce of your being and sometimes more. It's a dark place to be in. The pressure and stress of staying focused can be overwhelming. Your mind swirl with questions about approach and tactics. If ya got all this going on and still having a fun time. Congratulations and welcome to the club!

 

[wgmiller]

The anticipation.... The mystery.... Just knowing they're lurking, watching your fly...ready to strike at any moment. My follows and strikes have been few, but it's anticipation that can't be matched. They've got me and I won't give until at least one is on the hook. It's crazy to be fishing for trout with tiny nymphs one day, then tossing what amounts to a small dead bird the next!

 

[Bosshog]

Caught this little guy a week or two ago. Been on the hunt for something much bigger.

 

[TD55]

If anybody is looking for a good musky stick I got my 10wt Hardy Proaxis on the swap forum. Good rod just looking to take a few arrows out of the quiver that don't get used that much.

http://www.paflyfish.com/forums/open-forums/swap-forum/hardy-proaxis-sintrix-9--039--10wt/14,32727.html

 

[Crawdad31]

Nice chain bosshog!

 

[jdaddy]

PACOFRANSICO wrote:
Ya gotta like punishment to fly fish musky. If you not on ragged edge your not going "all in". Mentally and physically it's a tuff fish to keep your focus on. They require every ounce of your being and sometimes more. It's a dark place to be in. The pressure and stress of staying focused can be overwhelming. Your mind swirl with questions about approach and tactics. If ya got all this going on and still having a fun time. Congratulations and welcome to the club!

I just started musky fishing last year but I must be outside of the normal distribution curve. It's not a punishment at all. Get in a boat, drift and look for obvious holding areas. I never find myself pouring my mind, body and soul into it, rather I find it relaxing to scout out spots where I know fish should hold, often spotting them and then and only then the pressure is on to get the right shot in there. Typically we have a fish on in those prime areas. These are very aggressive fish if you approach them correctly and think about what they want. Predator/prey. Hunter/hunted. Rarely do we get into figure 8 "please eat this" situations. I think those folks who find themselves there simply cast to the fish instead of well above them. It's honestly almost as easy as finding a rising trout and presenting well. Think like a predator.

 

[wgmiller]

jdaddy wrote:
Get in a boat, drift and look for obvious holding areas.

That's definitely the way to do it since you can cover so much more water. At this point in time, I'm wading which really limits me to lower flows, etc. I'm not quite sure I want to take one on in my kayak, but I know that certainly would open a lot more opportunities. Perhaps I should start with chain pickerel from the yak to build my skills... :-D

 

[Fishidiot]

Got this guy today. I've been watching this fat little fella since summer and after presenting him a fly two previous times recently, he finally ate on the third try. And he's grown a few inches since I saw him earlier this year too.

 

[dc410]

Way to go Dave! That's a pretty one. Nice markings.

 

[Crawdad31]

@jadaddy..your time will come.....@fishidiot that is a fat little guy isn't he?!?! That's a great pic by the way! Congrats

 

[wgmiller]

Nice work Dave - he/she does have pretty markings! I think you're gonna need a bigger net though :-D My musky hunt is taking a slight diversion due to Erie steel, but I'll be back at it shortly!

 

[PACOFRANSICO]

What I was trying to get acrossed. Is that toothies muskies in particular get under your skin. To be honest I'm obcessed with them borderline being a problem. Truthfully I've chased them with a fly rod for the past three years. That's what my fly fishing focus is on. Along with that comes sore shoulders bruised, egos and tendionitis.

And in the deep freeze part of the year it's dyeing bucktails and retying beat up patterns as well as new ones. Always looking for a edge or to improve parts of my game. So I guess for me it's like Alice goin down the rabbit hole.

 

[jay348]

Fishidiot wrote:
Got this guy today. I've been watching this fat little fella since summer and after presenting him a fly two previous times recently, he finally ate on the third try. And he's grown a few inches since I saw him earlier this year too.

Excellent!!

Love the markings and definitely looks well fed.

 

[Crawdad31]

It is quite the unique obsession..I've never fished for musky until this year when, never with gear either, the first time I had a tiger run down a fly and then hook up on the 8 I was pretty much hooked..a lot to admire about a fish that does that....the other fish that solidified my obsession was the 40-42 I tangled with.. The way that fish ate was impressive and the head shakes on that fish..keeps me coming back for more abuse..

 

[gfen]

jdaddy wrote:
I just started musky fishing last year but I must be outside of the normal distribution curve. It's not a punishment at all. Get in a boat, drift and look for obvious holding areas. I never find myself pouring my mind, body and soul into it, rather I find it relaxing to scout out spots where I know fish should hold, often spotting them and then and only then the pressure is on to get the right shot in there. Typically we have a fish on in those prime areas. These are very aggressive fish if you approach them correctly and think about what they want. Predator/prey. Hunter/hunted. Rarely do we get into figure 8 "please eat this" situations. I think those folks who find themselves there simply cast to the fish instead of well above them. It's honestly almost as easy as finding a rising trout and presenting well. Think like a predator.

Obviously, you're doing it all wrong.

You didn't make it sound arduous, there was no descriptives about how much of your mind and soul you pour into it, no chicken blood, or kowtowing to totem fish spirits.

I'm afraid you're going to need to watch a few more terrible movies and read some more of these threads to properly inspire me to understand what a difficult and consuming quarry you're trying to vanquish or some such nonsense.

I'm just not impressed, Jdaddy. No, sir.

 

[Fishidiot]

gfen wrote:
I'm just not impressed, Jdaddy. No, sir.

Ah Gfen.......you need to go chuck some giant flies on a cold river. Pray to the gods, hurt your arms.
You'll get the religion my friend.......you just gotta believe.

 

[Crawdad31]

Ohhhhhh...gotta love some good ole fashioned sarcasm...

 

[JVenezia]

Anyone having any toothy critter luck in Lancaster or York county?
I would love a good starter spot for this toothy critter newbie...

 

[wgmiller]

I was fishing the Susky, but an upstream source (Raystown perhaps?) has increased the flow to over 16,000 cfs, so wading is off the table right now.

As far as where to look in this area, start with the Conestoga River and Swatara Creek from Middletown to Hummelstown. You've gotta cover water looking for them or find their 'holes'. Lots of water to cover and most of it is not where they'll be holding.