Muskies Still Suck

"Muskies still suck" - the best quote about fly fishing for muskie I've yet heard. But somehow, they get inside our heads. For freshwater fly guy, this is the Alpha Predator. The Big Kahuna. So much so that even the guys in the fly shops we visited in Montana all said, "Man, you've got some awesome 'skis out there. I'd LOVE to come do that!"

But yet, Muskies still suck. They're an aggressive, but fickle predator. They lie in wait, ready to pounce, but don't. They follow to the boat - and even through a figure eight - and still don't hit. But yeah buddy when they do... wow!

So, on this year's muskie fly date with Capt. Jon Ray, it was my time for revenge. I missed three last year, but I've now come to learn that at least I got three shots. Despite brutal conditions of 15-20mph winds with gusts over 30 and nowhere to hide, I got one.

Cute little guy, ain't he? My first boated muskie on the fly!

Wasn't a big one, but I hooked, fought, and landed a legit muskie on the fly. And I'm damn proud of it. I saw the boil, then the follow, and the strike. A vicious predator. Absolutely mugged the fly with no apologies.

Of course, there's the one that got away. About an hour earlier I had a much larger one all the way to the boat. We watched it roll, then follow, and finally WHAM! Game on! At one point, I had a Scott Tidal 9010/4 rod bent IN HALF with an angry muskie on the other end. This was my first experience with this rod and it definitely has some backbone. In addition to making a day casting a soggy Muppet on a 350 grain Scientific Anglers Coastal Express line all day a relatively easy task, it was definitely up to the power of an adult muskie. 

Earlier in the day I missed another that was on briefly. Dad stuck three, with two solid fights, but none boated. Though he made up for it later in the week with a nice one boated.

While I don't think I'm going to become a full-on muskie convert, I do believe that at least one muskie trip a year is in my future. Hunting with a fly rod!

-Sean-