Esox....the journey

[clarkman]

Figured this would be a good place to start....


props go to bambamflyguy.com

let's hear about your journey.

For me, it all started here...first fish, within the first 30 min of my first attempt for them. I'm still not entirely sure how the fuck I managed this! One of the few where my buddy (Mr. Chin on other, now defunct, forums) was right there to get a nice photo grab.

This fish showed up after a full retrieve to my feet, only it wasn't looking at my fly, it was looking at my fins! I pulled my fins out of the water instantly and the fish slowly swam off. I immediately fired a cast off in the general direction it went and immediately hooked up. "FUUUUUCK YEEEAH"!!!! was probably uttered a dozen times by each of us. Once in the net, we were both, "now what?"...well, this is what!

We didn't get to measure it, but to this day, we both still think it was bigger than anything else either of us have brought to the net (a couple of legit 50" fish have hit the net) but it could just be the nostalgia of that first being the best, I dunno. regardless, that got me hooked!

Cheers!

Hopefully, this can be anything and everything muskies, tigers or otherwise!

 

[SculpinSwinger]

I wish I lived closer to Musky. I have never fished for them, but I know I would dig it.
I do fish for pike, thanks to a client who became a good friend. He sponsors me on trips to Manitoba. My best from trip number 1.

 

[clarkman]

I wish I lived closer to Musky. I have never fished for them, but I know I would dig it.
I do fish for pike, thanks to a client who became a good friend. He sponsors me on trips to Manitoba. My best from trip number 1.View attachment 13980

ok, I'm gonna rename this to a more general "Esox" vibe....I want to see it all! Nice! btw

 

[PhilR]

Well, you know my deal, since you suckered me into this black hole, although it took me considerably longer to land a fish. Looking forward to getting back out there this summer. I love the scenery up there, and that you can catch a toothy predator bigger than the kids splashing in the shallows nearby.

 

[cdnred]

Story is a bit old and I'm sure you must've read it before but muskies up here in Canada are like the sharks of the Caribbean..

'I came back up screaming': Winnipeg woman recovering after gruesome Muskie attack

A Winnipeg woman has been left with physical and emotional scars after being attacked by a muskie while swimming with her family at a fishing resort.

winnipeg.ctvnews.ca

 

[clarkman]

Well, you know my deal, since you suckered me into this black hole, although it took me considerably longer to land a fish. Looking forward to getting back out there this summer. I love the scenery up there, and that you can catch a toothy predator bigger than the kids splashing in the shallows nearby.

View attachment 13983

we've gotta decide which cheek to take a pic of....you know, for future reference.

btw, I can't tell you how stoked I was when you told me you got one! that was too awesome!

 

[clarkman]

Story is a bit old and I'm sure you must've read it before but muskies up here in Canada are like the sharks of the Caribbean..

'I came back up screaming': Winnipeg woman recovering after gruesome Muskie attack

A Winnipeg woman has been left with physical and emotional scars after being attacked by a muskie while swimming with her family at a fishing resort.

winnipeg.ctvnews.ca

that tooth pattern in unmistakable. Looks like she didn't get a chance to jerk away....a good thing, otherwise you end up with tears (not tears...or maybe both) and far more blood letting. Sadly, I know all too well about this having owned snakes for most of my life and having gone both directions on that one...

 

[PhilR]

we've gotta decide which cheek to take a pic of....you know, for future reference.

btw, I can't tell you how stoked I was when you told me you got one! that was too awesome!

That was the net-breakingest, rod-breakingest fish I've ever caught

 

[clarkman]

That was the net-breakingest, rod-breakingest fish I've ever caught

more than tuna?

 

[John Svahn]

If it is all in on esox, chain pickerel, probably more than anything, made me a lifelong fisherman. I grew up in the Maryland tidewater and had decent fishing for white perch, breams and chain pickerel walking distance from my house. It was the pickerel that were the trophies on crankbaits, spoons, and flies. Once i got a driving license it went more towards bass and trout, but a pickerel slamming a rat-l-trap… i can still feel that 35years later!

 

[John Svahn]

Sorry, didn't mean to kill the thread!
Muskies look badass and the flies to catch them look awesome!

 

[Greg Armstrong]

Baby Pickeral. Sorry, it’s all I got for this thread.

I had to travel all the way to Rhode Island to get him!

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r6/dollyvrdn/Pickeral.jpg

 

[wanderingrichard]

So, the tiger muskies that are stocked here? Were they originally stock brought in from the Belfonte hatchery in Penna. ??

 

[clarkman]

So, the tiger muskies that are stocked here? Were they originally stock brought in from the Belfonte hatchery in Penna. ??

Tiger muskie

wdfw.wa.gov

 

[wanderingrichard]

Thanks but I'm not seeing a history in the text. Or in the wdfw site at all.

 

[clarkman]

 

[wanderingrichard]

View attachment 14185

Ok, not to argue the point. What I'd been looking for was the history on stockage here in WA. like , did the original fish come from a certain hatchery noted for helping to deveolpe the fish as a viable sport fish, or did they occur naturally? I didn't see any of that on the WDFW site.

Will do some searches later to satisfy my curiosity.

 

[clarkman]

I don't think it is there, perhaps a Google search is in your future...or, you could email the area biologist. I find that they are quite free with their information.

They ARE bred specifically for a viable sport fish (for here). Where, I don't know. But they also occur naturally in areas where both Pike and Muskies overlap but the two fish have different breeding strategies along with different temperature preferences, so the overlap there is slim....

 

[Stonedfish]

I believe the original plants came from Minnesota.
They had an issue with disease if I recall correctly and didn't plant any for a few years.
The lack of plants back in (2007?) I believe helped lead to the 50" minimum size limit.
SF

https://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/sepa/2006/06047_proposal.pdf

 

[alpinetrout]

My journey has only involved Esox lucius to date, but it's involved multiple countries, states, provinces, and territories. The first came from a lake in a national park in Alberta and the most recent was from Bristol Bay, Alaska. The furthest I've caught them from home was in the highlands of Scotland, and the nearest was on the Pend Oreille River.

Justin Crump from Frigate Travel took this shot on what might have been his first day guiding in Alaska when his client didn't insist on targeting salmonids.


The one was incidental while lake trout fishing in the Yukon and was the biggest I've landed without wire or heavy mono


Lame photo, but my one and only invasive Washington pike (bonked accordingly)