Muskie Monday?

If I were to make a few DIY attempts fishing for musky over the next few months, what watercraft would you veterans recommend? I have a 17 foot Whaler, a fishing kayak and a frameless pontoon (delivered Friday) available to me. I would be fishing the bigger western WA lakes/reservoirs that hold them.
 
ftw.usatoday.com

Catch of giant muskie breaks 25-year-old record

A West Virginia angler who decided to fish briefly before a planned grocery run Saturday landed a 51-pound muskie to set a state record for the species. Luke King told ForTheWin Outdoors that he hooked the 55 1/16-inch muskellunge while casting a 6-inch jerkbait…
ftw.usatoday.com
 
Yep, Whaler for sure. I'm in a 14' Valco and I'm the smallest boat on Mayfield most times. And a 45" Muskie will pull you over in your kayak. :ROFLMAO: Of course, if it's as hot as a few times I went out last summer it would feel good!
 
Paige said:
ftw.usatoday.com

Catch of giant muskie breaks 25-year-old record

A West Virginia angler who decided to fish briefly before a planned grocery run Saturday landed a 51-pound muskie to set a state record for the species. Luke King told ForTheWin Outdoors that he hooked the 55 1/16-inch muskellunge while casting a 6-inch jerkbait…
ftw.usatoday.com
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I saw that...

Actually kinda sad as that fish almost certainly wouldn't have survived all of that handling. That's the classic case of, "swam away just fine".....all for your name in a record book :rolleyes:.

You've got a couple of people there to get a length/girth measurement and a simple hero shot without stressing her out too much but they had to take that several steps further....

I mean, I really hope that fish survived, but I would be surprised based on the amount of time that they had it in their possession. At least the water probably wasn't too warm.

It's funny, a few years ago while fishing solo (as I usually do), I actually caught a tiger that was a full inch longer than the WA state record (probably heavier, but I'll never know). My only thought was, "shit, I've gotta get this hook out and send it on it's way so that someone else may have the opportunity to shake fins with it"...getting my name in the "official" record books was the absolute last thing on my mind....not even a pic. Fortunately, I have a tape at the ready plus marks on my net handle.

Almost all of my own fish over 40" I just don't have good pics of, primarily because I fish alone and it's just not worth messing around with them that much just to get that perfect pic.
 
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jasmillo said:
If I were to make a few DIY attempts fishing for musky over the next few months, what watercraft would you veterans recommend? I have a 17 foot Whaler, a fishing kayak and a frameless pontoon (delivered Friday) available to me. I would be fishing the bigger western WA lakes/reservoirs that hold them.
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forget what those other guys say :ROFLMAO:...toon. small craft tiger musky fishing is like nothing else...what you lack in range, you gain in stealth and intimacy....

Honestly though, I do prefer fishing for them out of my Commander rather than my friends drifter (sorry Phil) and a lot of it has to do with stealth and intimacy of the fishery.

Then again, I like fishing 10wt glass fly rods for them too, so you probably wouldn't listen to me....

I'm actually working on getting my float tube rigged properly so I can get after them in it....



If you DO end up taking your kayak out, a drift sock is your friend....for lots of reasons.
 
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clarkman said:
forget what those other guys say :ROFLMAO:...toon. small craft tiger musky fishing is like nothing else...what you lack in range, you gain in stealth and intimacy....

Honestly though, I do prefer fishing for them out of my Commander rather than my friends drifter (sorry Phil) and a lot of it has to do with stealth and intimacy of the fishery.

Then again, I like fishing 10wt glass fly rods for them too, so you probably wouldn't listen to me....

I'm actually working on getting my float tube rigged properly so I can get after them in it....



If you DO end up taking your kayak out, a drift sock is your friend....for lots of reasons.
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What would I not listen to you! Of course I’d listen to you :). I actually like glass rods. I’ve only fished them for trout on medium sized streams but I really enjoy it.

That was the dilemma in my head as a newbie. Not knowing even where to start on a big W. Washington lake, I was thinking having the range of the Whaler would be helpful searching out fish over multiple spots. That said, it’s a big green hulled boat that sits fairly high out of the water. Maybe the Whaler a couple times to try and find some fish and then something more intimate once I know where to concentrate my efforts.

Drift sock makes sense. I have one but have never used it.
 
Dr. Magill said:
I tipped my row boat there last April
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On a busy ski day it gets pretty rough by the afternoon. Tapps too. Friggin Tapps man...I was out there one day when it was NOT busy. There were some Jet Ski guys, actually pretty damn good stunt kind of guys, that were being very polite and keeping their distance. It was refreshing.

And then this 40 something family guy with his wife and kids in a monster ski boat (nobody skiing) rips right by me within my 11wt casting range. I threw up my hands and yelled "Why you gotta be a dick?", but he couldn't hear me. His wife saw my hands go up so hopefully she scolded him like a child.
 
I use my drifter with a trolling motor. Better visibility than with my super cat, but you do spend a lot of time fussing with positioning esp if you see a fish and need the right angle. That said, it’s warmer, you can cover water, and you don’t have your toes in the water with those bastards. Beauty of the drifter is that it’s harder to tip and easier to take a leak.
 
PhilR said:
Beauty of the drifter is that it’s harder to tip and easier to take a leak....& harder to sink even when you "accidentally" kick out the plug.
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Fixed it for ya...in one sense...
 
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skyriver said:
On a busy ski day it gets pretty rough by the afternoon. Tapps too. Friggin Tapps man...I was out there one day when it was NOT busy. There were some Jet Ski guys, actually pretty damn good stunt kind of guys, that were being very polite and keeping their distance. It was refreshing.

And then this 40 something family guy with his wife and kids in a monster ski boat (nobody skiing) rips right by me within my 11wt casting range. I threw up my hands and yelled "Why you gotta be a dick?", but he couldn't hear me. His wife saw my hands go up so hopefully she scolded him like a child.
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There have been a few times where I'm bobbing up and down due to jet skis...even inside the "no wake" zone (why the hell do they feel the need to do donuts --or whatever it's called--literally within feet of the "no wake" zone). A couple of times I've even managed to stick a fish right in that area...

There's a reason I like dawn patrol.
 
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Interesting you guys mention Lake Tapps. Have a friend, she and her husband bought a couple SUP and take them to Lake Tapps. She said she prefers to go there because there isn’t anything scary swimming around. I didn’t have the heart to tell her there are prehistoric looking fish with big teethy mouths swimming below them. I figured if they’re a fish of a thousand cast they’ll probably not bother them…:)
 
Sam Roffe said:
Interesting you guys mention Lake Tapps. Have a friend, she and her husband bought a couple SUP and take them to Lake Tapps. She said she prefers to go there because there isn’t anything scary swimming around. I didn’t have the heart to tell her there are prehistoric looking fish with big teethy mouths swimming below them. I figured if they’re a fish of a thousand cast they’ll probably not bother them…:)
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Just make sure they don't let their little Pomeranian swim around the docks...:LOL:
 
I await the Pomeranian pattern. Probably tough to throw, but don’t tell me it wouldn’t be fun to fish
 
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