Season's End

NumenOn the Water

Date:  11-28-15

Body of Water:  C Lake

Boat:  Numenon

With:  Alone

Target:  Muskies

Time:  2 PM - 5 PM

Conditions:  Clear and bright; about 35 F with mild winds generally from the NE. Water was 42 - 43 F.  Only boat out; mine.

Conditions were drastically different than the day before, and with limited time I selected C Lake.  This lake was very good to me at the end of last year, at least when I figured out that the fish had switched from bucktails to jerk- and twitch baits.  I worked my "high-percentage" areas with these baits, while mixing in some Bulldawg casts to the deep weed edge, too.  But I moved nothing as far as I could tell, and so with about a half-hour left in my season, I switched to a simple trolling spread.  My goal was to cover as much water as possible in my remaining time with a couple of weed-free crank baits, one high and one low.  I concentrated on the deepest weed edge (from 10 to 12 feet of water or so), and I was typically going about 4 - 4.2 mph.

I figured my Bucher Depth Raider was 8 or 9 feet down at about 65-70 feet back; that would place it consistently within a foot or so of the deep weed tops.  About ten minutes into my troll the drag on this rod slipped.  I dropped a waypoint and brought my first muskie in three months to the boat!

This is the first picture ever of me with a Muskie.  I managed to capture this with the GoPro, purchased for just this reason!  Any purported product placement is inadvertent, but if you were to ask me, I really do love my Lund!

The Bucher Depth Raider of choice.

What do I have to say about this?

I'm glad I switched tactics, because this let me end my season on a relatively high note!  Once the fish was landed, photographed and released, I got off the water just before dark.  Numenon has since been emptied and will be properly put away for the winter tomorrow.  My boating season with her is, unfortunately, over.