Two Follows

NumenOn the Water

Date:  11-1-15

Body of Water:  C Lake

Boat:  Numenon

With:  Dr. L and SB

Target:  Muskellunge

Time:  1 PM - 6 PM

Conditions:  51-52 F water; about 3-foot visibility; about 55 F, clear and windy (20+ from the west until sunset)

Muskies, wind and fly fishing: I knew the odds for landing a fish today weren’t great.

The title says it all.  Another muskie trip; another skunk; but this time with the silver lining of having two fish visibly follow our baits to the boat.  This is a relatively low bar for success, but such a better result than not seeing these fish.  These sightings keep you focused at the time, keep you motivated for the next trip, and provide an opportunity to drop another couple of waypoints which may lead to future success.   And I should admit,  one of these fish was big!

It’s always nice to have somebody new on the boat (I haven’t really had anybody too unpleasant on board, yet), and this was Charity Fishing Event in support of local school excellence.  Everybody maintained a good, positive attitude all afternoon.  For the first time, Numenon’s focus was on fly fishing, and SB took advantage of the stern’s open deck to lay out a long, heavy line all afternoon.

C Lake’s submerged  musk grass is still very green.  It seems to be holding bait, and so we were still working this pattern (which has produced every muskie on this lake for me.  The basin seems devoid of ‘skies.)   The wind was keeping folks off the lake and our chosen spots were not pressured.  The biggest change in strategy to accommodate the fly fishing was simply to keep SB in a position to cast over these weeds over the starboard side (for everybody’s safety), and preferably down-wind (for ease of achieving casting distance.)  It was their paid-for trip, so at first I controlled the boat using the electric motor via remote  from the console, while Dr. L casted from the bow.  But at the second or third spot I took over the bow and Dr. L casted from the center deck.  This provided for a bit better control of the boat, generally more efficient fishing for all, and also got a third bait in the water.

While SB utilized a variety of streamers in various sizes and colors, Dr. L generally threw bucktails.  He started on spinning gear and a size 5 or so Blue Fox, but graduated smoothly to casting gear and Harassers. I generally countered with twitchbaits or a Walleye Medussa, but I threw my fair share of bucktails, too. 

While we’d discussed the possibility of following fish and boat-side encounters (like I’m an expert!) while driving to the lake, I’d forgotten to share Eminem’s “One Shot” to get us all focused.  It was queued in the truck’s sound system and ready to go, but we all so geeked to be together with the possibility of encountering a giant that I forgot!  My mistake, and we paid for it!  While both of my anglers were disadvantaged, Dr. L from his lower deck position and SB from his long wand and lots of extra slack from the wind and such, each missed their single chance.  Dr. L’s smallish fish looked disinterested, but SB’s near giant hung out for an extended time.  It had some motivation, but he just couldn’t get it to commit.  This fish failed to respond to a couple of our bucktails whizzing by, too.  We re-visited these spots over the course of the afternoon, but nothing else showed.

What do I have to say about this?

Meanwhile, I’m aware of a Halloween Giant captured from the point splitting M Lake, as well as  a bit of other successful activity on local lakes  while I was on C Lake.  The local addicts are keeping at it as the season winds down.  Between this trip and my writing this, the probable World Record Fly Fishing Muskie was caught (57 inches or so from Mille Lac, Minnesota), so it's possible that we could have succeeded.  This was my first ever Charity Skunk, but I’ll be back; and I suspect today’s partners will be back, too.  This is addictive stuff, and now they’ve been exposed.

SB, working hard for one early...

... and late!