Ty here...so I was on the phone with Charlie Gordon of Buffalo Shoals Guide Service yesterday swapping Musky stories and getting hyped for an early March trip we have planned. In our conversation, there was one thing we both agreed on, and as Charlie put it, Fly Fishing for Musky is like Chasing the Dragon; everybody has had that one day/trip/experience that set the highest bar for these fish. For me, it was a day I will never forget...May 9th 2013.
After catching my first two Musky an hour apart (on gear) two days before, I decided it was time to chase these things with a fly rod. Moose, who put the Musky bug in my head, had been tying flies like a mad man and was itching to get after them any chance he could. We loaded up the "Dead Minnow" and headed to the lake.
It was a particularly gloomy Saturday; the low hanging clouds and mist in the air never seemed to stop, but we soon learned how great this was. We motored over to the place I caught my second (pictured below) and started casting. The boat was in about 15 feet of water, coasting down the center of the lake. Sure enough, I'm bringing my fly in and I see what looks like a log directly behind my fly. There was no mistaking it...right there, 5 feet from my rod tip, a huge pure bred Musky following my fly. I yelled for Moose and we both stared at this thing speechless. After about 5 seconds of awe (and the fly not moving), Moose yells "Shit, figure 8!". I make a sorry attempt at a figure 8 and the fish is gone. We marveled at the moment and kept on fishing. 3 casts later, another follow. Then another on Mooses, then another! It was unreal. In about 2 and a half hours we fished the same body of water and moved 13 fish. Granted, some fish followed more than once, but there were atleast 6 different sized Musky, one pushing high 40s.
This brings me back to the term Chasing the Dragon. Every single time I go out Musky fishing, I hope that it is as good as that day. Granted, we didn't get any eats, but we also had no idea what we were doing. Will a day like that ever happen again? Who knows...I like to think so. But I know, when it does happen, I will be 100x more prepared than May 9th, 2013.
So if you ever wonder why you keep on casting for the elusive Musky, just think back to your craziest story and relive it. You'll be reaching for your 10 weight in no time.
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