....... I've told this story before - but, for those "unfortunate few" that haven't heard it (and want to ...
) here goes:
April 20th 1985 .... Green River Lake, Ky ... Crappie moving into shoreline cover: I'm using (don't laugh, it WAS a long time ago) a 6.5ft spinning rod/reel combo (Walmart blister pack special ) with 4lb test line (probably BPS Excel) and throwing a 1/16oz Chartreuse Roadrunner towards the bank, reeling it slowly back over the downed tree hulks. My fishing partner then, is my current fishing partner ... and we had been catching some slabs from these waters. As we were going along a stretch of bank, I cast my Roadrunner and began reeling in ... waiting on that telltale bend in this UL rod, that signalled a big ole Momma Slab had inhaled my offering. When it did happen, I set the hook ... and for an instance thought I had caught the TREE. Then the line started moving towards the boat, under the boat, and out towards the middle of the lake. I flipped the "lock" off and began to backwind the reel (it was an all PLASTIC reel, so I didn't have ANY faith in the drag system ). The fish turned and came back, turned and went back out deep ... 3 TIMES !! I had no idea what I had hooked ... but I really wanted to at least SEE what it was. I finally got the fish coming to the surface and close to the boat, on the 3rd run, so I told my Partner (Paul) to "GET THE NET". I instructed him to put the net in the water and I would lead the fish into the net ... THEN I saw what it was ! A MUSKIE !!
And I have no steel leader on, and 4lb test line ... I knew I'd only get one shot at getting it in the net. I gently turned the fish towards the net and Partner Paul scooped it up and lifted it over the side of the boat. --- THEN all **** broke loose ... well, actually this is the scene: Paul lifts the net/fish out of the water and over the side of the boat - fish shakes head and dislodges Roadrunner from lip, while the gill flaps cut a nice big hole in the net webbing - fish drops to floor of boat and begins thrashing about, knocking rods/reels & tackle boxes about - Partner Paul backs away from the thrashing gills & teeth, while I pounce on the fish with both hands and one foot. After subduing the beast, we did a length measurement and weighed it. It was 32.5in long and weighed 12lbs. I'd never caught a Muskie before, let alone a legal sized one ... and certainly never figured I'd catch a very big fish on that "el cheapo" spinning outfit and light line. Had I caught it while Bass fishing, or on Bass fishing equipment ... I would probably have let it go. But, seeing as how I had caught it on such a "wimpy" outfit ... I decided to keep it and have it mounted. I turned in some scale samples to the KDFWR and they aged the fish and sent me a "Certificate of Achievement" with my name, date caught, length and weight (although, since my penmanship sucks, they read the weight as 10lbs, instead of the 12lbs that the scale said :rolleyes: ...whatever! ) They identified it as a TIGER MUSKIE .... a cross between a Silver Muskie and Northern Pike. I learned, many years later, that my fish was less than 2lbs shy of the State Record for a Tiger Muskie.
Anyway ... the fish was mounted on a large piece of drift wood, and it and the certificate hang on the living room wall....with that Roadrunner still hanging from it's jaw :D ...................cp