View Full Version : P-Mac Musky!
Tissy Furnes
04-22-2010, 12:17 PM
Sent to me by a friend. Supposedly just electro-shocked at Fletcher's and released.
Salmo, this beast is stalking you. It is your Fish Vlahalla, Holy Grail and Bridge Too Far all in one.
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g33/sebastianokelly/shad/P-MacMusky.jpg
Salmo trutta
04-22-2010, 12:52 PM
That's my fish alright. A true strain muskie too. In an eddy below the bridge, I know that spot (I think). Set up on it last weekend. The water from CB down to the Annacostia would be awesome muskie water. It's the perfect habitat for them. In time we'll see what happens as more and more of these fish move down river. Hopefully that fish's eggs were'nt fried too bad by electricity and she's doing her thing in the river along with everyone else. Thanks for the pick.
This is the same spot I think. This picture was taken a couple years ago. The blood in the picture is mine. She got me good. http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v288/154/6/1300482893/n1300482893_50145_4215.jpg
Salmo trutta
04-22-2010, 12:59 PM
I saw a guy get a 36 inch muskie right in the fastest water above Chain Bridge with a cast net a few years ago. He cut it up too. I felt like doing the same to him.
dalton
04-22-2010, 01:09 PM
Oh boy...I need to get back out there soon. I might go before or after work tomorrow and Sunday (also be volunteering Saturday).
golfinjoe24
04-22-2010, 07:59 PM
Holy Crap!!!
I really need to get up there SOON!
Thats on my top 5 for my fly rod.
1. Tarpon
2. Redfish
3. Bonefish
4. Muskie
5. peacock bass
Salmo trutta
04-23-2010, 07:10 AM
There's a really cool thread on Stripersonline.com, fly board, about fly fishing for muskie. Those Wisconsin guys get it done for sure. We probably have even a better chance at it because our rivers are so shallow. Most of the muskie water we're going to find is less than 8 feet deep. Perfect for lighter lines and fast retrieves often required.
dalton
04-23-2010, 09:48 AM
Yep, time to tie up some of these boys....
http://www.muskycountryoutfitters.com/images/pic3.jpg
That Afton Angler guy has a lot of sweet topwater flies that I think I might work on scaling down for smallies and largemouth.
golfinjoe24
04-23-2010, 10:11 AM
Now, those are some cool flies!
Salmo trutta
04-23-2010, 10:58 AM
Those flies are pretty sweet for sure. Do they have a trailing hook on them or are they tube flies. I'd imagine they'd get short struck quite a bit otherwise. Where could I get some?
A very popular color combination up north for Muskie in my home country in Canada is the "Halloween theme". It's basically just black and orange. I've had multiple follows and missed fish on an 8 inch Muskie killer inline spinner bait that has a whole chicken worth of black marabou on a tandem treble inline spinner behind a large Colorado orange blade. They love that color combo on the gin clear water of the St. Lawrence. Black and orange. On our rivers.... I have no friggin clue. Had a 20 something inch muskie follow the same lure once and hooked up on an orange muskie killer before too but that's it in countless hours attempted in the last three or so years. June is supposed to be prime time for those fish in our waters. That and the fall but June they are putting on the feed after the spawn and before it gets too hot. Night time summer fishing might be the way to go though. You know I'll be at it again, no matter how useless it may seem at times.
dalton
04-23-2010, 01:30 PM
They are probably articulated, no recipe listed but I found it by Googling "Afton Angler" and found his site: http://www.MuskyCountryOutfitters.com.
That fly seems to have a joint behind the head, if you look at the one on the right, the joint is seen at the base of his fingers. As far as buying these, not sure who sells musky flies but they would have to cost a ton. The musky guys seem to use 1/4 of a pack of flashabou and crystal flash, several layers of premium bucktail, thick and long saddle hackles, and high quality marabou on about every fly.
I've played with articulates and palmered marabou this winter, turning out some decent flies. Here are a few pics of mine:
http://groups.google.com/group/tidal-potomac-fly-rodders/attach/9decc386bbbc672d/skagit_minnow_hand.jpg?part=4&view=1
http://groups.google.com/group/tidal-potomac-fly-rodders/attach/9decc386bbbc672d/skagit_minnow_three.jpg
I tied some with deer hair heads, to add bouyancy and diving action with sinking lines, but can't find the pictures now. Those are wrapped marabou with peacock estaz body, tied on a size 2 Gamakatsu SC12 attached to a cotter pin with 20lb dacron backing. I also tied some smaller ones with marabou fibers in a dubbing loop, a pretty cool process where you can grab the feathers with chip clips and cut off the stems. I tied a lot of colors, from grey and red to carolina blue with navy hackles.
Looking at the blog on the site, found this guy, that I really want to make (step by step: http://zero2hero-aftonangler.blogspot.com/2010/03/sponge-bob-square-heada-predator-popper.html:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6F1nZlRaRLk/S58qm74BjKI/AAAAAAAAAHc/qpThIyQBJxA/s1600/final_sponge_bob_1_1.jpg
Salmo trutta
04-23-2010, 02:43 PM
Just sent them an email to inquire about buying flies. We'll see what happens. Maybe I should hit the upper Potomac this weekend searching for muskie instead of the shad part of the potomac. The stripers down there seem to have vanished for as far as I can tell.
wow, I had no idea they were that far down the river. I had a trip scheduled for Shepherdstown for musky this weekend but it looks like the weather is going to force us to reschedule.
As far as stripers, I saw a guy catch a good one above Chain Bridge on Wednesday. I know at least some are also being caught on cut bait below Fletcher's as late as today.
Salmo trutta
04-26-2010, 09:04 AM
Weather? What weather? This weekend was mukies weather for sure. Dan, were you the guide or were you going to use a guide up near Shepherdstown for muskie? I hear that area of the river is ground zero for the bulk of the muskie population in the Potomac.
I already received some infor from MCO about the huge flies. They want $30 a piece and they are articulated with wire and they claim to have excellent "Swimming" action. 10-12 weights are required to cast them too. I think I'll stick with some of my herring flies for a short while and see if I can get any follows. As it stands right now, I'd probably get skunked with dinamite when it comes to these fish.
Tissy Furnes
04-26-2010, 09:15 AM
Anyone know the particulars of the DNR musky stocking program? When, where how many? Dor they regularly or even still stock? They are pretty forthcoming about trout. Can they be persuaded to stock closer to the District? From a predator-prey standpoint it would seem to make sense given the large numbers of anadromous species that never get above GF that would be ideal food sources.
Salmo trutta
04-26-2010, 09:47 AM
MD DNR used to stock hybrid tiger Muskie they received from PA in trade for striped bass. For the past few years, with Pa's fish showing some evidence of a disease that is escaping my brain right now (VHS), Maryland will not take any fish from Pa. So the tiger Muskie stocking program no longer exists in the State of Maryland. Virginia and Pa is different however and lakes like Burke Lake are still full of tiger muskie and should still receive stockings from Va.
However, just this past season DNR biologists started collection eggs from mature true strain Muskie from the Potomac and stocking them in sections of the Potomac that were previously void of Muskie like the N. Branch of the Potomac near Cumberland. However, the fry that developed from the eggs they received turned out to be very cannibalistic and were eating each other to the point where they lost a lot of fish. They don't make it to the top of the food chain by accident. What an awesome fish.
I read all this on the 2009 year overview by the MD DNR fisheries which was posted all winter on their main fishing report page. Of course now I can’t find it.
Weather? What weather? This weekend was mukies weather for sure. Dan, were you the guide or were you going to use a guide up near Shepherdstown for muskie? I hear that area of the river is ground zero for the bulk of the muskie population in the Potomac.
I already received some infor from MCO about the huge flies. They want $30 a piece and they are articulated with wire and they claim to have excellent "Swimming" action. 10-12 weights are required to cast them too. I think I'll stick with some of my herring flies for a short while and see if I can get any follows. As it stands right now, I'd probably get skunked with dinamite when it comes to these fish.
Ha! At the time I made that post there was rain and thunderstorms forecast for Sat PM and all day Sunday...Thanks a lot weathermen...
To answer your question, I was just going to fish with a group of buddies. No guide involved. I've heard/seen of reports of musky being caught lately so I figured out where some have been caught and planned on fishing that area. I don't know anything about fishing for them, I just bought some baits and wanted to try it.