Another fish story from the KY River

Went back to river Saturday morning. The water had come up about a foot and had was pretty murky. Fishing was slow until I hooked a big musky in the dorsal fin with my little 1/8 oz jig head.

I fought that thing for 15 minutes on 10 pound test/light spinning tackle. He came up several times and sort of wallowed and looked at me and then peeled line off my drag like it was nothing (I did have it set pretty loose when I saw what I was into). He would swim the bottom and just sit there and I would gradually pull him toward me a little and then he would take off again. I got him to the bank (pulling an ornery musky backwards by the dorsal fin is not easy) and my son took off his boots and prepared to jump in and wrestle him. I told him he just might get bit so he held off, and then the hook pulled loose. We estimate he was about 40 to 48" long. About 20 minutes after he got off, he (or another one the same size) came cruising by about 10 feet off the bank. Another guy fishing about 30 feet up the bank saw him a few minutes after that.

We were fishing directly below the gates to the lock in some slack water. I caught several big gar, several sauger and some big slab crappie. My theory is the musky was up in the slack water feeding since the fish were closed in on three sides...

What a thrill. Definitely the largest freshwater fish I have ever played. Wish we would of taken some cell phone pics... :( The river never ceases to surprise me... last year I caught seven different species of fish in about 2 hours one afternoon. This year I get to see (and feel) a musky up close. What's next????

What an awesome time you and your son had together...He as well as you will have that story to tell for the rest of your lives..... Glad you didn't catch him by yourself and that you had company to witness the event....:)

My son and his girlfriend watched the whole musky adventure.

They went back to the river on Sunday (was on his way to a soccer game... had some time to kill) and his girlfriend hooked something she couldn't turn (it got in the current and she had light tackle) and then she hooked about a 15 pound carp and lost it at the bank. He caught what sounds like a pretty big white bass. Plus they lost two of my Little George tail spinners... and who knows what else...that's what I get for loaning him the car with my fishing tackle in it!