First Week of December

[elnutsmalljaws]

First week of December, water temps had to be low to mid 50's. PERFECT WEATHER CONDITIONS for wintertime smallmouth at Dale Hollow. SOMEBODY TELL ME A FISHIN' STORY< PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!! Somebody HAD to catch fish this week, on the fly.

[MsgMills]

Elnut,

This story isn't about the FNF, but it is a fishing story of my most recent fishing trip. You might have already read this Thread, but if not I am posting it again just so you can kinda think about the excitement I had that day....

Went to Green River Lake yesterday 16 Nov 07 for our Clubs Tournament of Champions.... To answer your question before you ask....I did not become the Tournament Champion, I caught two keepers, a 13 1/2" Large Mouth and a nice 2.20 lb Small Mouth.

Now to the fun part...I came up on a Crappie Stake Bed and cast a shad Rap up past the bed and started bring the bait back to me. Wham, a hard strike...Oh boy get the net I tell myself, as I'm fishing by myself. The rod doubles over and the drag is singing out loud... As I fight the fish I start thinking of the Big Bass pot I'm possibly going to win with the Bass of a Lifetime.
Too make the story short and sweat...I finally get some line in and what do I see but a Musky about 30" plus. Man there goes my Big Bass Pot, and now I'm fighting the Musky to keep him from breaking my line and stealing my Shad Rap. I get the net and finally net him after he has taken me around the boat several times and about jerking the rod from my hand on a couple of his big lunges for deep water. So after getting the fish out of the net and over the side of the boat I am ready to try the spot again. After fighting this fish the fight has really put more ache into my really hurting back.

I make another precise cast just past the Stake bed and bring the bait threw the stakes and as the bait is bouncing off the stakes....Bam, another viscious strike...Oh boy maybe this is my Big Bass...fight the fish and after finally getting it up to look at what it is...Another Musky as big as the one before. I know this isn't the same one, cause I put the first one in my livewell so i can show off the fish to the Club and get a picture taken with the fish. Anyway I get it undone and out of the net. I make another cast and wham bam thank you mam...I catch another Musky out of the same Stake bed...Three Musky's all over 30" and caught on 3 back to back to back casts.....
Talk about fighting fish, I got my fill of that strength for the day so I went along down the bank for some more Bass action.....

Now I can check off the Musky off of my check list of fish I want to catch in my lifetime.....

[LarryG]

uh the size limit on those fish is 40 inches! I know you weren't going to keep them, but even keeping them in a live well isn't exactly the right thing to do.I dont want to sound like I;m jumping on your bones, but WHY do bass fishermen put back legal bass, and keep musky?Some musky fishermen are so serious about that fish, that they cut off the trbles of their baits if the fish is hooked severly.I've released a few that were over 40 inches, spending 300 bucks for something to hang on a wall is out of my price range.And believe me, they aren't that good to eat.

[LarryG]

Went to dale this morning after the fog lifted here. Got to the state dock, and turned around and came home!They really have that ramp screwed up, onelane, and the waiting time would have been serious getting in and out.I'm retired, dont need this kind of agrevation, next week on tuesday its back to cumberland, FNF works very well there also, and not as crowded. Good luck on your recovery, my surgery didn't go as well as we all expected, but life goes on. I'm glad that the lord has put up with me for 71 yrs.

[MsgMills]

I only put one in my livewell for someone at the Ramp to snap a Picture of the Musky. I was fishing by myself and kinda hard to take a picture of a fish if I had to hold the fish with both hands. But If I would have been with in range of someone else out on the water when I caught them. I would have asked that person to snap a photo. I would have even asked a CO if he came upon me or I ran into one while running back to the ramp area. Wouldn't ever even think of eating a Musky, or even a Bass for that matter.

uh the size limit on those fish is 40 inches! I know you weren't going to keep them, but even keeping them in a live well isn't exactly the right thing to do.I dont want to sound like I;m jumping on your bones, but WHY do bass fishermen put back legal bass, and keep musky?Some musky fishermen are so serious about that fish, that they cut off the trbles of their baits if the fish is hooked severly.I've released a few that were over 40 inches, spending 300 bucks for something to hang on a wall is out of my price range.And believe me, they aren't that good to eat.

[hogdaddy]

Went to the Hollow Tuesday.Fished a jig first then picked up the fly.1st cast-nothing,2nd-fish,3rd-pulldown,4th-fish, man I thought it was going to be on!!But it really slowed after that,1 more on the fly,couple of pulldowns,MISSED 3 or 4 on the jig and caught a 20" on a jig. Water was black around mid-lake and about 52 to 53.5.Hope this helps you out and you get to feeling better!!

[birdstrike]

I went to the Hollow to fish the TN side for the first time. I threw the kitchen sink at those fish and couldn't beg- borrow- or steal a bite. Decided to just troll on home as soon as I hit KY water my pole doubled over - dang snag. Wait a minute, that's no snag, what the heck! 5 minutes later a 9# brown fish was laying in the bottom of the boat. Took her picture and slipped her back into the water from which she came. And then I woke up and had to go to work, ha, ha.!

[Wormin]

There is a 30" size limit on muskie in Ky.

[fisherman0625]

It is 30" size limit on musky in Ky.

Not on some musky waters in ky. Places like Buckhorn lake and green river lake have a "trophy" size limit on their impoundment. 40" is the legal keeper size limit and you are to keep 1 a day.

[Wormin]

Did not know that, thanks for the info.

[tglass]

As a reminder for MSG Mills too. Even if you put it in your livewell you will get a ticket and they are expensive. I caught my first dale hollow smallie on the FNF about 5 years ago and i forgot my camera, scale, and tape measure in the truck. I was out at Accordian bluff and launched from Star Point. Well the fish was fat and i bet would have been close to 5 or over and like i said it was my first fish on the fly so i listened to my buddy and put it in my livewell to take a pic back at the ramp. Well fished just a little longer and here comes a jon boat running straight at me. It was the game warden and i told him about the fish and pulled it out for him. He put it on his measuring board and it was over 20" but not over 21". Well he told me that he believed me but it was going to be an expensive lesson. Well it was a $162.50 lesson that i learned real quick. So it was a fun but expensive first time FNF trip for me. So just to let you know if you put it in your livewell that is as good as keeping it. I know

[MsgMills]

As a reminder for MSG Mills too. Even if you put it in your livewell you will get a ticket and they are expensive. I caught my first dale hollow smallie on the FNF about 5 years ago and i forgot my camera, scale, and tape measure in the truck. I was out at Accordian bluff and launched from Star Point. Well the fish was fat and i bet would have been close to 5 or over and like i said it was my first fish on the fly so i listened to my buddy and put it in my livewell to take a pic back at the ramp. Well fished just a little longer and here comes a jon boat running straight at me. It was the game warden and i told him about the fish and pulled it out for him. He put it on his measuring board and it was over 20" but not over 21". Well he told me that he believed me but it was going to be an expensive lesson. Well it was a $162.50 lesson that i learned real quick. So it was a fun but expensive first time FNF trip for me. So just to let you know if you put it in your livewell that is as good as keeping it. I know

Thanks for the heads up on the livewell experience. Will not the thought of a photo get me busted for a law violation. But I tell ya, it was an unreal experience getting them back to back to back on 3 casts to the same cover.