The cast of fishingisliving.com spends a day with Musky Angler Marc Thorpe.
Weather conditions had been terrible for the past couple days with winds exceeding 40km per hour two days ago and 20-30km per hour winds the day before that. The cast had been fishing without any luck. Seeing as the weather was clearly throwing muskies from their habitual feeding tendencies, we were a bit skeptical at the idea of boating a monster on the Monday with Marc.
Monday came around and the winds completely died down and the sun was bright and strong. Fish or no fish, this was a gorgeous day to be out enjoying the local scenery and wildlife. And only 10 minutes into trolling we had ourselves a musky! This was “perfection” fishing if we'd ever seen it. Nicely executed Marc!
Observation is key - for a true catch and release with the highest survival chances.
When a fish is hooked, it’s important to stay focused in middle of the excitement. Is the fish jumping, staying on the bottom, running, or just staying still and letting it self get pulled in? The fight will allow you to judge what to expect when the fish reaches the net to be unhooked. This allows the angler to better anticipate (although stay always alert) the potential amount or lack of energy the fish will have once in the net.
Safety, Speed, Efficiency
Why are speed and efficiency important if the fish remains in the net, submerged under water? As long as the fish has a hook in its mouth, it is likely to injure itself in the net. A simple way it can do this is by not being able to keep straight in the net. Instead, the fish would be positioned on its back, tangled in the net. To prevent high levels of stress, the fish needs to be kept straight in the water. When removing a hook from the fish you must wear gloves! As much as the musky can hurt itself, it can also hurt you. BE CAREFUL! And cut the hooks if you have to! We cannot emphasize how important this is!
Stressed fish
All muskies are individuals in their own way. Each musky will react differently from the next. When muskies get stressed, they are apt to have a seizure, which could in effect kill them. A musky showing redness in its flanks or blood around the eyes is a clear indicator that it is experiencing a severe amount of stress. If a fish is showing these signs, it is highly recommended that you keep the fish in the water, in its natural state. Large specimens are even more sensitive to stressful situations. Should you hook a big fish in warm waters, keep a keen eye on its stress level. If the fish exhibits any signs of stress, leave it be in the water. Being out of the water is the most stressful experience a fish can endure. It is likely that once this fish has been pulled out of the water for a picture, it will forevermore associate the sound of the prop as a sign of danger. This will thus make the fish harder to catch as it will be more easily frightened.
Reality of it all
The truth is that over a quarter of all released muskies die within the following weeks, which is why we are emphasizing the importance of careful musky manipulation. This way of fishing can seem extreme or overly fanatic; but remember, catching a trophy female is a privilege that she (the musky) is awarding us. The least we can do is give her the respect she deserves.
