For the season opener this year I put in some serious hours. I have not fished every day, but when I fished, I fished from sunrise until sunset, so 4:30am to 9:00pm as much as I could.

Why would I do that? Muskellunge do not feed ALL day so what I wanted to do this year was monitor and compare fish activity I experienced to where was the moon in the sky (or under) at those moments. There are 4 periods in the moon’s course during the day that for many years now master anglers and some of the best fisherman have been writing and trying to educate others to know when their best chances of catching a fish will be. By being on the water for 16 of the 24 hours of the day, I would be there for almost 3 of the 4 periods and also be there for the in between. Without giving away any of my personal information, I can say this: 80% of the action I witnessed was in the half hour before one of these 4 periods of the moon or a half hour following those periods. For example: 30 minutes before moon rise, or half hour after moon rise. This year, I have proven to myself that the moon is a key factor when planning what and where to increase my chances of catching a fish.

Keep in mind, this is one of many factors that we must consider when trying to boat one of these freshwater monsters. The weather is another, lures, speed, structure, water depth, water temps, boat control, positioning, spot on the spots, edges, breaks, clarity,AHHHHHH help! There is a magic pattern that clicks with every single factor I just mentioned, if one can figure it out (very few have) and know how and when to adjust, then a constant success of catching  big fish awaits… keep in mind, the fish will still win sometimes.

Now did I really say anything of any of consistence? I get lost myself in all this, but it’s fun! By all means, anyone can go fishing, put on a big lure and luck will kick in when everything lines up perfectly for us and we will get our trophy, but I’m after something more, and I hope I figure it out one day.

After hours, days, and lots of fatigue and sun exposure, I’m very crispy and I think it’s time I shared pictures.

So this next one, she hit my buddy Mike's rod. I reeled in my rod, put it away and picked up the net. She came up right away and at first glance I beleived it was about 45inches long. But Mike couldn't horse her she kept runing away and pulled hard. It didn't add up a 45inch class fish cannot do that with a hard drag set for so long, they get tired after a couple runs. After about a minute or two she was pulled close to the boat and we got a good look at her head, MASSIVE! Then we both knew we had a magic 50. Next turn of her head towards the boat I was going for it.

"When she gets close again, turn her head and I'll open the bag", I told Mike. Always key to be clear with your boat partner to avoid problems when netting a fish. Just as planned, Mike turned her head and the net was all around the fish, we got her!

hooks came out easy, no problem, she was still green. At this point I could see the fish's head was just enormous, but I couldn't gauge the length in the net. When Mike pulled her out for a picture we then realized how long it was. WOW!