Great Story, but it is sad that you have to defend yourself in your posts from assholes that can't shut the fuck up!

 

Sounds like fun while it lasted...I hate drags and haven't relied on one in years. I would either have em too tight or too loose. I'd rather backreel a big fish (even hybrid stripers and king salmon) and only on a rare occasion has that technique cost me a fish. It takes a little practice at first and knowing where the anti-reverse lever is

Dave

 

nothing is better for catching big fish then a good drag set right and a full spoon of line. musky and pike love to dive or bolt off when they see a person or boat so when you think your going to be bringing the fish in to land it be ready cuz its going to run again most of the time and sometimes again and again and again. there isnt alot of pike or musky in the fox so its not really your fault of not having the heavy gear to land one.

i didnt know the dnr stocked the fox with tiger musky?, although tiger muskys do happen in the wild on there own i would guess it was just musky or pike.

dont blame yourself it could have just finally cut the line with a tooth. dont blame your drag 2

great story

 

double

 

Ditto on Tatertot reply,

Those toothy criiters will eventually shred the line if its Mono

I get a liitle better wear with Fireline and Flurocarbon leaders than Mono and have yet to get big brown, pike or toothy Flathead cut the line.

I suggest intead of backreeling, the drag is set for maximum striking resistance and you palm or finger the spinning reel. It's an old trick from my flyfishing days and does the job on slowing the run, pretty close to breaking point or actually stopping the line for netting. I use the same index finger curled under the spool as for casting.

You did not lose the fish, it was "quick release" sorry about the lure though......... 2 2 2

 

drag

yup setting your drag is key i do it by feel if you cant do that use a fish scale and set the drag to slip at about 70% of the line break strength make shure that you dont take the reading straight from the reel run the line threw the guides and have a bud hold the scale like you are fighting a fish or tie it down. the days of back realing were when the drags were not as good as they are now , if you take blues tip with the braid set your drag a bit loose due to the almost zero streatch of braid the braid floro combo is a very versatile setup because it is limp as light mono but strong so you can fish big and small lures on a sturdy setup .

 

Great story, I feel ya man. I lost the biggest walleye I have ever seen come out of the Fox a couple years ago. I actually had it in my hands for a couple seconds.

 

I feel your pain. I've had a suprising number of break-offs this year. Two weeks ago I got a real nice pike pretty close to me before I got broke off. Sucks when you actually get to see them.....then you can't console yourself by thinking its a carp. Makes for a great story though :-D

 

He didn't show himself until a second before he broke off.
He broke 15 lb braided line. If I backreeled, I would have bigger problems.
As far as I know tiger muskie happen naturally in the Fox. I'm no expert, but I got a pretty good look at it. I saw all but it's head and the markings were that of a tiger muskie.
Should have left the drag alone and let it run. Still great fun!
next time...

 

O.K. I've done some research and it seems I may have (almost) caught a barred muskie. Makes sense. Seems DNR stopped their TM stocking in the Fox about 10 years ago. Guess I'll never know for sure (oohh that burns!)
Still an unforgettable experience.

 

Great story DAD! Thanks for sharing. Tough luck but that's fishing, and we've all been there!

 

STATUS OF MUSKIE FISHERY IN ILLINOIS RIVERS

FOX RIVER - Muskie occur in the Fox River as a result of escapement from stocking programs in Chain-0-Lakes, Lake Shabbona, and Lake Holiday. Although not abundant, they are common in many areas In Kane and Kendall Counties. Mouths of larger creek are preferred summer habitat, but can be found ranging throughout the free flowing areas of the river in especially at Montgomery and Yorkville. Muskie were sampled in the Fox River during 2004 as a part of Fall Sportfish Survey. A total of 9 Stations were sampled in free-flowing sections of the river from Elgin to Silver Springs State Fish and Wildlife Area. Muskie were collected at Geneva, Batavia, Montgomery and Silver Springs. Most individuals were in the 35-40 inch size range, with the highest catch rate observed at Silver Springs.

http://dnr.state.il.us/fish/MuskieStatus.htm

 

1KNOT2GO,

Outdoorsmen have long recognized a temporary condition that causes affected individuals to make uncommon errors in judgment (given their level of experience and/or expertise). The condition occurs upon the discovery of large (male) terrestrial quadrupeds and it is called "Buck fever".

On a separate note, the good news is:

1. You know where it lives.

2. You are much less likely to make the same mistake twice.

Great story.

Beginner

 

great lesson learned! You did well, now learn from it. Can't say that I never lost a fish, even with muskie gear! :roll: With light tackle, practice losening your drag on the fly. I always forget which direction tightens/loosens. I keep it tight for the hookset, then I back off on it. I also use a 7' rod, which is critical. Even though it is light action, the long rod makes control and leverage easier. when the fish wants to run, I point the rod at her and just let her run! I got 4 muskies last year on this setup while fishing for smallies. I use 8-10# fireline.

 

Good to know MM. Thanks.
Hope I get into one again.
I was using 15#Cortland Masterbraid (my favorite!!)
Next spring I'm going to do the full blown guided trip to see what it's all about.

 

Neat story, sad ending.
I gotta say, wallidave said it takes practise but after observing him for years (even against hookups with big pike and muskies) have also adapted to flipping the lever and backreeling large fish on spinning gear.
I'm sure you can practise either way and become prficient at it.
Backreeling or knowing, for sure, which way tightens and loosens your drag.
For me now though, if I have a sense that my drag may not be right, I know for sure where the lever is an flip it.
Just as you would feather the spool when the drag is loose you have to get used to the reel handle spinning and at first may end up with some whacks on your knuckles, but just as with any of it, practise makes you better.

Now, getting the big ones to hit more often is what it's going to take to get more pactise, whichever way you choose to fight one.

 

Loosing a Muskie

I use Power Pro line 8 lb test. Some times when I snag into a under water log I some times have to cut the line or wrap a small piece of wood around the line to avoid cutting my fingers when trying to free the line. The line really has a lot of strength. Of course you have to replace any line when you see it is slightly frayed. Another thing did you use a good knot like the Polomar or Trilene knot? A lot of guys use ordinary knots that hold up with little fish, but when the big guys hit they find out most of the times it is the knot not the line. Loosing a fish is one thing, but when you loose the lure, to me it indicates to me that the knot could have been the culprit. When I tie a knot to my lure or jig, I pull very hard on the line to make sure it isn't slipping at the eye of the lure. Just my 2 cents.

 

Palomar: "The only knot you need to know" (mostly).

8lb braided line is like a razorblade! I know this from experience(OUCH!)
Now I don't use anything smaller than 10lb (4lb mono dia.).
15lb braid is my favorite. It's easiest to work with.