When I first started fishing for flatheads, I was completely consumed by them. My appetite for any and all information on them was insatiable. I read articles over and over, bought every catfish DVD I could find, watched them repeatedly every night, and conducted endless research to learn what rod, reel, line, swivel, sinker, and hook to use. Flathead catfish were just about all that I could think about. I heard from other guys who fished the river that catching one was rare. This only made them that much more special. I held them in such reverence that catching one brought on absolute elation. In the course of several years, I eventually developed to the point that I could catch them just about every trip out. I don't think that I've arrived, but I've reached a certain level of proficiency. The whole process was exceptional, a complete joy.
As I begin to turn my attention to the muskellunge, I am seeing a number of parallels with my flathead campaign. I'm back at the beginning. I find myself fixated on them. I only have 2 muskie DVD's, but I've seen both of them 50 times. I keep listening for any little tidbit of information that I might have missed or I study their techniques to get them down pat. My evenings are spent perusing the internet looking at lures, rods, reels, nets, line, and anything else that I might need to fish for muskies. I have my ideas about exactly what gear I want to get, but I like to see if I can find forums where other guys give their opinions about this stuff. My friend from work also told me about MyOutDoorTV.com. This site is gold. I'm finding full episodes of the show, The Next Bite. It focuses on pike, walleye, and muskies. I catch an episode about every night.
Of course the most crucial step in this new journey is actually getting out there and seeing if this is going to turn into anything. There's no guarantee that these fish won't live up to their reputation of being almost impossible to catch. I'm fully aware that I'm not in Northern Minnesota where most of these DVD's and shows are filmed. What I have going for me is that I'm driven to go to incredible lengths to figure the muskies out and hopefully get good at catching them. I'll stay out there for hours and hours trying to get into a bite and will still have to force myself off of the water when it's time to go. If it turns out that because of fishing pressure my best chances to encounter active fish is at night, then I'll fish at night. If trolling gets them, I'll troll. If casting produces fish, I'll cast. If this pursuit does not pan out, it will be despite my efforts, not because of any lack of effort.
I went 4 or 5 times late in the fall last year. I bought a few oversized lures and put my old Corsair on a low end 6' 6" Fenwick rod that I used to use for channels. Tom Hugglar included Thornapple Lake in his book on fishing destinations in Michigan. He gave me some kind of idea about where to fish, but really the lake was a huge mystery and I had no confidence that I would even cross paths with a muskie. I think I had at least one follow because there was a big swirl at the boat when I pulled the lure out of the water at the end of one of my retrieves. I'm hoping that I will slowly solve the mystery of this lake as I spend more and more time out there. Ideally I will have some follows and even catch some fish. My confidence will go up as I figure out where to find the fish and what lures they seem to prefer. Pretty soon the lake should look completely different to me. It will transform from this strange enigma to something as familiar as my own backyard . . . ideally.
I may end up spending a season beating the water senseless with nothing to show for it but a pair of Popeye arms. If I do run into this scenario, I might briefly go a little crazy. It won't be the end of the world, though. The grass is still pretty green on this side of the fence. If I could only fish my little two mile section of the Grand River for the rest of my life, I'd die a happy man. I just might die a little happier if I can notch my belt with a few of these ferocious freshwater baracudas.
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