Musky Madness

Well, it’s that time of year. 90 degree days, darkness arriving past 9:00PM, parents trying to figure out what to do with their hectic kids; summer is here. As any avid fly fisherman would agree, each season presents it’s own perks and challenges, but there is always one season that fly fisherman will favor indefinitely. For me, this season is summer by far.

With the “real world” now upon me and work beginning soon, my dad and I decided that we had to have one last “hoorah” fishing trip before moving began and before scheduling became a pain in the you know what. However, we did not want an ordinary fly fishing trip. We wanted an adventure, a new target species, and a new location all in one giant bread basket. Thus, we decided to travel to Hayward, Wisconsin and fly fish for arguably the most voracious, predatory, and simply mean freshwater fish: the muskellunge (musky).

After a non-stop flight from Denver to Minneapolis, we drove three hours into the Wisconsin wilderness in hopes of having a week for the ages. We would be fishing with the famous Musky Country Outfitters, led by musky “legend” Brad Bohen and his number one guide Weston Thier. With expectations on our end being relatively uncertain, this week would turn out to be one of the best fly fishing experiences we have ever had, and some big, beautiful, toothy fish were landed.

We fished two rivers for the week: several parts of both the Chippewa and Flambeau rivers. As for the fly fishing itself, hundreds upon hundreds of casts were taken everyday, and with every cast came the hope that a giant musky would be following our 8-12 inch flies towards the boat. With six total fish landed between my dad and I for the week, we were extremely successful and immediately became hooked to the anticipation that fly fishing for musky offers.

Day one of fishing for the week turned out to be the most productive, in that we managed to land three muskies, including a monster that will be classified as a fish of a lifetime to me. Appreciate, every day of fishing throughout the week also consisted of several smallmouth bass and the occasional pike or walleye, but we are here to talk musky! After a couple hours into our day, I managed to catch a juvenile musky that got the “monkey off our back” and got our hopes up. What amazed me immediately was how a small 20 inch musky was eager to eat a 10 inch fly. Although this fish was a shining moment for the week, it was roughly an hour later that a true monster would be landed, and I would learn in a 20 second period what fly fishing for musky is really about. After throwing a massive baitfish pattern at the end of some faster moving whitewater, I watched my fly as I stripped it all the way to the boat. With about five feet remaining between the boat and the fly, I saw a massive creature flare it’s gills and inhale the fly…my heart immediately raced, and we had a monster musky on. After an insane minute of this fish jumping across the river, dodging the net, and snapping it’s teeth as we removed the fly, I was able to hold a fish of a lifetime and truly say that I had caught the musky fever. After taking a picture with our 40 inch beast, we continued casting away, and my dad was able to land his first musky on the fly as well. Not only did he land his first musky, but he also managed to catch this fish on a massive topwater fly, AND on Father’s Day. What a Father’s Day it was.

After being truly spoiled on our first day of fly fishing for musky, we learned on day two and day three why these fish are so difficult to catch, and why this fish has been historically referred to as the fish of 10,000 casts. Although we were able to catch many smallmouth and a decent number of pike, the muskies were alluding us, and some mental insanity began. However, as Brad Bohen told us the first night we arrived, the method to the madness is to truly believe that the next cast will have a fish, and to keep hopes up always. And boy, would he turn out to be right.

As for days 4 and 5 of fishing, we were able to get three more muskies to the boat, along with a follow from a massive fish that chased my dad’s fly all the way to the boat. We consistently noticed that the majority of our fish took the fly right at the boat, and we both began to realize that in this dark, stained water, you never know what could be lurking feet from your fly. As for the fight itself, picture a minute of raw insanity in which everything that can go wrong will, in that these fish sincerely do have an attitude and will do everything in their power to assert their dominance. On day 4, I was able to land a solid 32 inch fish, and my dad and I were EACH able to stick into 37/38 inch beasts on the last day of fishing. With the famous “River Pig” patterns that Brad and Weston tie up daily, we had finally found a reliable pattern, and ended our trip on the highest note possible.

Although we both were bummed when our week of fishing came to an end, we knew that we would be returning back to Wisconsin soon to take on Part 2 with this amazing fish. To spend the week of Father’s Day on the water with my Dad was a memory that I will never forget, and I am truly beyond blessed to have a best friend that takes me fishing as much as he does. Below is a picture of two, new musky addicts, who fortunately took the time between hundreds of casts to get a picture worth a thousand words.