09-11-2009, 08:34 PM
So, yesterday I took some time to go hit Pineview. A guy next to me, on a vacation from Wisconsin, and a musky fishermen for 15 years, ironically came unprepared for tiger muskies. He was fishing for bass and ended up having a smaller musky break off and a 40" plus follow his lure in. No more tigers chasing after 10pm. We also watched what was either the same, or a group of muskies doing the familiar head above water, swimming like an alligator thing. Here's where it gets wierd...
I was in my small raft, rowing around carefully trying to sneak up to within casting distance of what I believe are good musky hang-outs. It was about 2pm at this point. That's when the musky(ies) starting coming up to the surface. It, or they, would swim in large circles for as long as a minute or more at a time like that. After many unsuccessful casts with topwaters and other lures, right in front of the musky's nose, I decided instead to just see how close I could get.
First attempt the musky shot down when I got within more than a few feet. No joke, on the second attempt, I paddled up behind it, then alongside it, then within actual touching distance no more than 3 feet from my raft, and the fish had no reaction! I couldn't help but think it was sick or had something wrong with it. It was a high 40's inch fish, and had an abnormal looking section of growth on it's left upper jaw (from a lure probably). I watched it this close for about 10 to 20 seconds like I was at the freakin' Cabela's aquarium. Biggest one I have personally seen, and too bad it didn't want a lure. I could've snagged it, but I don't play that way. It eventually swam back down.
Now, I've also heard many theories about why muskies do this. I finally have found one that I believe. [url "http://www.fish.state.pa.us/images/pages/qa/fish/musky_odd.htm"]http://www.fish.state.pa.us/...a/fish/musky_odd.htm[/url]
I am less inclined to believe the "just getting a look of the surroundings" theory, because this musky didn't care that I was right next to it. The muskies I've seen in the water are still skittish when they see so much as a shadow. Also, fish eyes are not really designed to look out of the water like whales, aquatic mammals, reptiles, etc. It's like the reverse for us, where we can't see in the water without goggles.
I do believe the swallowing a meal and getting some sun theories. This is largely because I had many pet snakes over the years, and when they would swallow mice, they'd use gravity to help them swallow it down, so'd they'd stick their heads up in the air. They also seemed to devote all their attention with their little minds to the act of swallowing. They would then sit in the warm areas of the tank to help digest the big meal.
So next time you see a tiger musky swimming with it's head up, think that maybe it's just swallowing it's lunch, or getting a tan, or lookin around.
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I was in my small raft, rowing around carefully trying to sneak up to within casting distance of what I believe are good musky hang-outs. It was about 2pm at this point. That's when the musky(ies) starting coming up to the surface. It, or they, would swim in large circles for as long as a minute or more at a time like that. After many unsuccessful casts with topwaters and other lures, right in front of the musky's nose, I decided instead to just see how close I could get.
First attempt the musky shot down when I got within more than a few feet. No joke, on the second attempt, I paddled up behind it, then alongside it, then within actual touching distance no more than 3 feet from my raft, and the fish had no reaction! I couldn't help but think it was sick or had something wrong with it. It was a high 40's inch fish, and had an abnormal looking section of growth on it's left upper jaw (from a lure probably). I watched it this close for about 10 to 20 seconds like I was at the freakin' Cabela's aquarium. Biggest one I have personally seen, and too bad it didn't want a lure. I could've snagged it, but I don't play that way. It eventually swam back down.
Now, I've also heard many theories about why muskies do this. I finally have found one that I believe. [url "http://www.fish.state.pa.us/images/pages/qa/fish/musky_odd.htm"]http://www.fish.state.pa.us/...a/fish/musky_odd.htm[/url]
I am less inclined to believe the "just getting a look of the surroundings" theory, because this musky didn't care that I was right next to it. The muskies I've seen in the water are still skittish when they see so much as a shadow. Also, fish eyes are not really designed to look out of the water like whales, aquatic mammals, reptiles, etc. It's like the reverse for us, where we can't see in the water without goggles.
I do believe the swallowing a meal and getting some sun theories. This is largely because I had many pet snakes over the years, and when they would swallow mice, they'd use gravity to help them swallow it down, so'd they'd stick their heads up in the air. They also seemed to devote all their attention with their little minds to the act of swallowing. They would then sit in the warm areas of the tank to help digest the big meal.
So next time you see a tiger musky swimming with it's head up, think that maybe it's just swallowing it's lunch, or getting a tan, or lookin around.
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