O (-fer) Canada!

"O (-fer) Canada!"

-or-

"In Which I Make a Huge Effort at Considerable Expense and Get Skunked"


#majormuskieslumpellunge

That text from a few weeks ago pretty much summarizes my current fishing status.  Muskies have occupied most of my fishing time and attention, and I'm really not having much success.  Although my muskie  "career" started hot last season, it's been about a year since I've captured and photographed a muskie.  I've bagged one (1) so far this year and managed to lose her between the net and the camera.  Since then a single nice pike and a few disinterested followers are all I've encountered.

This pretty-nice-pike-for-here hit a Depth Raider cast along a steep weed edge.  I thought I'd figured something out, but subsequent efforts have resulted in 0.0 fish.

My work schedule recently crystalized for the next few weeks and so I knew that I was doing something on July 20th.  I decided that if Jason, my friend and Muskie Mentor (formerly at C's), wanted to join me, we'd tackle Lake St. Clair.  He was quasi-committal, but when I found on Friday a facebook post from a Lake St. Clair muskie guide with a new opening for the 20th and shared this with Jason, he jumped right on it.  He'd fished with "Mike" before, and the guy's a known, blue-collar fish hound.  In a snap, we were booked for Sunday at a discounted rate!  A little extra money than doing it ourselves; but that money was paying some insurance that we'd be fishing properly for the day.

Now Lake St. Clair is just a little over 3 hours away, and it is a world-class muskie and smallmouth lake.  I've not yet fished it!  It's big water, shallow and easily roughened by wind, and the highways around Detroit can get awfully busy.  I've simply been intimidated by her, and there are so many other, closer, easier choices!  But things looked good for our trip; no real weather or wind to speak of, Mike was on some nice fish, and our very-early morning commute would avoid traffic issues.

With the alarm set for 2 AM (a personal record), my Passport and Canadian (Ontario) Fishing License in hand, and a few snacks and drinks in the cooler, I was ready to meet Jason at 2:30 AM for the ride to our anticipated hookup with Mike at his designated 5:30 AM.  There was already a fair amount of traffic at the Clinton River Cut-off ramp when we arrived a few minutes after 5 AM, but by 5:50 or so were aboard Mike's Tuffy boat and cruising nicely at 44 mph across a flat Lake St. Clair.  We ran about 26 miles directly east to near Mitchell's Bay.  Water temps here were in the low 70s and Mike explained that it was the water clarity (or reduction there-of) that made the muskie fishing here so good.  When the main lake warmed and bloomed, fishing would be good elsewhere; but for now, the Canadian shore-line offered the best fishing.  He'd taken a giant on Friday, and 10 on Saturday (I'd seen the pictures!) and so with a lot of excitement, I made my first cast at 6:45 AM.

Mike didn't have anything but "Big Rubber" aboard the boat.  We were all throwing walleye-colored baits; I had a Medusa, while Jason and Mike threw slightly larger Pounders.  I've been throwing a walleye-colored Medusa for over a year now, without a strike or follow; but this seemed to be the place and time for such baits.  It was nice to find out I was casting and retrieving these baits in accordance with these guys' expectations; I'd never fished with anybody else who had actually fished for muskies!  K and A, yes; but whatever they knew or expected was from me; I'd not yet been in a "Muskie Learning Position" while on the water.

Although conditions seemed perfect (overcast, low clouds and a little ripple on the water), the first spot in about 17 feet of water yielded nothing.  We made a short move to (perhaps) some cloudier water, and our next drift yielded most of the action for the day.  First Mike and Jason had small followers; neither was enticed by the Figure-8.  Jason got crunched by a low-30s fish (which was apparently too small for pictures) and soon thereafter I had a follower of about the same size.  Despite my anticipation and watchfulness, she revealed herself to me at an awkward moment at the end of my retrieve; and I totally flubbed a Figure-8 attempt.  But it was still early in the day, and we were all sure there would be more chances.

Mike got the next chance, and he unceremoniously deposited an approximate 47-incher in the net.  It was the biggest muskie I've ever had in the boat, and should make anybody's day; but it was just another day at the office for Mike.  I was lucky to get a couple of shots of her before she was released.

This girl inhaled a Pounder Bulldog; a bait that stretches to over 18 inches long.  We were going big!  Most importantly, note the greenish water.

The guide caught this fish, and he wasn't overly impressed with her.  At 47 inches or so, it's the biggest Esox I've ever been in the boat with, even though she was pretty thin.  Mike and I tied in a sense for the day, each with one hit and a follow.  I just didn't hook up with mine.  Who knows what I missed!  Jason, in the background, caught a smaller one, successfully Figure-8'd a nice one (but then lost her boat-side), and also had a couple of follows.  So we got four bites and raised a few more; a pretty epic day of muskie fishing, but a dismal day on Lake St. Clair (?!?!?)

We made a few more moves along the Canadian shoreline around the Thames River outlet, but as the day cleared off and the breeze disappeared, the fishing shut down.  The highlight of the day might have been the fish Jason Figure-8'd.  I saw the whole situation develop at his feet, and that mid-40s fish inhaled his Pounder.  I'll long retain the memory of the muskie's head flaring to engulf the huge bait.  The hooks didn't stick, but that seemed OK.  We also saw a professional trolling boat take a really nice fish nearby; the fish were here.  And casting looked like it was a lot more fun than the local trolling customs.

It seemed less OK when, shortly thereafter,  I swung and missed on my only hit of the day.  A faint but distinct "tick" at the end of the cast; but not quite the "thunk" that would indicate a sure take.  It might have been a smallmouth, or perhaps a small muskie.  It also could have been the biggest muskie in the lake.  Oh well, I was doing things properly; it must just be a matter of more time on the water.

By now it was 11 AM or so; and we didn't see or feel another fish for the rest of the day.  We kept swinging for the fences at known big-fish locations; but the water was a good 10 or 12 degrees cooler and much clearer as we moved away from the south and east shores.  We fished hard until 5:30 PM or so; and then we "enjoyed" our trip back to the launch.  Holy crap, the Michigan side was crazy and lumpy from boat wakes; the Canadian side had been so nice and peaceful (much more so than I had expected.)

Mike had given it a good effort and had burned a lot of gas.  He'd given us a long day and lots of opportunity.  I'd gotten oriented, learned some local landmarks, and developed some confidence and ideas for future trips.   Despite my skunk, I'd fish with him again; and I definitely hope to fish with Jason again.  He was a good companion for a very long day, and he's used to The Grind that muskies offer.

We'd discussed the legality/appropriateness of driving the boat into Canada to fish; this didn't seem to be an issue for Mike, and while it might be common practice, I'm not sure it's correct.  And while Numenon could have done everything Mike's Tuffy did for the day, she would have been slower and less comfortable.  So when Jason and I go back, we may declare ourselves in Windsor, grab a hotel near the Thames, and spend a couple or few days tucked into the southeast portion of the lake.  The muskies are there! 

Big Effort?  Yes.

Fair Amount of Money?  Yes.

Personally Skunked?  Yes.

Did I want to do it again, first thing Monday morning?  No.

Was I ready to go by Monday, Lunch?  Absolutely!