Amen Markus!
RJ
Handling Muskies
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Guest
Could be a number of things, battle scar, infection from a previous improper release (cough, cough), or just an act of nature (tumour or other ailment). Either way, the fish was released to fight another day, and will hopefully recover from whatever that is.
Markus said it right, release every one with care, regardless of size, stress, etc.
HW
Markus said it right, release every one with care, regardless of size, stress, etc.
HW
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BASSSTALKER
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Thanks to the Muskie guru's here I caught my second muskie yesterday and I did all that was told. I have released 3 Muskie in the past 3 days and all of them had been milked back as said. I honestly can say that it took all three Muskie a long time to be milked backed. But all swam away fine and ready to be caught again! 
Here is another question for you Muskie guys. If I had a Muskie hit on topwater while going for bass and it broke my line, how long on average would it take for the Muskie to "shake" the lure out?
BASSSTALKER
Here is another question for you Muskie guys. If I had a Muskie hit on topwater while going for bass and it broke my line, how long on average would it take for the Muskie to "shake" the lure out?
BASSSTALKER
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Guest
BS,
I don't think there is really a 100% answer to this question. The lure may come out as soon as there is no longer tension on the lure, the lure may fall out a few days later, or the lure may fall out a month later.
I have never caught a muskie with a lure still in its face, so I think they have a pretty good ability to extracate them. I hear of bass guys/ walleye guys getting bitten off ALL the time, so the muskie must manage to get the bait out somehow.
In fact, the 45"+ fish that I lost boatside last night managed to get 2 6/0 hooks out of its face and spit the bait at me. Gave me a nice tail flap on the way back to the depths too. Gotta love these fish.
HW
I don't think there is really a 100% answer to this question. The lure may come out as soon as there is no longer tension on the lure, the lure may fall out a few days later, or the lure may fall out a month later.
I have never caught a muskie with a lure still in its face, so I think they have a pretty good ability to extracate them. I hear of bass guys/ walleye guys getting bitten off ALL the time, so the muskie must manage to get the bait out somehow.
In fact, the 45"+ fish that I lost boatside last night managed to get 2 6/0 hooks out of its face and spit the bait at me. Gave me a nice tail flap on the way back to the depths too. Gotta love these fish.
HW
Last edited by Guest on Thu Jul 29, 2004 9:25 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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BASSSTALKER
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Ah, the glove topic. I was hoping this would come up.
There are three reasons why people use gloves:
1) To potentially prevent hooking yourself when unhooking a fish
2) To prevent gill rake cuts when holding a fish
3) To provide better grip when handling a fish.
There are mixed opinions on this one for sure, and it all comes down to angler preference (as do most things muskie related). I'll respond to each point in sequence:
1) I don't use a glove to remove hooks, I rely on care and proper tools. That is not to say that I will never be hooked. That risk always exists. However, I won't use a glove. If a hook does penetrate the glove, and your skin, removing that hook at ER becomes a huge ordeal (I've heard some nasty stories). Getting a hook out of your skin alone is an ordeal. Now throw a glove into the equation. No thanks. The glove MAY help to prevent a hook getting in your hand, but for those of you who have seen the power of a big muskie, good luck. More than likely, you're getting hooked regardless (unless you are wearing steel gauntlets).
2) I personally don't use a glove for handling, or releasing a fish, and will never use one. My rationale is that if I am going to be putting my hand near a fishes gills, and other sensitive and vital organs, I want to be able to feel what I'm doing. With a bare hand, you can quickly determine if you are grabbing the wrong part of a fish. I don't believe this is the case with the glove. It is possible to inadvertently harm a fish via the gills with the glove on. After all, once that glove goes on, your sense of touch is diminished significantly, so you really can't guage what you are grabbing. People wear the glove to protect their hand from the gill rakes. I personally would rather get a few cuts and scrapes (I've got some nice scars as memories of big fish ), than potentially harm the fish. Gill rake cuts heal, harming a fishes gills can prove fatal. Make sure you have a first-aid kit handy all the times, regardless of what you are fishing for. If you get cut, clean it up quickly to stave off some nasty critters.
3) Using gloves to handle the body of a fish will remove protective slime from the fish that could make it susceptible to infection. For this reason, again, I won't use a glove, and don't recommend that you use one for this purpose, for any fish.
HW
There are three reasons why people use gloves:
1) To potentially prevent hooking yourself when unhooking a fish
2) To prevent gill rake cuts when holding a fish
3) To provide better grip when handling a fish.
There are mixed opinions on this one for sure, and it all comes down to angler preference (as do most things muskie related). I'll respond to each point in sequence:
1) I don't use a glove to remove hooks, I rely on care and proper tools. That is not to say that I will never be hooked. That risk always exists. However, I won't use a glove. If a hook does penetrate the glove, and your skin, removing that hook at ER becomes a huge ordeal (I've heard some nasty stories). Getting a hook out of your skin alone is an ordeal. Now throw a glove into the equation. No thanks.
The glove MAY help to prevent a hook getting in your hand, but for those of you who have seen the power of a big muskie, good luck. More than likely, you're getting hooked regardless (unless you are wearing steel gauntlets). 2) I personally don't use a glove for handling, or releasing a fish, and will never use one. My rationale is that if I am going to be putting my hand near a fishes gills, and other sensitive and vital organs, I want to be able to feel what I'm doing. With a bare hand, you can quickly determine if you are grabbing the wrong part of a fish. I don't believe this is the case with the glove. It is possible to inadvertently harm a fish via the gills with the glove on. After all, once that glove goes on, your sense of touch is diminished significantly, so you really can't guage what you are grabbing. People wear the glove to protect their hand from the gill rakes. I personally would rather get a few cuts and scrapes (I've got some nice scars as memories of big fish
), than potentially harm the fish. Gill rake cuts heal, harming a fishes gills can prove fatal. Make sure you have a first-aid kit handy all the times, regardless of what you are fishing for. If you get cut, clean it up quickly to stave off some nasty critters. 3) Using gloves to handle the body of a fish will remove protective slime from the fish that could make it susceptible to infection. For this reason, again, I won't use a glove, and don't recommend that you use one for this purpose, for any fish.
HW
