Wouldn’t you know, there’s nice weather coming to Wisconsin. That’s probably because today was our last day. In comparison to the fishing days we’ve had this week however, today was beautiful. There was big wind but the temperature made it to a body-shocking 48°!
It was Granny’s last chance to get a musky on the fly this year. But all waters are still high so the task wouldn’t be easy. Bill Sherer took us to one of his haunts that has actually dropped a few feet yet it’s still high. You can see this dock remains a couple feet below the high-water mark.
We pushed off around 10 AM. Bill had a different boat today and both Granny and I could huck muskie flies at the same time. The clarity of the water was excellent despite overflowing and I had a baby musky about 20” follow my fly but couldn’t convince him to eat.
The put-in boat ramp was still in sight when that little muskie chased. That encouraged us but it was two hours before the next sighting. Granny got the fish to eat but couldn’t drive the hook. It was another small one so not a heartbreaker. Right after I landed this respectable pike but this was all before lunch.
We learned at lunch Bill stowed a few beers in his Yeti today. This was a pleasurable surprise being today is my birthday. It’s been so cold I haven’t considered packing any beers this week. Granny had her first New Glarus, a beer only found in Wisconsin, and they’re excellent.
The afternoon was a slow one. There were two highlights however. One I got to take my jacket off for the first time this week. And I landed this baby muskie minutes before the take out. He’s nothing to brag about but the fact that the fly was nearly as big as he was made the picture.
We rapped it up around 5 PM then Granny and I drove four hours to Minneapolis where we catch an early flight home tomorrow. While the weather may not have cooperated this week we had a great time. When you travel and fish a ton you’ll have a few of these tough weeks. This being said, the muskie I caught on Monday will be one I’ll always remember.
Next on the fishing agenda is redfish on the Louisiana Flats. I promised a ton of good blogs this fall and now please step back and enjoy!
Hey Jeff, out of curiosity, what camera are you using for these candid shots? Smartphone or point-and-shoot?
Thanks,
Andrew
Jeff, I took your advice and went out with Bill Sherer and went for my first Musky on a fly. Wow, Bill is absolutely a great guide and person. We raised 6 fish and several were BIG fish!!!! The first big one froze me. You would have laughed your butt off at me standing there. I saw it and “locked up”. This is one incredible, fast fish! What an awesome creature. Despite working his butt off to get me a fish I managed only a couple Pike (Good thing they are not smart). Bill set me up great but I could not get the strip set and fight down. Old habits are hard to break. It was a great learning experience and Bill gave me some awesome tips to get one in the future. Bill was disappointed but he seriously gave me MANY chances to get one (and some BIG ones). I plan to practice and land one soon.This is definitely a trip fly anglers need to make and Bill knows the waters better than anyone! What a great day! Like the Henry’s Fork, I will be back with a vengeance!
So dang glad you went out with Bill. Next year if I make it back let’s share a day with him. I’ll sit in back as the clean up man and crack the whip on you also!