Northwest Fishing Reports

10/06: MERWIN TOURNAMENT RESULTS:

Tournament Directors Mike & Dan: Blue skies, lake temps 61-64 degrees, few fish actually sighted and a hard pounding wind combined to make a long day on the water for 22 anglers.

Results:
8 Tiger Muskie caught over 30" !!!

1st Place: Dan Fuller: 38.5, 39.5 & 43." = 121 total inches. Netman Mike Fuller.

2nd Place: Brett Olson: 44.5". Netman Pete Bergman.

3rd Place: Mike Floyd: 41.25". Netman John Floyd.

Trent Rickman: 40". Ed Walzer: 39". Miles McDonald: 35".
SPECIAL NOTE: THIS WAS TRENT'S 1ST TIGER MUSKIE!! WTG, TRENT! (shown below)

Almost all the Members met back at Lone Fir Resort up the road @ Cougar after the Tourney to collect their prize $$$ money & swap big stories about Tigers. Many stayed the night and the campfire and "deer" stories were, as always, entertaining.

I didn't register for the tournament but I went out at about 2:20 p.m., tossed a few casts at timber in the channel near the bridge, then pounded downlake against the waves to the rocky point around the corner from Speelyai Bay and caught a 40-incher on my first cast there. As I was alone in my boat, I had to fight the fish with one hand while using my other hand to run the motor to keep the boat off the rocks. I released the free spool and used my thumb to feed out line whenever the fish jumped, and kept it on a short line by holding the rod above my head. Basically, I used my forearm instead of the reel to fight the fish. The entire fight was within 10 feet of the boat. The most challenging moment came when the fish tried to wrap around the motor shaft, but I was able to pull him away by hoisting his head out of the water. Eventually the wind blew me clear of the rocks and into open water, and I then used my free hand to pick up the net, get the net bag open, and get the fish into the net, which was a bit tricky because he came to the net tailwalking and I had to work the net under him. This is when a stable musky boat like mine pays for itself, because I doubt that I could have stayed on my feet in those heavy waves in any other boat. Still, I had to be careful I didn't get pitched overboard and end up swimming with the fish! The fish was aboard the boat only for a few seconds -- just long enough to extract the hook (I was going to cut it if I couldn't get it out on the first yank with the visegrips) and stretch a tape measure on him. Then he disappeared into the waves from which he had come. I decided that was enough fishing for one day and pulled my boat out of the water at 2:45 PM. I'll probably remember this fish as one of my more memorable catches.

Congrats on a memorable catch and release Don. Glad it worked out and you stayed safe.