Finally got my first Musky

[Andrushkin33]

Congratulations on your first.

Sad to hear that it passed away but those things do happen.

Andre

[jimcnj]

Congrats!
Must have been fun.

Don't be so hard on yourself. All fish die-eventually.
Lesson learned.

[jimmythegreek]

congrats on your first muskie! These fish are very fragile in the warmer months, and many die-hards wont even fish for them in the summer months due to delayed mortality. The reason we fish with such heavy gear is to make the fight as short as possible and let the fish have enough energy to revive themselves. I dont think Ive ever seen a kayak based muskie fisherman, I dont think you could have the tools necessary in a kayak. 3 things you must have while musky fishing are wire cutters to cut hooks, good long nose pliers and jaw spreaders, and the proper net. Theres no way you can leave a muskie in the water and dehook them, if the fish is that calm its gonna die. Dont be too hard on yourself for the loss, just please learn the valuable lesson and let others learn from your mistake as well. Thats a beauty by the way, an old fish too

[Jersey Charlie]

So what pound test line do you recommend and what type of lure? I have always wanted to fish the Big D above Dingman's for Musky. I once saw a duckling disappear on the river, figured it was a Musky that got it.

[justin1982]

Awesome fish, congrats... Don't beat yourself up, it happens

[catfishonthelake]

This is a great example of how NOT to fish for muskies. With all the posts that have been on this site about having the proper tools for targeting these fish, it is mind-boggling that you would go and specifically target them without even having a NET???? I don't suggest fishing for muskies from a kayak, but to not even bring a net is irresponsible and poor sportsmanship, and above that dangerous. I'm sure people are gonna jump on me for this but the whole "don't beat yourself up" thing is a bunch of crap. This site should be promoting conservation and good fishing practices. There is no doubt in my mind that this fish would've survived had you been prepared. I thoroughly regret giving you advice on how to catch muskies and will not make the same mistake again.

[Skunk City]

Like pretty much everyone above has covered, these fish are no joke. Targeting them in a 9ft kayak with limited space for equipment and no net is just asking for trouble. Always plan for WORST CASE SCENARIO (huge pissed off fish, deeply hooked, etc.). Unless I am targeting Bass, my net is ALWAYS in my kayak and that has helped me land, photograph and release many 35"-40" fish from my kayak without hurting me or the fish.

Hopefully you pick up a large net, a more capable kayak, and a camera mount to take pics yourself if you choose to continue targeting this awesome species.

[FishinFool247]

Originally Posted by catfishonthelake

This is a great example of how NOT to fish for muskies. With all the posts that have been on this site about having the proper tools for targeting these fish, it is mind-boggling that you would go and specifically target them without even having a NET???? I don't suggest fishing for muskies from a kayak, but to not even bring a net is irresponsible and poor sportsmanship, and above that dangerous. I'm sure people are gonna jump on me for this but the whole "don't beat yourself up" thing is a bunch of crap. This site should be promoting conservation and good fishing practices. There is no doubt in my mind that this fish would've survived had you been prepared. I thoroughly regret giving you advice on how to catch muskies and will not make the same mistake again.

I think it is pretty crappy of you to reply to my njfishing post instead of the FB messages I sent you. You could have very easily just replied to me on FB instead of the internet. I know now that the way I fished was in poor judgment, before that I didn't know it was going to be so much of a struggle and it could end up killing the fish.
The reason I posted this and said the truth was so nobody else makes the mistake I made. If you look back at my messages on FB I explained what happened and that I learned my lesson. Since you want everyone on njfishing to see your reply, I will copy the texts to see if others agree with me. I think that not responding to my texts and replying to my NJFISHING post was not right of you. So here is our FB chat that you stopped replying to and decided to bash me on the Internet instead.

Me: Thanks a lot for all your advice you gave me on gear and stuff! I started my Musky career off with a 41 inch girthy tiger musky, I caught at (name of lake I fished). it took me well over 10,000 casts, and every single one was worth it..lol How much do you think he would weigh?

You: Why did you kill it? That's not cool.

Me: Well I had some difficulty landing him in my Kayak without a net, and by the time I got a hold of him....he pretty much went belly up and I couldn't revive him.....it was the last thing that I wanted to happen....I don't plan on fishing solo out of my Kayak anymore for musky after I killed this fish.I really need to get a boat ASAP because the kayak apparently isn't made for musky fishing. I really do feel bad about killing that beautiful fish, and I hope it never happens again.

You: (no response) (and then your reply to my post on the internet) and then you delete me as a friend on FB.

Doe's anybody else think that this is messed up?