Kayak musky fishing provides unique rush

Everybody Adventures | Bob Frye
Saturday, July 11, 2015 7:18 p.m. | Saturday, July 11, 2015 7:18 p.m.

Submitted

James McBeath, a world musky fly fishing champion, fishes for muskies from his boat. Being able to stand up in a kayak is key to being able to fish correctly, experts say.

James McBeath, a world musky fly fishing champion, at right, releases a musky. Pliers and bolt cutters can make releasing a fish safer for the musky and fisherman.

John Shurina of Bethel Park holds a 37-inch musky caught from his kayak in Lake Arthur this past week.

Details

Lake Arthur muskies slow to grow

Speaking of muskies, Lake Arthur holds a fair number. Some just aren't growing very fast.

Biologists from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission have been tagging muskies in the Butler County Lake for several years then trying to recapture them to measure survival and growth rates.

This year, they got 47 muskies, said Tim Wilson, a biologist in the commission's area 1 office in Linesville. That was a few more than last year, and evidence shows "there are a good number of muskies there," Wilson said.

Many were nice, too. Biologists saw 10 that went 39 inches, seven that went 40, two that went 41, three that went 46, five that went 47 and three that went 48.

One had grown 3.5 inches since last year. Several others, though, only had grown about 4 millimeters, Wilson said. That's less than one-quarter inch.

"Some have apparently reached their maximum size. That doesn't mean they're going to die anytime soon. They're just not necessarily going to get a lot bigger," Wilson said.

"It has to be a special fish, I guess, to get to 50 inches."

One other thing biologists learned about Lake Arthur's muskies is that they see lots of fishing pressure. Just short of half showed evidence of wounds consistent with treble hooks.

"Those are probably some of the best educated muskies in the state. They've probably seen just about every lure there is," Wilson said.

Email Newsletters

It's not often bolt cutters rate as necessary fishing gear.

But then, this is a different kind of game.

Handling a musky as big as a toddler, with a mouthful of sharp, mean teeth, always carries risks. Doing it from a kayak, with angler, fish and a fistful of treble hooks together inches from the water, is sometimes downright scary. But it's amazing, too.

“When you do it right, it's a thrill,” said John Shurina of Bethel Park, who landed a 37-incher from Lake Arthur just last week.

“You're going to be soaked, you're probably going to be covered in goo and you're going to be pumped on adrenaline. But it's exciting. The musky, he's the biggest cat in the zoo.”

James McBeath agreed. Director of marketing for Jackson Kayak, he once won the world musky fly fishing championships from such a boat and has a 54-inch kayak musky to his credit.

“The fun part is the sleddogging. That's what we call it up here in Canada,” said McBeath, of Carleton Place in Ontario.

“When you're casting, and this big predator comes flying out of the weeds and hits your lure going the other way, it spins you around on a dime and starts dragging you. It's probably the best part.”

There are good reasons for tackling muskies from a kayak other than pure joy, though.

Corey Allen is owner and chief guide of Tennessee Valley Musky Authority in Oak Ridge. He fishes for muskies in a variety of waters, in all kinds of boats. At times — namely in rivers and creeks — kayaks are the only way to go, he said.

“There are some very big fish to be found in some relatively small waters, and a kayak is probably the single best tool for that kind of situation. They get you in places that no one in bigger boats can access to efficiently fish,” Allen said.

Not all kayaks are created equal, though. Muskies are notorious for following baits all the way to the boat before deciding whether to strike. Veteran anglers know to pull their bait in a “figure eight” before lifting it out of the water.

“To me, if you're not doing a figure eight or a big circle at the end of your retrieve, you're missing a lot of fish,” Joe Blazauski of Portage said.

That's hard to do in a sit-on-top kayak, though, which is why the most serious kayak anglers use a “lean bar” that allows them to stand up, he added.

Kayak musky fishing requires some other special gear, too. That's partly because of how muskies behave when hooked.

“The first time a musky sees your net and boat, they just lose their mind and give it all they've got,” Shurina said.

It often takes getting a fish to the boat two or three times before a landing can be attempted, he said. From there, he said, using some form of lip gripper — he prefers Boga-Grips — is the best thing for the fish and the fishermen.

Allen agreed and said he ties one end of a 4-foot rope to his grippers, the other end to his kayak. He grips a fish, he then lets the grips go. The fish remains tied to the boat while it “shakes out” the last of its feistiness.

“It's actually a pretty nice way to resuscitate them, too,” Allen said.

Bolt cutters are another necessity. McBeath tries to release his fish in the water when possible, but there are times when they have to be lifted into the boat, he said. That can be dangerous.

“If you don't control that fish, and it wants to shake its head, all those hooks are going in your leg,” he said.

Having a tool to cut those hooks and separate man and fish is vital, otherwise “you're going to hate your life for a minute or two,” Blazauski said.

There are some other things to consider. Blazauski recommends taking a partner to help net a fish, take pictures and assist in an emergency.

Shurina recommends investing in a wetsuit. Some of the best musky fishing occurs in spring and fall, he said, so it pays to be on the water then. But a dunking at that point in the year is a sure way to develop hypothermia, he added.

“You've got to put a little more thought into gear. Bass fishing from a kayak, you can get away with a little more. But when you're chasing muskies, it's a bit more unforgiving,” Shurina said.

But the rewards can be big. Literally.

“My favorite part of the year is the end of the season, when I look at my fishing kit. Everything's so beat up. You've got teeth marks and treble hooks that have been straightened from fighting a musky,” McBeath said. “It's just a different kind of fishing.”

Doing it from a kayak adds something special, Blazauski said.

“It's a completely different rush compared to catching a musky from my bass boat,” he said.

Bob Frye is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at bfrye@tribweb.com or via Twitter @bobfryeoutdoors.

Article by Bob Frye,
Everybody Adventures, http://www.everybodyadventures.com