This report comes a little late and I apologize, I have been really sick since after this trip. 2 weeks of fighting the verge of walking pneumonia is not something I wish on anyone. But thank the Lord for good doctors and antibiotics, I hope to be good as new real soon.
Muskie have been labeled as a trophy fish, one of not just a thousand casts, but that of 10,000 casts. For me muskie has been a bucket list fish but never something I ever got around to try for. At the beginning of this spring I began noticing more pictures showing up of some really nice fish being caught. I started doing some research and found 3 bodies of water on the west side of the state that have good numbers of muskies to target. Through my research, water temperatures seemed to play a role in how aggressive the fish can be and where they position themselves related to structure. Going by myself to a new body of water I put together a float plan and set out with the SS Redhook to go chase some Muskie.
Now keep in mind, I felt like this was more or less a recon mission. New body of water, new species of fish, new techniques, but really an opportunity to learn a new fishery and who knows maybe get lucky. Since Lake Tapps was the lake of choice I picked the South end of the lake launching out of Allan York Park. (My research showed this was a good starting point due to the size of the lake and lake of launch access). I would be throwing bucktail spinners I made as well as some jerk baits hoping to coax a giant into view.
From the launch I saw that the water had maybe a foot and a half of viability which I pictured the bucktail being the lure of choice as I could cover the most water effectively. I began targeting the weedlines near the docks hoping to find a fish holding near by. Water depth in some of the coves was only about 5 ft and clearly visible grass vegetation. With each cast I visualized a follow from a fish as to be ready to perform the figure 8 method to entice a following fish. Anticipation built around each point and weedbed but I didn't see a fish after covering close to half of the shoreline near the south end. But what I did get was some local knowledge. One of the house owners mentioned a big muskie that lived near their dock and would show itself on the surface from time to time. I took that info and focused my efforts around where she mentioned. After fishing for about 10 mins wouldn't you know I heard something behind the boat and was able to catch the glimpse of a swirl on the surface. No birds or anything near by, and by the size of the splash it was big. I placed casts in all directions near the splash but nothing to show.
A couple other fisherman stopped by and asked how things were going. One friendly gentleman hinted about more fish being out in the main part of the lake before he headed out. This was good info for the future as I wanted to stick to my plan and keep pounding and covering water. I motored over to the other shoreline that was full of wood and decided to throw a drop shot down for a smallmouth and take a break from casting for a little while. Right away on the second drop put a decent fish to the boat. Pretty cool as this was my first drop shot smallie.
Tried all through the docks with no other luck as the wind began picking up. Slowly working back to the boat launch I saw a bank angler yelling as I got within 100ft. He claimed to had a 4ft muskie follow a small spinner right to the dock swipe at it before swimming away the other direction. He was just leaving, so I asked if he cared if I fished the area and he said he was going to try another spot to go ahead. I worked this location over hard with a chatterbait and xfactor swimbait trailer, but again no follows or strikes.
Since the wind kicked up considerably, I decided to call it. I would say a good recon trip as I gained new knowledge and found some good looking spot for the next time out. Just to be out on the water was a blessing no matter if the fish were willing to play or not. I cannot wait to get back out to this lake as I am not done her by any means!
Thanks for tuning in everyone, God Bless and Fish on.
-Rick