PA personal best this weekend

[muskie52]

My family has a yearly re-union at my aunt's cottage which is about 1/2 mile from Pymatuning. I decided to go a few days early to get some fishing in and arrived Weds. afternoon. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to get out fishing until Friday morning.

My brother, my uncle, and myself headed out around 5:30am and not five casts into the day my brother had a very hot follow from a good musky. He was using an Eagle Tail (black w/ flo orange blade). My brother was caught totally off guard and I'm sure is still kicking himself over that one. That was the only fish we saw that morning.

Saturday morning, my brother couldn't make it out, so I borrowed his boat and took out my 15 year old cousin Luke for his first ever musky adventure. We launched the boat only to realize that I left my lure boxes back at camp. Not a great way to start the trip. A quick trip back to camp and we were finally out on the water at 8am. After some quick instructions on casting baitcasters and figure 8's etc., we started fishing around 8:30am.

At 9:05am, we were working the area where my brother had his follow the day before and BAM....a crushing strike on my yellow Eagle Tail. I new right away it was a good fish. This fish did not want to quit, but Luke did a great job netting it. Good thing too, because the hooks popped free as soon as the fish was in the net.

Then, as I was reaching in the net to get the lure out, the fish decided that he wanted some revenge and started to thrash. OUCH....now I have a hook buried well past the barb in my finger. It's only then that I realize that I also forgot my bag of release tools back at camp. I was going to try to push the hook thru to cut off the barb, but no dice there since I didn't have my knipex with me. Oh well, here goes.....and I just rip the hook out. Did I say OUCH! Now I find that my brother doesn't have a first aid kit in his boat...and I'm bleeding like a stuck pig.

Oh well, I'll worry about that later because I've got a picture that needs taking and a measurement to get. HOLY CRAP, I forgot my tape measure back at camp too!!! I know that this is my biggest PA fish, and I can't get an accurate measurement. Oh well, it's not that big of a deal. Luke snaps a couple quick pictures and I let her go.

I then call my brother with the good news. He's excited and tell me to pick him up at the dock because he's now got the itch. I pick up him along with his 6 year old son Dawson and we head back out (He brought a first aid kit for my battle wound). We go back to the same area and my brother decides to cast and let his son real in. Not 20 minutes later I look and see that Dawson has a HOT follow from another nice fish. Dawson sees it too and I think he went into shock. He immediately stopped reeling and the fish turned away. Dawson's eyes were as big as saucers and he was speechless! It was really cool. That was the last fish we saw that morning as we had to head back in a short time later.

Even though we didn't get much fishing in, it was a great trip. I got to spend alot of time with family and friends, which hasn't been the case since I moved out here to Lebanon, PA.

Now I have to get ready for a trip to Raystown with the family. We leave Monday and are camping there for 4 days. Wish me luck! Oh yeah, I'll have my boat so I won't be forgetting my lures, release tools, tape measure, and first aid kit!

Tony

[ThreeRiversEsox]

Great stuff Tony! Another nice healthy, FAT PA fish!

[allegheny river kid]

Congrats on a beauty!!! I'm headed there in a few days, hopefully i'll get to see one like that!!

[toothyfishman]

Nice fish!

Congrats on a new PB!!!!!!!!

[Red Childress]

Beautiful fish......too bad she is so skinny.

[muskie52]

Thanks for the kind words guys! I'm sooooo jealous of the quality musky waters you guys have in the western part of the state! I'll be back for sure!

Tony

[HBmusky]

that is some good stuff and that is a nice fish ,I enjoyed reading some good hulsome reading without the tec stuff only real deal real life stuff. there plenty of water your way do not be to gelous of these waters .Thats the thing about p.a there are good waters thoughout .