First Muskie

[JimmyL]

Went down to the Millstone River to a spot my girlfriend likes to go and man, it paid off huge... As I'm looking into the water while fishing, I see something and can't tell if it's a fish or not. I keep watching and sure enough it moves and swims away. I thought it was a 20" pickerel. A few minutes later the fish returns and I proceed to cast a Mepps Comet 2. 6-7 casts later I finally get the spinner to go right over it then BAM!! I set the hook and held on. The first time it jumped outta the water I looked like this smilie . It ripped some drag twice, and jumped twice. Visions forever seared in my mind. I never experienced anything like it before. The fight was no more than 5 minutes. I had on 8lb mono and an old 6 ft medium Abu Garcia rod. According to the IGFA certified Boga grip it weighed in at 12 lbs. I'm guessing 30 36 inches. Never caught anything that big so it's hard for me to judge.