Thurs nite/Friday morning midnight special...A tale of the unexpected

[Jigman13]

In typical jigman fashion I got to the river Thursday nite targeting walleye. Got on the water around 11. Not a bite for the first hour. Say to myself perhaps it's time to cut the losses and head home. Few casts later it happened...

Rolling a 4" keitech thru fast stuff I hang up. Then the hang up starts to move...slowly. Few head shakes but a lot of weight. Thinking I just hooked a beast walleye--the 30" I've been dying for the last 3-4 years. Then the fish bolts across the river. Whoa... this ain't a walleye. Keeping my rod way high I commence battle. Up and down the river, at me, away from me and repeat a bunch of times. I see a rather large tail and get a side glimmer of long, green and bronze. No f'n way I say to myself...

Get the beast a bit closer and wouldn't ya know... esox do hit at night! Big ones at that, too! So as I'm shitting my pants I fully realize that I'm well undermatched for the fish I've hooked. A 2500 sized reel, a light walleye rod, 15 lb braid and a 12 lb fluoro leader. I try to maintain pressure and my wits. Pressure mission accomplished...wits, not so much. I was shaking. Visibly.

Alone on the river the battle continued for about 10 mins but it felt like 30. The fish jumped 3-4 times in the dim halo of my headlamp. The markings were clear, indesputibly evident this was a muskie.

I jumped into the water, filled my mucks--im in passed the knee. The fish is tired now...i think. Rod in my left hand I swoop down with my right and grasp her tail. She bolts. Rinse and repeat. This occurred 3 times before I finally got a good grip. Laid my rod down and slid my left hand under its belly. The beast lay in both my hands--i was still shaking.

I unhook my swim bait from her lower lip. Leader is totally frayed. Ran with her to my bag close by and taped her out...41" tiger muskie! Took a couple pics and was fortunate to get one good one. Jumped back in the water and stayed with her over 30 minutes until she swam off on her own. The fish appeared to have regained it's bearings. Cross my fingers that she made it. She undoubtedly deserved to continue to swim!

My adrenaline subsided. I sat on the ground for another 10 minutes collecting myself and my things which were strewn about. That was EPIC. I walked up and downstream a good distance to see if the fish pushed back towards the shore but it was gone. A glimpse of hope and some relief for me.

This was my first rod and reel ski. It was a truly memorable fish. Here's the pic below. Enjoy!