I've been getting an itch this year for musky fishing as my smallies haven't been in the mood for months at least notable ones. I'm not an esox expert but attention to little details helps, kind of like with hunting.
I lost a 47" according to my noted guide Tony Rizzo in the in the 90's in Star Lake, WI. Likely I set the hook like a pussy as Tony checked the hooks and said they were sharp. A brief tussle with an almost legal ski who hits your jerk bait and then 4-foot silver flash before your eyes as she turns broadside makes you truly appreciate the magnitude of the moment. The line goes slack, your visions of glory and adrenaline crash hard as the silver beauty slowly disappears into the abyss. What followed in the boat was one of my more embarrassing moments about lack of restraint and going full retard, Tony being a religious but not obnoxious man made it even more painful. For about 10 seconds I did my best job to make Lee Elia blush with an expletive laden rant and taking the Lord's name in vain a few times. All fell quiet on the boat with my gf at the time and Tony an older man stood in silence. Just as quickly I realized what an ass I was and sheepishly said "I'm sorry Tony." We continued to fish for the rest of the day and it was uneventful. Moral of the story is always set the hook hard, have proper musky equipment and sharpen your hooks as opportunities are seldom, don't live with regret for 20 years and polish off the bottle as 'The gal that got away' plays on repeat by the Chairman.
I no expert on sharpening hooks but I grabbed a file, some machine oil and spent a full day sharpening 108 hooks. Take your time and especially on the smaller musky hooks as you can quickly remove too much metal and alter the geometry, I treat the inside of the hook like a blade and bevel it. Pros such as Jim Saric said this is how to do it so that's what I did.
Putting on an edge, use oil to keep file wet. I need to get a file brush as she gets clogged up a little.
![sharpen2.jpg]( "sharpen2.jpg")
Most hooks are so 'sticky' now I can hold most lures against my thumb almost in a vertical position.
![finished2.jpg]( "finished2.jpg")
Also, if you hear some swearing idiot, especially using the phrase "You fucking pussy!", at an otherwise idyllic spot that means another nice one got away but do stop by, say hello and encourage me to set the hook harder next time. Don't worry I have Tourette's, it's covered by the ADA which qualified me for SSI.
I lost a 47" according to my noted guide Tony Rizzo in the in the 90's in Star Lake, WI. Likely I set the hook like a pussy as Tony checked the hooks and said they were sharp. A brief tussle with an almost legal ski who hits your jerk bait and then 4-foot silver flash before your eyes as she turns broadside makes you truly appreciate the magnitude of the moment. The line goes slack, your visions of glory and adrenaline crash hard as the silver beauty slowly disappears into the abyss. What followed in the boat was one of my more embarrassing moments about lack of restraint and going full retard, Tony being a religious but not obnoxious man made it even more painful. For about 10 seconds I did my best job to make Lee Elia blush with an expletive laden rant and taking the Lord's name in vain a few times. All fell quiet on the boat with my gf at the time and Tony an older man stood in silence. Just as quickly I realized what an ass I was and sheepishly said "I'm sorry Tony." We continued to fish for the rest of the day and it was uneventful. Moral of the story is always set the hook hard, have proper musky equipment and sharpen your hooks as opportunities are seldom, don't live with regret for 20 years and polish off the bottle as 'The gal that got away' plays on repeat by the Chairman.
I no expert on sharpening hooks but I grabbed a file, some machine oil and spent a full day sharpening 108 hooks. Take your time and especially on the smaller musky hooks as you can quickly remove too much metal and alter the geometry, I treat the inside of the hook like a blade and bevel it. Pros such as Jim Saric said this is how to do it so that's what I did.
Putting on an edge, use oil to keep file wet. I need to get a file brush as she gets clogged up a little.
Most hooks are so 'sticky' now I can hold most lures against my thumb almost in a vertical position.
Also, if you hear some swearing idiot, especially using the phrase "You fucking pussy!", at an otherwise idyllic spot that means another nice one got away but do stop by, say hello and encourage me to set the hook harder next time. Don't worry I have Tourette's, it's covered by the ADA which qualified me for SSI.
