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This is one of my favorite muskie catches from 2007. It certainly wasn't the largest, but this fish made multiple leaps and tore up the water while my younger brother watched from another boat about 25 feet away! Sorry brother Mike, you often outfish me, but this was my night! This one fell for those popular double bladed bucktails you've been hearing so much about.
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My brother Mike McLaughlin caught the largest Minnesota muskie among our
trips in 2006.
Here's his beautiful dark colored lunge caught on a 10" Grandma while
casting
a rock and weed point.
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I am the proud father of two wonderful young men who share my passion for fishing and hunting.
Spending time outdoors with sons, daughters, and good friends is really what this is all about.
Here is my youngest son Nathan, 10 years old in the summer of 2007, with a nice example of a northern pike that he caught on a
Burt crankbait. Nathan is pretty handy with his Abu Garcia baitcaster and Berkley Lightning Rod.
If he follows in dad's footsteps, he is going to need a much bigger tackle box very soon.
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Aaron McLaughlin was just 15 when he caught the largest reported muskie from this particular lake in northern Minnesota during the fall of 2007. The fish smashed a double blade bucktail and made some spetacular leaps. Despite being a monster, Aaron cranked him in a 6'6" heavy action Lightning Rod and Berkley Fireline. The fish broke a nice muskie net. The hoop of the net bent over at a 90 degree angle. Hope there are many more lunker muskies ahead for Aaron. |
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My sister Natalie lives in Arizona but manages to get back to the midwest once or twice per summer to fish with her big brother. We are still trying to get Natalie her monster muskie, but until then, she is more than happy to reel in some nice slimers like this one.
She even brings her own tackle box. Nice job Nat! |
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There's nothing special about the little pike in this photo, but it was a special evening to enjoy some great fishing with my youngest son Nathan, also known as "net boy!" This is the same net my oldest son Aaron later destroyed with a huge muskie. |
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I have lectured many times on the importance of watching the weather for big fish. This muskie slammed a Believer in 15 feet of water as a pre-frontal trough of low pressure was passing the lakes area in late September 2007. Don't overlook these peak periods even during the late fall season. Congrats to Shane Broderick of Des Moines who caught his first muskie with me just 45 minutes after launching the Lund! It pays to have a meteorologist in the boat! |
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Here's another nice one that hit a few minutes later on a Grandma crankbait. What a day! Gusty south winds, bitter cold, but hot and heavy action for 48"+ muskie. |
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You can't overlook the period around sunset to around one hour after it gets dark. This can be especially productive if the moon is also rising about the time the sun sets. Here a nice fat muskie that hit over the fourth of July weekend 2007. The first week of July has always been a big fish time up north as the water has really warmed and the muskies are hungry and ready to smash anything big and flashy. |
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I've been doing seminars at sport shows for twenty years and I keep hearing the experts talk about using big lures so you don't waste your time with the little pike and muskies. Well, I can tell you the little ones don't seem to be have second thoughts about attacking a lure 10 inches long (or more!). |
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Here's a great shot of a little 32 inch muskie cruising up and chomping on a Jake. A quick catch and release and we'll be back after this one! Great coloring in the clear northern water. |
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This little dude hit like a ton of bricks, but it was quickly obvious he wasn't one for the measuring tape. He found a black Suick to his liking. Even the small ones can make for great photos and great memories of those final few days on the water before ice up in the fall of 07. |
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As a rule, I try to avoid bluebird days without much wind on the water. This nice summer of 2007 muskie and two others hit within half hour as the moon was rising on an otherwise very quiet fishing day two days after a cold front. I am a believer in watching for moonrise and moonset times, especially during the period near the full moon. Remember the moon doesn't always come up at night! |
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My brother Mike McLaughlin is an accomplished angler for muskie, pike and walleye. We catch lots and lots of nice pike, and here's a typical example of slime dripping on the carpet of the Lund! |
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You can't always fish the days before the front, but even fishing in cold northwest winds is better than work! Steve Raygor of Des Moines fishes the Suick about as well as anyone I have met and the proof is on the end of the line! This particular late fall day, Steve caught more than a dozen nice pike and missed a huge muskie that flipped off near the boat. I think we saw snowflakes before the day was over. Brrr! Who says you have to go to Canada to catch nice pike. Don't overlook water much closer to home. |
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One of the best pike lures the past few years has been the Rapala Super Shad Rap. This can be fished anywhere from six feet to 20 feet depending on trolling speed and how much line you let out. It has become my favorite trolling bait for early season pike and muskie. |
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Remember to catch, photograph and release as quickly as possible so these beautiful creatures can live to fight you another day. |
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A nice one swims away after being caught and released long after sunset. |
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Check out how wide the head on this muskie is! Almost like a freshwater
gator! |
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Aaron McLaughlin releases a whopper from one of our favorite Minnesota
muskie waters. |
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All I had for this photo was the cell phone camera! It wasn't a monster at
just 40 inches, but you can recognize the weather as a great muskie pattern
with broken cumulus clouds and southerly winds ahead of a front.
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My nephew Nick was with me for this one. It hit a chrome and blue
Rat-L-Trap and was quickly released to fight again.
This fish came out of just a few feet of water along the reeds. |
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Friend Steve Raygor caught this nice 36" muskie on a Suick while casting the
top of a sand bar in shallow and weedy water. |
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Steve Raygor again with another chunky Minnesota pike caught during some
downright chilly fall weather.
Remember the hot pike and muskie bite continues right until the ice forms,
as long as you fish the
right weather conditions. |
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Experimental Minnesota DNR regulations on this lake mean you can't keep any
pike larger than 24 inches. The result over the past decade has been a huge
increase in the average size of northern Pike. A typical week long vacation
trip will net several nice ones
like this slimer. |
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Another day, another nice northern while fishing with my two boys. Storms
were just starting to build about 50 miles west when the
fish turned on. |
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If you can safely get back on the water after the storm passes and lightning
has stopped for at least 30 minutes, you can still get some nice fish before
they slow down and go deep or move deep into the weeds. |
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Mark Wright, originally of Carroll, IA and now in the Phoenix area, caught
this one while casting
early in the morning on a northwest Minnesota muskie lake. My brother Mike
McLaughlin was
the guide. |
