Like Women and Wedding Dresses (A fishing story?)

When Brent sent out this photo to the fishing buddies it was titled "Kirby Big Head". I hope he was implying the size of the Muskie's head and not mine. Saturday was Muskie Opener and I have fished with my best friend for 10 of the last 11 openers. The one year we missed, one of our college roommates tied the knot - it goes without saying that he is NOT a Muskie Fisherman. 

Well, all of the nostalgia from the past could not compare with the day we had this time around. Although the weather made it seem more like an October hunt then an enjoyable June outing we were on the water before 6:00 a.m and wishing we had our stocking caps within the hour. Brent and I bounced from spot to spot waiting for a Muskie to show itself. The northerns kept us occupied but the fish we were after did not seem to be awake yet. That is.... until Brent pulled this 45" beauty out of a foot and a half of water on his new Topwater bait. 

  I think he's a believer of listening to and trusting the guide.

As for the big girl I caught... she showed herself at about 10:30, chasing the lure that Brent had welded on for the morning. She came off of a point and looked like she wanted to either eat his bait or ram his boat. She dove into the deeps like the submarine she was and wasn't interested in any of our offerings as we threw a few different baits in her general direction for the next 15 minutes.

The wives called. The children waited. The rain continued to fall. And so we called it a successful morning with a nice Muskie to brag about. Back at the house Brent napped and I cooked pork chops. We cut the ladies loose on the town for a while - splitting the child wrangling duties for a small part of the day. But I can honestly say that Brent and I felt that we were biding our time in anticipation at another shot at that fish. 

She fell to a Pink and White bait at 7:30 p.m. To make the story even better, it was a bait that I made with the help of my friend. And to top that off, it's the biggest fish I've ever landed. 

51 inches on the nose - she's big enough to go down the slide at the Rush City Aquatic Center without an adult. (48" minimum)

I know that I've received some attention for my story telling - especially when it comes to a embellished hunting story. To tell you the truth, I think I could whip out hunting stories until the cows come home. As for fishing stories, maybe it's the fisherman in me that likes to keep his honey hole a secret. Maybe it's a part of me that wants to keep something for myself. Either way, for now I won't bore you with the details that are burned into my brain like when time stands still during a car wreck. My wife says "Boys are weird. You're doing damage control on the biggest fish you've ever caught. It's like Women and wedding dresses....." (Whatever that means.) 

I'll let the picture tell the story.....