Post by william bennett on Jul 11, 2010 15:41:46 GMT -5
With the beginning of july now here and the water temperatures up in the high 80's It's time for me to express my concerns to everyone who muskie fishes during these mid summer months. Please remember how easy it can be to indirectly kill muskies when they are not handled properly or quickly returned to the cooler water they came from under the hot surface they are now in as you release them. Catching muskies in these high water temperatures can be dangerous but with one quick picture and back into the water asap it can be quick and easy. Once a fish is in the net leave it there after unhooking it while you get the camera ready. Have it all planned out so the fish can only be out of the water for 30 seconds or less. Then place the fish back into the water and let it swim by it's self. Hold it up rite if needed only until it can keep it's balance on it's own. Pumping the fish back and forth is not recommended like some of us were taught years ago. I like to get them back into the water, hold the tail for a few seconds, release it and watch her swim back down into the cooler water. Sometimes I will give the tail a little squeeze and they usually blast off quickly downward. But most of the time I let them swim along side of the boat and enjoy seeing them slowly swim down to where they can chill out after the exhausting experience they just encountered.