Opened up a can of "Skunk Off"

[mikeee2362]

After about a month long drought, losing fish at the bank, or to the aerial escape route I finally got the smell of skunk off my bad self. I went for a morning session with a buddy and about 8:30 after landing a couple of smolts on my copper Blue Fox (Thanx ChezJfrey) I was hit by the hardest hitting fish I have ever had the pleasure to battle with. This thing hit my spinner so hard I nearly dropped my rod. I'm pretty sure if I didn't have a nice length of 12# leader on there I would have dropped the rod and it would have possibly landed on the other side of the river. Now I have caught a lot of fish in my day and ones that dwarf this fish, from Northern Pike to Tuna and nothing has ever made me nearly pee myself like this guy. As I fumbled to get a hold of my rod the fish launched in the air and got a little slack in the line and with me trying to get the handle back in my shaking fingers, the line must have come out of the bail guide and started flipping line off the spool like the bail was half open, My buddy is screaming " fix your reel! fix your reel!!" and I'm feeling like a total numskull just trying not to drop it. So I finally got the handle "sort of" under control, and the reverse lock was not engaged, so as I'm trying to keep my tip down to keep this flying fish in the water I lose my rhythm and start reeling backwards...geez. In my minds eye I see what I'm doing but the fish is pulling so hard I don't want to just engage it suddenly and break off. So after a few more jumps and some much needed breathing I got it under control, got the fish turned and on the slow but sure return. He gave me a couple more runs that had me questioning my drag setting but it turned out to be just right and so after a good 5 minute fight with him and a month or so fight with a skunk I landed a nice solid 28" summer hatchery buck...ooooo love the chrome!! I wish I would have taken a picture of my spinner before I straightened it out, because it had a 90 degree bend in the wire from that initial hit. Gotta love those summers!!


Soooo Tasty! Had Blackened Steelhead for dinner last night and the smoker is a smokin' as we speak!!



Added some from the freezer to fatten up the batch...4 kinds, cracked pepper, pepper and garlic, pepper and maple, and maple candy...midnight will be the first tasting !!! Can't wait!!

Tight lines and screaming drags!!:thumb:

 

[OnTheDrop]

Sweet report! Spinner fish are saaawwwweet! A couple Aprils ago on the Clack one managed to hit so hard my rod actually came out of my hand and landed at my feet. Lol.

Keep up the good work,

 

[mikeee2362]

Finished, and it is some kind of awesome!!!

 

[hobster]

Great story and beautiful chromer! That smoked steel looks yummy, I can't wait to get out there soon.

 

[eugene1]

That's awesome, Mike! Nice bright fish there, and the smoker pic is sweet.

Congrats,

 

[bass]

Great job and write up!

 

[Admin]

Great post, mikeee. And great fish, too!

 

[ChezJfrey]

Way to go! Fun to read the panic-stricken fish-meet-spinner-meet-guy-that-is-not-quite-ready-for-blitz engagement Like I've always thought/said, there may be bigger and stronger fish, but nothing beats a steelhead gone berzerk fight! That's why I can't get myself to fish for anything else anymore.

I just wish I could get out of the same skunk-mode...things have been tough for me the last few weeks too. And I'm not the only one, I hear from a couple sources.

Speaking of which, troutmasta, if you're out there...how you been doing on the Clack the last week or so? I know you usually do pretty good, so I'm curious.

 

[rogerdodger]

sweet, great catch and that is some tasty looking fish...

 

[DrTheopolis]

Speaking of which, troutmasta, if you're out there...how you been doing on the Clack the last week or so? I know you usually do pretty good, so I'm curious.

My name isn't Troutmasta, but rumor has it that it's picking up. My buddy sat in for an ailing guide friend yesterday, and managed 1 chrome, fished nothing but plugs.

Sweet fish, Mikeee. But don't get it in your head that just because you got thwacked by a runaway train, that all summer steelie bites go down like that. Some do, and some just make it stop drifting for a millisecond (much like winters).

But there's nothing else that swims that rips line OFF with the speed of a fresh summer. Seem to remember reading a hundred years ago that a summer in open water can push 40MPH or some such craziness.

 

[Toyracer38]

Well done mikeee! Beautiful Steely! Loved the story. I swear every fish I catch, feels like the very first fish I ever caught.

 

[sapo]

Sweet post! Looks delicious!

 

[ChezJfrey]

Some do, and some just make it stop drifting for a millisecond (much like winters).

This is true...I've caught a fair number of summers just because of a stop. But, that said, my only fish that have hit like freight trains and kept going through the hit, doubling the rod down on impact and keeping it down have been summers; they can be a super treat reminder of why I like them so much

 

[jfisher]

Way to go! Fun to read the panic-stricken fish-meet-spinner-meet-guy-that-is-not-quite-ready-for-blitz engagement Like I've always thought/said, there may be bigger and stronger fish, but nothing beats a steelhead gone berzerk fight! That's why I can't get myself to fish for anything else anymore.

I just wish I could get out of the same skunk-mode...things have been tough for me the last few weeks too. And I'm not the only one, I hear from a couple sources.

Hey jfrey lets get out and do some fishing with some kwiks and we'll get you out of that skunk mode. You're a wrapper when it comes to kwiks, but you know me......... I like em like my women, naked and clean. Ha!

Not on ifish any more, they banned me from busten 1 to many rhymes. They didn't like my poem Ode to Pis Bucket.......Who could not like a poem entitled Ode to Pis Bucket?......Go figure?

 

[mikeee2362]

Hey jfrey lets get out and do some fishing with some kwiks and we'll get you out of that skunk mode. You're a wrapper when it comes to kwiks, but you know me......... I like em like my women, naked and clean. Ha!

Not on ifish any more, they banned me from busten 1 to many rhymes. They didn't like my poem Ode to Pis Bucket.......Who could not like a poem entitled Ode to Pis Bucket?......Go figure?

HAHA Please PM me a copy of "Ode to P*** Bucket"

 

[ChezJfrey]

Hey jfrey lets get out and do some fishing with some kwiks and we'll get you out of that skunk mode. You're a wrapper when it comes to kwiks, but you know me......... I like em like my women, naked and clean. Ha!

Not on ifish any more, they banned me from busten 1 to many rhymes. They didn't like my poem Ode to Pis Bucket.......Who could not like a poem entitled Ode to Pis Bucket?......Go figure?

LOL, yeah, I recognized you from that wrap thread, too. I often shake my head at the draconian moderation of that site. I won't go too much into it, but though never banned, I've had several posts stripped out, not for 'vulgarity', but for well documented facts that apparently don't fit into the 'rainbows and unicorns, everybody just play nauseously happy' game. They are totally building a Stepford over there.

I'm sure the Ode to P Bucket would be an entertaining read.

 

[Silvers&Steelies]

Nice fish Mike. Wish I could get out there with you some more but been too busy this spring. The fish that hit spinners are usually the most aggressive and fun. Keep it up.

 

[JonT]

Killer fish!