Umm...

I'm not really sure where this thing is going to go. My girlfriend's been trying to get me to start a blog for a long time. Now maybe she'll think I'm being productive. I really, really like fishing for Muskies. I'm also really, really political, opinionated and sometimes obnoxious and condescending. I guess I'm just saying this could grow from a lark into a bloodbath.

But no matter what, it will chronicle my fishing excursions. Nothing makes me feel quite like pursuing Muskies does and I've been only doing it in earnest for two years. In fact, I was hooked on Muskie fishing before I had even seen one for myself. I spent a few grand on rods and lures (to say nothing of plane tickets and gas) in the two summers and 25+ full days of fishing before I boated my first. The cute little guy (fish, that is) pictured above was my third, on Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota.

Because I live in Portland, OR, I don't have easy access to true Muskie waters. Washington's Lake Merwin is only an hour away, it contains Tiger Muskies. I've boated two Tigers in two trips to Merwin, but it's not the same as fishing in Minnesota for purebreds. Maybe I will go back and describe my previous journeys there. I will have to be careful not to give too much away. Fishermen are a secretive bunch and word tends to get out on the internet, no matter how small and insignificant one considers their patch of it to be. So I guess I can show fish porn, just not say *exactly* where or how I came across that good fortune. I will likely make exceptions for big or far away bodies of water. If I catch a sturgeon on the Columbia, it won't be too much of a secret to let out. I won't be telling anyone my favorite lure on Lake Merwin, though ;)

I hope in the coming posts I will be able to give some insight into how it feels to go after these critters. Maybe the picture will become more clear with the help of others' comments. I also enjoy the occasional Northern Pike and I will certainly relay any successes related to same.

Just to be clear, I will be using the "Muskie" spelling, since that is more consistent with Minnesota custom where I spend most of my time fishing for them. Let the cheeseheads spell it "Musky".