“Patricia Strutz – Ms. Muskie – with Mepps”

Part 3: Holding the Fish and Taking the Picture

Editor’s Note: Patricia Strutz of Eagle River, Wisconsin, muskie fishing guide and operator of “A Blond and Her Boat” guide service, is passionate about teaching women, children and first-time muskie fishermen to enjoy the sport she loves. Strutz has caught and boated 50-inch muskie and can compete with the some of the best muskie fishermen in the nation. This week, Strutz explains how she fishes for muskie and how she teaches her clients to fish for muskie.

Question: Patricia, what are common mistakes most muskie fishermen make?

Strutz: The most-common mistake made by most muskie fishermen is they stop reeling when they see a muskie. When you stop reeling, and a muskie’s following your bait, you won’t catch the fish. The muskie knows that if it’s following a perch, the perch won’t stop suddenly and fall to the bottom. A perch always will try to get away and never stop moving. When you stop your lure, you lose your chance to catch a muskie. To solve this problem, I cry wolf.

When a client has a fish following the bait, he almost always will stop the lure. So, when there’s not a muskie following a lure, I’ll scream, “Set the hook. Set the hook.” By teaching them to set their hooks or speed-up their lures when there are no muskies around, I teach them to listen for my instructions and to do what I tell them to do when I tell them to do it. This helps when they actually do have a muskie following their lure. I want my fishermen to speed-up the bait so the muskie thinks the Mepps Aglia is getting away. The muskie often will commit to the bait then.

Also, beginner fishermen will make their figure eights too small. I have to remind them that muskies are really big fish that can’t turn on a dime. I want my clients to learn to perform nice, big, fluid figure eights. I encourage them to continue performing that figure eight, even when they don’t think there’s any muskies in the water. I’ve caught a muskie on my 12th figure eight before. By making big circles on your figure eight, you’re giving the muskie much more time to turn around and take the lure.

Question: What most excites beginners?

Strutz: Beginners are excited when they catch a muskie. I’ve seen grown men cry, anglers shaking from excitement and fishermen weak at the knees when they boat their first muskie. Catching a muskie is an adrenaline rush, especially if a loved one is with you. Many people are surprised at the overwhelming emotion associated with catching a muskie.

Question: Do you take pictures of your clients with their fish?

Strutz: Of course. I’m a total fish hugger. We always practice catch and release. We use a Frabill net because it’s a big, hoop-shaped, deep net that stays in the water. This way, the fish can remain in the water while we prepare for the pictures. The Frabill net is rubber-coated which makes getting the hooks off the netting easy. So, while the fish is in the net, we take the hooks out of the fish’s mouth and get our boat tidied-up and ready for the photo. I always tell my client that a muskie can’t hold its breath any longer than we can. So, by the time we get the muskie out of the water, we need to pose and take the picture as soon as possible.

Many customers don’t feel very comfortable holding muskies by themselves, especially if they’ve never caught a muskie before. So, I’ve set-up my camera on the boat to take good pictures. I don’t like pictures with guides holding up their clients’ catches without the clients even in the picture. I have a mount on the front of my boat for my camera and a wireless remote I press to take the picture. I take the muskie out of the net and hold the head, while the client puts his or her hands under the muskie’s belly and its tail. This way, the client’s in the picture with his or her fish and the muskie’s safe. I teach clients how to properly hold fish for great pictures no matter if they’re fishing with others or alone.

Question: What type of camera do you use?

Strutz: I use an Olympus Stylus. With the mount on the front of the boat, I don’t have to hold the camera. I just press the button on the wireless remote and the camera takes the picture.

To fish with Patricia Strutz, visit www.ablondandherboat.com.