This past week we had the July new moon. Last year two of the best hours all season were the moon set at night and the following moon rise the next morning. Wally Robins and I boated 6 big fish off those two peaks.

This year I had the new moon off. Yeah I know, perhaps I should have fished them but days off are rare right now and the season has a long way to go. One has to pace one’s self. I am down 10 pounds already!

Good friend Birket Foster does a bang up job on my Facebook page and since he was staying across the river from me with family for the week, going to fish with he and his was the least I could do. That and he had a big bottle of Lagavulin for celebrating big muskies on hand. The new moon was going to going to make stealing Birket’s Scotch too easy.

We only headed out to fish for two hours. As a long time guide I know never to promise muskies because the river will make you humble. Tonight I felt cocky though because not only did we have the moon but the wind had laid down for us this evening. So I told the crew the river was going to give us three chances over our two hour trip. If the wind lays down at sunset the river almost always gives you at least one chance anyway.

Favourite son-in-law Cory had the first shot at a musky but was caught off guard. No matter how much coaching one does the newbies almost always learn tough lessons in the beginning. Even the veterans learn tough lessons over again because the second the second fish ate Birket’s bait at boat side and after a lot of splashing and then a numbing calm, our boy admitted he let the fish go airborne instead of keeping the rod under the water and leading the musky like a dog on a short leash.

Finally, on chance number three, Cory came through for us. I must have coached Cory 20 times in our two hours on the finer points of boat side lure control and told him his big fish was going to eat at his feet. It is one of those crazy musky things you have to see to believe. Cory finished his cast and picked his lure out of the water. Immediately he remembered he hadn’t finished with a big slow circle and placed his bait back in the water to complete the cast. Before the circle was complete the water exploded beside the boat for a second time only this time it was big fish. After what Cory will tell you was one of the craziest 60 second frames of his life we boated another fish of a lifetime.

Lagavulin here we come!

Oh and it was Cory’s first Musky – and we love to celebrate first muskies …

Tight lines,

JA

Thanks Corey, Birket, and Steph for an awesome evening.