Muskies Eat Flies In November and Noah Floats

Sometimes days that don’t start out the way you want, end up being the best ever…..

This trip was four years in the making. Toby Gilbert is an extraordinary fly fisherman who is so addicted to his craft that he reminds me of a musky hunter. Toby guides for the biggest Atlantic Salmon in the county on the Restigouche River in Quebec AND the biggest steelhead in the world at the other end of the country on the Nass River off the Skeena which is a renown river for world record salmon. If you’re not a fisherman I just said Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, and Dodger stadium in baseball terminology.

We brought 8-year old Noah out for the day to share in the spectacular 22 degrees and blue skies and experience his first musky trip. I can tell you unequivocally that Noah floats because on the second spot of the day Noah became the first person ever to fall out of my Crestliner Raptor. If you are going to fall in the water in November at least pick a warm day (right Devon Ralph….).

A trip back to the Musky Factory and a whole bunch of poorly fitted clothes later we were headed out for take two of the quest for big muskies on the fly. Thanks to Quilback stalker Rhonda for forgetting her sweat pants here last weekend during the Kahuna Cup so I had something in the house to fit an 8-year old.

Three of us had a November trip for the ages. Toby got not one but two tanks on the fly and Noah and I shared in the joy equally. Noah learned that musky fishing is all about the team and WE caught two muskies together.

I want to say a special thank you to Noah for being the coolest, smartest, toughest, most fun 8-year old I have had the pleasure of hanging out with in a long time. I think the last picture will tell you that Noah is pretty hooked on muskies going forward too.

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