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Fished Curlew from the 25th of June to the 2nd of July staying at Tiffanys Resort. Fishing from the dock at Tiffanys was hit and miss. Most of the action seemed to come around 11pm with most fish in the 16"+ range. Still fishing elsewhere on the lake wa shit and miss for us. Biggest trout was 20" with the smallest around 12". Seems the biologists are doing a creel survey. Most of our 12-14" fish were fin clipped. The clenaing station at Tiffanys has forms to fill out for fish caught to help with the study.

The bass fishing was quite slow. Water temp was 66.6* pretty consistently. The hot spots for fish were weedy shallows in 1-4' of water. A few fish were deep in the trees as the water is about 1.5' above normal. Biggest bass was around 13". Two smallies were caught, with picture proof this time.

The Tiger Muskies were as active as ever. I managed to land one on my first cast Saturday night at 18" while bass fishing. Sunday I had a follow by a 30" fish while bass fishing. Tiffanys had heavy activity around 5pm every night with two fish "parascoping" in front of the cabins every night. One stole a trout that another angler was reeling in at the dock. Another fish estimated at 18" took a rooster tail of one of the kids fishing at the dock and snapped his line. I managed to land a 36" Tiger off the point on Monday night after spotting him parascoping. I didnt think the situation through and after reeling him in had no way to net him and he eventually spit the hook. Successful catch and release in my book ha ha! Some large fish were seen, can't wait to get back after them!

There is currently a 7mph NO WAKE zone within 200 feet of shore due to high water levels to prevent erosion. It would be nice if people would follow this guideline. Multiple boats (Mainly water skiers who openly voiced their disregard for the rule) motored well within 200ft over 7mph. One even motored over a parascoping Tiger Musky. It was quite disgusting.

The other concern is the attitude towards the Tigers by most everyone at the resort. The bass were not biting well due to colder water temps. We arrived during the first week of decent weather according to the resort owners. Even still the lack of bass biting was blamed on Tiger Musky eating them all. Fisherman on the dock getting skunked blamed the Tiger Musky for eating all the trout, rather than their own approach. Some claimed the Tigers come through and scare all the trout away from the dock, yet every night the same tigers were out and every night we fished the dock we landed quality fish. One youngster caught a large fish that he began bludgeoning with a stick claiming it was an evil tiger musky. It ended up being a squawfish around 18", but the poor mentality is sickening. Some serious research and public education needs to be done to keep these wonderful fish from being killed out of ignorance.

As always Tiffanys was great. The girlfriend had a wonderful time and caught her first smallmouth (a fish I still havent caught in Curlew) as well as some nice trout from the dock. I introduced her to bass fishing and she is hooked now. The resort owners were as always very helpful and friendly. The only thing to do after this trip is decide when to come back, what new Musky gear to get, and which chapter to join, 57 or 60!

dougw

7/5/2011 11:09:00 AM

Great report. Much appreciated. Looks like we (Chapter 60 of Muskies Inc) have some education opportunities abound.

Teal101

7/5/2011 11:31:00 AM

I will be filling out an application to Chapter 60 here in the near future (as soon as I can spare the $35) and will be willing to help in anyway I can. Being out of Wenatchee, attending meetings could be a problem ha ha! The fact that I caught my bigger Tiger on a Castaic Rainbow trout swimbait didn't help my cause against the Tigers eating all the trout!

dougw

7/5/2011 12:07:00 PM

I have since stopped using the trout colored lures, just for that reason. I don't want people to get the impression from the guys that fish for them!

You do have an option of $25, if you want to do web-only. The only thing you miss out on is a printed magazine. Either way, we would love for you to join! Any questions, don't hesitate to shoot me an email: [email protected]

Teal101

7/5/2011 12:57:00 PM

It was about the only bait I had big enough for a Musky that I could keep out of the weeds. I really need to invest in some bucktails. Can I even be considered a Musky fisherman if I dont have a Musky sized bucktail ha ha ha!?

I wouldnt miss out on the magazine. Any info it can give me will be useful at some point. If I have any questions I'll make sure to contact you. Looking forward to the info I can gain and share.

dougw

7/5/2011 1:32:00 PM

I would say it really doesn't matter what you use for tackle. Muskies will take almost anything. The main reason I use big baits, is that I don't have to continually throw back 'other' fish. This detracts from time I can spend casting for muskies! You can sign up online:

http://www.muskiesinc.org/ss/site/templates/default.asp?_resolutionfile=templatespath|default.asp&objectid=16CFC4210-1&area_1=MINC+Pages%2Fmenu_public&area_9=MINC+Pages%2Fminc_area8&norelay_hier_id_B87921A0=15&area_2=MINC+Pages%2Fe-Commerce%2FRong+new+member%2FData+Entry&area_3=MINC+Pages%2FPublic%2FPublic+sidebar&NC=6992X

or print off the form we have on our website (http://www.mountainmuskies.com/application.pdf) and send it in.

dougw

7/5/2011 1:34:00 PM

Sorry for the long link. You will need to copy and paste it into your browser.

YJ Guide Service

7/5/2011 2:56:00 PM

Good report teal 101. I was also at Curlew from the 1st-3rd. I saw 13 big Tigers and had many follows. I think the fish at Curlew are well fed. I think you need to present them with things that are flashy. Last year the Trout fishing was excellent and has just been a little slow this year from what I've heard from the people that live on the lake. The Tigers are not the reason why the Trout and Bass fishing has been slow for some people. I caught alot of bass while we were there and also seen a couple big big bass. I hope you join Chapter 60 we are always looking for people who enjoy catching and talking Muskies. I myself throw baits that are not much bigger than stuff you would throw for Pike and big Bass, stuff like 6"-8". Good fishing everyone...

Teal101

7/5/2011 3:34:00 PM

6"-8" is a "big bait" for me. My MH 7' rod with 15lb Yo-Zuri was working hard throwing a Castaic 4" Rainbow Swimbait, which is what I landed the bigger Musky on. The follow and littler fish were on 2-3/4" rapala plugs. I need to get a longer heavier rod to sling some bigger baits with.

People need something to blame for poor fishing, and the Tigers seem to be the scapegoat. My girlfriends family is very local to the area and we chatted with a few of their friends and they echoed the same thing, fishing has been slow this year. I caught plenty of bass myself, although the fishing was slower than last year at this time. I'd like to tie into a curlew big big bass, as "big" for us has been anything over 12" up there! Can't wait to get involved with chapter 60.

Tight lines.

Rosann G

7/5/2011 7:54:00 PM

Congrats on all the fish Teal101 and an extra congrats to your girlfriend on her first smallie. Bill and I have mostly thrown or trolled smaller stuff to catch tigers but that was on the wet side and from what I hear the tigers on this side seem to like a little bigger lure.
Good luck with your tiger hunting. I've met a few of the Chapter 60 members and they seem like a great bunch.

muskyhunter

7/6/2011 8:20:00 PM

Hi Teal..interesting comments by the fisherpersons up there. I have talked to 3 of the resort owners up there at Curlew. They understand the concept of the Muskies being in the lake. They all agree that they actually help both the trout and the bass fisheries up there. I'm sure they are educating the folks that ask about the muskies. One of the resort owners was very hands on when they were stocked up there. And the end results are bigger trout and the bass population is getting way better. And yes, the muskies do eat a few of the planter trout. Heck, how many are planted up there each year? I'm sure they stay pretty close to pens in the spring picking off a few of the sickly or weak ones that are released. When I have fished up there I do use trout colored baits..think about it though..a sickly trout is pretty easy prey for a musky. Those colors work great up there. I certainly hope that people change their minds about the muskies in Curlew.
You guys in 60 ARE a great bunch of folks that spend alot of time on the water and catch alot of muskies. We all can help educate those who do not know and show the folks what a great game fish the Tigers are up there in Curlew. That lake definatley hold some Muskies of a lifetime and I hope they are there for years to come for my grandson to catch in the years that are up and coming. Good luck to you Teal, Doug and Craig. Hope to drag my boat over the hill to fish with you guys real soon..Remember when in doubt set the hook twice..see ya, Todd

Teal101

7/7/2011 9:13:00 AM

I think a lot of it has to do with changes in the fishery over the years. No single fishery ever stays the same year after year. Theres always going to be changes in where the fish go, all based on the food supply and predators. The musky may change the habits of the trout and bass to and extent, but population decimation is not what is going on. WDFW states the musky eat mainly squawfish and some bass during the summer and roughly 40% of their diet is trout in the winter when they feed less. I pulled that info from an article on the NWTigerPac's website. It would be nice if that information was echoed to fisherman up at Curlew whenever possible. People need to realize they need to adjust their tactics to adjust to changes in the fishery. Having said that, we had no problems landing trout off the dock at Tiffanys, despite the presence of Tigers every night. The Tigers picking off weaker trout strengthens the fishery. Less poor fish equates to more food for the stronger fish to grow bigger and stronger.

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