Yes? No. Yes? Yes.

With post-frontal conditions and hot temperatures, my confidence was a bit shaken this morning that we would capture our 8th and final muskie for this phase of Project Noble Beast. Nonetheless, Rick Collins and I headed out to tackle our quarry.

After all but one follow in the morning, we eventually worked our way down the river. I casted my Red October tube out and began pumping it in. As the bait slid forward and paused, I felt a jolt at the end of my line and instinctively set the hook. From beneath the murky waters a decent sized muskie head shook and bursted forward. After a short battle, the beast was safely secured. Was this #8? When I looked down at the fish laying in the net, I saw familiar wounds that I first noticed two days ago on a fish John Thibert caught for the project. Unforunately, John's fish could not be tagged because it already had a tag in it! Likewise, the fish I stood staring at today could not be tagged... because it was the same fish! This fish was recaptured 48 hours after being released.

It was certainly a bittersweet moment as I welcome any and all recaptures, but we still needed our 8th fish! As the day wore on, the sun came out full force and, to make matters worse, the trolling motor's pedal died on us. We were left to drift or use only the "constant" setting on the trolling motor (vs. the momentary on/off switch). With one more follow by early afternoon, it was time to try one last tactic: trolling.

We trolled. And trolled. And trolled. Nothing. Nothing. Nothi... FISH! As we slowly cruised down the home stretch to the ramp, Rick's spinnerbait was hammered and the fight was on! Was this going to be #8? Maybe, but the fish defintely was not going down without a fight. It was a gong-show trying to get it in the net, but as famed Chicago White Sox announcer Ken "The Hawk" Harrelson says, "YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOOOOOOARD, YES!" 40.5" and we're good to go, Houston.


Over, and out.