2012 Episode Synopsis
by Charlie Wray

Episode 215: Florida Sharks and French River Muskie

Today, my Wife Terri and I load up the RAM for the drive to Key West, Florida. We always take for granted how much room the RAM has, but we are quickly reminded when we fold down the back seats. WOW!!! Talk about room! We bring a lot of equipment with us, and still don’t need to worry about how to pack it, there is simply that much room, just stuff and go. Nice to have the reliability as well with RAM, I have used them for years and have complete trust on long trips, towing, etc. The comfort doesn’t hurt either, it makes for an enjoyable long drive down, about 28 hours in total.  Let me tell you, with that much time on the road, if you aren’t totally comfortable, you start to feel it.  Then later in the show, I am up to the Chaudiere Lodge on the French River.  This was my first year on the French, and this system has monster Muskies, and I was lucky enough to nail a brute.

First in the show, Terri and I enjoy our trip to Florida during the winter months, and who wouldn’t, but this trip is all about Sharks this time!!! We have seen enough over the years to keep us out of the water, and this trip was another reminder. Sharks for the most part can be skittish and easily spooked, but every once in a while, one gets the scent of the slick and comes in on fire, we have seen it in the past. This time was a little different, Capt Steve Rodger knows his Shark fishing and was telling us about the huge Bull Sharks that have been off the one reef for weeks, that is, if we’re interested. Oh ya, we were!!! After catching a few King Mackerel and Bonita for bait to start the slick, Steve simply said are you ready to hook one up! Now, I am use to seeing the odd sign of a Shark first, a fin, a stolen fish from the line, etc. Not just the, they are down there, count on it!  Now, keep in mind, Bull Sharks have been known to be the most dangerous and have caused the most deaths, now you are telling me they just lie in wait, where you can’t see them! Simply not the situation where one would want to go for a quick swim! I am the last person that would want to start a Shark panic, but we are close to shore and we are talking large Sharks, guess that is why I don’t swim on our fishing trips.
I was rigged up, wire leader, my Mustad 10/0 Ultra Point big gun hooks, 100 lb test Tuf-Line XP and my Okuma Solterra reel. The second the bait was out of sight, maybe 15 feet down and 40 feet back, there was no mistake of the solid take!!! Terri had the next fish, same deal, as soon as the bait was out of sight, these fish were here to eat.  Both fish took about an hour and a half and were estimated at 375 and close to 400 lbs.  Both were very healthy and released to fight again another day. These were massive Bull Sharks, and just another reminder not to swim where folks are fishing.

Then, later in the show, I hitched the Crestliner 1850 Raptor to the Ram and headed to the Chaudiere Lodge on the French River.  For those of you not familiar with Crestliner, these boats are built like no other, welded strong and ride incredibly smooth, even on the rough days. Good to know, because I had no idea this stretch of the French River was so large and much like a lake itself. After seeing the size and depth, I knew instantly this was big fish waters and there are probably fish in the system that have never even seen a lure. The owner of Chaudiere Lodge         (Steve Niedzwiecki) www.chaudierelodge.com (705)-763-2220 offered me the use of his Navionics card this trip, without it, it would have been challenging to navigate outside of the channel markers.  The Navionics card was bang on with every rocky point, shoal and shallow area.  Well worth the investment if you want to cover lots of water safely.  Time to look for a Muskie!

Well after casting all morning with traditional Muskie lures and seeing nothing other than great looking areas, one after another, I decided to downsize and have fun with Pike, Bass, or anything else that wanted to play. The lightweight Okuma Citrix rod and reel loaded with 30 lb test Tuf-Line XP was much lighter than what I was using and a welcome relief as a break, even though I was only planning a short break with the downsized equipment.   Not knowing what was around the next corner, I still had on an invisible 40lb test Seaguar Leader, since it was invisible, it wouldn’t spook the Bass and Walleye, and 40 made sense if a few large Pike wanted to join in, and this would prevent bite offs. My lure of choice was a Live Target Smelt in the new Silver/Bronze colour.  This was a perfect example that sometimes the size of the lure isn’t the only factor.  This Live Target Smelt has incredible flash, and suspends perfectly. When it works, it works!!

When tying to a split ring, never use a clinch knot.  Since the split ring can flex, the knot can slip. A knot that actually forms on the line itself, and slides down, like a Uni knot is much better against a split ring. All of a sudden the lure went sideways with solid weight behind it.  I am glad there wasn’t much in the way of debris in the area, because this 40 +lb Muskie could have done whatever it wanted. I put as much pressure on this monster fish as possible, wanting as quick a fight as possible, and after a quick look, a healthy release.  It all happened so fast, that I was glad I had footage to look back on to enjoy it again. Loads of back bays and arms give unlimited choices to fish, and I am anxious to go back this coming year to learn it more. I also must say, the cabins at Chaudiere are some of the nicest I have ever been in, clean and comfortable and great meals and lunches supplied.

Continue to Episode 216

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