The moment seemed right as the Musky approached the boat, so I grabbed the net and got ready to land this fish…he had other ideas. As I went to net him, he took off and I had no choice but to drop the net and resume the fight. After another run, the Musky was ready to be landed…I went to grab the net I had previously dropped and discovered that it had become embrangled in the hook of a lure attached to another of the rods I had in the boat. What to do…? I looked at the Musky and it was just a bit too big to shoulder (it is really dangerous to shoulder any Musky). My only choice was to fight the Musky with one hand while I freed the net with the other. I didn’t know it at the time, but another boat that was in the area was enjoying the show. It must have been something to see…I felt like I was being pulled in two directions at once. In my mind, I was sure that I would lose this fish. As luck would have it, and don’t ask me how, I managed to free the net…the Musky was still on the line and I scooped him into the net ending a very memorable adventure. He measured out a chunky 41 inches (probably 19 pounds). The other boat came over and snapped a photo for me and then the Musky was on his way. There are many valuable lessons from this adventure, not the least of which is: "Don’t overlook the potential of used water." Obviously, one of the reasons I was successful here was because I knew the piece of water upon which I was fishing. Remember, however, that one of the most useful and productive tactics is the ‘double hover’. Fishing water fished by another angler is just another variation of the double hover.
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