Two Trophy Muskies on Two Casts

My friend Ryan Jolly and I were headed to western Pennsylvania for a camping and kayaking trip. We had found out that the lake we were going to be camping on held muskies, so we figured we’d give it a shot. I brought two muskie lures – a pair of Savage Gear Real Eels.

I tied one on Ryan’s line and, on his first cast, he snagged the lure on the bottom. He passed me the rod so I could try and free the snag, and as I tried paddling into a different position to free the snag, it felt like I was able to pull the snag toward the surface. I figured it was a big branch or something, so I handed him the rod and told him to reel everything in.

Ryan was about to start pulling in the snag when suddenly the “log” was up on the surface – it was a huge muskie! Madness ensued as the muskie began throwing water everywhere and jumping clear of the water four or five times. We realized that we forgot the net at the truck, so I told him I’d grab it and wouldn’t let go – it would be worth a trip to the hospital if it came to that! I managed to get the fish on the kayak and slowly we towed it back toward the beach. We measured the fish at 50 inches and after a quick photo, revived it and watched it swim away.

At that point, I was joking that I hadn’t even made a cast yet! We headed back out, and incredibly, on my first cast, I got hit – another muskie! It was almost an instant replay of Ryan’s fish, as we towed it back to shore, measured it at 50 inches, photographed it and revived it.

We couldn’t believe it – two 50-inch muskies on two casts. At that point, we decided to call it a day and head in.

The next day, we made the easy decision to head out and fish for muskies.  After casting for a while without a hit, we decided to try trolling the Savage Eels behind our kayaks. Incredibly, I hooked up to another big muskie, and when I looked over at Ryan, he was also hooked up.  Doubles! I was able to land and unhook my fish, and then paddle over to Ryan’s kayak to help him land and release his fish.

We’re still in disbelief over this incredible trip. Muskies are known as the fish of 10,000 casts, and a 50-inch muskie is a milestone that many dedicated muskie anglers never accomplish. It was like winning the fishing lottery!

-Mark Mohan, Jr. fishes fresh and salt waters all over the Northeast. He currently lives in Pembroke, Massachusetts.