Awesome...Here We Go Again!!!

I simply cannot explain how sweet it is to hold a fish of such sheer size and power, and to do it back to back times is simply awesome!  I don't know if the muskie gods feel like they owe me some kind of favor, but I am almost speechless when I get to look at the pictures of the last two fish that I have been so blessed to catch.  Yesterday I was summoned once again to try to catch the next state record up on the big pond, and we nearly had identical results as the time before.  It was exactly a week ago plus one hour between landing the two largest fish of my life.  Although yesterdays fish does not quite match up to the last beast that was in my boat, It was still absolutely monsterous.  The only thing missing from this girl was a few inches of fat on the belly, otherwise she too would have been flirting with that state record fish that we were in search of.  She measured in at another whopping 54 inches in length and had a girth that we determined to be either 24.5 or 25.5 inches.  The reason we don't have the exact, is because the tape that we used to do the girth measurements broke on us, and we were lining up different numbers and trying to do the measurements instead of just wrapping a tape around and seeing the exact girth.  It is such a fast paced and intense mess that it is hard to take your time and measure everything how you would like.  The whole time, my hurry was to get the fish on its way, and we didn't take any unnecessary time.  The only thing that I am going by, is that I just heald a 26.5 inch belly, and I don't think I was quite there with this one.  Although this hog was huge, it just puts into perspective how large the last fish truly was, and makes me think that I am going to have a better plan of attack just in case the next one is the next state record.  I certainly don't want to have any doubts in my mind once that fish is swimming away, if I truly did break that 50 year old record. 

Either way, it was an awesome fish, and yet another fish of a lifetime.  I am not quite sure why they keep grabbing my bait, because I don't want to be a game hog, but it is an exciting experience for everybody in da boat when it happens.  I sure hope the next one grabs my guests bait.  I guess it pays to knock the ice build-up off the rod and keep on chugging, because the rewards are unexplainable.  Yesterday was brutal on the water, and we were dealing with more 3-4 footers and a temp that couldn't find its way above the freezing mark for most of the day.  We looked at each other more than once and said "we are nuts," but then we just kept on going.  What a fish is all I have to say, and thank you god for allowing such a rush of adrenaline.  Until next time Y'all, Keep on Livin That Muskie Dream!