Episode 151: The Fish I Still Think About...

A muskie over 50 inches on a rod that holds about 30 feet of line sounds like the start of a disaster, but for me it becomes one of those rare nights that never stops replaying. I’m sitting alone with a handful of fishing memories that refuse to fade, the ones tied to a person, a place, and a feeling that hits you years later when you least expect it.

We start on the French River with my son Rayburn, and the moment that helped turn him into a full-blown muskie fanatic. The gear is improvised, the light is low, and I realize far too late I’ve got no net and basically no tools. What follows is equal parts muskie fishing, father-son coaching, and pure problem-solving under pressure. If you’ve ever had to keep it together while a big fish does everything it can to expose your mistakes, you’ll feel this one in your gut.

Then we head north to Lake Nipigon, where group records and bragging rights become a language of their own. A friend’s video and a truly giant lake trout reset the scoreboard, and the story rolls into boat-buying heartbreak, big-water waves, and an unforgettable strike that happens right as we’re trying to pull lines and find shelter. We wrap with a Glenn Barry memory that begins with a backlash and ends with a brutal dockside fight and my first 50-inch muskie, landed the hard way.

If these stories nudge your own “fish I still think about” awake, subscribe, share the episode with a fishing buddy, and leave a review so more Canadians can find the show.