Tiger Muskie - May 11 to May 19, 2025
After a short visit to Pineview Reservoir in 2023 it was time to go back to Utah to chase tiger muskie on the fly. Ice out beginning of April and spring weather can be unpredictable. So I knew that the middle of may was kind of a risk. It is the start of the tiger muskie season high in the mountains. Water temeratures should be 50 to 60 Fahrenheit and upon arrival the water temps showed 47 Fahrenheit. My first day started with sunshine and air temps around 25 Celcius. The lake was flat calm and clear. At 10.50 AM I spotted the first tiger muskie. It was cruising the bank about 1 meter from shore. This is what I came for! Unfortunately my streamer was completely ignored by the predator. Just minutes later the wind started picking up seriously blowing 23mph. Whitecaps on the water. I kept walking the banks and looked at various spots but all I found for the rest of the day was one 'big' dead tiger muskie.
During the day the heavy winds murked up the water and cooled the shallows down. It was already clear by then to me that it was going to be a very tough week. The second day started out calm. I spotted two tiger muskies in the shallows at the start of the day . One was too far out but the other fish I could cast to. No response, again. At 09:00 AM the wind started blowing even worse than the day before (27mph) and although I kept walking the banks, it was against better knowledge. Didn't see a tiger for the rest of the day. Until the evening session came. Then a tiger muskie exploded in the surface and went airborne in her persuit of prey. A big fish went airborn just outside of casting range. Fished for another hour in that corner and saw the tiger swirl way offshore two more times. Unfortunately no take for me.
Crayfish, tiger muskie food.
On the third day things got even worse when the lake was hit by 5 snow storms. The weather Gods had decided it was not going to be my week. Although I did see 2 tigers that morning. On followed for a short moment and than swam off in the murky water. The other one was already spooked as he swam behind me when I was blind fishing a bay. I kept walking the banks of the lake but all I found was a set of tiger muskie underjaws.
Day four startet out with a tiger muskie spotted early morging. After that I hiked to the rocky part of the lake but never saw a tiger. In fact I never saw a tiger again on day five and six.
In the afternoon of day 6 I gave up and decided to leave the area to drive towards SLC and visit the Utah tiger muskie farm. On that drive I met some fly fishermen that were fly fishing for tiger trout on a lake that was just starting te get iced-out. They showed me some pictures of beautiful fish. Among them also tiger muskies...on the fly! On another lake. At the tiger muskie farm I also learned more about the fish and how aggressive they are. A baby 10cm tiger muskie was eating a 9cm tiger muskie. Crazy stuff! They keep the babies in the dark otherwise they end up cutting the breeding stock in half.
This was the toughest fly fishing trip of my live. I should have brought my trout fly rod. It would have saved the trip a bit. Now I completely blanked. Not even a take! I learned the hard way what 'elusive' tiger muskie means. Not uncatchable but extremely hard to hook-up with. I know where they live and once I start something I finish. I returned home on May 19, 2025 and that same evening I booked another tiger muskie trip. Will be heading there soon. Not 6 fishing days but 9. Still not a guarantee I'll hook or catch one but being there in the best time of the year spending 9 full days chasing tiger muskie on the fly will give me a better change then I had so far on my first two trips. So the story will be continued soon...🤞🏻🍀🎣
