Bing Crosby…go straight to hell, because “baby, it’s cold outside”, but I don’t want to hear no singin’ about it….

In what is so adorably referred to as a “blizzard” in Tennessee, I met some HARDCORE musky guys, John and Bill Hickey yesterday for a trip out into the white yonder. After some shoveling and rock salt, we managed to eek the boat into the water and get out for the day. Alas, while the scenery was bar none the best I’ve seen so far down here, with squadrons of wood ducks lighting the blue water in a mist and squirrels romping around on the shoreline searching for something to take back to the tree from the frozen food aisle, the muskies on the other hand, decided to call in sick for the day and hit the snooze. Areas that usually produce fish were vacant. Techniques that usually produce at least a few follows were falling short sorely. While the pristine beauty around us kept is in perspective of things, it was still frustrating for the guide to be shooting blanks while aiming right at the target.

And speaking of squirrels, John and Bill are on par with just about any comedy duo of all time. Somehow amidst the constant ribs to one another and unapologetic flatulence, John, in one of the few moments he wasn’t really paying attention, managed to garner the interest of a fat low 40″ musky in one of the last places I’d expect to find one that day, in the back of a small slough mid-way down the lake. Talk about the proverbial “blind squirrel” finding a nut [just kidding John, we tight]. While the fish was interested, she just wasn’t committed…but all that aside, we wrapped up the day with alot of good times, ALOT of funny stories, and the promise that we’ll get out there again to chase after the great Questing Beast of Pellinore [a musky in excess of 55"]. Of course, like King Pellinore of T.H. White’s lore, I imagine when such a fish does reach the boat either by my sword or even better, a client’s, such majesty and wonder will force my hand to spare its life and release to chase another day. I only hope those of you who wish to pursue the coolest, sexiest, most badass fish in freshwater in one of its last untapped bastions in the world share my sentiments on the topic.

Muskies are too valuable to the ecosystem as a superpredator, thinning out stocks prone to overpopulation like carp, gizzard shad, and redhorse sucker, and to the state as an economic trophy fishing resource to be treated as a food source or killed for their skin as a mount over a mantle or bar when fiberglass replicas are just as good and last longer.

Let them go, let them grow. Come out and fish with us at “Stone’s Throw Adventures” by emailing us at stonesthrowadventures@gmail.com, and find out for yourself why these fish are as special as they are. We have all the tackle and know-how, just bring yourself, a strong-work ethic, and a penchant for the eclectic and irreverent personalities of your guides, Dwayne and Cory.

Fish are on the move, and so are we…game’s are changing, and so must we. Until next time, kiddos tight lines. Look for a new musky report later this week from both myself and Dwayne, and remember to stay tuned for the upcoming Larry Dahlberg filming at Rock Island. I can guarantee it won’t be a show to be missed.

-Cory Allen “Stone’s Throw Adventures”

3 words…Damn, it’s cold…

…After meeting Todd Smith, long time striper fishing friend, for the day at the Rock Island ramp, and having to let the boat set in the water on trailer for 20 minutes to thaw it from the bumpers, we set out full blast to the first run of the day in 10 degree temps [that's not counting the windchill kiddos]

We returned to a proven area to hit it before sunlight kissed its waters, and within about 15 minutes, I hooked up from the back of the boat [guides ALWAYS fish from the back] with a mid-40″ fish that followed beautifully into a figure-8, momentarily broke chase, and then with surprising speed returned to barely tag the back hook of a Krave. Only on for a few moments, we got a great look at the fish do a serpentine headshake worthy of lore, and then throw the hook back at our faces. Shaken, but not stirred, we continued casting a few minutes before turning to the highly unappreciated and misunderstood art of trolling.

After a few quick passes along a proven breakline, Todd’s rod starts singing my favorite tune, and we turn the boat to greet our new guest. After a brief struggle with a lumbering winter beast, I placed the Frabill net safely under the belly of a majestic 45″ musky, Todd’s first. I must admit, it’s always a treat to introduce someone to the experience of musky fishing, but for these fish to impress Todd, an avid and expert striper fisherman with fish up to 63lbs to his credit, is quite a feat.

After a war-whoop heard ringing off the limestone rafters and an epic high-five [regretted moments later due to our frozen fingers] we released the pretty girl back to the lake with a kiss and some cab fare.

Forgive the haziness, we were dealing with quite a rolling fog from the sunlight hitting the water just down stream. Poor Todd also got his first battle scars, the knuckle-cuts from the gill rakers of an agitated and camera-shy musky unwilling to hold still for the pose. Frankly, I’m proud of mine when I get them, and I bet he has the same sentiment.

Want to be in the next picture with a slimy beast? We’re in the middle of some of the hottest musky fishing of the year, and to boot, the fish are at their fattest. If you want a shot at the state record, now is the time. Book with Me or Dwayne today by calling 618-559-3494 or emailing us at stonesthrowadventures@gmail.com. Both Dwayne and myself are consistently putting BIG fish and BIG numbers of muskies in the boat in both the river and lake already this year. We both get no bigger kick than helping someone lock horns with one of these freshwater dragons. Don’t miss out on one of the best shots of the year, on the South’s best musky fishery.

Until next time kiddos,
Tight lines…
-Cory Allen, “Stone’s Throw Adventures”

Went out for a few hours this morning with Pete, an avid fly angler from Nashville who’d been wanting to hook up into a musky for some time. We were greeted by high water, an unwelcome site. But, we didn’t let it deter us, and guess what, a few minutes in after a quick game change, I hooked up with the first fish, a healthy 44″ female, on a Musky Armor Krave crankbait [in my opinion, one of the best new baits to hit the market in years, and an instant "classic"].

After working the stretch casting for a bit, and Pete moving another nice fish in the low 40′s on a Suick, we decided to try and conjure up some beasts from the depths using the art of motor trolling. Two passes in over a breakline littered with stumps right on the break, Pete slammed another twin 44″ musky, fatter than the one before, on a Super Shad rap [if you don't own these baits, you aren't a musky fisherman...one of the most versatile and effective ever made.]

After some quick pics, safe handling and a good release, both fish were returned to the water in great shape to continue terrorizing the neighborhood. We spent a few good minutes just high-fiving and enjoying the moment, but after 3 hours we decided to call it a day, and head for home. A great day, a great trip, and a great friend introduced to the great sport of musky fishing in, of all places, Tennessee. Come see for yourself…

If you’re interested in booking a trip with Dwayne Hickey, resident musky guide or myself [depending on individual availability] call 618-559-3494, or email us at stonesthrowadventures@gmail.com. We’ll be happy to set you up on the best shot on a big fat Tennessee musky. Accept no substitutions. No one spends more time on the water or puts more musky in the boat in Tennessee than Dwayne and myself. Not by a long shot. If you’re going to put your money down on a trip, make sure you’re going with someone who puts their time in on it. You’ll find no better shot in the state at both numbers of fish, and a great shot at a true trophy fish.

Until next time, tight lines.

-Cory Allen, “Stone’s Throw Adventures”

Coming up just around the corner, “Stone’s Throw Adventures” musky guides Dwayne Hickey and Cory Allen will be hosting the legendary angling pioneer and innovator Larry Dahlberg for a week around the Rock Island area, showcasing now only the fishery at its best, but also some musky angling at its finest. Larry is one of the most recognized anglers on the planet, and for good reason. He has caught many trophy fish in fresh and salt water, from the domestic to the exotic and even the downright bizarre, but has always had a love for muskellunge since his youth fishing the rivers around his home. Proficient at both conventional and fly tackle, we are very anxious to host Larry Dahlberg, and rest assured, the guides will be the students as well. We hope you will keep close watch on the site, as daily video blogs and photos will be posted from the water during the shoot. Stay tuned! And look for the show to air on the Versus Channel, “The Hunt for Big Fish”.

Well, it’s not exactly been a December to remember as far as Musky fishing goes.  I’ve taken a few fish, old man winter has come early and fishing has been spotty at best.  Muskys are in there normal pattern for winter with gliders, pull baits and twitch baits working best.  You guys check out Musky Armors new Krave Jr.  It’s a killer twitch bait for winter Muskies!  New color patterns are going to be a hit for this area.

Will post some at the end of the month with the totals from December.  Happy Holidays fellow Musky nuts!

Dwayne

Dwayne Hickey, Stone’s Throw Adventures Musky Guide and Godfather of Tennessee musky fishing, has been throwing up good numbers on his recent musky trips to Rock Island. Every trip has produced at least one fish with multiple hookups each time. The colder it gets, the hotter the action. Book now with Dwayne for a taste of the winter heat as the line burns off your drag.

Stone’s Throw Adventures is now the official home of the Rock Island Musky Club. An organization of dyed-in-the-wool musky anglers dedicated to further protect, manage, and share information about our native muskellunge, and help to expand their awareness and range across the state. Our first meeting will be November 16th at Lil’ Joe’s Bait shop on Sparta Street in McMinnville, 6:30 pm. Weathered old musky fishermen and new blood alike are welcome, although let it be known that the purpose of this club is not to teach everyone exactly WHERE to fish. Both in meetings and on the message board, be wary to post specific information about fishing spots and techniques.

If interested, please contact Stone’s Throw Adventures musky guide Dwayne Hickey at 931-273-7937

Be sure to sign up to utilize the messageboard! There will most likely be a “member’s only” section for club members that will be password protected.

The url for the messageboard is www.stonesthrowadventures.com/forum

The fantastic musky fishing on Rock Island has been seeing its ups and downs, but the highs are DEFINITELY worth the lag times. Both myself and guide Dwayne Hickey have been putting clients on fish in the mid 40″ range rather consistently. Dwayne landed a beautiful 44″ musky last week, along with a few others, for some clients out of Nashville, and the pic will be available soon.

Myself? I took Doug Paige of Bass Pro Shops Management and his friend Lee out on a couple trips in the past month. On our first outing, we got 4 muskies inside of 3 hours, 2 40″, a 45″ and a whopping first musky for Lee, measuring 49″ and weighing over 38 lbs. We’re waiting on the digital from a kind boat in the vicinty, but there is a picutre of me holding Lee’s fish from a camera phone. You can tell from that pic that his fish is a true giant, and all too close to the state record.

Just this last Saturday I took Doug and Lee again out for a “caney slam” trip, a half day on the upper Caney after muskies and a half day on the lower pursuing trout. Doug managed to hook and land a 46″ musky built like a Green Bay linebacker, his first musky as well [what's with these guys?...] and a few other follows. Around mid day we took a quick lunch break and headed to the lower Caney after browns. Following hearing nothing but gloom and doom from the guys wading and tossing flies, we took to the water anyway. Action was slow but the ones we got were nice, a few 15″ dink browns, and a nice 20″ and 22.5″ for Lee, his first real german brown trout. I planted hooks in a brown trout that fought like a 20 pound rockfish, and was almost that in dimensions. We all got a good look at the fish as it rolled, before jetting off into a nearby logjam from whence it came, singing my drag the whole time. The fish at best guess was in the low 30″ range, and probably near 15-18 lbs, a true Caney giant and the kind of fish we live to pursue here at Stone’s Throw. Hopefully next time we’ll have a picture of him in our hands, and a video of him swimming off into the wild blue. Until next time, tight lines, and remember, the heart of adventure, is always just a stone’s throw away…

-Cory Allen

I stole away with fellow Stone’s Throw Adventures trout guide Rickey Bryant and friends, Lee and Brandon [my 3 leaf musky clover for the week] at the break of dawn this morning to continue our muskellunge streak.  The lake did not disappoint…my abilities on the other hand were most certainly not shooting par today. Within 10 minutes of setting up on the spot, I had a 40″ musky way-lay my bait just a few feet from the boat, but a lazy hit and precarious hookset left me with little confidence in the hookup and despite my efforts, the fish popped off in a matter of seconds…but for Rickey and Lee [Brandon was joining us in about an hour at this point, and I was in my boat alone] the site of seeing one of these beasts in battle is what they came for.

I sent them up a bit to a spot where Brandon got a 43″ a few days ago, while I continued to work a particular area. I opted to troll now, in an effort to keep the bait in a deeper strike zone for an extended period, targeting a depth of 8-10 feet with a large jerkbait keeping it just off a breakline that broke at 12 ft directly related to one of the most productive shorelines in this area. On the first pass, folks…the lure stops dead, and I begin to fight a healthy high-30″ musky to the boat, but upon reaching the surface ,it uses the change in gravitational forces to its advantage and shakes the bait…but no heartbreak fish.

Only 2 passes later, through the EXACT same area [not close, made the exact same pass] my shoulder gets jarred by a vengeful strike, and the assuring weight of more than a scrappy fighter…this was a truly big fish. Rickey and Lee becoming aware of my dilemma, they begin to trolling motor my way to see if I need assistance, and the fight goes very well, until it comes to the side of the boat. Muskies are notorious for wrapping line in an undulating death roll, which can be very effective [and why swivels attached to your line are often a smart idea] at freeing themselves, and this time was no exception. I reached for the net to scoop the tuckered out musky just as he made one last spin which wrapped the line around the hook in his mouth, after which all it took was a painless and almost surgical tug to remove the hook and free my quarry. This fish…while not my largest and most certainly not the largest present, was a heart-breaker…45-46″ and fat.

We gave the area a break and went to other grounds, doing more chilling and shooting the breeze than fishing, but enough to know we should return to more fruitful grounds…when just 3 minutes into fishing, I hook and land this…

A nice fat healthy low 40″ musky, which struck violently right at the boat, and stripped enough drag to make for an interesting fight. While the “camera crew” [not officially, but Rickey was kind enough to video tape what fish action we had, as I would oblige the same if he received it] could not make it in time to see the fight, a great video of the landing, unhooking, photograping, and release of this fish will be viewable ala youtube or directly linked through our website inthe “websiodes” section, which in the future will contain more edited, refined, and extensive TRUE episodes of the outdoors adventures available through our site and with our guides. I hope you enjoy these offerings, not just in an arm-chair sense, but in that it inspires you to get up and go experience all the outdoors has to offer, even in this cold weather.

This just in: I just got off the phone with Stone’s Throw Adventures musky guide Dwayne Hickey, and after having a rather slow day on the river, I suggested he move to the lake and onto some hot active muskies, judging by our morning action. He put clients onto 2 low 40″ fish in a matter of minutes, saving what could’ve been a bad trip due to less than ideal conditions on the river. Also, congrats to Chris Brooke, a fellow tech student and musky fisherman, who got a 43″ musky today. I’ll have pics of these fish up as soon as I can…

…Dwayne is taking clients out tomorrow as well. Time will only tell, but I have a good feeling they’re going to be pleased tomorrow with the bite we’re on.

In other news, same river [Caney Fork], but miles downstream, longtime fishing partner Yee got a beautiful 27″ brown on a suspending rogue jerkbait, along with a few other brown trout over 20″. Not a bad fishing day all in all.

Stone’s Throw Adventures has just recently started to add videos of its trips to youtube. While many of these will begin to be incorporated into full length 20 minute episodes, clips used in these programs can be viewed raw and unedited here at Stone’s Throw Adventures or by subscribing to our videos on youtube. Just search StonesThrowAdventure user name on youtube and subscribe to our video logs. Also, feel free to subscribe to our RSS feed by clicking on the blue ball in the upper right hand corner of the page to receive updates when new reports are added, so you can come check them out yourself. Despite the cold, there’s alot of adventure to be had, so get out there, and experience it…