I had the pleasure to take Roanoke Times outdoor writer Mark Taylor out for a musky trip yesterday. Mark had never caught a musky and the last email Mark sent me said hope we don’t have the ” writers jinx”. Well I wasn’t worried I have learned to go into a musky trip with confidence and a open mind. You are at the mercy of the musky appetite. We started late morning it was windy and cold with nothing but casting and figure 8 practice at the boat. After covering two good musky holes well with nothing to show we headed into the very last hole of the float which has saved me a time or two. I felt good about it, it was warming up as I moved the boat into the slot. It may have been Mark’s first cast into the hole when he came tight which at first I thought he snagged bottom but this snag pulled back and the big white belly appeared. All hell broke loose in the boat as I scrambled to get my net, camera, and tools ready. Mark did I fine job fighting this 40 inch river monster to the boat. I truly love being part of someone’s first musky and seeing there reaction.