The TFO BC Big Fly has earned its spot as one of my favorite fly rods. It’s been nearly a year-and-a-half since the BC Big Fly was introduced, and we’ve thoroughly put this rod through its paces in every weight. It performs exceptionally well.
It was only fitting that one of my all-time great days on the water musky fishing was with the person who helped develop it.
It’s fair to say that Blane Chocklett is one of the biggest names in our craft. After spending a couple days in the boat together, it’s easy to see why. Our conversations over the course of those two days naturally touched on tying and fishing theory, tactics and presentations – how could they not – but we also talked about the real stuff, like our families. It would have been fun even if we didn’t catch anything.
Within our first 15 minutes on the water together, two smaller fish had eaten and come unbuttoned. After the second one, Blane turned to me and matter-of-factly said, “if you get a third eat here, it’s not going to be small.” The assignment was clear.
Just a few casts later, I came tight to the biggest musky I’d yet been connected to on a 10-weight. As she worked up and downstream in the current, she finally showed herself. We both knew she was big, but we’d also both just seen two fish come unpinned, so there was a quiet intensity in the boat. It’s hard to describe if you haven’t experienced it before, but something happens in those moments after losing a fish, when you’re about to redeem yourself, where you’re so focused that everything feels like it’s in slow motion. When she finally hit the bag, it took a moment to sink in.
The fish pictured here was landed with a 10-weight BC Big Fly, paired with a Scientific Anglers Sink 25 line on a TFO BVK SD III+ reel. I often fish the 380-grain SA Sonar Titan lines in various sink rates with the 10, and some of my rigs also wear the TFO NTR IV reel. Line preference is a very personal thing, but 375-400 grains is the sweet spot for my casting stroke.
In the world of musky on the fly, a successful day can mean making sure you capitalize on a single opportunity. That wasn’t the only big fish that hit the bag that day, but the fish we catch are only part of the experience, and not the most important part. It’s the people we meet, the legacy we leave, and the community we build that really matters.
Blog written by Adam Kornuth with Musky Town – a TFO dealer that carries rods, reels, lines, flies and more for chasing musky and other species.