Muskie fishing on Lake St. Clair stands alone.  Where else in the world can you reel in muskie after muskie, day after day, month after month?

Capt. Mike Pittiglio of Muskie Mania Sportfishing Charter Service in St. Clair Shores had an idea on a glorious Saturday afternoon.

He rounded up an able crew consisting of myself, first mate Mike Zainea, Dave Herschelmann of Chesterfield Township, Craig Miller of Warren, Ed Pascua of Plymouth and John Ager of San Diego. 

His intentions: to prove the prehistoric muskie calls Lake St. Clair their home.

"This is the greatest muskie fishery in the world," Capt. Mike said as he guided his 32-foot fishing boat out of Michigan Harbor in St. Clair Shores, and set in his GPS to the Thames River in Canadian waters - some 25 miles across the lake.  "We're seeing consistent big fish all season.  Not big numbers like past years, but bigger fish."

As we approached our destination, the fishing trip would indeed prove where the muskie rule.

The crew worked feverishly on a near-perfect sun-filled afternoon putting a half dozen 10-foot rods out on Planer Boards with fishing lines countered from 10 feet to 80 feet back of the boat.

With the boat trolling at about 4 mph in 16 feet of water with temperatures at 74 degrees, it was time to see if Capt. Mike Pittiglio was right about Michigan muskie.

"FISH ON!" hollered Zainea, the first mate and also a teacher at Warren Lincoln Junior High School.  "Who wants it."

All eyes fixed on me, and I obliged.  Taking the Ugly Stik in both hands, I stuffed the rod's end into my belt buckle and started the process of reeling in something that took my fishing line some 100 feet out into the lake.

The excitement on the boat was unbelievable.  The crew was yelling, moving around, the first mate was scrambling, and the captain was focused on getting the net ready.  After a 10 minutes battle, the green muskie flipped out of the water making a huge splash, and causing cheers to erupt from our boat.

"That's a big one," Capt. Mike noted. "Keep it coming."

As the giant fish neared the back of the boat, even a layman could tell this was a Lake St. Clair beauty.  I reeled and stepped back into the middle of the boat and the captain boarded a muskie that went 48 inches and 24 pounds on a Wiley White Coach Dog off a Planer Board.

"That's a good start," Pittiglio said, "but just the beginning."

Within minutes it was San Diego resident John Ager's turn.  For Ager, who was visiting family back home in Pleasant Ridge, this was his first muskie trip of his lifetime.

"We never made it to Lake St. Clair," Ager said, "Just city boys I guess."

Well, it must have been beginner's luck because Ager reeled in a 40-inch, 18-pound muskie on a black carp bomber in his first attempt.

"That was cool," Ager said after boarding the monster.  "Really cool."

The day started out with a bang.  Before long, we had boarded a 20 pounder on a Gotcha Brown; a 19 pounder on a White Belly Charlie Perch; another on a BK Dark Frog; and another on a Black Perch.  Six muskie in less than 3 hours: not bad.

"It's only a matter of time before they start going crazy," Pittiglio said. "Right when the sun goes down."

Crazy?  At this point I am thinking to myself, "How mush more crazy can they go.  We've just boarded six muskie."

But the captain was right.  Because the crew was giving every muskie bite to John and me, the scene was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  Thanks to Miller, Pascua, Herschelmann, all veteran anglers to be sure, we were two tired boys by night's end.

We lost several fish, too, and with that goes about $100 in lures.  But the ninth muskie of the day made up for the lost lures.  Ager, a contractor whose wife just had twins, reeled in a 47-inch, 25-pound muskie, nearly identical to the first giant of the day.

Just before the sun went down, Ager brought in one of the most magnificently colored fish I have ever seen come out of the Great Lakes:  a gar pike.  We also boarded a 5-pound, 17-inch walleye, which was put on ice to serve as a late night treat for the captain.  As night fell over Lake St Clair, we headed back to land, but not before boarding 11-of-16 muskie that hit.

"Did you have a good time," the captain asked. "Isn't this a great fishery!"

To book a trip with Muskie Mania Sportfishing Charters, call (586) 260-4068 or click on muskiemaniacharters.com.