Muskie Advice

[Shooter33]

After doing some float trips and seeing Muskies lurking I'm determined to catch one. I outfitted a 7'3" MH rod with a Revo baitcaster spooled with 50# powerpro and I'm using a 6" steel leader. My last trip I threw some huskie jerks, top water prop baits, giant killer (inline spinners) and shedogs but couldn't coax a bite. My buddy did have one on that decided to latch on to a smallmouth he was fighting. It hung on almost long enough to get it in the net. All the lures I was using looked to out of place in the clear green tinted water to me. Does anyone have some advice on lure selection and presentation (other than live bait)?

 

[Doskil]

What is the max lure size your rod is rated for? Many musky specific baits are 3 ounces or larger

A Mepps Musky Killer is a good all purpose lure that can even been thrown on bass tackle. They come in many colors. Sounds like you have some of these.

And what kind/brand of leader are you using?


May I suggest getting a wire leader made for musky fishing if you have not.

Z Leaders are good ones and come in fluorocarbon as well

http://www.zleaders.com/index.html

Also make sure you have the proper release tools:

Longnose pliers, hook cutters and jaw spreaders.

 

[Grnwing]

There's small river I love to fish for Muskies in and it sounds like what you are describing. I throw 20lb mono with 1oz white spinnerbait with willow leaf blades. I do not use a leader and lose very few fish to the line breaking, I may go to a 40lb fluorocarbon leader tied with bimini twist if I am throwing oversized soft plastics(Zoom Fluke or Bass Assassins). I don't really target them in August so not sure if this pattern would work but in the spring, I will burn the bait from the back side of the eddies towards the moving water side(casting upstream). They will hit it fast and hard and dive deep, boat positioning is crucial. I will have another rod rigged with oversized Rapala's in the shad rap and floating minnow and will work those with 3 quick snaps and a pause, I will have a lot more follow ups with that than with the spinnerbait. I have also noticed that watching your water level and flow can be very important to how the fish will respond. Since it is a 4 hour drive for me, I make sure conditions are favorable before heading to the river.

 

[Shooter33]

Thanks for the advice! I was thinking the flow rate was too low and had a lot to do with the lack of a bite. I also was thinking a floro leader would make sense but I was afraid I'd get broken off. I'll make some adjustments for my next trip and see how things go.

 

[choupique]

Doskil gave you some good advice. You might also want a big net with a deep bag. Also keep in mind that we're the southern edge of their range for a reason -- they're at the upper edge of their temperature tolerance. If you fight them in hot water, it's very easy to unintentionally kill them from lactic acid buildup, and with the 50" limit that means you likely waste a fish. Water temperatures on most of our streams peak in the mid-afternoons and stay hot well into the evening. If you target muskies, do it in the morning and switch to smallmouth in the afternoon -- or if it's over the mid-70s, maybe leave the muskies alone until things cool down in a month or two.

 

[Doskil]

The reason a lot of folks use a leader is musky lures are expensive to lose. A quality lure can easily run from 20-40 dollars each

Most musky specific fluoro leaders run from 90-130 lbs

But these are designed for big baits

Stay away from the cheap wire leaders at Wal Mart

 

[scn]

Doskil gave you some good advice. You might also want a big net with a deep bag. Also keep in mind that we're the southern edge of their range for a reason -- they're at the upper edge of their temperature tolerance. If you fight them in hot water, it's very easy to unintentionally kill them from lactic acid buildup, and with the 50" limit that means you likely waste a fish. Water temperatures on most of our streams peak in the mid-afternoons and stay hot well into the evening. If you target muskies, do it in the morning and switch to smallmouth in the afternoon -- or if it's over the mid-70s, maybe leave the muskies alone until things cool down in a month or two.

x2 on waiting until you don't kill the fish!

 

[Shooter33]

All great advice. I definitely want to release the fish unharmed, that was part of my intent with a heavy rod, line and leader. There are lots of fish that will fight themselves to an unrecoverable state if you can't land them before they exhaust themselves. I hadn't taken the water temp into account before, but I'll follow that advice for sure. I would think some rain and a little higher flow would also help lower the water temp some, but waiting until fall sounds like a good idea for the fish and fisherman.

 

[Doskil]

Water temps less than 80 degrees in a river setting are usually OK for muskie but still to be safe wait until the daytime air temp highs stay only in the 70s and nighttime temps are much cooler.

Water temps and muskie fishing is very controversial.

Good luck!

 

[7mm08]

Every time I am in Iowa I love to kill time at Fleet Farm looking at musky rigs. Super big, super expensive. I'd say kill a chicken and put a hook on it , then hold on!!!!

 

[BackwoodsBoy]

Order ya a few crane baits made here in WV. Model 206 and 207.

Crank baits in the 6-8 inch range are great along with the smaller musky spinners like the Mepps musky killer are great river baits.

I have had good luck using suicks in deep river holes.