Anyone on TT consider themselves a good musky angler?

[Finnz922]

Looking for some advice on an upcoming trip. I have never been musky fishing before.

[Teal101]

I fish for them (Tigers), wouldnt consider myself good by any means

[Mnbasser]

I fish for them occasionally but not sure I'd consider myself good as I don't fish for them nearly often enough to be categorized that way IMO. What kind of info are you looking for?

[toporanger]

I fish for them quite a bit but honestly if you need info ...... http://muskie.outdoorsfirst.com/board/category-view.asp

[IlliniDawg01]

Looking for some advice on an upcoming trip. I have never been musky fishing before.

Are you looking for equipment advice or technique advice?

-A long Rod in the H to XXXH range that can handle throwing 1-6oz lures will make life much easier.
-Heavy braid 50lb+
-Quality metal leaders. I prefer the titanium ones just because they don't get all crimped up.
-A reel that can handle big baits, has a strong smooth drag, and won't bust if you set the hook on a tree stump (which is what you are basically doing if you get a hit from a 40" inch muskie/tiger/pike). A lot of guys prefer round reels, but I'm partial to a Lexa 300.
-There is no such thing as a lure that is too big.
-With Pike (maybe Muskie too) there is no such thing as a lure that is too small either. 2 of the biggest my group has caught over the years were on 3/8th ounce twister tail jigs.
-You can't set the hook too hard (so long as your line and gear can handle it).
-Muskie are called the fish of a 1000 casts for a reason. Pike on the other hand are nearly as big, fight just as hard, look about the same (just green instead of brown), but can be caught on nearly every cast if they are biting.
-Never.Ever.Ever put your hand in a Muskie or Pike mouth to free a lure. Always use pliers and make sure you have the fish controlled. Their teeth will destroy your hand or arm instantly.
-Ask the local bait shops for tips for the lake you are going to. They know where/when/what bait. You might have to buy a bunch of stuff to get them share though.

DaveJ

[Finnz922]

I was recently invited out to a buddies place to do some musky fishing. Not sure of the lake yet but it is near Waseca, MN this September. He is going to provide me with the gear but I would like to come up with a few things that way if I lose, damage, or want to keep something I don't feel bad. My first question is what is the best all around rod action, power, and length (yes, I know it's subjective and differs per technique, but for the sake of the argument let's say I can only have one rod. One rod to rule them all...HAHA.) Don't know if they would work but I do have a Megabass X4 Destruction which is a 7'2" Extra Heavy Moderate Fast rod rated to 3 1/4oz but feels overwhelmed at 2 1/2oz IMO. I also have a IROD Genesis II Bub's Punch Rod 7'11" Heavy Moderate Fast rated to 2oz.

I just bought a Calcutta 200, the old school silver one, and am replacing the bearings, drag, and adding a longer handle to it. What is the recommended lb test line for all around use? I have 65lb Suffix 832 and 60lb Sunline FX2 right now for bass gear.

Last if you could recommend three must have lures for Fall musky fishing in Southern Minnesota that would be awesome!

Thanks in advance for any help and suggestions.

[Mnbasser]

You could certainly try those rods for some lighter baits but if you plan on throwing some bigger stuff you'll be outgunned. I have a 7' 6" St Croix heavy/fast. I use 65lb braid on it, your 832 should be fine. My two favorite lures are Bulldawgs and the Joe Bucher top raider in the baby loon pattern. A big bucktail or double bladed spinner are also great choices.

[IlliniDawg01]

I would think the Destruction/Calcutta/Suffix combination should work well for throwing some large spinners. Hopefully your buddy has something a bit stouter for the big stick baits.

I like to put a trailer hook on all my spinner baits and then tip the trailer hook with something smelly (gulp, powerbait, minnow, leach, etc.). Musky and Pike like to follow behind baits and watch and smell them. That extra scent can sometimes trigger a strike.

Try the figure 8 when you get the lure near the boat. It is not for the faint of heart. I've not had much luck with it, but have seen it work for others. Be sure you have a good grip on the rod when doing it

DaveJ

[toporanger]

You will be fine with those setups when throwing pike baits and smaller muskie lures. For bigger baits I like http://www.tackleindustries.com/muskypikerods.html in xh and xxh, I use the telescoping rods so I can get them in my rod locker.

Honestly I like large spinnerbaits on a bass heavy rod, but sometimes you need the big guns like pounders etc. I would just use your buddies gear and offer to buy some new lures if you want to chip in. Muskie lures can be quite expensive and there is always one more you always want lol.

[Teal101]

Should be fine for throwing smaller bucktails, smaller in the musky world anyway.

I use an 8' XXH Lamigals rod I built rated for 1-8oz and a Revo Toro 61 with 80lb Samurai braid. I use fluoro leaders, 150lb. I buy them off ebay pre built with snaps and ball bearing swivels.

[bstuckey]

RIK, chime in, you know a little about toothy critters.

[Markanthony404]

I consider myself a good muskie angler but I only fish for them in the spring. There is a special spot here in western PA that has produced a good amount of muskie for me over the years, but for some reason they only bit here in the spring months. I just hate how it takes so much more time to catch them when compared to other fish.

Learn to have patience, I also catch most of my muskie between 10am-2pm. Maybe that could just be the spot that I always fish. Look around for some books on muskie, I read one years ago and it was a big help.

[Finnz922]

I will update on my trip hopefully tonight. Thanks for all that chimed in.

[IlliniDawg01]

I will update on my trip hopefully tonight. Thanks for all that chimed in.

We are probably going to need to see some pictures... you know, as proof...

DaveJ

[Finnz922]

My first musky trip turned out to be a success. On Friday my buddy Jake, his friend Jeremy, and I had the second best day of Musky action that "they" have ever had. We (by we I mean Jake and Jeremy) caught 7 muskies, 4 pike (I caught 1), and had 5 follows, and I missed 3 on what can only be explained as "girlie man" hooksets . Jeremy, had a follow on a topwater that produced a massive wake! I have never seen anything like it. The topwater he had was custom that looked like a functioned like a Top Raider but was the size of a log! Most of our fish came off bucktails with the exception of that giant topwater which caught 4 for the weekend.

They say musky are "fish of a thousand casts". That damn saying was true for me. I swear the musky up there made me get a thousand casts before they would let me catch one of them . Started fishing on Friday at 6:15am and I caught mine on Sunday at 10:15am. I guarandamntee that I made a thousand casts. But I finally caught one. She hit a bucktail coming over an underwater point littered with scattered weeds. At first it seemed like I snagged a pile of weeds, but with my poor hooksetting and missed fish on Friday, I wasn't taking any chances. I laid back on it as hard as I could and all I felt was heavy weight at the end of the line. Jeremy saw the whole thing and once he saw the tail and head shake he dropped his rod and yelled get the f*&$##g net! The fight lasted all of 30 seconds but my adrenaline had never pumped so hard. I was ecstatic! We calmed down and got the hook out and let her rest in the net for a minute. We boarded her at 43" and then took a couple of quick pics then it was to the water. It took a couple minutes before she wanted to swim away but gracefully she did.



Some of the first days catches: