I thought I would try to put together a guide to help fishermen that have been toying with the idea of getting into muskie fishing. I known that I got hooked on this toothy critter while bass fishing. Once you have caught or at leased hooked one of these fish, you have a taste of what this fish is all about. Like bass fishing catching one doesn't tell you all you need to know if you really want to get the whole experience of what this type of fishing offers. I will try to pass along some of the things I have discovered will improve your chances of putting this challenging fish in the boat. We will cover topics like: What tackle you will need, What baits to used, Where to fish in all four seasons, What temperatures triggers fish movement, What structure holds fish. I will also pass along some of my own tips. I hope this will clear up some of the mystery around this great fish and help you to enter the ranks of the "Musky Hunters". Tackle: When I caught my first muskie it was on 14lb test line on a 6-foot medium action rod, I was using it to throw top water chuggers for bass. By the time I got this fish in, I knew how lucky I was to land it. Now 29 years later, I have done a lot of muskie fishing. I think I can pass along some tackle tips that should help you be prepared to make the jump to muskie fishing. The question that I get asked the most about tackle is: Will my bass tackle do when it comes to muskie fishing. My answer is: that depends on what you use to fish for bass. If you use a 6' MH casting rod with a casting reel that has a quality drag. You can make do. I wouldn't buy this rig to fish for muskie but you can set it up to get the job done. I would spool it with at lease 20#lb test and test my drag every fifty or so cast to make sure it's not freezing up. The one thing that a casting rig must have is a good drag. Muskie are explosive, if your drag sticks you will end up with a broken line or worse. Testing your drag should become second nature. Every time I change lures or after I have made a lot of cast, I test the drag just to make sure its not sticking. Once you make the plunge to fishing for this toothy critter here are my recommendations for gear. Top water baits: This includes all the baits that require you to provide the action the lure needs to work. So it also covers shallow water jerk baits. A 6'6" MH Casting rod with a double hand, casting handle and good casting reel with a quality drag. I use a 6500c ABU reel and custom made Fenwick rod. The most popular set up for this is an St.Croix PM66MHF rod with a Shimano Calcutta CT-200a reel. Here in the last few years I hear a lot of guys going to the CTE models boosting lighter weight and faster spools. This set up is for baits that require you to provide action to the bait. This is why I use a slightly shorter rod than I would for casting baits like crank baits or spinner baits. If you use a 7-foot or a 7'6 or larger rod for working top water baits, I find it to be clumsy and awkward to use. Plus its so heavy its tiring to the point that after a few hours I'm hurting in places I didn't even know I had. Moving on to crank baits and spinner baits this also includes in-line buck tail spinner baits. I like to move on up to a 7 foot rod. I still like the MH action because I think it gives me a little more casting distance. I can load the rod more than I can a heavy action rod. I use a 6500cs-m ABU reel and a 7 foot custom made Fenwick rod. The most popular set up for this is an St.Croix PM70MHF 7' rod and the same reel that I listed for the top water setup Calcutta CT-200 or the CTE-200. I will also state for the record that "True Bloods" may be using a 7'6" or even a 7'10" rod for this type of fishing. I have been fishing ABU Garcia reels for over 30 years. I have owned a few Shimano Reels. I have just been fishing so long with Garcia reels that the others just don't feel right in my hands. The 7'6" or 7'10" rods do have a place in this type fishing. I just find them a little to heavy for me. I want to be able to cast for 5 or 6 hours with out taking much of a break. The longer rods just take it out of me so I have been happy with using the 7' rods for crank baits and spinners. These lures require less input from the angler and the added length helps hold up baits as you work them over and around cover. I used the term "True Bloods" A true blood is some one that fish for only one type of fish. Muskie, Bass, ect. I am not a true blood when it comes to musky fishing although I have guided for musky only. I enjoy fishing for many types of fish. I do not consider "True Blood' a derogatory term. it's just describes a fishermen as some one that is only set up to fish for one type of fish. Line: As with all types of fishing this becomes a personal thing. What one person uses someone else will find lacking. I have used many of the braded lines. I have also used most of the brands and types of line out there. I can tell you what I use but really this is up to what you like to use. I use Trilene XL for top water baits and I use Trilene XT for crank baits and spinner baits. If you use some other brand that's fine as long as it's a good line it should work for you. I use 20 to 30lb test on crank baits and spinner baits in the spring and fall. Some True Bloods will use line as heavy as 80lb. This is something I think you have to explore yourself. I personally find line weight over 30lb to be much harder to cast. It also seems to have more memory so I find it wants to lay loose on the spool. If you want to go to the really heavy lines you may want to try some of the braded lines. For me, I like to use 20lb and just make sure my drag is working the way it should. Leaders, should I use them or not? Let me just say for the record "yes" you should use them. Now that I have said that I can tell you that I rarely do. Does it cost me a fish now and then? Yes it does.. Doesn't matter to me. Yes! I hate it every time it happens. LOL Ok. I hate using leaders, I think they kill action and since fishing is based so much on confidence I find myself taking them off if I go for a while with out a strike. The length of the leader should be determined by the length of the lure. The whole point is to get the line out of the fish's mouth so he's not biting the line.. So longer the lure the shorter the leader can be. I do use them on some crank baits and some spinner baits. I rarely use them on top water even when I should. Now that we have the rod and the reel along with the line and the choice to use or not use leaders lets talk about some basic lures that you should have in your box when you start looking to catch one of these fish. No#1 bait in my box is a top water bait.. Its well known I use the Littlebear "Ripper" They are many other top water baits you could use along with a host of buzz baits. When we go under the water, I like the 675 AC shiner, and Bill Norman deep diving magnum, I also like In-line buck tails, and big spinner baits. Another bait that shouldn't be over look is the biggest Rattle Trap you can find. As you fish for this big fellow for a while you will build confidence in the lures that seem to work for you But you can't go wrong by having the baits I have listed in your boat. Now that we have some lures in the boat. Lets talk about where to fish and what to use. In Kentucky we are blessed with some good areas to catch musky. To list a few we have Cave Run, Green River, Buckhorn, Tygart, parts of the Kentucky River and a few others.. Once you pick a place to go, its time to know when you should be on the water.. The prime time to start fishing is early spring. Musky seem to be in the same places they were, in late fall or winter.. What I mean by that is, they will be in the heads of creeks and on lay downs. I always check out the points that are holding lay downs then I head to heads of coves that have running water in the back of them. This time of the year while the water is still cold I usually throw inline buck tails and spinner baits.. Along with that, I like to throw baits like an AC shiner and some glider baits. I like baits that are neutral buoyant so I can take long paused between twitches. As the water starts to warm and the weeds start to appear its time to change tactics. This is the time when we really get into the top water action. The flats,as well as the shallow water areas where weeds start to appear become the new hot spots that needs a lot of attention. This is also the time of the year when you will start hearing that other anglers are catching musky on lures like Rattle Traps. This hot period will last till the water temperature hits about 78 at that time the musky will start to disappear. You will hear of a few fish here and there but for the most part this is a good time to fish for bass, crappie or what ever is your second choice.. That same magic temperature will trigger the fall migration to the shallows.. The musky will appear back in the weeds and lay down once again as the water cools.. Then as we hit the first frost of the fall and the weeds start to die, the musky will disappear from the weeds and move to the lay downs and deep points that have cover.. Some creeks will still hold fish right up to freeze over. Ok you done a lot of reading without many pictures so here is one: 
My next series will cover "How to figure eight" "How to play this monster". What is the best way to land a musky? What colors work best. My personal tips on locating musky hot spots. Muskie fishing can be a challenging sport. It's true that it can be frustrating even for the experience angler but the more you learn the more you will have successful days on the water. This hard fighting line busting, tackle-stealing fish can produce heart stopping thrills.. Good fishing Chris Erwin |