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Posts: 17
| Hey all,
Just getting into the muskie game and was hoping some of you seasoned vets could point me in the right direction.
What is your best tip for muskie fishing in general?
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Posts: 210
| Go all in, or get out before it breaks your heart, psyche and wallet! Ok, sort of joking.
If you ain't having fun, you ain't doing it right. |
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Posts: 32789
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Enjoy it or don't do it.
Far as catching fish:
Slow down. Don't just cast across the area you are concentrating on, cover it.
1) Just because the electric motor has a 'constant on' switch doesn't mean you have to use it, learn how to position the boat so everyone in the rig has a section of the structure they are erasing. Doing so will force you to learn how to control your boat under any conditions and take a piece of structure apart piece by piece every time. I learned fishing a Creature. Boat control is absolutely essential to do well casting a jig and creature.
2) Your sonar is your eyes under the water. Use it, all the time, to stay on the given 'road' for the technique you are using and the conditions. Hand in hand goes boat control.
Enjoy it, or don't do it.
Want to catch a big fish? Is that the end of all end goals for you? Go fish where there are lots of big fish. If you can't, set the goal for each waterbody. I get as much satisfaction busting a 40 out of a lake that doesn't kick out many over 36" as I do a 50 plus out of the Goon or LOTW or ??. Catching 50s where there are lots of 50s and lots of guys catching 50s is fine if that's the goal, but it's not a measure of expertise until your 50s are hitting the top end of the possibilities on that waterbody more times than not. A nice fish on George is 43". Not so nice a fish on St Clair. |
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Posts: 20179
Location: oswego, il | Muskie fishing is all about awareness and your ability to make good decisions as is everything in life. |
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Posts: 558
| Pay attension every cast, because the the 1 cast you don't there she is and there she goes. Have a blast doing it or fish for bass. |
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Posts: 2228
Location: SE, WI. | I'd suggest when you buy a trolling motor, get one, WITH a constant on". And when you pull up to your spot, put it "ON CONSTANT ON", Not necessarily at a fast pace.:) JD |
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Posts: 156
| In what is surely to be a controversial tip, I would have to say that you should primarily ignore most of what you read in magazines and online (they gotta print/sell something). Otherwise you will be overloaded with info, get analysis-paralysis, overthink, drive yourself crazy, and take the fun out of it. Keep it simple:
1.)choose water that suits your quest (numbers or trophy, or mixed) & learn it (chunk it down into "areas")
2.)practice and become technically perfect as quickly as possible (watch youtube videos, or some videos here)...this will maximize/convert your chances/contacts while you are learning. Pick 4-5 baits and learn to work them well, learn to pinpoint cast, learn to do an 8 or oval, etc.
Once the above becomes second nature, then broaden your horizons...new baits, colors, tactics, waters, etc. |
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Posts: 306
| Remember, it's more of a hunt than fishing. You can't just jump on a lake and start fan casting the hot lure unless you are really lucky. A basic understanding of the water types, seasons, weather effects, etc., is much more valuable than a big selection of expensive lures. Do some research and avoid the "new craze" advice. Lots of good info on this forum, and books by Saric, Heiting and Pearson are all good reads.
Then, it's about patience and determination.
Edited by Booch 7/12/2014 5:54 PM
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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | It's fishing, just enjoy it. |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | If you don't buy a boat or any equipment and don't start collecting thousands of lures in hundreds of colours you could fish with a big name guide every weekend and only spend about half the money. |
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Posts: 682
Location: Sycamore, IL | Get a guide on your local water or area that you want to learn. Pre-frame with the guide that you are a novice and want to learn about the seasonal movements and behaviors of muskies in your area. Watch how the guide presents a lure and how he controls his boat. Come prepared with questions and an open mind. Think of it as a learning experience and not a catching experience and you will be a head of the game! |
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Posts: 243
Location: South Central Wisconsin | Keep it simple.
Look for structure (weeds, rocks, timber) that tops out at 3-4'. This structure also needs to have close access to deep water. By deep water I'd say anything about 12' or better. The closer the structure to the deep water the better. Get a few different color bucktails, a topraider, and maybe a 6-8" twitch bait or two (shallow raiders, slammers, ect...). Work your boat off the side of the structure casting to the top of it. Good luck. |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | when the smallies or crappies are biting … fish em |
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Posts: 3469
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya,
When you catch one, if you cannot get the hooks out quickly, cut them. Carry a large assortment of split rings and hooks in various sizes so if the need exists to cut, the lure is not out of commission. Cutting hooks is also a good safety measure for you as well.
Steve |
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Posts: 540
Location: Leech Lake, Walker MN | It's not only a physical game but a Hugh mental game just stay in it |
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Posts: 46
| All good tips so far. I'll second getting a guide as it drastically shortens the learning curve. One thing that took me a while to learn was that you can be doing the right thing, in the right place, at the right time for hours and not even see a fish! That's just how it goes sometimes and you can't get discouraged. Good luck on the hunt! |
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Posts: 718
| Learn to use a graph VERY well and don't be afraid to look offshore. |
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Posts: 455
| Find a way you like to fish for them and do it that way. Don`t worry about learning every technique or style of fishing your first year. |
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Posts: 8719
| You catch muskies the same way you catch every other fish. The lures are bigger and the fish are bigger, but the rest is largely the same. It's still a fish. Fish gotta eat. They call it the fish of 10,000 casts, because sometimes it is. Sometimes it's the fish of two casts.
1. Buy the right tools and equipment and make sure it's all maintained. If your reel breaks or your leader breaks or your trolling motor batteries are dead, or your hooks aren't sharp you're not catching anything.
If you're going to read anything, do it for the purpose of figuring out where the fish are likely to be this month/week/today and why. The most important "reading" you can do is reading the water and reading the fish.
Learn to do a good figure 8, and do it. The rest just takes time and patience.
It's wise to learn what you can from those who are more accomplished, but in the end you just have to go out there and fish. Accept the fact that you may go days or weeks without even seeing a fish. Guys go to Canada for a week and come back empty handed. It happens. One day you'll go out there and catch three or four. That happens, too. (though not as often as we'd like.)
Mostly? Fishing for muskies is the best way I know of to catch one. Fish when you can and learn from your mistakes. The fish will come.
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Posts: 1405
Location: Detroit River | My best tip would be to maintain a good confidence level. Try your best to have a positive attitude or a PMA (Positive Musky Attitude). If you have it in your head that the lure/presentation/location isn’t right then chances are you won’t catch much. I struggled to put fish in the boat when I first started. I had the location part down because I was always making some sort of contact with the muskies but not closing the deal. Since changing my PMA my success has improved. Having been a diehard bass guy (mostly smallies) I started approaching musky fishing like I do with bass fishing & also mixed in a little deer hunting strategy into the mix & it has improved my game (especially this year). Now if I can only get my back & left shoulder to heel up I can get back out there & catch some pigs. |
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Posts: 134
| Learn how to properly sharpen a hook and how to tell if it is sharp. It will make getting the fish into the net a lot easier! Become obsessive about it, its ok. |
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Posts: 357
Location: Duluth, MN | Learn to be tight lipped! Hot bites are short and word spreads fast. |
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Posts: 720
| You'll learn more on the water than any place else.
and
enjoy that time!! |
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Posts: 646
Location: In a shack in the woods | Assume you are always casting over fish and you just need to figure out what they want to eat and how they want it. |
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Posts: 173
| horsehunter - 7/12/2014 9:21 PM
If you don't buy a boat or any equipment and don't start collecting thousands of lures in hundreds of colours you could fish with a big name guide every weekend and only spend about half the money.
Some of the soundest advise ever posted. ( Kinda think most musky guys are a bit embarrassed by the number of lures they bought and never use . ) $$ per month per musky can be pretty high owning all your own stuff. |
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Posts: 1529
| learn how to read water. no I am not joking either. water clarity/wave action will all help your quest. |
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Posts: 409
Location: Almond, WI | Fish with as many different good fisherman as you can and learn from what they do--ask questions, watch their technique, if they tell you to do it this way, learn to do it that way. Learn the basics the best you can, from the best fisherman you can go out with. |
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Posts: 4080
Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | Like others have said.. don't spend a lot of money on Equipment,... Hire a Guide every week the first season,.... They will teach you the What to use, When to fish,Where to fish, How to fish, and Why they are doing what they are doing.....
Go with different guides until you find a couple that are cool to be around and know their shnit...
Jerome
Edited by Top H2O 7/14/2014 10:32 AM
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Posts: 2004
| Don't live over 1,000 miles away from where you like to fish. |
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Posts: 1023
| When I was young, Tony Rizzo gave me some great advice. Fish "action" lakes, catch a ton of fish and burn through all the releases. Once you've handled 50-100 fish, then focus on larger fish lakes, so that when you do get one to hit, you will be able to fight it and release it properly.
Seen too many younger guys in my boat concerned with only catching bigger fish. Tough to get a 45+ into the net when you can't even execute a proper Figure 8 on a hot 37 inch follower. |
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Posts: 518
Location: Cave Run Lake KY. | acafisherman19 - 7/12/2014 4:22 PM
Hey all,
Just getting into the muskie game and was hoping some of you seasoned vets could point me in the right direction.
What is your best tip for muskie fishing in general? <<<<<<<< Find a home lake and fish it hard. Hire the best guide you can find for that lake, He is a seasoned vet and will point you in the right direction. Keep the boat you have and fish out of it a lot, and if you think your going to Become a muskie fishing junky then you can look for a boat that is better( safer) for the lakes you WILL WANT TO FISH. IV, Been fishing muskies for over 45 years and if I had to do it over Id would buy the biggest Ranger they made at that time. The guide boats they have now cost more then my first house. The Rules are there are no Rules. At first, fish action lakes and go from there. WE were going on a ten day fishing trip and on the way up I TOLD MY FISHING PARTNER that on this trip we have the chance to catch the our biggest fish ever. WE need to fish hard, fish smart and get a little lucky. WE did that and we both caught our personal best fish . Two 54" /25" muskies. Good Fishing to you Marv.
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Posts: 750
Location: Minneapolis, MN | You don’t need to spend a lot of money on gear to be successful. Sure a $1000 rod and reel set up is nice to fish with, but by no means required, the only fish I’ve caught this year have come on my least expensive setup. You don’t need 100 baits, or 50, or 25, you only need enough to cover different patterns on lakes you fish the most. Small lures catch big fish too, you don’t need to throw pounders, 13’s, or 10’s. |
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Posts: 69
| Pick a lake that is good for Muskies, and really learn it, especially if you are doing Canadian yearly outings. Get to the point on a lake you feel confidant you could fish a tournament there and be competitive. It takes years to learn some of these bigger lakes. Do not get into the lure buying game. I have 2 boxes of worthless lures because I believed the hype. Find out what lures are the best in the business and stick with them. You do not want to be wasting time with non productive lures. All the experienced Musky fisherman have lures that they use regularly to score with. |
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Posts: 349
| As a novice you will learn more in one day with a good, experienced fisherman than you would in a lifetime of reading forums/articles and watching videos.
You can't catch a fish if you don't put a bait in front of one. |
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | Keep your digits outside their yapper. |
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Posts: 8719
| Flambeauski - 7/14/2014 2:53 PM
Keep your digits outside their yapper.
That's a #*^@ good bit of advice! I was going to say "don't lip 'em!" but I figure anybody dumb enough to do that deserves to learn that the hard way!  |
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Posts: 34
| Troll. Just kidding :P |
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Posts: 313
Location: Bemidji, Lake Vermilion | Get a mentor and join a muskie club in your area. You'll be able to get quality second hand gear much cheaper and tap into a wealth of knowledge from people who are normally willing to provide it for free. Learn what you like and don't by using someone else's lures is helpful, so your not a few hundred baits in before deciding you like a dozen or so. |
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Posts: 163
Location: NoDak | esoxaddict - 7/14/2014 4:19 PM
Flambeauski - 7/14/2014 2:53 PM
Keep your digits outside their yapper.
That's a #*^@ good bit of advice! I was going to say "don't lip 'em!" but I figure anybody dumb enough to do that deserves to learn that the hard way! ;- )
i saw bill dance lip a 2 pound northern on tv and he flinched but it cut away and then the next fish he caught he was saying proper handling of these fish, haha he had a glove on and said not to lip them, hahahaaa |
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Posts: 759
Location: Ames, Iowa | Have fun, slow down, learn to troll, take the time to watch others, make it enjoyable not work, fish with friends, keep trips short and sweet at the beginning, throw more top waters, expect action, have fun. |
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Posts: 3774
| Learn to be effective first and efficient second as fast as you can. |
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| Just have fun, no need to over think tricking a fish. |
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Posts: 141
Location: Minnetonka | Learn how to find the fish, then concentrate on making the eat. Before each trip, consider the wind...not from that day, but from the past 3-5 days. If it's been consistent for some time, baitfish can stack up on wind blown shorelines, points, etc. Take a map and try to identify these spots on the lake as starting points. Try to get a feel for what the main forage may be on the lake and look to mimic it in your presentation. DNR sites can tell you netting results of many lakes and could show a dominant forage base. Depending on the time of year, blades can be excellent "search baits" and will uncover the location of active fish following baits. Mentally mark those fish to come back to them at peak times, but also try to understand WHY they are in that location, then look for similar spots on that lake. From my experience, there are "good spots" and there are "big fish spots." More often than you would think, the big fish spots are contrary to everything you have learned. They will eat pounders in the spring, and they will eat topwater in the fall, they can be in a foot of water, and they will eat under bluebird conditions...Figure out what other people are doing and then do the opposite. Once you've failed with all of this, get a horseshoe and a sucker minnow, go out to the middle of the lake, put the sucker minnow on a quick strike rig and the horseshoe up your....Good luck! |
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Posts: 95
| Cast, cast, cast.... then pay attention and do a proper figure 8 EVERY TIME your lure reaches the boat!!! |
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Posts: 607
Location: S.W. WI | Don't think if you go where the fish are, at a supposed good moon period, or good weather pattern that you are going to get bit. You may get lucky, but the best way to have sustained luck is time on the water, or at least fishing with someone who has alot of time on the water. |
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Posts: 639
Location: Hudson, WI | Bring the fight to the fish. Use good gear and pull them where you want them to go...any slack is a lost fish most of the time. |
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Posts: 22
| When I go out for Walleyes or Bass or Pike I expect to boat fish. Musky fishing is different, It can be so disappointing and frustrating even maddening. I totally agree with not going overboard buying lures and tackle. Buy quality equipment but not a boat full. I think top quality line and leaders are a must along with SHARP hooks. Early in my musky fishing years I lost a couple of brutes due to not having a proper size net and fishing alone. I learned the hard way. I really like the statement above about hiring a guide instead of buying a bunch of tackle. Remember that it takes many years for a musky to reach trophy size and there are relatively few when compared to other species in any given body of water. A 30 pound fish can make a mess in boat, injure itself and impale YOU with hooks. Practice CPR (catch,photo,release). Musky fishing should not be about killing fish. Have fun , enjoy every encounter and good luck! |
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Posts: 17
| Thanks for all the advice everybody! I've been out a few times with no luck (lost a little one on a topwater) but am looking forward to putting a few in the boat soon!
acafisherman19 |
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Posts: 2089
| After you set the hook........keep reeling!!!!!!!! |
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Posts: 98
| 2 things:
1) "The first step to success is the acquisition of knowledge" - Tom Gelb. Get a guide, learn your lakes, techniques, seasonal patterns, fish biology, read books, etc.
2) Must be present to win....put in your time (intelligent time) on the water and good things will happen. |
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Posts: 572
Location: Maplewood, MN | Some may disagree, but pick a lake you want to learn and fish THAT lake. I feel what hurt me the most was lake hopping too much hoping to find a hot bite. You'll have your days you move a fish on every spot and catch a few, and you'll also have a full WEEK that you won't move any. That's when keeping your cool comes into play. PACK YOUR LUNCH because the guy who puts in the most time is usually rewarded. |
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Posts: 80
| Put in your TOW(time on the water). It doesnt matter if you hire a guide every month for a full season. There is a huge learning curve to this sport that cannot be taught but only learned by experience and TOW. I personally would not recommend a guide. Many will disagree with this but it is much more rewarding figuring out a body of water YOURSELF. It may take you longer but the things you learn along the way will be much more benficial than a guide. |
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Posts: 182
| If you don't love it get out of it. When you are still having fun after 12 hours of casting it's for you. |
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Posts: 1283
| Angler II - 7/18/2014 12:44 PM
Put in your TOW(time on the water). It doesnt matter if you hire a guide every month for a full season. There is a huge learning curve to this sport that cannot be taught but only learned by experience and TOW. I personally would not recommend a guide. Many will disagree with this but it is much more rewarding figuring out a body of water YOURSELF. It may take you longer but the things you learn along the way will be much more benficial than a guide.
I agree and disagree with this. For me locally I wanted to hire a guide but I didnt since I can get on the water enough to actually learn it. Took a lot of time but now Im catching or at least seeing a fish every time out. Lakes that I dont have months to learn and may be there for a week or only a weekend a guide is a great thing to get you jump started. |
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Posts: 94
| Meet and fish with lots of other muskie anglers.
For me, the best way to do that over the past 37 years has been to become a member of Muskies, Inc. and meet folks at Chapter, Regional, and National events.
Most of my good friends and fishing partners are MI members; the ones I fish with the most are from 5 different chapters, 6 states, and two provinces.
Every fishing trip is like a reunion! - Kevin |
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Posts: 2
| Hi all I'm new here but in my opinion big lures and gear are not necessary I caught my first muskie 2 weekends ago ended up catching 5 all together biggest being 35"all but one was caught on small trout lures the other on a rap x good luck and tight lines |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | fishin24/7 - 7/22/2014 2:13 PM
Hi all I'm new here but in my opinion big lures and gear are not necessary I caught my first muskie 2 weekends ago ended up catching 5 all together biggest being 35"all but one was caught on small trout lures the other on a rap x good luck and tight lines
big lures and gear are definitely not needed to catch 35" and lower Muskies. I would agree..... |
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Posts: 267
| One school of thought is to fish fast and cover as many good spots as possible. This will up your odds of contacting an active fish. This is the Mark Windells theory of muskie fishing (I don't know if it still is).
Another would be to pick a good spot and stay on it an pick it apart with a variety of baits.
Pick a smaller lake with a lot of muskies (not necessarily one with a lot of big fish) and fish it a lot to gain experience.
Try to be on the water in pre-frontal conditions after a period of stable weather. |
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Location: SE Wisconsin | The more you fail, the more you learn. The best of the best learn from going through the rigors of trial and plenty of error. |
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Posts: 1126
Location: Minnesota. | Follow me around and fish where I - don't ! You'll find some fish...
Good replies here. Buy good eqpt. and take care of it. Not the best but good stuff. A decent rod and a better reel!!
Get a few diff. styles of baits, jerkbaits, topwaters, bucktails etc. maybe two or three of each but try not to get caught up in the "gotta have two or more boxes full" mindset.
Talk to guys. Listen. Gently ask for helpful tips but never locations. The hunting is the fun part. And time on the water. Don't let the "doldrums" set in 'cause that's when you'll get hit! Keep a positive attitude and above all, it's fishing...it's supposed to be fun so keep it so. It's fishing...put time in your boat. You'll get old before you know it and then the whining gets real for a reason! You have it good now, just wait. Go NOW!!
A fish will hit you when you least expect it. Count on it.
Stay off the bulletin boards. Time on the water. I'm repeating myself aren't I!
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Posts: 6
| Join your local Muskies Inc. chapter. Go to MI meetings. Make friends and develop fishing partners. Ask questions. These guys know the lakes in your area. Volunteer to help with stocking. Help make your local lakes good fisheries for years to come, for you and your children. Many MI members know local guides that they have used and recommend.
You can get buried with purchasing things but the best part of your muskie arsenal is your mind. Everybody loves catching--not everybody loves fishing. Good Luck. |
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Posts: 350
Location: WESTERN WI | Sell all the gear you've acquired to this point and run like hell in the opposite direction. If the "sport" gets its claws into, after you caught a bunch, with some bruisers in the mix you will never have a big enough boat, enough tackle, the latest electronics or most importantly,
enough time to use it all. |
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Posts: 397
Location: Wisconsin | go to local hangouts around your favorite water youre trying to fish... like a bar or café, and try to talk to locals. That gets me a lot of info! |
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Posts: 18
| If you're just starting out, I would definitely hire a quality guide on a lake you plan to fish a lot. Not only will they show you spots to fish, but the good ones will show you how to properly throw different types of lures, correctly hold and cast your reel so you can do it for hours pain free, help you understand your electronics, do a proper figure 8, and sharpen your hooks.
When you buy tackle and equipment, research before buying. Use the web. I have tons of rod/reel set ups that I rarely use anymore as well as that "hot bait(s)" that I threw once and never throw again. When you buy equipment, buy quality stuff that will last and take care of it and maintain it. Try to buy rod/reel setups that you can use for many types of baits.
Spend as much time as possible on the water and cast, cast, cast. Do a figure 8 every time. Repetition will help you become a smoother fisherman and build confidence. Good luck and have fun!
Edited by Tjhollywood22 7/29/2014 9:03 PM
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Posts: 2
| do your home work--- learn all u can about basic habits of your target & its environment select a fishery close to home the closer the better & the smaller the better its easyer to find a needle in a bail of hay than a barn full
get prepaired the first money You spend should ensure you have a jaw spreader,side cutters long long nose pliers & large 3& 1/2 to 4 foot diameter landing net the deeper the better
next is some leaders to protect your investment & the fish
after that rods & reels can be something u already have such as surf setup , striper setup heavy cat setup to start you can invest in better more specialized setups as u go but plan on 50 pound or better braid & a rod & real that can handle it
a little lighter lines can be used in cool water conditions when fish stress is less of a concern
after the above baics its lures here the ol army term kiss--- keep it simple stupid applies simply cover the water colum surface , shallow running , diving & a few proven simple colors , black , silver ,chartruse , flow orange, fire tiger are somewhat basic example silver could be a shad or cisco or alwife or shiner finished plug or silver blades on cow bells
but use what u got that comes close to a reasonable size & is constructed well enough to withstand a pounding u can add larger hooks & will collect more as time passes
then hit the water & apply what you learned ensuring to practice Your figure 8 or ovals or ells every cast
last the hard part when your arm , wrist , back start to hurt & you quit making your figure 8 every cast its time to take a break have some coffee a snack go troll a while return to casting when you have enough energy & alertness to make that cast the only thing in this world
and remember musky populations are measured acers per fish not fish per acer
good luck have fun |
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Posts: 427
Location: Planet Meltdown | Make sure your drag is set before you start casting! |
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Posts: 31
Location: Mapleton Mn | MuskieFever - 7/18/2014 12:09 PM
Some may disagree, but pick a lake you want to learn and fish THAT lake..
This is what I have been doing this past year and it has worked very well for me. Also no matter what happens on the water DONT GIVE UP! Had some VERY tough days this year and that made me question why I fish for these things but im usually ready to go back out there and give it another shot about the time I pull in my driveway. |
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Posts: 1202
Location: Money, PA | 1. Confidence
2. Time
3. Persistence
4. Learn from Mistakes
5. Have Fun
6. Cooler full of BEER - Will aid in achieving #5
IN THAT ORDER!
Edited by ShutUpNFish 9/2/2014 11:22 AM
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | 1. It is impossible to take a bait away from a fish (assuming the bait is still in the water) = speed kills
2. It is equally impossible to feed the bait to the fish (sans the topwater or deadstick pause)
3. It is possible to tie a musky into a knot and frustrate it enough to make it go away
4. When you think the fish left out of a figure 8/0 … there is enough of a chance it didn't leave to keep doing a few
i've seen more fish lost because someone slowed down and tried to make it easier for the fish to catch than almost any other mistake. |
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Posts: 20179
Location: oswego, il | Dont eat big giant meals during your fishing trip, that is unless you enjoy rushing to take those sorts of breaks. |
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| skimming through some of the BS, there is a lot of good info on this thread. I'll add another- networking. Join a club like MI, check out online social media and forums, spend some time at the baitshop. I have met, talked to, learned from, and fished with several very good musky fishermen that I would not have had the opportunity to do without networking. |
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Posts: 7010
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | DON'T think that because you see someone on M1st or FB holding a fish from a day/weekend where you got skunked that you're the only one. Remember that very few people rush to the interweb to show off how they didn't catch anything. |
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Posts: 369
| Although I've caught one muskie, the best tip for me is expect a muskie to strike on every single cast no matter how bad the cast was. Ive lost 2 because I was not expecting for a strike. my first muskie was caught less than a few feet away. Also, put heat shrink tubing on your buck tails, I did this and it seems too work much better than just letting the hook hang.
-Zachary |
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Location: On the O | Positive Muskie Attitute!
They're out there, you're out there, it's all about finding the hungry one at the right time...maybe this cast.
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Posts: 20
| Fish the Indiana Muskie Classic next May. It's three days of muskie overload. You will be surrounded by 200 muskie nuts full of info and ready to help you. Mike Hulbert generally speaks one night and another featured speaker another night .Most everyone is friendly and will talk with you about our beloved fish. Hope to see you next May. |
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Posts: 1202
Location: Money, PA | Eaglescout2012 - 9/2/2014 1:58 PM
Although I've caught one muskie, the best tip for me is expect a muskie to strike on every single cast no matter how bad the cast was. Ive lost 2 because I was not expecting for a strike. my first muskie was caught less than a few feet away. Also, put heat shrink tubing on your buck tails, I did this and it seems too work much better than just letting the hook hang.
-Zachary
Expect it when you least expect it...Thats when "It" will happen... |
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Posts: 1126
Location: Minnesota. | brianT - 8/27/2014 10:02 PM
Make sure your drag is set before you start casting!
Made me grin. I'm religious about that. My son's even gave it a name...a "dad-ism".
E.G. "Wow, looks nice around here." "Okay, check yer drag!" "Don't forget the deep side of this bar!" "BAR (Big Arse Rock), watch it on the retrieve" "Don't pick up too fast when your bait's in, remember??" "Keep your mouth shut, sound travels, remember?" and lastly "Man, this looks good!"
I love it when my two son's come out with me. |
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Posts: 12
| Figure 8 after every cast, and I mean EVERY cast, when fishing from a boat. At a minimum you will see more muskies that you may not have seen following, and will lead to more fish in the boat.
Edited by Ferg 9/8/2014 4:58 PM
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Posts: 167
Location: Tomahawk, WI | Keep your boat neat and in order at all times!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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| Fish for perch. Those guys always seem to hook a giant! |
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Posts: 1828
| jonnysled - 9/2/2014 11:46 AM
4. When you think the fish left out of a figure 8/0 … there is enough of a chance it didn't leave to keep doing a few
exactly. Caught two the last couple days boatside after they "disappeared". Come to think of it, I think most of my boatside fish peeled off before coming back to eat. Usually when they come back, you don't even get a full 8 in before they eat. |
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Posts: 1283
| brianT - 8/27/2014 10:02 PM
Make sure your drag is set before you start casting!
Lost a fish boat side do to this last friday. |
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Posts: 123
| Keep the fish in the water. Don't net it and bring it in the boat to get tangled up and flop all over the place and injure itself. Just keep it in the water next to the boat and release the hooks. Do this all quickly. Pull 'er out and snap a quick pick, give'r a kiss and put her back!
x2 for having bolt cutters. I have 2 pairs one for small jobs and one for tougher cuts. This has saved a number of fish for me this year.
Go with your gut instinct. Ppl might say this bait is hot, or that bait is hot, or this bait is only hot this time of year, never do this, never do that etc...you gotta learn to do what you think is best and stick with it. Educate yourself, trust yourself. |
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Posts: 994
Location: Minnesota: where it's tough to be a sportsfan! | Commit to each cast. If you are tired take a break and re-group or troll. There is nothing worse than an angler just going through the mechanics fooling himself into believing that he is in touch with it. Concentration & Confidence on each cast.
Many little small details make the whole thing come together. Make sure the small things are covered/right because there is no time for that during the heat of battle. |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | buy the rod you can afford and the reel that you can't afford
buy the boat you can afford and the electronics you can't afford |
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Posts: 2378
| jonnysled - 9/12/2014 7:28 AM buy the rod you can afford and the reel that you can't afford buy the boat you can afford and the electronics you can't afford Perfectly stated.
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Location: Contrarian Island | Sled "1. It is impossible to take a bait away from a fish (assuming the bait is still in the water) = speed kills
2. It is equally impossible to feed the bait to the fish (sans the topwater or deadstick pause)
3. It is possible to tie a musky into a knot and frustrate it enough to make it go away
4. When you think the fish left out of a figure 8/0 … there is enough of a chance it didn't leave to keep doing a few
i've seen more fish lost because someone slowed down and tried to make it easier for the fish to catch than almost any other mistake"
Sled, while normally this is true, I have seen times where slowing it down actually WAS the trigger and speed actually turned the fish off (last year on LOTW).....i think the one rule in musky fishing is there are NO absolutes... one of the funniest things someone can say is something like "they're not eating bucktails right now".. really? cuz that can change in 1 cast.
one of the best things for newbies to learn, and one of the hardest even for the most experienced is how to "read the fish"
don't think you 'have' to take it away, ..simply put. Read The Fish!
Another one I learned early on from Lee Tauchen was boat control... boat control can put a lot more fish in the boat for you if you do it well...
Edited by BNelson 9/12/2014 9:43 AM
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Posts: 62
Location: Minnetonka MN | 1. Pick a lake nearby and learn it well. Ask around at the launches and the bait shops and you will pickup valuable tips on what is working and where.
2. Hire a guide on that lake. Even experienced musky fisherman can learn from a local expert. Don't be too proud or too cheap to hire the best. You will be surprised at how much there is to learn.
3. My son quotes another musky guy, "don't leave fish to go find fish". When you have some spots figured out, go back to them. Experiment with baits, speeds, time of day. |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | BNelson - 9/12/2014 9:32 AM
Sled "1. It is impossible to take a bait away from a fish (assuming the bait is still in the water) = speed kills
2. It is equally impossible to feed the bait to the fish (sans the topwater or deadstick pause)
3. It is possible to tie a musky into a knot and frustrate it enough to make it go away
4. When you think the fish left out of a figure 8/0 … there is enough of a chance it didn't leave to keep doing a few
i've seen more fish lost because someone slowed down and tried to make it easier for the fish to catch than almost any other mistake"
Sled, while normally this is true, I have seen times where slowing it down actually WAS the trigger and speed actually turned the fish off (last year on LOTW).....i think the one rule in musky fishing is there are NO absolutes... one of the funniest things someone can say is something like "they're not eating bucktails right now".. really? cuz that can change in 1 cast.
one of the best things for newbies to learn, and one of the hardest even for the most experienced is how to "read the fish"
don't think you 'have' to take it away, ..simply put. Read The Fish!
Another one I learned early on from Lee Tauchen was boat control... boat control can put a lot more fish in the boat for you if you do it well...
good stuff here from Brad....couldn't agree more with his thoughts on speed. You will read a lot about trying to take the lure away from the fish...well, you most certainly CAN do that if you try and do too much, especially in figure 8's.... |
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Posts: 369
| ShutUpNFish - 9/4/2014 8:00 AM
Eaglescout2012 - 9/2/2014 1:58 PM
Although I've caught one muskie, the best tip for me is expect a muskie to strike on every single cast no matter how bad the cast was. Ive lost 2 because I was not expecting for a strike. my first muskie was caught less than a few feet away. Also, put heat shrink tubing on your buck tails, I did this and it seems too work much better than just letting the hook hang.
-Zachary
Expect it when you least expect it...Thats when "It" will happen... |
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Posts: 284
Location: Eagan, MN | Brad, with re. to boat control, care to elaborate a little more?? I control my boat really well, but my 'boat control' sometmes really sucks, if you know what I mean. I ask becasue 'boat control' means different things to different people. Personally, good boat control to me means putting the boat in the best position to deliver the cast that will get the bite from the spot I happen to be fishing as quickly and efficiently as possible. On a main lake reef, good boat control provides more than 360 degrees of cast angle possibities. So, some may be confused by the concept. Heck, even I am at times.
BrianF
Edited by BrianF. 9/15/2014 3:25 PM
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Posts: 833
| I'm not going to put words in Brad's mouth, but I'll throw an opinion out there:
One aspect of boat control is putting yourself in position to make the cast. I think that is what most people think about when the topic is brought up. Another aspect is where you position yourself in relation to the strucutre. Inside Out, Confined Open Water, Deep Edge, Vertical Edge, what have you. All those parts of a spot can be fished and how you position yourself to fish them makes a huge difference in efficacy. |
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Posts: 284
Location: Eagan, MN | That's what I'm wondering. What variable do you consider when determining the best boat position? Is it the contour of the bottom you are fishing? Wind direction? Sun angle? Other angler pressure? What trumps what? What is the primary determinant to making the decision to put your boat a certain way on a certain spot? As you say, this can be a huge factor in gettng a bite or not getting a bite.
Just trying to understand what 'have good boat control' actually means in practice to the casual angler.
BrianF. |
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Posts: 32789
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Boat control is one of the terms in our sport that means about 100 different things to as many people; to me it's covering the area I feel will hold fish from enough angles to get the lure in front of any fish in that area ( sometimes at least twice from differing angles, sometimes that requires another 'pass') with full consideration to and utilization of every angler in the boat. I position the boat completely differently if alone than if I am fishing with another angler, and even differently if fishing with two others, of course. I use the wind and 'sail' along using short pulses on the electric and the main outboard as a rudder, not prolonged runs which result in pulling the ride down a piece of water. Same even if moving against the wind. I have a reputation of moving the boat 'slowly'.
Covering the water is one thing, selection is quite another. Approach is determined by the wind to a larger degree than any other factor, and so is selection. Wind direction and speed, of course, but also the amount of light penetration, direction, and and water clarity, where the fish are coming from and going, and much more. If I am certain fish are there, I may try several approaches and techniques that match. We moved several fish in an area 150' long Saturday, and moved them again by changing up direction and knowing to a degree where the fish went after the follow or strike. Reading the water is also critical, but boat control allows execution of a correct read and application of technique. |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | Icons … or … Trails …  |
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Posts: 32789
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Interestingly sled, when I looked at the stored data from the weekend on the three lakes we fished, each 'spot' has multiple trails that are identical, like a sharpie line, and that from trips there over the last 2 weeks. Except...when we were working a fish; interesting seeing what I did trying to get the lure where I thought the fish went, and when I adjusted one evening because we found the fish to be shallower than 'normal'. I don't use a GPS on the bow...yet. I am using my knowledge of the structure's edges and staying on a 'road' by using depth readings. Different technique, same results, and I don't need to fish the structure more than a couple times to load it into the memory banks. Comes from learning the water before there were graphs, much less Loran C or GPS.
Same structure for walleyes and bass instead of Muskies, different but consistent lines.
You should see the trails on the 'Bird on Minocqua for the bigger crappies...they move some, pretty predictably. Not a single icon on the map. |
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Posts: 20179
Location: oswego, il | Boat control is totally different with 1, 2 or 3 people on how to fairly position the boat so everyone can cast effectively.
boat snacks. Do not buy two boxes of fiber one bars and a dried fruit mix that includes prunes. If you want to fart your ass off, I do recommend it. |
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Posts: 2097
| Don't leave fish to find fish. |
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Posts: 23
| I am going to give what seems to be a general tip and follow it up with elaboration.
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My tip to anyone new to musky fishing, in their first season, or even their second, is: Set Yourself up for Success.
(This is advice we could all use)
So what does it mean:
- MAKE A GAME PLAN. Read up on a lake you are going to fish, check water color, clarity, wind conditions, weather pattern and trend. Become a weather nerd, it really helps. Is the barometer steady, rising, falling? Is there a front moving in through the area? What kind of bait fish are on the lake, what color does that equate to for lure selection? This all comes out to putting yourself in a situation you feel confident in, and confidence is HUGE in musky fishing. Will it always work, nope, but that's fishing ha!
- BE PREPARED. I've seen a lot of people talk about this but that doesn't make it exempt from my list. Have gear that can handle your lures, line and fish. Use non stretch line and good leaders, just do it. Wear a pair of GOOD polarized sunglasses that are well reviewed by the fishing community (INVALUABLE TOOL!!!). Have tools for fish handling, a good net, and a camera. Is there a chance of rain? Bring some gear, bottom line just have all your ducks in a row so you can do what you want to do when you're out there....FISH.
- KNOW YOUR BASICS. Learn the figure 8, learn the L turn, learn how to retrieve your lure. And get good at those basics. I wouldn't recommend complicated techniques your first couple years, BUILD THAT CONFIDENCE. Throw bucktails - black and silver never fails (seriously), find some simple topwaters like a TopRaider or other straight retrieve lures and WORK THEM. learn them, learn when where and how they work for you. Use confidence colors - for me that means black with high contrast, if perch is the main forage use some bright greens, if your in bog stained water have a heavy dose of bright orange and black, if your water is crystal clear and deep get into those blacks, browns, and whites.
- REMAIN A STUDENT. You will never know it all, learn it all, and not all of it will ever make sense. There's been sometimes the fish have wanted lures that just dont make any sense to me, but they wanted it, and the fish is never wrong ;). Go out on the water with a willingness to learn, pay attention to weed types, weed growth, watch for forage, watch for how wind affects different spots, RESPECT OTHER ANGLERS (cant begin to overstate this), try new retreives or concepts with baits you have confidence in. The beauty of fishing is it will always challenge you to the level you allow it to, and that is a rare thing, cherish what you have and pass on the knowledge you earn to close friends and family, but DONT GO SPREAD IT AROUND THE LAUNCH.
- BE THANKFUL. Never lose mind of the blessing you have to fish for one of the most rare species of fish in the world, it's range is small, and yet it is highly renowned and sought after by anglers around the world. So SHOW SOME RESPECT, don't kill fish purposely, don't be thoughtless, and keep in mind that you are very blessed to have the opportunity to fish for Muskies.
Hopefully it's not too preachy, best of luck to everyone out there beating that water for the fish of a lifetime.
Tight lines.
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Best Muskie Tip