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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: 20178
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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