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Posts: 425
Location: Elkhart, IN | I've seen a few comments lately about it being almost sucker fishing time. Do alot of you guys quit throwing lures in favor of suckers? Do lures lose there effectiveness in the fall? |
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Posts: 20281
Location: oswego, il | SV, you fish where I fish. On millfoil lakes I start sucker fishing and casting after the turnover. It seems the trolling bite dies after that. Sucker fishing is good in the spring too, don't overlook that up to about 65 degrees. Don't get them giant suckers either, 10-14"ers will do fine. |
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Posts: 425
Location: Elkhart, IN | Holy moly, you fish the same lake as I do and troll? How do you keep the weeds off your line? I've tried trolling a few times and it seemed like I spent more time reeling in and taking weeds off than anything, no matter what part of the lake I tried it in. There's just too many floating weed everywhere. What's your secret? |
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Posts: 425
Location: Elkhart, IN | ToddM, I forgot to ask, when does the turnover usually take place? I know you can't give a definite but around what month does that usually happen? |
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Posts: 3926
| I think suckers are great anytime. Well, I mean, I hang one down next to the boat, medium action rod w/C4 "baitclicker engaged. I cast all the time, but have found that muskies can follow and turn to the sucker, or, the muskies just appear out of nowhere. Fun to watch the sucker freak out as the fish approaches.
Make my own quick strike rigs now. Seem to work great. here's the description, from top to bottom.....
90#McMahon swivel double crimped to 60# sevenstrand. A bell sinker is attached by a rubberband to the bottom "hole" on the swivel, sinker size depends on wind speed. a foot below that, I have a small colorado blade (clevised) on a few beads (I steal these from walleye spinner rigs). Next a light crimp is on the line, holds the spinner in place. A foot and a half below that, I have a small strong treble, line just runs through the eye and is held in place (along the shank) by a small strip of reflector tape. Next is a bigger treble, same attachement method as the first. They both slide, but not easily. Last, another bigger treble held in place by a double crimp. The whole thin is about 3-4' long. Picture this: As I drift along, the bell sinker holds the line straight down from the boat. The leader is pulled at an angle, sometimes 90*, from the line. The small blade slowly turns and the fish swims along behind. |
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Posts: 3242
Location: Racine, Wi | Where you can cast and drag meat at the same time, do it!!! You will put lots of fish in the boat this way. Definitely use a quick set rig of some sort. Some guys make their own, others buy Herbie rigs, and the Maina rigs. Don't overlook using floro either for the rigs. I know that Norm lost a big girl last fall on floro, but I myself have had no problems, and quite a few of us are using them.
I usually drag 2 and cast if by myself, and up to 4 if there is another in the boat. 2 down, and 2 off bobbers trailing behind. I haven't messed with spinners in front of the bait yet, but I'm sure it is a great attracter.
Make sure to set the hook quickly on that rig, so you don't hook fish deep. Grab the rod, make sure the fish is turning away from you, and jack 'em!!! (do as I say, not as I do) LOL
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Posts: 2515
Location: Waukesha & Land O Lakes, WI | I love it. When you actually get a chance to see a Musky come up and smack the meat or you hear that clicker....zzzz...zzzz zzzzz.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. |
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| Taken pike to 30# through the ice rigging a variety of meat (biggest 46") and I'll be 1st in line if they ever go 2 lines in ON on all the non-Great Lakes waters. Love to drag a sucker or perch around when muskie fishing or have a deadstick over the side for any number of other species.T here's days thru the ice when meat will out-fish everything else hands down (it can go the other way, too). |
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Posts: 1245
Location: Madtown, WI | Drag a sucker is a must-
Dacron+dip you asked if the rod in the picture in the fall trips post was a wire rod...NOPE...Heavy mono on a sucker rod!!! 
Cory |
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Posts: 132
Location: Elkhart, IN | Elkhart, Hey I know where that is!!
Yea, drag some meat. You are plain missing fish if you don't. Those fish love to follow. Live bait will get some of those to go. I will at the very least put one right over the side 4' deep on the same side of the boat I'm casting. If you don't see anything on it move it deeper. I've put them down to 10'.
Use some type of quick strike rig. Set the hooks fast so the fish doesn't get a chance to swallow the rig. I'd be happy to show you how to rig them if you'd like. email me at [email protected]
Brian |
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| Rockin' SV
To be totally honest, not everyone(as it appears on this site) uses suckers for Muskies. It has been a controversial subject for decades. Soaking Suckers ,as it's called, I believe started in Wisconsin. Orginially a single hook was used and the Muskie was allowed to swallow the hook and sucker for an extended period of time to allow the hook to get into the Muskie's stomach before setting the hook. Most fisherman keep Muskies at that time, so it was no big deal. When release fishing started to become popular it became obvious thru a number of studies that gut hooked Muskies had a very high mortality rate if released. So release Muskie fisherman condemed the practice. The fervor has died down as Quick Strike Rigs have become more popular. Quick Strike Rigs allow you to set the hooks immediately to avoid gut hooking the fish and gives you the option of releasing the fish. As the other people on this thread have pointed out you need to know what you are doing and how to use & set up a Quick Strike Rig correctly to avoid killing a Muskie you don't intend to. Listen to their advice and understand the concept before trying. Have a good season
Steve |
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Posts: 20281
Location: oswego, il | SV, turnover happens around 55 degrees or so and around late or the end of october, just depends on the weather. Some lakes are less affected by turnover then others. Basically shallow lakes are less affected. As for how do I keep the weeds off my line, I keep the rod tips in the water and use long leaders but it is still alot of work. Sometimes I am working back and forth keeping rods clean but it can be very rewarding. |
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Posts: 1245
Location: Madtown, WI | Don't be affraid to run them DEEEPPPP!!!! If your casting off a fast break down to 25 feet...get that sucker down on the bottom. If your not snagging bottom every once in a while your not deep enough!! THEN, run one about 4 feet down as Boros states...
Cory |
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Posts: 1764
Location: Ogden, Ut | No suckers here. Can't use live minnows of any sort in Utah. In fact, on our muskie waters, no natural bait of any kind (i.e., fish or amphibian) with a size greater than 1" square. Essentially makes it an artificials only situation for muskies (with the obvious exception of tipping jigs) yet allowing bait for panfish. Sometimes I like it that way...it sure helps minimize the options I have to consider and the amount of gear I need to bring on each trip.
K. |
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Posts: 341
| Is it wrong for a man to get excited about a sucker fish. 
Trying some new quick strike rigs this year. I made a small lip circle hook with stinger and kind of a herbie rig with the safety pin set up. ZZZZZZ By far my favorite fresh/salt fishing. |
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| Do not use floro EVER. Tried it last year after a guide said it worked great and he never had a bite off. I used rigs exactly like he did and had 2 out of 3 bite off. Never again! |
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