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Location: Northern Wisconsin | Besides muskies what else do you guys fish for? Have you discovered any tactics or presentations while fishing for other species that helped you catch more muskie? or vise versa: how has muskie fishing helped you catch other species? or what have you learned from muskies by fishing for other species?
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Posts: 8772
| At one time or another over the last 35 years I've fished for everything that swims in fresh water, and I spend a week or two down in Florida every year fishing in the gulf. I guess you can't learn much about muskies fishing for catfish and carp, but predatory fish are predatory fish. The only difference with muskies is that there are fewer of them, and they'll follow a lure in the 8. Well, and as of yet, I've never been able to make one eat that just didn't want to like you can with bass. Most of my fishing skills evolved sight fishing in clear shallow water, from watching fish react (or not) to what I did with different lures, or just watching them feed, watching what their prey did to try to escape. I had been fishing for almost 30 years when I started fishing for muskies, so I am sure that helped me catch on. How could it not -- it's fishing. Besides that, there are definitely skills that carry over -- working a spook is like working a jackpot. Finesse fishing is finesse fishing... Counting down lures, not leaving slack line, reading how a fish is going to react, aiming at structure, reading a shoreline, being able to figure out what places are likely to hold fish, it's not all that different.
I think muskie fishing has definitely helped me catch more of other species. Not necessarily a consious evolution; but I find myself working baits differently now when I am bass fishing or walleye fishing for example. That's a double edged sword though... I catch myself figure 8-ing no matter what I am fishing for. Pretty sure that's not doing me any good. And I KNOW I have lost fish to a muskie sized hookset where none was needed. It's definitely changed my fishing style.
It's funny -- I still get a kick out of all types of fishing. I know a few guys who say they only fish for muskies. I don't get it. cI'll skip the multi species stuff in Canada, because that's not why I am there. I can catch walleyes anywhere. I can't catch a 50" muskie everywhere. Now that I think about it, I can't catch one ANYWHERE!  |
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| Recommended for trophy carp in a dark water, man-made lake: 7" jointed Believer in Hot Walleye finish. Recommended for trophy channel catfish in hill country reservoir: 8" Jake in Firebelly. |
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | I caught a walleye figure 8ing a rogue once. And I had a guide admonish me 5 or 6 times for setting the hook too hard on a fly fishing float trip in Oregon "you're not muskie fishing!" |
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Posts: 265
Location: McGuire AFB, NJ | When I moved down to Carbondale after seperating from the Air Force I saw flyer for the college bass team we have on campus. They were in need of some people with boats. I decided to give a try. It was really tough at first, but it def shortened the learning curve. The bass guys are a lil tighter lipped that the typical musky fisherman.
Patterning fish is no easy task, and what techniques to use durning dif times of the year and weather conditions can be very frustrating. Its hard enough trying to figure out one spieces!
Not after long when talking with the guys about dif approaches and techniques I could always relate it in some way to patterning musky. It's still tough, but a fisherman is a fisherman. Joing the team was a great move! We have some amazing bass lakes mere miles from where I live. Esp in the summer when I have to hang up the musky rods cause the water temps get to high!!! |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | last two years i've dedicated to fishing smallies in oneida and vilas counties ... it's so good in-fact last year i think i musky fished a total of 2 days.
otherwise, we live for the ice-fishing ... early ice it's walleyes, then ice-pike for the colder months finishing up jiggin pannies and tip-dow crappies.
the focus across a spectrum is fun, entertaining, tastes good and has made me an overall better fisherman i think. this year i want to add lake trout and whitefish through the ice to the mix.
the social side of the ice-fishing is great, but i think getting onto big bass might be the best way to spend a day on the water. |
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| icefishing for panfish w/ an underwater camera has made me more of a believer that color can and does matter ... some days you have to keep switching colors to get the fish to eat ..some days it doesn't matter...watching their reactions to different colors/sizes/presentations really is an eye opener....being able to catch the fish that muskies eat I think does help as once you know and learn where the fish they eat are at certain times of year/weather/water temps it will make finding muskies easier... some of the best musky fishermen I know are also the best multi species fishermen... for a reason...
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Posts: 1169
Location: New Hope MN | slabs!
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Posts: 19
| GATORS!!! Guide for them all winter!
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Posts: 102
| I love fishing for trout and salmon here on the great lakes besides musky fishing. Here's a picture of a recent catch.
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Posts: 529
Location: Not Where I Want To Be | I pretty much burn up the Month of June fishing Walleyes on Winnebago, I've backed off on the tournaments and really started enjoying my time fishing much more. I also enjoy Panfishing in the winter. Pretty much the remainder of the year gets spent musky fishing In Vilas, Oneida and Iron Counties. With the Occasional Trip to the Bay for Walleyes, And Lake Michigan for Salmon.
So many fish so little time. |
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Posts: 909
| Muskies! OH yea, Mo muskies!
Brian |
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| Yep, loving it. I enjoy ice fishing for other species as much as I do muskie fishing. Some of my favorites to chase are walleyes, sunfish, crappies, pike, and perch. They all have one thing in common as well, they need to have trophy potential in there respective categories. That means I only fish lakes that have the potential to produce such a fish, which often means it can be a low numbered lake, but the quality is there.
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Posts: 1169
Location: New Hope MN | Crawdad - 1/14/2010 10:06 AM
GATORS!!! Guide for them all winter!
That looks awesome! I've never caught 1 pike through the ice that big, let alone multiples. WOW! What general area is this? I might be interested in taking a guided trip. |
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Posts: 433
Location: Cedarburg, Wisconsin | Started out with carp, panfish and pike in the local creek back in the early 60's. Got a chance to try walleyes and liked it! Got a chance for bass and liked it! Got to try for muskies and was just plain consumed. Tried trout in small streams with a fly rod, neat! I still chased the others and then fished hot and heavy for salmon/trout on Lake Michigan for many years too and that has added a dimension to my muskie fishing that all the others species can't measure up against. The open water skills are something that carried over to the muskies and walleyes too. I still like to fish for anything, well, alright, maybe not so much panfish, but the others yes. I still have gobs of tackle for each although it is pretty dated, with some of the lures being almost collectible. As long as it's fun, fish for them all! |
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Posts: 4053
Location: Land of the Musky | LOL on that steroid bluegill!
"I'll be back!"
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Posts: 73
| Some nice Pike pictures, guys. Seems like Musky fishing does kind of spoil for fishing other species...but I still like to fish Crappie and Walleye in the Spring. (At least ou can eat them.  ) |
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Posts: 283
| I used to fish for walleye and bass a lot but not so much anymore. Bass fishing really has helped me to learn how to muskie fish slop and downed wood shorelines. |
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| crawdad- How did you keep them fish in that spear hole? Very nice pike! Red Lake? |
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| Crawdad-
Awesome fish and great group pics- but I'm curious to if you release those fish. If you keep them in that hole all day they are already going to be under more stresss than they already are from the spawn. An if you are on the lake I assume, all those fish would need to be over 40 inches. |
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Posts: 19
| It looks like a spearhole but its actually a livewell we make in the ice by drilling down almost through side by side a bunch of times and then flooding that area with another hole that is drilled all the way through about 6ft away from the livewell. We then chisel a path for water to come in! All of these fish are caught in northern Minnesota. Last year we had over 200 that exceeded 38 inches all the way up to 46.5 inches! |
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Posts: 1169
Location: New Hope MN | Crawdad - 1/14/2010 12:21 PM
It looks like a spearhole but its actually a livewell we make in the ice by drilling down almost through side by side a bunch of times and then flooding that area with another hole that is drilled all the way through about 6ft away from the livewell. We then chisel a path for water to come in! All of these fish are caught in northern Minnesota. Last year we had over 200 that exceeded 38 inches all the way up to 46.5 inches!
I'm thinking now would be a good time to put your guiding contact info. You obviously have sparked some interest. |
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Posts: 19
| Guest: All of those fish went back without any problem and yes they were all over 40", Where these fish were caught though you can still keep them under 40! Its a shame every year when I watch a few guys come out there and catch a 37 incher and fillet it! Last year I watched a group of ten guys come from another state and everyone of them left with a fish between 36-44! Just a shame! We on average release 200+ over 38" every year, and don't keep any unless something happens like tearing of a gill rake with a hook! Last and not least, I have learned over time that keeping them in that big livewell does nothing but good for them, They remain totally calm allowing for them to recover before being let go! It also allows us to keep the fish in the water before pictures allowing us time to get the cameras ready before taking those memorable photos! Much easier than letting them flop on the ice while panicing to get your cameras out!
Mike Crawford [email protected] or pm me and i will give yah my number! Thanks
Edited by Crawdad 1/14/2010 1:08 PM
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Posts: 19
| A Few more for you Snake Lovers!
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| Fish the creeks of NW Indiana and rivers in Michigan for steelhead and salmon. Nothing fights like them in the fresh water. |
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Posts: 536
| you usually tip up for these giants and where at in northern mn are you fishing, those are some giant gators you do a good job guiding looks like! |
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Posts: 463
Location: Sw Pennsylvania | I love to fish Trout and Great lakes steelhead, ranks up pretty close to muskies for me. |
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Posts: 313
Location: Bemidji, Lake Vermilion | Ice fish for pretty much walleyes, shifting to jumbo's, then slabs. Try to hit some pre-walleye opener slabs every year open water, if the lakes open up to do it, lol. Fish walleyes hard until muskie season opens, with maybe one bass/northern day thrown in, nice bass, small northerns, usually catch 15-20 a guy in as little as 2hrs, so it really is fun. All released when fishing bass/pike. Almost all summer I fish muskies 99% exclusively, with maybe 3 random walleye or bass/pike trips, mostly with friends who don't/won't muskie fish. Always take maybe 2-3 evenings for some fall walleye trolling, but continue to muskie fish hard, other than just a few evenings for those huge eyes. |
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Posts: 315
| redfish, snook and tarpon are fun..........i like largemouth and smallmouth bass, big pike are fun too. i like walleyes cuz they taste good = )
i think i just like fishing in general
oh and grouper are a lot of fun too they pull really hard
-ba- |
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| Crawdad - 1/14/2010 10:06 AM
GATORS!!! Guide for them all winter!
Crawdad, where the heck did you catch those fish? I'm curious, what state or province? The fish seen in the hole in the ice, are they tethered? |
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Posts: 19
| All of the fish in these pictures were caught in Northern Minnesota! No teathering, The fish in the livewell are just chillin! They will sit there all day and fin, I think they actually love it because it has to be quite a bit warmer with thee ole sun beating down on there backs! Its also fun when I have clients with there kids because I promise you there is nothing that keeps a kids attention better than a 46 inch monster swimming by their feet all day! |
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Posts: 791
Location: North Central IL USA | These:
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Posts: 19
| Gregk: You fish for northern bait? lol only kidding! |
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Posts: 791
Location: North Central IL USA | Hey man - that was a 3 pounder. :D |
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Location: SE Wisconsin | Walleye and Smallies. . . It keeps the wife happy. . .and interested in the sport, lol. |
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Posts: 32880
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Cut my teeth on Largemouth Bass, and still love fishing them. Smallmouth are a close second. Walleyes some, but panfish more than any game fish than Muskies, because I like eating panfish....allot.
I really like Ice Fishing. Headed out in about an hour! |
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Location: Lake Tomahawk, WI | I enjoy fishing for everything I can. Grew up fishing LMB and panfish, and now with young nephews and nieces that are getting into fishing I find myself getting back into 'fishing for bait'. I'm also addicted to eating fresh fish so early ice pike, walleyes, and late ice crappies are pretty high on the list! Salmon on the big pond for the full coolers at days end, and big flatheads on the rivers to test the tackle. Gotta have that variety!!!
JS |
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Posts: 2009
| Saltwater rules!
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| not tethered, you just whack a holding tank in the ice and keep them nice and lively...better than cleaning them frozen stiff as a board! |
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| Anything with gills and fins. I'm an equal opportunity angler. I agree 100% with BN that some of the best muskie anglers I know are also fantastic multi-species anglers and this is no accident. Love the "Coastie" in the pic with the monster Pike! Nice!!! |
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Posts: 32
Location: Moses Lake, Wa | Along with tigers i fish for steelhead, salmon, walleye, and bass. i have found a couple different lures fishing for bass that have connected me to a couple tigers. it was alot of fun bringing in a big tiger on light takle |
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Posts: 158
| Crawdad - 1/15/2010 10:10 AM
All of the fish in these pictures were caught in Northern Minnesota! No teathering, The fish in the livewell are just chillin! They will sit there all day and fin, I think they actually love it because it has to be quite a bit warmer with thee ole sun beating down on there backs! Its also fun when I have clients with there kids because I promise you there is nothing that keeps a kids attention better than a 46 inch monster swimming by their feet all day!
Seriously that is awesome....it would keep me entertained all day whether I caught them or not! Email on it's way....I'd love to take my wife and let her catch some of those things. |
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Posts: 83
| I find myself doing more and more flyfishing in the Great Lakes tribs. I have become addicted to it. Something about the simple one on one battle between man and fish, I guess. No boat, no motor, no $50 dollar lure, depth finder, GPS, side scan, or ultra heavy duty equipment. I tie my own flies, and knotted leader.
We also fish for Smallmouth, pike, and sometimes walleye, with conventional tackle.
I do most of my Musky "fishing" underwater with a camera these days. The challenge is to get within inches of the fish, or capture footage of some previously unfilmed behavior. It's hard for me to go musky fishing these days, and not wish I was down there with the fish. |
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Posts: 1425
Location: St. Lawrence River | ice fishing for big pike and walleyes... Maybe even a little more than muskies |
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Posts: 2361
| I fish for these in the spring and may start doing some fall fishing too. Night casting with bass tackle. Also have largemouth, walleye, gar and channel cats caught this way in the last year, same water. Season is usually done by mid to late may. But if you get down to KY to fish musky in March, this is something you ought to try and take a shot at while your here.
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Posts: 73
| Another mid-summer favorite for me is walking down the middle of a small river and fishing for Smallies with a spinning reel outfit. It's somewhat like the midwesteners' version of trout fishing, to me. They're not giants in there, but you can hook up with a dozen or so on some days. |
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Posts: 32880
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Hey FSF,
How do those things eat? I am heading down next March to fish Stripers, and want to know if they are worth the fillet knife exercise. |
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Posts: 697
Location: Minnetonka | C&R on ice. I've noticed that "Creamsicle" is effective for muskies and panfish.
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Posts: 785
| I ice fish a fair amount. Let almost all fish go but about one day out a year I keep enough for a couple dinners worth. I do some occasional bass fishing too in the spring... kinda going back to my fishing roots. Other than that some very rare cat fishing and stuff but since musky fishing not much anymore.
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Posts: 512
| One thing ive taken from musky fishing is patience!! Im a better fisherman for other species because of this...
Oh ya, big ol' florida bass!!!
Dave
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Location: Northern Wisconsin | I enjoy wading the river by my house and catching smallies on UL spinning gear. Its a blast fighting them in the current and I also have a shot at big walleyes, flat heads, and pike that will all hit small lures. If muskies are present in a body of water that im fishing id say about 90 percent of my time is fishing for them. |
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Posts: 2361
| I've eaten several pounds of them in SC when I lived there. They eat good. Just cut out the dark lateral line and it's all white meat. Chunk em and deep fry em. |
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