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| I am headed to the Muskie Max in Pittsburgh this weekend and I have to ask for some opinions. I have been to this show several times, but I would go in with blinders on and just concentrate on Casting Gear and Items. I have recently been shown the ways of trolling and now I am going into this show eyes wide open. For those who have been to this show and have a better familiarity with the vendors, what would your recommendations be as far as it relates to trolling?
And not to make this an inclusive forum, for those of you are going, what is on your radar for either casting/trolling/jigging/fly?
Edited by Lucky Craft Man 3/7/2018 1:27 PM
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Location: Southwest PA | For once, my annual work conference is not entirely interfering with the PA Muskie Max. I am able to make it for the first time for Sunday only. Since you have been there before, is it worth going on Sunday if you cannot make it Saturday? |
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| If it were me, I'd be going to the Baker booth first. I've never been to Max since I'm in Wisconsin, and Bakers are pretty tough for me to find. |
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| Tommis - 3/7/2018 2:02 PM
For once, my annual work conference is not entirely interfering with the PA Muskie Max. I am able to make it for the first time for Sunday only. Since you have been there before, is it worth going on Sunday if you cannot make it Saturday?
Definitely worth going Sunday as Sunday has been the only day I have been able to go in the past. As the previous poster has mentioned, some extremely popular bait makers sell out pretty quick. Since I never trolled before, it didn't bother me that those baits sold out (as they were more trolling baits), but since I am looking for trolling items, I might have to see if I can go Saturday Morning this year. |
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Location: Southwest PA | Thanks bud! I'm even more excited now that I can finally make it!! Hope you get some good gear!!! |
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Location: St. Lawrence River | Ahh i wanna drive down. Playoff hockey, though.. season tix. #*^@. |
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Location: Southwest PA | Jake St. Croix, c'mon down! Picture that in the price is right voice, maybe it can sway you  |
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| Brian7488 - 3/7/2018 2:26 PM
If it were me, I'd be going to the Baker booth first. I've never been to Max since I'm in Wisconsin, and Bakers are pretty tough for me to find. I'd be there when the doors open iSaturday if you want Bakers. Zach sells out every year.
Edited by 7ovr50 3/8/2018 6:56 AM
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Location: Lake St Clair | Ill be there tomorrow, my first one.
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| Stop in and check out our lineup of baits at the B & N Customs booth. We will have a good selection of our wood lures which are great for casting or trolling. We’ll also have our spinnerbaits and buck tails. |
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| bc1 - 3/9/2018 1:01 PM
Stop in and check out our lineup of baits at the B & N Customs booth. We will have a good selection of our wood lures which are great for casting or trolling. We’ll also have our spinnerbaits and buck tails.
I'll be sure to stop by. Thanks for adding a reply. Will you have any Rippin' Minnows there at the show?
Edited by Lucky Craft Man 3/9/2018 1:47 PM
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| Well, I just got back from the Muskie Max. It's was a really nice show. There was a mad rush when the doors opened to get to the Baker Baits, but things settled down and became civilized after all the Bakers were sold out. A ton a great Vendors and Guides were there. The one seminar I went to (with Jason Quintano) was a great presentation on using electronics in open water. Besides the aisles being a little tight, I thought the venue was nice. I also feel I upgraded my trolling line-up (and my casting line-up for that matter). Below is my take from today.
Full Disclosure, I did not get The Headlocks or Shadzilla's from today's show, but they were sitting on my front porch from an order I made on-line when I came home, so I count them as lures acquired today.
Edited by Lucky Craft Man 3/10/2018 1:00 PM
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Location: Southwest PA | Just got back into town, who's all going tomorrow?! Lucky craft, nice haul! |
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| I’ll see you there tomorrow Tom. Hopefully there is still a decent selection. Been selling lures all day to get a stash for tomorrow.
Edited by Swpamuskyhunter 3/10/2018 3:54 PM
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Location: Southwest PA | Cool Dan! I'm excited to finally get to one of these!! I'll see you there! |
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| Brian7488 - 3/7/2018 2:26 PM
If it were me, I'd be going to the Baker booth first. I've never been to Max since I'm in Wisconsin, and Bakers are pretty tough for me to find. A new record this year, Zach sold out in 15 min. but you know the vendors all get first choice before the doors open to the public. Most popular baits are 1/2 gone before the doors open.
Edited by 7ovr50 3/10/2018 8:28 PM
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| 7ovr50 - 3/10/2018 8:23 PM
Brian7488 - 3/7/2018 2:26 PM
If it were me, I'd be going to the Baker booth first. I've never been to Max since I'm in Wisconsin, and Bakers are pretty tough for me to find. A new record this year, Zach sold out in 15 min. but you know the vendors all get first choice before the doors open to the public. Most popular baits are 1/2 gone before the doors open.
I was lucky enough to get a few Bakers (Thanks to a good Friend). What about this lure makes it so popular that people will run over their Momma for one? I guess I will find out when I fish mine this year.
Edited by Lucky Craft Man 3/10/2018 8:45 PM
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| I've been fishing Bakers for 5 yrs now. They just catch fish, a lot of them and Hawgs too! The largest I've caught so far is a 51 in. 43 lb 2 oz. pig with a 26 in girth that was caught out of a heavy fished in land Ohio lake. My self and friends have caught 100s of fish on them the last 5 yrs. The bait just works. Many times others would have fish less days trolling the same waters we were while we had multiple hook ups in the same areas often just yards apart from them. Others even claimed we had to be doing some thing illegal to catch fish like we did. Good Luck.
Edited by 7ovr50 3/11/2018 5:22 AM
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| How did you guys do today? Pick up anything good? |
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Location: Southwest PA | I suffered from jet lag upon returning Saturday and ended up sleeping from 9pm until 2pm... I'm bummed, but atleast I had Sunday to recoup, rather than it affecting work. Priorities suck sometimes! |
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Location: St. Lawrence River | LuckyCraftMan
"I was lucky enough to get a few Bakers (Thanks to a good Friend). What about this lure makes it so popular that people will run over their Momma for one? I guess I will find out when I fish mine this year."
Its that custom bait craze. They are not special. Tough, yes. There is no magic to them. Fish them a lot, and they will catch fish.... throw a $22 5" Tuff Shad in place of a 5" Baker, yep still gonna catch fish.. just paying for the name "Baker." I do like the durability of most custom thru wire baits. Built to last.
Edited by JakeStCroixSkis 3/15/2018 6:46 AM
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| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^I disagree. We fish both Bakers, Tuff Shads and Boss Shads from the same boats trolling. Every season the for the last 5 yrs. the Bakers have produced the most and largest fish each season. Other boats trolling the same area as us go without a rip while we constantly boat fish on the Bakers. It's gotten so intense that the Wild Life officer in our area was called to check or tactics by others trolling the same speed and depth as we were with little success while we caught fish, a lot of fish. The other trollers said we had to be doing something illegal to boat the fish we did day after day while they went fishless. Bakers flat out out produce other baits in our area. Is this just a local event isolated to our area? I don't know. But I do Know that a Baker will always be my go to bait until the Musky say differently. After a 5yr. trial period I don't see this happening any time soon if at all.
Edited by 7ovr50 3/16/2018 7:48 AM
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| I know this isn't on topic with what I started the post with, but who says a thread can't evolve?
Let's assume 7ovr50's data is accurate and the Bakers are producing more than other baits. My question is what do these Bakers do action wise not only to draw in the fish, but trigger those fish to strike? Do they walk al over the place? Do they have a certain wiggle that produces a vibration that hits in the Muskys Lateral Line Wheelhouse? Or are there isolated lakes where they work really well and that reputation perpetuates them as the premier trolling bait? |
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| I wish I new but I m very happy with the results. They've caught fish every where we've run them. This all started at New York's Chautauqua several years ago I think. If you wanted to win a tourney there Bakers were THE bait. One thing lead to another and here we are. I'm not saying this is the magic bait. But our local fish seem to stand in line for them . But then we are talking about"Muskies". We all Know how quirky they can be. I hope this trend continues this season here. Maybe it's they way we hold our mouth or sit in the boat. I don't know But I'm not one to argue with success I've got some $$$ invested in Bakers now. Let up know come ice up. Good Luck to all.
Edited by 7ovr50 3/16/2018 3:53 PM
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| i would use a wiley deep diver at any day instead of a backer.not as durable but that lure have caught more 40 pounders plus fish than the whole backer lineup included.flat bait at that price no more for me.....really over priced and not better than the original wooden tuffshad |
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| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Comparing the 40lb catch rate is unfair. ^^^^^^^^Wileys been around for decades Bakers are relatively new to the market. I've been around long enough to remember when Dale first started making baits in Elwood City Pa. His was a local bait as well for me. I've used his baits as well and I've caught fish on his tool. But I can remember when Wileys were getting the same hype as Bakers. Time will tell if this bait can stand the test off time. You pays your money and takes your choice. Good Luck.
Edited by 7ovr50 3/16/2018 4:55 PM
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| some lures are more prompt to land big fish than the others........btw you should know that one side of the boat generally produce more than the others,even the better cranks in the world at the wrong side will produce a lot less depending where you troll at |
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| You are right about the placement of cranks sometimes producing better on one side of the boat than the other. My point is that we fish multiple boats in the same areas with different baits on four lines to start every trip. Keep in mind that the boats are in the same general area maybe no more than 1/2 mile apart at times. We do not always run the same baits on the same rod placement every time when we were comparing successes. The baits were on different rods. We started to rotate placement of the baits to see if it was the placement or the baits that produced better. Over the 5 yrs we've fished Bakers, according to our logs, (I've got a 30 yr collection of every trip I've made) no matter where we placed them statistically they out pre formed others over the course of every season so far. Prop rods may produce better one day than down rods, out rods the next but our results speak for themselves in our area. The question was asked what makes them so productive. As I stated I don't know. Is it the area we fish or the speed we troll? I can't answer that. I am not trying to convince anyone that this is a magic bait! My post reflect our success rates and in no way can predict that your results will be the same. It's Muskie Fishing, who knows why any thing works. There are a lot of baits on the market and they all work to some extent. The trick is to know when to use what. This is my final post on this topic. I'm done!!
Edited by 7ovr50 3/17/2018 5:32 AM
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