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Posts: 2
| Hey all
New member to the forum, been reading for some time, thought is was about time I post/get involved. I have reaqd some great threats!!
I am new to Muskey fishing and to the LOTW
I am heading up to the LOTW (Sioux Narrows) in mid September for a week of fishing. I was looking for so advice on gear and tactic?
I have purchaseda 7'8 muskey rod and I plan on running 80lb power pro with flouro leader 80lb and purchsed a couple of buck tail spinners?
Some advice on what I should purchase/need would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I sure would like to beat up on my buddy's that week!!!!!! |
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | Hook cutters, long handled pliers, pacemaker or topraider surface baits... I'm sure someone who's been there more recently than me can add a few more.
Welcome and good luck!
Edited by Flambeauski 8/14/2009 1:55 PM
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Posts: 337
Location: Central WI | A muskie net is always good to have on hand. |
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Posts: 692
Location: Pelican Rapids, MN | A big net - big pliers - big hook cutter - big jaw spreader. Also, 80LB flouro/mono leader material is too light. 130# is the smallest test you should go when using a polymer leader. Buy more than one and change when they get dinged.
Lures:
Bucktails = Double Cowgirls, Double Showgirls, Eagle Tails, Rabid squirrels.
Topwater = Lowriders, Stompers, Pacemakers, Phat Daddy, Hawg Wobbler.
Jerkbait = Suick
Rubber = Dawgs, Mag Shallow and mag
Spinnerbaits = Raddog, Shrivers Hijacker, Cj's |
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| Have fun out there, you will pick up gear as you go...it is a great sport. |
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| Here is 2 cents from an amateur who was new to the sport not too long ago:
1. Don't go out without an adequate net--ever.
2. Don't go out without longnose pliers--ever.
3. Take gloves for handling fish--cheap cotton garden gloves are fine.
4. Have waterproof rain gear. (If you're an experienced fisher, you already know this.)
5. Crankbaits--especially for beginners--will outfish most other lures much of the time. Try 7.5" Grandma, 8" Depthraider, 7" or 8" Believer. Virtually foolproof and will catch fish. By reputation LOTW is clear water (yet to be there myself). In clear water, go to natural finnish lures first: perch, 9 dollar bass, sucker, walleye, etc.
Good luck. |
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Posts: 443
Location: Duluth, MN | Don't forget to buy a jaw spreader. I've always had one but never needed one till a few weeks ago my son had a 45 inhale a dawg head first. The front hook was around one of it's gills. Got that out with barely a scratch because of that jaw spreader. |
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Posts: 1716
Location: Mt. Zion, IL | Knipex cutters........don't skimp on them. One of dad's friends can't make a fist after being hooked to a thrashing fish. He has had 3 reconstructive surgeries, physical therapy, and still cannot make a fist. He can barely close his hand enough to grab the crank on his reels. He had cheap cutters in the boat that failed BTW. |
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Posts: 3867
| Today I talked with a good bud who just returned from Kenora on LOTW. Great trip, lots of fish including a 30# muskie and a 23# pike.
Just in case.....bring a headnet for skeeters and some playtex gloves, too. Tuck everything in your rainsuit and boots. They can eat you alive if they're bad.
I was also hooked (my hand) to a thrashing upper 30"s muskie. This happened because I was lazy and tried to unhook the fish at boatside with regular needle nose pliars. Bad deal - Fishing alone in a remote lake in the UP, I passed out in the boat while underway to the landing and hit a tree trunk and almost fell out of the boat. Lucky me, no bad damage to my hand.
Now I have the right stuff for me and the fish. Big net, big tools, Lindy gloves (light cotton gloves are useless against big sharp hooks, but Lindys are expensive so maybe some welding gloves would be a good cheap substitute.) If you bring only one tool (besides mini-bolts, see below) make it a big heavy pair of channel lock pliars. The 10" ones.
Most inexperienced people are way too careless about getting hooked. RyanJoz is right on on how bad a person can get hurt sharing a bait with a big muskie. I think this is useful to add: I have my mini bold cutters velcroed to the boat seat, totally out in the open, so I can grab them with ONE HAND at any time.
Last, bring a compass and have your lake map handy.
Ben's right about getting stuff as time passes. But don't skimp on the safety part because a even a minor injury can screw up your wonderful trip.
Have fun!
See the red hole about 3" from where the hook enters my hand? An exit wound. That's how far the hook point was pulled while the fish was thrashing.
Edited by Ranger 8/16/2009 10:29 PM
(Hooked Hand Close Up 80X80.JPG)
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 Hooked Hand Close Up 80X80.JPG (15KB - 115 downloads)
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Posts: 59
| whoops! |
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Posts: 283
| Net, Hookcutters, longnose pliers, jawspreaders
Baits
Buck: Cowgirl, baby girl, eagle tail, inhaler, mepps marabou
Crank: Depthraider, shallowraider, bigfork twitch bait,
Jerk: Glide bait of any kind, suick, bobbie bait, Bulldawg type bait
Topwater: topraider, Weagle
Just remember to have fun even if your not even seeing fish just have fun. The fish will come in time. |
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Posts: 2
| Thanks for all your tips, I hadn't thought alot about the safety end when dealing with these big fish. I'll make sure to have it!!!
Looks like have a some bait shopping to do!!
I'll keep you posted when I return!! |
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Posts: 909
| OUUUUUUUCH! |
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Posts: 156
| Probably the best thing you could do is some research on a good guide in the area you are staying at. Try to get out with a guide on day 1 or 2 of the trip and you will be much farther along in knowing the local patterns, plus you will have somebody to ask all the questions about equipment, etc. In addition to a few of the baits listed above watch what techniques and lures the guide is using then make a trip into town if possible and pick up a couple of those baits. |
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Posts: 2015
| GOOD GPS UNIT !!! (with lake chip of course) |
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Posts: 462
Location: Antioch, IL | All good advise. The only thing above that I would not recommend is the use of the cotton garden gloves for handeling the fish. The will protect the fisherman, but they won't do the fish any good. Gloves like this will remove a lot of the slime coat. After the stress of being caught and handled the slime coat is very important to the survival of the fish (especailly around areas of recent truama..hooks to the mouth/gills/face). The slime coat protects the fish from infection, parasites, bacteria, etc. Make sure anything that touches the fish is wet (and absorbs as little moisture as possible) as to reduce the amount of slime that is removed from the fish.
That said, Good luck! LOTW is a beautiful place to stick a big one. |
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