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Posts: 3
| I'm new to muskie fishing and have fallen in love with it. I've had most luck with bucktails, but when should I use which ones? For example, does weather, water clarity, water temperature, or specific structures affect the type of bucktail I throw? Also, what brand seems to be the best?
Thanks,
Sam Hryszczuk |
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Posts: 290
Location: Oconomowoc, WI | Bucktails are the best hooking bait there is and when fish are active there’s nothing better. Bucktails will work all season long. General rule is when water temps are lower reel slower. This can be really effective in late fall.
Generally you begin the season with smaller bucktails and go with bigger as the season progresses. Some go opposite and have good luck as well. Generally more natural colors like black/nickel, brown/gold, white nickel are generally preferred on clear lakes. Bright colors like fire tiger, black/orange, black/chartreuse are preferred in stained or dirtier water. Black and either orange or chartreuse are also great low light colors.
When it comes to skirts, tinsel has really taken over but marabou and regular bucktail are great options too. There are various blade shapes and sizes. Colorado blades in size 8, 9 and 10 have become very popular but Indiana blades, willow leaf, and French all are effective as well. Double bladed bucktails have become much more popular, in some cases with two different size or shaped blades, but singles blades have their place as well.
Top manufacturers are Musky Mayhem, Spanky, Musky Frenzy and Melpps. I would suggest getting some smaller ones likes 8’s to start with. Get a couple natural and a couple of hot colors.
With it being summer peak right now I would suggest lots of speed. The next thing you’ll want to focus on is your figure 8 since buctails are great in the 8 as well and you’ll convert more follows into catches.
Andy |
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Posts: 8828
| Andy covered it all there! The only thing I would add is this:
YES, color choice differs based on all those things. That said, color is far less important than everything else. It may give you some advantage, it certainly appears that it does. I have go-to colors on a lot of different lakes, simply through trial and error and a lot of "that's what they were going on last time" which doesn't always mean anything. I don't believe any brand is any better than any other as far as fish catching ability - as long as the blades spin, you're good. Some fall apart sooner rather than later, and they all fall apart after enough fish. Painting with a broad brush here... You need two. A natural color (think back and silver here) and a bright color (orange or chartreuse)
That said, I have a lure I call "captain ugly". It's got one copper blade, one gold blade, skirt is a combination of green, brown, black, gold, and silver. It's hideous. It's like a colorblind kid's school project. If you were throwing it, I'd make fun of you. A buddy tossed it to me on the boat and said "Here, throw this" I laughed at him and said "Why? You want me to catch ****-all today?" 45 and a 47 on that bait within a few casts... Bunch of others since. You just never know... |
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Posts: 1271
Location: Walker, MN | This is a question for the ages! Many of us have hundreds for a reason. There are thousands of combinations on the market, and I still often have to make what I want because it doesn't exist. Finding a fish that is ready to eat however is the most important thing. |
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Location: Athens, Ohio | When in doubt: black skirt, nickel blade(s). m |
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Posts: 68
| Bucher has a pretty good resource somewhere on colour by water colour (green v tannic) and clarity. Can’t remember if it’s bucktail specific but I think it is. Musky hunter has a good one on light conditions and metallic v painted and colour. Vibrant colours can be underrated on super clear stuff. They can show up well. Nickel is bland but can be the ticket on cisco water. I am picky about my bucktail brands. I like heavy components, and blades that always engage. Tight lines, |
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Posts: 1321
Location: E. Tenn | EsoxWanderer - 7/27/2025 2:44 PM
Oops!
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Posts: 1321
Location: E. Tenn | EsoxWanderer - 7/27/2025 2:44 PM
Bucher has a pretty good resource somewhere on colour by water colour (green v tannic) and clarity. Can’t remember if it’s bucktail specific but I think it is. Musky hunter has a good one on light conditions and metallic v painted and colour. Vibrant colours can be underrated on super clear stuff. They can show up well. Nickel is bland but can be the ticket on cisco water. I am picky about my bucktail brands. I like heavy components, and blades that always engage. Tight lines,
Tom Gelb, Jim Saric and Steve Heiting, and others each have their own take on colors, and it's worth reading up on.. Since Joe Bucher put out this chart, he's become big on Firetiger or flame blades and purple skirts for tannin stained water.. which works well BTW..
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 Bucher Color Chart.png (180KB - 10 downloads)
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Posts: 1550
Location: Brighton CO. | When I started off in the 70's real Muskie fishermen had a Marathon Big Slim I bought one and casted it off on the first cast and didn't have the money to buy a new one. And besides that it was Mepps Giant Killers and Musky Killers and Mepps #5.
They came with a single treble hook and the Musky Killers only came with only three blade colors Gold, Silver, and Black.
I bought my first hot colored bucktail in 1978 (the same year Joe Bucher came out with his book "Bucktail Fishing For Muskies) the bucktail was a Lindy Hot spot it was Chartreuse blade and tail. Russ Smith of Smitybaits was the first company for the most part to use hot colored Muskie plugs. After that lots more manufactures and blades and tail materials. I would guess a lot of boomers caught there first Muskie on a Mepps. (I did) Five years ago or so I bought a Bucktail maker and have more then I need and in every color under the rainbow. Since I bought my Bucktail maker I've only been to Wisconsin for one trip and none of my tails made the trip. (I fish late in the fall and like my Cranks, Jerks, and soft plastics). This fall I'm going back and I will take a half dozen of my tails. |
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Posts: 157
| mikie - 7/24/2025 12:11 PM
When in doubt: black skirt, nickel blade(s). m
This. Unless green as hell, then black skirt orange blades. But always black skirt. |
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Location: Athens, Ohio | This is a real good read. m
https://www.mepps.com/mepps-tactics/article/color-technology-what-yo...
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