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Posts: 120
| I've heard some people suggest night fishing for summer musky. The particular area I'm fishing is a very heavily pressured spillway. I heard some people suggest using lures with a predictable path and a very large profile with slow retrievals. I was thinking my Flap 10 from Lee Lures and my musky mayhem detonator (13/10) and mayhem moon (junior 4) would work well. Does anyone have any other experience or recommendations on lures/tactics. |
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Posts: 2291
Location: SE, WI. | #1; my 1st choice would be a jointed crank like depthraider if you need depth, and a Giant Scamper if you need something shallow! #2; blades, a swimmer head tandem spinnerbait for shallow water, or a heavier head spinnerbait for depth. #3 rd choice; topwater! JD |
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Posts: 120
| I don't have any large spinnerbaits. Do large spinner baits have any advantage over bucktails aside from being weedless? There are minimal weeds at the spillway, so I'm not concerned about weeds. I was just thinking something slow with a large profile would be the best bet, like the musky mayhem detonator or Lee lures flap 10. |
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Location: PA Angler | Top water especially if you hear them out there splashing. |
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Posts: 120
| Solitario Lupo - 3/28/2025 12:18 PM
Top water especially if you hear them out there splashing.
Muskie are not super abundant in my geographical area (southeast Pa), so there aren't really a lot of them to hear splashing. Especially considering it is a spillway where there are even less musky. However, there are a lot of areas in the spillway that are very shallow, only a few feet deep, so I think a topwater could be very effective in those large shallow areas, I'm just not sure what lure to use. Should I use a bucktail just below the surface? Should I use a topwater prop bait? A flaptail? I was told to stay away from erratic lures like jerkbaits and walk the dogs because muskie often miss them in the dark. |
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Posts: 1469
Location: Brighton CO. | JD is on track and after that you could add a Weighted Burt. (those rattles make a lot of noise.) |
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Location: PA Angler | I like whopper ploppers. As for walk the dogs I’ve had better strikes of them. Yes I’ve missed them but at least you will know where they are. Plus you will start to get an idea on them biting at night. |
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Posts: 2353
Location: Chisholm, MN | Bucktails and flaptails will be great. Don’t need much else but I do like a hawgwobbler too. |
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Posts: 120
| Kirby Budrow - 3/29/2025 2:58 PM
Bucktails and flaptails will be great. Don’t need much else but I do like a hawgwobbler too.
That was my plan. I got a flap 10 and a few larger bucktails (13/10, a quadruple bladed one I think it has size 9 blades, and I might try a boilermaker I have). I figured i should use bigger lures that make more of a disturbance so the muskie can find them easier, although I am worried about the kures possibly being too big as the muskie around me are usually in the 30s. Anything else I should try using or do? I was thinking of just doing the slowest retrieve possible throughout the spillway. |
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Posts: 2353
Location: Chisholm, MN | Nice and slow. Pick the spots apart. You have to get the bait closer to the fish at night. I’ve caught countless 36” fishoin huge bucktails so do worry about that. Swim baits can be good at night too. Bondy Royal orbas, grenades if it’s deeper. I like lighter bucktails at night to keep them out of structure when going slow. Big circles instead of 8s at night. Fish tend to move just out from structure at night, roaming around more looking for bait. Not sure what you mean by spillway but it sounds shallow. Topwater will be your best bet if it’s shallow. Nighttime can cause problems with getting snags or weeds so topwater just eliminates a lot of wasted casts. Do yourself a favor and get a husky hawgwobbler |
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| I have some luck with top water. Short casts into weed pockets, parallel to weed edge. Only night time blind figure eight I connected on was with a Fat B****d. Heard the fish miss about 20 feet out and on the 7th or 8th figure 8 fish connected. Nice fish and close enough I got splashed when it hit. Helped make up for all the weeds I pulled off earlier in the evening ;>). |
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Posts: 120
| Kirby Budrow - 3/29/2025 5:40 PM
Nice and slow. Pick the spots apart. You have to get the bait closer to the fish at night. I’ve caught countless 36” fishoin huge bucktails so do worry about that. Swim baits can be good at night too. Bondy Royal orbas, grenades if it’s deeper. I like lighter bucktails at night to keep them out of structure when going slow. Big circles instead of 8s at night. Fish tend to move just out from structure at night, roaming around more looking for bait. Not sure what you mean by spillway but it sounds shallow. Topwater will be your best bet if it’s shallow. Nighttime can cause problems with getting snags or weeds so topwater just eliminates a lot of wasted casts. Do yourself a favor and get a husky hawgwobbler
It's the spillway to a lake. It's relatively deep near the outlet, but it gets to be 2-3 feet deep near the shore and the one side of it is also about 2 feet deep. Most of it is very shallow and rocky. I do have a royal orba Jr and swimming dawg with a bucktail blade attachment on the front. I was just thinking big lures with big blades would be the easiest for them to find. |
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Posts: 958
| Try a Wake Shad - https://teamrhinooutdoors.com/collections/frontpage/products/muskie-...
It would be perfect for what your looking for.
It runs shallow, Right on top with your rod tip up and about 20" deep with rod tip down.
It has a lot of thump and fish crush these day and night. Just straight retrieve it fast during day med retrieve after dark. This bait put a ton of fish in my boat last year.
Jeff Hanson
madisonmuskyguide.com |
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Posts: 120
| Jeff Hanson - 3/30/2025 10:01 AM
Try a Wake Shad - https://teamrhinooutdoors.com/collections/frontpage/products/muskie-...
It would be perfect for what your looking for.
It runs shallow, Right on top with your rod tip up and about 20" deep with rod tip down.
It has a lot of thump and fish crush these day and night. Just straight retrieve it fast during day med retrieve after dark. This bait put a ton of fish in my boat last year.
Jeff Hanson
madisonmuskyguide.com
Do you think it's big enough to make a large profile for them to see? |
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Posts: 120
| Jeff Hanson - 3/30/2025 10:01 AM
Try a Wake Shad - https://teamrhinooutdoors.com/collections/frontpage/products/muskie-...
It would be perfect for what your looking for.
It runs shallow, Right on top with your rod tip up and about 20" deep with rod tip down.
It has a lot of thump and fish crush these day and night. Just straight retrieve it fast during day med retrieve after dark. This bait put a ton of fish in my boat last year.
Jeff Hanson
madisonmuskyguide.com
Do you think it's big enough to make a large profile for them to see? |
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Posts: 958
| PennsylvaniaMuskie - 3/30/2025 10:30 AM
Jeff Hanson - 3/30/2025 10:01 AM
Do you think it's big enough to make a large profile for them to see?
Yes. and they will feel the thump from it before they see it.
Dont get stuck on huge baits at night its not needed. I catch plenty of fish on smaller baits than a wake shad in the dark also. |
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Posts: 120
| Jeff Hanson - 3/30/2025 10:48 AM
PennsylvaniaMuskie - 3/30/2025 10:30 AM
Jeff Hanson - 3/30/2025 10:01 AM
Do you think it's big enough to make a large profile for them to see?
Yes. and they will feel the thump from it before they see it.
Dont get stuck on huge baits at night its not needed. I catch plenty of fish on smaller baits than a wake shad in the dark also.
Ok thanks. I'll get one, I presume color isn't important? |
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Posts: 958
| Not sure if color at night is that important. Get a color you have confidence in. I have done the best at night on Shadisco and Mr. T but a friend if mine that fishes them at night more than me caught a lot on the Lantern Fly one.
Good Luck
Jeff |
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