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Posts: 292
Location: SW MI | Wanted to introduce myself. I just got into muskie fishing and I must say I am obsessed. I hope to catch muskies with conventional tackle as well as with my fly rod. I'll be asking lots of questions so you'll all get used to seeing me on here. |
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| Do you have any experience with muskies on a fly? |
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Welcome aboard, I assure you most here are as afflicted as you... |
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Posts: 1764
Location: Ogden, Ut | Got my first muskie on a fly rod...I really need to do that again.
S. |
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Posts: 457
| I still love to flyfish muskies, One of my favourite things to do.
(On that note, Sorno, I'm going to be in Utah this summer, Green, Strawberry, Currant...) It's therefore your ongoing responsibility to keep me up to date on flows, current hatches, and patterns. Sound good?
Edit: Welcome. Generally a decent bunch of guys here in the forums.
Edited by Whoolligan 2/19/2008 11:10 AM
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Posts: 159
Location: Stevens Point, WI | Welcome! I'm new to the site too, and it's a blast-tons of experienced guys to talk to. I guide a bit and have a client that tries each year to catch a musky on a fly-3hits and misses so far, but it's a rush each time a musky looks at it! |
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Posts: 401
| I am in the process of building myself a fly rod to give it a try. I know of a couple spots that I would like to have a fly go through it first. I have never caught even a perch on a fly rod but this could be my new addiction.
Keith |
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Posts: 2691
Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin | Welcome to the muskie madness!!!
I have caught lots of species on a fly rod but never a muskie. That also is something I would like to do. Maybe this Spring. |
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Posts: 275
| It will be nice to see others out there chucking and ducking! It is a great way to fish.
Tom |
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Posts: 350
Location: WESTERN WI | Welcome! I have not had my fly rod out since I was in the Rockies in 2006. I have taken a fly tying class and am kinda psyched thinking about a musky inhaling a large wooly bugger. A new goal for 2008! |
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Posts: 1636
| Mike said it best...welcome to the madness!
Plenty of good people here to learn from and I'm sure you can teach a couple people a thing or two.
Goodluck this season. |
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Posts: 457
| Esox, skip the buggers. I'll get some patterns out, and post picks in the next couple days.
Stay tuned... |
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Posts: 350
Location: WESTERN WI | Whoolligan - 2/20/2008 6:53 PM
Esox, skip the buggers. I'll get some patterns out, and post picks in the next couple days.
Stay tuned...
Some very realistic patterns and silohouttes could be acheived such as a a blackbird(ala MH cover from a fews back), duckling, or baby loon. Okay enough of my crazy ideas, I am staying tuned. |
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Posts: 292
Location: SW MI | Thanks for the warm welcome everyone! I have not yet fished for muskies on the fly. I'm still in the process of getting my equipment together so I can. I do plan on this year being very productive for me. |
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Posts: 1287
Location: WI | Pike are a blast on a fly, so I can imagine muskies being totally crazy. If the wind stalls down, I plan on trying it this spring. |
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| Whoolligan - 2/20/2008 6:53 PM
Esox, skip the buggers. I'll get some patterns out, and post picks in the next couple days.
Stay tuned...
I would still like to see some of what you have tied!!! |
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Posts: 457
| Had to go to the lake, and get my bags. Planned on being there over the weekend anyhow.
As a point of reference, the largest pattern there is about 12". The cutting board is 22".
Have to resize pics, sorry.
The shart/grizzly and orange/grizzle flashtails, are a sort of variations on blantons punch, the whistler's are a Dan Blanton pattern as well.
The Billfish flies are of a Puglisi design, with variations added.
Divers are just upsized Dahlbergs. The clousers, again, just tied on 4/0 and 5/0 hooks. Oh, and the rat is a jointed beast of a muskrat skin, tied on a 6/0 front, 5/0 rear.
The most productive flies for us are the Punch flies, followed by Whistler, then the billfish flies. Clousers take their share of 'skis, but are even more deadly on Pike. I don't have any half and half's up there, but that's another patter we do well on. I keep the bunny strip flies in about ten colors, and range anywhere from 5" to 12" in length, using Tyger as a method to join the rear hook to the front.
I fish almost all my musky patterns on an 8 WT Shooting taper, with the exception of the larger hair flies. Those are on a 10WT. I also fish a LOT of my clousers, and strip flies on two different 6 weights, and have never enountered a problem, with landing fish, or handling the flies. Don't listen to anyone that would tell you you need a 10-12 weight in order to catch muskies on the fly, It isn't true.
Oh, almost forgot, there is one other pattern that is wicked good, and that is the Tequilly, I don't have picks, cause I must have left that box in my other boxes, but it's sort of a go to pattern for hard days. (It catches everything from Pike and muskie to Smallies, to gills, to carp.)
Anyhow, there's a few of the patterns I tie and use.
Edited by Whoolligan 2/25/2008 11:21 AM
Attachments
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 flies 001.JPG (167KB - 156 downloads)
flies 002.JPG (174KB - 163 downloads)
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| With at least 4 false casts, (unless you use a roll cast), this is now the fish of 40,000 casts with a fly rod!! The nice thing about musky on the fly is that your lure (fly) stays in the strike zone much longer. I have clients use a 9' 10 weight rod with Cortland 555 sinking line. I like to use a 9' 12 weight tarpon rod - talk about a workout! - It's like throwing a pounder or a Double Cowgirl all day. It's worth it when it happens. Biggest so far on a flyrod is 47"er. Capt. Andy's Lake Michigan flies work great. They have 2 hooks - 1 up - 1 down and are effective, inexpensive and easy to throw. I'll be trying to get one to bite on the fly on film this year - almost did it last year.
Kevin Moore |
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Posts: 457
| If you're saying that a 9' 12WT is tough to cast all day, get a better rod. I'd rather throw my BL5 12 WT than my Xtr 7Wt. I've got a 1480 Xi2 that will punch big flies, with more ease and less effort than any of my 8 Wts. The problem, however, is that you lose accuracy, and feeling of the cast.
Furthermore 12wt is overkill. The most knowledgeable musky fly-guides I know, (and some of the most knowledgeable fly casters/guides in general- for that matter) will tell you that even a 10weight is overkill in 95% of the situations. Not to mention that the majority of the population can't manage to handle a 10wt, unless they are EXTREMELY familiar with flycasting. Shouldn't take four false casts, either, on a 12 weight. 45-60 yard casts, pick up- false cast, shoot. Let the line do the work. No reason to false cast for hours on end, we aren't trout fishing, water for the right point in the surface film that our 14 foot 8x tippet is going to pull just right to get a natural drift, without puling, and before throwing mends. Toss that out the window.
You want to fish a 12, waste, IMO, you're overpowered. The 40" fish aren't nearly as fun, nor are they as easy to drop a short cast on, in a throwback situation. |
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| Very cool stuff! Gave me a bunch of ideas and might adjust my methods a little. You tie with a lot more flash than I have been, even on your natural patterns. Are the heads on the punch pattern just crystal flash palmered? Do you always use red for the heads on the whitlers and do you actually use the bead chain eyes? Do you use any double bunny patterns or is that not necessary and too heavy? I got my first set-up this winter and I went with the 10wt. I hope I didn't go to big.
Thanks for posting these pics and I would love to see any other patterns you use. Good Stuff!
Edited by muskydeceiver 2/25/2008 1:51 PM
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Posts: 457
| The heads on the punch flies is would on ice chenille, you want a nice build, so that it moves more water. Same thing with the collars on the whistlers. On their collar, I always use red/orange. The bond is ultrachenille. As far as flash, these are somewhat dull, compared to many. Sometimes I trail red flashabou for 6" out the butt, mainly on pike patterns.
I use a ton of double bunny patterns, in lengths from 4 inch sculpin to 9" perch patterns. It just varies. I've had more success on single bunny, with cross cuts on the hook, ripped, and fished the same as you would a creature.
The Punch patterns are great, the fuller you build the fly, the better off you are, plain and simple. I'll go through about one xxl northern bucktail per three or four flies, depends on the hair quality of the tail. I use a LOT of peacock and Orange flash on the orange, and a lot of peacock/green chart on the chart. It keeps the weight of the fly down with adding a lot of bulk in the water. Lastly, yup, just xlarge beadchain eyes.
Like I said, 10wt is fine for super large patterns, but I prefer my eights for the majority of it. |
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| I guess since I will only be running one set-up this year I was probably better going too big instead of too small. I might wear out sooner, but I didn't anticipate throwing it all the time anyway this year.
Do you use baitcasting gear as well or do you do all of your fishing with a fly rod?
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Posts: 457
| I used to fly-fish primarily. actually, I used to fish salt mor than fresh. In the past five years or so, I've done more castring than fly fishing. I'd say that now, I'm about 60-40 casting versus flies. |
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| whooligan - Thanx for your input.
My 9' 12 weight is a GLoomis - not a Sage - but a High quality rod. As far as that being overkill - that is MY rod. I'm 6'4" 240# my clients (as mentioned) usually throw a 10 wt. I fish cisco forage lakes with Monster Muskies. I like to be equipped to handle the biggest fish in the lake. If a 50#er hits - I want to be ready for her - not just the bothersome 40"ers!! Bigger equipment stresses fish less - that's also why I use it.
Question - how do you manage your strip ? I find that laying my net on the boat floor in front of me works great. |
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Posts: 457
| I tend to wear a stripping apron in the boat, it just keeps things from getting all out of sorts. I also carry a five gallon bucket to strip to, if I'm fishing billfish flies, I like to use that, so I can strip HUGE pulls, fast. It also helps with shooting line.
I hear you about using the 12, but I've bumped into 70lb tarpon with my ten, and it is more than adequate. I guess it's just preference. Didn't intend to sound overly critical.
Which series of Loomis are you fishing? If it's the GLX, I've actually found that the 12 is more like a ten, and the 10 is closer to a tip-light 8. I'm not terribly fond of Loomis rods because of the tip, it always seems like they overload, and I almost always under-line them by one, sometimes two even three weights. I fish more Winston rods, now, than anything. The new Winston Boron rods are just sweethearts of a rod. The ten is as light as the XTR 8 that I have. It's really incredible. |
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Posts: 457
| Oh, one other thing, on bigger equipment-
THere have been studies done that show trout have a higher chance of lactic acid build when being caught on rods TOO heavy. They aren't allowed to play the lactic acid out of the tissues like they would be on a corect wt rod. Something that I really found interesting. I can't say, though, that a 12 would fall into the TOO heavy category, and I'm not entirely sure that a 'ski would have the same problem with build unless it is extremely warm. |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | mskygyd - 2/27/2008 7:46 PM
I'm 6'4" 240# my clients (as mentioned) usually throw a 10 wt. I fish cisco forage lakes with Monster Muskies. I like to be equipped to handle the biggest fish in the lake. If a 50#er hits - I want to be ready for her - not just the bothersome 40"ers!! Bigger equipment stresses fish less - that's also why I use it.
Question - how do you manage your strip ? I find that laying my net on the boat floor in front of me works great.
Agreed. (I'm 240, but only 6'!) I don't mean to jump into the foray here with my first post, but I go heavy as well. Not for the sake of the fish, but for the sake of the fly. I like to cast a line between 500 and 600 grains to move the flies I tie. I know smaller flies will catch pike and musky, but dangit, I like to fish tandem 6/0's with double size five spinner blades and a 6" grub tail!
mskygyd, I salute you for fishing the 12. I consider a 10 wt to be the heaviest good "casting" rod. Beyond that they're designed to be "fighting" rods, as in for billfish and tarpon, with more lift built in and less action (typically speaking). They're not designed to be cast all day long, but rather once or twice, and then fought on for a good while. I've built a 13 and a 14 for flyfishing halibut and I'd kill myself casting those all day long. People think I'm batcrap crazy for fishing my 10's so often, so if you're fishing a 12, go for it!
As for me, I've flyfished for esox for several years. I haven't owned conventional rod for the last ten years. Nothing against gear, but I just enjoy flyfishing; especially for the larger species. I'm in the thick of the wild steelhead run right now in Western WA, but I'm transferring back to Michigan this summer, where I'll be stationed on Lake St. Clair, and I've already got my boat shopped for and taken care of. I've leave tomorrow if I could.
Jeff |
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Posts: 457
| I dunno, like I said, I'd rather cast my Sage 14 than a couple of twelve weight rods I've got. Heck, I'd rather cast it than many of my 8''s. It's just just a nice shooting rod. It's certainly a LOT easier to load.
I fish big flies, too, as you can see from above, all of them, except just a couple weigh in at an ounce or two. That's a LOT of fly, doesn't matter what size rod. My billfish flies are beasts, as are most of my hair flies. I tend not to fish any spinner type flies, because I've never had any luck on them. I guess if I want to fish grubs/platics/bucktails, I'll pick up a casting rod, too. One of the patterns that I don't have up there, is a 10" skater. Great fly. 4" cork head in a pencil popper sort of style, squared off low to the water. Overall diameter it is about 1.75" big bunch of rubber legs, and tandem wire tie in back. It move so much water, and creates so much commotion. It's actually a billfish pattern, sort of adapted and upsized for 'skis.
Regardless of rod preference, fly size, or anything else, it certainly is a fun way to fish them.
Catch a big hen for me Jeff, since I won't get to this year, and kiss her on the nose.
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I know smaller flies will catch pike and musky, but dangit, I like to fish tandem 6/0's with double size five spinner blades and a 6" grub tail!
Jeff
Isn't that a bucktail???? 
Edited by muskydeceiver 2/28/2008 9:04 AM
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | Whoolligan - 2/28/2008 2:04 AM
Catch a big hen for me Jeff, since I won't get to this year, and kiss her on the nose.
I'll do my best. |
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