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Posts: 25
| Hey guys,
I am completely new to muskie fishing this year. I have bass and trout fished for a long time, but since the lake I fish in has some big muskie's in it, I thought Id give it a shot.
I recently purchased a Cabelas Tourney Trail 7'6" Heavy Power Fast Action 1-3 oz rod on sale for $33 because I thought it was a steal. I plan to buy a used Abu Garcia Ambassadeur C3 6500 reel next week.
Given my gear setup, I was wondering what lures you guys suggest I throw. I know the 1-3 oz is on the lighter side for muskie from what Ive read, but I'm wanting to use it for other species as well.
Thanks! |
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Posts: 2894
Location: Yahara River Chain | 1oz spinnerbaits
baby 6" Grandmas and other smaller minnow baits and deep jointed cranks like bady raiders
Mepps and other bucktails
small Baby Jerkos, jr foolers, small bobbies etc.
flaptails, jackpots, hawg wobblers, stc. |
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Posts: 25
| Thanks! I'm on a budget so I'll probably only be able to get 3-4 lures. I think I'll get a 6" jake, a baby squirko, a mepps muskie killer, and a double 8. Do those sound like a good start? or should do you think it'd be better to start off with something else? |
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Posts: 1416
Location: oconomowoc, wi | a couple suicks would be a wise choice as well |
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Posts: 1425
Location: St. Lawrence River | Topraider, a Double 8 bucktail nickel blades black skirt, 4" squirrelly phantom, 6" jake... You'll do just fine with those. |
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Posts: 1247
Location: Walker, MN | fishhawk50 - 3/23/2014 4:41 PM
a couple suicks would be a wise choice as well
+1 and a 6" Phantom and...and..  |
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Location: Waukesha, WI, USA | Poor kid, thinks he'll get by with 3-4 lures, not 3-4 tackle boxes. God please watch over him. |
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Posts: 25
| hahah. I bass fish a good bit, so I know 3-4 lures won't be all I'll ever need. I just need something to start off with until I can afford some more gear. |
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Posts: 661
Location: Sussex, NJ | Include a spinnerbait in the mix and you're golden bud. Good luck! |
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Posts: 25
| fishfirst92 - 3/22/2014 7:18 PM
Include a spinnerbait in the mix and you're golden bud. Good luck!
The guy I'm buying the reel from is giving me a Bucktail and a leader with it for free, so I've got that much covered! haha |
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Posts: 661
Location: Sussex, NJ | Bucktails and spinnerbaits are two separate tools though my friend. They have the same concept with blades, but they give off a totally different thump, sound and presentation compared to one another. I've had days where fish will eat and follow spinnerbaits all day and not even touch a bucktail. IMO a spinnerbait is more versatile with the speeds you can fish it, depth, and areas you can fish it. Killing the spinnerbait mid retrieve and letting it fall has triggered a lot of strikes for us. Considering they're cheap too I'd grab one. The more you fish the more you'll see how a bucktail and spinnerbait are different. It all comes with experience my friend |
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Posts: 25
| fishfirst92 - 3/22/2014 7:27 PM
Bucktails and spinnerbaits are two separate tools though my friend. They have the same concept with blades, but they give off a totally different thump, sound and presentation compared to one another. I've had days where fish will eat and follow spinnerbaits all day and not even touch a bucktail. IMO a spinnerbait is more versatile with the speeds you can fish it, depth, and areas you can fish it. Killing the spinnerbait mid retrieve and letting it fall has triggered a lot of strikes for us. Considering they're cheap too I'd grab one. The more you fish the more you'll see how a bucktail and spinnerbait are different. It all comes with experience my friend
Oh, thanks for clearing that up! I'm a noob. I was planning on picking up a Mepps #5 or muskie slayer or something similar since, as you said, theyre less than 10 bucks. Are the #5s a good size for muskie? Or would I need something larger? |
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Location: Waukesha, WI, USA | Well in that case you already know that you want one lure for each water column for active and inactive fish. That's basically what these guys are offering you but they are not telling you depths. Some lures like the manta can be used at various depths.
Double 8's cowgirl, nickel and black
Manta, color matching forage
Top water lure line top raider
Deep crankbait
Jerk bait
6" twitch bait
Can't even narrow it down less than 6 when I tried. Lol |
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Posts: 661
Location: Sussex, NJ | No problem, you're in the right place for being new there's a lot of info here and a lot of guys that'll help you out. I would go a little larger like a Mepps Musky Killer. It's a smaller, but proven bucktail and for you being a starter you don't need to be tossing DCG's all day. Do me a favor and pm me with your address, I should have a few baits laying around that'll help you get started |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | Carefully select 10 lures and stick with them AND PROVE YOUR SMARTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE ON THIS BOARD a carpenter don't need 9 hammers |
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Posts: 25
| fishfirst92 - 3/22/2014 7:35 PM
No problem, you're in the right place for being new there's a lot of info here and a lot of guys that'll help you out. I would go a little larger like a Mepps Musky Killer. It's a smaller, but proven bucktail and for you being a starter you don't need to be tossing DCG's all day. Do me a favor and pm me with your address, I should have a few baits laying around that'll help you get started
PM sent
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Posts: 791
Location: WI | horsehunter - 3/23/2014 6:48 PM
Carefully select 10 lures and stick with them AND PROVE YOUR SMARTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE ON THIS BOARD a carpenter don't need 9 hammers
100% true. Start with a few baits and really learn how to use those baits to there fullest. Take a baby shallow raider. You can do so much with that one bait. Crank it, burn it, twitch it , rip it and on and on. I like many others here have hundreds of baits but have made a point of making a plan and choosing a few baits based on weather and other conditions and sticking with it. There's no magic lure. |
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Posts: 397
| Every year I sell the ones I don't use or like. Then of course buy twice as many different ones!!
A harasser bucktail would be a good one I would to a shallow invader for a crank. Get a spinnerbait and a top raider. Those four should get you started well |
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Posts: 25
| bigred2198 - 3/22/2014 10:42 PM
Every year I sell the ones I don't use or like. Then of course buy twice as many different ones!!
A harasser bucktail would be a good one I would to a shallow invader for a crank. Get a spinnerbait and a top raider. Those four should get you started well
Thanks! I might try to get some local intel from some of the shops in town and see what people have luck with on the lakes around here too.
Thanks for the help! |
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Posts: 205
| Don't forget to pick up a regular size dawg for a setup like that caught a 43" on a setup just like what you have |
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Posts: 1084
Location: Aurora | Trophyseeker50 - 3/23/2014 8:48 PM
horsehunter - 3/23/2014 6:48 PM
Carefully select 10 lures and stick with them AND PROVE YOUR SMARTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE ON THIS BOARD a carpenter don't need 9 hammers
100% true. Start with a few baits and really learn how to use those baits to there fullest. Take a baby shallow raider. You can do so much with that one bait. Crank it, burn it, twitch it , rip it and on and on. I like many others here have hundreds of baits but have made a point of making a plan and choosing a few baits based on weather and other conditions and sticking with it. There's no magic lure.
Pbbt..! C'mon guys, everyone knows carpenters need claw hammers, ball peen, framing hammers, tack hammer, non-marring hammers, trim hammers, sledge, ripping hammers, and dry wall hammers, etc.. er wait.. was that a carp reference?
If so, disregard above.
Being a bass guy, i'm sure you're well acquainted with spinner baits so x2 on the 6" phantom, double 8, top raider & muskie killer.
Also, have you taken stock of your bass reels?
You might have something useable already for that new rod.
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Posts: 25
| Sidejack 3/23/2014 12:53 AM
Trophyseeker50 - 3/23/2014 8:48 PM
horsehunter - 3/23/2014 6:48 PM
Carefully select 10 lures and stick with them AND PROVE YOUR SMARTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE ON THIS BOARD a carpenter don't need 9 hammers
100% true. Start with a few baits and really learn how to use those baits to there fullest. Take a baby shallow raider. You can do so much with that one bait. Crank it, burn it, twitch it , rip it and on and on. I like many others here have hundreds of baits but have made a point of making a plan and choosing a few baits based on weather and other conditions and sticking with it. There's no magic lure.
Pbbt..! C'mon guys, everyone knows carpenters need claw hammers, ball peen, framing hammers, tack hammer, non-marring hammers, trim hammers, sledge, ripping hammers, and dry wall hammers, etc.. er wait.. was that a carp reference?
If so, disregard above.
Being a bass guy, i'm sure you're well acquainted with spinner baits so x2 on the 6" phantom, double 8, top raider & muskie killer.
Also, have you taken stock of your bass reels?
You might have something useable already for that new rod.
Nice point haha. But I'm just learning to frame right now, so I'll buy my drywall and trim hammers when I get to that point :p The Only bass reel I'd have that could work is my 7.1:1 promax, by its my primary bass reel so it's gotta stay on my med power rod. |
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| Well, I too have been fishing my whole life but only started chasing muskies in the last couple of years.. Here is my 2 cents. Start with one or two of each type of bait- each person you ask will give you a different opinion on specific lures.. but make sure you've got one of each type. Have one topwater, one bucktail, one jerkbait, one crankbait, etc.. Now that you've heard a few suggestions, try to go look at some lures.. a show or a good musky shop would be best. And pick out stuff that you like. 90% of a lure's success rate is the user's confidence in that bait... so you pick out the jerkbait you like best and the topwater you like best, etc. Once you've got one of each type, then get another one of each type (different lure), paying attention to the color.. Ideally, you eventually want one bright/flashy color, one dark/black color, and one natural looking color in each type of lure... if you get a different lure for each of these buys and have 3 colors of each type of lure.. then you will have a good 15-20 baits to use that should cover 95% of the situations you will run into.. After using these for a while, you'll get a better idea of what you like and can buy from there. I wish someone had given me that advice when I started! |
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Posts: 70
| Ace spinerbait 1oz blk/org, 6inch perch reef hawg, blk/silver mepps giant killer night shiner 8inch depth raider, curly tail phantom (call todd). black top raider,blk creeper ( if I had to get down to the basic catchers for me.)
If you pm me with your address you might get an early xmas.
If your just starting out i am cleaning the boat next week, the garage the week after that.
I may have other stuff to save you money you won't see in stores.
I remember my 1st tackle box held 36 lures ( a lifetime ago) |
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Posts: 19
| rapala glidin raps always seem to fish |
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Posts: 345
Location: Poynette WI. | My favorite lure is a Bucktail, Black Skirt Nickel blades work well, Musky Killers also work very well. A friend of mine throws nothing but #5 mepps and catches a lot of muskies on them. Black and any other color combo's are a great place to start.
Second lure is an unweighted Suick, I like black with some flash, there's a great video on youtube from steve Worrall that will teach you how to get started with them.
Third lure that i like is a Squirrly burt black, or fire tiger. 4th lure is a phantom glide with rubber tail, 5th lure is a hardhead which they have several sizes and adjustable weights. Most days all i throw is bucktails, spinnerbaits and Suicks. The buy/sell forum on here is a great place to find lures for a great price. I also went to a lot of garage sales with musky lots. You can often find great lures for a couple bucks. Good luck. |
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Posts: 267
| I think youre on track w your initial choices. Throw in a smaller spinnerbait like a Bucher slopmaster and youll be good to go...and you might just catch a few accidental bass as well. |
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Posts: 39
| I haven't been at it as long as many of these people, but I've found that gold is a color that works in stained, clear, and dirty water. I strongly second the six inch phantom. Sucker color (gold) is great. You might like to include a topwater in your arsenal too. Last year, I did really well on a top raider, especially on rivers, but also on lakes at dusk. I bought a chome top raider, and the paint job sucked - it chipped off if the lure hit anything harder than air. Maybe that's a problem they've solved. I've heard good things about the River to Sea whopper plopper. You might also like a square lipped twitch bait, such as a slammer. They aren't too heavy, and have great action. Good luck! |
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Posts: 16
| I'd recommend a buck tail or two myself. with clear water i love a green and yellow combination. Its such a easy bait to use and can be used in a variety of different fishing applications. By having a limited budget make sure you get a few lures that differentiate from eachother in color, as well as movement and vibration. I would spend a little more money on a double bladed bucktail that only going for a single blade. Musky mayhem makes the Jr. Double cowgirl which is big enough to get the attention of big fish yet doesn't pull so hard that you will easily wear out. Green chartreuse is my go to color. |
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Posts: 65
Location: Garrison, Mn | For me lures are like a prescription, needs filled. All you need is 1 lure you are confident in, meaning you know how to use it. My kids change lures like every 5 cast. I'll challenge them and say stop switching and just fish one right. I'll say give me any lure you want out of the box, I'll toss it and I'll show you a fish. (Didn't say catch). They'll try to give me ones they think won't work, just fish the percentages, where fish should be and you'll get one. They are not really that smart.... Pink rad dog with orange blades, What's that supposed to be? IDK, but it catches fish. A spinnerbait is my go to bait when nothing else works, and it is easy to fish. |
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