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Posts: 21
Location: NJ | Finally, was able to get out yesterday morning! First time ever specifically targeting Muskie. Water temp was between 58 and 61. I actually hooked one for a few seconds on a double 10 dominatrix within an hour and half of fishing! I have to get used to casting this stuff LOL as I normally bass fish. I might go out again Monday as I have the day off. 2 questions. Can I throw a topwater in this temperature range? The tinsel skirt on the spinners is a pain in the butt. The one I was throwing after 3 hours the tinsel strands kept falling out. I have to replace the skirt. Are tinsel skirts always this delicate? I have some tinsel material that I can tie in, but I was wondering if I should just use bucktail as I feel that might be more durable per say. Cheers! It felt good to be out again (first trip of the year)! And I am not fishing out of season where I live! |
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Posts: 480
Location: Northern Illinois | I would not worry about a few strands of tinsel falling out if the bait attracts and catches fish. Some of my most productive bucktails have half the tinsel they started with, and some with bucktail material are almost bald! |
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Posts: 2005
| Congrats! Put some superglue on the wraps. Or, if you can wrap them, superglue then wrap them again. That fine original tinsel falls apart easy. Magnum flash is easier to keep together, in case you ever build bucktails.
Where are you fishing? Lake or river? |
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Posts: 32800
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Not a bad first day! Use a small tie strap to secure the tinsel. Good luck next time out. |
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Posts: 490
Location: NW WI | Totally jealous dude. Some folks coin the phrase "you can throw topwater until it bounces" but I should think if they're active enough to hit a double ten that they'd hit topwater. Personally I'd be throwing something slower like a walk the dog or a flaptail vs a chopper.
Best of luck! |
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Posts: 2237
Location: SE, WI. | Typically early in the early Season with 58-61 degree water, A walk the dog Topwater is effective. As far as Tinsel goes, I rarely use a all tinsel bucktail, unless it’s 3/4 or all Saltwater tinsel. The thin stuff tangles, twist, and Boggs down rather quickly throughout an outing or 2. Most of my custom bucktails incorporate hair and Tinsel combos. Check out my Bouancy bucktails in basement baits under Winter Project. The bucktail hair really controls the tinsel, but yet the Tinsel still attracts. It’s a nice touch. If your a bass guy, those smaller/ stronger built Spinnerbaits R $$$ early in the Season! Have a nice Contrasting Split Tail trailer on them;) JD
Edited by jdsplasher 4/17/2022 6:16 PM
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Posts: 8721
| I wouldn't worry about the tinsel. If I could only have one lure it would be the one in the picture. You can imagine what it used to look like. It catches more fish now than anytime in it's history. I have a new one that I've thrown a bunch in its place, and there's no comparison between the two as far as which one fish will eat.
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Posts: 206
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota | Like the other guys have said throw some super glue on it and your good. In my experience the more beat up a bait gets the better it works. My best crankbait has at least half the paint missing and works better than it ever has. If I was fishing those water temps I’d get a small 1 to 1 3/4oz spinnerbait like a slopmaster or ace, smaller bucktail like a single 7 or 8, a 5-7” crankbait like a slammer, crane, or shallow raider, and then some sort of slow topwater like a hawg wobbler, walk the dog, or even a tail bait you can work super slow like a suick nightwalker. You don’t need a bunch of baits, get one or two from a couple categories and throw them until you catch something. |
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Posts: 120
Location: Twin Cities Metro | Just a thought about keeping an open mind on lure size...
The scientific study of muskie diet conducted in Minnesota waters did NOT show that muskies have a preference for smaller forage in the spring period.
Also...they don't eat walleyes. 
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Posts: 2280
Location: Chisholm, MN | Throw musky mayhem and your tinsel will last for 20-30 fish. |
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Posts: 3472
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | As far as tinsel.... I've used these to work through the tangles....
Taking a little time, these clear up tangles pretty well... you might break off a few strands here and there, but they actually do work...
Steve
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