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Posts: 155
Location: MN | I was going to get a few more rubber swim baits and I am wondering if size really does matter and If so when? During a certain time of year or possibly during cold fronts?
I would prefer to buy the smaller baits for the obvious reasons, cost and easier to throw all day.
I do like throwing the 10" Suick since the have been available but I have caught many more muskies on the original 9"
If you believe bigger is better would it be because of the muskies lateral line and what is being felt by the fish?
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Posts: 1495
Location: Brighton CO. | A lot of guy's throw the bigger baits out in the basin (pounders ECT) Reg and Mag in shallows or in numbers water. And in the spring more of Jig and Reaper set up. |
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Posts: 333
Location: SE Wisc | I prefer throwing smaller lures for obvious reasons but if the forage is big - I match it. If I’m on big fish water and the fish there historically like bigger baits, I’ll throw them. And night fishing I will throw larger stuff because I think the fish have a better chance at “feeling” and making contact. The fall season is another time when guys throw bigger lures but you can catch them on small baits too at that time. Overall, each body of water is different and has its own idiosyncrasies that you learn over time. |
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Posts: 155
Location: MN | Thanks for your responses. I have more lures than I need, but could always use a couple more. I'll be at TB annual spring sale, 40th anniversary. |
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Posts: 577
Location: deephaven mn | smaller baits will get you more bites, of other species of fish like bass and northerns. that being said a muskie will eat a crappie minnow |
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| kap - 4/7/2023 5:54 AM
smaller baits will get you more bites, of other species of fish like bass and northerns. that being said a muskie will eat a crappie minnow
Yep, three out of the last four springs I have lost a jig and crappie minnow to a muskie, one of which was huge. I don't get why in water filled with crappies, blue gills and 5-6 inch perch they will scarf down a 2" crappie minnow but they do. Same with some good sized pike. |
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Location: PA Angler | Drifting a minnow on a bobber works but I got lures from small to big and everything in between. I like lures 10” and under. |
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Posts: 1495
Location: Brighton CO. | In the spring cast that Minnow out jerk it in (like Tony Rizzo and Dick Sleight). |
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Posts: 32910
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | If it moves it's food.
Doug J |
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Posts: 8814
| If they're hungry they're gonna eat anything that they can catch. I do think larger baits get you a better chance at larger fish when they're neutral and not actively feeding, but that's a tradeoff between having to chuck a pounder for as long as you can vs something smaller that you can throw for 8 hours. More casts = more fish. |
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Posts: 112
| I don't have a good answer to the question- I have caught them on 15" crankbaits during opener, and obviously folks get them on tiny crappie baits year round. But yes, from my experience it can absolutely matter.
An interesting way to think about it is using bioenergetics. Muskies expend energy- voluntary movement, spawning, healing, growing, etc. Muskies gain energy by consuming other fish. Their consumption of other fish (and in our case, artificial lures) can be viewed as a function of cost (energy spent chasing lure and probability of them catching) versus reward (energy gained by the meal).
I like large baits in open water. Especially if I'm trolling fast or in clear water. The cost/reward for the fish having to cover ground and strike the bait increases in my favor. The larger bait relative to speed makes it more "worth it" for the fish to speed along and hunt down the bait.
In structure like shallower weeds, smaller baits can make sense. The bait will likely be much closer to the muskie, so worth striking. Plus it allows me to use lures more appealing to smaller muskies too. In certain water temps too, you can get away with much more speed and smaller baits. Water temps can basically influence a fishes "efficiency", which changes the function for cost vs reward.
Obviously, this is overlooking a LOT. "Reaction" strikes are an interesting idea, and many of us have seen fish follow suckers (in theory large, easy to target, nutritious meal) for ages but not bite. So there's still a good deal of mystery. But hopefully looking at it from this angle is somewhat helpful. Think about energy cost, energy reward. |
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