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Posts: 7077
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | Just thinking here, with the increased popularity of throwing big blades and big rubber, I figure we're overlooking other productive muskie catching styles.
The one I think of that I KNOW alot of us are overlooking would be super skinny water spinnerbaiting. Taught to me by Mr. Worrall, it basically involves throwing medium sized spinnerbaits (big bent willowleaves behind my favorite tool here) towards weeds in super skinny water (1-3'). Versus grinding, the idea of this technique is to keep the bait over or between the weeds you can see or above those you cant. The water is so shallow, the fish doesnt have to go far to get to the bait regardless.
I find this has worked for me in N.WI, IL, Indiana, Canada, and even have a few mid to upper 40s in the boat because of it. And, the wife saw one pushing 54" on Eagle chasing a small sized rad dog....
Others YOU think are a bit overlooked these days?
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Posts: 32923
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Creatures. Not that the lure was ever wildly popular. Evolved into the big stuff one sees out there now, Creatures are almost a lost technique. |
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Posts: 1295
Location: WI | I'd like to learn that creature fishing style, I just don't want to buy another rod and reel set up for it. |
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| I really like creature fishing, it actually accounts for other fish as well...Learning the difference between the pick ups of the different species is pretty amazing. It almost creates underwater vision for you. I enjoy it, that and fly fishing is about 80% of my muskie fishing now...BR |
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Posts: 4266
| I have a box of bucktails that I tied over the last 20 years that have single French blades and deer hair and still catch fish.
Spinnerbaits, like you said, don't have to weigh 3 ounces and be 8" long to catch fish, and they will fish the 'skinny' water that others won't.
Small gliders and twitch baits produce year long, but I've found that I leave them home come summer and take the 7"-10" models with me. I know that I can't take everything, but I'm downsizing this season because the big guns just haven't produced.
I bet everyone has lures sitting in their basements or garages right now that have been good producers in the past that have been put aside for new toys.....I know I have. I also know that lots of the new toys will be up for sale because they haven't produced like I had hoped.
With the advent of DCG's and Mag Dawgs I dare say that I have seen some guys turn into one or two trick ponies, and that's just not good for anyone. Verstility is something we all should know. |
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Posts: 8824
| Suicks, Bobbie Baits, Cranes, Hawg Wobblers, Enrnies, Burts, Mepps Muskie Killers...
There is no doubt that soft plastics and double 10's have revolutionized how we all approach muskie fishing, and with good reason. But there are dozens more lures that came long before those that still catch fish, regularly, and often times are a better choice than chucking a double 10. I think muskie anglers spend way too much time and way too much money trying to find the new hot "magic lure" and not nearly enough time trying to make sure they can cover different speeds, different depths, and different types of presentations for different situations, and properly APPLYING those lures to those situations. Every muskie lure that existed before doub;e 10's and soft plastics didn't just stop working. |
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Posts: 468
Location: Not where I wanna be! | I really like to throw small bucktails..... and burn them..... not that that tactic is overlooked, but I don't too often see smaller profile baits being used much anymore. The general trend seems to be to go bigger.... I dunno, I like smaller baits.... :D |
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Posts: 3242
Location: Racine, Wi | Fishing for suspended fish. As much as it is talked about, I still don't see many guys casting open water. There are a handful of guys doing it and are very successful, but if more people had confidence in it, there would be a ton more people out over the abyss. |
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Location: SE Wisconsin | Good post Joel, very true - it's the lack of a visual stimulant (cover - weeds, bottom, etc.) that is more often than not, where the lack of confidence is stemmed, I think.
Andrew, inline spinners in skinny water is what did it for the PMTT winners of the Eagle River event in '07. Very cool technique, just as long as you're dialed into the 'when' part.
Another technique seldom seen used is skirtless blades. . . Relying on the calling power of the blades and eliminating 50% of the visual - bring fish closer by basing their chase off of instinct rather than creating potential turn-offs of color or that little something that alarms them of the mistake their about to mistake. It's just hard to use something so unorthodox, for lack of better words.
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Posts: 720
| I think spoons are completely underutilized today and that kind of surprises me. Spoons come in a different sizes and colors. You can fish deep or super super skinny. I've spent a fair amount of time fishing spoons and having some good success. My two best methods are casting a 3/4 ounces old Rapala weedless spoons super shallow. But by far trolling open water with downrigger at 15 to 20 feet down. I managed to boat a 51.50" fish my largest to date on a 3" spoon. |
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Posts: 49
| Dive + Rise jerk baits seem to be used by very few anglers. Pork rind trailers on a bucktail is really old school too. |
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Posts: 880
Location: New Berlin,Wisconsin,53151 | Jig fishing, you just don't see a lot of anglers jigging for muskie. I'm trying a new method this year and will let all know if it's successful. Spoon fishing also as Hunter4 is talking about with the trolling deep water on downriggers needs to be used more for big fish on high pressure lakes. |
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Posts: 285
Location: NE Wisconsin | Jigging Fuzzy Duzzits in late fall. For me, best when water temps are from 42 to freeze up. |
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Posts: 13
Location: NW Wisconsin | THA4 - 4/5/2010 9:58 AM
I really like to throw small bucktails..... and burn them..... not that that tactic is overlooked, but I don't too often see smaller profile baits being used much anymore. The general trend seems to be to go bigger.... I dunno, I like smaller baits.... :D
I agree with using smaller profile baits. I mentioned this in "Downsizing for Spring" thread last week
I began occasionally targeting musky with smaller baits because all of the unintended musky success I was having while bass or pike fishing. For the most part I use bigger baits, but I agree, smaller profile seemed to be overlooked more these days. |
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Posts: 1169
Location: New Hope MN | Johnnie - 4/6/2010 7:31 AM
Jigging Fuzzy Duzzits in late fall. For me, best when water temps are from 42 to freeze up.
I tried that for a weekend with no luck  |
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Posts: 97
Location: Pickering, ON | Trolling jerkbaits (Suicks, Bobbies, Sledges, etc.).
This was a regular practice decades ago. I know very few guys doing it these days. |
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Posts: 1030
Location: APPLETON, WI | THA4 - 4/5/2010 9:58 AM I really like to throw small bucktails..... and burn them..... not that that tactic is overlooked, but I don't too often see smaller profile baits being used much anymore. The general trend seems to be to go bigger.... I dunno, I like smaller baits.... :D +1 Smaller bucktails like the infamous Mepps #5 is a great way to fish. You still have the chance for a big musky, but also reap the rewards of boating other species, as well. Sometimes... I go musky fishing... and sometimes, I just wanna catch some fish, if you know what I mean.  |
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Posts: 2687
Location: Hayward, WI | dtaijo174 - 4/6/2010 8:44 AM
Johnnie - 4/6/2010 7:31 AM
Jigging Fuzzy Duzzits in late fall. For me, best when water temps are from 42 to freeze up.
I tried that for a weekend with no luck : (
I don't know about everyone else here, but I have had plenty of weekends where I had no luck with techniques that I KNOW work. It's hard to pass judgement on a lure type or technique in just a weekend of fishing. Heck, last year some techniques that worked the year before NEVER really panned out.
curleytail |
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