Most anglers think big when hunting lunker muskie, but if you want to catch more muskie think smaller baits and tackle. I caught my biggest muskellunge while fishing walleye using a plastic worm in September. More frequently than can be regarded as coincidental people catch a lunge while fishing other species. Most anglers turn to heavy tackle, large baits and trolling as the right way to catch muskies. Personally I get bored or maybe fed up with trolling on a regular basis.
Now certainly one of my most successful tactics used especially in the fall can be used for fishing large walleye and simultaneously muskellunge. I take advantage of medium size tackle and big walleye baits especially jigs. Fishing weed lines, drop offs and shoals while you would for walleyes will even attract several lunge as walleyes. The 1st time I realised this I did possess some success for big walleyes along with just caught and released a great 7 pounder which was followed on the boat with a large muskie.
Really the only change I made was to make sure I had been using wire leads and good strong swivels. Using 6 inch plastics worked perfectly and also the result was actually a fun great day of fishing. In all of the a couple of us caught and released 9 walleyes from 5 to 8 pounds plus 5 muskie all inside the 15 to 20 pound range. Although not the lunker; that a lot of anglers try to find. But it really proved for me these particular preditors may be caught on lighter tackle and smaller baits.
Conventional thinking tells us that from the fall; the rest of the muskellunge, are large, therefore bigger is preferable. However, my experience is that smaller baits tend to be the perfect morsel for your elusive luncker.
Equipment And Presentation
When i state smaller baits I am referring to large or oversized walleyes jigs. As stated this approach evolved with a body water using a large population of large walleye. Now using the concept that big baits means big fish or walleye. I began tossing 5 to 6 inch plastic shad-bodied jigs along weed lines. I landed several big walleye, but to my surprise, the muskie lures were also going for the very same bait. The important plastic jigs became a significant part of my muskie fishing arsenal. All large plastics work just great.
Colour seems less important than building a real flash. Two-toned baits, mainly dark and lightweight combinations, create more flash when drawn with the water. Adding some metal flake also ads that extra flash. Just experiment and you will get a combination that is useful for you together with have that strike you would like.
I generally use ball-head or stand-up-head jigs with medium gauge wire hooks. It's surprising how good one particular hook are equipped for a good large fish. Often you will hook the fish in the gristly flesh in the corner of the mouth. Jigs also make landing and releasing muskie easier; there are actually then no large treble hooks flopping around to damage the fish or maybe you. Deeply hooked fish might be released by clipping off the hook with pliers.
Single strand wire leaders manage to work most effectively especially along weed beds. I use a hay-wire-twist to install the wire for the jig head at one end plus a small swivel at the other. Look for kinks from the wire, however these leaders tend to be more weedless than the standard models due to the snaps and swivels.
I favor a medium action 6-foot spinning rod plus a reel spooled with 12 to 14 pound test monofilament. A medium-heavy bait-casting outfit also does the key, in both cases be sure the drag is functioning properly.
Even though you choose the conventional approach, have a lighter outfit close on hand for when muskie follow, but don't hit, or they strike short. Using lighter tackle and a jig can be another good approach when the two main individuals fishing muskie. One angler throws conventioinal baits, as well as the other throwing jigs. Then you are usually able to react to follows and misses.
Vary the rate of the retrieve when jigging up muskie lures. I actually have had luck at the end of fall, by making use of violent rip-jigging motion. It's tiring, but effective. Experiment and you may find something that works for you.
When battling a muskellunge on light tackle, be careful not to fight it to exhaustion, thereby increasing the possibility of delayed death if you are considering catch and release. Ideally, you should release a fish simply by grasping the only hook with a set of needle nosed pliers, while it's in the water at the side in the boat. Stop the hook in case the fish is hooked deeply. Muskie fisheries really are a fragile resource, so do your very best to release that muskie no worse for wear. Now next season that muskie will be ready to fight another day to make on that day a fantastic day for the next angler.
Now certainly one of my most successful tactics used especially in the fall can be used for fishing large walleye and simultaneously muskellunge. I take advantage of medium size tackle and big walleye baits especially jigs. Fishing weed lines, drop offs and shoals while you would for walleyes will even attract several lunge as walleyes. The 1st time I realised this I did possess some success for big walleyes along with just caught and released a great 7 pounder which was followed on the boat with a large muskie.
Really the only change I made was to make sure I had been using wire leads and good strong swivels. Using 6 inch plastics worked perfectly and also the result was actually a fun great day of fishing. In all of the a couple of us caught and released 9 walleyes from 5 to 8 pounds plus 5 muskie all inside the 15 to 20 pound range. Although not the lunker; that a lot of anglers try to find. But it really proved for me these particular preditors may be caught on lighter tackle and smaller baits.
Conventional thinking tells us that from the fall; the rest of the muskellunge, are large, therefore bigger is preferable. However, my experience is that smaller baits tend to be the perfect morsel for your elusive luncker.
Equipment And Presentation
When i state smaller baits I am referring to large or oversized walleyes jigs. As stated this approach evolved with a body water using a large population of large walleye. Now using the concept that big baits means big fish or walleye. I began tossing 5 to 6 inch plastic shad-bodied jigs along weed lines. I landed several big walleye, but to my surprise, the muskie lures were also going for the very same bait. The important plastic jigs became a significant part of my muskie fishing arsenal. All large plastics work just great.
Colour seems less important than building a real flash. Two-toned baits, mainly dark and lightweight combinations, create more flash when drawn with the water. Adding some metal flake also ads that extra flash. Just experiment and you will get a combination that is useful for you together with have that strike you would like.
I generally use ball-head or stand-up-head jigs with medium gauge wire hooks. It's surprising how good one particular hook are equipped for a good large fish. Often you will hook the fish in the gristly flesh in the corner of the mouth. Jigs also make landing and releasing muskie easier; there are actually then no large treble hooks flopping around to damage the fish or maybe you. Deeply hooked fish might be released by clipping off the hook with pliers.
Single strand wire leaders manage to work most effectively especially along weed beds. I use a hay-wire-twist to install the wire for the jig head at one end plus a small swivel at the other. Look for kinks from the wire, however these leaders tend to be more weedless than the standard models due to the snaps and swivels.
I favor a medium action 6-foot spinning rod plus a reel spooled with 12 to 14 pound test monofilament. A medium-heavy bait-casting outfit also does the key, in both cases be sure the drag is functioning properly.
Even though you choose the conventional approach, have a lighter outfit close on hand for when muskie follow, but don't hit, or they strike short. Using lighter tackle and a jig can be another good approach when the two main individuals fishing muskie. One angler throws conventioinal baits, as well as the other throwing jigs. Then you are usually able to react to follows and misses.
Vary the rate of the retrieve when jigging up muskie lures. I actually have had luck at the end of fall, by making use of violent rip-jigging motion. It's tiring, but effective. Experiment and you may find something that works for you.
When battling a muskellunge on light tackle, be careful not to fight it to exhaustion, thereby increasing the possibility of delayed death if you are considering catch and release. Ideally, you should release a fish simply by grasping the only hook with a set of needle nosed pliers, while it's in the water at the side in the boat. Stop the hook in case the fish is hooked deeply. Muskie fisheries really are a fragile resource, so do your very best to release that muskie no worse for wear. Now next season that muskie will be ready to fight another day to make on that day a fantastic day for the next angler.
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