Muskie Fishing Virgin Needs some advice??

[Sligh1]

So, "stuck" around a lake in northern Iowa for a week & since my wife will never read this post, I'll admit- I am going to be bored out of my frigin mind! I can only sit around & drive circles on the lake so much. So, with so much time to kill and not caring if I don't get a bite for days at a time.... Is there any basic thoughts anyone would be willing to throw out for how in the world I would catch a muskie?!?! never done it. Totally new & if it doesn't work out- no biggy. I'm fine fishing for pretty much anything else. BUT, Muskie, never even tried. Big lake that is supposed to have a decent muskie population (and yes, if I go days without a bite, no problem, I understand they are tricky BUT this is also coming from someone who can sit days & weeks doing long hunts waiting for a giant buck).

SO...
-Time of day?
-What are a few lures I want to get & how do I use them?
-What LBS test line do I need? Steel Liters of course?
-What type of depth, areas & type of habitat am I looking for?
-What the heck do I need to do to catch these dudes, etc?!?

Obviously i didn't mention where I'm going specifically, I know you serious guys don't like to give out their secrets, totally understand you guys & that's fine. SO- I'm hoping folks would be willing to just share general tactics and good tricks that really could help actually catch one. Probably be a 1 in 10 or 20 year deal for me, I'm hardcore with anything outdoors & willing to put in the effort BUT I want to take advantage of trying to kill some time so I don't go insane & need to know how a beginner could speed things up on learning & possibly make something happen. Appreciate it!

 

[jkratz5]

Time: generally those 2-3 hours and last 2-3 hours of the day. However with overcast conditions or a little chop we will fish all hours. If the lake gets heavy boat/ski traffic those non recreation times are best.

Lures: tricky, but some must have are buck tails(small and large) some top waters there are a million of them but we use bulldawgs and some others you can walk the dog with. There are millions of lures but I ave to admit this is how I usually fish them

Line: something braided in the 40lb range is fine, and don't skimp on the leaders pay the extra money for good ones

Areas: weeds should be tarting to grow real good, generally find myself fishing submerged weeds that are 4-12ft. Deep and running my baits from the edges I can see over thesubmerged weeds. Muskies are like other fish they like structure, rock points, etc. depending on the lake youare fishing.

My recommendation to catching them is to cast and cast and cast. See if there is someone in that area you can hook up with to get to know the lake and some of the weed beds and structure on the lake.

There isva bunch more info. That guys on here will give and I by know means am an expert but have landed my share of skies this way.

Kratz

 

[muddy]

I don't have anything else more to add really, Jarin did a great job. If it's a big recreational lake don't bother during the day.

 

[Hardwood11]

I used to cast big rapalas, and hooked a few. You can troll big raps as well, might catch a northern or a big walleye

 

[gundog870]

Rule Number one: Get a big net.

You can not gill these fish. I left my net at home two weeks ago, and the tearing my hand took from trying to gill ruined the trip, and worse off... Ended it. And I had to ask some dbag to borrow his.

Burn Burn Burn. Bucktails are the easiest way for a guy to get into Musky fishing. Im just a novice but friggin love it!! You only need three bait to get going and some leaders.

Bucktail
Walk the Dog
Glider

Now the trouble is picking which one of each to start with

And I'd go with 100lb Power Pro, an abu 6500 and a gander musky rod if you dont want to go balls deep. However, I recommend blowing your wad on all new stuff!! Spend it like ya got it!!

Time of day: Moonrise and moonset-who cares what time of day that falls under.

I have found fish the last two weekends in 8-12.

 

[DZJ81]

For the beginner: Keep it simple. I would get a few baits that are easy to use and don't require much effort to fish. Blades (bucktails) are a must. I would get yourself a couple of the double bladed baits specifically a Musky Mayhem-Showgirls or Jr. Double Cowgirls. Topwater is the most fun and several topwater baits are also extremely easy to use: Topraiders or pacemakers are a good place to start. Peak times are usually going to coincide w/your sunrise/sunset and moonrise/moonset. There are also major and minors=John Alden Solunar tables. These fish are a top of the line predator so pick your prominent or best pieces of structure and start there. Start shallow and cover water. If nothing happens slow down and work out. If pressure is an issue night fishing is always a good option. One thing I can't stress enough is make a good "L" turn and figure 8 or large oval after every cast. If you get serious and start throwing the big stuff (Super Models Large Bulldawgs) there is no substitute for good equipment. If you do catch one make sure you have the proper release tools: Long nose pliers, Bolt cutter and Jaw spreader. Take a picture and let it go. Then you will soon have a new obsession that will come in a close second to bowhunting.

 

[Iowa1]

Tell me which lake and I can give you a lot more specific info. You fish clear lake a lot different than you fish Okoboji.

 

[jkratz5]

Rule Number one: Get a big net.

You can not gill these fish. I left my net at home two weeks ago, and the tearing my hand took from trying to gill ruined the trip, and worse off... Ended it. And I had to ask some dbag to borrow his.

Wus

Just kidding. A net is a good thing especially in the beginning. We started using the Lindy gloves a few years back and they work great, you can get behind the gill and don't have to worry about getting tore up.

Kratz

 

[THA4]

:grin: Interesting replies so far...

A good net is worth its weight in gold, as Gunny said.

disregard time of day, fish the moon and weather edges. I have done well on heavily used pleasure boat lakes - If there is chop, its worth fishing. When it flat calm, hot and sunny.... especially on clear water lakes, I'll avoid em like the plague until low light hours and after dark.

Speaking of after dark....

A good percentage of my fish have come after dark pulling big blades... I'd go with painted blades, red, orange or pink... pink is the best hands down... A good head lamp is good to have here.

Reels, I won't use anything smaller than a Garcia 7000, preferably a Big Game. You'll burn anything smaller up pulling blades. For big blades you can't beat a Garcia Revo Winch, and Shimano has a new low profile reel out that is pretty awesome too!

Rods, you can skimp on cost here if you are looking for a place to save money. But, don't get anything shorter than 8 foot. Cast for a day with a short rod with no back bone and you'll know why. The new fad is to longer rods and trust me, their worth it.

Figure 8 is a skill you can only build by practicing with real fish... that takes time. But, understand how your rod and bait work in the 8 each time you tie a new one on, remember its like trying to turn a bus at the side of the boat. I caught one last year on the 10th time around on the 8. As long as you can see the fish behind the bait, keep the bait moving, and then another 5 times after your sure she's gone.

Fish primary weed edges, and you'll want the boat about twice as far from the bank as you would be if you bass fishing. If you can find mid lake structure such as cabbage or rocks, or both, fish em.

Have a weak mind and a strong back... that's the best advice I can give.... :grin: As i know some will agree, its a battle of endurance and it will test you... There is nothing more rewarding than tying up with the water's apex predator and winning....

Keep her in the water as long as you possibly can, take a few photos and put her back. That's the best part.

Gimme a call, Skip. I'll give you some more stuff to think about too. :way:

 

[rc10pt]

All are some good recommendations. I think that going with an experienced musky fisherman is also worth its weight in gold. They will teach you the importance of release tools, baited, times, presentations, and cpr (catch, photo, release). I know I'm late on this post but thought it good to chime in. Good luck.

 

[Daver]

Also way late here...but since I just did some muskie fishing last week myself I learned a lesson or two that I will share.

#1. Don't use too light of line, even 50# rated braided line broke on me just casting the real big lures. (Yes, I also battled some backlashes and that contributed to the problem. :grin The guy I was fishing with will not use less than 80# rated braided line and I now see why. Breaking a non-floating lure that costs north of $20 per off on a cast is a real bummer.

You can easily handle the fish on 50# braided, yes, but I suspect you will also lose a few lures along the way with the lighter line.

#2. I agree with the recommendations for a big rod and reel, making hundreds of casts with medium sized equipment can work, but the lower rated gear will break down under that heavy usage. Go big!

#3. I agree with the big net recommendation! The day I fished for muskies we did not catch any, but we did get several large pike. The largest was 44" and another three more in the 38"-39" range, with a couple more smaller ones. With those big hooks and big teeth and so forth, trying to land a big one without a net would be quite dangerous IMO.

4. We had our best success on Suicks, in fact I think we caught all of our fish on them. That could be a seasonal thing, but that is what worked for us.

 

[NorthWoodsBoy_18]

A lot of the time certain lakes like certain lures, I fish lake of the woods in obabikon bay in Canada, and the Muskies loveeee inline spinners. Mostly black skirts with silver blades. But all lakes are different. Also Muskie fishing is an expensive hobby. I have probably a few thousand dollars invested into my rods reels and lures. But once you catch a hog you'll never go back. It's Addiciting.

 

[NorthWoodsBoy_18]

Muskies are pretty much a bigger and badder version of a bass. They live in the same place, Rick and weed beds, off of rocky points. A good overcast is also valuable, Muskies usually go into a little feeding frenzy if there's a big storm approaching also.

 

[Sligh1]

Thanks again for all the info! For now, this deer junky is full bore on a old buck binge starting in about a week. When you're hooked on hunting & old bucks & habitat- sure is hard to think of anything else BUT I sure will give these muskies a go again next year.

 

[rc10pt]

I just spent the last week in Minnesota, fishing Cass Lake. Came back, and wow has the water heated up!

Picked up a few 30 inch muskies at Salt Fork tonight, but it took awhile.

This will be my first full summer of muskie fishing so I have two questions:

1. As the water heats up, where should I be looking for fish? What depth should I keep my lures? (trolling tuff shad and little ernie's)

2. Should I spend time casting? Or just troll?

3. If I troll spinners or bucks, how do you keep them down to depth?

I have fished the cass lake chain for the 6 years or so ( family vacations). That being said, it is not my top choice of musky waters. It's a tough nut to crack. But anyway......concentrate on the 8-14 weed edge break lines. Start casting outside in moving closer. If not working try inside out. Buck tails burned in the hot summer months work well also plastics such as bulldawgs are a great choice. I wouldn't recommend trolling except in early June or late in the year. If you are serious about getting going start on smaller lakes with good population look at the stocking reports and contour maps, pick easy lakes with traditional structure and big straight food shelves and saddle areas. My biggest mistake when starting was starting with leech, cass too big to figure out in a week. Hiring a guide one or more times is worth it. Teaches u what exactly you will need for reels, poles, nets, release tools etc. I use Calcutta reels on 9ft rods with 100lb power pro line, 130-180lb fluorocarbon leaders, big kahuna net, bolt cutters are a must. And remember CPR , catch, photo, release. You can always have a replica made which look better and last longer than a real fish. Good luck to ya and hope you get hooked as hard as I did.