Muskie are voracious predators who require patience and time on the water. Though costly, their pursuit is well worth your efforts if you possess enough motivation.
Muskies, like pike, hunt structure such as humps, rockpiles, channel edges and shallow areas adjacent to deep weed beds.
Location
Successful muskie anglers focus on finding great spots, and then placing their bait strategically at just the right moment. Unfortunately, however, this can sometimes prove challenging since muskies can often change their activities based on environmental changes like weather and moon phases.
For New York anglers looking for trophy muskies, the optimal location includes those that provide both classic muskie structure and an abundance of food sources, such as Mille Lacs which boasts long, bulky fish along with numerous classic structures like rocky points, breaklines, reefs and sand bars – providing anglers the ideal place to catch one!
Minnesota Lake provides another fantastic location for trolling and sight fishing with outsized plugs, boasting over 50-inch-muskies that provide plenty of fishing action in its deep, clear water, as well as classic cover such as dense forest areas.
Bait
Muskie fishing can be one of the hardest and most costly experiences you ever have, yet also one of the most satisfying. Hunting this toothy predator that devours nearly all other freshwater fish in its waters – and even other muskies! – keeps anglers coming back time after time.
To catch a big musky, it is crucial to use baits that match the conditions. Begin by matching lure colors with the dominant forage species found in your lake; on reservoirs for instance, you might find shad or ciscoes are prime candidates as food sources for muskies.
Large crankbaits equipped with diving lips work particularly well for targeting specific depths. Small bucktails and minnow-style plugs also can be effective, especially early in the spring. If a muskie keeps following your lure but won’t bite, try downsizing your bait as this might help convince it to bite! It may even work for stubborn fish!
Lures
New muskie anglers may find the multitude of lure options available daunting, so start small by selecting just a few large baits that can be fished both casting and trolling – for shallow trolling 8 to 12-inch bucktails such as Legend Perchbaits, Believers, Grandmas and Jakes are reliable catches.
Casting minnow-style plugs over thick weeds or open water edges is another effective approach for early season musky fishing. If a musky follows your plug but won’t bite, try pitching a bait with an extremely different retrieve and pitch another lure instead.
As summer progresses, cast your line on weed beds and their edges, points, openings and rock piles. Additionally, look out for areas with deep cabbage lines and offshore rocky breaklines acting as feeding shelves. Also pay attention to current-washed slicks and back eddies; but avoid water temperatures above 80 degrees as this could harm muskies due to low oxygen levels; this could cause them to be less aggressive or less active fishers.
Techniques
In summer, the best time for fishing muskie is early in the morning or evening, using large bucktails, soft plastics or topwater plugs at open water or weed edges. Jeremy recommends trying different bait sizes throughout the season depending on conditions.
Muskies tend to stalk bait before striking, so a variable retrieve speed is key. A figure-eight motion at the end of each cast may help trigger timid fish or slow your presentation as you near targets.
Successful muskie anglers maintain a log of days and times they see or catch fish, creating a repeatable pattern over time to predict where and when the best places to fish may be. This method can especially helpful when fishing large Ontario waters which are divided up into manageable sections; once familiarity has been gained in each section, finding muskies will become much simpler.https://www.youtube.com/embed/chmwDLLvPhA