| Most anglers think big when hunting lunker muskie, | | | | ads that extra flash. Just experiment and you will |
| but if you want to catch more muskie think | | | | find a combination that will work for you and get |
| smaller baits and tackle. I caught my biggest | | | | that strike you want. |
| muskellunge while fishing walleye with a plastic | | | | I generally use ball-head or stand-up-head jigs with |
| worm in September. More often than can be | | | | medium gauge wire hooks. It's surprising how well |
| considered coincidental people catch a lunge while | | | | a single hook can handle even a large fish. Often |
| fishing other species. Most anglers look to heavy | | | | you will hook the fish in the gristly flesh in the |
| tackle, large baits and trolling as the way to catch | | | | corner of the mouth. Jigs also make landing and |
| muskies. Personally I become bored or just tired | | | | releasing muskie easier; there are then no large |
| of trolling all the time. | | | | treble hooks flopping around to damage the fish |
| Now one of my most successful tactics used | | | | or you. Deeply hooked fish can be released by |
| especially in the fall is used for fishing large walleye | | | | clipping off the hook with pliers. |
| and at the same time muskellunge. I use medium | | | | Single strand wire leaders seem to work best |
| size tackle and large walleye baits especially jigs. | | | | especially along weed beds. I use a hay-wire-twist |
| Fishing weed lines, drop offs and shoals as you | | | | to attach the wire to the jig head at one end and |
| would for walleyes will also attract as many lunge | | | | a small swivel at the other. Watch for kinks in the |
| as walleyes. The first time I realised this I did | | | | wire, but these leaders are more weedless than |
| have some success for large walleyes and had | | | | the standard models because of the snaps and |
| just caught and released a nice 7 pounder that | | | | swivels. |
| was followed to the boat by a large muskie. | | | | I prefer a medium action 6-foot spinning rod and |
| The only change I made was to make sure I was | | | | a reel spooled with 12 to 14 pound test |
| using wire leads and good stong swivels. Using 6 | | | | monofilament. A medium-heavy bait-casting outfit |
| inch plastics worked just fine and the result was a | | | | also does the trick, in both cases make sure the |
| fun great day of fishing. In all the two of us | | | | drag is working properly. |
| caught and released 9 walleyes from 5 to 8 | | | | Even if you prefer the conventional approach, |
| pounds plus 5 muskie all in the 15 to 20 pound | | | | keep a lighter outfit close at hand for when |
| range. Although not the lunker; that most anglers | | | | muskie follow, but don't hit, or they strike short. |
| look for. But it proved to me that these preditors | | | | Using lighter tackle and a jig is also a good |
| can be caught on lighter tackle and smaller baits. | | | | approach when there are two of you fishing |
| Conventional thinking tells us that in the fall; the | | | | muskie. One angler throws conventioinal baits, and |
| remaining muskellunge, are large, therefore bigger | | | | the other throwing jigs. Then you are always |
| is better. However, my experience is that smaller | | | | ready to react to follows and misses. |
| baits are often the perfect morsel for that elusive | | | | Vary the speed of your retrieve when jigging up |
| luncker. | | | | muskie. I have had luck in late fall, by using violent |
| Equipment And Presentation | | | | rip-jigging motion. It's tiring, but effective. |
| When I say smaller baits I am referring to large | | | | Experiment and you will find something that |
| or oversized walleyes jigs. As mentioned this | | | | works for you. |
| approach evolved on a body of water with a | | | | When battling a muskellunge on light tackle, be |
| large population of large walleye. Now using the | | | | careful not to fight it to exhaustion, thereby |
| idea that big baits means big fish or walleye. I | | | | increasing the chance of delayed death if you plan |
| began tossing 5 to 6 inch plastic shad-bodied jigs | | | | on catch and release. Ideally, you should release a |
| along weed lines. I landed a number of big walleye, | | | | fish by simply grasping the single hook with a pair |
| but to my surprise, the muskie were also going | | | | of needle nosed pliers, while it's in the water at |
| for the same bait. The big plastic jigs became an | | | | the side of the boat. Cut off the hook if the fish |
| important part of my muskie fishing arsenal. All | | | | is hooked deeply. Muskie fisheries are a fragile |
| large plastics work just fine. | | | | resource, so do your best to release that muskie |
| Colour seems less important than creating a real | | | | no worse for wear. Now next season that muskie |
| flash. Two-toned baits, mainly dark and light | | | | will be ready to fight another day and make that |
| combinations, create more flash when drawn | | | | day a great day for another angler. |
| through the water. Adding some metal flake also | | | | |