Musky "Must-Have's"...

[MuskyGreenHorn]

Lipdip and harrison, i couldn't agree more with everything you said except for 2 minor things. Some guys still swear by shorter rods, especially for jerkbaits and WTD topwater and the wire/flouro debate has some merrit.

 

Harrison I saw guiding a couple of guys last summer on LOTW and we same something similar happen. I had them casting a shoreline in a small bay. It was a calm, lazy type of afternoon and the bite had slowed down big time from the morning. I was half asleep as i was enjoying the sun and working the 9.9 kicker by popping in and out of gear to slowly cruise the shoreline. the guys asked me if i knew foresure that there were musky in this bay. Shortly after that I happened to glance over my shoulder and a mid forties was wollowing the prop of the kicker, liek a foot away. I turned to the guys and calmly said "yeap, check this out." It followed for another 15-20 feet untill I took the motor out of gear and it swam under the boat and then looped around and swam back out from the back. It was memerized by the fourstoke just chugging along at idle is my only guess. We casted the hell out of the area and it didn't show itself again. Pretty cool though.

[LipDip]

Wire vs. Fluro isn't a debate. That's my point. There are guys who use and swear by one or both. There's a guy from the OTT R area on this board who uses nothing but fluoro and has done reasonably well lol. Other guys like using wire. You will get sound, reasonable advice from both, on both products. The fact they're using what they've ran up crazy track records using is what's important, not whether it's wire, fluoro, cat gut, nylon, a d-string etc etc etc. For anyone who likes casting, figure 8ing and keeping fish hooked with stubby rods, all I ask is try a long rod for your jerkbaits for just a wknd.

Do 50 figure8's on 50 back-to-back casts each with a 6'9 and then with an 8'0. Do them right. Big and deep. How's your back feel? Still want to make good figure8's all day with the short rod? The facts are that long rods cast father, hit harder, figure8 easier and reduce the workload dramatically. If these are three trade-offs you can swallow, try using a long rod. The number of companies still pushing poolcue rods suggests to me that once guys try a longer rod they never go back. It's one of those rare trends in fishing that makes good mechanical sense. I throw a lot of Suicks, Wades, Bobbies, Bulldawgs and would definitely say that jerkbaits are one of my confidence baits. I also use a lot of Grandmas, Jakes, Shallow Invaders, DD's, DDD's, and stuff. The long rods made using them easier for me, definitely give it a try if you get a chance. You sure don't need much effort to sweep/jerk a Suick around using the 8'6. You can start your turn/boatside moves a lot farther out too!

I've got 2x 6'9 Premiers, 2x 7'2 Premiers that I've caught a lot of fish on. They've been bundled in the rafters of my garage for about five years now. They're great rods. Just that once I started using 8'6s, I literally had no use for them. They look and feel like an icefishing rod to me. Just way too much work for me to use. These days, my 7'6s are my stubbies, a pain to figure8 and cast with after going to long rods lol. Use what you like, but definitely try a long rod this season. They're widely available, because lots of muskie cuctomers are demanding them. Some guys are using 10'0s too.

Edited March 10, 2010 by LipDip

[Tom McCutcheon]

Sage advise from LipDip, and a number of others, including "Believer Ron". Leave the gaf at home unless you are experienced enough to use it without killing the fish. (very few are).

 

Tom.

[MuskyGreenHorn]

LIPDIP, I use 8'6" rods myslef and I use both flouro and wire leaders. I agree with you 100%, but i also think its a matter of personal preference, hence why it is debatable.

 

I have been trying to sell my 6'10" for a while now actually.

[outllaw]

my best thoughts for musky must haves. all release equipment. a decent soft tip trolling rod.AND knowing where to run my baits. tunining a lure can greatly increase you odds.a few old creek chub pikies, some woodies on the planer boards and were good to go. getting caught up into internet hype is a far cry from experience on the waters.

[lew]

Wire vs. Fluro isn't a debate. That's my point. There are guys who use and swear by one or both.

 

++++++++

 

For anyone who likes casting, figure 8ing and keeping fish hooked with stubby rods, all I ask is try a long rod for your jerkbaits for just a wknd.

 

Good having you back on the board Dip, you always offer some good perspectives on things.

 

You'll remember back in the day when I used nothing but Stringese wire for musky and swore by it. Their excellent leaders, but like any wire they'll kink once a fish thrashes around and being very fussy about things like that, I'll discard a leader as soon as it kinks. Trouble is though, at about $5 apiece it got pretty expensive, specially if it was a good day with 3 or 4 fish and I had to toss every leader away.

 

JR got me onto fluoro a few years ago, and I never looked back. I use 130 for all applications now & love it.

 

GOOD wire, fluoro, or even mono are excellent, and as you suggest, different strokes.......just as long as folks don't cheap out.

 

As for the new trend in the extra long musky rods, I haven't made that leap yet and don't really think I will, not in the immediate future anyways, at least not for my jerkbait rods. After close to 40 years of musky fishing it's kinda hard to break old habits

 

I like to work jerkbaits with the rod tip coming right to the water without touching it, and the rod pointing nearly straight down, and on the Crestliner I found a 6' 6" St. Croix was the perfect length, at least for my height of 5' 9". When I bought the new Skeeter last year, which sits higher outta the water, I moved up to a 7' Compre. The 7'er definetely imparts far better action to the baits, specially twitch baits, but that brings my tip right to the water which is exactly where I want it. Any longer and I'd either be changing my rod action.......which I don't want to do, or have the tip hitting the water.

 

For casting, all my other rods are 7' 6" which again is a personal choice and something that works well for me.

 

Besides that, the rod locker under the front deck of the Skeeter holds the 7' 6"ers perfectly and if I went up to longer rods I'd also have to buy a bigger boat again, and I'm not sure how I'd splain that to the Mrs

[TroutnMuskieHunter]

All this Muskie tallk is gettin' me STIR CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

99 more sleeps until opener out here!!!!

Edited March 12, 2010 by TroutnMuskieHunter

[rbaquial]

So... In light of all the great input... I went to BPS today to checkout their SPRING SALE....

 

Here's what I picked up... This was the stuff on SALE too...

I couldn't bring myself to spending in upwards of $20 for some of the Musky Lures! (I don't get to go musky fishing all that often)...

 

Coming this season - would any seasoned vet's care to take out a MUSKY Beginner? I'd be willing to split cost of gas....

 

[Tom McCutcheon]

PM me sometime this summer and I will get you out on Pigeon. I am no expert but I have caught a few.

 

Tom.

[Raf]

i guess you didnt read anything i or anyone else posted earlier. i don't recall anyone saying buy discounted cheap $h1t.

 

bucktail/bootail & suick should be probably be your 1st two baits. i'd honestly take those back.

Edited March 11, 2010 by Raf

[bridge]

You didn't want to pay 20 bucks for baits that where recommended to you but you bought 16 (if my count was right) baits that I think most musky guys would shy away from. For what you must have paid for those you could have gotten some good bucktials, suicks, believers. If you only go out a few times a year you only need a couple to start.

 

I'm know expert but I've caught almost all my muskies on suicks and bucktails.

[mepps]

For casting...

 

1. Firetiger 9" Suick

2. Black Perch Magic Maker

3. Orange Belly 6" Perch Phantom

4. Yellow/black Mepps Black Fury musky killer

5. Silver/orage/black 7.5" Rockstar inline

[F_ast]

i guess you didnt read anything i or anyone else posted earlier. i don't recall anyone saying buy discounted cheap $h1t.

 

bucktail/bootail & suick should be probably be your 1st two baits. i'd honestly take those back.

I hear you... #1 spring time... summer time... Any time lure is a 10" weighted suick. Either Perch or Walleye.

 

#1 - 10" weighted Suick

#2 - 9" weighted Suick

#3 - Mepps Marrabo or Muskie Killer (Yellow with gold blade or Black with nickle blade)

#4 - Black double willow bladed spinner

#5 - Jake's

 

 

...#6 - 9" Salmo skinner

[xeon]

So... In light of all the great input... I went to BPS today to checkout their SPRING SALE....

 

Here's what I picked up... This was the stuff on SALE too...

I couldn't bring myself to spending in upwards of $20 for some of the Musky Lures! (I don't get to go musky fishing all that often)...

 

Coming this season - would any seasoned vet's care to take out a MUSKY Beginner? I'd be willing to split cost of gas....

 

Man, you bought the cheapest crap at bass pro. Take them back man. Buy a few large spinners, a suick and a believer.

 

 

AND you didn't buy a gaff.

Edited March 11, 2010 by xeon

[MSBruno]

Doesn't the BPS sale start tomorrow? I saw all the product displays, but the pricing hadn't changed yet. You may have paid full price. Take them back tomorrow and get the price adjusted.

[Devious]

I hear you... #1 spring time... summer time... Any time lure is a 10" weighted suick. Either Perch or Walleye.

 

#1 - 10" weighted Suick

#2 - 9" weighted Suick

#3 - Mepps Marrabo or Muskie Killer (Yellow with gold blade or Black with nickle blade)

#4 - Black double willow bladed spinner

#5 - Jake's

 

 

...#6 - 9" Salmo skinner

 

So true.....I just got into muskie fishing last fall (got out 3 times) and aside from the proper release tools the weighted suicks would be next on my to buy list for any beginners. I got my first muskie (39") on a 10" weighted suick and had a 40+ follow me up on the same bait.....gave me a ton of confidence for the future when fishing suicks....I also want to say these guys here are bang on when suggesting 8ft+ rods....they really are a treat to fish with when going for muskies.....aside from that make sure you have a great net too......frabill quik cradle made it easy and painless when handing muskies....It can be expensive to get started up for muskie fishing but you will thank yourself (and those here) for being prepared with the proper gear once you have that big fish on and need to release it properly!!

Edited March 11, 2010 by Devious McMurphy

[Devious]

AND you didn't buy a gaff.

 

I don't quite understand what the need for the gaff is? You say muskie can be difficult to net but then you say you can gaff them precisely in the lip to avoid the gills? This is a bit contradicting no?

[MCTFisher9120]

I don't quite understand what the need for the gaff is? You say muskie can be difficult to net but then you say you can gaff them precisely in the lip to avoid the gills? This is a bit contradicting no?

 

I'm hoping he was kidding. One of those Boga lip grip things are good to use..i see musky guys with those lot's of the time

[bridge]

oh no.........you didn't just say boga did you......

[MCTFisher9120]

oh no.........you didn't just say boga did you......

 

haha, i dont know the real name of it but u know what im talking about

[Syn]

I'm hoping he was kidding. One of those Boga lip grip things are good to use..i see musky guys with those lot's of the time

 

I saw someone use a boga grip on a perch (lol city folk) . I got very comfortable using a puncture proof fishing glove on toothy friends last summer. It was easy to hold their mouth open with the glove to unhook them.

Edited March 11, 2010 by Syn

[Devious]

How dare anyone judge me because I gaff muskies. And you never gaff muskies in the head or lips, always in the side. That way they can still eat if you get them in the right spot.

 

Unbelievable.

[xeon]

Unbelievable.

 

Totally not.

[MCTFisher9120]

He's full of bull...or a terrible sportsman

[Guest gbfisher]

I don't quite understand what the need for the gaff is? You say muskie can be difficult to net but then you say you can gaff them precisely in the lip to avoid the gills? This is a bit contradicting no?

 

 

Contradictory?....No, more like absurd and comes from a total lack of experience.