Musky on "non musky" baits

[singingdog]

My wrist is killing me from burning big bucktail spinners for a couple of days. When I look back at all the musky I have caught over the past few years, both targetting them and not targetting them, I am sure that I have caught more musky on "regular" lures than on specialised musky lures. Today, I spent a couple of hours tossing big spinners and plastic swimbaits. When I finally switched to a 1/2 oz flipping jig with a big grub trailer, I hooked up almost immediatly. I have caught a bunch of other musky on bass spinnerbaits and walleye cranks. Anybody else have the same experience? Should I just forget those huge, wrist straining musky lures and keep tossing bass lures?

[BillM]

I think the muskie told you what they wanted, it definitely wasn't a bucktail traveling at 50mph

[cpguy29]

Yep, very similar experience. Lots of musky caught on mini-spinner baits and regular bass spinner baits. Even on 1\4oz jigs.

[Nipfisher]

Was ice fishing in a walleye tourney last winter when a buddy caught a muskie over 20 lbs on a yellow jig and a minnow. Jig wasn't even moving. He had put down his rod and went to his other line.

[OhioFisherman]

The vast majority of them that I have hooked have come after I put down the heavy tackle and started bass fishing. Tough bite at a tournament at Lake Chautaqua in New York one year, I went small, 1/8 ounce spinnerbaits, no jigs over 3/8 of an ounce, LOL still no bass, but two 20+ pound muskies hooked. My uncle who was a muskie fisherman showed up for the weigh in, I had no idea he was there muslie fishing, with the proper tackle for them, he hadn`t had a hit in two days.

 

Happens all the time with the guys I fished with, not many landed though, a bit different setting the hook on a muskie when you pitch a lure under a dock that a 3 or 4 pound bass. Like most of the guys I fish withed in tournaments we didn`t use steel leaders, little baits got a habit of being lost to teeth. LOL and in a tournament I didn`t care! Takes too much time trying to land one on light tackle.

[Banger68]

I caught all my Musky on spinner baits. The largest being 54" if I remember right.

[Syn]

yep been there while fishing for bass. Blue/black 1/2 oz spinnerbait letting it fall deep over 30ft weedbed and reel and pausing it, letting it fall 3-5 feet before reeling again. Trouble is the spinnerbait was made for bass and uses .035 R bend wire. Shes gonna break.

[uglyfish]

lol 3 1/2" tube gets my muskies, always when im fishing a bass tourney its a given i hook up with a muskie.

[bigugli]

Jr. has this thing for getting them with a worm under a float.

[Harrison]

I agree 100% with the flipping jig fish'n bass, smacked alot of Musky with them, especially off deep weeds. Unfortunately only 5% might make it boat side before they slice the 80lb braid like butter and usually on the hookset.

[Court R]

This guy was caught on a 1/2 oz tube jig.

Edited June 8, 2010 by Court R

[EC1]

I have 2 lost muskies under my belt, one on a small piece of worm while fishing for sunfish, and the other time it hit an xrap while trying to catch some walleye. Both ended up being able to shake off the bait, and I am glad they did because I don't think I would have handled them as well as I should have.

 

Heck, but how will anyone know you are fishing for muskies if you are throwing small baits? You'll get people screaming at you for targetting OOS bass now, and you instantly become a fisherman that is fishing for anything that bites!

[Guest Johnny Bass]

Yup. I went to Buckhorn(report coming) and the guy was telling me before opener they were slaying the musky on pickerel lures. Now that its open it slowed down. Seen a guy using a bass size spinner bait and he said he nailed 4 musky. I've caught my biggest pike on a 1/4 ounce tube jig and I've hooked one musky and many pike on a jig and pig.

[lookinforwalleye]

I use to have a trailer on Scugog and I loved fishing for Walleye, I forgot how many of those nuisance musky I caught on small 1/8 and 1/4 oz. jigs and many many times when I got the eye`s on a jig the musky were trying to grab it off the jig before I got it to the boat.

Pain in the those Musky!!

[ld17]

I've had the same experience as others. I've caught muskie on bass tackle with bass rods and reels. With that said I also have some bigger muskie plugs and swim jigs. Something has to be said for bigger baits = bigger fish. I guess if you really want to get a big one the bigger baits might help.

[Guest Johnny Bass]

I've had the same experience as others. I've caught muskie on bass tackle with bass rods and reels. With that said I also have some bigger muskie plugs and swim jigs. Something has to be said for bigger baits = bigger fish. I guess if you really want to get a big one the bigger baits might help.

 

I'm not so sure about that. The biggest musky I caught was on a 3 inch rapala and the world's record was caught on a mini crank bait going after pickerel.Even a musky likes a small snack here and there.

[bow slayer]

I run into a couple every year that grab my walleye or bass that have a leech in their mouth.

[Keenan]

Last year while fishing for bass I was throwing senkos and caught a 30" musky.

[alexcba]

lol i've never intentionally gone musky fishing, normally when im out on a lake im after walleye or some other species, yet more than half the time i hook up with one of those big boys.. buck tail jigs on rice lake are deadly for them.

[spinnerbaitking]

Most of mine have come on Bass 1/2oz Spinnerbaits, but Super Spots, Long A Bombers & Swim Whiz have done well too, keep switchin it up it's not so hard on you

Richard

[jediangler]

A buddy of mine caught this 38" musky in Buckhorn on a tubejig while bass fishing.

I caught this little 24" guy on a 1/16oz jig & grub while crappie fishing in Pigeon in a kayak..

[fishingisliving]

i catch em using... MUSKY LURES!

[buckster]

I spend a lot of time on the water chasing muskie and eyes. Its actually funny how many musky you catch while walleye fishing and how many walleye you catch muskie fishing. My biggest eye was caught on a 10" musky lure and a few of the biggest musky were caught on 1/4 oz jig head and while grub. But catching a musky on musky tackle well not many things come close!

[lookinforwalleye]

Last year while fishing for bass I was throwing senkos and caught a 30" musky.

 

A couple of years ago I was pitching senko`s for greenies on Scugog and caught the same darn Musky twice in 10 minutes!!!

[Sinker]

I was musky fishing today. I was throwing a big ass spinner bait. There was a guy in another boat close by, rip jigging for eyes. I hooked a 15" walleye on my big ole spinner, then look over at the other guy, who was fighting a big 'ole musky on his bucktail. Funny how it works sometimes.

 

I don't know how many times I've given up on musky, threw out the old white grub to try and catch a couple walleye, and nail a musky. Happens quite a bit.

 

You never know with musky, they will fool you everytime!!

 

S.