Musky question

[SBW]

I have a chance this weekend to go chase the elusive tiger musky for the first time ever. My knowledge of chasing anything besides trout and using a fly rod is very limited. I even need to go purchase a new setup as my 5' ultralight rod and reel probably won't cut it. I am going with someone who fishes for them quite often, but I want to be a little prepared on my end.

If you had to select one lure, spinner, etc, to try to catch one of these things, what would anyone suggest??

I am not sure if we will be in a boat or not?

Thanks for the help.

SBW
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[throwsomeback]

What Reservoir are you fishing. If you are fishing Newton I can give you some pretty good tips.[]
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[crestliner]

Lets here your tips for Newton. I am headed there tomorrow afternoon.

[muskyhunter]

Jointed Rapala in brown trout about 7" long or firetiger would be my second choice!!
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[ateve1]

I agree with muskyhunter. very nice choice

[Pointerpride102]

J-13's are popular out here, but I'd step it up to a Rapala Super Shad Rap. The SSR has a better profile in the water and gives off a different vibration, and can be worked more erratically. Aside from that, though it is too late now, I'd look at actually real musky gear, not the Utah version. Look into glide baits such as mantas or baby wabuls, specifically the WA model. Tigers really seem to be fond of glide baits. But the SSR is a sure fire, near guarantee. I've had a several 10+ fish days on the SSR, well not the same one. After a handfull of fish this bait will get destroyed and not run true, best to invest in a few. Also, please use strong enough pound test and a quality steel leader.
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[Old_Coot]

So, just what the heck is a "glide bait"?

Well, with Google as my constant companion, I found this little informative video:

[url "http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4478961287297853291"]http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4478961287297853291[/url]
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[TheScout]

Well it is actually very possible to bring in the fish of a thousand casts with just your ultralight. In fact I think it's funner that way if you like a challenge. But, I have found that my old stand by lure seems to be the J-13 in a perch color. However, there have been many times I haven't even pulled it out of my box. I think it also depends on how you are fishing for them, meaning casting or trolling. Many bass guys don't like these toothy critters because they will often bite a curly tail jig. There have been many a musky caught on jigs, the problem with that is you end up losing them most often due to your mono grazing a tooth and cutting the line. If you are fishing strictly for musky I would highly recommend steel leader or a braided line. Any stick bait or even bass plug will work but some are for sure better than others. We have caught them on everything from 1/16 oz tube jigs to 3in rapalas to 8in stick baits. Most of my musky baits are also floaters. Just my .002$ good luck, and don't get discouraged if you don't catch any![reply][/reply]
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[gstott]

I've caught a number on jigs, but I think of it more as a bonus. I never understood those people that only want to catch one particular species. I like variety and not knowing for sure what's going to show up at the end of my line. You do lost some, but throwing a 4" curl tail grub up into the flooded willows and twitching/swimming it in can be pretty effective right now.
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[BigCountryUT]

Just wondring, when trollling what speed seems to be the best. Any one have any thoughts?
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[Pointerpride102]

I run a tiller boat so when trolling I run it at slow as the tiller will let me, at least this time of year when the water is warming. During the heat of summer I may kick it up a notch, but nothing too fast. I use the boat direction to regulate speed more often than I use the motor. Adding in some turns will change the speed of the bait, depending upon the direction of the turn. Turns often times can trigger a strike.

To the person who said use a steel leader or braided line. Do not use a braided line as your leader. Just go with the steel leader or a fluoro leader of 100 or higher lb test. Muskies will easily slide through a braided line with a tooth, gill plate or similar. Don't believe me? Take your knife and slide it along a braid just a few times. Yes, you can cut fluoro leaders with a knife but you'll struggle a bit more with 130 lb fluoro than you will with 50 lb braid. Using a braid as a leader is not a suitable leader. Many likely use this and have not experienced break offs. The reason for this is the vast majority of the tigers are simply not big enough to be giving regular bite offs. I've seen too many fish with baits in their mouths from bite offs. If you are stricltly targeting tigers, just go wire or fluoro leader, for the fish's sake.

To Old Coot, the glide bait video you found is good enough to tell you what glide are. The glider pictured in that video is called a manta. It is made by river run tackle, though the original maker sold the company so the bait is being produced by a new maker. I've got about 15 manta's and they are pretty deadly on tigers out here. However I do think the Musky Mojo Wabul works better, but it is a bit more difficult to learn how to work. The jerk baits, such as a suick, work out here as well, but I don't throw them much, mainly because I'd rather toss a glide.

In further regard to baits I'd use to target tigers...if you are trolling there is a laundry list of cranks that work well: Krushers, depth raiders, shallow raiders, jakes (baby), grandmas, Slammers, Cranes, there are probably a handful more that I can't remember.
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[portofthesea]

I wasn't talking using braided line as a leader, I was saying use braided line such as power pro or something similar on the entire spool of your reel. Yes it isn't completely musky teeth proof but it is certainly better than an 8 or 10 lb test mono. Although most of my muskies have been on 8 or 6 lb mono tied straight to the lure.[]
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[RyanCreek]

I was mainly a trout fishermen for many years and am still trying to improve my game for other species, so I think I understand. I have yet to use what I consider the more "exotic" rigs that lots of warmwater fishermen and musky fishermen use (like bulldawgs), but I have had some success.

Short answer as far as lure choice, a floating rapala j-11 or j-13
[url "http://www.rapala.com/products/luresdetail.cfm?modelName=jointed&freshorsalt=Fresh"][/url]

...A rapala x-rap
[url "http://www.rapala.com/products/luresdetail.cfm?modelName=x-rap_shad&freshorsalt=Fresh"][/url]

...varying bucktail spinners in at least size 5 up to the Musky Killer sizes. I have caught two with the middle size 5 spinner here.
[url "http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.guideschoiceproshop.com/acatalog/meppsblackfury25.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.guideschoiceproshop.com/acatalog/Online_Catalog_Mepps_Bucktails_2.html&usg=__fosAvblMGW6sV5u3BqP9kd3uB6Y=&h=215&w=250&sz=14&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=Q0mZNtggpryl4M:&tbnh=95&tbnw=111&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmepps%2Bbucktail%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4IRFA_enUS241US241%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1"][/url]
[url "http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.mepps.com/products/info/images/big_img_giantkillerbucktail_245.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.mepps.com/products/info/index.php%3Fpffk%3Dinfo_giantkillerbucktail_245&usg=__ZrhvinPeLwXUznqzBUoNmj50mDo=&h=493&w=800&sz=63&hl=en&start=5&um=1&tbnid=KEHzLNIuvLG08M:&tbnh=88&tbnw=143&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmepps%2Bbucktail%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4IRFA_enUS241US241%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1"][/url]

or even a Storm kickin Minnow
[url "http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.baxterangling.co.uk/img_prod/62_t.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.baxterangling.co.uk/productlist.php%3F%26grpid%3D1%26catid%3D5%26sortby%3DmfrDesc%26rows%3D0&usg=__w3jDi2sOKF7LTXhpYoQ3Ot1Qowo=&h=90&w=120&sz=9&hl=en&start=7&um=1&tbnid=MaZrs-0zU9Hl9M:&tbnh=66&tbnw=88&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dkickin%2Bminnow%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4IRFA_enUS241US241%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1"][/url]

Use perch patterns, firetiger, red, hot orange, black, and highly contrasting colors.

I caught my 21 pound Tiger Musky at Pineview on 12 lb. test line tied directly to a small greenish rattlin rapala with no leader, but I would not recommend that! I caught it out of frustration hoping to maybe get a smallie. It is your responsibility to make sure there are no breakoffs. A musky swimming away with a lure stuck in it's mouth is not a good thing.

I've said it before many times and I'll say it again, but Ray Johnson (the current catch and release record holder with a fish bigger than the current catch and kill record at 53") would catch all of his on 20 lb. flourocarbon doubled as a leader on 8 lb. test using small 2 to 3 inch crankbaits believe it or not. I now use very thin wire leaders (12 to 20 lb. test, the Microleaders or the Invisaleaders are good). If I don't have those, I often replace the big clunky swivels on the leaders with smaller, lower profile ones. I use 12 to 20 lb. test on a medium to medium heavy spinning set up depending on the size of the lure I'm chucking.

So far I have had 3 trips to Pineview this year and only had one large musky follow my lure clear up to the rod tip with no strike. It is difficult fishing that takes alot of patience and determination, but it can be done. I was out on the water for one trip, and there are still alot of fish at 40 to 70 feet depth, and many of the muskies are still hanging with these schools for easy meals. However, the crappie are coming shallow to spawn, followed by the tigers. Hopefully the water is getting warmer so the tigers will be more likely to cooperate.

You can catch them from shore or from a boat, but if you fish from shore be sure to comb the shore line and bring waders if possible to get that extra distance around and through the flooded brush. Concentrate on sandy areas close to deep water, and on areas with alot of flooded brush. The DWR biologists recently reported seeing them in flooded willows. Work these areas with a mepps bucktail spinner or crankbait (jointed or rattling rapalas) at varying rates of retrieve to make it seem injured or look like fleeing prey. The tiger muskies mainly eat perch and crappie, so I try to keep that in mind with my lure choices.

I have also had success with the Berkely Storm hybrid baits, like the Kickin' Minnow (in Perch), the 6" is a good size. These are hard to find at stores and are best bought online, but you can't beat the realism and they are well priced.
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[SBW]

Thanks to everyone for all of the help and suggestions. I really appreciate it.

Hopefully, I will have something worthwhile to report back.
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[Pointerpride102]

[quote RyanCreek]
I've said it before many times and I'll say it again, but Ray Johnson (the current catch and release record holder with a fish bigger than the current catch and kill record at 53") would catch all of his on 20 lb. flourocarbon doubled as a leader on 8 lb. test using small 2 to 3 inch crankbaits believe it or not. I now use very thin wire leaders (12 to 20 lb. test, the Microleaders or the Invisaleaders are good). If I don't have those, I often replace the big clunky swivels on the leaders with smaller, lower profile ones. I use 12 to 20 lb. test on a medium to medium heavy spinning set up depending on the size of the lure I'm chucking.

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You've got some good stuff in there, and for a trout fisherman to get this far into the game, I'll give ya credit

My main, interjection, I guess, would be as to why you'd downsize the swivels or use a 12 to 20 pound leader? To me this is still risking having a clasp open up or having the leader snap, yes wire can snap. I'll be blunt, the fish don't care how big your leader is or how big your line is or anything along that line. If you think your downsizing or using of smaller diameter leader or hardware is "fooling" them, you are incorrect. Take a look at the hooks on a bait, if fish could reason don't you think they'd deduct that those pointy shinny things on the bottom of the piece of plastic would likely cause harm?

I guess my main point is, why chance having a big fish break you off due to faulty hardware, or something along that line. I use 174 pound straight wire leaders most of the time. Some have stringease stay-lok snaps and others have split rings. I'm in the process of switching all over to split rings mainly because I've had a snap open up once, and dont need that happening again. Losing a 30 dollar bait is a tough one to swallow. If you are serious about musky fishing, gear up the right way and don't let your gear be the reason you lose that potential record.

If anyone is interested in some good online musky shops, feel free to PM me and I'll give you the links.
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