What is the best bait to catch musky?
Bucktails – Bucktails are arguably the most popular bait used by musky anglers. Bucktails produce vibrations in the water that are easily felt by a musky’s lateral line. Bucktails can be retrieved at any speed, depending on the conditions. The most popular bucktails are double 9 blades and double 10 blades.
Why is it so hard to catch a muskie?
Muskies are known as the “fish of 10,000 casts” for a reason. An elusive predator with razor-sharp teeth and a picky pallet, specific gear is needed to fish for the muskellunge , they reach up to five
feet long
, and can put up a strong fight against the most seasoned of anglers, including Animal Planet’s Jeremy Wade.
What depth are muskies in the fall?
Main lake rock piles that top out between 3 and 6 feet of water, and shoreline rock that immediately adjoins deep water, are prime fall locations. Muskies use rocks all the time to ambush prey, and not all rocks are created equal.
What is the number one musky lure?
The Suick Thriller is widely regarded as the first muskie lure and has helped anglers catch the big one for almost a century. Because it has been around for so long, the Suick Thriller is a great no-frills lure.
How old is a 50 inch muskie?
Growth and ultimate size can vary among bodies of water, depending on factors such as
lake productivity
, forage and genetics. Depending on the body of water, muskellunge in Minnesota could take 13 to 21 years to reach 50 inches.
What colors do muskie like?
The most popular choices were natural, stealthy colors that match the hatch of the muskies’ forage in most waters. Black, white (or silver), and gold are all colors of fish that are on the musky’s menu, including: suckers. walleye.
What’s the biggest muskie ever caught?
For muskies, the world records for length and weight are held by two different fish. The maximum documented length is 72.04 inches (183 cm) , and the heaviest documented weight is 70.10 pounds (31.8 kg), according to FishBase. Holm notes that world-record fish are not always caught by sportsmen.
What water temp is best for musky fishing?
Biologists classify muskies as “cool-water” fish. They are most comfortable at water temperatures between 63 and 67 degrees In that temperature range, and in even colder water, there’s enough oxygen in the water that a muskie can exert itself without lasting effects.
Do musky hit topwater lures?
” Muskies don’t miss topwater lures by mistake ,” he says. “It’s never an accident. So, if you’re seeing fish, or having them boil on your bait, it’s because you’re doing something they don’t want you to do. Usually it’s the speed of your retrieve.
Where is the best muskie fishing?
The three best big-water producers of giant muskies are
green bay
, Lake St. Clair, and the Ottawa River/St. Lawrence River systems Anglers have a legitimate shot at a 50- to 56-inch muskie nearly any day of the season there and it’s possible a record fish swims in at least two of these fisheries.
How do you fish muskie from shore?
“ Get away from shore, and if the muskie is moving away from you, set the hook hard. If the muskie is not swimming, lift with the rod tip to pressure it At some point it will want to swim away, and that’s when to set the hook.” The exact bait placement required for shore-fishing has its advantages.
Where do muskies go in late fall?
Often, you will find muskies either along the
deep weed edge
or on the hard-bottom lip outside of the weeds On some waters you will have another edge or drop-off slightly deeper than the weeds that break into the basin.
What is the best time of day to catch muskie?
Like many predatory fish, muskie are most active at dawn and dusk , and these times typically provide the most action, especially on warm, sunny days. Cool, overcast days are usually best for muskie fishing.
Where do musky hang out?
Muskies spawn at around 55 degrees so ideal spawning sites are located in shallow, flat,
marshy areas
usually lees than 3 feet in depth Protection from wind and colder main lake water temperatures make isolated bays, islands and small creek inlets all good spawning sites.
Are muskie good eating?
People who love eating muskies will tell you that muskie tastes quite similar to bass. Others believe it tastes more like pike. Either way, muskie is more of a bland fish with not as much flavor as other fish species, like salmon or tuna Much of the taste of the fish depends on how you cook it.
What speed do you troll for muskie?
The optimal trolling speed for muskies is around 3 to 4 mph usually. Now there will always be examples and times where they want it real slow, and really fast; but this is the norm. Considering this trip it was in the 55-65 degree range, we trolled around the 3 mph range and that worked out well.
Do muskie bite in winter?
This time period is winter and over the last few seasons I have found it to be the most predictable, consistent “bite” of the entire year in the southern musky range The “winter” period of southern reservoir fishing can be defined as December through mid-February.
How do you target a musky?
Try heavy action rods from seven to nine feet long Pair a muskie rod with a large bait-casting reel, preferably in a fast gear ratio, to allow “catching up” to fast-moving fish. Heavy action rods have the backbone to not only fight such a large fish, but also to cast the jumbo-sized lures used to target muskies.
What month is best for muskie fishing?
Some of the highest catch rates for muskies are during the summer months when the water is warm and the fish are most active. Fall fishing can also be very productive at times, and many of the largest muskies are caught during the fall.
What is the most prized fish to catch?
- #1 Blue Marlin. The most sought-after prized game fish is the Blue Marlin
- #2 Swordfish. Swordfish get their name from their mighty sword-like bill
- #3 Tarpon
- #4 Black Marlin
- #5 Striped Marlin
- #6 Mako Shark
- #7 Sailfish
- #8 Bluefin Tuna.
What is the hardest fish to reel in?
- Sailfish. Sailfish are a gorgeous fish which are typically found in tropical and subtropical waters that are deeper than 9 metres
- Giant Trevally. The Giant Trevally, or GT as it is also called, is one tough fish
- Swordfish
- Yellowfin Tuna
- Atlantic Salmon
- Dorado
- Wahoo
- Barracuda.
How do you catch musky in October?
One of the best times to fish for muskie is in the fall season. The cooler water temperatures and shorter daylight cycle stimulates feeding activity within the muskie population, moving them out of their summer stomping grounds towards shallower water in search of prey —and greatly improving your chances of seizing one.
Where do muskie go in the summer?
In many cases, muskies will be close to the same areas you were catching them in the spring and early summer, just in deeper water This could be the ledges along a point, rocky areas, drop offs near the weed line or deep weed lines. Another place to fish is in open water, where muskies may be suspended.
What is the lifespan of a musky?
Adult muskies have no aquatic predators, but may fall victim to disease, large birds of prey, or people. Muskellunge can live to about 18 years old , but fish up to 30 years of age have been documented.
What’s the biggest fish in Minnesota?
1) Lake Sturgeon Lake sturgeons are the largest freshwater fish in North America, and there are plenty in Minnesota.
Do Muskie like bright colors?
“As for the myth that ‘any colour is good, as long as it’s black”, Anderson chimes in, “I don’t buy it. Black can be an excellent choice, but so can pink, blue, green, brown, chartreuse and white In fact, if you look at the prey fish that muskies eat, every one of them has a white body tone.
Can you catch muskie at night?
The musky is a predatory fish that hunts and feeds both during day- and nighttime. What is this? It is, therefore, possible to catch them in the dark and, especially during the warmer months of the year, nighttime fishing can actually yield better results than fishing during the day.
What Lake has the most muskie?
The world record muskie is currently living in Minnesota’s Mille Lacs Lake —or so biologists think. In a recent press release, the Minnesota DNR announced that earlier this year they landed the largest muskie they’ve ever seen.
What Lake has the biggest muskie?
The official world record recognized by most organizations is Louis Spray’s 69-pound, 11-ounce muskie that was caught in 1949 on the Chippewa Flowage in northwestern Wisconsin. (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press.
What type of water do muskie like?
Water Temperatures 50-60 Degrees (Rising) Musky spawn between 50 and 60-degree water temperatures They spawn in or near large, shallow, south facing bays. If you have a creek or river flowing into the system they will spawn there as well.
Where do muskies go in the spring?
Expect spring muskies to be roaming the basin at modest depths, maybe 10 to 15 feet down in clear lakes–shallower in darker water ones–near schools of baitfish The best ways to target them is to troll modest-sized crankbaits at their level, in and around baitfish you spot on your electronics.
Where do musky spawn in rivers?
Muskie spawning occurs as water temperatures hit the mid- to upper-50-degree range. They are broadcast spawners, laying their eggs in shallow, soft-bottomed areas, generally bays (especially those with inlet flow), some shoreline areas and upstream (off-current shallows) in rivers.