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.
How deep do you troll for musky?
You shouldn’t target fish any deeper than 25-feet” Fish that are hooked on deeper running baits in the 15 – to 25- foot range should be gingerly fought and slowly reeled back to the boat.
What’s the
best musky
lure?
- Mepps Magnum Musky Killer Bucktail.
- Musky Mania Jake Crankbait.
- Whopper Plopper.
- Suick Thriller.
- Drifter Tackle Jointed Believer.
- Musky Mayhem Double Cowgirl.
- LIVETARGET Field Mouse.
What color lure is best for musky?
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.
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.
Can you catch muskie trolling?
Not only can you now troll with the same level of precision as casters, you can also cover a lot more water in the process —a key to connecting with elusive muskies. Here’s how some of the best muskie hunters out there use trolling to put more and bigger fish in their boats.
How do you target a Muskie?
The most popular technique for catching muskellunge is casting
large artificial lures
that are typically five to 10 inches long, or longer This is typically done while standing in a boat that is motoring slowly or drifting along preferred habitat. This technique allows anglers to cover a lot of water in short time.
What’s the largest 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.
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.
What do muskies bite on?
Muskies commonly eat, but are not limited to: shad, cisco, carp, suckers, and any other oily, fatty fish Depending on your body of water, your lake will mostly likely be shad or cisco based.
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.
Can northern pike see color?
When a pike looks towards the surface, all colours look the same against the sky They only see a black silhouette! The only colour thing that does pop out on the surface is reflective material.
How deep do you fish for musky?
Most muskies are caught less than 30 feet deep, often from 15 to 25 feet Sometimes they’re much shallower. Most casters lure fish in from 5 to 15 feet deep while trollers usually catch them from 8 to 30.
How do you control trolling depth?
To make a quick change in lure depth without changing your lines, speed, or RPM setting, pull an abrupt turn of your boat towards the windward side, spinning the wheel as quickly as possible. As soon as the wheel hits the pins, reverse the turn.
Where do musky go in fall?
Muskie will also move towards points, submerged islands and other shallow water in search of warmer water and prey. Locate baitfish schools. Baitfish can be found suspending over main lake structures or humps, around points or oxygen-producing vegetation—it’s basically buffet grounds for predators.
Is Tiger Muskie good eating?
It’s simply too hard to replace
adult muskie
! But in places where they’ve been introduced, you’re actually helping out by keeping them. In this case, as long as you’re aware of the mercury contamination guidelines, eating muskie is perfectly fine You’ll soon discover that muskie are a fine addition to your table!.
How do you catch a big muskie?
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 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.
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 colors do pike see best?
The ability of slower retrieve along with a softer underwater tone gives you the injured fish action northern pike prey upon. Best pike lure colors: Red/Black or White (sunny days), Chartreuse/Blue (cloudy days).
Do muskies eat baby ducks?
Muskies can consume waterfowl (adult & young) as part of their regular diet Ducklings can be a common food source for muskies. Muskies will eat a duckling when the opportunity presents itself.
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 pound line should you use for musky?
The line you use should be based on the size of the fishing rod you use. In open water with a light-to-medium action rod, many people use 10 to 12-pound test line In areas where there are thicker weeds, 12 to 15-pound test can be used.
Can you use braid for musky?
Slick coatings on braided lines allow longer, smoother casts and improve abrasion-resistance When pursuing giant toothy critters, you can have a $500 reel, but spool it with subpar line and it’s for naught.
What kind of leader is musky?
So, using a strong wire or fluorocarbon leader is absolutely essential when it comes to muskie fishing. Please never forget that! Using wire or fluorocarbon is by the way not so much about the visual aspect of these materials, but as the following sections will explain, much more about lure presentation.
What is the best time of day to fish for muskie?
The best time of day to catch muskies is around dawn and dusk during the warmer months and around mid-afternoon during the winter You can catch muskies during the day and even at night but the fishing will usually be a lot slower.
How many casts does it take to catch a muskie?
Muskellunge, also known as muskie or the fish of 10,000 casts is the largest pike in North America. They are notoriously difficult to catch, but often reach over 20 pounds and occasionally grow longer than 50 inches. Muskies are opportunistic feeders.
Is it hard to catch musky?
Because of this, they’re prized game fish throughout their range. Muskie are also famously hard to hook , hence the nickname “fish of a thousand casts.” They’re difficult to trick and impossible to predict. Even so, there are a few go-to tactics for both species.
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 lake was the world record muskie caught on?
Home of world-record muskies. The world record was taken from Lake Court Oreilles in Hayward, Wisconsin, on July 24, 1949 by Cal Johnson.
Does pike jump out of water?
Why do northern pike jump out of the water? Northern pike will jump out of the water to avoid being eaten by larger pike, to aggressively attack prey at the surface, and most commonly, in effort to throw an angler’s bait after being hooked.
Do pike like frog lures?
” Pike love frog baits , so there’s no right or wrong way to fish them.” When pike are patrolling a cabbage bed adjacent to a wall of rice, Rosner may sling a bit beefier and noisier bait such as Bucher’s 7-inch TopRaider.
Citations
https://www.in-fisherman.com/editorial/trolling-muskies/155023
https://tackleindustries.com/shop/crankbaits_trolling/grunt-musky-trolling-lures/