Popular muskie lures include large jigs, jerkbaits, surface plugs, bucktail spinners, and some diving plugs Bucktails and jerkbaits are especially favored for casting, as well as
large topwater lures
. These are particularly good over the top of submerged cover, and along the edges of shallow submerged cover.
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.
What is the
best gear ratio
for a musky reel?
Okay, so I’ve bought countless musky reels to find the “right” gear ratio. 5.0 to 5.2 is my sweet spot. It is the best all around gear ratio for doing anything you want. Put the right power handle on there and you can burn double 10’s or 12’s if that is what you want to do.
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 size rod do I need for musky?
We find that a rod length of around 8 feet is the “sweet spot” when fishing for musky. It gives you plenty of length and strength for casting the large lures, yet it’s much easier to handle than a 9-foot rod.
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 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).
What is a 8.1 gear ratio good for?
High gear ratio reels | 7.1:1 thru 8.1:1 High gear ratios are best for techniques where taking up slack and bringing a bait back to the boat are critical. Topwaters, jerkbaits, jigs, plastics and even lipless crankbaits warrant the use of a high-speed reel.
How much drag should a musky reel have?
Look for reels that have a minimum of 12 pounds of drag, 15 pounds of drag is adequate, any more than that is probably a waste of money. Any less than 12 pounds, the reel won’t last very long before it needs repair.
Can I use a spinning reel for musky?
Spinning reels should be fairly large when fishing for musky The Daiwa Black Gold series was designed for saltwater and works great for musky fishing. It has quality components with excellent drag and bail systems. The 4500 is a good match for the St Croix rod above.
Where do muskies 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.
Can you use a medium heavy rod for musky?
Typically, shorter individuals that are on low decked boats or fishing from a bank, won’t need a rod over 7′ and beginners should stick to
medium weight tackle
so a Medium Heavy rod will do fine I recommend a Musky Shop Shield Rod or St. Croix Mojo Musky.
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 should I look for in a musky reel?
But, if musky are your new favorite species then it’s worthwhile to invest in the best musky reel you can afford. If you’re throwing larger lures and casting all day, something lighter and smoother is probably the best choice. If you are trolling and not casting as much, weight and castability are less of a factor.
How do I choose the right gear ratio?
To find the ideal selection, multiply the final drive ratio by the redline speed in fourth gear (152 mph) and divide that by the top track speed (140 mph) This would yield a theoretical 3.33—which is close enough to the nearest available final drive ratio of 3.36:1.
What is 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.
How fast should 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.
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 time of day are musky most active?
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.
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.
What is the best bait for muskie fishing?
Crankbaits are classic muskie baits, and the Musky Mania Jake Crankbait has long been a leader in this realm.
Can you catch muskie from shore?
While you can use most baits from the shore or from a boat, some baits will serve you better for bank-busting muskies than others.
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.
Do pike like topwater lures?
“Sometimes it’s hard to tell if it’s a big smallmouth or a pike hitting the bait. Or they may miss the lure and their whole body flies out of the water like a missile” Topwater piking is a great program for adrenaline junkies. The natural reaction to an explosive topwater strike is an instant hook-set.
Where do big pike hang out?
The really large Northern Pike are more likely to hang around points leading into bays, narrows between islands or in river current especially later in the spring They like to hang around areas where Walleyes and Bass are migrating through to ambush them.
What time of day are pike most active?
Pike in the morning are more active than usual. Early morning right before the sun rises is an excellent time to target hungry pike. You can either find them in open or shallow water hunting down their first meal of the day.
What is a good gear ratio for bottom fishing?
Best Gear Ratio For Bass Fishing Artificial lures are the predominant baits used for bass fishing. For this reason, we recommend using a medium gear ratio around 6:1 like our bass reel to cover the large variety of bass lures.
What is a 7.1 1 gear ratio good for?
Medium speed baitcaster Next, we’ve got medium speed reels, which includes models with a gear ratio from 7.1:1 to 7.9:1. This is a really good standard gear ratio for baitcasters that can be used for a wide variety of fishing tactics – anything involving spinnerbaits, chatter baits, or shallow diving crankbaits.
What is a 7.5 1 gear ratio good for?
7.5:1 Reel – With my 7.5:1 gear-ratio reel, I like to use this reel when I’m fishing single-hook lures like a buzzbait, a spinner bait, bladed jigs and a frog.
How do you set drag for musky fishing?
Set the drag with a positive aggressive attitude Don’t worry about breaking the line. Instead, concentrate on setting the hooks. While a drag set too tight might put too much pressure on a short line musky battle, a loosely set drag will not put enough pressure on a fish hooked at the end of a long cast.
Sources
https://www.takemefishing.org/blog/november-2019/a-primer-on-muskie-fishing-for-beginners/
Best Musky Fishing Tackle, a Guide to Rods, Reels, and Lures
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