By Rafal Kraskiewicz

Introduction

Due to the size, power of the fish, the strain of the lures themselves, muskie fishing is unlike any other freshwater fishing — it requires specialized tackle from the rod to the lure and everything in between. I am hoping this guide will give you an idea of what is required before heading to a vendor interested in separating you from your hard earned cash. I am hesitant naming specific brands until they start putting food on my table — however, do keep in mind, you get what you pay for. There are no shortcuts and I guarantee you, skimping now will result in lost fish, broken gear and ultimately, spending more later. Do it right the first time!

Rods & Reels

Generally speaking, your first rod will be in the 7’6″ to 8′ range, with a medium heavy or heavy action. Do not confuse it with a Bass rod – you’re done fishing for bait — this is a Muskie rod and is usually branded as such. A muskie medium-heavy rod is a different animal than a normal medium-heavy rod. Did I mention bass rods simply will not do? Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight.

On the reel front, for repeatedly casting heavy lures or trolling them, baitcasters are the name of the game. They are simply built tougher than their spinning counterparts — knife, gunfight, I think you get it. You will need a strong reel, with a good drag and loud clicker for trolling. These are typically round style baitcasters although, a few manufacturers have recently released low-profile baitcasters which can stand up to the task. The less plastic components, the better!

Line

The last few years, braided line has really caught on in fishing circles, particularly in muskie fishing. It is strong, has zero stretch making it a great choice for tossing and working large lures. A minimum line rating of 65lbs is a requirement with 80-100lb recommended. You might think this is overkill but, there’s a method to the madness:

• Catch and Release — One of the keys to successful release and survival is the ability to land and release the fish as quickly as possible. A long, drawn out battle with a muskie on light line is a recipe for killing fish.
• No Stretch of Braid — Yes, it has it’s drawbacks! Think about what happens when a no stretch line with a 4oz lure suddenly stops in mid-air on a birdsnest (happens to the best of us). How about a 30lb fish smacking a lure travelling 5mph? In either situation, there’s a great amount of force exerted on the line in that moment. The stretch of mono provides shock-absorption while braid offers zero. I have snapped 65lb braid and watched a $20 lure sail into the distance on a “professional overrun”.
• Abrasian Resistance & Diameter — 20lb braid is thin, so thin it will slice easily when coming in contact with rocks, zebra mussels, gill plates etc. 100lb braid is the equivalent of 20lb mono in terms of diameter and offers a little more protection.

Leader & Terminal Tackle

Casting leaders are typically 10-15″ long. Trolling leaders should be much longer: 36″+.

You can buy pre-made leaders at your tackle shop; they are usually made with quality components as long as you don’t buy 5 for $5. The other option is to make your own. It’s not hard, you know they will be up to par and, it will be cheaper in the long run.

Fluoro vs Wire

Fluorocarbon has recently made inroads into the freshwater fishing game. It has some interesting properties; invisible in the water, easy on the fish should they roll in the line, durable and, abrasion resistant. The key in the last point is resistant — it is not impossible to cut or bite through. I believe it is a good choice however, if you plan on using it as leader material, use a minimum of 130lb test.

Wire leaders are the old standby and work just great. Muskie are not line shy and don’t mind the fact that there’s a 12″ piece of wire ahead of your lure. If using multiple strand wire leaders, having a nylon coating over the wire makes it easier on the fist.

Certain lures (ie. jerkbaits) also work best with a solid, single-strand wire leader. These are the thick piano or bicycle spoke style leaders.

Whichever style you think will work best for you, your entire setup is only as strong as the weakest link. If making your own, do not skimp on swivels, split rings or snaps. A welded, solid ring ball-bearing swivel should be used with any lure that spins (ie. bootails). You can get away with welded, barrel type swivels for other types of lures.

Catch & Release

While a topic for another article, safely (for you & the fish) releasing the fish is an important part of muskie fishing. These fish are the top predator in their water and help maintain their ecosystem’s balance. To minimize damage to the fish and potentially yourself, ensure that you arm yourself with the proper release tools which include; a deep pen style net, long nose pliers, bolt cutters to cut hooks.

Rafal K is an avid, multi-species fisherman hailing from Ontario, Canada. He also runs a Canadian Sportfishing website with tips, techniques and articles such as this one.

If you’d like to learn more about muskie fishing or fishing in general, why not have a look at fishn.ca?

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By Sergio DiGirolamo

Alright, so we want a muskie and we want one now! Go to your local bait and tackle and pick up a 10-inch, 3/8-ounce Double Cowgirl. This lure might scare you just by its size and PRICE alone (weighing in at a hefty $25 +/-), but trust me – this is what you want. So again, don’t be frightened by its size, its not like you’re going to have to impart much technique, its basically a cast out and steady retrieve type of lure.

There are most likely other lures you could purchase, such as the Magnum Boo Tail or the Shumway Giant Flasher, but to avoid any confusion if you’re new to this, just pick up the Double Cowgirl and you’ll be satisfied if you follow these tactics and tips.

So no we have our lure, but we’re definitely going to want some rod and reel power. If you don’t own a heavy-action rod, now’s the time to invest in one if you plan on actually landing a muskie. Go with a long rod – 8- to 8 ½ feet – heavy-power, combine this with a reel with a low speed level-wind built for power.

The Abu Garcia 7000 is great for this type of fishing; a very powerful bait casting reel with a great rate of retrieve that will definitely last you quite a few years. 80-pound test Spiderwire Stealth is a great choice of line; steel leader is optional, but not recommended.

Once you’re all set on gear and tackle, it’s time to get to work. As the title implies, the best time to make use of these tactics is at night. Check your local fishing reports at www.weather.com and look for the top menu bar that says “Outdoor Activities”, scroll over it, click on “Fishing”, type in your area code and you’re good to go. This will show you the best times that you’ll want to start fishing, but even without your local fishing report, if you head out at about 8:30-9:00pm you’ll be in good shape to get started regardless. Start by targeting an area about 5 to 10 feet deep, cast beyond your target and crawl your lure back to the boat (this can be done on shore as well but might not be as effective) slowly.

You know you’re going the perfect speed when you’re reeling in your lure just fast enough to allow the blades to spin. When the blades start spinning, they create suction behind the lure which imparts a life-like action to the tail. Work the lure over submerged structures such as sand and rock bars. If you just so happen to excite a muskie and you see it follow your lure back to the boat, stay calm and do exactly as I say: when the lure is but a few feet away from the boat, plunge the tip of your rod into the water and start working it in a figure 8 motion. If the muskie didn’t strike before, he’s almost bound to after the figure 8. Work the figure 8 for as long as you can hold the muskie’s attention, and if nothing happens, then cast out and repeat.

For more information on freshwater fishing, visit http://www.Live4Fishing.webs.com . How-to videos and articles as well as product reviews and all the information you’ll ever need to start catching bigger, better fish.

Join here at http://live4fishing.webs.com/apps/auth/signup?next=

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http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Number-1-Method-For-Catching-a-Muskie—Night-Fishing-For-Muskellunge&id=2696813

By John Makoon

At Pine Falls lodge you are just steps away from a few of the greatest fishing trip in Northern Ontario. On one side of the lodge is Lake Murray where you can do Muskie fishing, Northern Pike, Pickerel and Small Mouth Bass. The Muskie is trophy size in this lake, Pike are in the series of 20lbs, and Bass are in the 1 to 5lbs range.

Spring, the time for renewal, and the time for early muskie fishing. At this time of the year muskie are still tired due to colder water, and may be a slight harder to find than in the summer. These are some instructions that should make you more victorious at the end of the day. Muskie fishing can be a funny game. An angler can use many hours beating the water to a bubbles, only to have a muskie finally appear, slowly trailing the bait then slowly disappearing out of sight. Muskie follows are a general incidence when chasing this majestic beast; however, there are a few actions that can be utilized to turn those snooping fish into solid takers. Try these tips when out on your next hunt and get ready to land your fair split of arrogant size skies.

The muskellunge, or muskie, is a resident species in Ohio and is found in both major drainage basins of the state. Traditionally, it was abundant in the bays and tributaries of Lake Trout and in many streams in the Ohio River drainage. At present, it is also found in several trendy fishing lakes around the state including Ontario. A common delusion amongst non-muskie anglers is that this species often ruins the fishing for other beleaguered fish species in a given lake, such as walleyes and saugers, crappies, etc.

Waking up early in the morning and selecting a lake to fish is not a method that will consistently put muskie in your boat. Researching, and obtaining data form year to year is the way to become successful again and again.

Each lake in Canada has a “peak muskie time” as well as a phase I like to call a “valley”. Capitalizing on peak times and avoiding the “valley fishing” is a method that will lead more muskie to your decoy. Lake hopping during their peak periods will likely help you consistently catch fish year round. Avoid the “valley”. The “valley” is a period of time on any given lake when muskie populations are sprinkled and hard to catch. Every lake has a” valley” at diverse times of the year. Knowing what time these “valleys” take place is the key to your success. Stay as far away from a lake in its “valley” as you can. Only fish lakes that are climbing to their crest at any given moment of year.

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Muskie Fishing Tips – Jigging Fall MusBy Jack Phillips

Most anglers think big when hunting lunker muskie, but if you want to catch more muskie think smaller baits and tackle. I caught my biggest muskellunge while fishing walleye with a plastic worm in September. More often than can be considered coincidental people catch a lunge while fishing other species. Most anglers look to heavy tackle, large baits and trolling as the way to catch muskies. Personally I become bored or just tired of trolling all the time.

Now one of my most successful tactics used especially in the fall is used for fishing large walleye and at the same time muskellunge. I use medium size tackle and large walleye baits especially jigs. Fishing weed lines, drop offs and shoals as you would for walleyes will also attract as many lunge as walleyes. The first time I realised this I did have some success for large walleyes and had just caught and released a nice 7 pounder that was followed to the boat by a large muskie.

The only change I made was to make sure I was using wire leads and good stong swivels. Using 6 inch plastics worked just fine and the result was a fun great day of fishing. In all the two of us caught and released 9 walleyes from 5 to 8 pounds plus 5 muskie all in the 15 to 20 pound range. Although not the lunker; that most anglers look for. But it proved to me that these preditors can be caught on lighter tackle and smaller baits.

Conventional thinking tells us that in the fall; the remaining muskellunge, are large, therefore bigger is better. However, my experience is that smaller baits are often the perfect morsel for that elusive luncker.

Equipment And Presentation

When I say smaller baits I am referring to large or oversized walleyes jigs. As mentioned this approach evolved on a body of water with a large population of large walleye. Now using the idea that big baits means big fish or walleye. I began tossing 5 to 6 inch plastic shad-bodied jigs along weed lines. I landed a number of big walleye, but to my surprise, the muskie were also going for the same bait. The big plastic jigs became an important part of my muskie fishing arsenal. All large plastics work just fine.

Colour seems less important than creating a real flash. Two-toned baits, mainly dark and light combinations, create more flash when drawn through the water. Adding some metal flake also ads that extra flash. Just experiment and you will find a combination that will work for you and get that strike you want.

I generally use ball-head or stand-up-head jigs with medium gauge wire hooks. It’s surprising how well a single hook can handle even a large fish. Often you will hook the fish in the gristly flesh in the corner of the mouth. Jigs also make landing and releasing muskie easier; there are then no large treble hooks flopping around to damage the fish or you. Deeply hooked fish can be released by clipping off the hook with pliers.

Single strand wire leaders seem to work best especially along weed beds. I use a hay-wire-twist to attach the wire to the jig head at one end and a small swivel at the other. Watch for kinks in the wire, but these leaders are more weedless than the standard models because of the snaps and swivels.

I prefer a medium action 6-foot spinning rod and a reel spooled with 12 to 14 pound test monofilament. A medium-heavy bait-casting outfit also does the trick, in both cases make sure the drag is working properly.

Even if you prefer the conventional approach, keep a lighter outfit close at hand for when muskie follow, but don’t hit, or they strike short. Using lighter tackle and a jig is also a good approach when there are two of you fishing muskie. One angler throws conventioinal baits, and the other throwing jigs. Then you are always ready to react to follows and misses.

Vary the speed of your retrieve when jigging up muskie. I have had luck in late fall, by using violent rip-jigging motion. It’s tiring, but effective. Experiment and you will find something that works for you.

When battling a muskellunge on light tackle, be careful not to fight it to exhaustion, thereby increasing the chance of delayed death if you plan on catch and release. Ideally, you should release a fish by simply grasping the single hook with a pair of needle nosed pliers, while it’s in the water at the side of the boat. Cut off the hook if the fish is hooked deeply. Muskie fisheries are a fragile resource, so do your best to release that muskie no worse for wear. Now next season that muskie will be ready to fight another day and make that day a great day for another angler.

Jack Phillips has been an avid Canadian angler for over 50 years. Fishing Canada provides solid advice for walleye, bass, pike, muskie, a variety of trout, arctic char bass and more. Idea’s on when and where to go on your next trip to Canada. Ice fishing tips. Delicious fish recipes also!

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This was all I was able to catch. The Muskie were elusive and never showed up for the fun.