Beginning Muskie
by Jim Smith

I can't believe the outcry for help. It seems like everywhere I turn fishermen are asking what, where, when, how and why. Sometimes who. Well I'll try to give you the benefit of my experience and answer some of the mystique surrounding muskie fishing. How do you get from the beginner muskie fisherman to a true muskie hunter? Long hours, studying, equipment upgrades, establishing your personal "this works" list. Then throw this all out and start over again. Each time you should try to improve and do it better. Remember, "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten". In other words if you're successful stay with it. If you're not, it's time for a change.

Great! So where do we start. First it is important to understand that when it comes to muskie fishing we (or most all of us) are all beginners. Muskie fishing reminds me a little of the first couple of days in boot camp. There are guys from all over the country, all shapes and sizes, rich - poor, some smart, some who decided the Marine Corps would be easier than jail. But after the first day we were all the same, shaved heads and green fatigues, trying to figure out our left foot from our right. For a lot of us muskie fishing is no different. We are all clamoring for more information. So start with the available information sources. Magazines, books, videos, etc. I was like a blotter on an ink spill in my search for knowledge. From the magazines I ordered all the catalogs I could find. I also made lots of notes, hi-lited with a felt tip pen things I read that made sense "for me". Then I started amassing my equipment list.

RODS: Rods seemed to fit into three general categories, light medium, and heavy. On the light end were your basic bait casting rods, but this could include spin casting rods too. Medium covered the entry level muskie fishing gear. The heavy category covered the top end, heavy duty, for the trophy musky fishing professional. It also appeared to be the most expensive (least affordable for the beginner category). However all would land a muskie in the right hands.

Other than the bait casting rods the others are "trigger rods". I personally prefer the trigger rods as I can throw a lure farther with the extra leverage of the extended handle. Understand that the rods described here are in no way, all that are available. St. Croix for example, probably makes 9 or 10 rod designs especially for the muskie fisherman. There are a variety of rod manufacturers who make fine muskie rods. Bottom line is what ever rod you start with, you will soon either be adding a second rod or up grading to another rod that you feel more confidence with. But, back to the example above..in the medium action rods the choice between the Eagle Claw or the Bass Pro is primarily in the handle, whether you prefer cork or foam handles. Both rods are rather soft (limber) even though they are labeled "heavy" action. If you desire a stiffer action rod try the St. Croix. I find I can cast the same lure a little further with the St. Croix, however there is 6" more length which will make a difference too. The best thing for you to do in order to make your final decision, is find a fishing buddy and try their rod to get the feel. Otherwise you'll be like me with one of each. There is a good side to that, because if you decide to really become involved in becoming a true musky hunter you are going to find you'll use more than one rod.

REELS: Reel selection, for me, was a lot easier. Most of us use one of two brands and actually only one. The ABU Garcia is far and above the most popular. However the Quantum Pro is new and has a good following. Be sure to look at that one. Remember I said in the beginning that you will probably continue to up grade your equipment. I have a Pflueger on one of my rods and when I bought it they were the rage. Today the Garcia Ambassador Series is very popular, especially the 5500 and 6500 models. I would definitely suggest the "C" model as they are made with stainless steel ball bearings. With the punishment; number of casts with big heavy lures that you will be subjecting your reel to, I feel that the choice is obvious. I have heard pros and cons about the syncro feature of these reels. I don't have the syncro feature so I can't say what I am missing. The syncro feature kicks in to increase or decrease the drag while engrossed in battle with esox masquiningy. Again, try one and decide if the extra cost is warranted, for you. The 5500C and 6500C will run about $60.00 The 6500 Syncro about $10.00 more and the Quantum Pro I about $85.00.

LINE: For my money I like monofilament. Although for those of you who are going the heavy duty route I suggest the braided dacron. But I am talking the 30 pound test line and over. The most popular is 36# test braided dacron. In monofilament I would suggest from 12# to 20# test. Remember I am here in Colorado where our largest muskies are right about 30# now, but growing. If you are going to use your basic bait casting equipment with bass size casting lures stay in the 8#-12# range. If you are going to be using the medium class rods and throwing the 5/8 to 2 oz. lures then I would recommend 12# to 20# mono. They make this in a variety of colors for visibility purposes and strength and stretch characteristics. Again try them out, talk to other fishermen in your area and ask at the sporting goods store to see what is selling (most popular) then make your choice. To be truthful, I have tried three different brands and I am not completely satisfied yet. However I recently heard of a particular brand that was highly recommended, so it's back to the drawing board. I'll be trying that one next.

LEADERS: Don't come this far and then blow it. By this I mean use a steel leader on muskies. Sure you'll catch a muskie and even land them without being cut off. But if you ever tied into a record "lunge" and she cuts you off from her sharp teeth you'll never forgive yourself. Leaders are like good insurance so go-for-it. I recommend a 12" nylon coated steel leader of 20#. I am using that on my bucktail rod and a single strand 90# stiff wire, steel leader on my jerk bait rod. Your choice of leaders will determine a lot of the action you'll be getting from your lures.

BAITS: Okay here we are at the hard part. Most of what I have said so far will be in line with the opinions of most of the experienced muskie fishermen. But when it comes to baits, colors, etc. there is no agreement. I am not sure any two fish would agree either. The most important thing to remember about any bait is this: If you asked a hundred reputable muskie guides, experts, musky hunters, whatever, what was their favorite lure(s). All of your answers would be different. Some like particular brands, others stick with styles like bucktails, jerkbaits, etc. Some are inclined to favor certain sizes or colors. All of these issues are important. If you choose the right lure, color, size, and present it to a muskie in the right mood, at an acceptable speed, time and place, she'll be in the net! In summary, the reason that the "experts" favor a particular lure is that they have mastered a presentation method that works more consistently for them. So for you this is going to mean you will have to do the same thing. In the locations where you are fishing, master a presentation that works for you. The lure may not mean as much as all the other factors which influence a strike.

Lure could be broken down into as many as 22 different types or styles, not including live bait. So how does a novice choose? Remember in the beginning I said you need to study and research? Well I researched all of the trophy record catches. I reviewed the Muskies, Inc. Members Only Catch and Release Contest. They make it easy for you by listing the top 100+ lures, and frequency of fish caught. (Easily worth the small price of the membership) Let's face it I can't afford 100+ muskie lures, but I did get some good ideas. Then I had to revise my thoughts since those records came out of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Canada, etc. I am here in Colorado - "Muskie Capitol of the West". So I looked at the frequency of lure used to catch muskies from Quincy Reservoir. Quincy Reservoir has produced 10 of the 14 Colorado State record muskies. Guess what? They were almost all caught on bass and trout lures. Zara Spook headed the list, Kastmaster, Crocodile and Rapala. So it was back to the drawing board again. I divided the lures into types, the 22 types I mentioned. I chose a small selection of lures from the major categories. Here is where I made one of my many mistakes. Since all the muskies had been caught on bass and trout lures I kept my selection to smaller lures 6 1/2" - 7 1/2" in length. I stayed away from the 9"-12" bigger muskie lures. The reason I feel that this was a mistake is because with only one exception, all of the muskies I have caught on these smaller lures have been sub-legals (under 30"). A muskie will consume prey up to half it's own size. So if a legal muskie must be 30" then it should follow that a minimum legal muskie will consume up to a 15" fish. I still don't have any lures that big. But I am not using any under 8" either. You'll probably see the phrase "The bigger the bait, the bigger the fish". So don't be intimidated by the larger lures.

Of this grouping of lures I have been mentioning there are some of these lure types that account for more catches than others. For instance, bucktails account for almost half of the muskies caught. So I would suggest that you have a good selection of bucktails in your tackle box. But, back to my research at Quincy. The highest percentage of muskies had been caught on surface lures. So I obviously adjusted my selection accordingly.

Colors were interesting too. My survey at Quincy showed colors vary different than other parts of the muskie fishing territory. So I stayed with colors my research confirmed. My choices were fire tiger, perch, chartreuse, black/orange. Chartreuse does happen to be a very popular muskie color. So be sure to include it in your selection wherever you are.

I presume you want some suggestions for your basic lure selection. So start with the bucktails. There are three manufacturers I like, Bucher, Spinda and Smitty. There are plenty of companies that make bucktails and good ones. Look for bucktails with long hair and lots of it. A big bucktail should have a weighted keel so it will not twist your line on the retrieve. Using a barrel type swivel on your leader helps too.

The next most popular lure type is the diving baits. A sub heading under diving baits is a category of "minnow lures". These are rapidly becoming very popular. Here I like the Gries ESOX MINNOW, Bucher Depth Raider, and the Smitty jointed lures.

In the third most popular category, jerkbaits, I like the Suicks, Stidhams, and Cassen's. If you stop into your local sporting goods dealer or musky shop, I expect you'll see many of the lures I have mentioned as well as lots of others. If you get you name on the mailing list of the muskie fishing catalog sales companies, you'll find a ton of lures to choose from. Remember what I said previously. The key to successful muskie fishing is many factors, primarily your presentation.

Lures are just one of the many influences. Part of the lure mystique is that the lure must cast well and look great in the water (for you). Don't kid yourself this is important to you as a fisherman. You have to believe in what you are doing. Confidence will make all the difference in your success. If you don't have confidence in your equipment or if you aren't sure that your line isn't frayed or your hooks aren't sharp enough. I doubt that you'll ever be successful. If you start feeling bad about yourself and everything else, pretty soon you'll give up and quit muskie fishing. So do it right and get that PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) or translated PURE MUSKIE ANTICIPATION.

Finally let's switch subjects for a bit. So far this article has been directed toward catching a muskie. There is another part to this equation. RELEASE. That's right "Catch & Release". I recall a bumper sticker that says it all "Tomorrow's trophies are released today". It is very important for the beginning muskie affectionato to subscribe to this philosophy. If you catch a real wall hanger, by all means keep it. But, if you catch one and you think you could do better, put it back carefully. You'll be doing a great service. One everyone will benefit from.

So now you know all the secrets and you know all there is to know to graduate from beginner to a muskie hunter. Well maybe we should temper that a bit. Now you know most of what I know. If you want to make it to muskie hunter you have probably begun to realize there is more to it than just casting some old plug into the water. So go down to your local sport shop and ask about a fishing club or better yet a muskie club. Sign up-get involved and help someone else learn. If you can't find a local muskie group contact Muskies, Inc. in Fargo, North Dakota. Muskies, Inc. is the largest muskie organization in the world. They will assist you in forming your own local Muskies, Inc. Chapter. Now the real fun begins, it's great, you'll love it.......I did and I love it. Keep your lines wet!

All photos by Jim Smith, author.