First and foremost is to take great care of your equipment. Muskie fishing gear can be specialized and is normally not cheap, so take care of what you have. The benefits of this are two-fold. The first reason is that the gear will last longer and secondly, you will increase your chances of landing a fish if all of your gear is in proper working order. Make sure hooks are sharp, reels are functioning smoothly and that your line is fresh. The power of these fish is amazing. I have seen a Muskie pull a boat loaded with three grown men and all of their gear for several feet.
Organize your equipment. Know where everything is and make it accessible. This will enable you to quickly change out lures or get your net or any other piece of equipment for that matter. Like I said above, Muskie fishing requires some specialized gear so keep it organized and the chances of you losing something are greatly diminished.
Work all areas effectively and with precision. Pretent like the intended casting area in front of you is a box, broken up into numerous grids. Work your lure through all sections of these quadrants with great care and you will most likely present several opportunities to a fish if you maintain discipline in your casting.
A very important piece of advice is to get yourself a fishing partner. This is not only great for safety on the water, but allows you to work more water than you could going it alone. Another benefit of this is that you can present two different types of lures, cutting down on the process of figuring out what to chuck out to the fish.
Becoming a master of setting the hook to a Muskie takes a lot of time. These fish have tooth-filled, bony mouths and are different than most any freshwater fish you have ever hauled in. You have to bring the wood to the fish, otherwise it will shake its head a few times and give that jerkbait right back to you. You should constantly be in a position to set the hook properly. A technique that I typically use is to set the hook twice. Even so, you are bound to lose a fish every once in awhile. That is all part of the experience.
Constantly be on the lookout for “follows”. Muskie are sneaky. Just when you are getting ready to pull your glide-bait out of the water, WHAM, a fish comes up from seemingly nowhere and crushes your lure. Wear polarized sunglasses at all times and continually check behind your lure when retrieving as Muskie sometimes like to feel things out before moving in for the kill. When you do get whatever it is you are tossing at them back to the boat, release your spool and put pressure on the line with your thumb and work the bait down in the water with a figure-eight pattern. This is a great trick that I have caught quite a few fish on. If you neglect to release the spool on your reel, rest assured that almost any Muskie size 30″+ will break your line for you.
Knowing the water that you are fishing offers a huge advantage to Muskie anglers. Take the time to do some research before-hand. Hire a guide for a couple of trips to get the lay of the land if you plan on returning for more fishing. Have a map or GPS and mark hot spots. Muskie will typically return to a familiar roost when the season is right.
These are just a few tips for you current or wannabe Muskie hunters. We will definitely have more to come in the weeks and months ahead. If you have any tips to share, feel free to leave a comment. If you have a friend who may benefit from this, feel free to share it with them.
Below are a few links to some much-needed Muskie gear:
Wooden Lure Making – Make Your Own Muskie Lures!
Stringer Sunglasses
Gold Captain’s Pak Electric Downrigger – Big Jon
Muskie on the Fly (Masters on the Fly series)
Tags: fishing tips, Muskie Fishing, muskie tips, musky fishing, musky tips