Musky fishing

[bigpapa15206]

I have never fished for musky before but would like to start, to pass time while waiting for the cats to bite. I fish below a dam on the allegheny river. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

[sal_jr]

Big lures fast motion, jerk it- let it ride, then jerk again.

If you are trolling, troll fast, paint your prop red and white and keep your lure no more than 15 feet from your prop.

Fast is the key- this is a freshwater barracuda- remember that- they are really of the same family and have many of the same tendencies. This is the time of year to go for them. HOT AUGUST DAYS 8-15 FOW, steep drops, rock outcrops, or edges off weedlines.

You can get them up to 25 feet deep, tho I have heard of them biting at the surface in 40FOW before.

Sal

PM me if you have any other questions.

[bigpapa15206]

bullfrogs? any good i seen a guy just sending them out but i did stay to see if he caught anything

[sal_jr]

bullfrogs? any good i seen a guy just sending them out but i did stay to see if he caught anything

Heck- anything thats big that moves fast can do it- Every year a couple of small toy poodles or chihuahuas go undr in lake st clair.... try them LMAO

[Ohio Trophy Hunter]

lost a nice one last night :cursing: he hit a 6"chub under a bobber about 7 feet.of course he hit the lightest line i had out!never heard a bobber "pop" like that!i had him to the surface once before he shredded the 12# cajun red line.
worst part was i just topped off that reel to get more distance,under that was 50# spider stealth!that was one rockin fish while i had him on though!
Eric B
p.s. sal must've been hiding in the bushes cause he describes the location perfectly!

[bigpapa15206]

what are some good lures? i fish below a dam with decent current, how should i fish live bait, shad,bream,wipers?

[bigpapa15206]

what are some good lures? i fish below a dam with decent current, how should i fish live bait, shad,bream,wipers?

[sal_jr]

Good lures:

Mepps Musky Killer, Mepps Agilia with Bucktail trailer
Rapalas - Anything over 8 inches, Super Shad Raps are cheap and great for throwing and trolling.
Musky Spinners (they look like reg spinnerbaits but twice the size)
Creek Chubs- Big jointed ones made by Heddon, I believe
1 1/2 - 4 oz jigs tipped with any 7+inch baitfish, or a 9" slug-go, or with no bait and a bucktail
1 1/2 to 3 or more oz daredevile spoons (aka husky devle)
Suick Thrillers- theyre bout 9 inches long

LOTS OF LEADERS

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That should getcha started.

[misterwhiskers]

A Muskie is a cross between a Northen pike and a Walleye(think its walleye maybe some other fish)
They get active in the fall when the water temps cool down and are usually found along weed beds.Just a couple things i remember reading about them.
Does anyone here fish for them regularly and could possibly give some more info on how and where to go after them?


Believer makes a good musky lure,i use it mostly for stripers but is designed for muskies,big 10-15 inch lure.Need a big lure like that to catch a 4 foot musky,and they are the ones i'm out to get!
I'd let out about a good 50-75 yards out for trolling and keep it at about 5-7MPH.
A downrigger would be almost a necessity for musky fishing i would think you'd want the lure at a certain depth all the time to stay in the strike zone.Two would probly be best that way you can have em at two different depths and save ya some gas(especially with the way prices are now) trying to figure out where they are holdin.

[misterwhiskers]

Sal,
Why red and white on the prop?
I would of thought ya want the lure away from the boat and not nowheres near 15 foot of it.
Could you explain why ya want it that close?
(goin through them books again learn myself about em again before goin after em)LOL
I'm gonna use these same tactics for big stripers that i know are out there and whereabouts they are,so any info would be good.