new to musky fishing.

[goldie11]

I am new to musky fishing this year and was wondering if any one has advice. What lures to buy? where to fish? What kind of rod to use? fishing techniques? how to fish when conditions are rough? any info will help. thanks.

[urban cowboy]

Lots to learn bro. Go to thorn bros with a waad of cash or a freshly activated credit card and ask them. They will point you in the right direction.

[NCLaker]

Having just gone through this a year ago, I recommend:

Lures: Get a few different size/styles/color of bucktails, couple spinner baits, prop style topwater, small and med sized crankbaits. This should get you started without breaking the bank, and they are very easy to use. Plano 3700 sized boxes work well to store them, or just use a 5 gallon bucket.

Where to fish: This link has info on lakes that stock muskie - Muskie lakes

Rod: 7'6"-8' Medium Heavy (MH) rod is a very versitile rod. should throw everything listed above. The longer rods make doing figure 8's a lot easier, and will cast farther with less effort. You can save a lot of money by searching FM classified.

Techniques: burning bucktails over the tops of weeds, rocks, etc is a great go to technique; speed troll crank baits/spinnerbaits, tough weedy areas - spinnerbaits won't snag up as much, thow the topwater stuff periodically just to mix things up.

Rough conditions: Mix things up/experiment

I'm not expert by any means, but these are the things what worked for me. If you can, try to hook up with someone that knows what they are doing (hire a guide if possible) - it will accelerate your learning curve. Also, make sure you have all the proper release tools (musky sized net, extra long pliers, jaw spreaders, hook cutters), also research proper muskie handling for CPR. Lots of great info on this site and others, just need to take the time to read through the various posts.

[muskypierre86]

Please read and learn the proper release methods. It's fun as hell to chase these monsters. It's even more fun to get that picture and watch her swim away.

[mazzilin19]

Tools... Get the right tools along with lures. I would suggest getting a net big enough to keep the fish in the water to keep him healthy while you remove the hooks. If you can't remove the hooks, I suggest you get a hook cutter and an extra long set of pliers. You want to watch the fish swim away just as bad as you want to catch the fish!

[TSchultz]

In reality you only need a handful of lures. Six should be enough to cover most situations especially when your just getting started. Heck I've got so many lures that there have been some that haven't even been in the water yet that I bought at the muskie expo this winter. Besides the proper release tools as mentioned. I would get:

A topwater prop bait of some sort (color is not super important)

Black bucktail with gold or silver blade

Another bucktail you pick whatever color you want

A spinnerbait with two single up turned hooks

A Bulldawg I like walleye as a good overall color

A good casting mid level crankbait, a triple or double D. I would recommend a 10" Jake, but they are not known to be the best casting especially for a beginner. A good crank can be twitched, ripped, (combine the two is my favorite) straight retrieved, trolled.

[50inchpig]

far and away best thing you can do is talk to people on the lake, meet some guys that fish your waters, and establish a little network that allows you to share info back and forth. not a day goes by i don't know someone who's fishing one of my lakes and i get a report.

gonna take some hours on the water to figure some things out, tit for tat on the info, but that'll shorten the curve more than anything.

your local MI chapter is a good place to start. show up, meet some people, get out on some other boats and see how it's done. you'll also get access to the MI logs and can search out your lakes and get a feel for what works/when.

[ryanmitchell]

This is an informative site, the link is directly to the muskie articles, but lots of other good information on this site.

http://www.learninghowtofish.com/pages/muskie-fishing-tips-amp-articles.php

[muskyhunter57]

Rough conditions are prime. Contours are your best spots. Experiment. Best thing to do is be courteous to other anglers and land owners. Start small learn a particular bay on a lake and grow from there.