New to muskies

[catfreak]

I have never fished for muskies, but I would really like to get into fishing for them this year. Just wondering what lures you guys would recommend I get to start. As you all know, muskie baits are crazy expensive, so I will only be able to buy 3 or 4 initially. Just wanna make sure I spend my money efficiently and give myself a decent shot at a ski. Any response would be greatly appreciated.

[brad coin]

First let us know what kind of rod and reel you have,,,is it a true musky set or is it more of a heavy Bass setup,,,,dont want to steer your towards the big bulldawgs and dbl 10s without the proper gear,,

[50inchpig]

cowgirl/bucktail

bulldawg

topwater

like brad said, you do need the right stuff to throw the big baits. i don't know too many guys who do muskies just some of the time, it's an investment.

the SINGLE most important thing you can do to shorten your learning curve is fish with other musky fishermen. i went to a st. cloud muskies, inc. meeting the 2nd day i lived in minnesota and met a bunch of guys that were willing to take me out and teach me, and you can definitely use some help on the lakes around st. cloud. i'd highly recommend coming to a meeting and meeting a couple guys, they're a good bunch and if you introduce yourself you'll probably get some fishing offers. you don't have to be a member.

someone probably even has a cheap used rod and reel if you need one, we also do bait swaps a couple times a year and that's a good time to get cheap tackle.

[goblueM]

1st off, you don't need to go HUGE or big to catch a muskie. that's all the rage now, but if you get a small or medium size bucktail like a showgirl or eagletail or a harasser, you will be fine and can throw it on just about anything.

I'd get one of the above mentioned bucktails, a rad dog spinnerbait, a jointed depth raider, and a topwater bait like a topraider or a pacemaker.

that'll cover a large number of bases without absolutely breaking the bank, and you can fish night and day and a variety of different cover/water depths with those baits

[Esox_Magnum]

First get the proper release tools and a good muskie net, then get your rods, reels and baits.

[nater]

I'm a member of the St Cloud chapter. Feel free to come to a meeting and meet some of the guys. I could take you out sometime this summer if you want to see what its all about. I'm no seasoned angler but learned quite a bit from 50inchpig. As he mentioned its an investment, but well worth it.

[squeedunk]

Harasser Bucktail black and silver ($9)

Bomber Long A Crankbait (muskie sized) ($7)

propeller style topwater (topraiders are great but are also quite expensive, you can get a lure that will raise fish for 1/2 the price of a topraider) ($10-12)

Northland Bucktail Spinnerbait or Rad Dog ($9-12)

I also like flourocarbon and mono leaders (not too expensive, last a long time, and work with all bait types)

You can get a good supply of lures that will show you fish without spending a ton. There are many muskie nuts who will try to sell you on Cowgirls and pounders but if you don't have the right rod and reel, these lures are a pain to use. I have good equipment for those lures and I still don't use them much.

Get a hook cutter and long nose pliars (I got mine at Sears for $25 total and they have successfully released plenty of muskies, northerns and big walleyes)

You can get good lures for under $20 each. Find a few that look good to you and start throwing them. Once you start seeing fish you will find the money to buy yourself more and better lures.

P.S. I caught 4 muskies last year on DT-6 rapalas and spinning gear. You don't have to go big to get hooked on muskie fishing.

Good luck.

[hunterjoe]

I'm no seasoned angler but learned quite a bit from 50inchpig.

You learned something from him? Ha!

Just kidding Marc. I learned some from him too. There are a lot of guys willing to help. You just gotta get out there and don't be shy about asking for rides and such.

[sbro73]

Hey, A Hefty Bank account is all you need! You will learn most Muskie Nuts are investing every day! Yup, release tools and good net, is what you need first, the rest will follow! Good Luck and Tight Lines!

[mainbutter]

You don't even need release tools if you can regularly fish with a musky fisherman who has them. No need for two nets in a single boat.

I highly advise fishing with someone who knows what they're doing, there's nothing like it to shorten the learning curve.

[catfreak]

Thanks for all the responses guys. I plan on attending some Muskies Inc meetings in St. Cloud before I ever hit the water. Just couldn't wait to ask them about lures to buy, once the idea is in my head I can't get it out.

I intend on getting a rod and reel setup before the net because I will be trying to go out with other fisherman to start. I'm already starting to save up for it, and I figure for 200-250 I can get a pretty nice setup.

I already know that I'm about to get myself in way over my head. lol

[catfreak]

I want to get to the meetings mainly to try to find a seasoned angler to take me out. Partly this is for help locating and catching the fish. But mainly its so I can learned how to safely land, picture, and release the fish. I'd be afraid of doing harm to the fish if I was out on my own.

[Esox_Magnum]

Tackle Industries rod and a Okuma Akeena(sp) cost about $220 and a fine set up.

[foulpole18]

If you value your sanity and cash in your pocket, don't do it. Please don't ask how I know.

[50inchpig]

btw i live in the metro now otherwise i'd have offered, but if you're ever down this way and want to get out i've got a spot for you. i'll say the fishing is a lot better down here than in the st. cloud area.

[Nick Kuhn]

A neat little article that might help all anglers.

Quote:

Catch-and-Release lessons from a toothy-critter master - with Pete Maina

Pete Maina has in his day handled thousands of big muskies. Ex-guide, lure inventor, TV personality, angler extraordinaire, Maina has worn many hats. Today, while he remains a zealous hunter of the big green fish, his real crusade is a message of placing fisheries first.

"No one is handling more muskies each and every day than we, the anglers," states Maina from his home in the muskie-rich region of Hayward, Wisconsin. "Not biologists, not lakeshore associations, tackle salesmen or legislators. Fishermen play such a huge role in actively determining the health of our muskie waters-in essence, we're the real managers of the fishery.

Maina continues: "If it's good for the fish, it's good for the fisherman. What's happening with our muskie waters is proof enough. We really owe ourselves a collective pat on the back. Attitudes on catch-and-release have vastly improved. Our muskie fisheries are largely in great shape. In many waters record-class fish aren't just a dream, they're a realistic goal for any hardcore angler. That's because catching and releasing muskies properly works; if it didn't, fishing wouldn't be nearly so good today."

Still, despite great strides in catch-and-release fishing, Maina believes anglers continue ignoring two essential practices for safe, healthy releases. "Preparation, along with the use of proper release tools are key. Most of us labor for hours studying the things that help us catch fish. We'll spend big money on rods, reels, electronics and lures, but neglect buying the proper release tools.

"Just as important," Maina offers, "is the planning and execution of a solid muskie release plan; a premeditated strategy that helps you safely, quickly return muskies to their habitat. Doing this throughout the season goes far toward sustaining a healthy muskie fishery. That means more and bigger fish available for everyone to catch."

The first part of a release plan, Maina says, is assembling a "conservation kit"-a collection of tools that ease the unhooking and release process, while also assuring the health of the fish. "Start with a premium fish landing device. I don't think there's a better net for landing and releasing muskies than Frabill's Kwik Kradle. It's really a net-cradle hybrid-an intelligently crafted design-that simplifies the landing process, as well as facilitating easy unhooking and measuring of fish."

The Kwik Kradle, a completely original concept in large landing nets, couples a unique "open" hoop design with a specialized padded, knotless netting material. "The soft, treated netting offers the most tangle-free solution I've seen-it's easy on fish, prevents them from rolling in the netting, and it seems to last forever. Plus, the net is easy to use if you're fishing alone."

While this all sounds good, Maina mostly judges a net's merits by fish pictures. "I see a lot of photos of muskies with net damage. Some nets tend to scrape and cut the skin of muskies; this is usually caused by rough mesh material or nets that let fish thrash and roll. During the years we've used the Kwik Kradle, I have yet to see net damage on fish in our photographs."

Maina also likes the fact that the net acts like a muskie 'holding pen.' "My first priority is to separate the fish from the lure, then to be certain that the fish's head is in the water and breathing properly. I've got all the necessary tools at arm's length. Slip the fish into the cupped hoop, and let her relax inside. Its weight is fully supported by the Kwik Kradle's flat bottom panel. I can easily reach in with a longnose pliers and grab a hook, or use a Knipex to cut deeply imbedded hooks or hooks planted in sensitive areas (eyes, gills.) For inside-the-mouth hooks, I'll employ a good set of jaw spreaders, too, which can save your hands, your lure and the fish. A set of split-ring pliers can come in handy to replace cut hooks on lures."

Hook removal aside, he cautions that two of the biggest stressors for muskies are warm water temperatures and big waves. "Hot water contributes greatly to delayed mortality of fish that are already stressed from fighting and release. When surface waters exceed 70-degrees, fish handling should be minimized. Meanwhile, big waves stress fish further because it's harder for them to maintain their equilibrium at the surface. Time spent photographing and measuring fish in these scenarios should be kept short."

Although the current trend in gauging muskie and pike size is to measure length and girth, Maina offers a compelling alternative. "In Europe, where giant pike are repeatedly caught-and-released, the standard procedure has long involved weighing fish in a 'weigh sling.' The benchmark for sizing European pike-even for released fish-isn't length, but weight. It's the most accurate measurement of true size we have.

"Same thing should apply to muskies. It's popular now to take length and girth measurements, plug them into a formula, and estimate the fish's weight. But why? Doing all the things necessary to take accurate length and girth measurements takes time and effort; often requiring the fish to be out of the water and handled extensively; this where a lot of damage is done to fish."

"Nowadays, some of the better anglers I know aren't so worried about the exact size of the fish. A safe release is more important. Still, if you've got a fish that's tickling record size, consider a method by my friend, Georgian Bay guide Johnny Dodson. He uses a cradle to weigh fish with a handheld scale. It's faster, much easier on the fish and infinitely more accurate." With the fish safely inside the mesh, you can even hang a scale right on the landing net's hoop and weigh everything (ultimately subtracting net weight). Or you can quickly transfer the fish from the net into a damp Frabill Musky Cradle. Attach a scale to the middle of both poles, and weigh. The Musky Cradle even includes a built-in 60-inch measuring stick, if a quick in-water release is desired.

Maina offers a few additional comments on preventing damage and assuring safe releases. "Right now, for instance, we're developing a new series of big game hooks for Mustad that feature reduced barbs. By reducing the barb size on large single or treble hooks, you can minimize potential damage to the fish. Reduced barbs hold just as well, yet make boatside unhooking chores easier. Simply file a three-sided knife-edge from barb to hook point, shaving down barb size by half or more." It's another positive move in the name of fisheries first.

"Something retired Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Chief of Fisheries Lee Kernen once told me sort of puts things in perspective. Kernen said, 'There simply aren't enough trophy muskies alive for each angler to keep one as a personal trophy.' I'll take this one step further, and say that even if only 1 in 100 muskie fishers wanted to keep one, there still wouldn't be enough big ones swimming out there.

"Muskies can be one of the meanest freshwater predators swimming-it's part of why we cherish catching them. But once they've been caught, they become one of the wimpiest, most fragile fish. Getting people excited about fish health should be the goal of the next generation. Because the bottom line is, you can't catch fish that aren't there. Lucky for me," Maina jests with a grin, "I know a lake or two where the fish and I are on a first name basis."

[tgruenke]

Good article

[the man]

I would start with

DCG or some type of big blade (double cowgirl)

midrange bucktail I really like dream catcher bucktails and joe buchers

a spinnerbait CJ or raddog

a topraider or some type of topwater

a crankbait depthraider of jake

a jerkbait suick or hellhound

plastics- I really like bull dawgs

These will cover all lure types.

[Scottie Thomas]

Those will cover all the bait types?

Plastics?

[Burbslayer]

I once read somewhere when I started Muskie fishing that any lure will catch a muskie as long as its a black and orange bucktail. The mepps giant killer with a black tail and orange blade has been my #1 producer since I got addicted to chasing muskies.

[Esox_Magnum]

Even though I posted my choices, asking for bait options on the net isn't the best way to start. Every area of the countrys different, even from 1 part of the state to the other even lake to lake. For my waters what works may not for you. 4 baits I have faith in and have moved or caught fish on any waters I have been on are Wades,Mag Dawgs, gliders ( Hellhound in particular) and Double Cowgirls, topwaters aren't even a choice for 95% of the waters I fish.

[cbrooks]

Esox, you have any idea why topwater doesn't work on the Iowa lakes. Sorry for the hijack but I've always been curious on why topwater doesn't work on those lakes.

[Esox_Magnum]

It's not all lakes just the one I normaly fish. 1 here and there gets caught but they are a low percentage bait on West Okoboji.