Like walleyes, wanna try muskies.

[lindyman]

Hey guys,
My question might be a dumb one, but I'll ask it anyway. I'm a walleye fisherman at heart and fish nothing but live bait rigs. When it comes to live bait I'm about as stubborn as it gets. My brother wants to get me out for muskies, but I can't get myself to fish artificials. Is there a good live/dead bait rig for skies.
Thanks for any help,
lindy

[RuKiddingMe]

GO to Throne Brothers or Fleet Farm and get yourself a few QUICK STRIKE rigs (directions for use are in the package). The most important thing to remember about using these at that you need to set the hook imediately, very important to keep the fish from swallowing the rig.

Good Luck.

RU

[Guido]

wrong forum

[This message has been edited by Guido (edited 04-28-2004).]

[jclymer]

To be a successful musky fishermen I have found you need to keep an extremely open mind! If you are only dead set on live bait rigs, you are going to miss out on a HUGE opportunity to fish muskies that are searching for fast moving bucktails or walk the dog action top water, etc. on any given day or time. This is not to mention that the mortality rate is much higher for catching skies on a live rig as opposed to artifical. Maybe the question you should ask yourself is "Why am I so stubborn to live bait when so many artifical baits have been proven to catch more a larger fish?" Unlike walleye fishing (livebait fishing) Muskies should be returned to the water to perserve this resource for the future. Walleye fishing requires angles to reach deeper depths and put bait right on the bottom for the lake. Muskies are generally found in the weeds or weed edges and are accessable by artifical. Not to mention how much fun it is to sit and watch a bobber all day long and never get to experience a following 50" fish, sounds pretty boring!

[Fish-n-Freak]

I guess the question is; Do you want to catch a Muskie, or fish for Muskies?

If you are using livebait, you are going to miss everything that is Muskie Fishing! You will not get the thrill of a Follow, and watching them chase you on a figure-8. You won't experience the fun of working a lure, and trying to make a piece of wood look "alive". You won't get to have the fun of picking out a back-lash, when you have a bad cast. And you won't get to feel the pain in your hands, wrists, shoulders and back after a full day of casting! Muskie Fishing is about the HUNT, not the catch.

Besides the fact that you won't have much luck finding the 10-14" suckers in MN, that the quick stike rigs are made for. If you go out with a bucket of 6" suckers, and fish them on single hook rig, you are going to kill some fish.

Please think about going the artificial route, and Good Luck!

Steve

[Muskie-searcher]

If you are dead set on using live/dead bait, let me suggest at least using a jig. Get yourself a big jig and equip it with a trailer hook. Put the hook on the jig through the nostrils of the minnow, and the trailer a few inches up from the tail. This way you can set the hook immediatly upon feeling the hit. You will be able to cover more ground and more importantly save the life of the muskie you catch.

[lindyman]

Thanks for all the info. I wasn't aware that live bait rigs were so dangerous to the fish. I'm not out to kill anything so I'll just have to force myself to go artificial. I'll be fishing Vermillion, probably in the Norwegian bay area. Probaly going to hit weed lines and rocky ledges. Any hints on colors or structure for a mid-late june trip?

[guideman]

Ditto on the livebait rigs for Muskies.
Save them for Wisconsin, they like them over there.

------------------

Terry "Ace" Sjoberg
aceguideservice.com
Lake Vermilion
Muskies and More.

Pro Staff Member.
Catch-n Tackle.
CKat Custom Muskie rods.
Bearpaws Handpoured Baits
Ohio Pro Lure.
Muskie Nut Tackle.
Big Chimney Muskie Baits.
Marcum.

[Muskie-searcher]

It is funny you say that. Not to sterio-type people, because I know there are a lot of WI fisherman who mean well but as a group they sure seem to like the circle hook and sucker minnow.

[Fish-n-Freak]

Yep, those folks to the east, sure do like their sucker minnows. I guess, when they are allowed to fish with two lines, it's just natural to cast one and bobber the other. MN only allowing the one line, keeps most MN guys casting.

Good Luck!

Steve