Bucktail Colors (Central MN)

[nater]

I am going to make a trip down to Thorne Bros. to pick up some components to make my own bucktails. I just started muskie fishing last summer and wanted to build an assortment of bucktails, but am not to familiar with what muskies prefer. Any suggestions on colors or color patterns that work well would be helpful. Maybe I can net my first muskie on a bucktail I made myself, thats the goal!

Nate

[Fish&Fowl]

"Any color will work as long as it's black" is a good rule of thumb.

[eyehead]

Black Maribou, Deer Hair, Ect. with an orange Colorado blade is hard to beat. You can catch musky's on any color of bucktail but the black/orange combo has worked pretty good for me.

[DinkADunk]

Black, orange, white, yellow, lime green. Any combo of those in bucktail or maraboo. Add in a little kristal flash for a lateral line. Blades are your choice

[nater]

Yeah, I think I will make some maribou bucktails. Do most of you prefer one or two hooks for keeping them hooked during a fight? Or is that only dependent on the size of bucktail you are making? I think I will make some decent sized bucktails (7-9 inch) so I will probably go with two hooks.

Nate

[Fish&Fowl]

Hook numbers will depend on what you're fishing in. Big, single hooks are much better for throwing in wood and heavy vegetation where trebles snag and drag weeds back. I lost a nice muskie on a bucktail with a single hook last summer when he hit a figure-8 (no I still haven't let it go) but if they're hooked good a single hook will usually work just fine.

[MUSKY18]

Colors also depend on the water that you are fishing. If you are fishing a clear lake, the proven colors tend to be more of the "natural" colors. Browns, yellows, perch, etc tend to be the norm. If you are on stained water, then the more vibrant colors are the norm. Your chartruese, brigt oranges/red, etc. This is not to say that you can't catch fish on any given color on any given lake. The colors are just kind of a guideline to go by.

As for hooks.....whatever works best. As stated above, different hooks will go through different cover better than others. In regards to single hooks, look at Eagle Tails. They have the two single hooks on them, but are responsible for more 50" fish than any other lure, so they do work.