Any musky fishers? The more the rivers rise the more species I find myself looking at to target.... I believe they are more of a summer-bite but would be glad to glean any info I can on fishing for them!
isaac

I've always wanted to catch one, only targeted them twice in Green Lake with no success. Large bucktail spinners and large jointed plugs are what I was told to use, I am sure a big swimbait would work well too. You need a heavy leader that will take the abrasion of thier teeth, some use wire, I used heavy powerpro. Cast toward weed beds. They are known as the fish of a thousand casts so be presistant. I hope someone who knows a little more about it will chime in, remember this is all advice from someone who hasn't caught one .

crap, another fish of a thousand casts?

http://www.nwtigermuskies.com/faq.html

These guys put on a seminar at 3 rivers last year.

FD

I've fished on Eagle Lake (0ntario) for them each fall for many years. Great fish - big, mean, and elusive. They may average out to a fish of a thousand casts, but they sure come in clusters.

95% of the time the fish just hang out. You'll get follows - they'll trail your plug or bucktail spinner right up to the boat. Sometimes they'll even lay there for a bit looking you and the boat over.

Then there's the other 5%, when the go ballistic and explode on your bucktail/plug/topwater. Amazing stuff when they go on the bite.

I've talked to local Tiger Muskie anglers and the word is to use slightly smaller baits than in the Great Lakes/Ontario. Over there it's nothing to use a 12" plug or tandem bucktail spinner. In WA it's more like 6-8" - think larger bass plugs and spinnerbaits and you'll be in the ballpark.

Muskies are ambush predators like bass- look for structure. Not always weeds - wood or rockpiles will also hold them.

Yeah, what Edgerat said . . . with all the closures I'm looking for other fisheries as well. May have to give the local lakes a try this summer.

FWIW,

Brian

Caught one once at about age 9 on Little Hanging Horn Lake in Northern Minnesota. It about pulled my scrawney arms off. I remember it didn't have as many teeth as a Northern Pike (Oh, my god do Northerns have teeth!) and didn't taste as good as a Walleye. I can't remember if we caught it on a red and white spoon, or on a minnow. I think it was a minnow. That is the beginning and end of my Muskie knowledge and stories.

But, I really, really want to fish the Walleye in the upper Columbia. Not sure of the current record is from there but suspect it will be soon, if not already.

Fished them last year at Lake of the Woods in Ontario, what a blast! We targeted them with the big stuff with 100lb pp and steel leaders in the heavy weed beds and had some luck (lots of followers). However the best biters came on lighter gear with minnow swimbaits (matching the bait). The one in my avatar came on a 3 inch swimbait on 4lb test casting for smallies. Felt like I had hung up on a log in shallow water til it surfaced and took off for heavy cover. Luckily I had a steel leader for a "just in case scenario". Over there the best season is actually Fall when the water temps drop and they are looking to feed before Winter sets in. This may or may not hold true over here but might be finding out soon if our fisheries continue to dwindle...

Lotta guys fish Lake Mayfield for them in the warm months.

It's kind of a locals/regulars racket though, since there's certain weedbeds they lurk in there and they're kinda tight-lipped about which specific ones.

If you don't know where they like to lurk it can be like chasing the Loch Ness Monster, and you're just a tourist chump slapping the water with a useless set up, making laughing stock for the locals.(Like me when I fly fish) And don't listen to the tackle shop guy on Hwy 12 west of Salkum, that guy will get a twinkle in his eye and off load all the junk he can't sell.


Another problem with fishing that lake for them is the summer months are all torn up with jet skiers and backwards-hat Guido Douchebags out playing in Daddy's wakeboarding boat and they WILL intentionally try to swamp small fishing boats for a laugh. So go early, and launch at the state park, and not the county park. That's where the Guido Douchebags congregate and it will take you a year to launch, cost you $20 and then you'll still have to park a mile up the road and risk a tow.

Hope that helps.