muskie

[ARROW383]

I'm going camping next month on a lake that is known for muskie fishing.
i have heard they are very hard to catch.
should i try live bait over tackle. and if tackle what would you recommend

also i will just be in a 12 foot row boat if i get lucky enough to catch a big one how in the hell am i going to get it in the boat? and do i really want it in there with me the old lady and my dog.

[AutoRoc]

Might have to rope it to the boat and drag it back...like a shark.:)

I'd like to hear input too...I've never caught one but I want to.

[ARROW383]

the old lady thought it would be fun,
until she seen how big some of them can get.
i probably wont catch anything big anyhow i don't have the gear for them.
but its supposed to be a good lake for bass, walleye, and pike so as long as we catch something ill be happy.

[Monty Mikho]

I'm going camping next month on a lake that is known for muskie fishing.
i have heard they are very hard to catch.
should i try live bait over tackle. and if tackle what would you recommend

also i will just be in a 12 foot row boat if i get lucky enough to catch a big one how in the hell am i going to get it in the boat? and do i really want it in there with me the old lady and my dog.


It wouldn't be Lake Hudson by chance would it? If so we went there and I threw everything from top water spinners to crankbait to rubber bait and had no luck. So we headed to the back side of the lake fishing for bass. When we got back to the main lake area Maria kept her bass rod with 6# line on a jig with a rubber perch looking grub on. He was just boring and jigging. One hit but I lost it to the net when it surfaced. It was around a 40-42" one. The water was muddy as hell with zero visibility when we went. Target water that is 58-65 degrees. They like hanging out in the drop offs on that lake. Near the dock, just across the dock at the peak and straight from the boat launch straight back (where she got hers). Sorry I'm late but hopefully you got into some.

[ARROW383]

we are going to stay there on the 16th till the 20th
this month.
thats funny i was talking to a guy about a week ago and he said the same thing about fishing right off the dock and boat lanch.

me and the old lady went out there last week to check out the campsite and found two nice campsites right on the water with spots to pull the boat up on shore, so im looking forward to it.

most everything i have is for bass or panfish so im going to borrow some poles from the old man that he uses for salmon fishing.
then ill have to get some lures that are a little bigger.

all i really use is nightcrawler harneses and some small crank baits.
i used to fish with my parents all the time when i was younger and just kinda fell out of doing it, so i need to get some of my own stuff now.

hell everyday me and the old lady have off she is hounding me to take her fishing so its been fun.

thanks for the info and ill let you know how everything goes.

[Monty Mikho]

we are going to stay there on the 16th till the 20th
this month.
thats funny i was talking to a guy about a week ago and he said the same thing about fishing right off the dock and boat lanch.

me and the old lady went out there last week to check out the campsite and found two nice campsites right on the water with spots to pull the boat up on shore, so im looking forward to it.

most everything i have is for bass or panfish so im going to borrow some poles from the old man that he uses for salmon fishing.
then ill have to get some lures that are a little bigger.

all i really use is nightcrawler harneses and some small crank baits.
i used to fish with my parents all the time when i was younger and just kinda fell out of doing it, so i need to get some of my own stuff now.

hell everyday me and the old lady have off she is hounding me to take her fishing so its been fun.

thanks for the info and ill let you know how everything goes.

I downloaded a map and maked the spots I maked fish at while I was there. Pink is Muskie and Orange is bass. Remember its a no wake lake with a make of 9.9 HP motor. DNR does drive thru there so be careful. If a Muskie is following speed up the bait. Do not slow it down otherwise it will take off. Use 17# test with a 20# leader. I stopped using the wire leaders as it doesn't seem to attack as many pike/muskie. Hope this helps

http://www.yellowbullet.com/junk/lakehudson.JPG

[ARROW383]

thats really cool thanks a lot.

[JFontaine]

The area between the 2 colors on the left could be decent as well depending on the weather. The steep transitions to deep water often hold fish.

Look for areas where the bottom changes substrate too. Sand to rock bottom off a reed bed can be great. If its been windy for several hours before heading out then fish the windy side of the lake not the calm side. Baitfish balls will be on that side.

The area around the boat ramp IS very good. Its a contour transition on inside corners. Always a good spot.

[ARROW383]

i should be okay with the no wake i just got a small row boat with a 5.5 horse motor that looks like it was made in the 1900's :p.

and now for the really stupid question, but what is the difference between a 20# leader and just tying a swivel on your line.
I'm pretty sure my dads poles are set up with 20# line.

my grandpa used to like to fish for pike and he would always use steel leaders for them. so i guess i have always used steel leaders for pike and just a swivel for anything else.

but i think your right about steel i notice when i have a steel leader i don't seem to catch as much so i haven't been using them lately

[JFontaine]

I would use a 20lb superline (fireline) with no swivel except at the point of attachment to the lure. :)

Only use good quality ball bearing swivels.

Call me crazy!

[ARROW383]

The area between the 2 colors on the left could be decent as well depending on the weather. The steep transitions to deep water often hold fish.

Look for areas where the bottom changes substrate too. Sand to rock bottom off a reed bed can be great. If its been windy for several hours before heading out then fish the windy side of the lake not the calm side. Baitfish balls will be on that side.

The area around the boat ramp IS very good. Its a contour transition on inside corners. Always a good spot.

I'm going to guess its going to be pretty chilly out, how much should that affect where you fish.
Ive always fished in lakes where Ive known were the fish are so its been easier, now that I'm fishing on my own I'm kinda lost on were to start.
i just got a fish finder so I'm thinking that should help.

[JFontaine]

Its hard to say as I dont know that lake. Normally a new cold front will shut the fish down hard. I have been out pounding on fish and felt the temp drop 20 degrees and never saw another fish caught that day. Shallow lakes seem to be more effected. 24-48 hours after the cold front arrives the fishing normally picks back up. When we fish Manitoba for walleye this late in the year it can be in the 20s and the boats are freezing up, the rod eyelets freeze up and it is the best fishing all year.

[ARROW383]

ill have to get some good swivels because all i have are the cheep ones.
thanks to you and Monty for the advice

[JFontaine]

Monty is the Muskie guy. :)
I am just a washed up old pro.

[Monty Mikho]

Harvey is the Muskie guy.. I just tag along and try to learn.. :p


http://www.yellowbullet.com/junk/harvmusky.jpg

[ARROW383]

that is a nice looking fish, i love the markings on it.

[ARROW383]

well we made it back from our fishing trip,
i was going more for bass or pan fish but my dad wanted a muskie so he was using lures more geared for them.
we fished that whole damn lake on Saturday and didn't get a single bite.
i kept telling my dad that everyone was saying the boat launch was the best spot so i finally talked him and the old lady into giving it a shot.
well dads second cast he hooked into a muskie.
it gave him a hell of a fight, i was in the back of the boat dad in the middle and the old lady in the front, i told her to get the net ready so she had it in her hand till she seen that thing come to the surface and i believe she said something to the effect of (o hell no) as she threw the net to me.
well we got it in the boat (a 12 foot row boat mind you) and it proceeded to make a hell of a mess out of everything around it. the old lady did her best to hide in this little ass boat, she didn't want anything to do with it.
we were right in the boat launch so we had quite the crowd
watching us I'm sure they got a hell of a laugh.
we finally got the hooks out and untangled it from the net and by then a guy came up to us in a bigger boat and set it in his boat and measured it and helped us set it loose.
it was 37" and we forgot to weigh it.(damn it)
he gave us some tips for next time and showed us some better gear to use.
all in all it was a good time, i think it was more fun watching my old man catch that thing than if i had got one.
we went back out on Sunday and today but didn't get anything.
oh-well it was a really nice weekend to be out on the lake.

[JFontaine]

Nice! Its a lot of fun watching someone else enjoying the catch!
The boat ramp = most under-rated fishing spot on 75% of the lakes fished.
I wish I could see a video from the shore.
:)

[JFontaine]

Repost... site is sucking..

[Monty Mikho]

Awesome to hear dude!! that is cool as hell. The one Maria caught and I lost in the net was not very active. It only got active when I put the net on it and out it came. I suck!!!

Use something like this that is big and bright. That water was very muddy with zero visibility when we went. I imagine is was about the same when you went? I personally like crankbaits as I can control them a little better for some reason. Rapala is everything I like in a crankbait.. Hell maybe I just bought into the cult it has.. maybe not.. who knows. Here is what most people use for Muskie including the guy here in Utah.

http://www.mikeystacklebox.ca/index_files/image17381.jpg

[JFontaine]

Did you try any of the stuff I sent you Monty?

[ARROW383]

yeah the water was very cloudy, there was some spots that were only about three foot deep and you still couldn't see the bottom.
dad caught his on a 4 to 5 inch rapala.
and it hit right after it hit the water.
he was using a cheap closed face real and when he used it again on Monday the drag is shot, he would set it all the way on high and there is hardly anything left. so it put up a good fight.
he was trying to real it in about 1000 miles a hour :p.
if it wasn't for what everybody told me about the ramp i never would have tried it . with all the boat coming in and out you wouldn't think there would be anything there.
the lake was much bigger than i thought it was , there are a ton of spots that looked like it would be good.
he is at me for when were going again.