Musky America Magazine August 2025 Edition Thank you for visiting Musky America Magazine! It is our pleasure to continue to bring informative articles to our fellow Musky anglers. In this edition, you will find articles meant to help with tactics that may help you find success on the water. The best thing about my magazine is that it is free to view. You will find links to some resorts and services. The links are contained in a separate area under advertisements. I do this so that the article focus is free from annoying distractions. The magazine will automatically format for any viewing medium, so you can access the information whether you are at home or on the go. Craig Sandell Owner and Fellow Musky Angler The Icons shown here are at the bottom of the Magazine pages. All Rights Reserved © 2024
How Do You Beat The Heat? By Craig Sandell © 2018 In case you hadn’t noticed, the weather this Muskie season has been extreme. It seems that the whole country is caught in the grip of high temperatures and unsettled weather that is playing havoc with catching our elusive quarry. The sun has raised water temperatures into the mid-80 degree range on many bodies of water, especially those that are stained or turbid and the wind has not helped the situation. In Canada, the hot weather drives the fish shallow as they raise their body temperatures to help digest food and attempt to beat the short Canadian season, but in America, the hot weather drives the fish deep as they seek a comfort zone. When the fish go deep, the result is some pretty tough fishing. So…how do you beat the heat and catch a fish or two? It will likely require that you adopt a different approach to the hunt. With weather like this, the surface lure is the low percentage approach. The next lowest approach is bucktails or spinners unless you are using a lure that is weighted that you can "count down" allowing it to run deeper. Two lures that may be useful are:
Jerk and crank baits are the higher percentage baits. Fishing these lures off the deep edge (12 to 15 feet) of a weed edge or shelf, is the high percentage approach. You may have to change to a slightly heavier rod and perhaps a different line strength (80 - 100 pound test Tuf-Line XP) to accommodate the heavier lures for casting or trolling. Probably the best time of the day to fish is early morning, after the water has had the night to cool off a bit. I am not saying that fish won’t be caught during the day or at night…what I am saying is that the high percentage time is early morning. Certainly, if you have a storm moving in and a barometer dropping, you should be considering going on the hunt while taking precautions to protect yourself from a storm’s high winds and lightning. Good fishing…I never thought I would be impatient for the cooler shorter days of September. Tight Lines
The RIGHT Time…The RIGHT Place By Craig Sandell © 2014 Weather is, by far, one of the most important factors to consider when you are on the hunt for Musky. Another important factor is history…I don’t mean what you learned in school but the history on the water you fish regularly. Keeping some kind of log or record of when fish were caught, the lure used, and the prevailing weather at the time can be an invaluable tool to success on the water. This July day started out as a blue bird day with very mild wind from the South. I got out on the water early and hit a steep solid wall of granite drop off hoping to find a fish suspended in 16 feet of water. The hot water temperature, 77°, made this approach as good a plan as any and I had observed a nice sized fish the day before haunting the area. A glide bait was the lure of choice. I fished the spot for 40 minutes without results. A short motor trip and I was at my next spot…a point area adjacent to one of the flowage’s natural lakes. I fished the weeds hugging the drop off of the point as it plunged into deeper water using a bucktail that I bulged over the top of the weeds and back over deeper water. The spot looked great, and the wind was perfect to fish the spot clean but, no one was home. The morning was heating up and I needed a breakfast break…I motored back to the trailer and hopped in the car for breakfast at the Village Kitchen in Radison. (The food is good…the price is right and the people who run the place are the best.)
During my breakfast break, the wind had decided to get ugly…the mild wind transformed into a 15mph blow. I took a look at the water and decided that it would be prudent to take a break and wait for the wind to settle down. After a couple of hours, it became apparent that the wind was here to stay…indeed, it had bumped up to about 20 mph with gusts of 25 mph. I took out my log and looked for some history on fish caught with 20+ mph wind under blue bird skies and elevated water temperature. It didn’t take long to find a spot or two that would fit the weather, so I meandered my way down to the Indian Trail Resort bar and had a beer and a chat with the afternoon bar patrons. I then pushed off from the dock and headed out on the water that had become belligerent with 3-5foot rollers and white caps. I pounded my way across the open expanse of water as I motored toward one of the spots from my Musky log. When I arrived, the wind was coming from the Southwest. In high wind, you have two choices…you can set up for a wind drift or two or three or you can face your boat into the wind using a bow mount trolling motor and cast with the wind over your target area. This day I chose the second approach, positioning my boat into the wind and using the wind to give me long casts over a stump hump that was submerged under 9 feet of water. I moved the boat into the wind to the deep water channel edge and then let the wind scoot me over the target area.
Note: Boat control is a combination of using the wind, varying trolling motor speed and casting accuracy…it isn’t easy, but it gives you a better chance to "hover" cast an area with potential for a Musky. After a frustrating 15 minutes setting up the boat and dealing with some wind induced backlashes, I finally got into the casting groove…casting my bucktail over the target area and using a slow to moderate retrieve. It was another 20 minutes or so into covering the area when I saw the green flash of the side of a Musky as it stalked my lure. He came up from about 8 feet of water to attack my lure in about 3 feet as it was being retrieved. As I kept my retrieve steady, I saw the Musky’s white underside as he snapped the lure up in its gapping mouth…the fight was on. As is the case in many Musky hits, all I had to do was apply firm resistance as the fish set the hook on himself…he immediately went down, taking line off my reel. This was a good tussle and as the Musky breached the surface, he rocketed out of the water and performed a dolphin flip as he reentered his brown stained watery home. We ‘argued’ with each other for a few more minutes until I was able to manipulate him into the net that I had waiting for him. With the fish in the bag, it was time to free him from the lure, take a measurement, snap a photo and then set him free. The way this Musky was hooked demanded that I use my compound bolt cutter to cut the tips of the treble hooks to allow me to free the fish and protect myself as I reached in to take the fish from the net that I kept in the water to minimize the time that the Musky was separated from its oxygen supply.
This chunky Musky measured out at 37 inches and, from the body bulk, was probably around 14 pounds. I snapped a photo of the fish and then set about setting him free. Into the water he went as I supported him upright. I moved him rhythmically back and forth in the water trying to flush water over his gills to revive him. A few minutes later his tail muscles began to tense…A light tap on the head with my finger tips and a squeeze of the tail and he was on his way. I looked over the bottom of the boat that was littered with the aftermath of the battle. He had destroyed my Bucktail and my leader during the battle so I was going to have to re-shaft the lure and make myself a new leader but that is all part of Musky fishing. I motored back to Indian Trail Resort to register my catch, have a beer and a bump and then re-tool my tackle…Another adventure in my pocket and another entry in my Musky log. Tight Lines
How Many Casts???... How Many Anglers?? Craig Sandell © 2006 The old characterization of the Muskie as the fish of 10,000 casts persists even though we have modern equipment meant to better these odds. The stated goal of the Wisconsin DNR for a healthy fishery is to: "Maintain populations that provide a catch rate of 1 fish per 8 muskellunge angling trips, and insure that 35% of those caught will be at least 32 inches." This goal is further amplified by the DNR assertion that the "typical" Muskie angler expends approximately 135 hours to catch 1 legal Muskie. In order to put the 135 hour number in perspective, you must characterize it in the form of an "angler day". An angler day is the amount of time the Muskie angler actually spends actively casting for Muskie. It cannot include the travel time from spot to spot or the time it takes to set up a drift or a motorized approach. [ It should be noted that we are discussing fishing on class "A" Muskie lakes and, therefore, motorized trolling is not a consideration. ] A typical Muskie fanatic will rise before sunrise, prepare his boat, and get out on the water to catch the morning bite. Obviously, the size of the body of water and structure of a body of water will
dictate travel time. Whether successful or unsuccessful during the early morning excursion, the typical angler will take a food break and then start the cycle all over again. This "fish-travelprepare-fish" cycle will continue throughout the day. When you take into consideration the aforementioned, it is easy to conclude that an angler day (actual casting time) is between 8 and 10 hours. For the purpose of this article, we will adopt the 10 hour angler day. That means that at the rate of 1 legal Muskie per 135 hours, it will take an angler 13.5 days to achieve a legal Muskie catch assuming that you are not fishing on water that has an upper 40 or 50 inch size limit. Well, how are YOU doing? Do you catch more than 1 legal Muskie every 13.5 days? Are you fishing for Muskie more than 13.5 days per Muskie season? There are probably as many different answers to these questions as there are visitors to the website. Here's an additional thing to consider. What about fishing pressure? How many anglers are competing for the same population of Muskie on a body of water? Typically, the DNR relies upon creel surveys as an indicator of fishing pressure. Creel surveys, however, are NOT a very accurate assessment of fishing competition. The Wisconsin DNR creel survey, for example, for the Chippewa Flowage for the 1990 Muskie season reported that there were 250,000 angler hours asserted by the creel survey that were focused upon muskellunge. When you consider that the typical season is 165 days in length and you then apply the 10 anglers hours to each of those days you get 1,650 angler hours per season. If you apply 1,650 angler hours (aforementioned) to the 250,000 muskellunge angler hours, you find that it would take 152 muskellunge anglers fishing non-stop for 10 hours a day for 165 days to accumulate the 250,000 hours
asserted by the creel survey. This does not appear to be a realistic angler capability. For further perspective, consider that in 1990 the registered aggregate resort catch for the Chippewa Flowage was 1192 legal Muskie, that would equate to 7.2 muskellunge being caught each day of the 165 day season, meaning that 144.8 fishermen were unable to catch a muskellunge each day of the 165 day season even though they fished non-stop for 10 hours (assuming that each of the 7.2 daily Muskie catches was by a different Muskie angler). This would mean that every day of the season 1,448 hours were logged fishing for muskellunge that were non-productive for a season total of 238,920 non-productive muskellunge angler hours. The 250,000 muskellunge angler hours equates to 1 muskellunge being caught every 210 hours, meaning that a muskellunge angler fished for 21 season days before he caught a muskellunge. For most of you who fish the Chippewa Flowage, your success rate is likely much better than 1 Muskie every 21 days. You can begin to see that assessing fishing pressure and angler success on the water is by no means an exact science as conducted by the Wisconsin DNR using creel surveys. To be frank, it is not science at all. It is a matter of anecdotal information being used to establish a statistical baseline; a practice that leads to reckless assumptions about fish populations, pressure and regulation.
HAS CATCH AND RELEASE CREATED FANATICS? By Ron Heidenreich © 2011 While attending our chapter's September1999 Muskie Inc. monthly meeting, a topic that has bothered me for quite some time got me thinking once again. At that moment, quite honestly, I was ashamed to be a member of the club knowing there were guests in attendance. We went through our normal business, and then our contest Chairperson gave her report. She usually reads off some of the larger catches or reports of unusual interest. Because of time constraints they all can't be read. During the presentation she read one affidavit which was accompanied with a letter explaining this member’s trip of a lifetime. The member and his partner each caught tremendous fish, 52" and 54" respectively. The letter went on to say that they chose to harvest each trophy. Before the letter was completed SNICKERS and SNIDE REMARKS were being uttered by our own M. I. members in the background. They apparently felt that these fishermen shouldn't have kept their fish, and let it be known. I was only thankful that the member wasn't there to hear this. Was this jealousy or just plain fanaticism? My guess is both. Some of these very people probably haven't caught a Muskie near the size of these two. Further, NO MUSKIE FISHERMAN has the right to determine what is or is not a trophy for others.
Having said that, it brings me to the next segment of this writing. Only a few weeks later I found myself in the same position as the previously mentioned members. But first I must give you a short history of myself, if only to lend some credibility to my point of view. I have been seriously fishing for Muskies since 1971. I have fished my way through the years when every 30" Muskie was killed, through early stages of catch-and-release, and continuing to where we are today. My last kept Muskie was a 30-pound fish I caught in November of 1979. It's possible I may have killed more, who knows. I do truly believe in catch-and-release providing common sense is applied. On October 24, 1999, I used a sucker to catch a 46 1/2 " 29pound 7-ounce Muskie. Even though my partner and I made an extensive effort to release her, she died, nonetheless. I suppose I could have given her a little shove, watched her glide away, and come in at the end of the day and thumped my chest. After all, I had just released a 30-pound class muskie. But I didn't. Now I have an affidavit for a muskie I caught and kept a trophy in every sense of the word, and I felt compelled not to turn it in to my chapter for fear of being ridiculed and embarrassed by my fellow members. No one should have to feel like this. I went to our monthly board meeting in November and this topic was discussed at length. Many board members were aware of the comments made and they were disappointed at what had happened during the September general membership meeting. I eventually did submit the affidavit. Two months later I noticed in the 'Lunge Log that my Muskie was the smallest fish in the Men's Kept Division for the year. I find it hard to believe that a thirty-pound class fish was the smallest fish
killed in ALL of Muskies Inc. in 1999. Maybe other members aren't comfortable admitting they kept or killed one! Think about this: When was the last time someone admitted releasing an unreleasable fish? Due to peer pressure we've put on ourselves, it's probably happening more often than we want to believe. Has this peer pressure turned us into complete FANATICS? Just maybe we need to take a real hard look in the mirror. This kind of thinking - that every muskie must be released - is not healthy. At last count in the 1999 Muskies Inc. Members Only Contest, we registered 9,208 fish. Who knows how many more weren't registered? Only fifteen of them were kept. Does anyone truely believe we released 9,193 live and VIABLE muskies? I wonder. All those anglers, warm water, cold water, trolling, casting, suckers, landing nets, hand landing, and last but not least photos! To how many fish did we give a little shove, then come in and thump our chests and say that we released them, when in reality we ultimately made turtle food out of them? Why would muskie anglers do that? Because we've been taught that every muskie MUST be released to fight another day. Right? Or are we afraid to ADMIT to keeping one? I 'd bet the latter occurs a lot more than we want to believe. If you don't believe the intensity of this "you must let 'em go" mentality, check out how Muskie anglers sign-off on the website message boards on Muskie Inc. and Musky Hunter Magazine (ie. let 'em go, let 'em grow, or let 'em live, etc.). Every speaker at every seminar concludes his presentation by hammering home the catch-and-release philosophy. That mindset is deeply rooted, although the basic philosophy is not entirely bad. Muskies Inc. has done its job promoting catch-and-release, and I don't mean it sarcastically. We should release Muskies but it shouldn't be considered the end of the world if we harvest one.
The bass and walleye clubs that I'm familiar with are very committed to catch-and-release. Those fisheries are also susceptible to over harvest but their membership isn't subjected to the high level of peer pressure we put on ourselves. I think our various boards within Muskies Inc. and all other Muskie clubs in the country should examine this. We need to educate our current members and the future Muskie anglers that releasing fish is great and should be done whenever possible, but don't ridicule and scorn those who choose to harvest one. We don't always know the circumstances of every fish caught, and the fact that what is a trophy to one person may not be a trophy to another. You never know, you might be the next person to be in this unenviable spot If we don't examine this issue we will all soon be looked upon as true FANATICS, in every sense of the word, and that isn't very glamorous. FANATIC (fa nat 'ik) noun, a person inspired with excessive and bigoted enthusiasm.
Catch And Release - Time For Some Straight Talk by Craig Sandell © 2013 This article is going to make a lot of people angry but it's time for some straight talk about catch and release and the negative effect that it is having on the Musky fisheries in Wisconsin. As most of you know who follow the Musky issues in Wisconsin, there is a philosophy being put forward by the Wisconsin DNR to have a universal size limit of 50 inches for musky on all Wisconsin Musky lakes. That is just plain stupid…actually a 50 inch size limit is stupid. You would think that people educated in fishery biology would have a better grasp of what it takes to have a healthy and productive Musky fishery. The short sighted fishery policy being put forward by Wisconsin fishery management people seems to support a belief that "age and education are no guarantee of competency or intelligence". Every Musky lake in Wisconsin has a limited forage base that can only support a limited number of Musky...That is what is commonly called "Carrying Capacity". The application of what amounts to a 100% release policy has resulted in the population
of Musky being unchecked and thereby overloading the carry capacity of many of the Northern Wisconsin Musky fisheries.. It doesn't take a degree in biology, just a little common sense, to recognize that too many Musky chasing too little forage will result in Musky that will never reach their growth potential. If you truly value our Musky fisheries, get your head out of your butt and deal with that reality. Certainly, there was a time back in 1969 when our musky fisheries were in need of drastic measures to save them from complete collapse. With the establishment of Muskies Inc., a voice for the policy of catch and release became a reality. In today's reality however, blind allegiance to catch and release has become the mantra of the fanatic. Catch and release now has the potential to destroy our fisheries for Musky and Walleye and Bass as well. High Size Limits Do Not A Trophy Musky Fishery Make!!! The Wisconsin DNR has not done a forage base assessment based upon boom shocking on these lakes for years. The guides who service these lakes are seeing Musky lakes, once considered a trophy lake, degrade to action lakes. The populations of perch, cisco and other forage fish on these lakes are no longer abundant enough to feed the predator species. Musky have to eat so if forage is not available they will turn to Walleye and Bass to fill their belly. The Wisconsin DNR, which is charged with stewardship of Wisconsin’s fisheries, continues to ignore its responsibility to inject informed fact into the discussions that happen at the Conservation Congresses that happen each year. The panel of
DNR representatives at these Congresses sits quietly in front of each gathering offering no counterpoint to an audience stacked with folks who have been duped into believing that larger size limits are the only approach to creating trophy fisheries. Then the DNR pronounces that "the will of the people" has dictated the need for higher Musky size limits while offering no informed biological assessment of the impact of such size limits upon the long term health of the fishery. It's not like the DNR doesn't appreciate the importance of the forage base to a healthy Musky fishery. In a recent article from the WDNR penned by Tim Simonson, he included a chart of the belly contents from kept and mounted Musky.
The chart he included is from 1994. The chart shows the importance of the forage base to a healthy Musky fishery. Unfortunately, due to the higher size limits resulting in 100% release of Musky, there is no current information on what Musky are eating but it is unlikely that dietary preferences have changed very much. So, if the forage base is this important to the health of a Musky fishery, why isn't the WDNR doing forage base assessments on Wisconsin Musky fisheries on a regular basis? The WDNR will most likely try to blame a shrinking budget but that is just another copout to avoid the development of good science. They seem to have the money to pay for useless creel surveys and uncertified Musky telephone surveys. As an example, lets look at Northeastern Wisconsin. As you can see from the illustration at the left, this area has a good population of water that is considered to be Musky fisheries. Many of these lakes were once considered "big fish" waters; among them Star Lake and Preque Isle Lake. They had that reputation because there was a robust forage base supporting a nominal Musky population. Today, that is not the case.
The higher Musky size limits and stocking practices have resulted in extreme pressure being placed upon the forage base. The result, according to local guides who have been fishing these waters for years, is that there are too many Musky chasing too little food. These lakes are now considered action lakes rather than trophy lakes. That was not the published goal of the WDNR when they increased the size limit on these lakes. The published WDNR goal was to enhance the trophy potential of these lakes through higher size limits. Of course, the WDNR station at Boulder Junction has no perspective or comment on the decline of these lakes. The reason for this lack of WDNR knowledge is the direct result of two major factors; 1.) The absence of a Musky population assessment prior to the imposition of higher Musky size limits and 2.) The disregard for the effect that higher Musky size limits would have on the forage base. So, what is it that I am suggesting to address the emerging decline of Wisconsin's Musky fisheries? Well, I am NOT suggesting that the WDNR needs to change...that is a lost cause. The WDNR has evolved into to a self-serving, self-propagating bureaucratic wasteland. • If Wisconsin's Musky fisheries are to be prevented from further decline and eventual collapse, the change has to come at our insistence. • We need to insist that the WDNR start a regular program of forage base assessments and, where indicated, start re-
stocking the forage base to balance the fisheries rather than to continue the stocking of Muskies. • We need to petition for the reduction of the size limits for Musky down to 44 inches so that pressure on the forage base can be reduced. • We need to discourage the policy of blind fanaticism promoted by Muskies, Inc. to catch and release and encourage a sensible holistic approach to enhancing our Musky fisheries. I am sure that there will be resistance to common sense taking the control of Wisconsin's Musky fishery policy away from commercial publications like Musky Hunter Magazine whose focus is on making a buck rather than the long-term health of our fisheries...After all, common sense is not necessarily a productive marketing approach. That is the other element to the problem that needs to be addressed. We have got to stop letting a small group of money motivated self-involved cult enthusiast assert control over long term Musky fishery policies.
Intelligent Harvesting In Bone Lake.... It's a Question of Balance Craig Sandell © 2020 There have recently been movements to increase the minimum size limit for Musky to 48, 50 and even 55 inches, thereby assuring an almost 100% catch & release. For those of us who suffered through the "Bad Old Days" when almost every Musky caught was kept, the concept of a 100% catch and release regulation seems to make sense. There is, however, sound reasoning that indicates that intelligent harvesting of Musky in a fishery will actually make that fishery a better fishery. This reasoning is based upon the concept known as "Carrying Capacity." We all deal with the concept of "Carrying Capacity" every day. If you overload your truck or car you may break a spring, if you overload the electrical outlet you may blow a fuse and if you overload a fishery you may end up doing more harm than good. Preliminary findings from the Wisconsin DNR's study of Bone Lake brings the concept of carrying capacity into a clearer focus. Bone Lake has enjoyed the benefit of Musky stocking for many years. The larger size of the fingerlings released has increased the survival rate of stocked fish. Consequently, the Musky population is robust. However, the rate at which Musky are growing is less than what was
expected. Indeed, the average size of mature musky has actually declined. Bone Lake is right on the cusp of having too may fish chasing too little forage. As another example, lets take one of the Wisconsin lakes where a 50 inch limit has been imposed for no other reason than to attempt to create a "Trophy Fishery". Lac Courte Oreilles is identified by the DNR as a Class "B" lake. That means that the lake is not capable of sustaining a completely viable Musky population without some stocking intervention. The pyramid chart shown here demonstrates a normal profile for a fishery and, for the purposes of this discussion, we will assume that Lac Courte Oreilles was balanced in this manner prior to the 50 inch size limit. The Musky at the top of the pyramid represents a population of top line predator that is small enough so as not to put undue stress upon the other resources of the fishery. The population of the mid-level predators is larger than the Musky population but not so big as to overtax the forage base that occupies the lowest level of the fishery pyramid. As long as this fishery maintains a relative balance between
these pyramid levels, the fishery will be healthy and productive within its capacity. Now that Lac Courte Oreilles has a 50 inch Musky limit, the harvest of Musky will be significantly reduced. The Musky that are the "eating machines" will not be culled and will therefore place pressure upon the mid-level predators as they seek to satisfy their appetite. (This has been seen in Bone Lake.) The hour glass chart shown here is a projection of how the balance of the fishery may be distorted over time. As more and more Musky eat more of the mid-level predators, they make it more difficult for the mid-level predators to establish a mature spawning population. The numbers of the midlevel predator will decline making it harder for Musky to catch the fish they must in order to have normal growth patterns. As mid-level predator numbers decline, the forage base will undergo a population expansion. These increased numbers will eventually place a greater burden upon the ecological system of the fishery. Unless the mid-level forage base is replenished, the fishery will move toward an imbalance that will eventually cause the collapse of the fishery. True, mid-level predators can have their populations increased by stocking. Of course, stocking is an expensive activity and with the imbalance at the top of the food chain,
the only thing that stocking will accomplish will be to provide more food for the Musky. The other solution is to harvest some of the Musky and relieve the stress upon the mid-level predator population thereby placing us right back where we started before the 50 inch limit was imposed. Although most Musky anglers consider themselves 'extremists' when it comes to conservation of the Musky resource through a devotion to catch & release; it appears as though, in some instances, conservation and care of the fishery is better served through the application of intelligent harvesting.
SURFACE BAIT ENTICEMENTS John Dettloff © 2011 Reprinted from the book Surface Bait Subtleties by permission There are many types of enticements that trigger Muskies into striking surface baits. First off, when fishing for active, shallow water Muskies, (fish that are relating to the surface) keep in mind that it is not uncommon for a Musky to see your lure coming through the air, just before it hits the water. Some strikes will come simultaneously as your lure hits the water. So, be ready for it! Remember that Muskies' eyes are on the top of their head and they look upward. They have been known to grab at low flying birds that skim the water for insects. I once had a musky dart out from underneath his haunt, come out of the water, and grab my Topper while it was still six inches above the water! If you fish long enough, you'll be amazed at what can happen. The next, and one of the key enticements to be aware of, is the period of time just after your lure hits the water. The splash of your lure is often a big attractor to a feeding Musky. And because the majority of strikes come just after the lure splashes down,… and setting hooks with a surface lure tends to be more difficult… make sure you stop your reel spool with your thumb to take the bow out of your line just before your lure hits the water. With a tight line you'll have a strong hook set when those early strikes come.
Other key enticements that trigger many strikes are the subtle wrist action twitches or lure speed-ups that I only like to use sparingly during each cast. (Remember: one twitch will go a long way.) When I get a follow on a surface lure, I never like to stop my lure. The musky is entranced on the lure's vibration (or sound) and, if the lure stops, so does the vibration. As far as the Musky's concerned, the lure is gone, and he may lose interest. When I spot a follow behind a "prop bait", (a Globe or Topper) I'll continue to keep the lure coming its normal speed for a few feet. And if the musky doesn't strike, I'll try a very slight speed-up and then a light twitch. I keep repeating these steps until the lure gets near the boat. But when I spot a follow behind a Creeper, Hawg Wobbler, or Mud Puppy-type lure (lures with much built-in action), there is little I can do to add further enticement so, aside from very slight occasional speed-ups, I'll just keep the lure coming at its regular
speed. If the lure nears the boat but the Musky still hasn't hit, don't rush it, you still have time to trigger a strike. When the lure is about 10 feet away from the boat, I like to create a slight angle change by sweeping my rod tip off to one side. The resulting slight vector change of the lure often triggers strikes. If not, when the lure arrives boat side, make a 90-degree angle change. This irresistible enticement tricks many a finicky Musky into hitting. It's a good idea to make sure you have your free spool button pressed and your thumb hard on the spool, just before you initiate this maneuver. This will enable you to get a good hook set, while at the same time allowing the Musky to make its usually explosive first run under the pressure of your thumb. But, if the Musky still doesn't hit on the right-angle change, just continue pulling the lure alongside the boat, making sure the lure stays on the surface and maintains its normal speed. I'll slowly walk the lure around the entire perimeter of the boat, adding an occasional twitch here and there, as long as the Musky keeps following. You could call it a huge "figure-zero" around the boat. Whether you choose to do a large FIGURE-8 or make a huge oval next to the boat, or circle the entire boat with your lure, doesn't matter that much. What matters is that you do something that will keep your lure working near the boat for a prolonged period of time to entice boat side Muskies into striking. I once had a 43 1/2-inch Musky follow an orange Topper (for the entire length of my cast) up to the boat, swim completely around the entire boat, and then hit the lure. Luckily, I had my button pressed and thumb on the spool the whole time I was pulling my lure around the boat, because when the fish hit, it was very explosive! Had my reel been engaged with my tight drag, I could have lost my rod when the Musky powered away.
Even if I don't notice a Musky following my lure, should I still do a FIGURE-8 at the end of each cast? This is a question that I get asked by many of my guide clients. Well, without a doubt, a wellexecuted figure-8 at the end of each cast is bound to increase your boat side catch percentage. But realistically, it takes time to completely execute this maneuver after every single cast; time that will slightly impede the coverage of the area that you're fishing because of the resulting reduction in how many casts you will make into that area. So in order to have the best of both worlds, at the end of each cast when using a surface bait, I always do an angle change next to the boat and then pull my lure parallel to the boat as far as I can reach - while carefully looking for the slightest hint of a Musky behind my lure. If nothing is there, I'll quickly rifle out another cast in order to best cover the area. But if something doesn't look quite right or I even think I see any kind of a flash, I'll immediately break either into a figure-8 or will continue working the lure around the boat. Never snatch the lure out of the water without at least doing an angle change next to the boat because you will eventually get burned and muff a good fish. And quite often it's the big fish, which tend to be a little lazier, that commonly come up late for your lure at the very last minute. You don't want to pull the lure away from these Muskies…you want to catch them!
Hooking Up With The Manta Jerk Bait By Craig Sandell © 2010 Jerk baits have a reputation for making the Muskie angler work. Most manufacturers recommend a rod with a good backbone and line with a test of at least 40 pounds. The 8" Manta is an exception to the rule of heavier tackle and it is extremely easy to use. The Manta is working on the first pull of your retrieve and it keeps working until you pull it from the water. The really neat thing is that it takes only a gentle pull to give it the side to side action that makes it a potentially productive lure (I recommended a 9" solid leader). Many anglers have expressed a concern regarding the "Hook Up" percentage associated with the Manta. The Manta, as is the case with other glide baits, is an erratic moving target. Musky will usually lunge at the lure and, as luck would have it, that is the time when the angler pulls on the bait and, in essence, pulling it away from the attacking Musky. There is no way to completely solve this presentation problem but you can do the following: Slow down your retrieve action. Make less exaggerated jerks during the retrieve. Pause your retrieve for a few seconds and then jerk the lure only slightly. These three approaches will have the lure in the 'strike zone' of the Musky longer and will also make it easier for the Musky to zero in for the typical 'side slashing attack' that is used by the Musky to overcome the blind spot at the end of its snout.
Summer Is The Time Of Acute Musky Fever By Al Denninger © 2010 Musky Fever hits Hayward…Hundreds stricken…Tourists bring fever to area…No cure found, only temporary relief for victims…Only heavy doses of fishing can relieve this thing called MUSKY FEVER!!! Summer signals the start of the hot action for the King of the Freshwater Fish. Musky are spreading out and more likely to be on main-lake spots. Weed beds are reaching for the sky, and the water-ah! The water temperatures are reaching a steady 68-74 degrees. Musky are putting on the feed bag. Big females are starting to show up; this is the time of the season when musky action is at its best. There’s more fish action now than in any other month. September might see more trophy fish, but late June through early July is when the real action takes place. Below is a list of a few lakes to pound in the first few weeks of summer. Lake Winter: Lots of good action on this body of water. It has produced some big fish. Purple Bucktails on sunny days and yellow on overcast are the hot ticket in June and early July—both sporting brass blades. Chippewa Flowage: Bucktails are the best all-around bait choice. Many prefer fluorescent or green blades with black hair. First work the weeds, concentrating on the edges. Key weed beds have deep water on two or three sides.
Surface baits are also a good choice. Creepers, Globes, Toppers and Water Thumpers are all in play. Lost Land Lake is usually solid weeds. Fish the open pockets. This lake is usually clear but can also be stained depending upon run off. Orange or purple Bucktails with gold blades are a good bet. Also, the Suick has been hot on this lake. Teal Lake always has dark water, and a brass or copper-bladed Bucktail here seems to produce very well. For surface baits, globes, Hawg Wobblers, or water thumpers. Spider Lake - Spider Lake produces well on Bucktails with silver blades. You may also have good luck with Crane, Slammers, and HiFinn’s sidewinders with gold and/or silver prism tape added to the sides of these twitch-baits-using silver tape on clear water and gold on stained waters. MAXIMIZE YOUR TIME ON THE WATER After reading the first part of this article, you get the picture that Bucktails are the guides’ first choice, and with good reason. Bucktails search the water fast. The more water you cover in your allotted fishing time, the more likely you’ll put your offering in front of an active musky. Remember, these fish are active now; water temperatures are in the favorite range, and females have had ample time to recover from the rigors of spawning. Weed beds have matured enough as to have fish set up feeding patterns. Many of these active musky will return to the same weed beds to feed. When you locate a large fish, note time, wind direction,
water temperature, bait, etc. Try to return the next day to that particular weed bed at the same time using the same bait. I have also found that fish seem to have a three-day feeding cycle. I’d enjoy talking to anyone who has noticed the same pattern. TACKLE TIPS The question of line comes up often: mono vs. braided vs. spectra. No doubt about it, you’ll fool more fish on mono, but I dislike the stretch. I prefer Courtland Micron. The no-stretch factor is a big plus in burying the steel. The same can be said of lines like TUF line. If mono is the route you want to go, make sure you spool up with 25-30pound test. Knots wear fast under constant casting pressure. For those anglers on Pig Patrol and for whom only 30 pound plus fish get your heart pumping, stick with Micron or spectra. Micron is pure white, but don’t let that keep you from trying it. TUF line is salt and pepper. Most braided–line fishermen use black, but remember the old saying, "Use a black Bucktail, ‘cause fish can see black the best!" So why use black line? Well, whatever your views on equipment, enjoy your time on the water. Enjoy as Hayward spreads the fishing fever. Good luck and tight lines.
Tips On Hiring A Musky Guide Craig Sandell © 2020 Every registered guide in the state of Wisconsin pays a fee for a license to operate as a guide. The guide also makes the following oath: I, _________________ do solemnly swear that I will well and faithfully perform the duties of the office of a guide licensed by the State of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to guide, direct and assist other persons in fishing in accordance with the provisions of s.29.512., Wis. Stats. How much does a guide cost? How do I know if the guide is good? What is expected from me as a client? Should I tip the guide? Why should I hire a guide? How much does a guide cost? Many guides will offer a half day or a whole day guide service. A full work day is 8 hours (no exceptions). Obviously, a half day should be half as much as a full day. The cost should not go up if more than one person is hiring the guide. Full day guiding usually includes the courtesy that you pay for lunch. A full day
guide job runs from $325 to $400 (half days are about $250). If you are paying more, then you are paying for a name as well as for a guiding service. Also, many guides will quote a price that is contingent upon having action...if you do not have action the price is usually less. How do I know if the guide is good? Ask other fishermen about the guide you are considering. If you hire a guide through the resort you are staying at you are less likely to get a bum steer. Ask to see the guide's License. Check out the guide's boat before you hire him; typically, a shabby boat is an indicator of a shabby guide service. Beware the guide that toots his own horn; if he is a successful guide other people will "sing his praises". What is expected from you as a client? Your responsibilities are to be on the dock on time. You should have your gear in good working order. You should NOT be drunk. You should treat your guide like a fellow Musky angler; not like hired help. You should pay when services are rendered. (All of these things, with the exception of the payment item, are things that you should expect from your guide. ) Should I tip the guide? Some guides, like Joe Bucher, expect to get a tip. In deed, Mr. Bucher has expressed that sentiment in print and pre-supposes to speak for hundreds of Musky guides on this issue (of course he fails to name any of those guides who share his sentiment). As a guide on the Chippewa Flowage, I view a tip as a reward for service above and beyond the performance for which you contracted!!! That brings us to the final question.
Why should I hire a guide? You hire a guide because he has a better knowledge of the fishery than you do and should, therefore, be able to put you on to some fish. If you are only up for a day or two, a guide is your best investment to a productive outing. If you are up for a week or two, you hire a guide to not only put you on to fish but to also give you some tips on where to fish the rest of your time on the water. Your guide should give you tips on the best lures to use (not just the ones that he sells), the best time of day to fish, and even the occasional tip on casting technique. All these things are reasons why you pay a guide to take you out fishing. Your guide should eagerly mark your map so that you can retrace your guide outing. If you get a level of performance that is greater than that which you feel you have paid for, then a tip is in order. Adjust any tip amount to be equal to the guide's extra performance. A Final Word !!! Remember that you are hiring a guide to enhance your fishing skills and knowledge and to increase your opportunity to catch a fish. Remember also that a person is able to be a guide because he spends one heck of a lot of time on the water fishing. If you were able to spend as much time on the water as your guide does, you could hire out your services as a guide. In fact, that is how many people who are guides became guides. • Beware the guide that only uses his brand of lure during the guide day. • Beware the guide who tells you nothing about the water you fish. • Beware the guide that assumes it is OK if he fishes for himself. (Remember, the guide is there to take
you to a spot and keep the boat in position while you fish...He can't do that if he is casting.)
GOOD SCOUTING & A FLEXIBLE TACKLE ATTACK Will Raise Overlooked Musky By: Craig Sandell, © 2014 Good scouting of the body of water you are fishing upon is essential to being a successful Musky angler. Even if you are sure that you "know" the water you are fishing, it doesn't hurt to take a couple of hours to revisit old spots and refresh your memory. In this article we are going to discuss scouting the "spot-on-a-spot" as well as some tackle tactics for producing fish on such a location. The first step is to identify a likely candidate. You do this by getting a good map of the body of water you are on and taking the time to locate likely fish locations. Once you have a few areas selected, you have to go out and look them over. The island shown here at the left is the island that we will discuss. Notice that the island has shallow weed growth jutting out from two points. An island like this looks pretty good, however, you need to really investigate a piece of structure like this to be sure of its potential. For what characteristics should you be looking? You are looking for saddle areas, shallow shelves, rock piles, gradually deepening water and the presence of a main river channel. Any two of these structural characteristics can be an indicator of good Musky potential.
NOTE: The vegetation you see in the picture above is no longer there due to high water and tuff winters. In this case, this structural piece has all of these characteristics and is, therefore, deserving of some close attention and regular stops during any Musky outing. The redrawn topographic representation of this island tells it all. There is more to this island than one might think. There is an extensive weed bed between the small island and the larger adjacent island. The extended shelf that tops out at 3 feet is surrounded by gradually deepening water. There is a main river channel on either side of this extended shelf acting as a "superhighway" for Musky in transit. How should this piece of structure be fished? This island is a prime candidate for a flexible tackle approach aimed at hunting for those fish that are not typically hunted. The approach is one of high percentage and versatility. You need to have four rods. Each rod is set-up with a different type of lure. You may elect to use different line weights and reels with different retrieve ratios. The four lure types are bucktail, surface bait, crank bait running at 4 to 10 feet and a crank bait running 8 to 15 feet...a glide or jerk bait should also be considered. The area between the two land structures has weeds and a depth of about 3-5 feet. Weeds are also close into all visible shorelines. A surface bait and/or a bucktail are the bait of choice in these areas. The sunken bar in front of the small island tops out at about 3 to 5 feet from the surface. The bar is a rock and gravel bar and is usually void of weeds. A bucktail is the lure of choice when in close proximity to
the bar. The drop-off ranges from the 3 to 5 feet at the top of the bar to 30 to 35 feet as you get more into the original river channel. As you work out from the bar, the lure of choice becomes a crank bait. Depending upon the depth, you would use the 4 to 10 feet deep running crank bait or the 8 to 15 feet running crank bait. Reels with different retrieve ratios will be helpful with this crank bait approach. Keep in mind that there are a good number of stumps at the 20 foot depth all along the contour of the bar. It is very likely that bait fish are suspended at the lower depths among the stumps. It is also likely that Mr. Musky is lurking around down there also. Two people could probably fish this area really well in about 20 minutes using natural drift and trolling motor positioning. Most articles like this one do not tell you where this piece of structure is located so you have no way to actually test out the scouting and tackle approach that has been discussed. This, however, is the Internet and the business of Musky America is to provide information that you can actually use, unlike some other websites trying to sell magazines or a guide's brand of lure. For those of you who fish the Chippewa Flowage, this island is Willow Island. It is on the East side of the Chippewa Flowage adjacent to Church Bar. This piece of structure has produced many respectable Musky catches over the years and is the location where at least two 55+ inch fish have been seen. If you are fishing the Chippewa Flowage, make sure that you visit this spot.
A Formula For Success By Craig Sandell©2016 Most Musky anglers are obsessed with getting that "edge" that will translate into their "personal best" Musky. To that end, we consume as much information as we can about the Musky habitat, Musky ecology, Musky lures, Musky tactics as well as the rods, reels and electronics. We consume so much information that it is inevitable that some of it gets lost as we battle water, weather and equipment. This June I was fortunate enough to be able to apply enough of this Musky information and catch my personal best. It was 10:30 in the morning under bluebird sky; a major feeding window. The wind was out of the East at about 12MPH with the water temperature in the upper 60s which, according to the books, should have Musky haunting the shallows adjacent to weed beds waiting of the wind to scare up some forage. I was fishing an isolated island that was surrounded by weed beds on all four sides with depths ranging from 3 feet to 12 feet. I used the wind for a natural drift down one side and an assist from my trolling motor for a controlled drift against the wind. The first pass yielded no action. Everything we read says that a single pass is likely to overlook an active fish, so I did another complete pass around the island without action.
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