PROSTAFF - Pennsylvania >> Musky Misconceptions
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The muskellunge is the most misunderstood freshwater game fish in North America. Decades of folklore passed down from previous generations have made it even tougher to separate fact from fiction pertaining to the elusive musky. As I have devoted the past 15 years of my life chasing and studying muskies, I have come to realize that there are many misconceptions pertaining to the musky and the techniques that are required to catch them. In this article, I will attempt to dispel some of the myths and share some helpful information that will help you catch the "fish of a 10,000 casts." Misconception #1 - It takes about 10,000 casts to catch a musky Even thought it seemed like 10,000 casts before I caught my first musky in 1990, it was probably closer to a few hundred. There is no doubt that catching muskies is difficult when compared to walleye, bass or even trout but if you have the right tackle, location, knowledge and patience your first experience should be well under 10,000 casts. Many first time musky catchers 'hook' their first musky while fishing for some other species. Landing the musky on the 'wrong' tackle becomes the real problem. When and if you decide to get serious about catching your first musky, there are a few things you can do to keep the number of casts to a minimum. First, you must find a body of water with adequate numbers of muskies. It doesn't take a genius to know that muskies will not be in every pond, river, or lake in your area. Check your state's conservation reports pertaining to local waters and narrow down the chances of NOT connecting with a musky. Secondly, I would advise that you become very familiar with musky habitat within your body of water. By doing this you are merely narrowing down the areas that do NOT hold good numbers of muskies. And third, ALWAYS be prepared to catch a musky on the next cast. While most of my clients are constantly being briefed on where to cast and what to do if they hook-up, most of you will hook your first musky without someone knowledgeable on board to give you helpful advice. Several times in the past 10 years has someone gotten 'bit' and was not ready for the several minutes of fury that accompanies and angry musky being wrestled to your boat. Being prepared can save you and the musky lots of pain and anguish. Having a large enough net/cradle, keeping hooks sharp, checking snaps and split rings and having a good hook removal system are just a few of the items that YOU control so the supposed fish of 10,000 casts does not get away and can be returned unharmed to bring joy to someone else. Misconception #2 - The bait you are using is too small or too large. This misconception is one of my favorites to discuss at seminars and sport shows. There has been plenty of talk the past couple of decades about bait size and musky catching. Muskies, especially large ones, have particular types of forage they prefer to eat. As with any top end predator, "matching the hatch" does have an impact but is not as crucial as when fishing for trout or walleye. The one rule I try to apply in respect to musky fishing and bait size is "smaller in the spring and large the rest of the time". Spring to me is defined as water that is warming but has not yet reached the upper 50's. In Northwest PA, this is usually from opening day until the end of May. I have increased my springtime musky catches by staying with baits in the 5-7 inch range. Once the water temp reaches the upper 50's, I switch over to baits with a much larger girth in the 8-12 inch range. If my body could handle the punishment, I would throw larger baits but I suppose that is why trolling was invented. Ask any warm water biologist and he will tell you that it would be very difficult to use baits that are TOO large except for the spring time. As a general rule, adult muskies and pike will eat fish from 1/4-1/2 their own length and up to 20% of their own weight. So if you ever find yourself wondering if you have the right size bait, just remember that a 50-inch musky will eat forage that is 10-25 inches long and 8-15 pounds! There have been several situations when musky anglers land a very large musky and during the process of unhooking the fish they have noticed the tail of a very large fish in the throat of the musky. In some cases, the fish was extracted from the musky only to find a very large trout or walleye. The amazing thing is that with all that food already consumed by the musky, she was still feeding on someone else's offering! If you will downsize your baits in May and beef them up the other 9 months of the season, your chances of hitting a musky will increase. Misconception #3 - Those darn muskies have eaten all the walleye in my favorite lake. Unlike humans, muskies will only eat what they need. Since muskies are a top end predator, there just aren't enough of them to wipe out an entire population of game fish. If anything, the muskies will help strengthen future generations of game fish by eating the weaker, less-elusive game fish within a given body of water. Furthermore, muskies are a very frail sport fish themselves with over harvesting being their biggest predator. It can take 14-20 years for a musky to reach 50 inches in most environments. If the current attitude toward muskies and their supposed ability to wipe out entire populations of game fish continue, anti-musky anglers will continue to mistreat this truly awesome fish. Misconception #4 - Muskies must not eat much during the summer months, if they did, I would be catching more of them. On the contrary, a muskies' metabolism is the highest when water temps are near 73 degrees. In most cases, this will occur between mid-June and mid-July in Northwest PA. Once water temps reach 80+ degrees, feeding will slow due to the extra stress placed on the fish. It has been said by several musky experts that during the summer peak (the time when the water temp is very near 73 degrees) that larger muskies will eat about every 8 hours. Contrary to popular belief, muskies are eating more now than any other time of the year. So you might be wondering why summer muskie fishing can be so difficult? The answer is increased competition and fishing pressure. Muskies eat anything they want anytime they want. All fish, muskrats, ducks, snakes, etc., under 15 pounds and less than 25 inches in length are potential table fare for this top end predator. When you add in the newly developed fry from the previous springs' hatch, no wonder musky fishing can get tougher. Plus, if you factor in the increased amount of fishing pressure, muskies will become conditioned to repeat offerings by anglers. It is a very good idea when fishing for high-pressured muskies that you change the type of bait you have been using. This change might be a slightly different color or new baits all together. As most of you know just about any type of fishing gets tougher during the summer but the reason isn't necessarily due to the 'dog days' of summer. It is directly influenced by abundance of food, rising water temperature, and in some cases, increased angling pressure. Misconception #5 - Mid to late winter muskies can ONLY be caught on live bait or soft plastics. Absolutely NOT! While we know that muskies are considered a warm water fish, they are on the cooler end of that spectrum. During the cold water period (the period when water dips below 40 degrees) of mid-winter, a muskies' metabolism is very slow in comparison to the summer months. This translates to the muskies food requirements being significantly lower than in the summer. Many musky fishermen tend to slow things down during the cold-water period due to the decreased activity of the musky. While live bait and soft plastics can produce good days of musky fishing, do not rule out trolling or casting large, deep diving crank baits. The more I experiment with casting and trolling in water hovering in the mid-30's, the more I am impressed with the number of fish I can contact in a given time period. It is conceivable to average a musky or two during the cold-water period. Knowing where the muskies are seems to be the crucial ingredient in increasing your catches during this time. As most die-hard fisherman will admit, January fishing in Northwest PA can be brutal. Hands and feet are numb while your face can wind burn beyond belief. These are the days when you want to make your time on the water count the most. While drifting live bait or casting large jigs can produce muskies, it pails in comparison to the numbers of fish that will see/hear your bait if you are trolling or casting large crank baits. My suggestion for cold-water muskies is simple. Continue using large plugs with lots of wobble whether you are casting or trolling. Jointed plugs or those with rattles can wake the lethargic giants and hopefully increase your catches during those brutally cold days. If trolling these plugs, slow your speed down as low as possible. You only want to go as fast as necessary to make the plugs wobble. In rivers, this may mean 1 mph if traveling against the current and a little faster if going with the current. In lakes, the natural current will not be a factor unless it is very windy. Sometimes you can even turn off the engine, throw out a drift sock (or not) and set your lines to troll with the wind as your propulsion. Another crucial factor in locating and catching muskies during the cold water period can be finding gas seeps or springs. Lake bottom areas with seeps or springs can be the gold mine you dare not to tell even your closest friends about. These areas are fish magnets due to the fact they act as a giant aerator and will pull smaller fish into those areas. In turn, larger fish will use them for the forage potential and for the cooler/warmer water contrast they provide, but only during the extreme heat of summer or the extreme cold of winter. Many times these seeps/springs will be very small and might only hold a few fish but it seems like only the larger fish will be there. I am not sure why but I have a hunch that it pertains to the pecking order of the animal/fish kingdom which provides the best spots for the dominant species in that environment. When it comes to cold water musky fishing try to keep this fact in mind: The larger females have to have nourishment to keep their fat stores replenished so her eggs can have a healthy development. It is by far the best opportunity to land a fish of a lifetime and turn a cold, miserable January day into one of the most memorable fishing days you will ever have. For those musky hounds out there, I have compiled a list of the top musky waters within a 90-minute drive in the Northwest PA area. This list is merely a regurgitation of previous studies published by the Fish Commission. In NO particular order, these top destinations are as follows:
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