Muskie fishing

[perchguy]

I have a new boat on order and for the first time ever I will be able to go after muskies. I would like some recommendations as to what type of rods and reels to purchase, what type of line and leaders to buy and what baits to get. I have never heard of anyone using live bait and I was wondering if anyone uses big minnows to fish for them.

Any info you can provide will be appreciated. :help:

[Slick fishing]

Hey there perch guy I dont have time to type everything you need to know about muskie fishing but here is a website that will help you with all you need to know.. Cya Slick http://www.muskie-lures.com/rocketman/index1.htm

[Slick fishing]

here is a place you can buy your releases and muskie baits good luck and be ready to spend some cash:lol: www.lapperlures.com and here is another site you can buy some muskie lures from he is a friend of mine http://www.jacksonlures.com/Commerce2/Badazz.htm well got to run Cya Slick

[Slick fishing]

Here are some good decent down rods for muskie fishing, you will need some longer one's for your planner board rods.. http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=120564&highlight=muskie+rods+sale
Cya Slick

[GOTCHA]

The muskie rods I use are Ugly stik, model #1120 7' in med-heavy action for the planer boards, Down rods I use a 6' Ugly Stik Tiger model #BWC 2201 Med action, for the long rods I use Charter Choice Rods there 10' and a med-heavy action, no model # there wore down and for the corner rods I run RP2 Tournament Series rods, 6'6 med-heavy action. As for the reels I use Penn 320 gti's, Diawa SG47LC with 40 pound Ande for the main line and 50 pound leaders, make sure you use leader material, can purchase at Lakeside tackle. A word of advice buy the best ball bearing snap swivels and snaps, Sampo's are what I use in the 125 # class. Crosslock makes a real good snaplock which gets tied to your main line. As for baits, well there's a subject we muskie fisherman love and hate, the more you bye the more you want and so on and on:yikes: It's hard to say enough is enough, but just a few to start with, Gotcha's by Lapper Lures, Wiley's, Lokes, Mason's, Lockness Lures, Nil's if you can find them . Well If I left anything out maybe someone else can offer some advice, oh yeah a good pair of long nose needle pliers and a Big net, good luck ;)

[ESOX]

Oh boy, I'll respond when I am absolutely positive my wife won't be reading over my shoulder.;)

[GOTCHA]

ESOX, that made me laugh, reminded me of a friend I took muskie fishing one time, two months later he spent upwards of $20,000, boat, rods, reels, baits ect ect, now he spends all winter turning baits and painting (Lockness Lures ) I thought his wife was going to turn on me :yikes: All cool now.

[kbkrause]

This site is a great start, but the best thing you can do b4 you sink a bunch of money is get out with someone who fishes for them in the style you want to fish (cast vs troll or both). It'll save you many hours of learning plus you can decide what you want to spend on gear. Be sure to keep an eye out for the TIN CAN NAVY opener post. Last year we had a bunch of guys off the site fish the opener and we had a blast! I still feel likeI'm just getting into it and I'm sure I have a $100s and $100s tied up already. On a site note, where is my new Rollie and Helens catalog... :)

[ESOX]

Ok, coast is clear. I had to wait for her to leave before I opened the hidden door to the hidden fishing equipment/ bomb shelter in the basement. (Gotta protect the important stuff).

Trolling, as in the rest of my life, I am a bit unconventional, but have come up with a system that works well on my little boat (17 1/2'). I tend to do a lot of serious contour following when I am trolling, and, while I will run the big boards on the open water, I have another setup that allows me to make some radical turns and such. For the structure tracing I will use:
Heavy Daiwa Heartland dipsy rods with Daiwa Sealine reels(SG47LCA), spooled with 65# Power Pro. These are my "out rods" they run at a 90 degree angle to the keel and are parallel with the water.
Ugly Stick CAL 1101 with Shimano Tekota 6000LC's. Spooled with 50# power Pro. These are my long line rods that run in a tubes on the gunnel tilted about 50 degrees up and 15 degrees out. they seldom get more than 1 oz of weight on them. They also double as board rods when running the big boards.
Ugly Stick BWC 1120's with Sealine SG47LA's again. More board rods......
Ugly Stick Tigers (7') in med light and med for down and wash rods. SG47LA's with 80# Power Pro.

Depending upon the lure I am running etc....I will use anywhere from 50# to 100# leaders in either hard mono or Floro.

Now if you want to talk about muskie casting gear, thats another post......:SHOCKED:

[muskihound]

Perchguy You should come out to the Muskie club meeting March 31 at 7:00 at Gander Mt (Utica). You will have an opprotunity to meet some great guys that love muskie fishing. And be able to learn more about the sport. any questions feel free to call.

Jim 586-771-5425

[ESOX]

:yeahthat: I missed the past few meeting due to circumstances, but will make every effort to be there this time.:)

[perchguy]

:yikes: :D :D Thanks for the invite. The 31st is the day I retire and and can't think of a better way to celebrate it! :D[ Sericously, thanks guys. It appears that there is way more to muskie fishing than I thought. I would like to hook up with someone to show me the ropes before I start spending a lot of money on the wrong
stuff.:cwm27: .quote=muskihound]Perchguy You should come out to the Muskie club meeting March 31 at 7:00 at Gander Mt (Utica). You will have an opprotunity to meet some great guys that love muskie fishing. And be able to learn more about the sport. any questions feel free to call.

Jim 586-771-5425[/quote]

[muskihound]

We missed you esox. Hope you can make it

Jim

[musky32]

Here are a couple of other good sites.

http://www.muskie-lures.com/rocketman/index1.htm - make sure you read the tips and tuning tips page as a minimum

http://www.muskyhunter.com/index.htm

As some of the others said, plan a trip with an experienced muskie fisherman who puts fish in the boat with regularity or better yet a charter captain. I have trolled for years and thought I was decent and caught my fair share of fish. Then I went on a charity fund raiser charter about 8-10 years ago. I didn't know squat. I learned more in that one day, than I would have in the next 10 years. We boated 16 fish in six hours, the biggest was 47-7/8". Since then I have done much better. I still think about going on another one with the same guy, thinking he has to be even that much smarter now, but I can't find his name. All I remember is he is out of Fairhaven.

The biggest thing to remember is you can't troll too fast, minimum of 5mph, and run as many double lure lines as you can. The first website tells you how to run the doubles. I usually run longer lines though, 6' on top, 6' drop and 8-10' on the bottom. There is a trick to keeping them neat while not in the water. I don't know if I can explain it without showing you. Maybe someone else can help out here. It is also an art of getting all of this in and out of the water without snagging yourself or your seats. Tune every one of your lures, it makes a big difference.

When you buy planer boards, make sure someone you know has run them, most drown when you get two or three lines running. Or make your own.

[perchguy]

Thanks. I wasn't aware that you could fish more than one bait off a rod. I guess that's why you use heavy gear. I am going to make it point to go to the meeting on the 31st. If anyone knows of a good muskie guide on LSC, please give me his name and telephone.

[Gone Fishing]

All I remember is he is out of Fairhaven.



Could it be Tommy Loy ... boat name: Big Fish (used to be Sardine if I remember correctly)

If anyone knows of a good muskie guide on LSC, please give me his name and telephone.
Try Steve VanAsche of Bushwacker Charters. Great guy and a very good fisherman.
Home 586 783-8985
Cell 586 524-2827

[JAMMIN]

I will also say that steve from bushwack charters is one of the best out there. He will put you on the fish for sure.

[perchguy]

Do you have a phone number for him. I tried to find him on line but I did't find him. Thanks for the info.

[sweatyspartan]

Bob Brunner's name has to be mentioned as best guides for Lake St. Clair. He is more casting oriented, but doesn have a wealth of knowledge about trolling too. He's in the fishing Hall of Fame for Pete's Sake. his number is 586 254 9209. At the very least you can pick up one of his books which outline all of his tricks and techniques.

He's also a really nice guy that answers rookie questions (I know from experience)

[GOTCHA]

www.bushwackercharters.com

[JAMMIN]

Could it be Tommy Loy ... boat name: Big Fish (used to be Sardine if I remember correctly)


Try Steve VanAsche of Bushwacker Charters. Great guy and a very good fisherman.
Home 586 783-8985
Cell 586 524-2827Give him a call!

[Slimshady]

If you want a truly unique Musky experience, call Jon Bondy. You can find him at www.lakestclairfishing.com

He catches them jigging in the river. Jon and his clients (including me) caught 4 over 50" last June and a bunch over 45". It is awesome when one of those monsters slams into your bait. It about rips the rod out of your hand.

[perchguy]

The consenses seems to be that the best way to learn muskie fishing is to take a charter with a knowledgable skipper. I have looked at the web sites that you have provided and it seems like it's going to cost between $500-$600 dollars for aan 8 hour trip. Since I will have just retired and am in the process of setting up a new boat, I can't afford that much on my own and I am wondering if anyone would be willing split the cost of a charter. We would need at least 5 fisherman to keep the cost per person with in reason. Send me a PM if you are interested. After April 1st, I am available any time if anyone needs a crew for fishing LSC, the Detroit River or the St Clair River.

[Rifleman99]

I can back what slim said. I orignally thought he was nuts about jigging for muskie on the river but it produces a lot of action. Check out the website he had mentioned( www.lakestclairfishing.com (http://www.lakestclairfishing.com) ) and check out his lure/bait he invented(the "bondy bait"). If the money is right, he is one heck of a guide that you really can learn a lot from.

[Slimshady]

A Musky trip with Jon will run you about $325-$350 for two people. You will learn a ton and it is the type of fishing that you can do from any size boat, for very little money (after you learn that is). I went once with Jon and then went on my own after that and did well (caught at least one fish each trip over 45 inches). There is an article about him and The Bondy Bait in this month's Musky Hunter. It just showed up in my mail box this morning.

Good Luck! Slimshady

[muskihound]

Perchguy

If you make it to the club meeting the 31st you'll be able to meet some great musky fisherman, as well as learn from them by asking questions. We have trollers and casters. And im sure someone would step up to the plate and take you musky fishing. Probably for just a few bucks for gas. Its a way you can get some knowledge without spending alot of money. I would still try to go with a guide or charter captian, you can learn alot. I go with a guide every year to learn something new. As a matter of fact I booked a day with Jon Bondy to get down this jigging concept that seems to be working so well. Hope to see you there.

Jim

[perchguy]

I plan on being there. The 31st is the day I retire and I have a luncheon at noon so I make no quarantees on what kind of shape I will be in.

[Gone Fishing]

If you don’t mind buying a Canadian license, I’m pretty sure I could get you out for a trip. I’m not a charter or a guide but I’ve been able to catch an occasional fish. Mid to late summer would typically increase the odds of better numbers. :)

[ESOX]

Catch an occassional fish or two.LOL Gone Fishing is one of the best fishermen on the lake, no matter what lake he is on. I wouldn't pass up that opportunity if I were you. Very, very generous of you John, as usual.:)

[perchguy]

Amen to that brother. John and I have exchanged PMs and we will try to hook up later on in the summer. Looking forward to Friday night.

[jeffff]

If you want to learn something about casting, a charter with Bob Brunner is a great way to go. Trolling catches more fish, but you have to fool with a lot of junk, and when the weeds are bad (which they usually are), it can be a real pain.

Casting with big rods and big baits is a blast. I don't mind a little trolling, but there's nothing like casting for the big boys. The first fish will hook you for life.

Also, a special hello to Jim. We got out once last year and then lost touch. I hope to see you on Friday, Muskiehound. We ought to try a little pre-season pike fishing again. I got a great one on the sni last fall.

[jeffff]

One more thing. I did a walleye charter with Bondy a number of years ago. He's a great guy, and he will get you on the fish. I'll split a charter with Bondy for Muskie with anyone, anytime.

[muskihound]

Hey Jeff

Heck yeah will get out for some pike fishing. Glad to here you are coming to the meeting Friday. Look forward to seeing you.

Jim

[jeffff]

If I'm not there, it's only because I have some crazy emergency job. I'll see you Friday.