Musky Fishing Tips
If you want to catch a musky, you’ll need a heavy bait-casting rod, substantial level-wind reel, 20-35 pound test line, a variety of artificial lures or live bait, and a lot of patience. Allow at least 20 minutes in each location before moving on—the large fish usually aren’t very active.
Until you establish your favorite musky spots, select locations based on water
temperature, water depth, and weed/plant cover.
Keep track of successful locations at
different times of the year. Muskies may move from warmer areas in the spring and fall to
cooler areas in the summer. Although muskies often feed in shallow areas, some anglers
report success at depths of 15-35 feet, especially in summer.
Keep surface lures moving and retrieve with noisy and erratic action. When you get a bite, set the hook immediately and firmly and keep a taut line. Muskies are difficult to land and may take more than an hour. Expect a ferocious fight—the fish may leap, wrap the line around a stump, bend the hook, or any number of unexpected antics.
Tiger tips
Tiger muskies are the offspring of muskies and northern pike, and as
such, they share behavior characteristics of both parents. 
They
appear to be less tolerant of warm water than muskies, so they tend to retreat to deep,
cool water in summer. However, they often feed in shallow waters during early morning and
evening.
Hybrids don’t usually grow as large as muskies, but they can be even more aggressive and may strike lures more readily. Because of the fish’s smaller size, small musky lures or large bass bait is recommended. The world record for a tiger musky is 51 pounds and 3 ounces, set in Wisconsin in 1919.
- Back to main musky page.
Sources: "Muskellunge," written by Maureen Mecozzi, Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources brochure, January 1989.
Fishes of Wisconsin, George C. Becker, University of Wisconsin
Press, 1983.
"Tiger in the Woods: The Jungle Book on Tiger Muskies," In-Fisherman, April
1998, pp. 104-108, 110, 112, 114.
"Tell You Something about Big Muskies," In-Fisherman, September, October,
November 1998, pp. 38-43.
