Nice pictures and that's some beautiful clear water! Really jealous of that rain cloud!!!! I'll try to take pictures of muskies next time I see them when we're bowfishing. We've seen some truly huge ones... and usually, if we see muskies... our target fish are off hiding somewhere else. I'm not sure why a big ol' gar or 20 lb carp avoids a musky but they don't like to hang out together. Musky must be bad neighbors.
Yes, but usually try to avoid them. 1) If there are a lot of pike around, it means there aren't a lot of muskies. 2) They are hard on flies. 3) Thinking you have a muskie on, only to find out its a pike, does not make us happy. They are indeed. Carp are pretty paranoid fish anyway, but muskies will hit something much larger than they can possible swallow.
Vito... I want to just catch a muskie... I don't care what size, what tactics, etc... I just want to catch one... we have them here in the New River... but I've never caught one... never tried. So If you were to tell a complete newb, the best way to catch a muskie with spinning gear, out of a river... what would your advice be? What do you look for? What kind of lure would be most likely to catch one... no matter the size. Awesome pics... I'm jealous.
Great pics! That looks like a blast. I've seen guys throw huge spinners and catch them at a local lake, but I've never tried it. What is the ideal water temp for good bites?
Large bucktails is probably the most popular and commonly used bait. You can fish them at a variety of speeds, and in a variety of different waters. They are also the easiest to fish. You just straight line retrieve them. Find a speed the fish want that day. Sometimes they want it slow rolled, and some days they want it burning. Always make the L turn at the boat in case one is following behind. A lot of guys get fish on the Figure 8 when fishing bucktails. Larger crankbaits are another option. Either straight line retrieve, or erratic with frequent pauses. Low to mid 70s is usually the best, and it happens in June in most of the midwest states.
Great pics! I fished a paddle fishing tournament this weekend on the New River (the one Aaron spoke of). About 20 guys including myself signed up for the "muskie challenge" and only one was caught. AND that was with a fly-rod, 36 incher. I've never caught one yet. Had a follow which scared the hell out of me. Wasn't expecting that monster to come right up to my kayak.
Very cool pics. Looks like a good time. Great looking waters! I haven't had a tug from a muskie in a long time.
Might be harder from a kayak, but always make that L turn at the boat! They will come out of nowhere. When they do, they use hit on the L turn or the fish big sweep in the Figure 8. Stay after them Donnie...you'll get one.
Sweet pics! The water looks tropical, are you sure you weren't fishing off the coast of Miami? Nice Fish!
