Tiger Muskie?

[Addicted2Koke]

Anyone here do any fishing for Tiger Muskie? I have done a lot of research on how to catch them and what to use but I can't seem to get them to bite. They will only follow my lures and not bite. I have tried reeling in slow, fast and even tried the figure 8 to no avail.

Every time I try to fish them I have them come in...Anyone have any pointers in getting them to bite??

[PRINCEMASTER]

fast action...big baits...alot of noise

[Addicted2Koke]

I have tried fast, slow, and even jigging action to make it look like an injured fish.

Not sure what the deal is.

[SGIndigo]

Originally Posted by Addicted2Koke

I have tried fast, slow, and even jigging action to make it look like an injured fish.

Not sure what the deal is.

Are they following in with speed, or lazily? If they're coming in hot, speed up your retrieve. If slow, then more erratic. You learn to read their "attitude" to better know what to do. Also when doing the figure 8, make sure when you're close to the boat, the pole is deep in the water, the change in depth can also trigger. Make sure your turns on the 8 aren't sharp, but BIG turns. Often it's better to do a big oval than an eight to make sure you aren't too tight. Tigers are very fast, but they don't turn so well. Don't stop your boatside maneuvers just because you think the fish is gone...often they hang out under the boat and watch longer than you think. Lazy follows don't result in a bite nearly as often as hot follows. I'm sure the water is still cold, too, making them somewhat lethargic. They don't get really aggressive until 65+ degrees surface temp.

What color are you wearing? Think in terms of camouflage. If the sky is blue, wear a light blue shirt. If overcast, light gray shirt. Sounds silly, but it can often make the difference in the fish hanging around long enough to be triggered to bite or spooked early. This is what flats fishermen do, and the fishing for Muskies isn't all that different.

How big are your lures? Many in the NW don't go big enough, in my opinion. Try trolling big cranks (like over 6") for a while just to get the net slimed. It's not nearly as fun, but it's still effective.

It's also quite possible you aren't doing anything wrong. Not every fish bites. It took me 26 full, long days of fishing to boat my first pure-strain Muskie. Tigers are easier, but still not easy compared to other species. You'll get 'em.

[Addicted2Koke]

Thanks SGindigo! That is very good info...The tigers that are following my lures are following lazily. When you say slow then to make it more eratic...I have tried eratic but it doesn't seem to matter. Last thing I tried was a lure that looked like a baby bluegill. I retrieved it as if it was wounded and dieing.

The size of the lures I have been using are pretty big in my opinion but not 6". I will have to try larger. Any suggestions on what type of lure?

As for the my clothing, I didn't even think about that because everywhere I read about them they say that tigers are not wary fish at all. Didn't think I was spooking them because they would come right in at my feet.

Thanks again!

[Addicted2Koke]

One more thing. Last year I tried using wire leader like some people recommend and was told by a few guys that the wire leader was the reason and to use braided 30lb line. Didn't seem to help.

[SGIndigo]

Originally Posted by Addicted2Koke

One more thing. Last year I tried using wire leader like some people recommend and was told by a few guys that the wire leader was the reason and to use braided 30lb line. Didn't seem to help.

Just like every other type of fishing, it's about maximizing percentages. Muskies aren't supposed to be leader shy. Not wary? They're at least "highly observant", as an apex predator should be. If you can get an extra few seconds of attention, your hooking percentage will increase.

It's funny to fish for them out in the Midwest where muskies are a way of life and then out here where it's a recent thing and the lore and tactics are being reinvented organically. I've lived in Portland all my life, but my girlfriends family is in Minnesota, so I've been going there (or Wisconsin, Ontario, Illinois, etc.) a month or two a year for the past ten chasing the stupid muskies. There's a book called "Muskies Suck"...a more apropos title has never been penned.

No, you don't want to use braid with no leader. Those hundreds of teeth are very sharp. You may get away with it, but 30lb isn't where I would start, more like 80 or 100lb. Wire should work, fluorocarbon is better. I've seen Spro 50lb fluoro leaders out here at Fisherman's, which would work great. I use 150lb Stealth Tackle fluoro leaders, 14" for casting and 3' for trolling. I also make my own with a crimper out of 150lb Seaguar.

The problem with wire is that it breaks after a while. Steel frays, sometimes badly. Titanium breaks without warning (at least with steel you know it's about to go). Single strand is safer, but none of them are great for rolling fish (tends to mess 'em up a bit, which isn't optimal for a near 100% C&R fishery). You can see the nicks in fluoro. I've used some fluoro leaders for years without a break. Those Berkley wire leaders are pretty fragile. If you ever want company at Merwin I could give you a few proper leaders.

Sounds like you're maybe using Storm Wildeye Bluegill? Those are good lures, I've heard they like the Wildeye Pike pattern, but haven't tried it yet despite having them in my box a couple years. But yeah, they're pretty small. It's good that you're getting follows on them, though, where there's follows, there's hope. Back in the Midwest you would have what's called a "throwback lure", on a rod sitting there ready to go when you get a follow. After you get a follow and the fish leaves, you cast the throwback lure out asap to give them another look. It's usually a big plastic of some sort, like a Bulldawg or a DeLong Eel.

I took a picture of a few lures I use in Washington Tiger lakes.



Just finding the fish can be perplexing, and you sound like you're doing good there!

[Proteus503]

Muskies are smart fish. I fish for them often in northern wisconsin. the follow-ups that you've noticed are very common. bright colored shirts, heavy line, shiny and/or loud boats, sunshine... all your enemies when targeting this fish

Big bucktails work well, also had great luck with jerk baits and large rapala-like lures. the only time i've used live bait is in the fall before ice-over when they're really trying to pack on pounds for the winter months. large sucker minnows work great for this.

Believe it or not, I have never used wire leader or big line... I use 12 pound test and a 10-20lb steelhead / coho spinning rod. I definately think that they are leader shy. They always seem to attack lures from the side, usually from the top. I've caught a few smallmouth bass that have musky teethmarks on them and they are ALWAYS pointed downwards, chomped around the dorsal fin. this being said, they do not swallow lures like a chinook would. This would explain why i have never had a musky break a lure off by cutting the line. I have had alot of bite-offs while bait fishing though.

In the summer months, when the water is warm, topwater lures work great... poppers and buzz-bait take-downs are awesome to watch!

concentrate on shallow rock bars / reefs, edges of weed beds, structure, anywhere there would be small prey fish.

Definately a fun fish to catch. not my favorite to eat though. If you dont plan on keeping the fish that you catch, I strongly urge you to pinch down the barbs on your lures or switch out the trebles with barbless siwash hooks. handle these fish as minimally as possible, treat it like a native steelhead / salmon. handle with wet hands, release in water, etc. they have a slime layer on them that protects them. beware of the teeth!

Northern pike are very similar to muskies, a bit smaller, but much better eating.