Musky fishing.

[Dwight Hottle]

14 hours ago, Further North said:

 

 

14 hours ago, Further North said:

Has FFS been around long enough to ruin anything yet?

 

...I'm not saying it hasn't...or that it has...but I'm skeptical of claims like this that don't include data and real studies that take other factors into consideration.

As noted above, I don't have FFS and most likely never will...but that doesn't mean I'm willing to condemn it yet.

 

The state of Mississippi has changed the crappie limits on four lakes because of FFS.

https://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/outdoors/2024/06/21/livescope-leads-to-lower-crappie-limits-at-popular-ms-lakes/74154899007/

[Further North]

3 hours ago, Dwight Hottle said:

 

 

The state of Mississippi has changed the crappie limits on four lakes because of FFS.

https://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/outdoors/2024/06/21/livescope-leads-to-lower-crappie-limits-at-popular-ms-lakes/74154899007/

I think that's a solid move, and it'll add to the data we have to good decisions moving forward.

[Spankey]

I’m not a musky fisherman. I don’t set out to catch them. Eastern PA river rat who chases Smallies. Over the years catching some tiger and spotted musky has been a real treat. I’ve never caught one over 38” but you guys have some beautiful fish there. They like smallie baits. But catching them on 6# and 8# is hard on the fish. I guess this is what is meant by playing a fish to exhaustion. Even though you are not playing, just trying to land them. During the dog days of summer this seems more common. But I’ve been lucky and all seem to have faired up well. I’ve never touched (manhandled) a Musky, was told any Musky you were going to release do not touch them with your hands. Something I was told as a kid. But they are a neat creature and I can see the enthusiasm to fish for them. 

[gim]

On 6/25/2024 at 1:09 AM, Susky River Rat said:

Besides are you really musky fishing if you bass fish till to you see a musky on your FFS than pick up your musky rod?

 

That's bush league.  I don't know anyone that does that.

 

@Dwight Hottle there will be more restrictions on panfish in the future.  The state of MN DNR lowered sunfish limits from 20 to 5 daily last year on over 100 lakes here because they were getting annhialated through the ice with live sonar.

[Susky River Rat]

@gimruis welcome to PA musky fishing with FFS. You don’t have 2  100 bass days and boat 5 muskys in a weekend not doing it.

@Spankey I’ve caught one musky since I’ve switched over to smallies in pa. Fishing the same areas I used to catch musky at. I do not buy for one bit they love smallie baits with seeing what I have. That’s all I ever used to hear from the bass heads though. I have not had the same fortunes I have been told.

[Spankey]

My catching of Musky on the river has never been of any type of regularity. Very sporadic. Just a fun bonus. I’d like to catch a monster 40” plus and land him but it will be difficult on 6# and 8# test. I’ve been lucky on most of my catches where my hook ups were in the corner of the mouth but have been lucky that my lines had held up. 
I’ve never caught one on soft plastics. 
Fat Raps, Shad Raps, DT’s, Bomber A’s Bandits, Husky Jerks and Mepps Spinners. 

They have come off the bank with quick drop offs, typical smallmouth spots. A few hit totally unexpected close to the boat on lure retrieves. 
I’ll be back on the river soon for smallies. Lately been fishing the lake for that Monster Bass that I’m struggling with finding. 

[Further North]

On 6/26/2024 at 9:48 AM, gimruis said:

That's bush league.  I don't know anyone that does that.

I don't know anyone personally who does it, but I know of several who do it...some even publish YouTube video about it...

 

On 6/26/2024 at 9:51 AM, Susky River Rat said:

I do not buy for one bit they love smallie baits with seeing what I have. That’s all I ever used to hear from the bass heads though. I have not had the same fortunes I have been told.

I actively pursue muskies in our rivers and lakes, and in lakes in Canada.

The number of muskies I've caught that have eaten "smallie baits" or baits/lures/flies sized for bass dwarfs the number I've caught on big "musky sized" offerings.

 

[Susky River Rat]

@Further North that always puzzles me when people say it. I even dedicated  a year to throwing 6” and less basically bass style musky baits with no luck. Even in waste deep creeks. The big baits just work for me. Went back to mag dawgs reg dawgs,  dussas and various 8” and up hard baits and had much more success. 

[Further North]

7 minutes ago, Susky River Rat said:

@Further North that always puzzles me when people say it. I even dedicated  a year to throwing 6” and less basically bass style musky baits with no luck. Even in waste deep creeks. The big baits just work for me. Went back to mag dawgs reg dawgs,  dussas and various 8” and up hard baits and had much more success. 

Perhaps it's a local thing?

I don't know, but I do know what I've experienced.

We caught one in a river yesterday on an 8" Buford...

[gim]

25 minutes ago, Further North said:

The number of muskies I've caught that have eaten "smallie baits" or baits/lures/flies sized for bass dwarfs the number I've caught on big "musky sized" offerings.

 

I've downsized with many of my presentations over the years too and I've seen a dramatic increase in catch rate overall.  I don't catch that many muskies and I don't care that much how big they are; a muskie is a muskie, they're all difficult to catch compared to the other species I target.

 

Part of that equation is that I've focused more on specifically targeting tigers in 3 lakes near me and they are notorious for taking smaller lures - plus they just don't get nearly as big as a pure strain either.  I still use standard muskie tackle, but mostly later in the season when forage has increased in size.

 

One time each of the past 2 seasons, I have hooked into what I would consider a true behemoth tiger muskie - pushing 45 to 50 inches.  I could not land either one though.  They both went airborne and spit the hook when they shook their head.  Clearly very angry about being hooked.

[Further North]

My #1 bait for muskies:

5" Strike King Smokin' Rooster, Texas rigged over wire with a 1/4" oz. weight.

...to the point that I started makingmy own when Strike King stopped making them.

[Susky River Rat]

@gimruis I even did this with tigers.

 

@Further North I know people here swear by small baits to. For me it’s rarely worked.  I’ve ever been bass fishing a Ned. Stopped put on a dussa and bagged three skis  in 45 minutes didn’t even change where I was.

[Further North]

21 minutes ago, Susky River Rat said:

@Further North I know people here swear by small baits to. For me it’s rarely worked.  I’ve ever been bass fishing a Ned. Stopped put on a dussa and bagged three skis  in 45 minutes didn’t even change where I was.

I understand completely.

There are differences between fisheries.  Lots of contributing reasons.  Pressure, habitat, forage...

 

[Susky River Rat]

@Further North I fished along side a guy who swore by little stuff. At the end of the season we were about the same numbers wise. On the water together I usually had the edge.