Musky Lures

[KSanford33]

Let me preface this by saying I mean no disrespect to the lure manufacturers. 
 With that being said, why do musky hard baits look like they were made by a middle schooler in shop class? Especially when you compare them to bass hard baits. I’ve included two pictures below for context. 
 

 

[Scott F]

Musky lures are designed to catch muskies. Bass lures are designed to catch fishermen. 

[Tackleholic]

1 hour ago, Scott F said:

Musky lures are designed to catch muskies. Bass lures are designed to catch fishermen. 

Aren't most Muskies caught when fishing for other species?

[T-Billy]

2 hours ago, Scott F said:

Musky lures are designed to catch muskies. Bass lures are designed to catch fishermen. 

👆This. Muskie baits are still very much a cottage industry as well. A large percentage of them are handcrafted in small shops here in the USA and Canada. 

53 minutes ago, Tackleholic said:

Aren't most Muskies caught when fishing for other species?

Nah. Lots get caught while fishing for other species, but not in the numbers that muskie anglers catch them. 

[OHBuckets]

Ha ha - I've caught a 37" musky on a 1/2 oz Aruku lipless, and a 13" LMB on a Detonator :)

[T-Billy]

You have to admire those bass ambitions sometimes. 😂 I caught a LM about 13" on a 9" Grandma last year, twitching it around deep laydowns. It even had the front hook. Crazy fish.

[gim]

Most of my muskie lures are really good at catching northern pike.

 

So are my bass lures.

[Further North]

1 hour ago, T-Billy said:

You have to admire those bass ambitions sometimes. 😂 I caught a LM about 13" on a 9" Grandma last year, twitching it around deep laydowns. It even had the front hook. Crazy fish.

We catch a lot of smallies on musky flies every year...most of them are big...

 

 

 

Both of these work on bass, pike, and muskies...

 

 

 

[Jigfishn10]

Beautiful flies @Further North! Love em  

[Further North]

3 hours ago, Jigfishn10 said:

Beautiful flies @Further North! Love em  

Thanks.

Super easy to tie as well.

[spartyon8]

On 1/12/2025 at 7:08 AM, OHBuckets said:

Ha ha - I've caught a 37" musky on a 1/2 oz Aruku lipless, and a 13" LMB on a Detonator

I caught a 43" musky on a weightless Berkley Pit Boss. I have also caught some of t-rigged tubes. 

[DaubsNU1]

I have caught seven or eight Musky in my lifetime, all on bass lures.

 

Rattle trap, spinner bait, jerk-bait, and one lure that shocked me...

 

About 30 years ago I was fishing a 500+ acre lake in northeast Missouri...it had been stocked with Musky.

 

I was fishing some flooded timber in my belly boat. Pitched a pumpkin green jig with craw trailer next to a tree in 20' of water. Watched my new braided fishing line carefully.

 

Lure reached bottom and stopped....then I saw the line slowly move to the side..."hello Mr. Bass...." I set the hook and immediately cursed. It felt like I had set the hook right in to a log.

 

Then the log moved(!)

It was a good fight, with the big toothy predator spinning me around in that little belly boat. I managed to kick to shore and somehow got the jig out and the fish released. There was no way I was putting my fingers in that mouth. Good fun!

[Mdd71]

I have had the luck to catch many Musky in the Niagara River.  Most if not all were caught casting large jointed  hard baits and yes they did/do look rather archaic by todays standards. I guess they are more attracted by the movement than the high end graphic  meant to catch the fisherman's wallet.