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Muskellunge

Introduction

Three subspecies of muskellunge populate North American rivers and lakes. They are the Great Lakes muskie (Esox m. masquinongy) in the Great Lakes basin; the Chautauqua muskie (Esox m. ohioensis) from central New York State through the Ohio basin; and the Tiger muskie (Esox m. immaculatus) - a pike-muskie hybrid, from Manitoba through Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

Muskies have been successfully introduced along the East Coast from Missouri to Alabama and today muskie fishing in the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania rivals that of the Great Lakes states.

Behaviour

Muskies are fantastic opponents, and are the fastest growing and largest member of the pike family. Anglers catch many muskies weighing twenty pounds, and several are caught every year weighing between fifty and seventy pounds. The older fish are usually the largest, and the average fish caught is from five to eight years of age.

At ice-out in the spring, females move to shallow bays and feeder streams followed by groups of smaller males. The fish spawn at night in water 53-57ºF. If the weather suddenly cools, the fish will avoid releasing the eggs until conditions improve. Most spawning is complete when the water temperature is 60ºF. The muskies leave the spawning grounds and return to deeper areas of the lake.

To find muskies in rivers, look for deep holes near feeder streams, or brush piles, underwater logs, undercut banks, and rock shelves. A potential hot-spot area includes a deep hole or strong current where a stream enters the river, with underwater brush bordering the deeper water.

After a rain, look for muskies on the clearer side of the feeder stream / main river mud line closest to deep water.

In lakes, large muskies are territorial and solitary monsters requiring over 5 acres of foraging space. Muskies are sometimes hard to find, but most prefer warm water about eight to twenty feet deep. Muskies are found at weed bed edges along steep drop offs, around beaver lodges, rocky ledges continuing into twenty feet of water, reedy bottoms in ten feet of water, and among submerged rocky reefs ten feet deep and sandwiched between a shallow bay and a deep-water drop off.

Fishing Techniques

A general muskie outfit consists of a heavy five-and-a-half-foot rod, a bait casting reel with a high retrieve ratio (five to one) and smooth drag, and one hundred yards of twenty-pound-test monofilament line or Dacron line.

A dependable muskie lure for the spring and fall is a big buck tail spinner with large blades. Surface lures are more effective in the summer, and some anglers use eight to twelve-inch live suckers for bait. Live bait is not recommended; the muskie will swallow the hook and seal its fate.

When casting for muskies, patience is the name of the game. Cast to areas that are suspected of holding fish, and change the lure only after at least twenty casts have been made to the same area. Sometimes an area requires hundreds of casts with the same lure to trigger a five-foot-long torpedo strike.

Casting is generally the preferred method of fishing for muskies, but in some areas trolling is a popular catching technique. Some states ban all muskie trolling, so anglers must check the local fishing laws. If trolling is permitted, use two rods secured to the holders on the boat. Troll two lures, one about fifty feet behind and the other about twenty feet behind in the wake of the motor. Vibrations and surface commotions attract the muskie.

Muskies attack jerk plugs pulled through the water with long sweeps of the rod. Use a short strong spinning rod and light saltwater spinning reel, or use heavy bait casting equipment to throw these big plugs. Work the maximum action of each plug while retrieving the lure with full sweeps of the rod. Some lures may be jerked five or six feet with one sweep, and the quicker the retrieve the better.

Surface lures should be worked in an erratic manner. Vary the retrieve and change the rhythm to provoke a muskie. Anglers may cast jerk plugs for hours, and the technique requires much stamina and concentration. When a muskie follows the lure a few feet from the boat but does not strike, lower the rod into the water and move the rod in a fast figure-eight design. Continue the motion even if the muskie appears repulsed by the lure - two minutes later it may return with a strike. Use the figure-eight motion for all surface lures, and add a jerking motion to a jerk plug's figure-eight (requires practice).

If a large muskie is hooked beside the boat, let the fish run to tire it out before bringing in a dangerous fish full of fight. Set the hook a few times and let the fish run from the boat, else the line or rod might snap. Maintain a steady pressure with the rod held high, especially when the fish charges at the boat. Let the muskie tire, and retrieve the line only when the muskie surrenders it.

Muskie fishing is "one of the fishing thrills of a lifetime," according to one angler. Unfortunately, many anglers fail to practice catch-and-release fishing. Larger muskies are in decline, and in some areas even small muskies are rare. Responsible anglers never kill a muskie, but leave the powerful fighter to battle another day.

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