Building a Musky Tackle Collection

Hey Guys,

I am getting into Musky fishing and plan on doing quite a bit of it this coming open water season. Looking for some insight.

I know this is an open ended question and everybody has an opinion, that’s OK, though. If you had to get started, what baits would you guys start your collection? I’m looking for a good assortment to be able to get after them in different scenarios. Not just top water, etc. Give me an assortment.

Thanks!

Bucktails
Bucktails
yep, more Bucktails

toss in a Suick and Depth Raider and you are good to go.

2nd the Bucktails, try Cowbell

I’d also throw in some large swimbaits

I was in a similar boat a couple years ago, and got a couple bucktails and Bigtooth Klack for casting and have put some ski’s in the boat. I would also add some trolling lures, as casting for 8-12 hours straight is pretty tough, and trolling is a whole ‘nother realm. Also, you may need different rod setups if you are throwing pounders or trolling really big bodied baits.

I don’t do much trolling but these are my suggestion for casting:

bucktail
suick
medussa
prop style topwater

Those 4 baits could get you through a whole season if you resisted the urge of buying more musky lures that most of us guys have.

Now that I am seeing a common theme of bucktails, any recommendations? How about topwater prop style?

Couple popular top water prop styles I have heard good things are:

Hi-Fin Tackle Scampertail
Musky Buster Mini Super Humper
Hog Wobbler

You will hear about every imaginable lure. You need to form a buying plan and stick to it. Unless you won the Powerball this form of fishing can drain your wallet in a hurry. Also, there are many, many guys who have dove into the sport over the years only to discover it’s a physically demanding form of fishing. My advice is invest a little and build your arsenal over the years instead of all at once.

It is rewarding when the big ol head comes up to take a slow look at boatside!

Dutchboy wrote:

You will hear about every imaginable lure. You need to form a buying plan and stick to it. Unless you won the Powerball this form of fishing can drain your wallet in a hurry. Also, there are many, many guys who have dove into the sport over the years only to discover it’s a physically demanding form of fishing. My advice is invest a little and build your arsenal over the years instead of all at once.

It is rewarding when the big ol head comes up to take a slow look at boatside!

I hear ya. I wasn’t planning on buying all at once. The wallet isn’t thick enough. Just looking for input on baits that guys have success with in different scenarios and likely go with the most popular one, for good reason.

same situation as you a year ago. Look a little farther down, there were two good threads if memory serves. Essentially what are your top five baits.

There will be some deals at the annual musky show. Set a plan before walking in(lure type, overall count, budget) and stick to it.

Also, match your rod to what you are buying. Just because someone loves a monster pounder doesn’t mean you have the rod to throw it. If you have the budget for one rod then pick lures that fit

I don’t know if you’re in the area, but the upcoming Musky Show is a good place to get info and stock up on lures, etc.
http://www.mnmuskieexpo.com/

Here’s the previous threads:

http://www.in-depthoutdoors.com/community/forums/topic/top-3-musky-lures-and-colors/

http://www.in-depthoutdoors.com/community/forums/topic/first-5-muskie-lures/

Don’t have any opinions on specific lures, however taking out a loan would be a good start.

keep it simple and build skill with just a few tools before you buy an entire mechanic’s set…

Musky Mayhem: Jr. Dbl Cowgirl (d-9 bucktail) chart/black
Lake X Lures: Fat Bast**d (topwater) black/orange
Chaos Tackle: Medussa (rubber jerk) reg size, lemon-tail
Joe Bucher Outdoors: Depthraider (crankbait) fire tiger

these are tried and true, easy-to-fish, efficient lures.
come to think of it, i should sell off all my stuff and just keep those 4 baits. i’d catch the same number, if not more muskies.

Feathers wrote:

Don’t go overboard. Remember fisherman catch fish not baits. Here is my suggestion to get you started.

Feathers,

Thanks for the insight. This information was very helpful in detail.

I know musky fishing is expensive to get started, and build your arsenal as you go. Which was my plan to begin with.

I think I will plan on checking out the Musky Expo this year.

Thanks!

Michael C. Winther wrote:

keep it simple and build skill with just a few tools before you buy an entire mechanic’s set…

these are tried and true, easy-to-fish, efficient lures.
come to think of it, i should sell off all my stuff and just keep those 4 baits. i’d catch the same number, if not more muskies.

Funny how that works no matter what species you are after! I’ve often wondered that. Is it better to become proficient at the lures that work the best? Probably is.

Kyle also remember, that new $30 lure is only new until it’s in the water. Then it becomes used. My dad always told me “if you borrow a lure from somebody grab the one with no paint left”. In other words a used bait that has caught fish is cheaper and has a proven track record over a bait thats new.

Your idea for the Muskie show is a good idea. Plan on going and attending the swap meet they have every year. There will be used baits and information available there. The swap is at a bar near the college. The name escapes me right now but somebody here will post it.

Good luck!

I have bought quite a few lures since I started fishing muskies 10 years ago. The most productive, and the ones I keep coming back to are:

1. Double Cowgirl
2. Double Showgirl
3. Prop topwater – Topraider would be a good first choice, although I had great success last year with a Lake X Fat monkeybutt – but they are expensive.
4. A jerk bait that you can work well and have confidence in. I like the Big Game jerkbaits.

Even though I have probably 70 lures, I use one of the 4 above probably 95% of the time (of course I have multiple colors of each). Those four types will get you some action in most situations.

The other that I hear a lot of good things about, but just don’t have a lot of confidence in myself is the Bulldawg.

Suick
Jake
Cowgirl
Ernie
99%of time

I think most importantly, before you buy any lures, what gear do you have now ? Depending on the rod / reel set up, that will actually dictate which lures you can use most productively.

It takes a higher end reel to throw cowgirls well, and also the big plastics. Make sure you have the right rod and reel set up before you buy lures.

Next, where are you going to fish is important. What types of lures are productive on the body of water you are going to fish the most.

Here are some nice basics to think about when starting out

Bucktails
Pan Ghosttail ( basic hair bucktail, very well built )
Double 8’s
Spinnerbait ( llungen / slither viper / CJ’s )

Crankbaits
Rapala Super Shad ( casting or trolling )
Big Game for shallow casting / twitching

Topwater
Headbanger
Lee’s Water Chopper

Jerkbaits
Bobbie

Depending on the gear and what type of shape your in, —

Cowgirls
Big Plastics

Not a bad idea to head to the MN Muskie Show coming up March 9th – 12th, pretty much everything in one place to compare

Good luck

If you ever plan on trolling I would highly recommend picking up a couple Rapala Super Shad Raps. I don’t consider myself anywhere close to an expert musky fisherman but I caught over a dozen skies last summer trolling Super Shad Raps at 3.5-5 mph

Will, what did you see for size? Any high 30’s and low 40’s that would indicate a diverse age population?