Musky Trolling – – help!

Got the musky bug a couple of years ago. I usually fish lakes with a lot of slop. I do a lot of the traditional casting but next year I want to try some serious trolling on the St Croix – which I know pretty well from years of walleye fishing. I just bought a nice 9’6″ Med Hvy trolling rod and a wide format reel with line counter. My questions for you guys, if you will advise is, Braid or mono? What are your favorite trolling lures? Jakes? Believers? or ??? Any other tips for musky trolling much appreciated!!

I’m a fireline guy but you will get many responses that say mono. My advise is two fold. 1) you can’t troll to fast. It’s hard to believe but those pesky things are fast and will smack anything! 2) Go BIG, 10″ long baits are just a snack for them.

Most important thing to remember when trolling. Have the drag set properly and check it often. While today’s rods are really good if the drag is to tight you will snap that thing in half like a twig.

Sharp hooks and patience are your friend.

we had good luck trolling the musky armor krisko jointed cranks. got a 50.5 and 46 the last week of season trolling cisco kriskos

Best luck I had this year were on 10″ Jakes, Grandmas and the Storm Flatstick. Just make sure your drag is loose enough to not rip the musky apart during the strike. I would also suggest using metal rod holders. I haven’t had any problems with plastic holders with the rod going straight back. I use 80lb braid, but I also use my casting rods for trolling.