Though I spend 99% of my time on the water fihing for eyes, I, for an occasional change of pace, also like to hunt muskies. I have a couple of muskie lures in the box however I would like to get several more. Need some recommendations for “must have” muskie lures. Did pick up a 40″er trolling my new Rainbow YO-Zuri last fall which rekindled the fever. Thanks for any/all responses. 
Geronimo
Good question!
Here’s my “Gotta have” list:
1) Small black bucktail with a willow leaf blade.
2) Big black bucktail with a Colorado blade
3) The biggest sized Suick, any color as long as the bottom is blaze orange.
4) Reef Hawg, sucker pattern. Add some weight to get it to run deeper.
5) Bucher’s Depth Raider jointed crank bait.
6) Some kind of big soft jig/plastic trailer
I know that sounds generic, but it covers most bases. You might want to consider a top water bait too. They’re not the most effective presentation but they are the most fun.
Rootski
Our top bait last year was the Giant Tiger Tube(lindy)- salt and pepper. This can be fished in a number of different ways. It works great on the weed edges, it also works great for trolling in the prop wash(shhhh don’t tell dan(stradic10) that). Next choice bait would be a Phantom(crappie), this is a great year round bait too. Salmo Warrior Crank, and the Salmo Skinner, these used like a jerk bait can’t be topped in the fall, a fast jerk with a long pause, followed by a few more fast eradic jerks, you just have to mix it up and see what the fish want, but these are my must haves. I don’t hit the water without a giant tube in the boat….hope this help a little. There is just so much out there. good luck with your hunt! 
If you fish Lake Minnetonka ever, you have to have both a large, and small white bucktail, one each with silver blades, and one each with red blades.
Jakes and tubes. I use a perch pattern and an old one that I painted black. The black one looks like it has been through a wood chipper it has been hit so many times. I am also fond of a yellow or purple mepps giant killer for fishing little lake Wingra here in mad town. They hardly bite anything but the yellow or purple bucktail.
Thanks Rootski, Muskies, JLDII and Whiskerkev for the info! Just what I was seeking!
Now I am going shopping!
Geronimo
As long as all of you ‘ski guys are together here…maybe you can help me.
Last summer I went ski fishing in WI, the fella the took us out had some huge suckers at least a foot long…maybe closer to 15 inches.
Does anyone know a bait shop that you can buy them at close to Hudson?
Keep in mind that you have a handfull of presentations.
You should have a handfull of
Topwater:
1) Top Raider, Doc, Jackpot, topwater bucktail
Jerkbaits:
1) Phantom, reefhawg, manta, suick, bobbybait (here you have your “up/down” lures and your “side/to/side” lures.
Buctails:
1) Got to have willow leaf blades and colorado blades. Willow for burning, colorado for “thumping”. Blacks, white, yellow, brown are all good hair colors. Don’t forget the “bass spinnerbait” style of lures. These are needed for working heavy weeded areas and it is what the fish want at times. I like the funky chickens here…..
CRANKS:
1) Need deep and shallow. Beleivers & Jakes are my favorites. Shallowraiders and depthraiders are also top notch baits.
Don’t forget those tube baits and the bulldawgs are also great baits.
A great start is to have 20 lures. Take 5 each of the jerks, topwater, bucktails, cranks. Then throw in a tube and a bulldawg. Honestly, for starters, it is all you really need.
Just mix up the colors a bit. Get your darker colors and brighter colors. Muskies love black/orange, walleye browns, sucker colors, whites, & yellows. And obviously the firetiger……..
Good luck!!!
Wow. All great suggestions! I gotta start using that Tiger Tube too. Sounds like a great bait.
One more bait to add is the Undertaker. Works a lot like a phantom but you can count it down to deeper depths, and the action takes wider speeps and glides. This is my favorite bait.
Here is what you can do with your musky baits during the off season…
LOL 
My baits usally end up in a tree during the season
Quote:
LOL
That rocks! And it’s so relatible too! 
Now…… if find out that pine scent is the secret attractant, the plastic tree is headed for the incinerator! 
Where can I buy(Twin City Suburb Area)the Giant Tiger Tube and some of the other muskie lures listed? Cabela’s does not seem to carry many of them, a least, I did see them in their most recent(Spring) catalog.
The absolute best place to go is Thorne bros………..hands down. They are up hwy 47, north of 494 by Fridley. They also have a very informative staff that will help you and walk you through what you need.
But!!! You can go to Gander Mountain and find most of what you are looking for…………
I still use Rat Man lures. Anyone have any of these?
The top 10 baits in my boat over the last 2 seasons.
CJ’s Buzzbait: super versatile bait
TopRaider: Blackbird or baby loon
Ace Sweet Shad 66: red head
Sledge: color generally worn beyond recognition
VIPER: wood topwater, heavy and good hookups
Big spinner baits: fundallys or similar, necessary in weeds and wood. generally black/orange or silver
Bucktails of Course: Mepps Marabou is fabulous, buchertails are dependable. variations of black, white, browns and red did the most damage.
Jakes: I custom paint them turd brown for the river, I generally only run 10″ for deep trolling work.
Manta: Sucker or walleye color. gets a lot of looks, easy to work.
BIG SUCKER Minnows: easy to get anywhere north of hiway 8.
What’s a muskie? Trash fish? 
That’s for you, Gary.
Thanks boys, armed with this arsenal, gonna get me a wall hanger! (i.e. 
a replica of course!)
Geronimo
What`s wrong with a Hi-Fin teaser-tail,Hawgbuster or Creeper. Us old timers love those top water baits-love the strike!
I’ll take a good old fashion Johnson Silver Minnow anyday.
The bigger the better, like a 3 3/4″, 1 1/8oz baby.
I’ll even tie one of those on a fly rod.
WHHHOOO HOOOO!
What have been the results on FuzzyDuzits. I bought a few of them shortly before I put my boat up and never got a chance to put them to good use last year. There was a musky hunter article that suggested trying them in the fall. I can relate to some fall outings this year marking large targets suspended in 20 to 40′ of water that were hard to attract with jerks and cranks. Anxious to put them to work this year.
My buddy’s dad used to own peterson tackle. The best musky lures on the market. he had to know something if loomis ask’s you to help them design a rod for muskies. PM if u would like to purchase some. i can get a hold of him for ya.
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