Hi there, I am an experienced fisherman who cannot figure out musky fishing in Lake Scugog Ontario because most of the recommended spots are devoid of structure. Should I stick to the few deep water areas and fish the edges of their weedlines? I know there’s still musky in the lake but most of it is flat as a pancake and water visibility is close to zero. Very eutrophic. Last time I caught anything there was on a deep weedline 40 years ago. Help!
Troll a rattle bait. Throw a topwater bait.
Thanks Dutchboy! I don’t own a rattling lure, I do own a neat top water and I was throwing it last Friday morning. Can I troll a big spoon? I have caught musky on spoons before and was thinking of renting a Smokercraft aluminum 14 foot instead of the usual pontoon boat so I could troll.
You can troll a spoon although with the cloudy to dirty water you want something to attract them. Rattles for noise, big blades for vibration in the water.
To keep from going broke I would buy a couple mid size Bucktail. You can throw them and troll them. If you find a area where the water is kinda shallow don’t be afraid of blowing out the blades on the top of the water every now and then. Pay close attention to depth since there isn’t much structure there. If you hook up hit those type of areas to see whats hanging around. You will also score some Pike. 
Thanks so much Dutchboy! I’m new to bucktails. Do you mean in line spinnerbaits? Could you give a rookie some specific names of lures to buy?
Double 8’s or 10’s(bucktail spinners), or crankbaits such as depth raiders, shallow raiders, shallow invaders or jake/grandma baits trolled along weed lines and ALL over the open basin might be where I’d start. Good luck.
might start with bright, high-contrast colors like firetiger/perch and also lures that are black and orange. Lakes with a dark tannic stain tend to really like that color combo.
Could you be so kind as to give me some specific lure names for the bucktails?
Labdaddy1 thank you for your help and patience.
Could you be so kind as to give me some specific lure names for the bucktails?
I see many people tossing Muskie Mayhem double cowgirls. I prefer to make my own.
There are many great lures one could try and go broke buying all of them. I am guessing you are not a seasonal muskie hunter. What do you have for rods or what are the lure ratings your rods can handle? There is no point recommending 8oz lures you don’t have equipment to fish with.
Hi there, I have two rods one is 7 feet fast action medium heavy St. Croix musky rod and I am using 50 pound braid on a Garcia Ambassadeur 7000CS reel. The other is a 7 foot Predator Musky rod spinning with 20 pound test and a Shimano Baitrunner 8000 reel. Considering the massive weeds in Scugog I have just switched to the level wind recently and I am comfortable with it. Leaders are 9 inch 7 strand steel. The Ambassadeur has a 4.2:1 gear ratio. Thanks for your help and patience!
The baitcaster is rated for lures up to 3 ounces and 50 pound test.
a 7Ft fast action Medium Heavy St Croix is not really a rod designed for Fishing Muskies I believe. You will need to check the lure rating on the rod. Will it fish a bucktail – Yes. But probably not real effectively. As far as bucktails go, its hard to be the good old Mepps Muskie killer – Like stated a orange / Black combo is good in stained water. as far as a rattle type of bait, I’d start with a Rat-L-Trap magnum. They put out lots of noise and would work well in the stained water you describe.
20 pound test for muskies is nowhere near enough IMO. If you are having trouble catching them casting, I would try trolling.
I am not saying you can’t use these rods. They can work. Just not the ideal set up. You still have many great lure options under 3 oz that can work. I wouldn’t use either of these setups with a double #10 inline or any kind of jerk bait. They just pull too hard for those rods. Personally I would never use a spinning rod for muskies. Your index finger will be all cut up from casting after a day. Mepps muskie killer, Monster lure Rabid Squirrel, Rapala Super Shad Rap, Ty Sennett Pacemaker are some lures that can work with what you have.
What do you have for a net and release gear?
I have a Solo Slimer net with vise grips hook cutters from Lee Valley Tools, Rapala and larger pliers, and Baker Hookout.
I have a Solo Slimer net with vise grips hook cutters from Lee Valley Tools, Rapala and larger pliers, and Baker Hookout.
The net is on the smaller side but will work just fine. Lindy makes a fish handling glove that is puncture proof. Not a bad $25 investment for handling these toothy critters. It has saved my hands many times.
Hi there just wanted to say thanks again for the tip on Lindy glove, I found it online at Amazon and ordered one.
Just purchased 11 inch 45 degrees angle needle nose pliers, Knipex mini bolt cutters and jaw spreaders to help me quickly release fish (assuming I catch any).
If you get into the Muskie game your credit card is gonna take a hit. 
I noticed.
I noticed.
I wasn’t there but I’m guessing the vast majority of Muskie were taken on a spoon.
I know that forty years ago, the hot lure in Honey Harbour, Georgian Bay was a string of four or more spoons connected end to end and fast trolled near deep weed beds. But what makes you think that this particular Leech Lake musky fest owed its success mostly to spoons?
If you Google “1955 Leech Lake muskie mania spoons” you will see much more info on the lures used during July 16 and 17th of the mania.
My point was I didn’t think $100+ lures are required to catch a fish but presented correctly will catch 100’s of fisherman.
Amen to that.
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