Top 3 Muskie Lures

I’m thinking of Getting back into Muskie fishing next season. Its been 25-30 Years since I actively targeted Muskies. I’ve got most of the gear needed since I often make trips to Canada to chase BIG pike. This includes a Ton of lures. I’m curious what those of you who spend a fair amount of time chasing them these days would consider your Top 3 lures that you use the most each season. Also possibly add you favorite color of each.

I’ll start off with mine. Once again keep in mind I mainly have been fishing big pike, but I think these are the ones I’d pick for muskies as well.

1. Phantom Softtail in Walleye color. This has been one, if not my top big pike bait. See no reason why it would not also be great for Muskies. Its easy to fish and can be worked many different ways.
2. Mepps Musky Killer in white body with silver blade – In both the original and Magnum sizes. Its just so hard to beat a Mepps inline spinner.
3. Musky Innovations Bulldog in White color. Another bait that can be fished several different ways.
* I have to add a Honorable Mention bait – The drifter hellhound – One of the easiest baits to work. Fun bait to watch the fish hit.
Lets here all of your choices.

In no particular order.

– Some kind of inline spinner or spinner bait like a cowgirl
– Some kind of slash bait like a suick
– Some kind of over sized plastic like a bulldawg or medussa

Having multiple colors in each would be beneficial too. I don’t have a crap load of muskie lures myself. They are expensive and take up a lot of space.

Wacky worm or 15 inch walleye

Bearcat89 wrote:

Wacky worm or 15 inch walleye

Good one Bearcat. If its not broke – Why fix it right !!!!

gimruis wrote:

– Some kind of slash bait like a suick

A suick was probably next on my list. The last two years on our fall trip to Canada the Suick was one of our top baits

fishthumper wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bearcat89 wrote:</div>
Wacky worm or 15 inch walleye

Good one Bearcat. If its not broke – Why fix it right !!!!

The only damn things I’ve seen a musky hit. Oh and a spinner bait.
All my musky baits don’t fricken work

Super Shad Perch/Firetiger
Double Cowgirl
Bigtooth Tackle KLACK Bait topwater

And as my buddy who’s caught more musky than I will ever see says, any color as long as it’s black on the spinners/klack.

1. Some kind of cowgirl/double 10 blade or similar profile bucktail
2. Dive and rise. I had the most action on this last season. I really like the harvey javelins. Suicks are also great but the javelins have a good amount of belly roll on the pause.
3. Bulldawg/medussa. Really any size minus like the really tiny ones.

BigWerm wrote:

Bigtooth Tackle KLACK Bait topwater
And as my buddy who’s caught more musky than I will ever see says, any color as long as it’s black on the spinners/klack.

I had to look that one up. Basically a BIG buzzbait. Catching a Muskie on a topwater would be a blast. Over the years fishing pike in Canada I’ve often tried some topwaters with rather limited success. Maybe topwaters for muskie are more successful.
What time of the season does those topwater baits work the best ?

Youbetcha wrote:

harvey javelins. Suicks are also great but the javelins have a good amount of belly roll on the pause.

Another bait I had to look up. Great looking bait, But the price – WOW !!!!
$60.00. I’d need to take out a loan to buy many of those. Losing one of those would sting a little.
It also looks like almost all of them are out of stock. I’m guessing this is one of those baits that are hard to get your hands on.

fishthumper wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Carter Johnson wrote:</div>
harvey javelins. Suicks are also great but the javelins have a good amount of belly roll on the pause.

Another bait I had to look up. Great looking bait, But the price – WOW !!!!
$60.00. I’d need to take out a loan to buy many of those. Losing one of those would sting a little.

Id say to go at least the 9”. I know he will be at the minnesota musky expo this year as well. Thats the only nice thing with musky gear. If you lose lures you know you really messed up. 80lb braid and heavy rods can take a beating. If you want another eye opener check out a barfighter

I’ve seen the Barfighter. Don’t think you will see any of those in my box anytime soon. The last few I saw for sale were going for like 200.00 each. Not any lure worth that.

fishthumper wrote:

What time of the season does those topwater baits work the best ?

I’m no expert, but generally think they work best after the duck/goose hatch and little ducklings/goslings are swimming all over, or in the fall when they are eating everything. Caught a nice mid-40’s on Tonka with one, slurped it right up, it was not the explosive attack I was expecting.

Youbetcha wrote:

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If you lose lures you know you really messed up. 80lb braid and heavy rods can take a beating.

I’m not sure if Muskie fishing is anything like Big pike fishing, But we do lose a few baits each year in Canada. Even on Heavy line and Gear. It most often happens when a big fish takes a swing at a bait and for whatever reason Misses it in front of the bait and ends up cutting the line. We sometimes get lucky and end up retrieving the lure if it floats to the surface. I’ve started making my own fluro leaders in longer lengths to try and cut down on this. Its been helpful but it still happens from time to time.

pike and muskie are similar…but different. gliders like the phantom and hellhound will produce lots of follows, but far less strikes from muskies than they do from pike. if it’s only a list of 3, efficiency is king.

1) double-8/9 bucktail (black body with silver, orange, or chart blade)
2) depthraider (chart pikie, perch)
3) bulldawg/medussa (white/black/orange)

I’ve personally never lost a full size muskie lure when targeting them. I’m pretty anal about the condition my gear is in. Muskie tackle and lures are expensive, and catching them is difficult and time consuming. I’d be pretty upset if I tied into a sizable mutant and it got off because my equipment failed. Catching a big one isn’t something that happens regularly.

I have lost a fair amount of bass lures over years to toothy predators like pike and muskies though (primarily pike).

I can see now one of the Lures I’m going to have to get is some type of a Double blade Bucktail. These mostly hit the market after I got away from Muskie fishing. I’ve seen them is use on lots of Video’s and knew it was one bait I would want to add a few of.

I havent fished muskies much in the last 2 years. But my absolute favorite is a big safety pin style spinner bait. Like a rad dog or cjs. Next for me and old metal lipped Cisco kid. And then some kind of rubber. I fish 90 percent of the time from back of boat so hardly ever throw double 10s as my boat partners throw those. Big crank in the weeds is deadly. 2019 almost 60 percent of the fish in my boat were on a large crank in the weeds.

Try a Windell’s Muskie Harasser. It is a smaller single-bladed bucktail. Windells makes a number of different models, but I use the regular Harasser in black/gold or black/chrome. I had a fantastic 2022 muskie season, with 15 fish hitting the net on this bait. I prefer blades and cranks, and always seem to struggle with rubber.

Most of the year (until fall) I do more trolling than casting for muskies.

Trolling
Trolling Girl (Muskie Mayhem)
Sledge

Casting
Bulldawg/Medussa/Thunderbeast (take your pick)
Top Raider
DCG

Fall (Sucker Minnows) or big white rubber baits

I lose baits all the time muskie fishing. Rocks on Vermilion suck. You get most of them back but I’ve lost more than I can count. Snags on the Croix trolling can be unforgiving too.

Dahlbergs Mr. Wiggly

^kidding, never used one

Suick Perch color, with a tail (soak it in the live well for 20min before using)

Bucher bucktail Black, with a tail or grub

Fudally Reef Hawg. I tank test before buying

WS

Every muskie I’ve ever caught has been on this.

…call back from my earlier thread

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Team X Lures Fat Ba$tard topwater

Musky Frenzy 8/9 stagger bucktail

Beaver Baits Baby Beaver XL

mudhole wrote:

Every muskie I’ve ever caught has been on this.

…call back from my earlier thread

That’s what I’d call downsizing your Muskie bait.

Bass Thumb wrote:

Team X Lures Fat Ba$tard topwater

Musky Frenzy 8/9 stagger bucktail

Beaver Baits Baby Beaver XL

I’ll have to look into all 3 of these. I’ve seen the Beaver baits at Thorn Brothers. I actually thought about picking one up last year. They are a interesting looking bait for sure. What time of the year do you mostly use these. Also at what depths do you normally fish them?

fishthumper wrote:

I’ve seen the Beaver baits at Thorn Brothers. I actually thought about picking one up last year. They are a interesting looking bait for sure.

I was just at Thorne Brothers this morning. First time since they expanded.

You could drop a couple grand in there so quick. Some of the muskie lures are $100-200 price range.

Nice place to look around. They had a replica of the new state record from Nov 2021 up by the door too. Absurd that thing is.

gimruis wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>fishthumper wrote:</div>
I’ve seen the Beaver baits at Thorn Brothers. I actually thought about picking one up last year. They are a interesting looking bait for sure.

I was just at Thorne Brothers this morning. First time since they expanded.

You could drop a couple grand in there so quick. Some of the muskie lures are $100-200 price range.

Nice place to look around. They had a replica of the new state record from Nov 2021 up by the door too. Absurd that thing is.

Ya. That place can be hard on the wallet. We seem to make a trip there each year ahead of our Canadian fishing trips. We always plan to just buy a few needed lures, But you know how that goes. I think my fishing buddy dropped over a grand the last time we were there last fall. Then again a 400.00+ reel was a large part of that $

I thought I’d bring this one back to life. Just in case anyone has anything new to add to the list. I think my original list is the same. I will say the good old Suick would have to be next on my list. I want to but and try one of those Beaver baits this year. I hope to put all the gear I have to use more than just my 2 canadian trips this year. Hopefully will find time to do some musky fishing closer to home this year.

Add a flaptail to the list. Not cheap but worth the cost. I have the bomb squad one.