What determines your technique?

[john skarie]

Curious as to what makes some of you guys tick.

Everybody has a favorite technique, be it jerks, bucktails, topwater, trolling, live-bait etc.

What makes you like what you do, or not like another technique?

I use about every trick in the book at some point in the season, to be consistent on cathching muskies I think you have to.

I am more and more becoming a topwater fan though, even though it isn't the greatest technique for hook-ups. I love the action it can give you, it's just very exciting to me.

I used to really like jerks, but don't fish them as much any more. Maybe I'm just getting lazy.

Also find myself trolling more. Lot's of different strategies for trolling, and it definately produces.

JS

[jlong]

Well... ultimately I try to let the fish determine what I throw. No point in finesse fishing if the fish are willing to chase search baits.

I seem to start these days with crankbaits. I just plain enjoy fishing with them. You can fish them in so many ways... that I seem to almost use this lure as a "fish barometer" to see how active, deep, etc they are for the day. If they are aggressive... I'll start testing the waters with a bucktail or topwater. If they are weary or non-existent... I'll typically slow down and move more towards a finesse approach.

Thus, I AM A CRANKBAIT GUY.

jlong

[Jim]

I twitch a bit and twitch a bit more, and will usually continue to score of the big....Jim

[HerbB]

I pull out a bunch of lures whenever I go out depending on the weather conditions and how active I expect the fish to be. Then, if the initial set of lures and techniques are not producing, I try something sort of opposite of what I've been doing.

But, more times than not lately, I end up with a spinner bait like a CJs or Candy Spin on the end of my line and that is what catches the fish.

So, I'd have to say I'm mostly a spinner bait guy these days because they usually catch the fish in my boat.

Herb

[muskie tamer]

Location seems to be the thing. While fishin the river (Juniata), where the feed is scarce/small for a nice ski, I've hooked up on all kinds of bait. crayfish/minnows/worms on bobbers, draggin bait along the bottom or thowing lures/spinners. Never was able to catch one that I've seen, always a surprise. Deep water is sonar, sonar to find'em skis, sonar to find the feed near them. Trying trolling this year, I think that my favorite spots deserve a go. Been fishin before I could tie on a hook (decades) and I still get excited every time that a hook sets in a fish, whether a 5" pan or a very nice ski. Good luck good fishin C & R.

[Worm Drowner]

As is the case with most of us here in the eastern part of muskie country, I troll the vast majority of time. It is effective, and covers the most water. Of course lure size, depth and speed are all dependent on the season and conditions. I enjoy casting as a break from non-stop trolling. Admittedly, I'm still learning casting methods. I almost always use jerkbaits (Suicks, Sledges, Burts, etc), topwaters or spinners/spinnerbaits when casting.

[ToddM]

I too let the fish tell me what they want. I troll alot. Mostly breaklines and weed edges. When I cast I like twitching and glidebaits mostly but it's what the fish want.

[sledge51]

Time of year, where I think the fish are in the seasonal progression.

In the early season, I like to start with 4 or 5 rods rigged with different baits and will be looking at shallow weedy areas (nothing Earth shattering there). Looking for a pattern is the key, are the fish in the back of the bays, are they on the points leeding out, have they moved to the reefs?

Later in the year I start to key more on rocks, and by the end of the season could get by with a 10" Jake and a 9" Sledge.