Live Bait

[blackdog]

Doing my online homework for my first musky outing. Been at it for days now. Heard lots about lures, lures, lures, but nothing about live bait. Is it not done? Is it an unacceptable way to take a musky? I've heard about the single hook sucker rigs and how some people allow the musky to swallow it before they try to bring him in. A guide raised 5 grand for a study, radio-tagged 14 fish, and they were all dead within a year or so. I wouldn't use anything that I knew would kill the musky. I'm talking about a perch on a quick strike rig, single large hook through the bait and a treble attached to the same steel leader. Set the hook(s) immediately before she has a chance to swallow the bait. Any thoughts? My first outing is on Lake Chautaqua in New York the first weekend in August. I would appreciate some input, thanks.

Long live musky!

[Musky Mike]

Glad to hear that you are planning to use a quickstrike rig and set the hooks immediately, that is by far the best way to go when live bait fishing for pike or muskies. You will have to make sure that it is legal to use perch for bait in New York, some states do not permit the use of game or pan fish as bait. Perch may work as live bait but it is considered by most that muskies prefer soft-rayed species such as suckers and chubs over sharp spined species. Many musky anglers use live bait in the early spring and later in the fall period when air and water temps are quite a bit lower. Live bait will likely work during the hotter months provided anglers can keep their baits lively. Most consider it more trouble than it's worth during the hottest months of the year. Good luck, let us know how you go at Chatauqua.

[blackdog]

Hey Musky Mike, thanks for the reply. I've looked through all the regs I could find for New York and couldn't find a definate answer, so I emailed them and asked them specifically. Haven't had a reply yet, but I will absolutely make sure its legal before I do it. Keeping them alive should be no problem as they are plentiful and we can catch them fresh, as we need them. I'll post after the trip to Chautauqua and let you know how we did. Three generations in the same boat fishing for musky. Should be awesome.

Long live musky!

blackdog

[imkingfisher]

There is no such thing as a quick strike rig. There has been a lot of B.S. involved in the use of live bait and the only fact that matters is that you do not let a fish(Musky or any other fish)that you are "not" trying to kill swallow a hook or number of hooks. Any rig is a quick strike rig if you set the hook immediatly. I use a single treble hook like my Dad did 40 years ago set in the sucker at the dorsel fin so that it will pull out easily and catch the top jaw of the fish Im hitting. A big leadhead jig is a great quick strike rig . These tangles of wire and safty pins with multiple hooks are a joke and should be exposed for what they are . A leader with a hook or hooks attached. Use something simple that wont break and hit the fish as fast as you can . You can not do more than that. I have never gut hooked a musky with a single treble hook and have landed 3 times as many as when I bought into the quick strike rig farce. Use good steel leader and a good strong treble hook. Hit em fast and dont listen to the B.S. . Kingfisher

[Musky Mike]

Hey Kingfisher, how goes your musky season? Have you managed to hook up with Pat yet for some row trolling? Hope you are getting some decent feedback from her on the lures she is field testing.

Must agree with your comments regarding quick strike rigs. Any rig may be considered a quick strike rig (providing it does not emply a large single J-hook), it's the timing of the hookset which establishes quick strike. I wasn't referring to any specific commercially manufactured rigs, there are several available (Quick-set, Herbie-rigs and Lift-off rigs) come immediately to mind. As long as the hookset is immediate, that's what is crucial. I don't do much live bait fishing for muskies, but when I do, I use the exact same rig you described - a single treble hook inserted just beneath the skin at the dorsal fin. Of course you realize we are dating ourselves by admitting to the use of such a rig as this old-time rig was in use many many moons prior to the advent of today's commercially available quick set rigs.

Have popped a couple skis on the spoons you sent me, nothing too large yet but that will come. Reckon they should shine come the fall trophy season - not to mention the trip to Lac Suel later this year.

Cheers and tight lines,
Musky Mike - Algoma

[mkingfisher]

I got a new computer and they wont let me post as myself so imkingfisher now for a while. Yes we are dating ourselves ha ha . We got some morons over here that want to make it illegal to fish pike and muskies with anything but a so called quickstrike rig. It really pistols me off. Now some other moron will feed a so called quick strike rig to a fish and it gets to swallow a couple hooks some beads maybe a safty pin and some other attachmaents as well. We should all say I use the quick strike tactic while fishing live bait. Im glad you are hitting some fish on the spoons what colors are working??? We have 31 muskies so far with two 47" fish one for shell and one for me hers was bigger at 28.4 lbs by formula. I think it was heavier but formulas are another story. She is in 3rd place nationally in the muskies inc contest womens division as soon as her new fish clear the board. She has 17 of our 31 (I am getting whupped by a girl) Oh well at least we fish together. Remember guys hit them fast whether you are using a single hook, double hook or jig. Live bait works great when the temps get cold and nasty. Good luck, Kingfisher

[Walleye242]

I recently made the jump from walleye to muskie (caught one by accident while walleye fishing) and would like to dead stick a sucker while I cast. Any pointers for a rookie about bait size, hook or rig size, and how to keep the bait alive would be appreciated. I see that it is recommended to set the hook immediately, is it that obvious when a muskie takes the bait?

Thanks
-Walleye242

[MLK]

Walleye242,
Welcome our illness called Musky Fishing! Always like to welcome a new member to our club, "Muskyholics."
As I mentioned earlier, I don't really use live bait that often but when I do, I use the quick-strike method, in that I set the hook almost immediately. I use a freespool baitcasting reel with a line out alarm (clicker) and no bobber or float. I let the sucker (usually 9 to 12 inches in length) down directly off the stern of the boat and suspend it just above the weed height. If the sucker becomes entangled in weeds (or a musky picks it up) the reel will begin to alarm - immediately pick up the sucker rod, apply thumb pressure to the reel spool, and you will be able to tell if it's weeds or a fish.
When it's a fish, reel down to her and wait only long enough to tell she is swimming away from you - if she is just sitting there apply light upward pressure and she will normally begin to move off with the sucker. When she is moving away from you, cross her eyes with your hookset and you are in business. As far as hook size goes, with smaller suckers, I use 5/0 and with the larger suckers I use a 7/0 single treble hook with a 12" wire leader. For line, I use 80# Power Pro but any superbaid line should work just fine. Insert one of the hooks of the treble lightly under the skin of the sucker at the dorsal fin and you are set. 99% of the time the musky will take the sucker crosswise in her mouth and your treble is perfectly placed to hook her in the mouth, not the throat or stomach. And even it she takes the bait head first, if you set your hook almost immediately you still are far more likely to hook her in the mouth than elsewhere.
Give it a try, it works.

Cheers and tight lines,
Musky Mike

[walleye242]

Thanks Musky Mike!!! Will be out tomorrow giving it a try!

[walleye242]

Thanks Musky Mike!!! Will be out tomorrow giving it a try!

[Tryin to help]

The quick strike set ups do help to protect the fish and will also help in your catching potential. I have read a few of these "tips" or "reports" and can not believe what I am hearing. I don't care what you are using, we are trying to catch and release our catches for the most part. Quick strike rigs are the way to go. A musky will hit a bait from the side near the head 99% of the time. The quick strike presentation has hooks in this area for this reason. If you are using a single hook presentation you have to wait for the musky to take the bait, turn it, and then begin to swallow it, before you set the hook. THIS WILL KILL MORE FISH!!!! The quick strike set up will allow you to hit the musky when it hits the bait, no waiting and no chance for it to get the bait into it's belly. This has been proven over and over again. There is no argument that can make sense. Ask the best musky fisherman in the world about it.(Pete Mania) I am also a musky fishing guide and will absolutly swear to the fact that the quick strike rigs are bye far better and will save fish. I don't mean to make anyone crazy over this but the facts are just that. Quick strike rigs catch and save many more fish. Thank you for your time

[Tryin to help]

The quick strike set ups do help to protect the fish and will also help in your catching potential. I have read a few of these "tips" or "reports" and can not believe what I am hearing. I don't care what you are using, we are trying to catch and release our catches for the most part. Quick strike rigs are the way to go. A musky will hit a bait from the side near the head 99% of the time. The quick strike presentation has hooks in this area for this reason. If you are using a single hook presentation you have to wait for the musky to take the bait, turn it, and then begin to swallow it, before you set the hook. THIS WILL KILL MORE FISH!!!! The quick strike set up will allow you to hit the musky when it hits the bait, no waiting and no chance for it to get the bait into it's belly. This has been proven over and over again. There is no argument that can make sense. Ask the best musky fisherman in the world about it.(Pete Mania) I am also a musky fishing guide and will absolutly swear to the fact that the quick strike rigs are bye far better and will save fish. I don't mean to make anyone crazy over this but the facts are just that. Quick strike rigs catch and save many more fish. Thank you for your time

[MLK]

Tryin to help,
Don't fully understand what you are saying. If you are using the Lift-off rig promoted by Pete Maina (you mentioned him in your post) then there is only a rubber band through the nostrils near the head of the sucker and two trebles, one on each side back near the dorsal fin only lower on the sides. If you are using one of the other quick strike rigs then there is either a single hook in the mouth of the sucker or a safety pin through the skin near the head of the sucker and treble hooks further back along the side of the sucker. Why go through all of this extra rigging when a single treble placed at the dorsal area of the sucker gets the job done and is much easier on the baitfish and the angler. It doesn't matter which type of rig you are using (excluding the single j-hook killer rig) you still have to ensure that the musky is swimming away from you in order to better guarantee that you are setting the hooks into the corner of the mouth and not pulling the hooks out of the musky's mouth or trying to drive the hooks through the hard boney upper jaw. I commend you on your position of trying to catch and successfully release muskies, that's what 99% of we musky fishermen are attempting to do - it's just that a few of us fail to see why all the extra hardware is necessary to do so. And just for the record; I have never throat or gut hooked a single musky when live bait fishing suckers in nearly 40 years of fishing them. I can flat guarantee you (and others) that my way of fishing live bait is no more harmful to the muskies than any other rig you are using. And if you are not taking the time to ensure the musky is positioned with the head pointing AWAY from you, then your hooking ratio is definitely not as high as those of us who are. You don't have to wait long enough for the musky to swallow the bait, only long enough to know how the fish is positioned and how you are trying to set the hooks. Probably no more than 20 to 30 seconds in the difficult cases, immediately in most cases.

Cheers and tight lines,
Musky Mike

[MLK]

Tryin to help,
Don't fully understand what you are saying. If you are using the Lift-off rig promoted by Pete Maina (you mentioned him in your post) then there is only a rubber band through the nostrils near the head of the sucker and two trebles, one on each side back near the dorsal fin only lower on the sides. If you are using one of the other quick strike rigs then there is either a single hook in the mouth of the sucker or a safety pin through the skin near the head of the sucker and treble hooks further back along the side of the sucker. Why go through all of this extra rigging when a single treble placed at the dorsal area of the sucker gets the job done and is much easier on the baitfish and the angler. It doesn't matter which type of rig you are using (excluding the single j-hook killer rig) you still have to ensure that the musky is swimming away from you in order to better guarantee that you are setting the hooks into the corner of the mouth and not pulling the hooks out of the musky's mouth or trying to drive the hooks through the hard boney upper jaw. I commend you on your position of trying to catch and successfully release muskies, that's what 99% of we musky fishermen are attempting to do - it's just that a few of us fail to see why all the extra hardware is necessary to do so. And just for the record; I have never throat or gut hooked a single musky when live bait fishing suckers in nearly 40 years of fishing them. I can flat guarantee you (and others) that my way of fishing live bait is no more harmful to the muskies than any other rig you are using. And if you are not taking the time to ensure the musky is positioned with the head pointing AWAY from you, then your hooking ratio is definitely not as high as those of us who are. You don't have to wait long enough for the musky to swallow the bait, only long enough to know how the fish is positioned and how you are trying to set the hooks. Probably no more than 20 to 30 seconds in the difficult cases, immediately in most cases.

Cheers and tight lines,
Musky Mike