Ohio's Hottest 'Huskie Muskie' Lakes

If you're looking for a summertime muskie over 40 inches long, these five biologist-recommended hotspots are the places to be. Troll slow and deep and be ready to tangle with a toothy lunker this month!
By Jared Meighen

Buckeye State muskie anglers know too well the effects that August heat can have on an angler. The heat has much the same effect on the muskies, driving them into deeper, cooler water and making them less eager to follow a moving lure. There are, however, still good opportunities to catch these fish in August on Ohio's top-rated muskie lakes. The keys to success lie in cultivating patience and fishing in the right places at the right times.

Over the past several decades, with help from various clubs and organizations such as the Ohio Huskie Muskie Club, the Buckeye State has positioned itself on the national map as one of the best places to pursue and catch trophy muskies. This title, however, has not come easy.

"We employ a strategic stocking program on several lakes scattered about the state," said Ed Lewis, and Ohio Division of Wildlife District Two fisheries biologist and muskie data recorder. "We have selected a handful of lakes around the state in which we stock muskies every year at a rate of one fish per surface-acre. The fish we stock are all approximately 9 inches long. Recent research has shown that the fish stocked at this length, opposed to the previous 4- to 6-inch range, have a much better chance of survival. This and other new adaptations in our stocking program are certainly in part responsible for the phenomenal fishery we enjoy today."

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The ODOW asks that Ohio anglers record their muskie catches. To participate, anglers who catch a muskie are asked to carefully remove four to five scales from the fish and place them in an envelope provided by the ODOW. These envelopes may be found at most marinas on lakes where muskies are prevalent. No postage is necessary. All fishermen need to do is fill out the information on the front of the envelope, put the scales inside and drop it in the mailbox.

"It is imperative that anglers take part in this practice," noted Lewis. "We use the information we obtain from anglers' envelopes to help write the framework for our management programs. In addition, this data allows us to analyze how our past efforts have succeeded."

The Ohio Huskie Muskie Club has played a large role in getting anglers to cooperate with this practice. Anglers may become a member of the Ohio Huskie Muskie Club by mailing in four to five scales from a muskie caught in Ohio waters that is 42 inches or longer. Anglers are given honorable mention for catching a muskie between 30 and 42 inches. "We ask, however, that anglers send scales from fish of any size fish," said Lewis.

Elmer Heyob, the ODOW's District One fisheries biologist and an expert muskie fisherman of many years' experience, asserted that there is little angler traffic on muskie waters in August, and advised fishermen to target the early-morning or late-evening hours, as those who do this are, in his view, likely to have the whole lake to themselves.

Both Lewis and Heyob stress the importance of properly fighting and handling fish, especially in August. Almost all muskies caught in Ohio are released -- but merely throwing a fish back into the water does not ensure its survival.

Muskies should not be played to exhaustion, but should instead be brought to the boat or net as quickly as possible. Do not remove the fish from the water. If you decide to bring the muskie into the boat for a photograph, remove the hooks first and take the photograph quickly. Only touch the fish only after wetting your hands, and do not allow a muskie's body to touch any foreign surfaces such as the floor of the boat. August water temperatures are high and can threaten the survival of dried-out, injured or exhausted fish.

With all that said, here's a look at Heyob's and Lewis's top choices for Ohio's August muskie action.

ALUM CREEK LAKE
Alum Creek, a 3,269-acre reservoir in Delaware County, resembles a millipede featuring 70 miles of shoreline with dozens of arms and coves protruding from its main body. It is one of eight lakes in the state that are stocked every year at a rate of one muskie per surface acre of water.

Alum Creek Lake has no restrictions on motor horsepower. The lake may be accessed one mile west of Interstate Route 71 on U.S. Route 36 and state Route 37.

Anglers employ many successful techniques on Alum Creek throughout the year, but August turns a new page in muskie behavior, so anglers, too, must begin looking for fish in new areas.

"Fishermen do best targeting suspended muskies in deep water," Heyob said. "As the surface water warms it holds less oxygen. Muskies in turn relocate to deeper water near the thermocline, where temperatures are cooler and the water is richer in oxygen."

Good areas to troll for suspended fish include main lake points, necked- down areas and inlets. Areas where streams enter the lake may be cooler and should also hold fish.

In 2004, muskie survey returns from Alum Creek showed nine Ohio Huskie Muskie Club qualifiers were caught, (muskies over 42 inches long), 51 honorable mentions, (muskies between 30 and 42 inches long) and 29 muskies under 30 inches.

"These numbers are not entirely accurate, because not every angler turns in their catches. These figures are only a reflection of the number of scale samples we receive and nothing else," Lewis explained. "In our estimation, the fishery is on track and will continue to improve, and provide fishermen with yet another great angling year in 2005. Anglers targeting Alum Creek in August can expect a chance at some beautiful fish -- maybe even a Huskie Muskie qualifier."

For more information on the muskie fishing at Alum Creek Lake, contact the ODOW's District One office at (614) 644-3925, or write them at 1500 Dublin Rd, Columbus, OH 43215.

For travel information and accommodations, the Alum Creek State Park office may be reached at (740) 548-4631.

CLEAR FORK RESERVOIR
The reputation as one of Ohio's finest muskie fisheries that Clear Fork Reservoir has long enjoyed is a well-earned one. This 971-acre reservoir has 14 miles of shoreline in Richland and Morrow counties. It has no motor restrictions in effect, but does have an 8 mph speed restriction. The lake may be accessed off state routes 97 and 314 northwest of Lexington.

Clear Fork is stocked every year with one 9-inch muskie per surface-acre of water. It's from Clear Fork that the ODOW obtains fertilized eggs to stock other Ohio muskie lakes.

According to biologists Lewis and Heyob, Clear Fork is one of the best muskie lakes in the state. "Anglers who are going to fish Clear Fork in August should arrive at the lake early in the morning," Heyob offered. "Good locations to target are the spring holes on the north end of the lake. Many successful anglers cast thoroughly to these areas.

"Water temperatures often dictate the depth at which anglers will find fish. And with every passing year, fishermen are faced with different weather patterns. Be adaptable and patient on Clear Fork. The fish are there, and diligent anglers stand a good chance of catching them."

Because Clear Fork does not stratify (develop a thermocline), anglers enjoy favorable casting conditions year 'round.

August hotspots on Clear Fork Reservoir include the islands and underwater humps in the middle of the lake and the steep ledges on the north shore by the spring holes.

According to Lewis's data, there were 41 Ohio Huskie Muskies, 212 honorable mentions and 12 muskies under 30 inches caught from Clear Fork in 2004.

"There is no reason why 2005 should not produce as many if not more fish," Lewis claimed, "and August anglers always have a good shot at some action."

For more information on Clear Fork Reservoir muskie fishing, contact the ODOW's District Two office at (419) 424-5000 or write them at 952 Lima Ave, Box A, Findlay, OH 45840.

LEESVILLE LAKE
Leesville Lake is a 1,000-acre muskie smorgasbord in Carroll County. The lake may be accessed two miles southeast of Sherrodsville off state Route 212. There is a 10-horsepower motor limit in effect.

Leesville is one of eight reservoirs in the state that receives an annual stocking of muskies. The ODOW stocks Leesville at a rate of one 9-inch muskie fingerling per surface-acre of water.

Leesville has a longstanding and widespread reputation as a phenomenal muskie lake. In biologist Lewis' estimation, Leesville Lake is the best in the state, continually producing high numbers of large fish. "Many anglers view Leesville as a casting lake," he noted, "but there are great trolling opportunities as well," he noted.

Anglers should fish around cool-flowing tributaries or troll near the thermocline in deep water. Many successful fishermen troll continuously around the dam area, targeting both the eastern and western shorelines, typically running lures at depths of 12 to 15 feet, which is where the thermocline normally develops at Leesville. When passing good muskie cover, stop and cast for a while. "Some anglers have found night fishing to be for muskies in August," Lewis remarked.

Leesville leads the state almost every year in the number of muskies caught. In 2004, Leesville Lake anglers reported catching 83 Huskie Muskie qualifiers, 439 honorable mentions and 26 muskies under 30 inches. "This exceptional lake should be another top producer in 2005," Lewis said.

More information on Leesville Lake may be obtained by contacting the ODOW's District Three office at (330) 644-2293 or by writing them at 912 Portage Lakes Drive, Akron, OH 44319. Anglers may also contact Clow's Landing marina on the lake at (740) 269-5371 or the Petersburg Landing marina at (330) 627-4270.

LAKE MILTON
Lake Milton has 23 miles of shoreline in Mahoning County and may be accessed off SR 534, 15 miles west of Youngstown. Milton has no horsepower restrictions.

This 1,684-acre lake often flies under the radar of Ohio muskie anglers. According to Lewis, 11 Huskie Muskie qualifiers, 70 honorable mentions and one muskie under 30 inches were caught from Lake Milton during the 2004 fishing season.

"These numbers are impressive because the lake is not even on the state's list of annually stocked muskie waters," Lewis noted. He added: "We only stock this lake if we have fish left over from our scheduled stockings."

Though there has been an excess of fish in the stocking program during the past four out of five years, and Lake Milton has received stockings on all of those occasions, a large percentage of its muskie population comes from neighboring Berlin Reservoir, which contains a natural population of muskies that often find their way into Lake Milton.

Berlin Reservoir is drained every winter, and the fish are able to make it through the dam and into Lake Milton. This yearly drawdown has helped Milton's fish populations tremendously.

"Anglers who elect to fish Lake Milton this August will, in all likelihood, find very few other muskie anglers on the lake," biologist Heyob noted.

That's a surprise, because Lake Milton features cold streams that feed the lake. Fishermen targeting the water near and even up into these tributaries should enjoy good success.

Another great area to try is around the dam on the north side of the lake. Troll lures down to about 15 feet and run them at 1 to 2 miles per hour. Nighttime and early mornings often prove to be good times to target muskies on Lake Milton.

To obtain more information on Lake Milton and its muskie fishery, contact the ODOW's District Three office at (330) 644-2293 or write them at 912 Portage Lakes Drive, Akron, OH 44319.

PYMATUNING LAKE
Pymatuning Lake covers 14,650 acres and has approximately 77 miles of shoreline in both Ohio and Pennsylvania. Ohioans enjoy a reciprocal agreement with Pennsylvania that make Ohio fishing licenses valid on both sides of the lake.

Ohio's portion of Pymatuning Lake is in Ashtabula County and may be accessed off state Route 6 two miles east of Andover. Unlike other Ohio muskie lakes, there is a 10-horsepower motor limit on Pymatuning.

The ODOW has not stocked Pymatuning for two years. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, however, continually stocks the lake with muskie fingerlings. Last year, ODOW returns showed 17 Huskie Muskie qualifiers, 55 honorable mentions and 23 fish under 30 inches.

"These numbers, however, are most likely not a good reflection of the overall productivity of the fishery," Lewis noted. "The majority of the lake is in Pennsylvania and most of the anglers who fish it are probably from Pennsylvania, so we do not get returns on all the fish caught."

It is conceivable, then, that the number of fish caught in Pymatuning may actually exceed the number of returns from many other top-producing lakes in the state. In any case, Pymatuning is a great muskie lake.

Anglers can expect to find fish near underwater humps between the dam and Stocker Island. Try trolling lures down to 10 to 12 feet in this area and near other deep-water haunts, such as around the swimming area on the southeast shore of the lake.

For more information on Pymatuning Lake, contact the ODOW's District Three office at (330) 644-2293, or try the Pymatuning State Park offices at (440) 293-6329.

These great lakes are just a sampling of Ohio's phenomenal muskie fisheries. They are all great lakes that produce numbers of Ohio Huskie Muskies every year.

According to biologists Lewis and Heyob, August fishing is best in the early morning hours and can be great for anglers equipped to venture out after dark as well.

When fishing at night, be sure to comply with all state boating laws, to and exercise extreme caution while on the water. You may not be the only one out there!

More information on Ohio's muskie lakes and additional trip-planning assistance may be obtained by calling the Ohio Division of Wildlife Headquarter at 1-800-WILDLIFE or 1840 Belcher Drive, Columbus, OH 43224.

Information on the Ohio Huskie Muskie Club and the lakes discussed in this article may be found at www.ohiodnr.com. Click on the Fish & Wildlife link, on Fishing Resources, and then on Ohio's Huskie Muskie Program. From that point you will be able to find links to maps of all of Ohio's lakes and data on its great muskie fishery.

Minnesota Muskie Tournament Trail

New for the 2006 tournament season - the Metro, Vermilion, Mille Lacs, Cass/Leech, and Minnetonka tournaments will run a cumulative point format. At the Minnetonka award ceremony, the "Anglers of the Year" will be crowned and claim their share of a $10,000 purse!


METRO MUSKIE TOURNAMENT Saturday, June 10th
This individual event includes 15 of the top Twin Cities muskie lakes awarding over $10,000 in cash and prizes.


VERMILION TOURNAMENT Fri/Sat, July 21-22nd
An addition to this year's tournament lineup, this qualifying event pays out a total of $35,000* to the top 10 teams competing on the nation's hottest new trophy muskie lake.


MILLE LACS TOURNAMENT Sat/Sun, August 19-20th
This 7th annual qualifying tournament pays out $35,000* to the top 10 teams competing on the world's best trophy muskie fishery.


CASS/LEECH TOURNAMENT Sat/Sun, September 23-24th
This 8th annual qualifying tournament pays out a total of $35,000* to the top 10 teams. Expanding from Cass Lake and Pike Bay, this tournament will now include Leech Lake and Lake Andrusia.


MINNETONKA CHAMPIONSHIP Sat/Sun, October 21-22nd
New to the lineup in 2006, this championship tournament pays out a total of $81,000** to the top 10 teams on the world's best urban muskie fishery.

http://mnmuskietournament.com/

Secrets For Success for Muskies In Clear Water

Five patterns for scoring in "gin bottles"

By Jim Saric, Editor

I have always had a love/hate relationship with clear water. Some of my best days have come from such waters, and so have some of my worst. But the largest muskies I've seen live in such deep, clear waters, so it keeps me coming back. To make matters worse we all know that overcast skies and southwest winds can produce the best action from muskies on such clear water, but the sad truth is that on those bright, flat, calm days when nothing should happen, I have caught, lost and seen some giant muskies.

Growing up fishing such waters, I hated those sunny and calm days; actually, I really wasn't a big fan of any sunny day, because I knew the action was most likely going to be slow. However, that little voice in my head would always remind me of a big musky either caught or, even worse, a big musky lost on such a day. Not to mention, those sunny days were historically the days I would see some of the biggest fish of the season. Fishing clear water during the summer months is never easy, but it is also overrated in difficulty.

Clear water, like any water type, has its share of obvious patterns and productive areas. Weeds can be just as productive in clear water as stained or dark water, the edges are just deeper. Many rock humps will hold muskies in clear water, including deeper humps, and there are many fish that suspend in open water all season. Of course, night fishing can be extremely deadly. We have covered many of these topics in past issues of Musky Hunter. However, there are several summer patterns that have produced for me in clear waters throughout the years that haven't received much coverage, that you just have to check out this season.

SAND FLATS

Many clear waters are not extremely fertile. There are some with outstanding growth where muskies frequent the weedbeds. Yet in even the more fertile, clear waters, large sand flats exist that go virtually untouched. After all, what does a sand flat have to offer a musky? Aren't they essentially featureless pieces of structure? This is the way most anglers feel about sand flats so they avoid fishing them. In fact, on the clear waters of Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin, chain of lakes where I grew up fishing, I went out of my way to confirm to others that those "featureless" sand flats weren't worth fishing. IN the meantime, I spent many hours fishing these areas and caught numerous muskies.

Sand flats are either large mid-lake humps, shoreline-connected bars or just large flats that have little cover. Sometimes they have a few sparse patches of weeds or grass, and a few sections of scattered boulders. However, the majority of these areas are sand. These large, "blonde"-colored sand flats can appear scary when cutting across a lake as they can come from nowhere and appear just below the surface in the gin-clear water. Don't be fooled by the featureless nature of these flats. These sand bars have patches of grass that frequently hold perch. These smaller perch are prime prey for muskies and as a result many muskies hunt these sand flats. Muskies don't seem to hold on these flats, but rather cruise by and eat. It is a matter of checking several sand flats and making contact with a cruising fish. If the sand flat is extremely large, it may be necessary to locate the areas of grass and focus your efforts on those sections of the flat.

To further increase your odds, focus on the upwind and inside turn areas of these flats. Depending on the wind direction, I'll check the map and try to find an areas where the wind is blowing into an inside turn on a sand flat. These areas really seem to hold big muskies, especially post-spawn females in early summer. I remember one early summer catching several nice muskies in the 40-inch range throughout the week, but being more frustrated with the fact that we were seeing two or three 30-pound class fish each day and were not able to boat one. All the muskies were relating to these large sand flats, with the big girls located at the inside turns.

CRIBS

A crib typically is a wooden, bush-filled structure placed on lakes during the winter months and allowed to sink to the bottom as the ice melts. Cribs can be baitfish magnets, especially when placed on areas of sterile bottom. IN many clear waters, cribs are placed on the sand flats mentioned above, but they are just as frequently placed on rock bars, rock humps, and along steep-breaking shorelines. Many maps will indicate the approximate location of the cribs, although finding deeper cribs can be difficult. Of course if you troll a lure by one it will most surely get hung, which is the way I tend to find most deeper cribs, though I hate sacrificing crankbaits for such missions.

To find cribs in water less that 18 feet, I use a combination of map and information from the local DNR to help locate their position. One needs a flat, sunny day and a good pair of sunglasses for spotting the cribs, but they can be relatively easy to find. Once found, make a note of a shoreline marker or use your GPS to mark the position. Cribs can be natural stopping points for muskies.

A flat with several cribs could consistently hold muskies as baitfish constantly move in and out and between the cribs, which make for easy pickings for the muskies. Although many of us know these areas exist, like sand flats, few take the time to locate the cribs and use their location to help focus efforts when casting a particular structural element. I have taken a tremendous amount of muskies from clear water when fishing areas containing cribs. It seems a lone crib on a flat isn't always the best, but a series of cribs scattered along the breakline of a featureless flat can make a spot absolutely fantastic.

One final piece of advice for fishing crib areas is that muskies commonly suspend away from the cribs over deep water. Therefore, when fishing such areas, make sure one angler is casting toward open water at all times while working the boat along the breakline. There may often be an active musky shallow, but over the years I have caught equally as many fish casting to open water in these areas.

BULRUSH POINTS

How can muskies be lying in shallow bulrushes in three to five feet of water in midsummer, during bright daylight, in gin clear water? That was the question I was asking myself after I boated a 44-inch hybrid musky that ended up winning a musky tournament for my father and I that weekend. The key to the shallow bulrush or reed pattern is weather conditions. Through the years this shallow pattern has produced on numerous clear waters during the heat of summer. However, the most important ingredient is wind. Strong winds, warm surface temperatures and sunny days have resulted in my most consistent catches from this shallow cover. The best bulrush areas seem to grow in a hard sand bottom mixed with some boulders and very little weed growth. Frequently in midsummer it is not uncommon to see schools of minnows in the shallow reeds. I think the strong winds just make the ambush opportunities better for muskies as they can corral and hunt prey more effectively.

Many clear waters have large areas of bulrushes. Focus on those points projecting closest to deep water as they seem to be best. My approach is to fish several bulrush points first, concentrating on those closest to deep water. If one of the points is holding a fish, and you will know quickly as these fish are extremely active in windy conditions, other points most likely will also be holding muskies. I have had few follows in bulrushes during this time. Once all points have been fished go back and more thoroughly fish the area that produced the fish and look for other turns or thicker patches of bulrushes to hold more muskies.

I've fished this shallow water bulrush pattern for years and used various lures, but none even comes close to a spinnerbait. The Stanley Musky Boss with within Colorado blades that thump hard, create tremendous flash and actually push the bulrushes away from the lure, is incredible in this situation. It is important to make rocket casts to these areas to power the bait through the cover.

SHALLOW, SUSPENDED FISH

We all know that muskies suspend in open water regardless of clarity, but many anglers aren't aware of how shallow the muskies suspend. IN early summer, baitfish freely roam the shallow portion of open water feeding on plankton. Later, in the summer months, the baitfish will be much deeper and only in the evenings do they venture shallower. As a result, in early summer the muskies can be found suspending very high in the water column. Actually, this is an easy time to fish below the muskies. Regardless of the fact that your sonar may read 50-plus feet, the muskies are typically suspended less than 22 feet below the surface with many in the top 10 feet! Catching muskies casting or trolling large minnowbaits such as 8- and 10-inch Jakes, bucktails, even jerkbaits is the norm at this time. Deeper running crankbaits will also produce at this time, but the shallower running lures can be equally effective. Even more amazing is how certain portions of a basin tend to hold baitfish and muskies, year after year. Obviously there are exceptions, but just like many shallow water structures tend to consistently hold muskies, depending on the wind and weather conditions certain sections of the basin may also hold muskies.

Rather than just randomly fishing open water, look for funnel or neck-down areas adjacent to the deep basin. Also, a series of humps or island clusters adjacent to deep water can be natural areas to concentrate packs of feeding muskies. However, it is always worth the time to cruise the basin looking for schools of baitfish. Large clouds of balled-up baitfish in five to 20 feet of water are a sure sign that active and catchable, high riding, suspended muskies are present. Start a drift upwind of the school and systematically make several passes. Combining deeper structural elements, natural funnels and balls of baitfish usually means a sure sign of a suspended musky bite. Whenever I am cruising across the basin of a clear water in early summer between casting structural elements, I am searching and hoping to find such a situation. If the shallow structure fishing is dead, my search for open water fish becomes more focused and if a bunch of shallow bait is found, in most cases I drop all other plans and check it out.

ROCK HUMPS

We all fish rock humps in our favorite waters, but in clear waters there is a brief period of early summer where big muskies relate to rock humps in big numbers. This shallow rock pattern occurs in clear waters with minimal weed growth. Years ago, my friend Joe Bucher turned me on to this pattern, and I've been fishing it in various clear waters ever since.

Before the thermocline is well established, and typically around the same time that the muskies are suspended high, muskies will use rock humps - particularly those that top off shallower than 15 feet as areas to feed in packs and corral schools of ciscoes. IT is not uncommon to catch and see several muskies working an individual hump. The timing of this usually occurs around the first week of July in northern Wisconsin so one can adapt the point of reference for their own waters. These muskies are post-spawn and it is a great chance to catch a large fish.

Crankbaits, jerkbaits, and large minnowbaits are most effective when fishing rock humps as again the fish are not that deep. Diver-style jerkbaits such as Bobbie Baits get the call here and deep running crankbaits such as Ernies and DepthRaiders are preferred.

When searching for productive humps look for several humps that are relatively close to one another. Isolated smaller humps can be productive, but they seem to be more hit or miss. However, large humps or clusters tend to hold more fish and thus are more consistent.

Overcast days tend to be best for fishing rock humps. Focus on the upwind side of the humps and pay attention to the fingers or projections present. I prefer to approach these humps from a distance and quietly move in with my trolling motor while casting. At the end of the hump, make a few more casts over open-water for shallow, suspended muskies. This approach to the humps puts one in a position to catch muskies relating to the entire hump area.

Summer is often a time many musky hunters choose to fish shallow, stained waters in an effort to increase action. In many cases this is a solid approach, but there is another musky myth that the clear waters are too cold to fish early, or too tough in midsummer. These clear waters can be tougher, but the payoff can often be better. Check out the obvious patterns and try some of these I've described that are not so obvious.

I have been fishing such waters for over 20 years across North America and many of the same patterns hold true. It is just a matter of paying your dues and having the desire to catch a big musky. If you are really after a big fish, and aren't afraid to suffer for a few days when times are tough, it is just a matter of time until lightning strikes and you're holding a giant fish. Clear waters in summer is the place where it can happen, but you've got to fish them to make it happen.

Rattle Your Way To Spring Success

By Tony Grant

With musky fever hot on your brain, you contemplate your next spring trip to Southern musky water. When you get there, the high waters, rain, and muddy conditions have you re-evaluating your decision to use your vacation days on some early season musky fishing. You remember the stories we have all heard about how someone's spring trip to a Southern musky hotspot was spoiled by extremely high water. Having heard these stories quite often in my travels to shows, tournaments and seminars across musky country, I have always looked for methods to help my clients overcome these conditions.

Early in my guiding career on Kentucky's Cave Run Reservoir, I found early spring was the tough time to get on a pattern, as heavy rains almost always foiled our efforts to consistently boat fish. Fortunately, about five years ago, I came across the miracle cure - the bass-style, rattling crankbait. Most hard-core musky fanatics seem to turn their heads at such non-traditional - if not wimpy - baits. Whether water levels are rising or falling, these baits have become my most consistent producers during our pre-spawn, spawn, and post-spawn periods. In the last five years, our guides have boated over 250 muskies using this extremely successful rattling spring tactic.

Although multiple fish days are very common, the only drawback to this method is that it isn't a trophy-producing tactic. Most of the fish we boat are 34 to 38 inches with 1 of 10 measuring over 40 inches. However, boating four to six muskies in a day happens more often with rattling lures than any other bait I've ever used at this time of year.

HOW THE MIRACLE BAIT CAME ABOUT

My ego wishes I could take credit for discovering this tactic, but I can't. here's how we came across this method. In 1995, as owner of Cave Run Musky Guide Service, I employed four or five guides during our busy seasons. One early April day, Bill Burns, a local bass and musky guide, was guiding some avid musky clients to some of the Cave's smallmouth bass. He told David Christian and myself that his clients had boated three muskies. Our first question (of course) was "On what?" Bill, known as one of the most successful bass anglers around, finally gave up his secret - a gold 1/2 -ounce Rat-L-Trap.

Bill went on to inform us that all three fish had come off shallow flats. If you've been to Cave Run you know that about the only thing flat around here is the bottom of a Mason jar of moonshine. Areas that we call flats are just the small heads of hollows or coves - commonly known as hollers - around these parts. In fact, most all of our flats have a somewhat tapered drop. Bill added that his father, who was one of the first guides on Cave Run after its impoundment, always had good luck in the spring using Rat-L-Traps and other similar baits. Using small baits in the spring was no secret to us, but using Rat-L-Traps had never been a proven tactic.

The following day, David called me just before I met my client for the fishing part of a musky-turkey combo hunt, to inform me of three fish his clients boated that morning on the Rat-L-Traps Bill had given him. After rifling through my bass tackle box,, I headed out to meet my client. With only five hours to produce and only one chrome Rat-L-Trap my confidence level was no way near that of David's. However, I soon found it wasn't color that day, but the rattle. My client boated a pair of muskies measuring 34 and 36 inches, and I was a believer. The next day, after a 60-mile round trip to Wal-Mart, I hit the water on my own to further test my newly-purchased Rat-L-Traps. The first three muskies I boated were sublegals, so I changed to a ¾-ounce and proceeded to land fish measuring 35, 37, and 38 ½ inches. I determined that the ½-ounce was the choice of smaller fish. I had found my spring miracle bait.

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

David and I quickly shared this valuable information with our other guides. At first, not all my fellow guides found this pattern to be quite as productive. They had to find where to apply these baits. Rattle baits weren't working on points, around lay-downs or standing timber - the key factor was shallow flats near spawning areas.

Knowing your water becomes very important here. Muskies rarely follow these baits to the boat. Therefore, locating fish can be very tough. In fact, I can only recall a couple of fish taken on the figure-8 using these techniques. The most productive flats seemed to be those with a soft, mucky bottom covered with last year's leaves. Even the smallest flats seem to hold fish. As the days went on, we found that to steadily produce, another ingredient must be added - speed. Several days of dredging up leaves during the retrieve made us speed up our lures, which provoked even more strikes. A fast retrieve was essential for rattling up consistent spring success. Reels with slower gear ratios didn't have near the amount of strikes. It also took a couple of years to narrow down the exact time to apply this method.

As a group of guides working together, we all keep very detailed records which we share with one another. After numerous hours of nonproductive casting, we found that our water temperature needed to reach 53 degrees before we applied this tactic. The action continues until the water warms to 65 degrees. We also found that as the surface temperature warms into the 60 to 62 degree range, you should increase the size of your Rat-L-Traps to 1 ounce. Since schools of larger shad seem to be predominant over the smaller variety seen at cooler temperatures, this made sense. Always looking for that extra edge, I purchased some Supertraps, only to find that this presentation must have been more than our spring muskies wanted to chew. I've used Super-Traps many hours only to boat a single musky.

After reviewing our records, we found that line size was a key factor that we could not ignore. Our statistics proved that a smaller diameter line increased productivity. We spool up with 17- to 20-pound test monofilament, using a 35-pound test leader. This lighter rig seems to give our baits a tighter wiggle and yields a louder rattle. Fear of a musky breaking you off in Cave Run's enormous amount of wood is not a factor here, as most all of the flats have little or no standing or lay-down timber. Presenting your baits with lighter bass rods adds even more excitement in playing the fish to the boat.

The final factor to consider is color. Color selection can be very difficult during this period. It makes sense to use bright orange or chartreuse, which is always a good choice on muddy Southern waters. Other times a coin toss determines my selection. I then change colors often until a pattern is established. After our success here on Cave Run, we were excited to try this method on other musky waters.

FIELD TESTING

This miracle bait has been very successful on all of Kentucky's musky fisheries during high water levels as well as normal pool. This is no longer a secret tactic used by a handful of guides. It is now the preferred method of spring musky hunting in the South.

In my travels during the past few years, I've found this method works all across musky country when applied in the right areas during the right water temperatures. My good friend and tournament partner Don Pfieffer put these tactics to work on two different Wisconsin lake chains and had great success in producing some fast spring action for clients during all types of conditions this past year. While participating in the Professional Musky Tournament Trail (PMTT) event on Chautauqua Lake in New York, I met a musky hunter who had been producing there using the same tactics. In June, with unusually warm water temperatures, we boated 2 smaller muskies on the Chippewa Flowage. During the PMTT's Invitational on Lake Kinkaid I was amazed at the numerous flats that would be terrific spots for some spring rattling success.

We all know that there are no miracle bait sin the reality of musky fishing, but this tactic generates the most awesome spring action I've ever run across. Too bad it only lasts four to seven weeks. IN talking about this method with other musky anglers, one question usually comes up: "What is the rattling bait imitating to drive these muskies into a feeding frenzy?" I don't want to put a dark cloud on such a bright spot in my musky fishing success so I don't have an opinion (probably a first). Several opinions I have heard are the first activity of our crayfish, quick movements of our shad population in and out of the flats, and the swift movements of small bass battling for bed selection. For whatever reason, these rattling baits drive muskies crazy.

I'm just glad to have the confidence these baits give me during a very tough time on the high waters of the South.

Calendar of EventsCalendar of EventsCalendar of Events

Tony Grant runs the Cave Run Muskie Guide Service, the Mountain Muskie Lodge, and the Muskie Shack near Frenchburg, Kentucky. You can visit his web site at http://www.kymuskie.com.

Putting the Spin on Pike & Muskies

The Esox clan has been a sucker for spinners for decades. But there are things you can do with these lures other than just cast them out and crank them back to the boat.

By Noel Vick

It wouldn't be right to simply cast and retrieve a lure that was built to, well, be cast and retrieved. Nah. Notwithstanding the fact that inline bucktail spinners are arguably the simplest lures to manage in all of freshwater fishing, should we, as angling innovators, push the envelope and turn this uncomplicated weapon into something it isn't? You betcha!

That is precisely what guide Brian Brosdahl does when he uses a bucktail. Sure, he'll throw it and retrieve it in amateur fashion when conditions warrant, but more often than not, that bucktail is asked to do something it wasn't meant to do. Before delving deeper, though, distinctions must be made. Brosdahl doesn't file all spinning-blade lures into a single directory. In the pursuit of pike and muskies, the field is divided into inline spinners and hairpin spinners.

The inline bucktails are the most versatile and biggest-producing muskie lures of all time; I suspect spoons are responsible for more pike catches, though. Bucktails earn their stripes through flash, color and vibration, and they come in unlimited weights, sizes and patterns. Inline spinners can be fished both shallow and deep, and can be retrieved at the pace of a turtle or a hare.

Hairpins, the spinnerbait-looking versions, are far more snagless and weedless, making them superior in the tangles. He also likes their bigger profile in dark water and when the area has huge fish. When dropping down to predators, which we'll discuss in a moment, the helicoptering motion can incite riot, too.

So let's get beyond the straight retrieve. Brosdahl's first wrinkle involves redirection. "Normally, you hold the rod with the tip just below the waist and crank," he says, describing fundamentals. "That's the everyday retrieve, but it doesn't always trip their fancy. So I make the bucktail look more like prey - a baitfish - by moving the rod tip around. I change the rod's position, shifting left or right, secure it, and start cranking in a new direction. To the predator, it looks like a fish turning away. That turns 'em on."

Inlayed into his redirects are purposeful changes in velocity. Sometimes he speeds things up to invoke strikes. Other times, slowing down gets them ornery. "I've watched more than one 20-pound pike follow and finally commit because I throttled back," says Brosdahl. "The slowing down thing is really key in the spring and fall, when the water's cooler."

A technique known as "bulging" is better suited for midsummer, when the water is hot and gators hunt amidst the foliage, slop, rocks and timber. Brosdahl throws and retrieves, reaching and maintaining a rate at which the lure bends, but doesn't break the surface. From above, it looks like a torpedo raging beneath the surface.

"Bulging is super effective on lakes where pike and muskies slither in the hardstem bulrushes," he says. "I've seen it where they won't touch a true surface lure, one that splashes or buzzes, but they'll sneak up behind a bucktail bulging through the rushes and destroy it."

To bolster buoyancy, he fishes a bait with bigger blades but lighter weight, maybe only a 1/2-ounce total. Extra hair and soft-plastic condiments further promote flotation, so don't be bashful about additives.

Bulging is also effective over submerged weeds, such as pastures of cabbage and coontail. The heavier the vegetation the wilder Brosdahl gets in choosing a lure, too. "When it's really thick, I go for the noisiest and flashiest baits in the box. A fish's range of detection is limited in the forest, so I give 'em a little extra to go on."

Both inline bucktails and hairpin spinners work in the greens. Normally, though, Brosdahl opens with an inline, pulling it across the tips of the weeds, tickling the tops. Occasionally, he spices things up with a redirect, maybe a jig or jerk. But if anything follows and/or misses, he switches to a bulky hairpin spinner and puts on the brakes.

"The clumsier hairpin bounces off weed stalks, stopping and starting, possibly plunging into a pocket. The change in appearance and presentation can change the fish's disposition," he contends.

Peculiar as it seems, bucktails and hairpins can also take on the action of a jig, a giant jig. Brosdahl goes to the jig-card when challenging pike and muskies on precipitous and deep weedlines, the sort found on clear northern lakes.

He positions the boat 10 to 15 yards beyond the weed edge and casts back atop the greens. Before the bucktail can burrow in the vegetation, he locks down and starts reeling, brushing the weedtops and continuing until the bait reaches the edge, at which point he permits it to descend on a taut line to the bottom. In clear water, abrupt weedlines are often visible, especially early and late in the season. You'll see a mound of weeds suddenly vanish into blackness - that's where the jigging begins and battles occur.

Brosdahl jigs in a sequence of long pulls and drawn-out freefalls. "You want the spinner to really spin," he says. "Short snaps and rips are effective with conventional jigs, but not with an inline spinner. The blade never gets a chance to oscillate."

Small to midsized bucktails perform best for jigging, too. Large 1-ounce-plus models put up too much resistance. Besides, hooking percentages are significantly greater with smaller lures. The illusion of size - pike- and muskie-sized food - is created through motion rather than through mass, so don't get caught up in thinking a modest bucktail is too small for the job.

Now, right in the middle of the action, is prime time to talk about leaders. Brosdahl uses leaders religiously, but contrary to popular theory, he uses fluorocarbon more often than steel. "Saltwater fishermen trust fluorocarbon in the face of butchers like billfish and barracudas, so I think it'll suffice for our coldwater creatures," he contends. Brosdahl custom-ties 18- to 24-inch leaders made of 60- to 80-pound-test fluorocarbon line. To one end, the main line connector, he factors in a true ball-bearing swivel, while the other is fitted with a cross-lock snap.

In addition to its strength and ability to thwart teeth, fluorocarbon affords "boing" (recoil), which is essential during fight sequences. However, if you're still insecure about synthetic protection, Brosdahl suggests using a 40-pound-test titanium leader.

What else can a bucktail do? It'll jerk. Modern jerkbaits come in all shapes and sizes, everything from wooden to hard plastic to soft plastic. Brosdahl fishes myriad varieties, too, but his favorite jerkbait isn't really a jerkbait at all. He jerks with a bucktail, and predominantly when fishing around wood or over rocks.

The retrieve succession goes something like this: jerk, jerk, pause, jerk, pause, jerk, jerk, jerk, jerk, pause. Notice the inconsistency? That's the trigger that imparts the injured-fish dance. Between jerks, Brosdahl redirects, causing the bucktail to move from side to side. It's quite a show, combining the spark of a spinner with the lifelike motion of a jerkbait.

Bucktails yield enhanced hooking as well. "When a big pike or muskie clamps down on a wood or plastic jerkbait, their teeth usually stick in place, whether that's over hooks or not," says Brosdahl. "That's not the case with a bucktail. The bait will usually slide down until a hook plants."

So you're jerking and jigging and thinking it can't get any better. Well, Brosdahl doesn't confine his use of spinners to casting only, and neither should you. "Inline bucktails and hairpin spinners might be the best trolling baits of all time," he says (where legal, of course). In the summer, Brosdahl lowers the hammer to about 3 or 3.5 mph and runs like a madman. In the spring and fall, when waters are appreciably cooler, he scales back to 2 to 2.5 mph.

Trolling spinners is practical in various circumstances, too. Brosdahl likes nothing better than lining up a defined weedline, sending back 40 to 60 feet of line, planting the pole in a holder and tracing the topography. There's simply no better method for searching unfamiliar water or establishing a pattern and the presence of fish. Depth is a virtual non-factor, too. Brosdahl drags bucktails and hairpins as effortlessly in 10 feet of water has he does in 30 feet. Added weight, such as a Snap-Weight, can be added as necessary to achieve a desired depth.

Brosdahl selects the lumber with a critical eye, too. He contends that the average muskie chaser uses rods that are excessively stiff, with no end action whatsoever. For jigging, jerking and just plain old casting, Brosdahl uses a medium- to medium-heavy-action baitcasting rod in a 6-foot, 6-inch length. Trolling, however, stipulates greater length, somewhere between 7 and 8 1/2 feet. On his main line, he runs with either 40-pound to 80-pound fluorocarbon, such as Seaguar or P-Line, or a superbraid, like Berkley Whiplash, in the same poundage.

So instead of just casting and retrieving this season, try giving pike and muskies a little different spin.

Doug Johnson Talks Muskies

How I Deal With Changing Water Conditions On Lakes Like Lake Of The Woods.

By Doug Johnson

Every year the weather seems to get a little stranger. Perhaps the El Nino effect, or maybe global warming really is taking a toll. Two years ago we had 50-year-high water levels on Lake of the Woods, and it was, obviously, suppose to be an unusual event. Last summer the water rose even higher following 18 inches of rain in two days. Then, toward fall water levels dropped like a rock.

These unusual conditions effected most of the muskie waters in northwest Ontario, including Lake of the Woods, the body of water where I spend most of my time. Many conditions change from year to year, from the start to the end of the season, day by day, and even hour by hour. Changing water conditions are one of the most important factors in fishing success. We pay much more attention to lure selection that we can easily change, and weather conditions that we can easily observe, than we do to changing water conditions. I'm typical in that regard, but I've learned a few things that help produce fish consistently under changing conditions.

It's rare for lake conditions to remain constant from year to year. Most short-term changes are related to weather conditions, but weed kills and short-term pollution problems affect the water, too. We've had rapidly rising and high overall water levels the past two years. On Lake of the Woods, high water in spring causes more cabbage weedgrowth, particularly in the sandy weedy bays and on shallow saddles. Muskies move into these areas, because there's more cover and more food.



WATER LEVEL AND CURRENT
High water also creates different holding spots for muskies. They usually push shallower rather than deeper. Last year, many fish moved into black-water bays. These are shallow areas that during normal water levels don't have much weedgrowth because they have soft, muddy bottoms, and they don't hold many fish. With adequate depth, though, these areas become great holding areas for forage fish like bullheads and suckers. Then the muskies move in, too.

I like slowly rising water levels. This allows me to easily fish above the weeds, while the muskies seem comfortable staying shallow. In general, I like modestly high-water levels rather than low levels. Interestingly, Dick Pearson, who is known to catch a fish or two at times, prefers low water. We've had a number of discussions about this, concluding that we're both right. He loves to fish rocks, which are the best in low-water conditions. I'm an old weed fisherman and conditions are usually better with high water. When I'm on the water, there's never an 'always correct' answer.

High water on Lake of the Woods also creates current. Many of the large Ontario shield lakes are reservoirs; the dams are used not only to generate electricity, but also to regulate the water levels. Excessive, long-term (several days or even weeks) of heavy current means few catchable muskies in classic current areas. The fish drop down to the bottom and stay there, staying out of the current, or they move out of the area entirely.

When current bends weeds flat, classic spots no longer produce. On the other hand, when weeds stand straight up, or almost so, the fish usually are there and high in the water column (even when the water's eight feet deep). I catch them near or on the surface. In high-water high-current conditions, I look for spots blocked by large land masses. Some of the best spots are areas I wouldn't fish during normal conditions.

As the lake level drops significantly, the bite slows. As the water level stabilizes at normal levels and currents subside, big fish suddenly appear in predicable areas, including areas that normally host modest current.

Short-term current, say a change over a few hours or a few days, can turn fish on. Some short-term current areas are wind induced, but on a reservoir system like Lake of the Woods, changes in outflow also cause temporary current. These spots usually are in necked-down areas or long channels. With heavy, long-term current over an area, muskies favor areas protected from current. With short-term, mild current, though, hang on with both hands.

Current is good, both when it first starts and when it stops. Then it starts to lose its effect. The same thing happens when dams first generate power, then stabilize. Places with light or modest current's in a small area produces great fishing These areas usually have some sort of "pool" or rock ledge for muskies to sit behind as they do in rivers. Fish are rarely found in the middle of these current areas; usually they're off to the side. These conditions are common on the Lake of the Woods, even during normal water levels.

If fish have some place to go for the fish to get out of the main current, they will use that area. Prolonged heavy current over a large area makes them move, while short-term or changing currents make them active. This is best experienced by observation: be aware, then watch and learn. Recognize that current makes muskies move.

The opposite situation sometimes occurs when levels are low; midchannel reefs are better during low water. Low water usually means less weedgrowth, and this moves the fish into different areas. Better weedgrowth occurs on humps or deeper saddles than in shallow bays during low water. Low water means that fish aren't as secure as they are when the water's high and are more likely spooked or leave the area. Water temperatures also increase faster, stay warmer in hot weather, and cool faster in cold weather--factors to consider when looking for muskies.

In low-water conditions, muskies move out of shallow spawning bays much faster than in high-water years. If the water level is low and the water temperature is somewhat high (above 65 degrees) the fish are from their spawning areas early in the season. Unfortunately, the weather patterns of recent years haven't given us normal conditions, and finding fish in changing water levels needs more research. On a 1-week once-a-year trip, this is one of the hardest things to figure out, as water levels and the resulting current and weedgrowth changes relocate fish.

WATER COLOR FACTORS
Water color also changes greatly and, at times, quickly, especially on sections of Lake of the Woods with darker water. Heavy wind and rain significantly affect on water color. This is particularly true in the shallower areas of the lake. Roiling water usually slows the fishing as the fish have a hard time seeing lures. No easy answers exist, except to look for cleaner water, which usually means finding deeper water or areas where the islands are closer together.

High-visability lures and lures with rattles help fish locate lures. Noisy surface lures work well, too. One of the best is the Musky Mania "Doc," which is a large walk-the-dog lure with rattles. Firetiger, chartreuse, and orange are the best colors in dirty water. Large lures like jointed 10-inch Believers that click on the retrieve also work well. Fish shallower when the water's dirty, since the fish can see better there.

Muddy water and high water seem to go together, the result of water pushing into shoreline areas composed of soil rather than rock. Muddy conditions generally make fishing tough, but the fish don't leave the lake. They continue to feed, but it's harder for them to find your lure. And once weather conditions improve, the water usually begins to clear in a few days.

ALGAE BLOOMS
I've saved the worst condition for last. Almost every year on Lake of the Woods an algae bloom sets in, except in the areas around Whitefish and Clearwater bays. Some years it starts early and stays late, while other years it hardly shows up at all. Blue-green, the most troublesome, is more closely related to bacteria than to plants, and botanists refers to them as "cyanobacteria." When they die their cells rupture and release various toxins.

These algae aren't bad when they're alive. They apparently produce oxygen during the day, and fish are happy living in or among it. Blue-greens also have the ability to change their buoyancy to move up and down in the water column to find optimum light and nutrient conditions, so they can be here today and gone tomorrow.

When blooms are heavy, use brighter lures. Noisy lures also are an option. During the first stages of a bloom, the fishing often is good. Blooms also reduce fishing pressure as folks avoid bloom areas. As the algae starts to die, though, on calm days they float on the surface and smells nasty. Time to look for clearer water.

On a lake the size of Lake of the Woods, some areas don't get as heavy a bloom as other sections. Areas that are less fertile often don't have blooms at all. At times one or more smaller bays may also, for unknown reasons, remain cleaner than surrounding areas. Once you find these areas, look and fish and look and fish, with the emphasis on looking more than fishing until you find something that looks cleaner than surrounding areas.

Consider the wind at this time, too. If the wind's blowing at a good clip, algae mixes into the water column and numbers of fishable spots develop. Pick your favorite areas and fish as normal. Around smaller islands the wind pushes algae around to the calm side, leaving the windy side cleaner. On large land masses (bigger islands and the main land) the wind clears the lee side of areas. Fish quickly and find cleaner water in each case.

Finally,water temperature is the water condition that we probably note most. Yet after years of looking at temperature factors, about the only thing I can say for sure is that it gets warmer in the spring and colder in the fall. If we want to catch muskies consistently, we have to be after them as much as possible, trying to figure out where they go during different conditions.

Up and Bumping Bulger Bucktails

written by (Contributing Author)
Rob Kimm

In a never-ending search for the perfect muskie bait, Esox expert Rob Kimm discusses a lure category that few have turned on to ... but should

Some baits just don’t fit into any one category. Sorta like this, but some of that too; can do one thing almost as well as this, but has some things this doesn’t and that does but these aren‘t really this, or entirely that either, so what is it, exactly? Enough to make a guy dive for the plain lead jigheads, no paint or nothing, thanks, deciding on color right now is enough to make my head hurt. Some baits, well, they’re just sort of in-between.

Lots of things in fishing like that. When it comes to the nuts and bolts of it, a lot of the really important things in fishing-the bare bones, keep your whiz-bang theories and gimme the where, when, and how basics-that we talk and think about are about what’s in-between. Shallow flats covered with scattered coontail that aren’t really a solid weedbed but rather a multitude of individual weedlines, pockets, points and inside turns, each one an edge in miniature where you can spend an afternoon poking and probing and not ever crank the outboard. Shallow flats of mixed cabbage and sandgrass that aren’t quite barren flats, but aren’t thick jungle either. Thick weedbeds that grow to the edge of the breakline, then fade into the abyss. Hard- to soft-bottom transitions at the edge of a main-lake basin that somehow attract suspended forage and open water muskies.

Edges in time too, both seasonal and daily. Transition periods in the biological cycle of predator and prey; short, sharp disruptions in periods of relative stability, like the few short hours before an approaching midsummer storm. The prime time twilight of dawn and dusk. Edges and transitions, fishing 101 heart and soul.

Some muskie baits, and really some of the best, are also parked firmly in the in-between. A prime example? Large hybrid plastics like the Bull Dawg; not quite a jerkbait, not quite a jig, but rather a little bit of most of the best of both. Baits like Bull Dawgs and bulger bucktails, with characteristics and capabilities lying just a little outside the norm, carry with them the traits of several different bait styles, and along with that a versatility that goes beyond the basic applications of their more traditional cousins. They aren’t radically different, but rather variations on a combination of themes-fusion, with hooks.

From three feet away, bulger bucktails look enough like a garden variety bucktail to escape notice by many muskie anglers prowling the isles of the tackle shop. Some sort of body-hair, or maybe a wad of feathers-blade, coupl’a hooks. Yep. Bucktail, period. Got a million of ‘em.

Look a little closer though, or better yet, get one in the water, and it’s a different story. Bulger bucktails are different enough to warrant some consideration in their own right, and why that’s true is not only how they are built, but what they do.

Here then, is a crash course in bulger basics.


Bulger Builds

A good bulger bucktail differs from standard bucktails in a handful of key areas:

Light Weight - Bulgers are generally lighter overall than most bucktails. Less lead allows them to rise quickly to where they belong (just under the surface) even at slower speeds.

Body Material or Tying Style - Lighter weight, while great for getting baits up on top in a hurry, can cause problems in other areas though, mainly castability. A bucktail that’s simply on the light side can be a good bulger under calm conditions, but be next to impossible to cast any distance or with any accuracy in even a moderate wind. A couple of the best bulgers builders out there, Bruce Shumway and Dave Dorazio, counter the castability issue by using marabou rather than bucktail as a body material. A pile of dry marabou bulgers looks like an industrial accident at a pillow factory (and casting one without wetting it down first is a guaranteed whopper of a backlash) but once the marabou becomes water soaked, it mats down to next to nothing out of the water, making for a package only slightly less aerodynamic and castable than a leadhead jig, even in a fairly stiff wind. Other manufacturers counter light weight with traditional bucktail applied in a non-traditional way. Brian Miller’s Bird-D (alas, a bait that is no longer being produced…) and Musky Maina Tackle’s Sneaky Pete are both reverse-tied-that is, the bucktail dressing is tied to the spinner shaft at the hook with the tips of the bucktail pointing toward the blades, rather than below the blades pointing toward the hooks, so the bait appears to be tied backwards. When cast, the narrower bullet profile cuts the air much better than a standard tied tail, even though the bucktail itself is still fairly bulky.

Cast Small, Look Big - While marabou bodies or reverse-tied bucktails solve one big challenge for good bulgers-castability-the unusual body styles don’t just matter in mid-air. Both styles also create effects in the water important to good bulgers-a large profile. Marabou tails like Shumway’s Flasher and Dorazio’s Comboo give the illusion of mass in the water, pulsating with each rotation of the blades. Reverse-tied tails fold over backwards while retrieved, again creating the appearance of something considerably larger than it actually is.

Multiple Blades - Bulgers often (though not in all cases, the Bird-D being one example) have multiple blades. Paired blades (Colorado blades on the Flasher and Comboo, and Indianas on the Sneaky Pete) create a lot of lift-even at slow speeds-and allow the baits to bulge the surface without popping out of the water. Double blades are sometimes enough to scare off would-be bulger buyers. If one #8 Colorado is work to retrieve, two must be murder, but in reality, that’s not the case. Not sure why exactly, but two large blades actually seem easier to retrieve than a single blade of the same size. One fishing partner of mine has suggested that it’s simply a matter of one blade "cutting a path" for another, and he may be right. Whatever the cause, paired blades don’t seem to add a great deal of resistance to the retrieve-while greatly increasing the amount of water a bulger pushes without actually breaking the surface.

The combination of body design and multiple blades creates something quite a bit different than an ordinary bucktail. A bulger pops right to the surface, pushing water, throwing a wake, gurgling and burping, and generally making a fuss. Topwaters do this of course, but bulgers do it different, staying mostly underwater and only just breaking the surface if at all, and all the while flashing and thumping like a good bucktail should.

I should say too-and I think it’s important and part of why bulgers can be as effective as they are-that where bulger bucktails do their thing is yet another in-between: the surface itself, something Canadian muskie expert and former fisheries biologist Gord Pyzer once called "the most obvious and overlooked edge of all." If you’ve read the article in this issue co-written by Dick Pearson, Doug Johnson and Jack Burns on fishing pressure, you’ll see in there several discussions on either overlooked or hard to target in-betweens-among them, the surface itself.

Why Bulgers? So why not just throw a surface bait? Good idea a lot of the time. Can’t you bulge a regular bucktail? Some of them bulge quite well, and to be fair, popping almost any bucktail to the surface for a few feet during the retrieve is almost always a good idea, and will catch you more fish.

Bulgers, though, work in the in-between of those two options, pushing the surface and creating a disturbance like a topwater, while the body of the bait stays submerged. One benefit of this seems to be better hooking percentages than most topwaters. I’m not sure why, but my suspicion is that it’s a combination of a good-hooking bait style in general (no bulky body to get in the way) and how the baits come through the water. Since bulgers don’t completely break the surface, it may be that the profile of the bait is less broken up by churning water, providing a better target and all the while moving in a nice straight line. Whatever the cause, you seem to get fewer short hitting blow-ups with bulgers than with most topwater styles. The ability to manipulate the speed of bulgers also gives them an advantage over simply bulging a standard tail. Most any bucktail can be bulged, but it’s usually a high-speed proposition, and keeping them on top without blowing out can be a challenge. The high lift of double blades and light weight make it easier to keep bulgers on the surface at a wider range of speeds. Point the rod tip at the water, and you can burn a bulger almost as fast as you can turn the handle without blowing out, or hold the rod tip high to creep the bait along and still keep the bait on top and throwing a wake.

When and where for bulgers? Lots of options really, though I can offer a few suggestions. Bulgers shine as throw-back baits to fish that have followed other lures. Slow-moving topwaters are a traditional throw-back trick, and with good reason. But bulgers have the advantage of a speed range a lot of topwaters lack, not to mention a higher hooking percentage. Over the past couple seasons, bulgers have become my throwback bait of choice.

Early summer-really an in-between time period-is another great time for bulgers. Work bulgers over the tops of developing weedbeds, experimenting with a variety of retrieve speeds. Bulgers stay up over the tops of weeds, reducing wasted casts, and can move fish not quite cranked up enough to chase traditional topwaters, especially in the prime time twilight period when light levels are reduced and water temperatures peak for the day.

Bulgers are also a tool for countering heavy pressure. Leech Lake area guide and frequent EA contributor Dan Craven has long suggested that fish seem to become less conditioned to topwater or near-surface presentations, and it’s not an accident that two of the best bulgers out there are manufactured by guides making their living fishing the heavily-pressured waters of the Hayward, Wisconsin area. For fish that can spell "M-e-p-p-s" by mid-July, bulgers can be a different twist in situations where traditional bucktails would get the nod on less-pressured waters.

In-between baits like bulgers, by their very nature, invite experimentation. The versatility they gain by combining traits from different bait styles make them a tool that can be applied to a number of situations beyond the few described here. Spend a little time splashing around in the in-between, and you’re bound to find the value of variations on even the most tried and true of muskie themes.

Go Deep for Muskies

By Bob Gwizdz

Follow the big ones offshore in cool weather.

March 2006

Jon Bondy and I were prospecting for muskellunge, jigging in water more than 20 feet deep with baits the size of the fish many people catch. By the time we finished our short afternoon trip on the Detroit River, we’d boated two specimens that any muskie angler would have been tickled to hook.

Bondy, an Ontario fishing guide, has found that he can catch more and bigger muskies with an unusual method of his own invention. The deep-jigging technique he came up with was born out of his frustration with typical fishing approaches for muskies. While presentations such as casting topwaters, jerkbaits and bucktail spinners in the vicinity of weed beds work in low-light conditions, Bondy concluded that they were all but useless after the sun rose high in the sky and muskies moved offshore.

Where Midday Muskies Live
Bondy’s attempt to find a deepwater muskie pattern followed a logical progression of ideas. The guide first reflected on the results of previous fishing trips. Every spring, his customers caught a half dozen or so muskies from the river while fishing the bottom for walleyes. Some of his clients even boated a few muskies on hot summer days while fishing tubes or skirted grubs for smallmouth bass at Lake St. Clair. On several occasions, Bondy had seen muskies rush in and kill bass hooked by his customers in deep water. Which led him to wonder: If muskies inhabit deep water at least part of the time, why not fish for them there?

Bondy decided to start spending the noon hours of his muskie fishing days exploring the deeper water beyond shoreline weed beds and past the river’s drop-offs. At first he plumbed the depths with such lures as big bucktail jigs. Next he switched to the largest soft-plastics he could find. He caught a few fish, then tried a homemade soft-plastic lure equipped with two large treble hooks and a tailspinner. That’s when he hit the jackpot.

“Last spring I caught eight thirty-pounders during the first two weeks of the season, and they all came from jigging my lure,” says Bondy, whose fishing technique for big muskies in 20 to 30 feet of water has become the talk of the Midwest. “I’m convinced this technique will work anywhere there are big muskies— the St. Lawrence, the Niagara, in running water or in lakes.”

His fishing approach is simple: Working along the drops outside productive shallow-water areas, Bondy lowers his 7-ounce “Bondy Bait” to the bottom. He then snaps the bait up 2 or 3 feet and allows it to sink again in a controlled descent. Because of the size of the muskies he’s likely to hook, and the fact that the lures are huge, Bondy favors an 8-foot All Star Big Game Series bait-casting rod and matching Pflueger reel loaded with 80-pound-test braided line and a wire leader.

Bondy’s hand-poured Bondy Bait is fish-shaped and designed to mimic a freshwater drum (sheepshead), one of the top prey fish in the Great Lakes muskie diet. The baits measure slightly more than 8 inches in length, and although they’re large enough to entice the biggest brutes, they sometimes catch undersize muskies. Bondy has even boated a number of walleyes weighing up to 7 pounds on his homemade lures.

Strikes are often jarring. Ninety percent of the time when a muskie gobbles the lure, it takes the bait on the fall, according to Bondy. Usually the fish stays deep and bulldogs on the bottom until it wears out. Some times a muskie will hit the lure as it’s being reeled to the surface.

Deepwater jigging seems most productive when the fish are in transition, either moving back out to the depths after spawning or being pushed to deeper water by colder temperatures in the fall or hotter weather in the summer. Bondy says he’s had his best fishing the first month of the season (which opens in early June in Michigan and Ontario) and then again from October through December as the water gets cold inshore. He’s convinced the tactic will produce strikes any time muskies are in their open-water haunts near the bottom.

“The important thing about deepwater muskies is that everybody’s missing them,” Bondy says. “Nobody’s out there in thirty feet of water looking for muskies on the bottom. They’re up on the flats casting or, if they’re trolling, they’re running their baits way over the fish.”

Going After the Loafers
Indeed, most muskie trollers generally work fairly high in the water column with shallow-running baits. But even if they use in-line weights or wire line to get down, as many trollers do, they still depend on the fish to come up after the lure. That might work fine for aggressive fish, but Bondy’s technique also covers fish that are merely loafing near the bottom. His big baits produce reaction strikes from neutral fish that just can’t seem to pass up an easy meal.

Bondy focuses on steep drops to gradual slopes, giving extra attention to structural elements such as points or river bends. But because he believes muskies are almost always on the move, Bondy thinks it’s more important to cover a lot of water than to home in on specific spots. So he drifts, using the trolling motor to stay on the structure, and keeps his bait rising and falling just off bottom.

The biggest challenge Bondy faces these days is getting his new clients to buy into the technique. “I get some strange looks at first,” he says, “but after a while they see.”

Tell me about it. I was leery myself until I saw a 4-foot-long muskie at the end of my fishing line wearing one of Bondy’s lures in the corner of its toothy maw.

It made a believer out of me.

Handle Muskies with Care!
More often than not, muskellunge anglers—especially those on guided trips—release their fish after the battle. Additionally, most states and provinces have established length limits designed to protect the breeding stock, which mandate the safe release of undersize muskies. Companies such as Frabill and Beckman offer a variety of big nets that will handle the biggest fish.

Muskies present a special problem for catch-and-release techniques, however, as the fish are large and strong and have formidable teeth. You have to handle them with care in order to get them back into the water in good condition and still keep all of your fingers.

Although you don’t want to land a muskie that’s still green, you also don’t want it to kill itself during the battle. Use a large landing net. Muskies regularly exceed 4 feet in length, and leading a lively specimen into a net head-first is not a given. Once the fish is boated, set the net on the deck and remove the bait. You might need to use a mouth-gripper tool or large pair of fish pliers to gain enough leverage to get the hooks out. Work quickly to minimize the amount of time the fish is out of water. Tools such as a Boga Grip or a Berkley Lip Grip Scale, which are easy to find in tackle stores or catalog outlets, will come in handy to hold a muskie’s head still while you’re getting the hooks out of its maw.

When removing a muskie from the net, it’s best to use a fish-handling glove to get a firm grip near the fish’s tail. After pictures or measurements, slide the muskie into the water, but hold on near the tail until the fish has recovered its equilibrium. You might have to move the fish gently back and forth under the water, as anglers often do with stream trout. You’ll know when the fish recovers its strength. Let go of its tail and it should swim away, safe and sound.

Pelican Lake, WI 50 inch muskie limit proposal

Mike Roberts
Published March 23, 2006

Proposed Muskellunge Regulation Change
Pelican Lake, Oneida County
Released March 22nd, 2006; Mike Roberts and Norm Wild, Authors


During the 2005 annual summer meeting held at the Pelican Lake Town Hall in July, the Pelican Lake Property Owners Association took a proactive step to help maintain Pelican Lakes reputation as The Home of The Musky. After a proposal was presented by concerned fishermen, 70 of 89 ballots cast where in favor of protecting the existing Pelican Lake musky stock. Furthermore, a 50-inch minimum length limit (57% of positive votes) was more popular with Association members than either a 45-inch minimum (24%) or a 40 to 50-inch protected slot (19%).

Pelican Lake has proven to be a high-caliber musky fishery, with a long history of producing quality fish. For years Pelican Lake musky populations were sustained through natural reproduction, supplemented with stocking. (Over 20,000 fingerling, an average of over 1,500 per year, from 1985 through 1998.) The supplemental stocking program was suspended in 1998, forcing the lake to rely on natural recruitment to maintain the entire population. Considering stocking has been halted, spring spearing, and the extremely large number of anglers visiting the lake (twice the Oneida County Average), there is concern the musky population may be adversely affected. Natural recruitment is present, but appears to be sporadic and may be insufficient to sustain a healthy population of muskies considering current levels of harvest, furthering the concern. The WDNR will not be able to complete a musky population survey until 2011 & 2012, 14 years after the stocking program was halted. This is 14 years of potential recruitment problems, an entire generation of musky. Pelican Lake has in the past and still does have the potential to produce quality musky, and considering the waters vast forage base, will not adversely impact other desired species of fish.

A high minimum length limit is one way to allow more fish to survive long enough to reach their full growth potential. These quality fish then have more opportunity to spawn; thereby improving chances the lake will sustain a naturally reproducing population of fish. During that protected lifespan, muskie anglers will of course still exercise the opportunity to catch and release these fish as they grow.

WDNR Fisheries Personnel realize that if no action is taken, and the Pelican Lake Muskellunge population remains at the statewide 34-inch minimum length limit, it will not realize it potential for producing quality-size fish. As a result of the proposal, and the overwhelming support shown by the Pelican Lake Properties Association, John Kubisiak, Oneida County Fisheries Biologist, proposed the rule change question, asking to increase the minimum length limit to 50 inches on Pelican Lake, Oneida County.

The goal is to manage muskellunge as a low density population supported by natural reproduction. Specific objectives for muskellunge are to maintain a low-density population of 1 or fewer adult muskellunge per 4 acres. Population size structure should be high quality, with at least 25% of the adult population 40 inches or longer, and 10% 45 or longer.

This is a proactive management strategy to further enhance an outstanding multi-species fishery, while attempting to avoid potentially serious problems in the future. It is the desire of all interested parties to provide a consistent, strong opportunity for muskie angling on Pelican Lake now and well in to the future. We ask for your support and your positive vote for the conservation proposal discussed in this document for Pelican Lake while you attend the Conservation Congress meetings this April 10th!



The following Pelican Lake area business support the proposed 50 length limit:

Musky Mart, Pelican Lake Nelsons Choice Bait and Tackle
Christians Pit Stop Lake View Inn
Suick Tackle Company Wilds Musky Guide Service (Norm Wild)
Oneida Esox Guide Service (John Stellflue) C&R Guide Service (Roger Sabota)
Fitante Taxidermy MuskyFirst.com (Steve Worrall)

Muskie Size Limits FAQ

Mike Roberts
Published March 23, 2006

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Regarding Muskellunge Length-Limit Regulations
Information from Fisheries Biologists, Fishermen and Fishery Professionals
Compiled by Michael J. Roberts

Q)How long does it take a musky to grow to the current statewide minimum of 34?

A)From Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources(WDNR) research work: the Northern Wisconsin Average is just over 6 years for a female to reach 34 and just under 8 years for a male to reach 34.

Q)At what age and size do muskies start spawning?

A)Again from WDNR work, they start seeing mature females at about 27-28 inches, not all females are mature at that size, personnel have estimate that half the females mature by 30 inches, or about age 5. In a recent netting of Lake Tomahawk, Oneida County, the smallest mature female was 29 inches; they had unknown-sex fish (probably immature females) that were 30.5, 32.5, 34 and 37 inches.

Q)Will higher musky length limits cause overpopulation and impacts on other species?

A)Muskies are a low-density species, even in the absence of angler harvest. High minimum length limits are not appropriate for all waters. They are best suited to large waters with low-density muskie populations where a few fish will have the opportunity to live long and grow large. Most class A-1 muskie populations have fewer than 0.5 adult muskies per acre of water. In contrast, an average adult bass or walleye population is about 8 times this value and northern pike populations are even higher. Even with their larger size, muskies have less of on impact than other species simply because of the number of mouths to feed.

Q)As the largest predator in a lake, muskies can pretty much eat what they like. Studies have shown that what they prefer to eat are smooth, fatty forage species like suckers and cisco. For example, a recent study examined the food habitats of Wisconsin Muskellunge (Bozek et al. 1999). Thirty-four musky lakes where sampled over a 4-year period, with 1,092 muskellunge (8 to 46 inches in length) examined. Only 6 walleye (0.9% of the diet items) were found in all the samples.

A)A recent multi-lake study, Fayram et al. (2005) found that largemouth bass was the only game fish that had a detrimental impact on the survival of stocked walleyes. In contrast, northern pike, muskellunge and small mouth bass did not have strong predatory or competitive interactions with walleye populations. For example, in the past, musky have been introduced to lake systems in an attempt to quell stunted panfish populations. It has never worked, it is just too difficult to reach the required density of musky. Bass and Walleye have much more of an effect on panfish and can be used to control stunted populations.

Q)What do you say to an angler who may catch their largest musky ever or first musky and because of high limits the fish has to be released.

A)Even a 34 minimum prevents a child or novice from keeping his first or largest if it is 30. The opportunity to educate the novice or child on the benefits of catch and release and the great feeling you get from releasing a top predator to fight another day are flip side benefits. Many anglers believe that a truly large musky is too valuable to be caught only once. That fish of a lifetime might never have been there if another angler had chosen not to release it. A reproduction is an excellent option for someone wishing to memorialize a past accomplishment. Many of the best taxidermists now offer reproductions at the same price as skin mounts and it is extremely difficult to tell the difference between the two. With higher limits, and a naturally reproducing population, more people will have the opportunity to catch that first or personnel best musky.

Q)Most serious musky fishermen today release all of their muskies, Why do we want to regulate something the public is already doing voluntarily?

A)An estimated 92 % of all muskies are released, but the mean length of harvested muskies is only 37 inches (Simonson and Hewett 1999). As a fish grows larger than 40 inches, the odds of its being kept instead of released keep increasing. Based on data in Casselman (1999), it takes a female musky an average of 9 years to reach 40 inches and another 7 years to reach 50 inches. It may be caught many times during this time, but each fish can only be harvested once. Casselman et al (1996) suggest that with a 2% increase in mortality, recruitment would need to be doubled to maintain the number of trophy muskellunge in a population. Relying solely on voluntary release is not an effective way to grow big muskies.

Q)What do you say to people who feel higher length limits are only requested by trophy fishermen, so they can get their picture in the papers?

A)The main goal is to protect the existing fish in the system to increase the size structure, which will help natural reproduction maintain the musky fishery, hopefully with no stocking in the future. This is the best and cheapest way to increase the size and protect existing genetic stock. A favorable by product is a quality catch and release fishing opportunity while the fish grow. From survey information, the WDNR collected from all species fishermen, the majority of anglers consider a trophy musky to be 50 inches or larger. This is the most desired length, so it makes sense to protect the fish to that size on appropriate lakes.

Q)The other part to this question is whether all lakes should have the same regulation, or if we should have a few lakes where we manage for big fish and some lakes that are managed for higher densities with smaller minimum length limits. (i.e., even if you like to harvest all legal muskie, should there be a few lakes where they are protected until they grow truly large?)


A)Some say higher length limits mean slower growing male muskies will never be harvested and will therefore become overpopulated and wasted.

Q)Most male muskies can and do reach 40 inches or more if they are given the chance to live long enough. A fish can be caught multiple times, but it can only be killed once, so anything that reduces angling mortality will improve the quality status of the fishery.

A)The real issue is whether "not harvested" is the same as "wasted." With very high minimums; only a limited number of very large females will be taken. Therefore, there is no worry the sex ratio will become unbalanced. The noticeable change will be the number of fish that make it to the mid- to upper 40s. The true question is, if a fish harvested at 42 inches has more value than the same fish released at 42, 43, 47 and 49 inches, even if it dies of hooking mortality or old age. Many agree the added enjoyment a quality fish provides when it is caught again and again would not be considered a waste.

Q)Higher length limits won't do any good because too many fish will die after they're released, especially if they're deep-hooked on live bait. Besides, unhooking a large musky is dangerous!

A)Some hooking mortality is bound to occur any time fish are caught and released. However, with a minimum of handling and some common sense, most released muskies will survive, without undue risk of injury to the angler. Proper catch and release techniques are already being practiced by many anglers. Efforts to educate all anglers on these techniques should continue, and again anything that reduces angling mortality will improve the quality status of the fishery. Regarding Live bait, it has been shown that SINGLE HOOK SUCKER RIGS cause significant damage to internal organs, of gut hooked fish. Recent studies have shown that cutting the leader and releasing the fish, in most cases still results in a DEAD fish. When fishing with live bait, QUICK-SET RIG should be used so fish are more likely to be hooked in the jaws and not the throat or stomach.

Q)What do you say to people who say higher length limits will have a negative effect on family based tourism?

A)The majority of people will not plan their family vacation based on the ability to harvest or not harvest a musky. Good fishing for all species, along with the availability of other family based activities, have a far greater impact on tourism. If a quality musky fishing experience can be created through increased size limits it can be used to promote tourism to musky anglers, especially during the traditional slower fall period. It will actually give an area one more advantage.

Q)What do you say to people who say higher length limits will have a negative affect on musky tournaments?

A)There are two muskie tournament formats: 1. Transport tournaments, where muskies are transported to a registration station before release, and 2. Immediate release, where a judge boat is dispatched and the muskie is registered at boatside, often without even leaving the water.

Q)Because of the stress involved with transport, a transported fish is considered by the law the same as a harvested fish: it must meet minimum length limits and is counted towards the anglers daily bag limit.

A)A muskie immediately released at boatside and not transported (except to facilitate a safe release, or to avoid imminent danger) is treated much the same as a fish that is photographed and released: minimum length limits do not apply and it is not counted in the anglers daily bag limit.

Q)Tournaments that run with an immediate release format will see no changes.

A)Tournaments that run a transport format will need to change to an immediate release format to continue to register 34 fish. If tournament promoters choose to only register fish over the new size limit, they can continue with the transport format.

Q)Why should we protect fish on lakes that are heavily speared? Are we not just leaving them to be harvested through spearing in the spring?

A)Under the present system for determining tribal harvest quotas, spearing will not negate the benefits to be gained by increasing the minimum length limit, even if the tribes take their full quota on a lake (which has seldom happened). This is because tribal quotas are lower than the normal sport harvest of muskies on most lakes. Higher minimum length limits will benefit all users by allowing the fish to grow larger. Killing a musky out of spite will not lower the tribal quota. It will only result in one less fish for an angler to catch again. For example on Pelican Lake in Oneida county, which gets speared heavily every spring, tribal speares have taken an average of 14.5 muskies per year since spearing began in 1985. By comparison, the estimated angler harvest was 146 muskies, during the year of the last angler creel survey on Pelican Lake. Sound, proactive management decisions can be used as a positive, when attempting to negotiate reduced harvest from tribal spearing.


Q)I've been buying fishing licenses all my life and I deserve to keep the muskies I catch!

A)Looking strictly at economics, in lakes where stocking is needed, no one angler spends enough money on fishing licenses in a lifetime to cover the cost of more than a very few legal muskies. Based on the cost to produce and stock musky fingerlings and the number of stocked fish surviving to adulthood several years later, each stocked musky reaching legal size can be worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars. The higher limits can help bolster natural reproducing and stocking on some lakes can be limited or even eliminated. Remember that revenue from fishing licenses goes towards many programs in addition to musky stocking. The high cost of musky stocking is justified in terms of benefits to the economy of the state, in addition to the enjoyment that muskies provide, but here again a muskellunge is most valuable when it is alive, swimming, and is caught more than one time.

Q)I can't catch a legal musky now. If the minimum length limit is increased, I'll never catch one!

A)The length limit is too often used as a magical dividing line between success and failure in fishing. We need to help anglers change their thinking and simply strive to catch the biggest fish they can, without worrying about how many are "legal." All muskies are exciting to catch, legal-sized or not, and hopefully that's one of the main reasons people fish for them. A 35-inch fish should be just as much fun to catch whether the minimum length limit is 34 inches, 45 inches, or even 50 inches. Remember that higher length limits will continually improve chances of landing big muskies, including the musky of a lifetime!

Reference Material:

Bozek, M. A., T. M. Burri and R. W. Frie. 1999. Diets of muskellunge
in northern Wisconsin Lakes. N. Am. J. Fish. Mgmt. 19:258-270.

Casselman, J. M., E. J. Crossman and C. J. Robinson. 1999. Assessing sustainability of trophy muskellunge fisheries. Pages 29-40 in S. J. Kerr and C. H. Oliver, editors. Managing muskies in the 90s. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Workshop Proceedings WP-007, Kemptville, Ontario.

Casselman, J. M., C. J. Robinson and E. J. Crossman 1999. Growth and ultimate length of muskellunge from Ontario water bodies. N. Am. J. Fish. Mgmt. 19:271-290.

Fayram, A. H., M. J. Hansen and N. A. Nate. 2005. Determining optimal stocking rates using a stock-recruitment model: An example using walleye in northern Wisconsin. N. Am. J. Fish. Mgmt. 25:1215-1225.

Simonson, T. D. and S. W. Hewett. 1999. Trends in Wisconsins muskellunge fishery. N. Am. J. Fish. Mgmt. 19:291-299.

WRMA Rebuts the Freshwater Fishing HOF

Muskie First
Published March 26, 2006

Woodstock, Illinois (3/25/2006) - Attached is the World Record Muskie Alliance (WRMA) rebuttal to the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame's "Decision Regarding the World Record Musky Challenge" from 1-16-2006.

The original 10-20-2005 WRMA report provided conclusive proof that Mr. Spray's 1949 World Record was falsified.

It remains the WRMA recommendation that this and all Spray records be immediately disqualified from current or historic record status or consideration by the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum, as they represent obvious cases of fraud on the part of Spray and his associates.

WRMA Press Release
Rebuttal to Hall Decision
March 25, 2006
Events in Review

"The hall's report that is posted on their Web site (www.freshwater-fishing.org) does not include thorough, good science, because we were not asked to do thorough, good science. In general, I don't like science to be used as a tool to manipulate opinions," Arnold said. "You should never go to several experts and cherry pick the results you want."

-Dr. Douglas Arnold to Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, March 4, 2006

The decades-long controversy over the legitimacy of the 1949 Spray record has evolved into a quintessential conflict between an irresistible force and an immovable object. In this case, the irresistible force is the truth, the immovable object the Hall of Fame and the crown jewel of its vaunted records program, the 1949 Louis Spray All-Tackle World Record. At stake is the integrity of the brass ring of our sport.

On October 20, 2005, the WRMA submitted the groundbreaking 93-page Spray Summary Report to the Hall (www.worldrecordmuskiealliance.com), to date the most scientific and comprehensive report of its kind ever compiled on the subject of historical record muskellunge.

Given the preponderance of scientific and circumstantial evidence to the contrary, the WRMA was compelled to accept the physical impossibility of the current Hall of Fame All-Tackle Record to have weighed anywhere close to the 69lbs, 11oz claimed by Spray in 1949. Therefore, it remains our recommendation that this and all Spray records be immediately disqualified from current or historic record status by the Hall.

Nevertheless, on January 16, 2006, the Hall held a closed press conference to announce their decision to retain the Spray Record. In doing so, the Hall of Fames Executive Board not only voted in clear opposition to established Hall precedent, but also instituted an entirely new voting protocol which plainly favored the Spray record.

Three mathematicians were quoted in the Hall's January 16 Decision Regarding the World Record Musky Challenge, Professor Joseph Gallian of University of Minnesota, Professor Dorian Goldfeld of Columbia University, and Professor Douglas Arnold, Ph.D. University of Minnesota Director, Institute for Mathematics and its Applications.

The Halls Decision document clearly states that the work of these individuals proved that the reported length of Spray's musky (63 inches) is in the "ballpark" (the approximate range) of where it should be (pp.1). Nonetheless, on February 21, 2006, these same three professors came forward to announce that they had sent the following letter to Hall Executive Director Emmett Brown:

We are all three concerned that the Hall did not fully understand the results of our analyses and also are all concerned by the manner in which the Hall chose to communicate with us. On February 1, 2006 we wrote this letter to Emmett Brown, the Executive Director of the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame, about this. We have not yet had a response from Mr. Brown or anyone else at the Hall. (http://www.ima.umn.edu/~arnold/muskie/):

The professors go on to make the following recommendation to the Hall:

We believe that a much more definitive result can be obtained from the photos which are available. To this end, it is our recommendation that an independent group, including experts on mathematics and photogrammetry, be impaneled. This group should be supplied with the full information available, including all known photos of the fish in original format, and allowed to pursue the evidence as they feel most justified.

In the wake of the February 21 revelation on the part of the Hall’s own experts that their work cannot be used to refute the findings of the original WRMA Spray report, it is clear that the WRMA findings have yet to be properly addressed, much less refuted, by the Hall of Fame.

Therefore, we feel it is incumbent upon the Hall if it wishes to remain a viable record-keeping agency to act in accordance with its own established precedent in disqualifying properly documented” historical records and act immediately to disqualify Mr. Sprays muskies, or turn the matter over to a wholly-independent professional arbitrator for a proper, professional review.

Should the Hall choose to follow their own experts advise and empanel a wholly independent group of photogrammetrists and mathematicians to evaluate all information available, evaluating all known photographs in their original format, the WRMA agrees to unequivocally accept whatever conclusion these independent experts might arrive at.

Therefore, we do not anticipate filing another protest with the Hall at any point in the foreseeable future, as we consider our current protest of Mr. Sprays records unresolved, open and pending. Moreover, given the Halls decidedly less-than-professional treatment of the carefully researched 10-20-05 WRMA Spray Report, the WRMA no longer recognizes the Hayward Hall as a viable international record-keeping entity.

CAL JOHNSON All Tackle World Record

The WRMA now joins the IGFA in recognizing the 1949 Cal Johnson muskellunge (67.5lbs, 60.25 x 33.5) as the WRMA All-Tackle World Record, pending proper authentication and review in accordance with our original mission statement. In the event that another formal protest is required, supporting documentation will be presented to the IGFA alone, without consideration to the Hall of Fame.

Modern day records program

We are also excited by the possibility of the creation of a new Modern-Day Records Program, to be presented and considered at the upcoming April 1, 2006 Muskies Inc. International meeting,

The results will officially be made public by April 3, 2006 by a new independent agency.

The WRMA was founded to resolve the controversy over the legitimacy of the current All Tackle World Record. Sadly, in the short run it would appear that the October 20 release of the WRMA's Spray Report has had quite the opposite effect. Our heartfelt hope is that in the long run, our combined efforts will ensure that mistakes made by well-intentioned record keepers who had no choice but to, in the words of Karl Kahmann, "rely upon affidavits and scaler's record stubs," need not be repeated.

With these thoughts in mind, we now ask the general muskie fishing public to accept the findings as presented by the 10-20-05 WRMA report and this rebuttal as our final word on Mr. Sprays muskies.


World Record Muskie Alliance:
The World Record Muskie Alliance (WRMA) was formed in January of 2004, assembling a dedicated group of muskellunge anglers who felt strongly that the controversy over the legitimacy of the current All Tackle World Record Muskellunge could be resolved by the use of modern technology and unbiased methods of authentication.

Today, the WRMA is dedicated toward using modern technology and scientific methodology to:

(1) Resolve the current controversy surrounding the legitimacy of the currently accepted record muskellunge.

(2) Establish proper controls and record keeping agencies to ensure the legitimacy of all future record muskellunge.

(3) Library and disseminate scientific data regarding world record muskellunge catches.

(4) Promote and maintain trophy muskellunge fisheries throughout the species' native range by supporting ongoing scientific efforts to determine optimal species reintroduction strategies.

(5) Protect vital spawning and nursery habit to ensure integrity of designated trophy waters.

The WRMA is a registered IRS 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, ID #75884. Our employer ID # is 20-1741826. We are also legally registered in the state of IL, CO# 0145457.