How many times have you heard the story of the bass angler catching a large musky on a spinner bait. Or worse yet, the walleye angler catching a huge musky on a jig and minnow combination. I shudder to think of all of these scary stories, but they happen more frequently than not. It makes one wonder if these approaches are not, at times, valid for catching muskies, especially in spring when most of these "freak" catches occur.
Unfortunately, time on the water, conferring with numerous anglers, and teaching numerous spring musky fishing schools has shown that these alternative methods are some of the most productive for catching muskies in early spring.
Early spring musky fishing commonly includes fishing for pre- spawn to post-spawn fish, with water temperatures less than 55 degrees. The fish are typically located in shallow waters that are clearer at this time than at any other time of the year. This unique situation, where fish are shallow, somewhat spooky, and commonly relating to shallow cover makes these smaller bass and walleye lures most productive.
Traditionally, musky anglers prefer to throw smaller lures in spring. Of course, small musky lures include those 4-6 inches in length. These lures are truly small in comparison to other musky baits, but they are still large lures. Also, some musky anglers throw the traditional larger musky lures even in the coldest water temperatures. Sure, these techniques catch muskies, but if you really want to increase your odds of catching those early spring muskies, bite your lip, go very, very small. Those 3/8 ounce spinnerbaits, small 2-3 inch hairless spinners, 1/2 ounce rattle baits, 3-4 inch minnowbaits, small jigs tipped with plastics, and jig and minnow combinations consistently make up the majority of early spring musky catches.
With the fish in clear, shallow water and the overall forage base consisting of smaller forage at this time, these smaller lures are a perfect choice.
Although these smaller lures are effective, they commonly are not designed to take a pounding from a large musky. Therefore, they usually require slight modifications to make them capable of handling muskies. First, try increasing the size of the hook(s) on the lure. smaller minnow baits or spinners have #4 to #6 treble hooks. Replace them with #1 hooks that are stronger and be sure to sharpen them. Try not to use a hook that will ruin the action, but use the largest hook possible, and with a slightly heavier gauge. Add a light wire leader made from 18-25 pound test sevenstrand wire. This will prevent bite-offs, as many muskies will grab the head of the lure and may cut the line. This also helps when jig fishing. However, for more numbers of muskies, a leaderless approach works best in the cooler and clearer waters of spring.
To effectively fish these smaller lures one must use lighter tackle. Lighter baitcasting or spinning gear is a must. I use a light action Daiwa Musky rod TD-M731-4FT-BT with a TD-2 reel and 30 pound test Magnathin. The lighter action rod allows me to throw smaller lures and the line actually has the diameter of 17 pound test regular monofilament to work with the smaller lures. I also use spinning gear such as a heavier action walleye jigging rod Daiwa TL-W631-3XS with a matching spinning reel and 8 pound test Stren. The spinning rod allows me to fish jigs and cast small spinners.
Don't give up on traditional musky lures in early spring, because they still catch, but give smaller "alternative species" lures more serious consideration. Carry that lighter baitcasting or spinning outfit along, rigged with a small spinnerbait, minnow bait, or jig and I bet you'll be surprised how many muskies you can catch. You'll even catch a bunch of bonus bass and walleye to round-out the day.
Jim Saric operates his Midwestern Guide service at (708) 267-0034.
Copyright (c) Jim Saric, 1996. All rights reserved.
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