The DO'S and DONT'S of muskie fishing

DT-10 Hot Mustard · 06-04-2008, 06:26 PM

I dont know much about muskie fishing but I have caught two of them before, both at wagon train. What I am asking is how to handle a muskie. I do know that they are very sensitive. What are some do's and dont's with muskie. From the two that I released I did notice I had to baby them more than a pike.

The help would be great I would love to go fishing for muskie again. The time I caught my two were both flukes.

My Muskie Story:

Caught my first muskie at wagon train last fall in the south east corner of the lake I was wadding out about 25 feet off shore. Caught it on a number 9 rapala floating in firetiger. He/She was 32 inches. Caught my second muskie on a huskie jerk number 12 in siver-blue. He/She was 34-3/4inches and was caught on the east shore about mid way up.

P.S. I fished the spill-way at wagon train a lot last fall and they need to let you take the muskie back into the lake. Ever time I went down to the spill-way there were at least 3 muskie swimming around. Not giants but a muskie is a muskie. Just to let you know I have no thought of keeping a muskie.

LincolnLunger · 06-04-2008, 07:41 PM

be very gentle with these toothy critters keep them in the water as much as possible. when holding a muskie you should not hold it vertical you should hold it horizontal atleast when taking a picture and just hold it with one hand in the gill plate and make sure your other hand is supporting the fishes belly or underside. and when releasing them try to hold them by their tail and try to revive them and make sure they swim away ok.

ogrefish · 06-07-2008, 10:23 AM

DT-10,

That is a great topic, as you may know we at Muskies Inc. are pretty conservation minded. We go to some lengths to ensure a fishery for these apex predators. The first and foremost thing to know is that the survival rate goes way down as the water temperature goes up. We like to fish farther north in the heat of summer to save our home water fish the strain. Another mistake made is to feel it is more sporting to fish light line. This means that you have to play the fish to exhaustion and that is harder on the fish as well.

Assuming you have the fish at boat-side already, the thing to know is that the fish can’t breathe out of water. You may say duh, but most people keep fish out way too long. They also do not clot out of water so if a fish is bleeding you need to keep him in the water as much as possible. The reason for a horizontal hold is due to the long body cavity of an Esocid. The internal organs will all pack down at the back end when you lift them vertically.

I prefer a tool called a Baker hook-out for hook removal. Another thing that you can do to help is to keep a cutter in the boat to cut hooks that are imbedded and difficult to remove. This saves a lot of time and new hooks can be put on to get you back fishing that favorite bait in minutes. This is a great safety precaution too. If you happen to get hooked to one of these fish you want a quick resolution to the problem.

Lastly keep all of these tools close at hand and you will be ready to put them back for next year when they are bigger and meaner. That is one way we can develop a Muskie fishery in this state

06-04-2008, 06:26 PM	#1 (permalink)
DT-10 Hot Mustard DT-10 Hot Mustard has no status. Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 39 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	The DO'S and DONT'S of muskie fishing I dont know much about muskie fishing but I have caught two of them before, both at wagon train. What I am asking is how to handle a muskie. I do know that they are very sensitive. What are some do's and dont's with muskie. From the two that I released I did notice I had to baby them more than a pike. The help would be great I would love to go fishing for muskie again. The time I caught my two were both flukes. My Muskie Story: Caught my first muskie at wagon train last fall in the south east corner of the lake I was wadding out about 25 feet off shore. Caught it on a number 9 rapala floating in firetiger. He/She was 32 inches. Caught my second muskie on a huskie jerk number 12 in siver-blue. He/She was 34-3/4inches and was caught on the east shore about mid way up. P.S. I fished the spill-way at wagon train a lot last fall and they need to let you take the muskie back into the lake. Ever time I went down to the spill-way there were at least 3 muskie swimming around. Not giants but a muskie is a muskie. Just to let you know I have no thought of keeping a muskie.

06-07-2008, 10:23 AM	#3 (permalink)
ogrefish ogrefish has no status. Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 40 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	DT-10, That is a great topic, as you may know we at Muskies Inc. are pretty conservation minded. We go to some lengths to ensure a fishery for these apex predators. The first and foremost thing to know is that the survival rate goes way down as the water temperature goes up. We like to fish farther north in the heat of summer to save our home water fish the strain. Another mistake made is to feel it is more sporting to fish light line. This means that you have to play the fish to exhaustion and that is harder on the fish as well. Assuming you have the fish at boat-side already, the thing to know is that the fish can’t breathe out of water. You may say duh, but most people keep fish out way too long. They also do not clot out of water so if a fish is bleeding you need to keep him in the water as much as possible. The reason for a horizontal hold is due to the long body cavity of an Esocid. The internal organs will all pack down at the back end when you lift them vertically. I prefer a tool called a Baker hook-out for hook removal. Another thing that you can do to help is to keep a cutter in the boat to cut hooks that are imbedded and difficult to remove. This saves a lot of time and new hooks can be put on to get you back fishing that favorite bait in minutes. This is a great safety precaution too. If you happen to get hooked to one of these fish you want a quick resolution to the problem. Lastly keep all of these tools close at hand and you will be ready to put them back for next year when they are bigger and meaner. That is one way we can develop a Muskie fishery in this state Last edited by ogrefish; 06-07-2008 at 10:27 AM.. Reason: I'll get the hang of this yet

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06-04-2008, 07:41 PM	#2 (permalink)
LincolnLunger LincolnLunger is wanting to catch something BIG! Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: southeastern nebraska Posts: 1,838 Thanks: 709 Thanked 389 Times in 268 Posts	be very gentle with these toothy critters keep them in the water as much as possible. when holding a muskie you should not hold it vertical you should hold it horizontal atleast when taking a picture and just hold it with one hand in the gill plate and make sure your other hand is supporting the fishes belly or underside. and when releasing them try to hold them by their tail and try to revive them and make sure they swim away ok.