More Muskie Stuff

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Fishidiot

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The recent thread on muskies generated a lot of interest in FFing for these big fellas and hopes for a possible muskie jam this year.

Here's a good beginner's article on the topic. Robert Tomes is perhaps the guru of FFing muskies and has a new book out on the topic.

http://www.midcurrent.com/articles/techniques/tomes_muskie.aspx

I haven't checked the schedule yet for this year but Mr Tomes is usually at the Somerset show so if you're gonna be there you can pick his brains.
 
Dave,
Good article, it definately has my blood pumping to hit the Potomac this year a couple times with musky being the target. I've seen several of the beasts cruising and blowing up bait out there, and I've finally got the equiptment (Canoe) to cover some water. If you find any articles or information on Musky fly fishing rigs please share it. I have an eight weight rod and I am assuming a 50 lbs flourocarbon tippet with large clousers or even popping bugs would work, but I am not real sure. I guess we'll have to do some field research. ;-)
 
3wt,
I wouldn't recommend buying 50lb flouro - gonna cost a lot and I don't think it's necessary. A basic bass leader with 20lb class tippet is fine. We've had some debate on this forum whether wire is better than heavy mono for bite tippets for toothy critters like muskies or cudas. While opionions differ, I'm firmly in the prefers wire category. I tie my muskie flies and lures with a short bite tippet of #60 wire using a crimp tool. I'll hook you up with some of these and some wire next time we get together.
I usually get out at least once or twice in the winter months to pursue river muskies - typically the Juniata River with conventional tackle. This is mostly shore wade fishing but the Potomac has some good spots too, typically where a feeder creek comes in. I think you know where I'm talking about :)
It's no secret with the local muskie guys. Right now, the weather is awfully rough, we need a warming trend to clear some of the ice.
 
We're now currently seeing some good conditions for river muskie fishing. The recent warming spell has taken the ice off the larger, warm water rivers down here in the central part of the state. Levels are high but dropping and, if we don't see a return of heavy precipitation or prolonged sub freezing temps, rivers like the Susky, Juniata, Allegheny, or Potomac should fish well for muskies (and maybe a walleye or two).

I'm hoping to get out on a muskie excursion soon.
 
I chase them on the Lehigh and Schuylkill shore wading,
with conventional and fly gear.
maybe hook up.

wet
 
Well darn....
My winter muskie excursion will have to go to the backburner for awhile. The Susky at Sunbury is within a few feet of flood stage this morning. I don't mind fishing high, stained water but the current conditions will need to come down to the point where the rivers are out of the trees and back in their banks before they'll be fishable.
 
This man truly is a gift, he saved us some long days of arm tiring casting by listening to one of his seminars, go if you can, the knowldge gained is worth the trip
 
My appologies about the double post, i think my laptop is having a bad day.
 
I know of one good spot for Musky on the Susquehanna but you need a steady boat or kayak to fish it. I have yet to hook one but I'm hoping I will in the next year or two.

So far as far as warmwater goes I've caught my share of sunnies, redeyes, and smallmouth, and one walleye. I just missed a channel cat last summer and I know a few spots for carp.

If you have a boat, I got a spot for ya.
 
Well we did a lot of talking this winter now are we gonna back it up ?
 
You know I'm game Fred :)

Truth be told, conditions have been tough the last few months. The last couple weeks have been decent but the few days I've been out fishing it's been with trout guys. With the coming precip, the big rivers will be lousy again for awhile. I still think a canoe/kayak float trip this summer to the North Br Susky would be a blast and would likely be better timed to good conditions. I've got a whole box of muskie flies ready for some ripping!
 
Fredrick wrote:
Well we did a lot of talking this winter now are we gonna back it up ?

Yep, today! With all the streams blown out and the local put and take lake completely ice free for a couple days, I thought I would scout and try out the new water skeeter float tube. I went to moraine state park and was greeted by ice fisherman. Not what I was hopin' for!
Thought if I could find some open water in a back bay, it would likely be the warmest water in the lake. I found some.
I kicked up three muskies that I saw and a couple more plumes of mud that were some kind of fish taking off. I had cast over the muskies before each one they took off....they obviously weren't interested in chasing.
I worked a good ways down the bank fishing primarily in 1-3 feet of water. I hooked one muskie while fishing my way back. It jumped, I bowed, it stayed hooked. Not huge, but it was a nice 30"-35" fish. It made another run, then the line went slack. Nice to connect, though!
So start looking in the shallows of your local still waters!
 
Great report David. Were you fly fishing and if so what sort of fly did yuh nail him on? Did he bite you off or just shake the hook?
They're definitely out there and usually active in cold water. The pike are in really shallow these days too - often right up against the bankside cover at ice out.
 
Would it be safe to say that most muskies are caught by fly fishers at this time of year?

My rational would be that they are easier to find because most of the lake would be iced over, thereby limiting where one can fish for them and the fact they are searching for the shallow warmer water and close to shore where fly fishers have a real shot at them.
 
acristickid wrote:
Would it be safe to say that most muskies are caught by fly fishers at this time of year?

Your theory that muskies are more vulnerable this time of year to FFers makes sense, but I really doubt that at ANY time are there even remotely as many muskies caught FFing compared to conventional tackle. It's not even close.
The only possible exception might be opening day of trout season when some muskies, usually small, are always caught by accident in lakes or large streams that are stocked with trout. I remember some years ago a WCO who was patrolling on opening day a small lake here in central PA that was stocked with trout reported seeing three or four small muskies caught by the trout fisherman who were lining the banks. Even in this case however I think they were all caught on spin tackle.
There are certainly some hard core musky FFers and their numbers are growing but it is still a very small core of enthusiasts - most of them residing in Wisconsin.
 
Fishidiot wrote:
Great report David. Were you fly fishing and if so what sort of fly did yuh nail him on? Did he bite you off or just shake the hook?
They're definitely out there and usually active in cold water. The pike are in really shallow these days too - often right up against the bankside cover at ice out.

I was fly fishing. I was expecting to see some pike, but the only ones I made I contact with were the big dogs. Perhaps the pike were the ones that flushed early.

I got him on this fly tied on a stainless 2/0. I started with the same fly in a white / red combo, but they weren't looking at it. I switched to the black on my back.

I had wire on, so he didn't bite through. He just shook it, or more likely it just pulled loose. Probably a good thing, cause I forgot my long needle nose pliers anyway!
 

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David,
Every year starting at this time I catch pike up there on a fly rod. My biggest to dqte is about 39". I don't really target them specifically. In fact, I'm usually fishing for hybrids and just happen onto them.

Ironically, I've hooked into very few muskies in 25 years of fishing at Lake Arthur, all were very small, and I did catch one of about 36 inches below the dam overflow in Muddy Creek. There is a very good population of muskies in the lake I understand. And I've seen some monsters cruising in shallow water.

One very odd but true story -- about 10 years ago I was back in one of the bays, wet wading and flippin' for bass in some thick pads. I noticed a redwing blackbird hopping from pad to pad picking off bugs. Suddenly the water exploded, I saw a huge head and body roll from the water and the bird was gone. I got the hell out of the water fast... I'll never forget it. I didn't get a good look at the fish so I only assume it was a muskie.
 
Every year we seem to get bit or get a flash of a musky on opening day. They like stocked trout, especially ones struggling on the end of a line, hehe. Never actually hooked one though, assuming I need bigger hooks for that. Been quite often you see a big flash, the rod doubles over, and then the trout you were fighting is suddenly just gone.

My brother targets them in Tionesta Creek below the dam and does pretty well. He throws the enormous figerglass lures with spinning gear.
 
A-kid,
I think I misunderstood your question. Were you asking if this time of the year was when FFers usually catch muskies compared to other times of the year? If that's what you meant, I suspect the answer to that is probably no. The reason I doubt it is simply due to the fact that most muskies caught here in PA and most caught by FFing are caught by accident by bass fishermen. There are far more folks targeting bass on fly rods in summer than early spring. Also, muskies are very active in summer and many of the rivers can be fished easier by wading or boating in summer rather than this time of year so if I had to suggest a best month to target muskies with fly gear I'd vote for June or Sept largely due to ideal conditions. I do think that this time of year (early spring) would be the best time to target large pike in lakes in PA. Big pike tend to be too deep for FFing in summer.

David,
That fly looks like a killer.

Pcray,
I have no doubt that muskies like stocked trout. I've never seen one take a hooked trout off a line but I'd imagine this is common in a creek like Tionesta which has lots of muskies. Have you ever seen muskies in the Tully? The Tully isn't stocked with them but Blue Marsh gets tigers and I've heard of them being common below the dam. I would think the Tully is really too shallow and lacking cover for a muskie to stay there for long. Muskies used to be common in Spring Creek back in the 1980s when they were still growing 'em at Benner Springs. They'd get out and were not uncommon. There was a huge musky in the 36" class in the Paradise in the still pool out in front of the Stackhouse school. Every once in awhile I'd catch a musky in Spring Cr with tooth marks. Haven't seen that in a long time.
 
Esox, and Pike are caught in the same manner! The flies I notmally use are 10-14" bunny leeches. I use surflon "mono coated wire 7 strand" You can make a hay wire twist with it and burn it to melt the plastic to make the twist hold! The mono coated wire you can tye knots with it. I used 10" of the monocoated wire and thats it. Short leaders like 7-8' These fish feed ,and being nice about it is not in thier personality!... Good luck guys, and please handle these fish with kid gloves. Thier survial rate is not good with a bad release! Dont flop the fish in the bottom of the boat keep them in the water.
 
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