Bilg it's just throwing the fly that you know will make it happen. Some flys are just greasy & swimm better than others. I got se favorite colors only because of good experiences fishing them. Yellow n black, hot red & orange & fire tiger. That's the "all in color" for me.

Right everyone has their go to colors but I think its worth trying different hook set ups and hooks and what not to see what you have confidence in. If it doesnt touch the water you'll never know.

I am a big believer in Gamas and Owner hooks. A friend gave me a couple of partridge too try. Haven't hooked a fish with them yet.

I think if there a premium chem sharp hook you can't go wrong. Unless there a circle hook.

Here's another....

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  Muskie06.jpg (105.79 KB)

Nice!

Just like last time...I can't stop staring at the long, black flash material. Gotta keep my eye out for that stuff.

That long flash on the head of his fly is bait fish emulator. But heres my new balsa popper head. Its on a 8/0 gama that I lenghtened with some wire.

Paco,
Are you saying a circle hook doesn't work on a musky ??

Paco, do you carve up your own balsa poppers?

I dont think circle hooks would work. You have to put the boots to musky hard when you set. I dont think that waiting till they turn and lifting the rod tip would bury it. Pike and musky have a boney mouth. they arent soft like a trout. And yeah I whittled that popper head outta a chunk of balsa.

only ever caught 1 musky so this is pure speculation on my part but... if circle hooks work on tuna and billfish, I think they might have a place in musky fishing..I caught a pacific sailfish this summer and to say that thing has a boney mouth is an understatement.

Circle hooks pin a fish in the corner of the mouth. Most of my fish are coffin cornered right in the side of the mouth with regular hooks. And I have only deep hooked 1 fish and it swam off. Your encounters with these fish are so few and far between. It might be weeks even months of fishing between takes. So expermenting with a hook that "might" work over something thats proven to me is a waste of time.

I would have to disagree on the circle, pelagic fish such as sails have very bony mouths and circles are used for them...tarpon is another..I have never had to sweep the rod with a circle, just hold on they hook themselves..Have caught dozens of fish on circles and they are not just hooked in the corner, lots of them are in the lower jaw area.

ebroesicke,
Congrats on the sail, they are fun are they not...largest atlantic I have taken was around 60 lb.

Paco-

I agree that it would be hard to change due to the limited encounters. It's not like you hit a school of them and can experiment. I do see a definite roll with live bait though to prevent deep hooking. Again I have virtual no musky experience so I am pretty much talking out my a**. Totally acknowledge that.

Thanks sandfly. fish was estimated @ 75 lbs and was awesome. Caught trolling right behind the boat and jumped clear out of the water right after the strike. Wife also had a big blue marlin on which was breathtaking to see it come into the spread and crush a bait.

Ebro awsome experience never bin in the salt. But I'm still convinced on the quick strip set on these things they're so unpredictable on the take. I'm not gonna wager a them hooking themselves on a circle hook. I'm gonna hammer it home on my own.