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3:59 am
IM Fairly new to the sport of musky fishing,. I' ve been fishing for them for four years,i always cast for them. i only have one musky to my name so far.But i have plenty of follows with no hook ups.i figure eight all the time but they just wont bend. i was just wondering if people who troll have a lot better cathing %. i read LEN HARTMANS book and he says when ever possible troll. what do you think.
TOURNAMENT& NON TOURNAMENT ANGLERS PLEASE
ANSWER
thanks TIM <<<<><<< <<<<><<<
3:31 pm
May 19, 2004
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Tim - You are going to get a lot of different answers to this question. Personally, I enjoy a day of casting over a day of trolling anytime. I feel like I really have to work for a fish while casting. It makes it that much more enjoyable when I catch one. With trolling, it's not always possible to see a fish flash on a bait, or to know if you have a follow. So you may actually have the same percentage of misses!
If you are getting a lot of follows, maybe you should look at changing up your baits to give them a different look. Also maybe your figure 8 technique may need some adjusting. Do you make a wide sweep with the rod tip in the water? Sometimes I see a follow and get excited and speed up my 8 and fish looks at me like I'm a fool and leaves.
Anyway, in my opinion, a follow is just as good as a caught fish, without the mess. Keep up the good work, it will pay off. As we always say, "Time on the water"
Barry
We may only see what we look for.
3:57 am
I'v been told many times.if you want to catch muskies troll,if you want to see muskies cast.i tend to do both.i cast more than troll.but i do enjoy casting more.as far as the follows.that is part of the mystery of the muskies.one day out with brother bob.we had follows all day.at least 40 between us.now some of those were most likely the same fish following.verry fustrating!! in the noon hour we had two short strikes.then nothing around 3:30 bang.release and bang,by 4:30 we landed 4, low 40 inch fish. two of them came on the 8.
you just never know when the switch will get turned on!
5:00 am
Thanks for all the tips, maybe i just have to focus more. And fish harder and, not get fustrated.
3:36 pm
I was ttold that if you do troll you want the lure about 5 feet from the prop just after the prop wash.Is this correct because that seems awful close to me.
I have to say its quite intimidating and funny to see you say a 40 inch fish is on the small side....LOL
7:10 pm
Id have to say with trolling you will cover more water and contact more fish. But im a caster way more exciting seeing the fish chase your lure down. I also have a pair of sunglasses with a fish sticker on the lense that I put on when the action is slow so I always see fish ! 😉 Bob can answer the prop wash fish question I think he has trebles on the skeg of his outboard .
8:19 pm
If you want to see fish cast,if you want to catch fish troll.What dope said that?Oh,thats right,i did.Yes,TROLL.Unless you like to cast.Oh no,i dont know if i should cast or troll.{i think i said that one also}.Both catch fish.Pick the one your more comfotable with.Or you can do both.I have caught fish on 5 ft of line trolling.Ive also caught fish on 40 ft of line trolling.As with everything "MUSKIE FISHING",theres many ways to accomplish your task.Sorry for making this more confusing.And welcome to muskie fishing,HA,HA. [[%&]] Bob
10:30 pm
February 7, 2005
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Bob's right! He did say all those things. I can remember him at chataqua one year saying, "Dad I don't know! Should I cast or should I troll?", and sounding like Kramer from a Sienfeld episode with panick in his voice after 3 days of no fish. We went out the next day saying that if we didn't come up with something we were heading elsewhere. We casted, and Bob caught 4 in 3 hours (3 of them over 40"). The next day he caught another and the biggest smallie ever. Bottom line is you never know! We caught 2 more the next day trolling. I think at this time we have certain venues that we consider trolling lakes, (doesn't mean we won't cast them on occation) and others where we primarily cast, (but have been known to drag a lure around them every now and then. To be honest we havn't caught one trolling since July 2003, but then again we haven't fished the trolling venues much.
Fred Jones Sr.
12:08 am
I love to cast and now that Matt has lent me his glasses its better than ever but once my musky elbow starts acting up down they go one long one short. And thats the long and short of it . Tom Long
6:09 am
March 26, 2004
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Do what makes sense for the water you are fishing and where you think the fish will be given the conditions. For example, I almost exclusively cast in rivers because of the nature of the structure while I'll spend most of my time in large reservoirs trolling (but I will stop to cast prime structure while traveling around the lake and will troll deep holes on rivers if it makes sense).
Both will catch fish (and lose fish) if done properly. Both can seem fruitless until you get lucky. Fruitless casting is more interesting than fruitless trolling but will wear you out faster.
Chris
6:30 pm
Would y'all please discuss depth and speed?
I fish the Nock or "Dead Sea", as some say. If the Muskies are anything like the bass, hooo boy! My biggest was a "Dead Sea" native. But you are right, it's a long time in between big fish!
10:51 pm
This question will show just how green I am with Muskies.........What is the 8 everyone is refering to?
11:42 pm
March 22, 2004
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Hey,
The figure 8 is what it sounds like. As you bring your lure back to the boat after a cast, you stick your rod tip in the water (I leave about a foot of line out) and make a figure 8 in the water and obviously your lure does the same. The purpose is to give the musky a) time to catch up to it and b) to ellicit a bite from a reluctant fish. Others may have a better explanation or tips to offer but that's it in a nutshell.
DL
DL
4:38 am
March 26, 2004
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OK, I guess I'll bite on the depth and speed question:
Depth: whereever you think the fish will be. Sometimes you're trolling weededges in six feet of water and othertimes you're running deepdivers in what feels like the middle of nowhere. It can depend on forage location, thermocline, water temperature, water clarity, time of year, weather conditions, and your personal preferences. Use your depthfinder wisely to find baitfish and structure.
Speed: this can also be a preference, sometimes it's just the speed where the motor runs smoothest. I prefer faster; there's a reason that the most popular trolling lures are the ones that can go 5+ MPH. Some people prefer slower presenations (1-2 MPH), but you just won't cover as much water that way.
Chris
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