Musky Tips

Wildbrowntrout

Wildbrowntrout

Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2013
Messages
248
Location
Berks/Tioga County
I am looking to start fly fishing for musky. Marsh Creek lake and Blue Marsh lake are both around a half hour away from me, so I have two lakes that contain them. As many of you know, I am only a kid, but I've been fascinated with musky for a while. Would I be able to bring in a musky or would I be too small? (14yo) I wouldn't have a problem casting all day, it's just whether or not a kid can get a musky to the boat. Any tips on rigs are appreciated too!
 
Wildbrowntrout wrote:
Would I be able to bring in a musky or would I be too small? (14yo) I wouldn't have a problem casting all day, it's just whether or not a kid can get a musky to the boat. Any tips on rigs are appreciated too!
Click to expand...

You can easily bring a muskie into the boat. They aren't that hard to land. The average PA muskie is about 25-35 inches long and only a few pounds in weight. You see many pics in magazines of giant muskies, but these fish are not the norm (and you can handle a big one too).

They are, however, very hard to hook requiring many hours of fishing to get one (usually this is true). For tips, I'd suggest that if you are going to focus on lakes, that the springtime months are best as muskies tend to be shallower. During the warmer summer months, they tend to be deeper.

Read through our many muskie threads on this forum, there is a ton of info on gear, flies, and places to fish.
Good luck.
 
Thanks Dave, I'm getting a 10wt and a landing net with long reach pliers so I won't have to get near the teeth. Also, thanks for telling me I'd be able to get one to the boat. Is the Skuke between Felix dam and Allegheny creek any good? I know they stock them as fingerlings there, it just seems hard to find where they'd be. I might paddle up from the access by the Wyomissing creek and float back down and fish.
 
Are you fishing from a kayak of a boat? Both are do-able but the kayak is just adding to an already challenging feat.

Having a landing net is very important, the quicker you can get it boat side and the hook removed the higher the chances of survival after release. Plus the lower the chance of hooking yourself or getting bloody from those nasty teeth they have!

You're selecting the right bodies of water, fish where you know they live. Look for slow moving sections (when river fishing) and fish the cover whether it's rock eddies, downed trees/log jams or vegetation to target fish. Target them at the right times. Your best chances are around dawn and dusk when they are most active. I try to fish overcast days when i'm doing an all day trip to help my odds, and keep an eye on the solunar charts and fish the best locations the hardest around the major and minor events, (I caught my muskies on solunar average/average+ days but within 30 mins of a major or minor event) Superstition maybe, but whatever may raise your chances at a temperamental fish is worth doing.
 
You can shoot me a pm and I'll help ya out of info
 
Change of plans, I'm getting a 9wt. Couldn't find a 10wt in my price range, so I'll just have to not horse them in. Slay, I definately will be fishing from a boat, but it's a 10' jon with a trolling motor. As far as the river, I would most likely be wet wading in the summer or just wading in the spring and winter. I too fish on and off fronts and around the full moon. Rain seems to turn on the bass too. I ordered my stuff on Amazon with prime. Net, rod and reel, hook remover, and some leaders. When is it time to stop fishing for them in the summer?
 
WildBrownTrout, my last fly caught musky (last summer) was 41 inches caught on an 8wt. while casting for bass. It took a #6 smallmouth bass pattern Clouser minnow. A 9wt has plenty of horsepower for muskies. I usually fish a 9. You will do fine with your selection of rod and the locations you have mentioned. Be careful of the teeth but don't be intimidated and use fine wire leaders. I had a 20b flourocarbon tippet on for the 41 incher. I got lucky.

When I used to fish gear for muskies I never used the huge musky lures most people recommended. I had my most success with 3/4oz. standard bass lures. I follow a similar strategy with musky flies. Good luck to you.
 
Most muskie anglers I know will stop targeting them when the water hits over 80 degrees.

I also fish with a 9wt as my muskie rod... but I just picked up a 2-hander 8wt tfo pandion which I have no doubts in it's ability to handle any and all fish in PA. The heavier weights help punch the larger flies out there not necessarily deal with the fish.

I tend to throw the larger baits. The two muskie I caught were 41" (caught on a bucktail) and 37" (caught on an 8" fly). Anecdotally targeting the larger fish and pure bred musky as I hear stories of more tigers caught on the bass sized baits.
 
I'm just getting into more warm water stuff, mostly smallmouth, but musky is definitely something that's on my radar.

I've learned a ton of stuff from Mike Schultz at Schultz Outfitters. He has some musky stuff with Chris Willen, so just figured I'd attach the article and podcast in case it was something you were interested in checking out. The smallmouth podcast with Mike is excellent, but I haven't listened to the musky one yet so I'm not sure specifically how that is.

Good luck!

http://toflyfish.com/musky-on-the-fly/
 
You will find the highest known concentration in the area within the Blue Marsh Lake tailrace between the discharge and the first deflector downstream. It is almost assured that you will be putting your fly over a tiger muskellunge if you fish there.
 
Goblue, I finally listened to the podcast. Very interesting information on the seasonal patterns and weather conditions. Also says a little about the moon cycle, as previously mentioned here. Mike, thanks for the information. I knew there were some down there, I just didn't know that there were that many in there. Seems like there would only be a couple.
 
Mike wrote:
You will find the highest known concentration in the area within the Blue Marsh Lake tailrace between the discharge and the first deflector downstream. It is almost assured that you will be putting your fly over a tiger muskellunge if you fish there.
Click to expand...

When the son & I were up there on Saturday night, he talked to someone who was specifically fishing for musky in that spot. My son said he was using a whole sunny as bait, I was still in the back of the wagon getting geared up, so I didn't talk to them. Seems like a good a place to start as any, even though I would think if they is that many of them, they wouldn't be too large.
 
I just checked out some other places that musky were stocked, and chambers lake came up. I've fished chambers for bass, and have caught a few nice pickerel. I've seen some of the ones that have been released in there too. I might start there and target musky, but also hope some of the pickerel take interest. I know marsh creek has weedbeds this year, which draws me there, but I know there's good fish in chambers (maybe not musky, but bass and things).
 
I don't know if anyone has suggested this to you but if your getting a 9 wt rod I would still get 10 wt flyline and overload the rod. I recently overloaded my 8 wt with 9 wt line and it really makes a difference. I even went the cheap route and bought 15 dollar flyline off ebay and it makes a world of difference over the 8 wt rio bass taper that I paid around 80 bucks for. The 8 wt worked but with the 9 wt turning over 6-8 inch pike/bass/musky flies is much less arduous of a task, and it probably added 10 ft on an average cast, up to 20 on one of those perfect casts that even a guy like me throws out every once in awhile. If your serious about going after those musky don't be like me and throw on your favorite bass popper every time you see bass starting to eat, stick with the big streamers. Good luck!
 
I have a 10wt rod/reel I'd be willing to sell if you're still wanting a 10wt. Its a redington predator and the reel is a sage 4210. Currently it's set up for shooting heads, but that can be changed easy enough. PM me if you're interested and we can see if we can work out a deal.
 
Just received my redington in the mail today. Casts really nicely, two false casts and I have about 60 feet of line out. Fish, thanks for the offer, I think if I got another my parents would go crazy! Really nice setup, just waiting to take it out on the water. Somer, I'm definitely one to switch over to bass pretty quick since my dad fishes for them specifically. I hope I can hold out long enough to get one!
 
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