Recommended Fly lines for Musky fishing

[jkilroy]

Hi All,
I was just wondering, what are the most popular fly lines needed for muskie fishing around central pa. One of these years I will actually have time to target muskies. I tied a bunch a bunny flies for them years back, and I was side tracked from ever doing it. Life has a habit of getting in the way sometimes. I have a general idea where they are, it's just a matter of getting out.

I have a 9 and 10wt with float and clear sink tip lines.

Thanks

-jk

 

[Fishidiot]

I like a big ole shooting head - probably in the range of 400grns for the typical 10WT. I use the same fast sink line that I use for surf stripers and it works fine for me - seems to do a good job of pulling down the big, buoyant deer hair flies I use, even in the shallow rivers I frequent.

 

[jkilroy]

Wow, thats heavy for the fairly shallow rivers of pa. I have a 350 gr line, I guess that would work.

Do you ever use float lines? Are most of your flies unweighted?

I think what I should do first is take the canoe out and use spin gear to see where they typically reside. That would be much easier on the arm.

-jk

 

[Fishidiot]

350 is fine.

To be honest, I'm not sure how heavy the head I mentioned actually is. I've trimmed it a bit shorter and re-spliced, so it's probably something more in the range of 350(?).
I'm not one who pays especially close attention to this sort of thing.

Most of my muskie flies have some weight on a keel to help them swim the way I want. However, with such large flies, you don't want them too heavy or they will wear you out even with a big shooting head.

Exploring with spin gear is an excellent game plan.

 

[CPRASAP]

jkilroy,

Along with the good advice you got from Fishidiot, I'd say that the floating and clear sink tip would be a great place to start too. My first few years of chasing these beasts was using floating and a clear tip intermediate sink rate line. Both worked well for me. I just started using a Striper sink tip (400gr I believe) the last couple of years to help get a little further down in the water column. That line has been very good for me also.

When these fish are active, they are willing to move quite a ways for a meal. For me, there is nothing else in fresh water like seeing a Musky come up and inhale a fly near the surface. Thats what keeps me coming back for more.

Good luck.


Jay

 

[TD55]

It depends on the flies you are using. Most musky flies are rather buoyant and you need to control the depth of fly with your line rather than the weight of the fly. That being said I do not use any floating line whatsoever and actually even stay away from intermediate for the most part too. a type 3 integrated sinking line will cover most fishing situations when it comes to musky. 350 to 450 grains for a 10 weight. If its a little softer 10wt stick to the lower end of that spectrum. Most of the time I am using something like a type 6 or 7 to get it down. If water gets really low I switch to the type 3 to slow things down a bit. The 2 lines I use the most are the Airflo 40+ sniper in the 10 wt which is a 425 grain head and the Scientific Anglers Wet Tip Express 450.

 

[jkilroy]

I hope I soon have time to actually go out and try it this year. Two years ago I saw a monster muskie in the Juniata river during a float trip going for SMB. He had to be over 50". When I saw the DVD "Pike on the Fly", the takes from the northern pike were insane. They destroy flies. I suspect muskies are the same, they are just fussier eaters.

 

[jkilroy]

Thanks TD55!

 

[CPRASAP]

You got that right. Most of the strikes are pretty brutal and can scare the crap out of you!! Always amazes me that a 40" fish can just show up out of nowhere and decimate your fly. They can also take them as light as a trout does a dry fly. You just never know what to expect. Another reason you keep coming back for more.

Also, have you ever seen the Pike DVD called "A Backyard in Nowhere"?? Its all about Pike, but has some of the most incredibly filmed takes. I'm sure you could probably even find some on youTube by now. That will definitely get you fired up seeing some of that footage.

 

[pro4mance]

jkilroy, the airflow that TD recommended is the line I use also. It was TD and Paco who recommended it to me, you won't be sorry

 

[PACOFRANSICO]

I am a firm believer in the airflo 40 plus type 3 from a drift boat is deadly. Every line had it draw backs. The 40 plus is the best cold water line as far as suppleness. But in the dead of summer
It gets almost too soft. That's were the stiffnes of the running line of
the streamer Express and wet tip express come in. I love the custom cut. Floating lines in my opinion. Do have a part in the musky game topwater wise. I found that intermediate might be too much plop and scare fish. The floater is less violent.