Size of Lures: Traditional folklore also tells people new to Musky fishing that you have to use really big lures. The truth is Musky will hit any size lure. Tons of big Musky get caught on little jigs used by people who are Walleye fishing. People fishing with small, medium and big lures catch Musky. The size of the lure should be based on the amount of weeds in the area or the depth you want to fish at.
n open water, you can fish with bigger lures as the water is cleaner with less weeds. In water that is weedier or if you are trolling along side thick weeds, a smaller lure is best. What it comes down to is a big lure is hard to bring in and if you have to bring in your line every few minutes because of weeds, big lures become an extremely un-enjoyable experience.
With open water, try fishing with bigger lures. Some of the most popular big lures for Musky are Bull Dawgs, Cowgirls, Believers, Swim Whizzes, large spinner baits or large shallow-running Rapalas. Perch-color and Fire-Tiger are good during the day and red seems to be good in the evening. There are many different colors and some fishermen find unique color combinations that work well.
When in thick weeds it may be better to use smaller lures. 5 or 6-inch Original Floating Rapalas (the skinny ones) or Thundersticks work well. The jointed J-11 Rapalas are also an excellent lure and seem to catch Musky of any size. Spinner baits can be very affective as well.

Casting: If you want to cast into patches of Cabbage or between lines of thick weeds, various kinds of crank-baits work well. Suick’s and Believers are very popular. Large spinner-baits are also very effective.  Most lures will work around rock piles and humps.

Weather: Sunny hot days or windy cold days with rain; it does not seem to matter. Many fish start their feeding cycles when atmospheric pressure changes. The Musky seem to like it when the pressure and weather stay consistent, no matter how nice or miserable it is on the lake. Musky fanatics and are out there casting off the weed-lines during  hot sunny days and during snowstorms and catching some really nice size fish..

Steel Leaders & Line: You must use steel leaders at all times. It’s best to use black leaders as sometimes a Musky will see a silver shine ahead of the lure and hit the top of the leader and bite through the line. It does happen. The line you use should be at least a 30 lb test braided line.  If you plan on doing a lot of Musky fishing and you think your fishing line is going to see a lot of abuse, then try going heavier than the 30-pound.  50 – 80 lb will last longer and stay strong.
The secret to Musky fishing is to have patience and try everything. You can fish for hours and hours and not catch anything and then start hitting them like crazy for an hour or two and then it stops dead again. Some people call Musky the fish of 10,000 casts.

Recommended Equipment:
· Heavy bait casting reels
· 30-60 lb. braided line
· Large muskie net or cradle
· Heavy salt water snap swivels
· 100lb. leaders, steel or fluorocarbon
· Hook cutters, heavy pliers, jaw spreaders.
· Measuring device
· Polarized sun glasses
· Good rain gear
· Variety of lures.
· Camera for all the photo’s

What is Lead core?  It’s simply a line with two parts. An exterior Dacron like sheathing that is woven around a lead wire core. It comes in various pound tests that are calibrated using the outside sheathing breaking strength only.  A spool of lead core or more commonly referred to as a Full Core contains 100 yards. Every 10 yards is defined by a change in color on the sheathing. The more line you let out, the deeper it will reach. Think of it as a weight that runs the entire length of your line. Larger pound tests are generally larger in diameter and contain more lead in its sheathing. The most common pound tests used freshwater are the 27 and 36 lbs tests. You can fish lead core down to 80 feet with no problems.

Use one color of 27 pound for every 4-5 feet of depth that you are making your presentation. The variables in depth are boat speed, leader length and type of lure. A slow boat speed with a short leader will run about 5 feet per color. A faster boat speed and longer leader will run higher in the water column. Diving lures will also run a little deeper than spoons will. Back your reel with a good quality braided line like 30 lb. Power Pro. Spool as many colors as needed to reach the depth you would like to be able to fish at. Finish with a mono or fluorocarbon leader of 10 feet and a good quality cross lock ball bearing snap swivel.

Try to stay away from the ready made lead core combos. They use a Dacron backing that can wear easily and break and there goes your set up. A good quality braid like Power Pro costs more but it will last many seasons. Buy a reel with a retrieve rate of 4.2 to 1 or higher with a capacity of at least 350/30 pound for up to 10 colors.  A six to eight foot medium heavy fiberglass rod will do the job nicely. The rod tips should be somewhat soft with a moderate action for softening the blows of snags and heavy fish. An inexpensive starter rod can be had for about $25 and you don’t need an expensive rod. The total for rod and reel should be about $75. Full core lead $12, great fishing action on difficult fishing days PRICELESS.

Some of your favorite casting or trolling lures will work well for catching fish in 20, 40, 60, or even 100 feet of water. Lead core line is a phenomenal tool to get some of your favorite lures down to the fish. The whole lead core process is simple yet extremely productive.

Place filets in a baking dish and sprinkle with Old Bay seasoning and
bread crumbs. Mix next 5 ingredients together and completely cover the
filets with the mixture. Finish by covering the topping with more
breadcrumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 35-45 minutes, or
until the fish is done.

Poached Fish

As an alternative to the wonderful but very rich Walleye Olympia
recipe poached fish is a simple and delicious dish that can be
prepared quickly and easily. Poaching is a good technique for cooking
lean fish like Walleye, Pike, Tilapia, Cod, Snapper or Halibut, as
well as fatty fish like Salmon or Trout.

Poaching preserves moisture and adds flavor without adding fat and is
one of my favorite ways to prepare King Salmon. This method will work
with whole fish, fillets, or large chunks of larger fillets.

The following poaching bouillon recipe uses a mix of aromatics, spices
and acid, which will give the best results when poaching most kinds of
fish and shellfish. This is a typical one that is a good starting
point for your first attempt at poaching fish and can be easily
adjusted to taste.

2 quarts cold water
1/8 cup salt
1/2 cup white wine
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 medium rib celery, chopped
1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
4 fresh parsley stems
1/2 tsp black peppercorns, crushed
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced

If you’re poaching a whole fish, place the fish in the cold bouillon
and then bring it to a simmer. The liquid should fully cover the fish.
Otherwise (for fillets or other small portions), heat the bouillon
to a simmer in a stockpot or soup pot. When the liquid reaches 170°F
as measured with a thermometer, gently add the fish to the liquid. The
liquid should fully cover the fish. Don’t let it boil; the liquid
should remain about 170°F to 180°F. At the proper temperature, you
should see very few if any bubbles.

Cook for about five minutes, or until the fish is just done without
being overcooked.

Carefully remove the fish. If your sauce is already prepared, transfer
fish to a plate, coat with sauce and serve. If you plan to prepare a
velouté from the cooking liquid, keep the fish covered and warm while
you do the next step.

Transfer about half of the poaching liquid to a separate saucepan.
Reduce by about half, and whisk the resulting liquid into a simple
butter-flour roux to make a velouté sauce.

Sauce the fish and serve right away.