Musky, also called the Muskellunge, is the biggest predatory fish found in North America and has a reputation for being extremely aggressive and hard fighting. Because of this reputation, there is a lot of folklore surrounding them.

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