Musky, the fish of 10,000 casts. I'm sure you've heard this expression before but it doesn't necessarily have to hold true. Many anglers head out on a lake with visions of a huge musky smashing their lure. This is a great vision to have and for many Ontario anglers, this dream comes true on at least one trip throughout our short season. Unfortunately, many anglers come back empty-handed and despondent. This is generally due to what I like to call, "one-bait-itis". This is when an angler heads out on a lake with only one lure on his mind. This usually ends up being a buck-tail that the individual had tucked away in their tackle box or purchased shortly before their trip. This lure is cast repeatedly until the angler's arms are ready to fall off. This may be a bait that has proven itself in the past for the individual and will no doubt do so again in the future, but unfortunately on this day the fish are looking for something a little different.

From one day to the next, on the same body of water, from area to area, the fish will dictate to you what they want to eat. This is why it is so important to leave the dock with an arsenal of different buck-tails, allowing you to cover all conditions and situations. I'm not saying that you need to go out and spend hundreds of dollars on lures, simply have a good selection on board. If you've gone to all the trouble of booking a cottage and a boat and have driven all that distance to go musky fishing, why not put the odds in your favour. Here are a few techniques that I believe will help increase the amount of musky you boat side on your next trip.

I personally have more buck-tails and plugs than most small tackle stores. And as nice as it is to have this vast selection of bait, it is not entirely necessary. Remember, as a guide I also lose more lures in a season than most people buy in a lifetime. When building your buck-tail collection you really only need the following: a black buck-tail (should be your first choice) and an orange, yellow and red buck-tail (preferably in both single and double hooked models, as you will occasionally need to down size your baits to entice the more lethargic fish). Many of my customer's larger fish have hit and been successfully landed on the smaller buck-tails. Try to get different blade sizes for different retrieves. A good rule of thumb is to have the same lure with both a #5 and a #6 Colorado blade. If you're starting out, get the nickel blades to avoid getting technical. These will work well in most conditions.

In the summer months you will need to burn your baits (retrieve your lure fast just under the surface) across weed flats, shorelines, along weed edges and shallow rocky areas. For this technique I would recommend the #5 blade to avoid unnecessary fatigue. Casting big lures all day can really get your bones and joints creaking! When the weather cools down due to a front or in the fall months, you may want to fish these same areas using a slower retrieve. This is when the #6 blade should be utilized, since it causes more resistance in the water allowing the lure to be retrieved much slower, without sacrificing any action in the lure. Try casting parallel to deep weed lines. Allow your bait to free fall for a second or two before turning the reel handle, then reel the lure slowly back to the boat ensuring that the blade is just turning. If there are two of you in the boat, one person should try throwing in a double hook buck-tail in one colour and the other person should try another colour in a single hook model. As I said before, let the fish tell you what they want. If you are not getting hits or follows, varying colours, blade & lure sizes and retrieval speeds can put the odds in your favour on any given day. Do not be afraid to experiment!

An important factor in finding musky is to fish high percentage areas. These are areas that musky are likely to relate to. For instance, the lakes that we fish on a regular basis have a mixture of deep rocky areas, shallow weed flats, deep weed lines and fast tapering shorelines. We try to key in on areas that have healthy weed growth, rocks and boulders and are adjacent to deeper water. These are generally areas that will hold or attract good- sized fish. Fish these areas very meticulously by fan casting every five feet or so as you make your way up the lake. Fish the shorelines as if you were slicing up a pie by placing a cast as close to the bank as you can every six feet or so. Have your partner casting off the opposite side of the boat to cover the deeper water. Sometimes these aggressive predators will chase a bait for twenty to thirty feet. Other times they won't move very far at all, so cover as much water as possible in these areas. You have probably missed or cast over more fish than you care to think about!

When shopping for buck-tails you don't need to spend $25 to $30 on each lure. Musky Bucks, manufactured by Blue Fox, work just as well, if not better at times. To help you customize your lures to look and act like their expensive cousins, I have assembled a few tips below. This can be done very inexpensively. Remember to ALWAYS use a leader when fishing for musky. A 75 cent 12 inch black leader is adequate for any day trip, however, I recommend using a fine titanium leader as they never kink or twist.

The first thing I do when I remove a lure from a package is I take a good hook file and proceed to carefully sharpen every hook. A hook file is an essential tool that should be in every serious fisherman's tackle box. I personally won't leave home without one and have several hidden throughout my boat. I then proceed to remove the last treble hook from the split ring. If it is soldered closed as some are, cut it off and replace it with a (heavy duty) new one. I then take a 5" Storm rattle grub and carefully slide the shank of the hook up through the body. Then I stretch the bottom of the body over one of the hooks. I then slide the hook back onto the split ring. Try matching the colour of the grub to the hair on the lure as close as possible, or white seems to work well too.

Musky are notorious for following a lure to the boat. If this happens to you, don't panic and don't do what so many anglers do and stop reeling. This can be a big mistake as the lure will sink lifelessly and the curious fish will generally back off from its pursuit. If anything, you should speed up your retrieve and incorporate jerks or twitches. This gives the lure the appearance of a final escape attempt and is often enough to anger the fish into striking. On every retrieve of a lure while fishing for musky you should always do the following:

1. Keep the lure moving and in the water as long as possible right up to the boat. Submerge your rod tip if you have to. Musky are not shy. If they want it, they'll hit it!

2. Sweep your lure at a 45-degree angle when it reaches boat side. Many fish will follow from a distance or beneath the weeds. Getting into the habit of doing this on every cast will get you a few more lunge hits boat side. I personally perform this technique at the end of every cast without even realizing it and it will become second nature to you after a few casts.

3. The figure-eight technique is an age-old technique for getting a following fish to hit a lure. Do not be afraid to try it. It works, trust me! When you see a fish behind your bait close to the boat, reel your lure to within 18 to 24 inches of your rod tip and submerge the rod to it's halfway point. Then proceed to sweep your rod in a large figure-eight pattern and imagine you are stirring a huge pot of soup. It is important that you try to follow these three procedures in a fluid motion. Try practicing it when you don't have a fish following to prepare yourself for the real thing.

4. ALWAYS wear a good pair of polarized sunglasses. You will very likely not see a following fish without them. This should be an essential accessory for musky fishing.

If you make note of these techniques and incorporate them into your next trip, I am sure they will help you put a few more fish in the boat. Remember however, these fish are a valuable resource that we need to help maintain. Please handle musky with care and practice catch and release. This will help to preserve the future of our fisheries.

Author: Shaun Rickard