Muskie are notorious for following baits only to turn away at the boat without striking. Known as ‘raising’ a fish in the muskie world, it is a significant event in itself. Raising fish means knowing their location, which is half the battle. The other half is getting them to commit and take your bait. There are some things you can do to increase the odds of catching fish once you’ve located them.
PERSISTENCE PAYS
Muskie are territorial by nature and often return to the same hiding place after they follow a bait. Returning to spots where you’ve raised fish is an essential strategy. Make it common practice to go after the same fish multiple times in a day. Keep in mind that fish you raise can be caught minutes later, weeks later, or anywhere in between.
Deciding when is the right time to go back on a fish is the ultimate question. Gauging the activity level of fish when you first raise them should give an idea. A very active fish that chases aggressively on the figure-8 should not be left very long. Take a few minutes to sharpen hooks then go after it again. An aggressive fish is a catchable fish so don’t delay. If the same fish follows again, increasing the speed of your figure-8 can trigger a strike.
CHANGE UP
It’s far more common to have follows from less active fish. They follow baits out of curiosity and don’t make any actual effort to strike. Catching less active fish can be as simple as changing baits or the way you present them. For example, if a fish follows a fast moving bait like a bucktail, try slowing down your retrieve or using a jerkbait, which can be worked at a slower pace.
Another common tactic is to have a throw back bait rigged on another rod. Throw back baits are usually big plastics like Bulldogs or oversized tube jigs that are quickly tossed in the water after a follow. They can trigger strikes by presenting an easy meal to fish that have just followed faster moving baits. Another strategy for catching less active fish is to return when they become more aggressive. Paying close attention to environmental changes can help narrow down feeding windows that go along with periods of increased muskie activity. Simple changes like going from cloudy to sunny or calm to windy (or vice-versa) can make the difference between follows and strikes. Approaching storms and changes in barometric pressure also serve as feeding triggers for muskie. Make sure you return to spots that you know are holding fish when these changes happen.
Also worth noting is the correlation between key solunar (sun and moon) times and increased muskie activity. Pay close attention to sunrise, sunset, moonrise and moonset times and plan to be on fish when these events occur. Night fishing is another proven tactic for catching fish that won’t commit during daylight hours.
TROLLING TIPS
When trolling during fall there are certain things you can do to increase the odds of putting a fish in the net. It certainly helps to have 3 anglers in the boat so you can run 3 lines with different baits. I like to run a range of sizes, colours and diving depths. For example, a small, medium and large bait with one that’s natural, another bright and the third with dark colours that dive shallow, medium and deeper. I also very the amount of line out with one bait close to the boat (20-feet or less), one bait in the 30- to 50- foot range and another 50-plus feet out. This gives you a versatile spread that’s more likely to catch a fish vs. trolling 3 similar baits. Varying your speed is another trick to generate action. Sharp turns also change speed and direction. It’s never a bad idea to spend some time grinding your baits into the bottom either. Multiple times I’ve seen baits that are bouncing off the rocks get slammed moments later.
FINER POINTS
Working together as a team with your fishing partners is another way to help put fish in the boat. Using different baits increases the odds of putting something in front of a fish that it’s willing to hit. More baits means covering more water as well. With two people casting in towards structure, a third can cast out the opposite side of the boat. You’d be surprised how often muskies suspend out off structure.
Small things can make a huge difference for turning lookers into biters. Things like casting distance and accuracy to help get your bait into the strike zone. Practice different figure-8 techniques to trigger hits. Learn the spots and the spot-on-spot that holds fish. Learn how to read water and make educated decisions about how and where to fish. Spending time on the water makes the biggest difference. Having a little luck helps, too.