Muskie Lure Choice???

[Campy90]

So im coming up there next weekend. I have never fished for Muskie my entire life and I wanted to give it a shot a couple days this trip. Any lure choice help would be awesome. Staying at Break on The Lake...any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time

[AWH]

Hundreds and hundreds of choices out there. And your experienced musky hunters out there will fill several tackle boxes full of baits and never have enough. But you can get by with just a few baits if you're only looking at a weekend of fishing. The first question before you consider lure choices should be are you equipped (not counting the lures) to fish for muskies? Do you have a rod and reel spooled with 50 to 80 pound test? Do you have a net that can fit a full sized labrador? Do you have proper release equipment, hook cutters, etc.? If you don't, are you prepared to spend the money to get these things in order to ensure a successful and healthy release for both the fish and yourself? Or do you know someone you could borrow them from? These are MUST things to have before you consider buying any lures.

If you have those things, a few bucktails, top waters and bulldawgs would be great starter lures for Cass. I can get more specific if you're serious about giving muskies a go.

Aaron

[Campy90]

I'll be there the entire week of the 22nd. But yea I have all the necessary equipment. They fish for Muskie alot around here so I had already talked to them about equipment. I think im ready to go as far as that goes. Im prepared to do or well buy whatever its gonna take to give me the best opportunity to land a muskie.

[Scoot]

My suggestion would be to not go crazy- Step 1: buy a couple bucktails, a topraider, a Radd Dog, a bulldawg, a jerkbait or two (Phantom and Suick or Hellhound), and maybe one walk the dog topwater (Weagle, Giant Jackpot, or Maas Marrader). Step 2: Cast these baits until your arms, shoulders, and neck aches like a son-of-a-gun. If you don't catch a fish, repeat Step 2.

Good luck!

[EyesonCassToo]

My suggestion would be to go at least one day with Brian Jones from First choice Guide. I went with him a few years back and had a blast. He knows the lake very well has all the tackle and fishes Musky all the time. Also he lives near Break on the Lake. Check him out you wont be sorry you did.

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

Campy,

I would echo that suggestion of giving Brian a call. If you go to his web site you will see a picture of a guy with a huge grin on his face standing next to Brian who is holding a 52" muskie that this guy caught with Brian on his first muskie trip. Brian was working on a muskie DVD last year while I was up at Cass. I use him mostly for walleye but his first love is muskie fishing and he has grown up on Cass Lake and really knows where the big girls hang out. Give him a call and have him take you out then go up to Froggys in Cass or Gander Mountain in Bemidji or Reeds in Walker and get some lures that Brian recommends and you will be off to the races. Of course, the other suggestion about casting till your arms and neck hurt is pretty good advice too! Good Luck.

Windy

[AWH]

It's hard to narrow things down to just a few lures. But I agree with Scoot on the don't go crazy idea. Get ourself a hand full of lures and go from there. It's best to learn what kinds of lures you like and don't like. Same with colors. The baits you have the most confidence in are the ones that will produce the best for you.

For a starter arsenal....

Bucktails. The easiest lures to cast for hours and probably the best starter bait out there. Should produce action from pike as well as muskies. Musky Mayhems line of baits (Showgirls, Double Showgirls), Llungen Tales, Mepps Marabou. All great bucktails that should produce action. Double Cowgirls are the talk of the musky world for the last year and a half. But it wouldn't be my first suggestion for someone new to musky fishing. It can be a workout to throw without the proper equipment.

Spinnerbaits. I would get at least one. Rad Dogs, Grinders, Cochran Tackle's Musky Bling. Cant go wrong with any of them. If I had to choose just one it would be the Rad Dog. Very versatile spinnerbait, durable, and flat out catches muskies.

Topwater. Don't be without a top water or two! I'm a big fan of prop style top water. The Top Walker has become my favorite over the past couple years. And this year the came out with the Magnum Top Walker. Great bait and the best hooking top water on the market. Top Raiders and Pacemakers are two other great ones. I've never been a huge fan of walk the dog top water. But Cass Lake muskies are known to like them! The Weagle or Musky Buster's Phat Boy would be great choices in that category.

Jerkbaits. Hellhounds are a great side to side glider style jerkbait and super easy to work. Great choice for someone just starting out. Another jerkbait that I've become a big fan of is the Hawg Teaser by Hawg Seekers Tackle.

Plastics. Bulldawgs, bulldawgs, or bulldawgs. One bait that you can't be without. Suzy Suckers are coming on to the plastics scene the last couple of years and are putting some great fish in the boat for those that are using them.

Crankbaits. I'm really not a crankbait user until the fall. So I don't have a lot of suggestions here for this time of year. But Depth Raiders, Shallow Raiders, Double Ds, Triple Ds, Jakes, Grandmas, Shallow Invaders...all baits to consider.

Colors. Everyone will probably have a different opinion on this one. Natural colors should work well for you on Cass. But firetiger is always a great option as well. I would choose colors that YOU will feel confident in throwing. Musky fishing is much more about the presentation than the color, in my opinion.

Aaron

[Commanche Jim]

Call Brian Jones. I took a guide on Cass in 1997, and that was all it took. Brian will not only give you a chance to catch fish, but he will teach you how to fish Cass.....the lake is big and many spots can be fished with all kinds of different structure.

Suggestion........on your way up, stop at Reed's in Walker and talk to Kevin Zismer..........tell him Jim Burke, from Chicago, sent you and he can set you up. He put a lure in my hand that I would never have dreamed of buying, but it caught me 3 fish in 24 hours. And that's the thing about Kevin, he won't try to sell you 50 lures. Last year, I asked him what was hot, and all he gave me was 1 lure......only 1.

See Kevin, then see Brian......but get Brian early in your trip so you can apply everything you've learned and use it for several days.

[Campy90]

Thanks guys, appreciate your help. Im going to contact Brian and see if he has some space to get me and my buddy in that week. I'll probably try on my own first. I will also go talk to Kevin, thanks for that.

Anthony