Question For You Muskie Maniacs

[Mayfly]

Will a muskie take a sucker under a bobber? I was thinking of hooking one on and tossing it off the dock during my down time...........

[DUCKJ]

Yes they will, BUT single hook rigs kill fish and this HAS been proven. If you are going to do this, please use a quick strike rig and dont leave your rod unatended. This way you can set the hook as soon as the fish hits and will allow you to release the fish healthy. hope this helps.
Happy Hunting
Duck

[AWH]

Duck has given an excellent tip and one that really is a must. Quick strike rigs work great as you don't have to wait to set the hook, you can do it right away. And they are also much better for the fish.

[Mayfly]

I don't plan to leave it unattended...Just relax on the dock with a beer during my down time. Now, I'm not sure what a quick strike rig is, is this something I can walk into a tackle shop and ask for by name? Thanks for the help guys........

[Long Gray Line]

Isn't there a question about the legality of quick strike rigs in MN? The regs say that a rig can only have one hook, and not a treble hook, unless it's a store bought lure and then it counts as one hook. Quick strike rigs have the nose hook for the sucker and then usually a treble for the tail end of the fish. Strictly reading the regs, they're illegal in MN, I think......
Anybody have more info on this?

[Jimmy-G-]

Cast lures like the rest of us do, you will know when you have a muskie on

[Jimmy-G-]

Mayfly. get off your butt and work for them like the rest of us do. you will find it more rewarding. Good luck.

[AWH]

Any tackle shop should be able to point you in the direction of a quick strike rig. As far as their legality in MN...if there's a spinner (no matter what size) attached to it, then they're legal. Otherwise without the spinner, being that it's not a lure, they are illegal to use in MN.

I would agree that casting is more fun and more rewarding if you get one. But if you want to soak a sucker, a quick strike rig is the way to go.

[only-eyes]

Jimmy G your out of line, if thats how a guy wants to fish for skies let him, chances are he will hit more pike and might get a muskie or two a year using this method during his down time. Mayfly Muskie Hunter and Esox Angler magazines both did research on the sucker/single hook issue back in 2001. the results were horrible. all 14 muskies caught on a single hook rig were tagged. all 14 muskies tagged died within a few days. i believe the results were similar with pike. only a couple fish died with the use of a quick strike rig. so do all muskie anglers a favor and use a quick stike. just use a small hammered blade to make it legal plus it adds some flash. one warning, once you catch your first hog, you've caught the fever. GOOD LUCK AND REMEMBER CPR

[Mayfly]

So if all these Pike died after being single hooked your saying its better for them to hammer a daredevil were they may get hooked just once but possibly three times by the treble? It doesn't make sense to me. No argument, just confused.....Do you have the science or knowledge on this topic?

[leadcore]

Mayfly,
Fish suckers all you want. Its a blast you are not killing fish just catching fish. Guys like jimmy cant stant to see guys with suckers out fish them. Kick back and have a beverage and set the hook. I have never had a fish gut hooked on a sucker. When you use big ones clip the tail so they cant swim away.

[Tour. Pro 175]

As a muskie fisherman I find nothing wrong with what Mayfly has planed. I agree a quick strike rig is the only way to go. so Mayfly you enjoy that cold beverage relax and if you do happen to catch one please remember CPR so maybe I can catch that fish some day.

[AWH]

Mayfly,

The difference between a single hook rig and a quick strike rig (as it relates to a survival rates) is how the fish is hooked, not with how many hook points are embedded. Due to the design of the single hook sucker rig, one needs to wait in order to set the hook. Whether this is 10 seconds, several minutes, or many minutes, the angler needs to wait. This is necessary so that the fish has time to get the sucker in its mouth to the point that the one hook is in its mouth rather than on the outside of its mouth. The bad thing about this is that it usually results in a very deeply hooked fish. A musky can begin to swallow your sucker very quickly, even the bigger suckers. So hopefully this will paint a clearer picture of where the hook is at hookset and why this is a bad thing. If the sucker is half swallowed, the hook could be half swallowed too, or at the very least deep in the musky's throat.

With the quick strike rig you can and MUST set the hook as soon as you detect the strike. You absolutely do not want to wait on setting the hook with a quick strike rig. As soon as you detect the strike, bury the hooks. I have only fished suckers for muskies once, so others will know more than me here. But burying the hooks hard is important here. You want to rip the hooks free from the sucker and bury it in the musky's mouth. A weaker hookset could possibly result in no hooks penetrating the musky's tough jaw. With the placement of the hooks on a quick strike rig, hooks will almost always be in the musky's mouth right away, so that's the reason for the immediate hookset. Of course there will be rare occasions that the fish didn't grab a mouthful of hooks, but that's fishing.

As long as you set the hook right away, you should be fine in terms of being able to have a successful release, and your hooks shouldn't be deep in the musky's mouth, unlike with the single hook rig.

Good luck and happy CPRing!

AWH

[DUCKJ]

Well said.

Happy Hunting
Duck