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Never Cut Corners for Trophy Muskie
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Joe Bucher once told me "You learn your hardest lessons from the biggest muskies". Well, it was my second season chasing muskies, and I was up near Eagle River, WI on a lake known to have nice fish present. I remember the day vividly. It was late June, and a severe cold front had blown in the night before, and it was really windy with a slight overcast. The north wind made it feel like late September instead of summer. Well, based on what I had read and heard, I figured I was in for a tough day. My partner and I headed to the west end of the lake where I knew fish were present along a deep weed edge. I tied on a bucktail with a silver blade and a red and white hair. I made about 10 casts when I felt a strike. It was not a jolting strike by any means, and at first I thought I hooked an undersized musky or a decent pike. I did not even call for the net as the fish was charging the boat fast.

The upper forty inch fish suddenly appeared at boatside, and it was not real pleased to be hooked. I could also see she was hooked very well in the corner of her jaw. The big girl started rolling furiously, and I hollered for the net! My partner had just grabbed the Frabill, when suddenly the line went slack, and she was gone. I was shocked, and at first I didn't realize what had happened. Upon further inspection, I noticed my 30 lb. test mono had parted. Why? Because it was only 30 pound test and worse yet, it was at least a year old. My laziness and failure to pay attention to detail cost me a real nice musky.

I learned an important lesson on this fish, and I have never repeated that mistake to this day. I always use fresh line each year. I sometimes will change my lines during the year, especially if I am fishing areas with rocks or other abrasive cover. The ultimate line in my opinion is 80 lb. Cortland Spectron. I have used this line exclusively ever since that fateful day mentioned above and it is awesome! I have never had a failure with this product and I am convinced it has helped me hook more fish due to its low stretch properties. Why should one take chances with a real big musky with light line? After all, with all of the hours we put in casting for a fish of a lifetime we should prepare ourselves properly for that moment of truth.

These lessons and a few others have made me a better musky angler over the past twelve years. I want to give you some tips to help you win your battle with a monster musky. I use quality rods (St.Croix) and reels (Abu Garcia). The added investment made on good rods and reels will also usually prevent equipment failure during a feverish battle with a thirty pound brute. Joe Bucher also taught me to use heavy duty split rings instead of snaps. He lost his biggest fish he ever hooked when a snap opened up in the musky's mouth. I use a straight wire leader and run a Super Split Ring through the loop. This is another safeguard that gives you an extra edge on the water.

It seems there are a number of anglers who believe that hooks are plenty sharp out of the package. Not true!! This is a major reason many muskies are lost each year. Purchase a quality flat sided file and learn the proper sharpening techniques. Sharpen all Another nice musky for a guide client from Caesar Creek Lake!

Another nice musky for a guide client from Caesar Creek Lake!

of your hooks and touch them up after every fish, snag, or sign of rust build-up. I use and recommend VMC hooks, since they have excellent quality steel and sharpen easily to a razor sharp point. Proper figure-8's are another important piece of the puzzle. Do them after every cast, until it becomes routine. Reel your lure close to the boat, hit free spool and place your thumb on the spool for control. Then make a figure-8 shape or large oval, and if a fish strikes, hammer the hooks home and let the fish swim away from the boat, all the while keeping tension on the spool. You never know when a thirty pounder will gulp down your lure at boatside! This simple, yet effective manuever will put more fish in your boat every year.

Do your homework and find a couple of lakes known for harboring big muskies. Fish these lakes hard and develop a milk run of spots. Your dedication to continually fishing big fish water will pay off big time. There is nothing wrong with fishing "numbers" lakes occasionally. If you are in pursuit of a true trophy, I recommend that you limit your outings on these lakes and concentrate on the big fish lakes. Be sure to hit your milk run of spots at prime times, such as a major weather change, sunset or sunrise, or moon rise or set. While never a guarantee, these lunar or weather factors will put the odds in your favor time and time again. You will especially notice this if you keep a detailed log of your fish catches. I strongly recommend keeping detailed records of your outings and catches. You will notice trends that will enable you to make quick decisions under various conditions.

Learn as much as you can from experienced anglers. Attend seminars, read magazine articles and as many musky books you can find. Watch educational videos. The quest for more knowledge never ends. Pay attention to detail and you will be rewarded. Learn from your mistakes and ask yourself why they happened. Pick several lakes and learn them inside and out. Spend time on the water whenever possible. If you start out practicing the tips mentioned above, your odds of losing that fish of a lifetime will drop dramatically!

Tom Dietz is the Store Manager of the Baxter Minnesota Gander Mountain store, and resides in Baxter, Brainerd, Area Minnesota. He guides for muskies professionally in Minnesota and frequently fishes muskies in the PMTT Tournament Circuit each year. He gives seminars and writes articles on a regular basis. Tom is originally from Wisconsin, a multi species angler since 1988.

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