Good spring Musky flies? For an 8wt?

[dafack01 0]

I live about 2 hours away from 2 of the top Musky fisheries in the nation (Cave Run and Green River Lakes). This spring, my buddies and I will probably try to (after 4 tries thus far) FINALLY try to catch a friggin Muskie (Fish of 1,000 casts my a$$!). Primarily because the REALLY hot lure for Muskies down here during spring is a 1 ounce Rattletrap, which are easy to cast. Chucking those 5 pound jerkbaits and swimbaits is just work, not fishing. While I'm down there, I'm thinking about bringing my 8wt and some leader/tippet material for those toothy beasts in addition to my Muskie rod and some Rattletraps and inline spinners.

 

I'm probably going to bring some bulky bass streamers that rattle a lot so I kind-of have a rattletrap of sorts. Any other productive streamers? I've heard Dahlberg divers are good.

[Dble Haul 0]

Pattern is not as important as size, and I think you may have trouble throwing the right sized flies on an 8 weight. Muskies require a moutful to get their attention, and a 9 or 10 outfit might be more appropriate.

 

That being said, check out the pike flies in the database and just step up their size. I wouldn't use anything less than half a foot in length, and preferably something between 8 and 12 inches.

[dafack01 0]

Unfortunately, the stoutest fly rod I have is an 8wt, for now that's all I have any desire to get. Muskie aren't going to be a top target regularly for me. They're just too moody and they require WAAAAAAAAAY too much physical exertion if you're fishing right. I'll probably just tie up some firetiger color and some shiny gold color bass/pike streamers and add a couple rattles to them and hope for the best.

 

Besides, Muskie are really the only thing you'd really HAVE to have a 10wt for in Kentucky. Everything else you can get by with a 4wt-8wt. Striper, maybe, but they key in on Shad so you can throw an 8 for them too. Unless you want to weed out all small ones and tie on a footlong streamer for some 50 pounders.

 

[Redwings1 0]

I am in the same boat that the largest rod I own is an 8weight...while I admit it is borderline for this use I have had some luck, you just have to choose materials that will not soak up water and become even heavier. EP Fibers come long enough and light enough that you can get a pretty decent cast using full sink shooting head line with either a hard mono or wired leader. I tie flies pushing 8-9" for this setup and as long as the wind isn't too bad am usually happy with what I can do. Here is a link to show an example of the style, but I just tie them on bigger hooks and much longer: EP Fly at MRO

[Teioneon 0]

Why not try some big deceivers or maybe even streamers made out of unique hair or something similiar? You could even tie in some stinger hooks.

 

If you areworried about a profile, why not build up a head of softex or similiar? I have done that with some flies for pike and know guys who do it with their salt water flies.

 

The nice thing on synthetics is liitle or no water absorbtion, making life a little easier for casting. :thumbup:

 

Might even want to try tying in a few rattles to the shanks.

 

Good luck and may it be a keeper!

[cornmuse 0]

Fortunately for those who fly fish and would like to catch a muskie, spring is the one time of the year when that species is most attracted to "small" baits. Typical muskie baits for early season (on Cave Run and here in Ohio) are seldom more than 4 or 5" long. My favorite is orange/yellow color to imitate a young carp. Carp are fairly active during cold water, more so than gizzard shad or panfish. Plus, muskie are very selective towards soft-rayed baitfishes. They'll take a sucker, chub or carp much more readily than a small bluegill, crappie or perch.

 

I've taken three on a fly and one on a spinning rod. I've landed 8 in my canoe, three came to my fishing partner in almost as many consecutive casts on the last day of March two years ago. Every one of them came to small baits fished in 8 to 10 feet of water along the first break from a warm flat near a deep (30') channel. The muskies will hang on that drop looking for the smaller fish migrating to the warmer shallows. An 8wt is plenty of rod to throw the fly - if it's enough to keep the fish out of the dead timber usually on those breaks is a different story.

 

Try a Goldfish Deciever in size 1/0. Use a sink tip line (your Teeny will do fine) and fish the fly very close to the bottom with a constant, slow swimming motion. If you can handle the extra air resistance, use a Wiggle Disc in front of the fly for a bit more of a sonic signature.

 

For a leader I like 30lb floro - use a non-slip loop knot to attach the fly.

 

Good luck with it. I'm gearing up for a muskie March this year. The 6lb tippet category is open for the IGFA fly category and I'd like to do something about that!

 

Joe C.

[steelie 0]

Good Day,

 

Agree with the above.

 

Also, there is a guy in Wisconsin, I believe Bill Skilton, who ties muskie flies. I have yet to find the flies through a google search. No pics on his website that i found so far. But might be worth searching. He does attend many Midwest fly shows and is one of the nice helpful people in the sport.

 

Steelie

[dafack01 0]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! And, as cornmuse said, pretty much the only reason I'm much interested in fishing for Muskie on the Cave this spring is BECAUSE they key on smaller lures/baits. Those giant 16" long monstrosoties are just too much damn work to cast all day.

 

Goldfish colors, eh? I'll have to whip a few of them up. I've heard Firetiger and Gold Shad are popular colors as well on the Rattletraps. I'll have to get some 1/0 saltwater hooks. Not to mention putting about 3 rattles on the things. We know a few places to fish for 'em now that a buddy and I have taken a guide (actually twice we've taken a guide there). I've learned to look for sandy/clay banks. Weeds are almost assuredly to be nearby.

 

Deceivers will probably be easier to fish all day than rabbit strips, too.

[Philly 0]

Dafack01:

I'll post up a Fire Tiger pattern tomorrow, got to take the picture first, that I just tied up. It's about 6 inches long. I'll take some pictures of the other flies I tie up mainly for pike, but will use them for muskie around here if I get around to it. These all geared to be tossed with an 8 wgt, mainly tied with artificial materials.

[Dble Haul 0]

Fortunately for those who fly fish and would like to catch a muskie, spring is the one time of the year when that species is most attracted to "small" baits.

 

Yes, that's the time of year that they are most attracted to small baits. But that doesn't mean that they are entirely attracted to them. Since they key in on larger baits at other times of the year, even a minimal interest in small baits in the spring will qualify as the time that they are most attracted to them.

 

If you want to take solace in the fact that spring is the time to throw flies that can be handled with an 8 weight and stand a chance of hooking a muskie, then you are correct. But you will still catch more and larger fish by throwing large flies, even in the springtime. Those small baits came from bigger baits, and they're around too.

 

As for throwing big flies all day long being tiring......well, it's not tiring with the right rod. I know some of you have already said that the heaviest rod you own is an 8, and thus the question that started this post. But just be aware that there is gear out there that allows you to cast those larger flies all day with no problem.

 

Good luck with the spring fishing, and let us all know how you do with it.

 

[dafack01 0]

Fortunately for those who fly fish and would like to catch a muskie, spring is the one time of the year when that species is most attracted to "small" baits.

 

 

If you want to take solace in the fact that spring is the time to throw flies that can be handled with an 8 weight and stand a chance of hooking a muskie, then you are correct. But you will still catch more and larger fish by throwing large flies, even in the springtime. Those small baits came from bigger baits, and they're around too.

 

 

 

If you take a guided trip on Cave Run during the spring (especially early and mid spring), you'll be throwing 1 ounce rattletraps at least 98% of the time. That's a SMALL lure for Muskie. Over the course of the year, yeah the big stuff will boat the most fish. However, during spring the small stuff will outfish the big stuff.

 

Maybe it's just the Kentucky reservoirs that this happens on, I dunno. All I know is that Cave Run is the crem de la crem of Muskie fisheries and the spring fish love small stuff.

 

[Dble Haul 0]

You're right, it might be different from region to region. When I fish the Lake Ontario area in the spring, the fish seem to ignore the smaller stuff and are really turned on my magnum sized flies. I look at it this way: if you were at a Thanksgiving dinner, would you eat a few peas, or would you eat a drumstick? I see the bigger fish as those that would go for something substantial (the drumstick) instead of chasing around small stuff (the peas).

 

But then again, elephants eat peanuts and they get awfully big......

 

As for the Rattletrap being successful, I'm not surprised. The tight wiggle and noise probably attracts fish from a good distance away. But that also lends credence to the reasons that I use big flies; big flies push more water than smaller ones, making them more similar to the Rattletrap than you might think.

 

Different strokes for different folks (and waters, apparently).....again, let us know how you do.

[deeky 0]

Check out the pike swap going on right now (obviously will work for musky too). Some good pictures there. I know I tie my flies for a lighter rod. I plan on getting them out on one of the area lakes (there are 4 within a half hour) this spring looking for pike, with a musky being bonus.

 

Best fly I've found so far for the big toothies - a live bluegill on the end of my 4 weight. Lost 3 of them last summer to pike. Whatever you use, make sure your fly is something you can strip back erratically, looking like a wounded struggling fish.

[dafack01 0]

You're right, it might be different from region to region. When I fish the Lake Ontario area in the spring, the fish seem to ignore the smaller stuff and are really turned on my magnum sized flies. I look at it this way: if you were at a Thanksgiving dinner, would you eat a few peas, or would you eat a drumstick? I see the bigger fish as those that would go for something substantial (the drumstick) instead of chasing around small stuff (the peas).

 

But then again, elephants eat peanuts and they get awfully big......

 

As for the Rattletrap being successful, I'm not surprised. The tight wiggle and noise probably attracts fish from a good distance away. But that also lends credence to the reasons that I use big flies; big flies push more water than smaller ones, making them more similar to the Rattletrap than you might think.

 

Different strokes for different folks (and waters, apparently).....again, let us know how you do.

 

 

I'm a big lure (or fly)/big fish guy myself. I've thrown nymphs maybe .0001% of the time I've ever fished for trout. It's been all baitfish patterns thus far, and there are a lot of trout fisherman who would give their left testicle to have the success I have for trout.

 

But sometimes small works. Like the Float 'n Fly at Dale Hollow. Just a little Hair Jig (or streamer) suspended under a bobber. Maybe in inch or 2 long. Most of the BIGGEST smallmouth on the lake are caught on that rig in the dead of winter.

 

In 2004 with the warm spring we had here in Kentucky, everyone on Cave Run has said that you could barely buy a fish if you weren't fishing rattletraps, and if you were fishing rattletraps you boated quite a few Muskies. Big Muskies, too. They produced well this spring too. And giant Mepps inline spinners are very good spring lures on Cave Run, too. They're not too big. There are a lot of jerkbaits and crankbaits for muskie that push more water and put out as much vibration as a rattletrap. I can't explain it.

 

Every body of water's different. And big streamers migh produce better than small streamers, I dunno. You may very well be right. I just don't have the tackle, though, for those big things. I'll just try to add about 3 rattles to a deciever or some gaudy colored streamer and hope for the best. And have a big rattletrap handy.

[dafack01 0]

Check out the pike swap going on right now (obviously will work for musky too). Some good pictures there. I know I tie my flies for a lighter rod. I plan on getting them out on one of the area lakes (there are 4 within a half hour) this spring looking for pike, with a musky being bonus.

 

Best fly I've found so far for the big toothies - a live bluegill on the end of my 4 weight. Lost 3 of them last summer to pike. Whatever you use, make sure your fly is something you can strip back erratically, looking like a wounded struggling fish.

 

 

I'll check out some of those flies. Thanks.