Muskie Fishing Tackle
Musky fishing tackle has evolved much in the past twenty years to make the catching of a musky, in most of our good waters, fairly certain.
Musky tackle has been developed especially for fishing the larger members of the Esox family - which includes northern pike. This tackle, from specially-built rods to hundreds of fine, large lures make it easier today to tangle with a musky.
You will find that most of these large lures, though they may look outsized in comparison with normal bait casting lures and small spinning lures, will cast and handle remarkably well if the tackle used is properly balanced.
The musky fishing rod has come to be pretty well standardized at from 51/2 feet to 7 feet in length, with a stiff action and, in many cases, having an extra-long handle for two-handed casting when necessary. Such a rod will handle lures weighing from 5/8 of an ounce to two or three ounces. There is another important reason for stiffness in a good musky rod, and that is the matter of setting hooks. A musky has bony jaws armed with a full array of teeth, and a rod must have a lot of backbone to drive hooks into his cement-lined mouth.
Most muskie fishermen use a fishing line testing from twenty to thirty pounds, which fits well with the rest of the tackle. A heavy line will not "belly" in the wind behind a big lure, and the extra strength allows the playing of a large fish in waters which are often snag and weed infested.
A wire leader at least six inches in length is an absolute necessity in fishing for muskies. If you shop around a bit, you'll find small diameter, twisted or woven wire leaders which will provide protection against a musky's teeth, but which still will allow free action of your lure and be fairly hard to see in the water.
Muskie Fishing Reel
The muskie fishing reel may be any one of the larger, standard bait casting reels. A reel of this type will take a least 200 yards of line, which is more than enough. But remember that casting large lures over a period of time can cause bearings and the level-wind pawl to wear, unless frequent and thorough oiling or greasing is done. Bearings and the level-wind mechanism should be serviced after each full day of fishing.
Reams of material could be written concerning the use of tackle in landing a musky. It is probably true that more muskies are lost in the landing process than at any other stage of the fight. An essential piece of musky fishing tackle is a deep-bellied landing net with a wide mouth. Some fishermen prefer to boat a musky by hand, but this can be very dangerous considering that mouthful of razor-sharp teeth.
