Muskie Fishing

The muskie, or muskellunge, may be the most glamorous game fish in Lake of the Woods.

The muskie is a pike, closely related to the northern pike. It is the giant of the pike family, frequently attaining weights of 30 to 50 pounds. The world record taken on sport tackle, 69 pounds, 15 ounces and 64 1/2 inches long, was caught in the St. Lawrence River. A 102-pounder has been reported. A 30-pound fish probably is usually a little over four feet in length--and there are many taken this size right here in Lake of the Woods.

The muskie is a voracious predator. A newly hatched muskie only 15 days old and 1 1/2 inches long begin to forage on live fish. They consume 6.4 percent of their body weight per day. Adults eat mostly minnows, suckers and shad. They seem to be opportunists and when hungry will eat any living thing they can catch and swallow.

Muskies like clear, weedy waters, In spite of their wariness, they frequently are caught in water which is quite shallow. They will strike all manner of lures when feeding but at other times will not be tempted by anything. Large plugs, spoons, spoon or spinner combinations with huge feather or bucktail baits are used as surface lures. Heavy casting tackle is
usually used to give a better chance of landing the large fish. A short, stiff rod and a strong line are needed to play a fish of this size and a wire leader is a necessity because of the sharp teeth. The people who landed muskies accidently while fishing for bass or crappies were either very lucky or very skillful. Most muskies hooked this way probably make a run and keep right on going, taking with them whatever part of the tackle that happens to break loose.

Using the surface temp is an excellent way to determine the best location to fish for Muskies. The ideal temperature zone for Muskies is in the 60's to very low 70's. This is an easy predictor of where the fish will be in the spring. As water temperatures warm, Muskies tend to migrate towards the
warmer water. Warmer water also draws smaller baitfish, and provides key staging areas for the Muskies and their forage.