Once you have categorized your lures, and deciphered the specific fishing situation, lure choices start to immediately fall into a logical place. The right tool for the right job now becomes more apparent. Once you've reached this point, the right kind of experimenting can make the difference in triggering strikes. What I'm getting at is -- this is the time to try various sizes, and colors of lures that fall into those correct categories until you hit on something that the muskies truly favor. This is where you can hone-in on the perfect tool for the job.
For example, if I'm somewhat unfamiliar with the terrain and trying to cover as many shallow water weedbeds as fast as possible, my chart says both a bucktail and a fast moving, prop style surface bait are the logical first choices. The best approach at …show more content…
The monster followed the buck to the boat, but did not hit it. The next morning it raises in after the bucktail once more, but again it does not hit. Immediately put that rod down, pick up a jerkbait, minnow bait, or slow moving surface bait with some of the same colors in it and pitch back to the active critter. Analyze its reaction to any of the subsequent finesse' baits. Most of them probably won't draw any interest at all. But there's usually at least one special finesse' bait the the fish is really interested in; even if it doesn't hit it.
Now you can refine the finesse' part a step further. As another example, let's say the big brute pushed a wall of water behind a 10" Double Teaser Tail topwater bait, but again, it didn't hit. Immediately switch to a much smaller version of the same bait style, such as a standard sized Tallywacker, or the even smaller PopTail. Quite often this is what it takes to trigger the strike. The other, even more potent trick, is to hit that fish at twilight, or just before a major storm with its favorite finesse
For example, if I'm somewhat unfamiliar with the terrain and trying to cover as many shallow water weedbeds as fast as possible, my chart says both a bucktail and a fast moving, prop style surface bait are the logical first choices. The best approach at …show more content…
The monster followed the buck to the boat, but did not hit it. The next morning it raises in after the bucktail once more, but again it does not hit. Immediately put that rod down, pick up a jerkbait, minnow bait, or slow moving surface bait with some of the same colors in it and pitch back to the active critter. Analyze its reaction to any of the subsequent finesse' baits. Most of them probably won't draw any interest at all. But there's usually at least one special finesse' bait the the fish is really interested in; even if it doesn't hit it.
Now you can refine the finesse' part a step further. As another example, let's say the big brute pushed a wall of water behind a 10" Double Teaser Tail topwater bait, but again, it didn't hit. Immediately switch to a much smaller version of the same bait style, such as a standard sized Tallywacker, or the even smaller PopTail. Quite often this is what it takes to trigger the strike. The other, even more potent trick, is to hit that fish at twilight, or just before a major storm with its favorite finesse