Further North

Take a look at this pike my brother caught (about 30") on a Canadian lake: It inside to inside measurement on those jaw marks was over 7". One comment on the Instagram post: Esox are "cannibalistic" from day one, not when they reach a certain size. One of the best natural baits for pike is is pike belly (thankfully illegal most places) as discussed by Barry Reynolds in his book "Pike on The Fly: The Flyfishing Guide to Northerns, Tigers, and Muskies" which should be on the reading list for any serious esox angler, regardless of which methods they choose to pursue them. The follow up book is also excellent. I have found "pike colored" lures and flies to be very effective for esox, the week that picture above was taken, nothing worked better than green and yellow spoons the size of pike fry, moved fast through the shallows. We caught hundreds of them that week. I've also had a four-foot+ musky t-bone a 28" pike I had on the line on one of our local lakes - it was a hell of an exciting experience. The big girl would not let go of that pike until a tried to net her. Nailed it, thanks! I doubt that's what the "vertical" reference was about though, which is why I asked.

It took two tries, but it worked. Wingra dam down in Madison, happens every year. I don't understand the "vertical" part...

Poor little guy. Thought he'd made it out...

I'm not sure if it's instant, but it's not long. We fished the same river three days apart last summer, and in one spot a decent sized maple had tipped into the current from a storm the night after our first float. There was a musky hanging out in the branches...my fishing partner missed the hookset...

Yep. Trees knocked into rivers by storms often start collecting fish in just a couple days.

I catch bunches of pike and muskies on Strike King Smokin' Roosters. ...by "bunches", I mean it's probably my most productive lure over time for them. Some days this thing or that other thing might be more productive, but day after day... Watermelon red flake is the most productive, but I've been trying my own colors since Strike King stopped making the bait. Here's one that worked last season.

Check the date... ?

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You're adding trolling to it? ? Big, open loops, and a Belgian style cast work OK...but a weight below the fly still manages to make a mess at times. I can't remember the last time I used a 5 wt. At least a 6 wt. for this, and probably an 8 wt. I've worked hard to eliminate false casting - for bass it's mostly pull the fly out of the water into one back cast and right back into the water again.

That'd be boring.

You're not the only one. ...I'm trying to figure out how to do it on a fly rod, without creating a mess when I cast.

I attended "The Fly Tyer's Rendezvouz" on Saturday. Great event, well attended...and I won a box of 76 flies donated by some of the best tiers from around the country (along with a few of my own). It'll be fun trying to work them all - along with half of Dustin's flies from above - into my fishing this season.

The fish gods were kind to you, with no leader...

I agree 100% on the big net, but that big hoop and long handle are going to be a problem on a kayak. That's why I recommended the folding net. We agree 100% on everything else you wrote.

It's good that your questioning this, it shows that you have the right attitude. You'll definitely need a bigger net, I recommend a folding one, this one in particular: https://muskyfool.com/collections/nets/products/956gi3i9lwdtxqjqtht9rmm73zsjc0 I use it on both my boats to save space. I wasn't aware you were fishing form a kayak, that'll bring some challenges, but plenty of people do it frequently and have developed methods to unhook fish easily. One thing I'd do in that regard is debarb your hooks, and switch to single hooks wherever possible. There's lots of excuses for not doing this, not a single one of them good. Keep your line tight and you won't loose any more fish than you would if you leave the barbs alone, and de-hooking is orders of magnitude easier. Three other things you need right away: A good jaw spreader, and it needs to be a big one. I'd recommend this one, particularly on a kayak. It locks open, and works much better than the spring type. https://muskyfool.com/collections/tools/products/outtooljawspreader You're going to need a set of long pliers. I Keep a set of these in each boat: https://www.menards.com/main/tools/hand-tools/pliers-plier-sets/masterforce-reg-15-triple-joint-needle-nose-pliers/68103/p-1503642864338-c-9156.htm Hook cutters. There will come a time when cutting the hook is your only option, for both your own safety, and for the musky. There's cheap ones, and there's good ones, and there's no overlap. I highly recommend these, by Knipex: https://muskyfool.com/collections/tools/products/knipex-cobolt-compact-bolt-cutter-8-inch Chasing muskies - particularly in shallow rivers - is a blast, if you have the right mindset for it. Lots of hours per fish you see, even more for each one you catch....but the "fish of 10,000 casts" stuff is nonsense. Once you know what you're doing, you'll at least see fish almost every day you go out.

What's the lure weight rating on that Tourney Special TSP70MHT? ...I catch a lot of muskies on "bass" rods. I have one each rigged for: #5 Mepps. It's set up to be able to throw that lure (about 1/2 oz.) for distance and accuracy. 4 1/2" Doctor Spoon, just over an ounce. Again, rigged for distance and accuracy. Strike King Smokin' Rooster*. Probably 5/8 oz. total, Texas Rigged over wire with a 1/4 oz. bullet weight. All three of those produce consistently up here. Your fishery will probably be different. I've never been, and will never be, a believer that you have to go to heavy rods and giant lures/baits. *Strike King stopped making the Smokin' Rooster in 2020, or 2021...I bought out all their old inventory that I could get my hands on from Sierra Trading post (700+ baits), and I also pour my own. Here's one of my custom colors.

Good call. I wouldn't go above a blade size of 6 or 8 on "regular" bass gear, and even then you'd want a retrieve ratio below 7:1.

Right off the top, assuming you have normal "bass" gear, #5 Mepps will catch a lot of muskies, as will spoons up to about an ounce (I like the Doctor Spoons that are just a nudge heavier than an ounce). Other inline spinners roughly the size of a #5 Mepps and above (to the point where they're too heavy for your gear will work well too. Big tubes work. You will need wire leaders. Personally, I don't care for commercially available leaders (I don't want that upper swivel crashing into my tip guide and eventually breaking it, so I tie in about a foot of tieable wire right into 50#+ braid, then put a swivel at the business end if the lure/bait I'm using needs one.

Tell us about the gear you have now so we can tailor lures to what you have. ...there's no reason to suggest 6 oz. soft plastic baits if you don't have the gear to throw them... ...and there's plenty of smaller, lighter lures and baits that work just as well.

Yup. Big food with less effort is programmed into them, and the fish that tip more this way tend to survive better.

Well said. Big trout eat big food - they have to, to survive. Many big trout flies - streamers, mice, even poppers, are as big as bass flies. We don't fish them on 5 wt. rods. ...as an aside, I don't understand the desire to over-stress a fish by fighting on a rod that's really too light to do the job well...and honestly, I can feel every move a fish makes much better on a stronger rod. Obviously, wanting to use small lures/baits is a different situation from the above.

I agree. That's what I used here when I wasn't throwing flies.

I Looked up the weight of that Zillion SV TW...I was surprised to find it weighs 6.7 ounces.

If you want long casts, why not go to a longer rod?

A 30" walleye my friend caught on a musky fly. My personal best - 28 3/4", also came while chasing pike and musky. back when I could still eat fish - 30+ years ago, smoked trout and salmon was OK. Pike from cold water was always my favorite.