On a tiny little #6 shad rap. I've now caught 30 musky during my time at WVU now and this one beat my previous pb by an inch. This fish was 44" long, pretty fat too! Fun fight on a spinning rod, I was using 10lb braid to a 10lb red label fluorocarbon leader. Can't tell you how many musky I've landed on 10 and 12lb red label!

 

Nice Musky.

Congrats on your new PB.

Big Fish Nolan strikes again.

A-Jay

Great looking fish. Haven't caught one in several years and the itch is getting pretty bad. 

Nice one!

Sweet muskie! And on a 10# leader, too! Nicely done.

Nice musky! 

 

I have a theory about toothies and light line.  That 12# leader is actually strong enough to withstand the fish without breaking simply because the drag is set light enough that it never gets pulled hard enough to break.  My PB northern (42" 16 lb.) was caught on straight 10# mono line, and the crank bait was fully inside the fish's mouth, where the line was rubbing the teeth and facial scales.  My friend has been sticking monster pickerel past few weeks using 10# braid and a 4# shock leader of fluoro, and has been having almost no break offs.

My PB musky is 37 lbs caught on 8 lb mono, 1/4 oz black hair jig fishing for smallmouth bass Lake of the Woods, Canada. As long as the line doesn't get gill wrapped I believe it tends to stay between the big musky jaw teeth.

Nice Musky on light line, don't know if I would intensionally fish for them using 10 lb line, they live in some heavy cover areas.

Tom

32 minutes ago, WRB said:

My PB musky is 37 lbs caught on 8 lb mono, 1/4 oz black hair jig fishing for smallmouth bass Lake of the Woods, Canada. As long as the line doesn't get gill wrapped I believe it tends to stay between the big musky jaw teeth.

Nice Musky on light line, don't know if I would intensionally fish for them using 10 lb line, they live in some heavy cover areas.

Tom

Not on purpose, I was targeting walleye and sauger

1 hour ago, J Francho said:

Nice musky! 

 

I have a theory about toothies and light line.  That 12# leader is actually strong enough to withstand the fish without breaking simply because the drag is set light enough that it never gets pulled hard enough to break.  My PB northern (42" 16 lb.) was caught on straight 10# mono line, and the crank bait was fully inside the fish's mouth, where the line was rubbing the teeth and facial scales.  My friend has been sticking monster pickerel past few weeks using 10# braid and a 4# shock leader of fluoro, and has been having almost no break offs.

When the line gets super taut across their teeth, I think that's when a problem happens. Often I have had the 4" keitech I use for walleye in the back of their throat when I land them, the line will be shredded but not to the point where it can't hold them. But at the same time, 15-20lb line will cut like butter on a jig hookset, just because it gets taut.

Exactly.  I have way less bite offs on moving baits.  Set the hook on a jig or T-rigged worm, and yer done.  BTW, if anyone can figure out how to make braid scissors out of pike teeth and zebra mussels, they could make a million bucks.