Early Season Tactics for Muskie
This article was sent in by D'arcy Finlan, a guide on the famous Lake of the Woods in North Western Ontario. 

Email D'arcy to arrange for an outing.

With only days until musky opener, most of us are chomping at the bit to let loose all the ideas on what we are going to do to catch that fish of a lifetime. With there still being ice on your favorite lakes you’ve already sorted your tackle out, bought a couple of new baits, lubed up your reels and are good to go... but where? You will probably go through your tackle a few more times before opener but hey its fun, no harm to anyone.

So what are you going to do for opener?  What are you going to throw? Which spot should you go to first?  These are all questions that will haunt you until that first cast hits the water. I will try to answer a few of these questions with some helpful tips to opening day choices.

Which bait to throw first?  I like to use about 4 different top waters for opening day.  The first one I'll throw is the Jackpot.  I like to walk mine slowly, popping it a few times then letting it sit for a 5 count.  It's during the pause that the fish will almost always hit.  Remember - never set the hook on the splash. Wait till you feel the fish. 

My second choice would be the Hawg Wobbler.  This bait can be worked slowly and still make noise.  When working it slow isn't getting the big boys to come out, don't be afraid to give it a slight jerk to change up the tempo of the retrieve.  Changing the tempo is often the ticket for getting curious muskies to commit.

Another good bait is the splash tail.  It's small and makes those monsters go nuts.  Jerk this one with long pauses.  Remember, it's the pause that usually gets the fish.  When the pause isn't causing the strike, it will usually be the millisecond after the start of a jerk that incites the muskie to assault the bait.

Other top waters that are effective are prop baits that work best when given a steady retrieve or with little jerks.  And when that ain't working, you should try burning the prop bait back to the boat.  The nice think about burning is that you cover almost all the water very quickly in a dozen or so casts.  When a muskie wants a bait, you'll be hard-pressed to outrun it so don't be afraid to crank hard.

The early season bite can be frustrating because many of the big fish are post spawn.  This makes them slow and weary.  But if you do see one that just wasn't quite ready to chow down on your bait, come back later or the next day.  In the early spring, the  big fish don't move around much and will often be in the same place where you saw them.  Good luck to all those musky hunters out there and I hope that this season you catch that fish of a life time.