<font size="4">The Art of Spinnerbaiting for Musky</font>
by Richard Collin (originally printed in Pike and Muskie Magazine)
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<b>I have read that there are seven bodies of water that have the right kind of environmental conditions and hold the right genetic strains of muskie to produce a world record. The author of this article, Richard Collin, is a guide on one of these bodies of water - the Ottawa River. Read on to learn how he catches giant muskies with spinnerbaits...and then sign up at his website - www.trophymuskiecharters.com</b>
<img align="right" src="http://www.fish-hawk.net/tips/Spinnerba ... .gif">Many muskie fishermen think spinnerbaiting is a simple, easy way to fish for muskies. You just cast it out and reel it in. There are days the fishing can actually be that easy, but other days it can get much more difficult. The intent of this article is to expand your use of spinnerbaits and provide you with new ideas for their application. In preparation for the season I actually like to get out on the water a week before it begins. In Ontario, we open a month or so after the spawn in mid-June. The idea is to check on the growth of the weeds and locate the best weed beds. By doing this you will save time on the opener and know where you will be going ahead of time.
In my experience, because there are many different ways to productively cast and troll them, spinnerbaits have become my main muskie lure from the opener in June until the end of August. Even after August, I keep a rod rigged with one through most of the Fall into November. As you can see I use them most of the time during the weed-fishing season. Spinnerbaits can be fished in and around weeds better than any other bait most of the time.We are not talking about bass-sized lures.
The spinnerbaits I use are ten inches long, have heavy double bucktails with single hooks, and large colorado blades. These large lures are fished primarily in the top few feet of water. In addition to casting, they can be trolled at speeds of up to seven miles per hour as well.
<b><i>The author with a 54 inch spinnerbait muskie</i></b>
When casting a spinnerbait I like a good bucktail rod that has lots of backbone and a soft tip for casting distance. As I cast I like to stop the lure just before it hits the water. This allows the lure to turn around and start heading back right away. Additionally, this will stop the lure from getting wrapped up or sinking down into the weeds. To keep the spinnerbait high in the water it is necessary to keep the rod tip up while reeling in the lure. As the lure gets closer the rod tip should be lowered so it is right above water level when the lure gets back to the boat. This permits a smooth transition into an L turn and a figure eight. If you keep the rod tip up too long the lure will come out of the water.
Now let’s look at some specifics on how to troll these spinnerbaits. As with other trolled lures there are many variables which need to be considered. Those things I wish to discuss are speed of the lure, characteristics of the lure movement, and distance between the boat and lure. First, spinnerbaits are more effective if trolled fast. By fast I mean four miles per hour or more. The high speed gets the bait to ride high in the water and over the weeds. When you troll a spinnerbait this fast it is important to hold your rod at an angle so the tip is close to the water. With the rod tip down the lure will stay in the water most of the time. It also allows you to feel when weeds foul the spinnerbait. A quick pull of the rod will knock the weeds off and have you fishing again. Be alert when doing this, muskies love to hit due to the erratic action. Keep the distance behind the boat as short as possible so the bait stays in the water. Normally this would be somewhere between twenty and thirty feet. If the bait comes out of the water occasionally do not worry as this can actually enhance the action of the lure. One last important point, when high speed trolling, be sure your drag is set to release when you pull your rod forward. This should not effect the hookset. At four miles per hour, or more, the fish will get hooked on the strike and only a quick, short pull will be needed to set the hook. During the first week or so you can fish the large, shallow (those less than five feet deep) weed-flats. These areas will be the first to become inaccessible, early in the season due to the weeds growing up out of the water. Move over to the deeper weed flats as fishing time permits since these can be fished much later into the season. Start by trolling the entire flat as muskies may be caught anywhere in these areas. As you troll these flats pay special attention to areas where the weed growth is thickest and spots where fish are caught. This is where a GPS can come in handy for marking the productive flats for return visits. Go back to those areas and cast them later in the day or later in the season. I have switched back and forth from casting to trolling on a given day and pulled several fish from one good flat. Some have continued to produce fish on spinnerbaits well into October. Other prime areas are weed-beds close to river mouths. Concentrating on the points, edges, and inside or outside turns, can be very productive either casting or trolling.
<img align="right" src="http://www.fish-hawk.net/tips/Spinnerba ... it.jpg">As the season progresses weeds on the shallower flats will start growing up on top of the water limiting trolling to the edges and casting to the edges and pockets. I personally think it is better trying to cast the flats first and then troll them afterwards when this situation presents itself. If you attempt trolling first when you get close to the edge you will chop up the weeds and spook the fish. Try casting the entire breakline first. If the flats are really big just cast the points, pockets, and inside or outside turns. After fishing the break line start trolling and setting your lines as we mentioned before. I generally make my first pass a bit away from the breakline to see if any fish are lurking there-they are often big ones. Move closer to the breakline on each pass until the lure is nipping the outside turns and points of these weeds. Sometimes clipping the weeds will trigger a fish that might otherwise not be interested. This pattern can be continued all summer long until the weeds start to die off in the fall. Another tactic to employ is increasing the trolling speed. Some days it takes speeds of seven miles per hour or more to get fish chasing the baits.
During the season you can also cast small and medium weedbeds just like a large flat. Look for the ones closer to drop-offs and points as they generally hold bigger fish. These fish tend to be on the edges of smaller weed concentrations but occasionally temperatures have them resting right in the middle of them. Keep this in mind as you work these weedbeds. In late summer I find it is time to upsize my spinnerbaits -the bigger fish are looking for a bigger meal. The question now becomes, “How do I upsize a ten inch spinnerbait?†Well there are a few ways I accomplish this. First, try adding another tail section by taking one from another bait and hooking it on.Second, try adding weight to the front of the bait so it will stay down at higher trolling speeds, normaly a rubber core sinker will be enough. My baits are custom made by Rob Dey and a few years ago he actually started to make some triple tailed spinnerbaits, which have an added 2 oz of weight right where you tie the leader to the bait. These, with the added weight, are primarily for trolling, as they are quite difficult to cast. A third way to increase the size is by adding “meat†to the back hook, items such as piece of pork, a rubber grub, or a worm. Do not be afraid to add something up to seven inches long, which could make the bait fifteen inches long or more. After these additions the bait will not only be longer but much thicker in the tail section with an added attraction as well. These can now be casted or trolled, whichever is wanted. Once the lure is upsized it will travel deeper in the water column. This makes it difficult to cast thick weeds, so concentrate on the water next to the weeds like the first drop-off, or a point with scattered weeds. I have had great success catching thirty and forty pounders applying this technique from mid-August until November. As mentioned before, now that the bait has a trailler added it is even more critical to stop the spinnerbait and begin the retrieve before it hits the water.
<img align="right" src="http://www.fish-hawk.net/tips/Spinnerba ... g.gif">One last but very important point, other then being weedless, single hooked spinnerbaits are fish friendly. They produce solid hook-ups and you can easily “hand land†a fish without worrying about impaling a hand on trebles. Removing the hook is simple also and always allows for a better catch and release.
In summary, I hope some information covered here can be helpful in the upcoming muskie season and perhaps put a few more spinnerbait fish in the boat this year. These lures can be fished in nearly all situations and work well through the season. Spinnerbaiting done properly can be an extremely deadly method for catching big muskies in almost any water.
<b>Richard's clients caught fish on over 90% of the days on the water in 2001!
Every trip of five or more days scored at least one fish over 50 inches!
Richard's email address is info@trophymuskiecharters.com
Richard's website address is at www.trophymuskiecharters.com</b>
