Musky on a Fly

[zippy83]

Hello all,

This is a step into unfamiliar territory and I am hoping that I could get some guidance on this one.

I have been fishing for Muskies in the Midwest for over 14 years, and thought that it would be cool to see one of these apex predators being caught on a fly rod. A friend of mine got me hooked on to this, but both of us never attempted to go after musky on a fly rod. This is something totally new to me and I would like to get some input on a few things before I go and buy the wrong stuff.

I did a lot of research and see that just like with a lot of other things it comes down to personal preference. According to the research I have done any 9wt or 10wt rod will do the job. As for the reels I see some mixed reviews, some people say the reel only holds the line, other people say you need stopping power which I tend to agree. As for the line I read that it all depends what type of water you are fishing.

The lakes around me are usually on average 8-30 feet deep. I tend to look for muskies in heavy cover such as weeds and flooded timber. Usually those areas are very shallow and the clearance between the weeds and the water surface is anywhere from 6" to 14". I think that I am getting hang up on this Fly-Line subject more than on anything I have mentioned before.

The lakes I fish are not very good top water lakes. I mostly fish these lakes with shallow crank baits, bucktails, spinner baits, and gliders. The only time I go deep is in late fall and winter when the Muskies move in deep following the schools of bait fish. It is safe to say that I would fly fish for muskies during spring and early fall when the fish is in the shallows.

Any suggestions?
Thanks
Zipp

 

[williamhj]

Here's my musky on a fly

Caught in Northern Wisconsin. Had some other follows and another take that ended with a cut line, amazing fishing. I fished with a 9' 10wt TFO Mangrove, I finished it from a blank. Found it to toss the big flies and sinking lines very well. For reel I got an Orvis Battenkill Mid-Arbor. I've heard you don't need much of a drag for musky since they aren't going to run that much but figured if I'm getting a 10wt set-up might as well get one that I could use for other quarry as well, including salt.

 

[zippy83]

williamhj,

That is a good looking fish. Congrats!!

The rods I was looking at were all 9' made by Echo, and TFO. The models are ion, and edge from echo and bvk, and mangrove from TFO. I think they all compare fairly well to each other.

What type of line are you using?
Thanks
Zipp

 

[ia_trouter]

I use a St Croix Legend Ultra 9WT 9FT. About all my elbows care to throw. I use a sink tip line but some use floater and weighted flies. Others use a sinking leader.

That's a very nice ski William! Not an easy task on the fly.

 

[williamhj]

Thanks! For line I got Rio's Pike/Musky line WF10F/I, sink rate of 1.5ips. The buddy I fished with said it sank a bit fast for some of the water so I used one of his reels for some of the fishing, so I might grab an extra spool with a different line? It can be a lot to cast, but the sight of a musky following your fly has a way of making you forget sore shoulders and elbow

 

[ia_trouter]

Most everyone agrees a 10WT is better for musky. I just need to stay in the game and my elbows have a little age on them. I'd use my 8WT if they would throw the huge flies proper. I'd like to try a two hander some day.

 

[williamhj]

No, I agree. That heavier rod with intermediate line and big flies take their toll.

 

[zippy83]

Thanks guys,

I am used to all the pain that comes along with muskie fishing, i have been throwing huge no12 double blades with trailers all fall long, but as Will said all that pain is worth seeing a fish follow. I am sure that the level of exitment will be higher on a fly setup.

 

[sjbdds]

I fell in love with this type of fishing this year.
Nothing better than watchin a musky attack a fly.....

I used a 10 wt Allen Volant w a Kraken reel. Performed great. I also was able to use the guides Mystic Reaper Rod - another great rod. I reccomend either.

I had a 9 wt with me also but it could not handle the big flies so it was spent the day watching the big boys.
Rio Pike line didnt work well on cold days ( last trip to Northerm Wi was 11/6) before the big snow.

Ill be back at it again next summer.

 

[ia_trouter]

Ted will see this thread eventually. He has a bunch of musky on the fly under his belt and lives deep in Musky Country now. He has helped me a lot.

 

[itchmesir]

There's a 10wt ESOX in the classifieds right now...

Here's my only muskie... Thanks to Ted... Actually taken on a 7wt Fenwick Feralite...

 

[ted4887]

Welcome to the musky on the fly sickness. We crazies need to stick together. What do you think "snapped" in your head to make you want to come over to the dark side? For me, I tend to lean towards it being a genetic thing. Maybe it is some kind of ailment that I was born with.

For small fly work, a 9wt will just fine. But if you want to step your game up into flies that most would consider medium to large, you'll want a 10 weight at least. 10 weights really are the ideal starting rod as far as I'm concerned. It's a do-almost-anything type of rod, with very few limitations. And todays 10wts are so light that the difference between casting a 9 or a 10wt is almost negligible.

There are a bunch of rods on the market these days that are more than capable of handling the rigors of musky fishing. Most every brand has at least rod out there I would trust to toss musky flies around. And like you said, everyone has a preference. **Shameless plug coming** I will add that if you're leaning toward a TFO Mangrove, you might be interested in my TFO Esox in the classifieds. It's the same blank as the mangrove, with an extended fighting to make executing those figure 8's easier.

Regardless of the rod you end up purchasing, there are other things just as vital to your success. Lines can make or break whether or not a certain rod is successful. You need big heavy headed fly lines to get those flies to turn over. Rio, Airflo, and SA all make good lines for this. For lake fishing, I’d probably get myself an intermediate to start with. If you have the funds to add a spare spool and line, I’d get yourself a fast sinking line as well, just to be able to cover the deeper structure a little more effectively.

Flies vary a ton on this side of the industry. Some guys prefer big synthetic baitfish flies, while others like myself, enjoy using natural fibers like bucktail and long saddle hackles. Take a look at lures that have worked for you in the past, and see if you can build a fly around that same color scheme. Us musky fly guys have been “borrowing” pattern ideas from you gear guys for a long time.

Reels I wouldn’t get too involved with. I mainly use two different reels on my setups. Allen Krakens, which I really, really dig. And Lamson Gurus which are also nice reels. I opt to fish my Allen reels for a number of reasons though, and one of the big ones is the level of great service that they offer. Those krakens also have a solid drag system that I’d trust for any application of fishing.

 

[schnipster]

loop booster 8ft8 wt---this rod is shark worthy. and it will cast rabbits

 

[zippy83]

Welcome to the musky on the fly sickness. We crazies need to stick together. What do you think "snapped" in your head to make you want to come over to the dark side? For me, I tend to lean towards it being a genetic thing. Maybe it is some kind of ailment that I was born with.

For small fly work, a 9wt will just fine. But if you want to step your game up into flies that most would consider medium to large, you'll want a 10 weight at least. 10 weights really are the ideal starting rod as far as I'm concerned. It's a do-almost-anything type of rod, with very few limitations. And todays 10wts are so light that the difference between casting a 9 or a 10wt is almost negligible.

There are a bunch of rods on the market these days that are more than capable of handling the rigors of musky fishing. Most every brand has at least rod out there I would trust to toss musky flies around. And like you said, everyone has a preference. **Shameless plug coming** I will add that if you're leaning toward a TFO Mangrove, you might be interested in my TFO Esox in the classifieds. It's the same blank as the mangrove, with an extended fighting to make executing those figure 8's easier.

Regardless of the rod you end up purchasing, there are other things just as vital to your success. Lines can make or break whether or not a certain rod is successful. You need big heavy headed fly lines to get those flies to turn over. Rio, Airflo, and SA all make good lines for this. For lake fishing, I’d probably get myself an intermediate to start with. If you have the funds to add a spare spool and line, I’d get yourself a fast sinking line as well, just to be able to cover the deeper structure a little more effectively.

Flies vary a ton on this side of the industry. Some guys prefer big synthetic baitfish flies, while others like myself, enjoy using natural fibers like bucktail and long saddle hackles. Take a look at lures that have worked for you in the past, and see if you can build a fly around that same color scheme. Us musky fly guys have been “borrowing” pattern ideas from you gear guys for a long time.

Reels I wouldn’t get too involved with. I mainly use two different reels on my setups. Allen Krakens, which I really, really dig. And Lamson Gurus which are also nice reels. I opt to fish my Allen reels for a number of reasons though, and one of the big ones is the level of great service that they offer. Those krakens also have a solid drag system that I’d trust for any application of fishing.

Ted,

Thank you for the warm welcome. I agree musky fisherman in general are a strange breed and need to stick together!!!

Thanks for all the info. I was looking at rods and was thinking to get a 9wt and a 10wt to have with me at all times. The rods I am looking at are the ION and EDGE from Echo and the Mangrove from TFO to start with. Now after reading all suggestions I am leaning towards the 10wt rods.

As for the leader what do you recommend for a typical fly setup? Currently I am making my own fluorocarbon leaders in 100LB and 130LB test range. Do I need to go lower on the test diameter, or maybe wire?

Thanks again
Zipp

 

[schnipster]

loop booster 8ft8 wt---this rod is shark worthy. and it will cast rabbits

 

[ted4887]

Zippy

Leaders vary from person to person. I fish wire, but also know plenty of guys that fish floro. It all works. You can you use the exact same bite wires that you're using with gear if you want. Keep in mind, that because I generally fish fast flowing rivers with a high likelihood of snagging up (maybe I'm a bad caster?) I always build a breaking point into my leaders so that I don't have to worry about losing fly lines.

My general streamer leader setup is simple though. 2' 60lb floro -- 3' 20lb mono ---> 1' bite wire. Sometimes shorter going all the way down to 3-4' in some cases, rarely longer than 6' though. Topwater leader is a straight 40-60lb with bire wire.

If I was only fishing lakes I'd simplify it even more and just use straight 40 or 60 with a bite wire like I use with my topwater.

As far as I'm concerned, there is no magic leader out there that will work for everyone. You'll just have to experiment a little bit to find the one that works best for you.

 

[zippy83]

Thanks Ted,

This is very good information. I will have to experiment with different setups as you have suggested.

As for backing, I was thinking of putting 65LB Power Pro for my backing on the reel. Am I braking any fly fishing rules by doing so?

 

[ted4887]

Nah, you'd be fine to do that. Though, it will take a lot of that braid to fill up the empty space. Are you planning on buying a new reel for a 10wt, or just using one that you already have?

Most fly shops will pre-spool a reel for very little cost to you. It would probably be more advantageous to just pay the small fee for a shop to add backing than using good power pro. 20lb or 30lb would be just fine. You'll never see backing when fishing for musky anyways.

Remember this one little fact about musky fishing: Usually about 50% of your eats are going to come within mere feet of the boat. That means that a musky is going to have to peel roughly 100' of fly line away from you before the tip of your backing is even visible. Give a fish 100' of room to run, and you know it's going to find some structure to break you off on.



Another tip I'll offer up regarding leaders/knots is to make darn sure that the butt section of your leader is tied to your fly line with a knot small enough to go through the top guide without much resistance. I prefer to cut the loops off the end of my line and nail knot the butt sections to my fly line. Sometimes I'll finish it off with a bit of Loon Knot Sense just to smooth out the knot. Though that isn't necessary at all.

 

[ditz]

It seems that the OP suggested that he would be fishing shallow most of the time. A floating line would be my recommendation. I don't fish pike or Musky but I would think that they are similar. A 40# straight leader I would think would be enough. 6 to 12" of wire for a bite tippet. Heavy mono or fluro would also work I believe. I have a 9wt and it is all the rod I care to cast for any length of time and it will throw some sizeable flies but if you are planning on 12 and 14" flies it probably ain't enough rod. A 10wt may not be either. Flies like a seaducer and whistlers are slow sinkers if properly tied and should stay above the weed beds. A wire weed guard would also be a wise addition the your flies to keep from collecting a salad on each cast. Rabbit zonker flies should work well. Maybe with deer hair heads to keep them from sinking too fast. Bait fish imitations tied bulky with some synthetic hair should be slow sinkers too. Bulky heads will push a lot of water and should put out that 'come and eat me' pressure wave. .....If you decide you need a fast retrieve you can do the two handed retrieve like the salt water guys. If he wants it you will not be able to take it away from him.

 

[zippy83]

Thanks for the info..

The only reason I am asking is because I have about 300yrds of 65LB powerpro that I have not used up. I might as well just use it. I have a reel that is designed for 9-10wt lines so it will take about 270yrd of 30LB line.

You are right on the hookups, they usually happen so close to the boat or even on a figure 8 that I don't see the Musky taking 100' of line.

Thanks for the tip on the knots. I will make sure that my knots are as small and as strong as possible. Cant wait for the spring to arrive so I can get out there and try this out.

Thanks again
Zipp