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Utilizing reside bait for muskie (aka sucker fishing) is a fall custom that spans generations of angling. Though methods and tools have advanced, one reality stays: muskies eat reside suckers.
I realized fish suckers from an excellent buddy and fellow muskie nut on Eagle Lake in northwestern Ontario. Making use of the technique and rigging for my house water of Lac Seul was a straightforward transition.
Solely suckers
The star of the present is the reside bait itself, the sucker. I’ve by no means seen or heard of anybody utilizing something apart from suckers. Usually, the place there’s a muskie fishery, there’s a bait store close by that has suckers within the fall. Not simply any suckers — large ones.
Sport plan
The largest factor is presenting the sucker in a pure method. That basically meaning swimming freely. If the boat is transferring too quick and dragging the sucker, it would by no means get hit. Sucker fishing means slowly and methodically protecting key spots. Most boat velocity is 0.5 mph. Principally crawling.
Shifting slowly limits how a lot water you cowl. This reality drives my technique of solely fishing one of the best elements of one of the best spots. I’d solely cowl a 50-yard stretch of a reef or neckdown space, however I’ll cowl it slowly and totally. I exploit the trolling motor to pause proper over spot-on-spot positions.
Floats or no floats?
There are two methods to current reside bait, one is beneath a slip-float and the opposite is ‘free-range’ with out a float. Free-range suckers might be considerably managed with the quantity of line out, however it will possibly nonetheless be arduous to maintain monitor of the place they’re precisely.
If two or extra suckers are out, I want utilizing slip floats. The float acts as a strike indicator. It helps you to see the place your suckers are, and it helps you to set bait depth.
Some suckers are swimmers and like to roam round. The float makes it simple to maneuver rods round within the rod holders to keep away from traces getting tangled when a sucker decides to go for a swim. Staggering the quantity of line out on every rod helps stop tangles, too.
When a float goes down, or a clicker goes off, get on the rod immediately. I fish with the clicker on and the reel on free spool. Interact the reel and set the hook when the muskie is swimming or dealing with away from you. Performing quick ensures the muskie doesn’t swallow the sucker and the rig.Â
I’ve seen ‘robust’ sucker journeys, too. When muskies aren’t biting and are troublesome to entice with or with out reside bait. However including sucker fishing to your autumn muskie repertoire is unquestionably definitely worth the effort.
Solid when you sucker-soak
One multi-angler technique combines reside bait fishing with casting. The idea is that casting in direction of construction will entice a comply with, thereby drawing a muskie to your sucker. Have in mind Ontario’s one line per particular person legislation.
Initially revealed within the August 2022 difficulty of Ontario OUT of DOORS
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