Tips and Tricks for Kayak Musky Fishing
Today we discuss Tips and Tricks for Kayak Musky Fishing. Musky is treated as the meanest and fiercest fish species that anglers dream of catching at least once in their life. Although it is a hot lottery for anglers, kayak musky fishing isn’t a walk in the park. When you plan for musky fishing, you need to be ready for a few bloodsheds.
Also, fishing gear and tools for musky fishing are expensive. That’s why many anglers, despite their utmost desire for musky fishing, are compelled to cancel their plans. We understand it, so we prepared this guideline on tips and tricks for musky fishing from a kayak.
If you plan for catching the big game fish, read it to avoid bloodshed and get your prized catch with ease.
Kayak Musky Fishing Tips
You may ask any experienced musky hunter, and they will say, “Hunting down the giant fish needs a perfect combination of your fishing skill, right gears, and striking ability at the right moment. Or you may lose the fish and a few drops of blood.”
Therefore, you need to arrange your musky fishing plan accordingly.
A Maneuverable Kayak
Musky fishing is challenging and physically demanding. That’s why you need a kayak that will ease out some of your challenges. You should pick a kayak that is maneuverable and sturdy enough when you fight with the muskies.
A stable and sturdy kayak will help you roam through the untouched water and shallow creeks, where you will find the giant muskies that will challenge your angling skill. So, make sure your kayak is suitable for the mission.
Choose the Right Gear
Once you have the right type of kayak, you will need to figure out the right gears for musky fishing. It includes the fishing rod, reel, and net that can hold the weight and strength of a monster musky. The following tips might help you in this regard-
- Fishing rod: Although there are several musky fishing rods and reel combo flooding the internet, not all of them will suit your kayak fishing. When you plan for musky fishing from a kayak, you need to get a rod from 7ft to 8ft in length. If you choose a longer fishing rod, it will need a bigger swing. As an angler, you should realize that big swing hook sets are difficult to control from a floating platform like kayaks. Also, when picking the rod, ensure that it can at least throw 2 to 8 ounces baits comfortably.
- Fishing reel: The fishing reel should be sturdy and powerful enough to hold the weight of the musky and the bait simultaneously. You can choose a baitcasting reel. Its ratio should be 6:1 and feature 300 series.
Then pair it with 60-90 lbs of braided fishing line. Since the braided fishing line won’t stretch, you can use the hook set with ease. Also, you need a quality leader since the musky is infamous for its razor-sharp teeth. It should facilitate good swivels and snap with smoothness. While many people will prefer titanium leaders to be aware that it can cut through the musky throat if it decides to give a fight inside the fishing net.
- A quality net:Since musky is a giant fish both in size and strength, you won’t risk handling it directly with your hands until it is exhausted. It would be best if you chose an XL-sized net to capture the musky without shedding a drop of blood or two. As the musky is caught in the net, you can safely unhook it.
- Use a fish finder: Muskies are famous for hiding capacity through dense vegetation, even shallow water. So, you need to use a quality fish finder to locate the fish quickly. Also, fish finders with 3D sonar and down and side imaging will help you know the underwater better. So, you can set your fishing line and baits with increased precision.
Choose the Right Lures
Musky fish is truly aggressive, and so they will chase almost anything you put in front of them as a lure. So, you can choose rubber, plastic, or natural lures for musky fishing. If you plan for trolling, avoiding heavier baits will be a good option.
Heavier baits put the burden on your shoulder and will limit your mobility on the kayak. This is crucial since musky is an agile fish and your mobility on the kayak is the key to chase and catch these fishes. Also, you need to focus on the season you will catch the musky.
For instance, after the spawning season, muskies are a bit sluggish, and so you can opt for smaller baits to provoke the fish.
Know When and Where You Should Chase the Musky
Although you can catch muskies throughout the year, the best time to get the bigger ones is the late fall season. During the entire fall, muskies will eat like a monster and grow fats before the winter advances. They eat vigorously during the fall to survive in the cold season by burning their added body fats.
So, they become a bit lazy, and you can take advantage of this eating habit of the giant musky. You can expect to get 50 inches or bigger musky at this time.
You can look for muskies in shallow creeks since musky will follow their prey, such as whitefish and Wisconsin, to feed on them. And for the musky fish timing, sunny afternoons can be a great option to hunt down the hungry monster.
Conclusion
Kayak musky fishing is one of the most challenging kayak activities for anglers. Thus, only reading these tips won’t work. Instead, you should go out and try out these techniques in the water. Also, you may talk with an expert angler who has hunted one or two muskies at least. They will give you something that no internet review can provide- the real-life musky fishing experience.
Also, when you chase muskies during late fall, you should wear a quality drysuit to prevent pneumonia from cold water. It will allow you to go down from the kayak and catch the musky from the net without any problems.
