Stupid Musky! 2025

Craw reply :

I lost my best Lucky Craft Pointer 78DD to a small musky(about 25"). I'm still sick over losing that bait. My question is this...I fish a river that is full of these gators and I'm wondering if I can run a leader of heavy test fluorocarbon or anything else that will up my odds of not breaking off. Problem is, I don't want to sacrifice any action in my lure. I'm targeting smallies and largemouth primarily and usually encounter a few muskies every year. I've caught several over the years up to 30lbs but if a musky gets the bait really good in it's mouth and the line rubs against those sharp little teeth then it's all over but the crying. Some of the local musky boys have told me that they have been using fluorocarbon leaders when cranking or jerking for these monsters, and they use wire leaders for bucktails(inline spinners). Some of the older bass fisherman told me to quit throwing Lucky Craft baits when I fish the river...yeah right! Do you guys know of anything I can do to continue enjoying my success with bass and still be better prepared when those musky hit? I've lost countless spinnerbaits to these @#$%^&s and I certainly don't want to donate any more LCs to them!

rocknfish9001 reply :

Use either florocarbon line or braided line. These both will hold up better, but will still break (of course) If i was in your situation, i would bust out my XH baitcasting rod, and a suik, bobby bait, Jake or whatever.

HomersTomaco reply :

unless your in a bass tournament, just enjoy the musky. 30 lb muskie is way more fun that a bass anyways.

Craw reply :

Quote
30 lb muskie is way more fun that a bass anyways.

I agree. I have no problem with the "catching" part, it's the break off I want to be better prepared to avoid.

fourbizz reply :

Don't use braid! That crap has practically no abrasion resistance to toothy critters. Heavy mono, flourocarbon, buy more baits, those, unfortunately, are the only options I see.

RoLo reply :

When it comes to any fish in the pike family, even a chain pickerel,

forget all about fluorocarbon, they shear through that stuff like sewing thread.

Use a small trace of titanium leader and no musky will ever cut you off again.

We all want it both ways, but we can't have it.

Roger

basser89 reply :

Quote

When it comes to any fish in the pike family, even a chain pickerel,

forget all about fluorocarbon, they shear through that stuff like sewing thread.

Use a small trace of titanium leader and no musky will ever cut you off again.

We all want it both ways, but we can't have it.

I've encountered a couple of muskies while bass fishing on the upper Potomac and have had mixed results. When I'm actually fishing for the toothy critters, I've been using HEAVY fluoro and hard mono leaders that my fishing partner makes. I've yet to loose a bait to a musky since I started using my partner's leaders. So, IMO, it would be possible to use a fluoro or hard mono leader but I think you'd loose at least some of the action of the crankbait. My best result this year with a musky, while fishing for smallies was around a 30 incher I got boat side on a small Norman Mad N crank. It threw the hooks just as I tried to land it. I was using 20# Suffix braid at the time and it held up well! With that said, I'd much rather target the toothy critters on my musky tackle!

MALTESE FALCON reply :

ROLO HAS THE RIGHT IDEA. HERE ON ST. CLAIR TITANIUM LEADERS SAVE MANY BASS LURES.

OH, BY THE WAY, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A STUPID MUSKIE IMHO. AS MUCH AS I LOVE TO CATCH BASS, AN OCCASIONAL MUSKIE IS ALOT OF FUN. I NORMALLY CATCH 10-15 PER SEASON.

FALCON

HPBB reply :

Titanium or steel leader is the only way to stop bite offs

floro, braid or mono will not last long whit those teeth

I know how you feel. I have lost several LV's to Muskies and Pike.

fishinyank reply :

Do you guys have a prefered titanium leader? I've seen some on cabela's. I want to try some. The Tooth Proof brand says its knotable, so maybe no need for snaps? I like the sound of that.

MALTESE FALCON reply :

TRY THE XPS TITANIUM LEADER. THE SNAP IS SIMILAR TO A DUO LOCK AND DOSEN'T HAMPER THE ACTION OF YOUR LURE. AT LEAST I HAVEN'T NOTICED ANY.

FALCON

.ghoti. reply :

The Lake Shelbyville tailwater area has the biggest muskie in Illinois. They are all I fish for at this time of the year. I've tried flouro as a leader. Doesn't work. I've tried braid. Doesn't work. I've tried 50lb test mono. Doesn't work. Wire does. End of story.

Go to this site and scroll down.

http://www.feather-craft.com/2006MAster/fcpage.asp?page=24

Coated wire leader than can be tied. Been using this for a couple of years. The titanium leaders are undoubtedly the best, but this stuff is a close second, and a whole lot cheaper. about a buck a foot. This doesn't seem to have as much damping on lure action as regular wire leaders. I've been using the 15lb test size. I couldn't seem to tie a decent knot using the 30lb test size.

Just don't try to tie a Palomar knot. A two and a half turn clinch knot has worked the best for me.

Good luck,

RoLo reply :

Quote
Do you guys have a prefered titanium leader?

I use "Terminator" titanium leader sold at Bass Pro Shops.

30-foot Coils: 20 lb x 0.012 Dia Smoke Black

Learn the wire knots, then sleeves and crimping pliers are a thing of the past

I use a two-twist Figure-8 Knot and a double-wrap End Loop.

Roger

Pa Angler reply :

I also have lost a Pointer 100 to a toothy critter at Black Lake, NY I solved the problem by using a short black wire leader made by Berkley I even use the 10lb one for hard topwater baits with little effect on it's action something for you to consider.

Chow

Garnet reply :

Those musky guys are throwing little bigger baits than you are. Most are using 100lb+ flour leaders that will kill bass baits. All the wire and single stran will do the same. I've never used those berckly black ones.

If you are fishing this river over and over muskys relate to the same areas the same way so you should no the danger.

The best thing to do is suck it up and have plenty of baits.

Garnet

RoLo reply :

Quote
Most are using 100lb+ flour leaders that will kill bass baits.

100 lb fluorocarbon???

That's as thick as a python, yet the teeth of a pike will sever it like a pair of scissors.

A thin wire trace won't kill the action of the lure AND it will never be cut by a toothy fish.

I've caught countless bass on wired lures meant for pike. I would only wish that wire discourages largemouth bass,

because bass can be a nuisance when you're pike fishing.

Roger

rocknfish9001 reply :

I have only had a pike bite me off 3-4 times i can think of. But each time i was using 8-10 lb. mono bass fishing.

Craw reply :

I appreciate all the advise guys. I've been researching the titanium leaders and ran across these...http://www.malinco.com/fishing/boa.html

I like the idea of being able to tie knots with the wire. I also like the small diameters that are available. It's definitely something worth looking into. I have a feeling that any wire is going to hamper the effectiveness of my prized Lucky Craft jerkbaits but I can see me using leaders in some of my river spinnerbait fishing.

Pa Angler reply :

Quote
Those musky guys are throwing little bigger baits than you are. Most are using 100lb+ flour leaders that will kill bass baits. All the wire and single stran will do the same. I've never used those berckly black ones.
If you are fishing this river over and over muskys relate to the same areas the same way so you should no the danger.

The best thing to do is suck it up and have plenty of baits.

Garnet

I should have mentioned that I lost the Pointer while Bass fishing not Musky fishing and that the wire leader held up to the toothy critters that I was catching. Oh by the way a place called Camp Carol at Black, NY reported a 52" 46lb Musky on 12lb test mono wether a wire leader was used was not confirmed.

Chow

RoLo reply :

Quote
I have only had a pike bite me off 3-4 times i can think of. But each time i was using 8-10 lb. mono bass fishing.

Whenever we land a member of the pike family on monofilament line, it's usually not because the line held up to the teeth,

it's usually because the line was either outside the mouth or it was nested between two teeth (They have more space than teeth).

Roger

Garnet reply :

Most of these musky guys are using the flor. to be easier on the muskies slime coat and injurys to fish.

Again there baits are very large and muskies don't miss them very often. Most of these baits are 10 times the price of a pointer lucky craft.

Garnet

Pa Angler reply :

Quote
Most of these musky guys are using the flor. to be easier on the muskies slime coat and injurys to fish.
Again there baits are very large and muskies don't miss them very often. Most of these baits are 10 times the price of a pointer lucky craft.

Garnet

Musky inline spinnerbaits at BPS and Cabela's go for about $15 also I bought some Musky hardbaits at BPS for $15 so I don't know where the 10 times the pointer price comes from.

Chow

Siebert Outdoors reply :

this is a lose lose situation. If you use a leader it equals fewer bass and no bite offs from pike/musky. vise versa.

When I fish in pike/musky water I dont throw a leader. You will lose lures but you will also catch more fish without it. I do know bright colors attract these critters more. I was throwing the same lure 1 was green pump the other more of a yellow/orange. Never got bite off on the g/p but every time I fished the Y/O I got bit off. Part of the ball game.

Musky and pike are like casting your plug into razor blades on a sledge hammer. Our little dinky bass lures wont hold up to them for the most part. The few pike I have caught completely obliterate a spinnerbait, crank, or other types of lures. About the only thing they dont tear up is a regular soft plastic hook.

Infidel. reply :

There is a TON of good advice on this thread but I think your only real option is to pack up and move to Southern California. You'll never run into a toothy critter again

basser89 reply :

I was just on the Bass Professor's site and the video on the home page mentioned that one of the anglers he knows from PA catches a fair number of BIG bass (smallies and largemouths) fishing larger minnow baits (like ones used for musky fishing) while using a steel leader! Just thought I'd share that.

Pa Angler reply :

Quote
this is a lose lose situation. If you use a leader it equals fewer bass and no bite offs from pike/musky. vise versa.
When I fish in pike/musky water I dont throw a leader. You will lose lures but you will also catch more fish without it. I do know bright colors attract these critters more. I was throwing the same lure 1 was green pump the other more of a yellow/orange. Never got bite off on the g/p but every time I fished the Y/O I got bit off. Part of the ball game.

Musky and pike are like casting your plug into razor blades on a sledge hammer. Our little dinky bass lures wont hold up to them for the most part. The few pike I have caught completely obliterate a spinnerbait, crank, or other types of lures. About the only thing they dont tear up is a regular soft plastic hook.

At $16 a pop for LC's I'll take my chances with a wire leader when fishing for Bass in waters where a lot of toothy critters thrive. I have had no problem using the short Berkley wire leader on Jerkbaits and Pop-R type baits the Bass in my avatar picture was caught with a Pop-R type with the mentioned leader 5lbs + not bad for NY.

Chow

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Stupid Musky! 2025

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