Muskie Rig Retooled

The Ole Muskie Rig/2002 Crestliner Fishawk 1650

Finally, the Ol' Muskie rig has its sonar unit replaced. We had a Lowrance X 135. It was a 5 inch LCD display with gray scale. It was a very nice unit that served us well for nearly 10 years of chasing big pike and monster Muskie across the north. It played a part in many catches in those ten years. Including numerous pike up to 40 inches, a 48 and 52 inch muskie my dad caught as well as many that were hooked and lost. A couple incidents come to mind.
      Like the time we were on Lake Vermilion. I believe it was September 2008. It was late morning warm but not hot, beautiful weather. We were casting baits towards beach front property while sitting in 6 feet of water. Between shore and our boat was a menagerie of aquatic vegetation. Halfway through our first run down the beach my dad set the hook into something massive. The rod jumped as the fish bulldozed it way through the salad. All dad could do was hang on and wait for the opportunity to gain back some line lost. Eventually, without perception of time the fish showed herself. That was an awe inspiring, knee weakening moment. This Muskie was as big as the 52 incher he caught a couple years prior, possibly larger. The head, the breadth of its back the immensity of this beast was incomprehensible. As I went to slip the net into the water she made another lighting run through as much vegetation as possible. We slowly made our way over and ever so gently lifted the line up to the surface only to find a mangled yellow and green spinner bait swinging at the end of the line! I felt sick. My dad, let's say was less than happy, but what made it all so unbearable was on the very next cast he made he reared back into something very heavy! It soon came up to show itself. It was another Muskie and it was huge. Not as big as the first but in the 48 to 50 inch range! As suddenly as she struck his bait it started doing the classic alligator death roll. This maneuver promptly pried the hook from its purchase. She slowly sank back into the depths as if taunting us to give chase as we looked on in complete and utter disbelief. Two monster muskies one right after the other struck, hooked and lost forever. What's the chances? How? Why? What the bleep just happened? After some choice words we decided it was best we go get some lunch.
     When we came into this bay with the beach shore line I saw on the sonar long strands coming off the bottom indicating an aquatic plant sought by fisherman for its ability to attract large predatory fish. We established the deep edge of this "cabbage" as it is know and started our run there, eventually working toward the inside edge where we found these leviathans lurking.

Our original unit a Lowrance X135.  Was a great unit for nearly ten years.

      A few years before that episode we were casting for muskies on the same lake but in a different bay. This bay had a long deep weed edge that meandered its way across the mouth of the bay.  We found ourselves at dusk approaching the far side of the bay.  I was casting a Big Fork twitch bait into the vegetation and I would rip it through whatever it became hung up on.  This technique is good for shedding debris on your lure as well as eliciting strikes from predators including muskies. I was right at the edge and ripped the bait through the remainder of weeds when my rod doubled over and my line ripped of my reel with authority. Even though I was using gear made for this it still took forever to bring the fish up and see what it was.  After what seemed an eternity I saw in the remnants of waning light a dark glossy back ripple the surface hinting to the immensity of the monster that rests peacefully tethered to my rod and reel.  A small respite and the animal was back in the deep.  Before we left our cabin that evening we hadn't taken steps to be ready in case we actually hooked a fish.  For the last few days it was a veritable desert.  Not so much as a follow or strike.  No sign of a live fish anywhere.  So, our recovery tools had been stowed and not at the ready as hell was breaking loose.  The battle was ragging as my father struggled to get the cradle so that I may slide the fish into it and immobilizing the fish, sort of in order to cut the hooks out of the maw of the beast.  That was the plan.  That plan was dissolving quickly.  The cradle finally free and at the ready.  In the water it was slipped and luckily enough the muskie was surfaced again for a rest.  I gently dragged my rod toward the cradle as my dad lowered it to except what was the largest muskie either one of us have been face to face with.  As her head approached the cradle I became suddenly aware of eight of the nine ginormous hooks wriggling around to find something or someone to sink into.  I told my dad to watch the hooks and as the words, "the hooks" echoed across the lake the muskie's head crossed into the cradle.  At the moment she felt the netting and went berserk driving nearly every hook into the cradle's netting including the treble hook she was fastened to.  What happened next is to this day one of the most awesome displays of power I've ever been a witness to.  Now Mrs. Muskie is firmly attached to the cradle at one end and about four plus feet of her sticking out one end unencumbered.  Seeing this I tried to flip or hold her body while my dad picked up the head end.  I couldn't really get a hold on her and her thrashing about and shear weight made it impossible to control and get into the boat.  As we were in the midst of trying to bring her aboard she performed a lightening quick death roll and dive at the same time and made hast for the deep water again.  I grabbed my rod thinking she may still be hooked but there was the crank bait swinging from the cradle.  I realized that the beast pulled the hooks free from her jaw!  Incredible, I mumbled.  I was not upset we lost her because I got a good look at her and she swam off on her own power.  Its when I was extracting my lure from the netting of the cradle that I noticed it.  The one and only hook holding her to my line was broke clean in the gap off the hook's shank!  These were no small gauge hooks and good luck bending them.  I was in shock and awe at the power that was on display just moments ago.  I left that brawl happy though I lost but for me I"ll take it.  What an experience.  That next morning we drove a hour and a half away to by a net worthy of safely capturing these monsters of the north.
     What I learned about that spot that week using the Lowrance X 135 sonar was that the weed bed made some small fingers or zig zags while the last one having sharp, deep inside turn with a long finger protruding well out into deep water.  That inside turn was holding large fish all week and those fingers in general were holding muskies of all sizes all week.  That inside turn was the spot on the spot.  Two mornings later on that same inside turn my father hooked into what turned out to be a 52 inch muskie with a 24 inch girth.  Just shy of 40 pounds.  We got her for some photos this time.

This is the 52 inch muskie my dad caught two mornings after I had one of these girls on.  Lake Vermilion, Minnesota, August 2005.

this is the newly installed Lowrance Elite 5 GPS/sonar combo.

     The last year we had that sonar erratic behavior gave way to a complete dysfunction, the head completely stopped working. When you would turn the unit on nothing but a line traversing from left to right at the midway point would appear.  It was time to invest in a new unit.  The Lowrance Elite 5 GPS/Sonar is installed and ready for action.