Michigan Muskie Alliance

Hi everyone! As my name suggests, I'm interested in Pike and Muskie on the fly. I'm very new to the sport of pike /muskie fishing and look forward to getting lots of helpful info here. Thanks for having a website dedicated to Esox!

Whats up fly.

I dont know how many of us have any expertise in that area but I do know of a few guys that do it. They mostly fish the shallow areas of lakes with big streamers. I will be curious to hear how you do. Check the upcoming events area to find some outings that may be of interest to you.
Kevin

Hi there esoxonthefly,
Although I'm no expert, I've caught a few muskies on the fly and a goodly bunch of northerns. I like a 9- or 10-weight for northerns and a 10- or 11-weight for muskies, just because the muskies seem to prefer a bigger offering which takes more power to deliver. The floating line is fine for higher weeds or shallow flats, the sinking tip line is fine for most weed top fishing, and the full sinking is great for the weed edges, all these in weight forward taper. Baits like the Lefty's Deceiver are fine for northerns and probably for muskies, too. I think the muskies like a little sway to the fly more so than the straight movement of the standard streamer, so I add a hookless trailer (of the same bucktail-tinsel-feather type as the streamer itself) to the basic Deceiver-type fly, which lengthens it another 3 inches or so and makes it dart and breathe a little like a good glide bait. The northerns do not care about the sway factor.
See theflyshop.com for a passel of fly patterns ("general baitfish" has the Deceiver) or check out wetieit.com where Bill Sherer of Boulder Junction WI offers a muskie fly fishing school in May of 2007. This guy is well-versed in muskies on the fly.