Michigan Muskie Alliance

:o :o This 54 inch Pike easily dogboned this 36 inch pike and was caught. It is an over seas fish but this type thing happens around here more than many of us think. Hmm makes me think my 21 inch deepthreat isnt so big after all.

What a piggy and under 50 lbs. Makes me think about some of the so called 50 lbers . this one was only 44 lbs. Michelle and I had a similar experience with a 29 inch pike on a stringer and a 50 inch class Musky in 2005. Kingfisher

This also shows that the new giant Bull Dawg is not too big and the huge Weagle as well. An 18 inch Wishmaster or one of my 15 inch Deepthreats is only half as long as that Pike. This is why we caught over 40 small pike on Musky lures this past spring. Some of the Pike were only twice as long as the lures.Your thoughts? Kingfisher

Mike I'm not trying to pick on you or the big lure thing. But looking at the lures in the boat photo they don't look all that big. I don't know what the fish was cought on. I think some of the guys on Muskytooth might know.
http://www.muskytooth.com/
http://www.muskytooth.com/forum/viewtop ... 39&start=0
They do a lot of talking about big baits on their web page, an they put a lot of realy big muskie's in the net useing them. Some of your Deep Threat, wishmasters, Franky's baits, Brett's harbourmasters, Canuck, Perrywinkle, Snax's. Hose lures, and they are big. I'm just starting to get to the point that I know enuff about muskie fishing to use them. But the guys that from what I've read troll these about 20-45 ft down and bang them on rock piles. I just don't know that meny lakes around here to do it. I just troll the biger lures in the prop wash maybe 6 to 10 ft down. But ya I've cought mid 30 inch fish on 10 in lures. I've gotten some bigger Ugly Stick Big Water rods this summer and some T20LCL reels with 60lb mono this last summer and they have ben working well pulling 10 inch lures. I've got 4 rods and reels at home now just setting around that I don't use just becuse I can run the smaller lures with the bigger gear.
So Mike what area the best ways you think for useing these big lures. I've never put a fish bigger then 44 inch's on a 10 in or bigger lure. I know I will do it some day I just don't know if what I'm doing is right or wrong. I put a good number of fish in the net last summer trolling just not big ones. It maybe the lake I mostly fish their are not that big yet. But I would like to put 1 or 2 50 inch fish in the net this year.

LeMay OUt

Too big? If you can't cast it or troll it it is too big. There's also going to be a point where too big means it will not hook fish well.

The right tool for the job is MUCH more important than the size. 10" and under lures have accounted for many, many giant muskies. Sure the really big baits are going to catch fish but in many cases they're being used by guys that know what they're doing. If they took a 10" bait and banged it on the rocks 20-40' down they're still going to catch big fish. There's no secret lure, a lure is a tool big or small.

Jim , the big fish was caught on the 36 inch pike. The guy caught the 36 inch pike and as he was reeling it in the 54 ate the 36 inch pike and wouldnt let go. All the way into the net. It was never hooked. Im not advocating building 30 inch lures just want some input on how often this happens in the esox world . The 36 inch pike does not not look very oversized at all in the chops of this real big Fish. Will, we both know Ill not be building any bigger lures :lol: :lol: :lol: . Im thinking more on the lines of how often do these monsters really eat meals half as long as they are. It has happened to Michelle and I once already and I expect it will happen again . We had a Nice musky stalk us up north as we were playing a small pike . She almost ate it. It really is a good question to ponder over. Our biggest fish came on a 7 inch lure last year. I dont fish baits over 12 inches much at all. But seeing this picture and the two experiences we have had is getting me thinking again about why Big Lures and should I consider using them. Kingfisher

Kingfisher wrote:Jim , the big fish was caught on the 36 inch pike. The guy caught the 36 inch pike and as he was reeling it in the 54 ate the 36 inch pike and wouldnt let go. All the way into the net. It was never hooked.

Is that the story in the last issue of Esox Angler? I was pretty certain that the two photos above are not related...

Kingfisher wrote::o :o This 54 inch Pike easily dogboned this 36 inch pike and was caught. It is an over seas fish but this type thing happens around here more than many of us think. Hmm makes me think my 21 inch deepthreat isnt so big after all.

Where did you get those stats? I've seen that picture many times over the last couple years, never did i see a size description of both pike. Could be a 54" and a 36", then again it could be a 44" and a 22" :)

I dont buy into the big bait theory, I know it's a trend lots of folks are into nowadays but it just hasn't appealed to me yet. Whether you cast an 8" lure or a 15" lure in front of a hungry aggresive muskie it's going to get smashed.

My .2

Ditto....

Ditto....

that northern looks like a 2 footer..maybe a scosch more...27,28..

DU

If a large lure excites you and makes your trophy hunt that much more exciting, more power to ya. After all your not out there fishing for anyone else are we? Are they more likely to be hit than traditionals if all other conditions match, maybe, in some waters. Maybe not in most. Oh yeah, agreed, that Pike can't be much over 2 feet long.

We have all heard Musky prefer a meal 1/3 their own size.A 51" sweetheart could hammer a 17" bait no problem.Im not saying thats
all they target is BIG meals,Im just saying it probably happens more than
we think.????

Can you imagine how many slices of pizza one would have to consume to equal 1/3 their size? Of course I came pretty close at the lure swap!
:lol:

I got more junk on this story, a good buddy of mine we'll call "nameless"..told me about the top photo and said he knows the guy who claimed to catch that fish, and even better it was caught out of SANFORD lake last fall. We all know sanford has pike, but 54" would be a very big pike for sanford..haha Muskie yes, pike no, but if that pike was 18"-24" possible a low/mid 40" pike from sanford is possible, but this caught in sanford I had to tell my friend that the guy who gave him this info was more than likely fibbin'...now someone said it was caught overseas.....germany maybe?

Now the bottom pic i have heard many fibs on it...caught out of muskegeon lake, Indian lake in the UP, South manistique in UP, Lake superior. Heck, a guy in gander mtn a couple months back asked me if I heard about the giant pike that came out of muskegeon lake that was like 60lbs and was a new world record, i assume he meant that big pike in pic 2... good ol' gossip.

I think its just a confidence issue, fishing deep clear water some people feel a larger bait is easier to find/more likley to get a strike(as well as get down and take a rock pounding) than a small bait.
Like Will said

Too big? If you can't cast it or troll it it is too big. There's also going to be a point where too big means it will not hook fish well.

As big fish= big bait goes musky and pike are opportunistic by nature and not swimming around measuring their prey. Sure they may prefer an 8 pound bullhead but they don't turn their nose up at a wounded 4 inch shinner. I have caught more small pike and smallmouth bass on big muskie lures than muskie big or small. But by no means am I going to stop thowing 10 jakes because of it.

Once I was fishing with a guy who caught about an 18 inch Lake Trout on a 12 inch hooker and just today I released a 40.5 inch pike that I caught on a #10 demon glow perch jig. Fish are just trying to survive they aren't picky like fishermen.

Hey Pimp,
Thats a nice pike you caught!