Muskie Fishing
Ontario Muskie Fishing
The Next
Bite
Ontario Fishing Trips
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  Live
Bait Basics
by Pete Maina
As many of you may already know, live baits can
work great for muskie and pike. In Wisconsin,
the use of live bait (usually in addition to
artificial presentations) is very popular,
especially in the fall, for muskies. It can work
well in the spring too. In a nutshell, it works
best and is most efficient in cool water ranges.
Many nice fish are taken; big pike are often a
surprise bonus at times too.
To cover a good general time frame for
effectiveness, I'd recommend bait use from the
start of the season (where there is no closed
season it should work all winter) to the
upper-sixty degree range of surface
temperatures. However, I may cheat,
occasionally, after I've officially given up
hope of success on artificials when a nasty cold
front comes in. But, once temperatures are in
the 70's for good, I'm done. I bring it back
into play around turnover time, usually about
the 60-degree mark for surface temperatures.
There will be on and off periods, but once past
turnover, bait will be effective to ice up.
Any bait type would work, technically (as long
as it's legal to use of course), but suckers are
the popular bait in Wisconsin, and readily
available at any reputable live bait dispensary
near muskie waters. While it seems that
Wisconsin can certainly claim to be the
originators of live bait fishing in the states,
partially because multiple lines are legal, bait
use is spreading to other areas.
There are some folks who aren't real happy about
this. There is good reason for their
unhappiness, and it is, in most cases at least,
borne of concern for the fish caught on live
bait rigs. Live bait has tremendous potential to
kill a lot of fish. It has done a significant
amount of damage over the years in Wisconsin.
Thankfully, though, this has taken a real
turnaround in the last five years. More
education and peer pressure is needed to
eliminate mortality caused by live bait
completely, but things are certainly headed in
that direction. And, the good news is, it is
possible to achieve 100% releasability with live
bait, if some simple rules are followed.
This isn't a complicated issue. In fact, it's
quite simple. If esox are allowed to swallow a
hook-and it doesn't matter what type of hook-and
it remains in their stomach, gullet or deep
inside their mouth, it will kill them. The only
question is how long it will take; some die
immediately, and some may take months.
So, if anyone intends to use live bait, it
certainly comes with great responsibility.
Hopefully, you intend to release the fish you
catch. Realize though, that if you allow esox to
swallow, you have killed them, and this includes
undersized fish too. Live baits (and any
deadbaits) must be used with quickstrike
rigging. To insure a clean release-and to
increase hooking percentages-immediate
hooksetting is a must.
In choosing good live baits (we'll focus on
suckers since they are the predominate live bait
used for pike and muskies) for quickstrike use,
baits ranging in size from 13 to 17 inches are
the easiest to manage when it comes to handling
the bait and installing the rigging. They
provide a good-sized target that will attract a
large size range of esox, including those of
exceptional size. Smaller baits can work too
though, as can larger. And, sometimes you are
left without a choice due to availability.
There are several different types of quickstrike
rigs on the market these days. It still seems
that the majority of these incorporate a leader
system on which there is an adjustable front
hook (either treble or single) to be attached to
the front of the bait (usually the lip) and then
a stinger hook or hooks in the rear. There are
also a couple of rigs that have a rubber band
system that eliminates any necessity for a front
hook. A rubber band system provides more
built-in safety for the fish and better hooking
percentages.
The rubber band system was originally brought to
use with muskie rigs by Steve Herbeck (pretty
smart move there, Herbie). Herbeck is the
designer of the other well-known rig on the
market, the "Herbie Rig." Rubber band rigs like
the Herbie Rig or Lift-Off provide for livelier
baits by not obstructing breathing, as well as
better hooking percentages. The key to
quickstrike rig effectiveness is in the whole
rig breaking free cleanly from the bait, and
then into the mouth of the fish.
When the leader runs through the front hook
attached to bait's head and through to stingers
as on more traditional quickstrike rigs, there
are potential problems tha can really lower
hooking percentages.The main leader is against
the bait's body, and, depending on the angle, it
often results in the stinger hooks literally
being pulled from the bait, but then driven
right back into it again. Upon the hookset, the
sucker gets hooked (again) but not the fish. The
rubber band system provides for a totally
different angle, since the entire rig is
attached to the very top of the bait (see
illustrations). Upon hookset, the rubber band
stretches up, and by the time it breaks, the
stinger hook angle is well away from the bait.
It results in better hooking percentages.
More importantly, for the good of the fish, these
rigs are the safest. Actually, I hadn't really
thought of it exactly that way until it was
pointed out to me by our Tech editor, John Myhre.
While setting immediately provides for the best
hooking percentages, some folks that are new to
quickstrikes, after missing several fish
(usually because of rigging issues), decide that
waiting for the fish to take it a while may
increase hooking percentages. Some folks who
supposedly know what they are doing actually
promote a wait. In some cases too, folks may not
detect a strike right away.
Contrary to some popular belief, muskies will
often swallow a bait in a matter of seconds.
They very seldom wait long. A quickstrike rig is
not a release rig at all if the front hook gets
to the gullet. Wait just a little and it can
happen, and happen quickly. When using the
rubber band system, if folks wait until the fish
turns the bait and starts to swallow, there is
no front hook in the head of the bait to enter
the gullet. Most of the time, the stinger hooks
(in the back of the bait), since they are now
point-in, will catch on the fish's jaw or inside
the mouth on the way in. Odds are, even when
there is a wait period for whatever reason, the
fish still won't get any hooks to its gullet or
stomach. Keep in mind, that there is absolutely
no guarantee of this ? and that I don't
recommend waiting at all. It's just a safer rig
should it occur.
Call it mere marketing if you want (keep in mind
that you can make your own at home though, if
you choose), but rubber band rigs hook a better
percentage of fish and are much safer for the
fish, period. Strictly speaking as a fisherman,
please use these.
Rigging is really quite simple. It sounds awful
complicated, but it's not. With a little
practice, you can quickly rig baits. The
illustrations provided show the Lift Off rig,
but the process is the same for the Herbie Rig,
though the stinger hook is attached in a
slightly different manner.
What I find works very well for me in the
rigging process, after I run the bait needle
through the nasal passages, is to pinch the live
bait between my knees. Sounds a little gross,
and looks a little shady, but while cinching the
rubber band system to the bait's head and
attaching the stinger hooks, holding the bait
between the knees leaving both hands free works
great. Remember, when installing the stingers,
you want to just use enough skin to hold the
hook so it will easily rip free on the hookset.
This is explained in directions that come with
the rigs.
Once the critter has been rigged, there are lots
of ways to present baits. They can be vertically
presented over the side of the boat, which works
very well on breaklines and for any deeper
situations. They can also be suspended below a
float (bobber) to run over vegetation or other
shallow structure. Concentrate on edges with
live bait though, since this truly seems to be
where it is most effective.
Finally, hooksets are very important for success
with these rigs. Heavy tackle is a must. You
must have enough force and snap to break the rig
free from the bait and drive the hooks into the
fish. Use a quality, low-stretch super braid
line in a minimum of 80 pound test. Set the hook
hard-with snap-as soon as you can.
Most of the time the fish will be angling away
after taking the bait. Set immediately! Odds are
much better, for obvious reasons, when the fish
is angling away. If you are not certain and the
fish is close, just put very heavy, steady
pressure on the fish. In seconds, the fish will
turn away from the pressure-set the hook. If the
fish is a distance from the boat for some reason
(more than 25 feet), what works great for me is
to start the outboard, and immediately drive to
the fish, parking right on top of them. This
will make them move away, and you can then set
the hooks in the opposite direction.
Using these rigs, with proper rigging and
setting the hook as outlined, it is possible to
hook well over 80 percent of the fish that take,
and they'll be totally releasable. If you set
immediately, hooks will always be in the mouth.
It can work when other methods don't, and it's
fun too. Do it right and it's a neat method. Do
it wrong though, and you kill fish.
 
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