In northern waters, muskies tend to grow big in larger rivers, and reservoirs. They enter smaller streams after spawning, or when suckers run, or when shad run — in other words, at specific times of the year.
How do you catch muskie in the New River?
Are there musky in the New River?
Try your luck with muskie on the New River near New River Trail State Park. The muskellunge “Muskie” is one of the largest and most elusive fish that swims. Fish can be caught year round.
What month is best for muskie fishing?
Some of the highest catch rates for muskies are during the summer months when the water is warm and the fish are most active. Fall fishing can also be very productive at times, and many of the largest muskies are caught during the fall.
Where is the best place to fish for musky?
The three best big-water producers of giant muskies are Green Bay, Lake St. Clair, and the Ottawa River/St. Lawrence River systems. Anglers have a legitimate shot at a 50- to 56-inch muskie nearly any day of the season there and it’s possible a record fish swims in at least two of these fisheries.
Where do you find muskie in a river?
By late May, river levels are typically stable, which means muskies are moving toward midriver structure. Typically, submergent weed growth has developed by now, and it plays an important role in musky location. Expect to find muskies setting up on or near humps, points and flats.
Are there muskies in Alabama?
Alabama Muskie State Record This long-standing record was caught in the same body of water as the state record paddlefish (fun fact). This muskie is the largest Esox that has even been caught in the state.
How fast can a muskie swim?
60 miles per hour!!
Are there muskie in the Shenandoah River?
The Shenandoah River is an amazing fishery. It holds a good population of musky and is an outstanding smallmouth river. 100 fish days on smallies are not out of the question any day on this river. Big streamers in the spring will produce bass and musky.
What time of day are musky most active?
Title Muskie become more difficult to catch in the heat of summer and the cold of winter. Like many predatory fish, muskie are most active at dawn and dusk, and these times typically provide the most action, especially on warm, sunny days.
What bait is best for muskie?
Bucktails – Bucktails are arguably the most popular bait used by musky anglers. Bucktails produce vibrations in the water that are easily felt by a musky’s lateral line. Bucktails can be retrieved at any speed, depending on the conditions. The most popular bucktails are double 9 blades and double 10 blades.
Are muskie good eating?
People who love eating muskies will tell you that muskie tastes quite similar to bass. Others believe it tastes more like pike. Either way, muskie is more of a bland fish with not as much flavor as other fish species, like salmon or tuna. Much of the taste of the fish depends on how you cook it.
How old is a 50 inch muskie?
On average, musky are about 11 inches long after their first year of life, reach 34″ in year 7, reach 40″ in year 9, and reach 50 inches by age 17.
What depth do muskies like?
As a rule, muskies prefer shallow waters. They rarely go deeper than 40 ft (12 m) because they like to hide among the vegetated areas that need sunlight for growth.
How long should a musky rod be?
We find that a rod length of around 8 feet is the “sweet spot” when fishing for musky. It gives you plenty of length and strength for casting the large lures, yet it’s much easier to handle than a 9-foot rod.
How many casts does it take to catch a muskie?
Muskellunge, also known as muskie or the fish of 10,000 casts is the largest pike in North America. They are notoriously difficult to catch, but often reach over 20 pounds and occasionally grow longer than 50 inches.
Is musky hard to catch?
Because of this, they’re prized game fish throughout their range. Muskie are also famously hard to hook, hence the nickname “fish of a thousand casts.” They’re difficult to trick and impossible to predict. Even so, there are a few go-to tactics for both species.
What is the biggest muskie ever caught?
According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the tiger muskie is the biggest on record. The biggest muskellunge ever caught was 68 pounds and 631⁄2 inches long. It was caught on the Chippewa Flowage in Sawyer County on Oct. 10, 1949.
How many hooks can you use in Virginia?
There is no restriction in VA, however I think to qualify for IGFA world records no more than 2 hooks.
How far south do musky live?
The native range even reaches as far south as West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina. There are three recognized subspecies within this indigenous area the Great Lakes, the Ohio or Chautauqua, and the tiger or northern muskellunge.
Are there musky in Georgia?
Yes, the state of Georgia has populations of muskie. The fish reside in the northern portions of Georgia, where the water temperatures remain cool. Muskie fish will not survive in waters with high temperatures.
What is the best time of day to fish for muskie?
The best time of day to catch muskies is around dawn and dusk during the warmer months and around mid-afternoon during the winter. You can catch muskies during the day and even at night but the fishing will usually be a lot slower.
Why do muskies swim with head out of water?
Muskellunge have also been seem “basking” and occasionally “porpoising” with their backs out of the water. This is suspected to be associated with getting to warmer surface water, perhaps to increase metabolism and aid digestion of a large meal (reptiles seek warmth for similar reasons).
What eats a muskie?
Predators. Adult muskellunge are apex predators where they occur naturally. Only humans and (rarely) large birds of prey such as bald eagles pose a threat to an adult but juveniles are consumed by other muskies, northern pike, bass, trout, and occasionally birds of prey.
What fish is in the Shenandoah River?
- Smallmouth Bass.
- Largemouth Bass.
- Sunfish.
- Crappie.
- Muskellunge.
- Channel Catfish.
- Other fish species.