Finessing the monsters
Forget the heavy-duty tackle. To up your odds of catching more muskies, lighten up your gear—and tactics
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Chris Huskilson#2 Drop-shotting
When fishing a drop-shot rig for muskies, I usually focus on the outside edges of hard-bottom weedlines directly adjacent to deep water. I use fairly large, seven- to nine-inch soft-plastic baits that imitate the local forage base, which is typically walleye and suckers where I fish. Don’t be afraid to also fish this set-up in shallow water. I’ve caught plenty of muskies on the drop-shot in as little as three to four feet of water.
Given the large size of the plastic offering, a one- to three-ounce weight is needed to maintain contact with the bottom. I’ll increase the weight as needed based on the water depth and the wind. As for the leader, the length depends on the location of the forage fish and their position in the water column. If mud bottom-hugging suckers are on the menu, for example, I’ll run an 18-inch leader. When I find walleye higher in the water column moving along the outside edges of weedlines, on the other hand, I’ll lengthen my leader to as long as 30 inches.
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I don’t impart a lot of action on the bait while probing the bottom; I just make a couple of light twitches, then slowly drag the rig a foot or so and repeat. I’ll even deadstick the offering in high-percentage areas such as depressions and rock piles, or drop it down to a large fish if one suddenly appears on my graph. This approach is similar to what I do when drop-shotting for other species.
When the bite is really tough, don’t hesitate to downsize your soft-plastic. My secret weapon of late has been a 5½-inch swimbait intended for bass, threaded onto a 4/0 straight-shank hook (above). I make long-bomb casts in high-percentage areas and simply drag the rig back to the boat. Maintaining bottom contact is key. And be patient—the reward is worth the extra attention to detail.
When you feel that unmistakable bite, don’t be too quick to snap into a heavy hookset. Instead, reel down, load up the rod and make a solid pump to firmly set the hook. From there, let the medium-heavy rod and spinning reel’s drag do their job as you maintain good pressure on the fish and lead it safely to the landing net.
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One of the benefits of the drop-shot rig is the single hook, which is less likely to require cutting to free the fish. That means less time in the net for the fish, and less time out of the water. Drop-shotting is a game changer in muskie fishing, making it a tactic every true muskie nut needs to try.