Guest writer Nate Lambrecht fishes big baits for Muskies in the waters of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he designs and makes Nate's Baits.
Swimbaits – they aren’t just for West Coast trophy hunters anymore. Heck they aren’t even just for bass anymore. Success of the big bait theory has been heard coast-to-coast these days, with more people picking up the big what do you think you’re going to catch on that thing” baits. Well, in my neck of the woods, the big bait theory has been tested for decades, we just really didn’t think it was too big of a deal.
Musky fishing has always been a sport in which the general premise of "big bait=big fish" has long held true. However swimbaits are adding a new facet to the musky game as they afford for easier retrieve with large profile baits and more seductive actions than the traditional musky gear.A lot of tackle and techniques that can be used for bass fishing can also be used to catch musky, and visa-versa. These days I catch most of my big muskies on swimbaits up to 20" long.
For people not familiar with musky fishing, the general consensus is that these fish are ravenous hunters; more often than not willing to go screaming through the water column for things that look neon hot dogs, or serving spoons rotating around some Christmas tree tinsel. When the trippy colors aren’t producing I often get out my “on the water emergency lure repainting kit” (a spray can of black or white Rustoleum) and I am usually back in business. Muskies are primarily opportunistic ambush hunters. When they are hot on something there is little that will deter them. For instance, when I look at my catch rates on an average year it is be safe to say that I catch nearly 40% of my fish when there is less than two feet of line out, while I am doing figure-eights at boat side. But when they are in a negative mood, even getting them to move is a difficult task.
Yep, that pretty much sums up musky fishing – but wait a minute, aren’t these things considered to be one of the hardest species to catch?
Why musky will go for swimbaits when smaller baits fail. Although stories of suicidal muskies that will chase anything thrown at them are often true, for every one of them there are a dozen depressing didn’t even see a thing all day long” accounts. To make sense of it all you have to realize that these fish are the apex predator in the system. They are low density, often spot on the spot fish, with minute windows of activity. They are willing to go after prey well over a third of their length in size (so imagine what a 50-incher is looking for), and often prefer a single large meal every couple of days to a consistent gorging on smaller stuff. Yet, like nearly everything in nature, they are opportunistic and can often be enticed with the proper tools regardless of their mood. On top of that if you consider some of the clear water systems and some of the highly pressured systems you have another couple of reasons to chuck swimbaits.
Methodical presentation to trigger strikes
This is where I have found that swimbaits shine. I don’t fish swimbaits nearly as fast as I fish other baits, nor do I simply throw them aimlessly hoping for a random encounter. There are other baits for that purpose which are much more efficient. Rather, I fish swimbaits spot-on-the-spot when I am confident a fish is holding to a particular area but is simply not showing itself to traditional techniques. In my experience aggressively-fished traditional baits are no match for a detailed, methodically-worked bait when a fish is in a negative mood. After all, they are not going to expend the energy to chase after something running away – but when presented with the opportunity to ambush a seemingly oblivious baitfish their instincts kick in for an easy meal.
Designing the perfect swimbait
I learned all this by experimenting with the early Castaic baits and AC plugs which were having great success out west. After a couple of years, I started working on my own designs, finally ending up with an ideal lipless swimbait with an easy retrieval which made up for the task of chucking 16+oz. of wood all day.
Now, these were painstakingly slow to make and as every musky fisherman who has ever made a musky lure probably knows, it was heartbreaking to watch musky destroy them. Razor sharp teeth are attached to jaws strong enough to penetrate injection molded baits always seemed to win over the best clear coat available, and before long I got tired of having baits destroyed after a few fish. This is what pushed me towards resin bodies and molding. It wasn't easy, but after a couple of years I finally am able to produce what I had always wanted to: a highly detailed bait that met the following criteria:
Have a profile that mimics the local forage
Have a body form that would allow for a good hooking percentage
Swim naturally at a range of speeds, especially the mid to low range speeds
Provide for a “eat me” move when the cadence of the steady retrieve was broken
Durability
How I fish them
As I mentioned before, I use swimbaits when I am fishing a spot that I strongly believe is holding a fish. I don’t necessarily use it as a search bait.
I fish my baits with a moderate retrieve, as if a local bait fish simply ventured out of its comfort zone and headed for disaster. This goes back to the idea of presenting an offering that is not going to require a chase, but simply a relatively normal swimming action. If the water is clear, I watch the water behind and to the sides of the bait. If I see any form of movement I hit the bait with a snap of the rod tip and kill my retrieve. This will kick my bait out to the side, presenting a broadside look to anything behind it. This is more than often when I get slammed. For some reason if that fails to trigger a strike, and the fish simply rushes the bait, I will beginning really working it, trying to impart a fleeing action. Burning the reel, sharp twitches, etc, all get thrown in the mix in order to convince the musky to lock in on the bait and is now commit to the point where it will chase down the prey. After that it’s all up in the air, and a matter of reading the fish and taking my best guess as to what will get it to strike prior to approaching the boat. If it follows all the way up to the boat I try to convert it at boatside with a figure eight or a large oval.
Gear
I will start with this general word of caution: Nothing is really meant to handle a lot of the musky stuff I throw. Rods have their ratings and reels are only meant to hold up to so much resistance, so take this for what it is worth.
Rods: Concerning rod choices I prefer the musky lineup by St. Croix. What I look for when I select a rod is for it to not only be able to efficiently cast the baits I intend to use with it, but also to have enough power to move a big bait on the hook set. Getting a bait to move through a muskie’s toothy grip is not an easy task, and many heartbreaks have been had over poor hook sets. I have found that extra length really helps with this and usually opt for a rod that is at least 8’ and has a relatively fast action. Another rod that I put some time in with last fall is the 9’3” Okuma EVX musky series and I have to say that it is a darn nice rod for the price and for what it can do.
Few of the rods I use are supremely balanced (well actually, the higher-end St. Croix rods are). However, in my opinion, it doesn’t really matter, as I am throwing lures up to 20 oz., fishing with 80lb braid, and a locked drag. Issues with balance and such are not really a part of the equation as it's exhausting either way. Also, the whole idea of ‘sensitivity’ is pretty much blown out the window as a 30lb fish hitting a 14” bait just under the surface is about as discrete as a fart in church. When that fish hits I’m going to know it is on. Instead my focus is on handle length and guide placement so that I can gain maximum leverage on the fish and while casting.
Reels: For reels I prefer Shimano and Abu Garcia. The Shimano’s are smoother but they come at a cost. The Abu’s don’t last as long, but when they go it doesn’t hurt as much. Any reel I use (with the exception being the Curado 300E which fishes smaller baits unbelievably well) are in either the 400 or 6500 series. Locked drags, backlashes with 1lb of weight on the end and boatside hooksets all contribute to these things failing; its inevitable. However, taking the time to take a reel apart and understanding what can break and how it will break have saved more than a few days on the water.
Line: Again probably a bit of overkill, but I use 80lb braid on everything. Cortland Spectron is my line of choice as I really like how it fishes. Now I will never catch an 80lb muskie, or any freshwater fish for that matter, but I am not really interested in that. I am interested in overpowering the fish and getting it in the net as fast as possible. If I wanted to feel the fight of a fish I would take my spinning gear and go cast for kings in the lake or go after some carp in the harbor.
Leaders! Ok, something that I may be able to provide some useful input on! For swimbaits I absolutely prefer either a single strand wire leader, with a solid ring tied to the leader which I can then split ring directly to the bait, or a fluorocarbon leader consisting of a piece of 130lb fluorocarbon uni-knotted to my mainline, with a solid ring on the other to split ring to my baits. I hate snaps and will avoid them at all costs. Too many failures with them and the opportunity for them to open up is just too great. A set of $6 split-ring pliers and a good leader will go a long way and save more than their share of expensive baits. The fluorocarbon leaders I prefer are made by Stealth Tackle, and I tie my own single strand leaders.
Well in a nutshell that’s what I do. If anyone has any questions please feel free to email me: nate@natesbaits.com and I will do my best to answer them appropriately.
You can find out more about Nate's swimbaits on his website: Nates Baits, and here's a quick link to the TackleTour review>
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