Bucktails

Black skirts and lures are a good color on overcast days, in the evenings and in some stained or dark waters as the fish can distinguish the black bait against an overcast or darkening sky. Understand the best type of a day to fish muskies is an overcast, sometimes drizzly day. Black is the most popular color for catching muskies, probably because they prefer low light conditions and tends to see black better. The color red darkens to black in dark and stained water and in low light conditions.

For night fishing consider phosphorescent blades on your bucktails. Also, white bucktails are better for you to see the lure in the water. Black bucktails offer the best silhouette for the fish to see. If your water is dirty with a light gray color, light brown or clay color, then my choice would be a solid black to offer a better silhouette against the sky. Rattles in this type of water will help the fish locate your lure. Finally, in clear water you can retrieve your lure faster. In darker water, slow down so the muskie can find your lure. This, of course, holds true for water temperatures too.

Working bucktails:

Bucktails can be retrieved in a normal steady retrieve. Remember to retrieve faster in warm water 65° and above and retrieve slower in colder waters. They can be cast out and counted down. Bucktails will generally sink one foot (12”) per second. So, if you want a bucktail to run at ten feet deep, wait for a count of ten seconds before beginning your retrieve.

Bulging is an effective retrieve to trigger strikes. In this case you’ll be using a Colorado blade as it creates lift to keep your bucktail closer to the surface. Here you want to begin your retrieve as soon as the bucktail has hit the water. This will prevent it from sinking below the surface. Then control the speed of your retrieve to keep the bucktail just below the surface creating a small wake. Use a willow leaf blade in weedy areas. Willow leaf blades will retrieve faster than other blades. Sometimes “burning” a retrieve (cranking, reeling as fast as you can) is a productive way to trigger a muskie. With the marabou feathers you’ll want a reel, pause, type of retrieve. This pause will pump up or plume the feathers triggering strikes.

Two things to consider is the length of your leader when casting bucktails and the way you “present” your cast on the water. The leader should, of course, be a 7-stran, flexible steel leader. The length should be short 6”-8” maximum. The reason for this is so that the leader does not catch the hooks of the bucktail during the cast. This is the reason for proper presentation. By this I mean, that as your bucktail reaches the end of your cast you should stop the spool from spinning by some slight thumb pressure. This will turn the bucktail over, arriving in the water first, straightening the line and leader out behind it.

There are many advantages to bucktail fishing. In addition to easier casting and the high percentage of muskies caught, it is a bait that is good through out the season. You may choose to use smaller bucktails in the spring, larger in the fall. They are good for trolling as well as casting. They are less expensive than traditional lures. If you are like me and have various rods ready, be sure that at least one or two rods are set-up with your favorite bucktail. There is nothing better to have than a high confidence bait ready to throw back after a lazy follow.

author contact: jamestsmith@cox.net | author bio