Bucktails by James Smith
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Take a look in your tackle box and check out your selection of bucktails. Nearly 50% of muskies caught are caught on a bucktail. The term “bucktail” today is generic as applied to this lure type, but it was the early day deer dressing used almost exclusively in the [...]

You’re Guide To The Big Chip by James Smith
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15,300 surface acres of Class “A” Northern Wisconsin muskie waters, nine muskies over 50” boated last season. Currently, the Chippewa Flowage holds the world record muskie. A muskie caught October 20, 1949 by Louis Spray. His muskie weighed 69 lbs. 11 oz. and was [...]

Muskies – More or Less? by James Smith
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Recently, a friend of mine, Don Kerr, gave me a call asking about fishing on the Chippewa Flowage. He had heard that the “Big Chip” had been getting a bad rap about not having any muskies. There didn’t appear to be any reason given, just no muskies. [...]

Muskie Lines – Super braids, Co-Poloymer, Kevlar – So What’s New? by James Smith
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Ah the good ol’ days! I remember the black Dacron lines, then they came out with a camouflaged line that changed color every foot or so. I have to admit that I still have an old Pfluger Rocket reel with that [...]

Basic Muskie Fishing by James Smith
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Muskie, musky, muskellunge, etc. whatever you call it, it is the fish of 10,000 casts. I guarantee you they’ll wait you out. I told this to a friend on one of his first trips muskie fishing with me. An hour or so later I noticed his mouth moving [...]

Rigging Your Muskie Boat by James Smith
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Let’s draw some parameters and establish some facts before we get too deep into this topic. First, we need to understand that there does not exist “the Ultimate Muskie Boat”. The reasons for this are as many and as varied as those of us who own our boat. [...]