Muskies are known as the “fish of 10,000 casts” because they are few in number (relatively speaking), and they have a tendency to follow a lure rather than striking it. For this reason, many musky anglers gauge the success of an outing based on how many “follows” they have; it’s common to cast for muskies all day and not get a single strike.
While this math has been somewhat altered today due to modern electronics, and specifically forward-facing sonar, a high percentage of musky anglers still pursue this apex predator with old-school methods (i.e. casting and moving to find fish, not staring at their electronics). One of the most productive methods for finding — and hopefully catching — summertime muskies is casting topwater lures over submerged weeds. A topwater lure excels in this scenario because it covers water — fast or slow, depending on lure style — without fouling on the weeds below.
One of my favorite topwater lure styles for shallow-water muskies is one with a walk-the-dog, zig-zag pattern. In bass fishing circles, the king of the mountain for this lure type is the original Heddon Zara Spook. Musky anglers have many options for larger lures that mimic this walk-the-dog pattern, including the proven Poe’s Giant Jackpot.
As you’ll see in the YouTube clip below, this musky is huge! Keep in mind the lure is probably 9 or 10 inches long (including the plastic tail). Turn up the volume and you’ll hear the heavy/nervous breathing of the angler — and who can blame him?!
The angler’s decision on any musky follow is what to do when the lure nears the boat. When casting a bucktail or other underwater lure, an experienced musky angler will keep reeling until the lure is near the rod tip, then plunge their rod tip underwater and quickly begin the proven figure-8 maneuver, which sometimes causes a musky to strike due to the change in lure speed and direction.
But it’s more complicated with a topwater lure, especially one that moves slowly and has an erratic action caused by twitching the rod tip. Sure, this angler could have tried an underwater figure-8, and it’s anyone’s guess whether it would have worked. Based on the neutral mood of this musky, I’m thinking “no.”
How big is this musky? I contacted a good friend of mine who spent decades as a guide in Wisconsin, and he estimates its length at 54 or 55 inches. Huge!
