By Bruce Rauma, Guest Writer, Professional Muskie Fishing Guide
A week before the Twin Cities Muskies, Inc. Frank Schneider Memorial Muskie Tournament last September, I pre-fished Leech Lake with a friend of mine. He took me to a spot where he boated 3 muskies in an hour the week prior and complained that he had seen many more muskies in the same spot but couldn’t convert any of the follows. I have always loved fishing “The Frank” tourney. The camaraderie is great between anglers, and in the spirit of camaraderie I shared with my friend a critical tip that has helped me convert more musky follows into strikes.
REPLAY THE TAPE
Many musky fishermen have seen a musky coming in hot on their lure from 10 to 20 feet from boat side and as the fish gets closer, everything falls apart. The musky either loses interest or darts away. Even more frustrating, many musky fishermen have seen a lazy follow from 10 to 20 feet from boat side, and as the fish gets closer, it disappears. Have you ever wondered what would have made that musky bite?
A lot of musky fishermen have seen that absolute giant of a fish come in hot looking to crush their bait and then spook off or disappear under the boat forever. For the next few minutes or possibly the rest of the season that particular fish is the one we wanted for a photo op. But instead, we play the tape in our mind of what we could have done differently. Over the years, I’ve thought about this and heard a lot of answers, like perhaps it was the wrong lure color, bait, or wrong speed of the retrieve. Who knows? Maybe that fish wanted a bucktail with a grub on the back, or no grub, or hair, or a maribou color, instead of that topwater. Or how about the sun to our backs, or playing the wind better, or the water temp, the trolling motor was running, the livescope was on, bad moon phase, etc. It’s an endless mind game if you let it be, isn’t it? So, what can you do to increase your odds of boating that one musky follow that haunts you? Mechanics, in specific directional changes to your retrieve.
IT’S ALL A MATTER OF MECHANICS
The mechanics of every single retrieve formed into a habit will undoubtedly boat you more muskies and get you way bigger fish. I’ve had the opportunity to fish with and learn from some of the best musky sticks on the planet and they all give me the same answer when it comes to catching more fish, mechanics. Now, as we’re all aware, there are other elements that help increase the chances such as electronics and musky weather. But how are your mechanics? How’s your posture, your stance, your rod angle, your figure 8, your readiness in the tenth hour, and your retrieval habits?
CORRECT BAD HABITS
If you played an instrument and every time you played that song you hit the wrong note, eventually you would train your mind into thinking that’s the way the song is played. The same is true with your retrieval. If you have bad habits, eventually you’ll think you’re doing great – especially after you catch a fish or two. Stop for a minute and think about your retrieve. Could it have been better? What could you have done differently? If another person analyzed your retrieve, what would they have you do? Would you listen or keep going back to playing the wrong note?
THINK LIKE A PERCH
Here’s one thing I learned that might help you as you dive into improving your retrieve mechanics, it’s a directional change with speed. Before your figure 8 and midway through your retrieve, swipe your rod tip to the right or left. Then five cranks later swipe the other way, keeping the entrance to your figure 8 in mind. If you can imagine being in scuba gear watching a school of perch with a musky coming in to eat, what is that one perch doing to try and get away? It changes its course and swims faster. Make your bait become that baitfish trying to get away. Think like that baitfish. Practice replicating that in the middle of your retrieve. If you try this, you’ll have a chance when the bait first hits the water, midway through your cast and then at the figure 8 at boatside. By practicing this you just added one more mechanical element to increase your odds.
PRACTICE DIRECTIONAL CHANGES
The last piece of encouragement is in the practice. When you see the results, you’ll know why the practice paid off. Keep in mind that any bait you choose to fish with has its own rhythm. Figuring out what will trigger the first fish may come down to a variety of factors. But, implementing the directional change with speed into your retrieve mechanics is the one technique that has helped change a one fish day into multiple fish experiences for me. You can do the same thing you’ve always done and get what you’ve always got, or you can do what you’ve never done and get what you’ve never had. If this works for you like it has for me, I’d love to hear from you. Don’t hesitate to reach out.
Bruce Rauma is a Muskie fishing guide based out of Longville, MN. He guides clients on a number of lakes in the area, from Little Boy Lake to Leech Lake. Bruce is an accomplished Muskie fisherman and guide and has been a recognized angler in the Professional Musky Tournament Trail (PMTT) and the Twin Cities Muskies, Inc. Frank Schneider Memorial Tournament. To book a guided Muskie trip, contact Bruce today at 612-300-5909 or visit https://www.teammulletmuskies.com/.