Having a successful day out on Lake St Clair casting for Muskies is a task that is not accomplished by most Muskie anglers. For a Muskie angler to consistently put these toothy critters in the boat one must consider structure, water temperature, and food supply, as they all change throughout the year on Lake St Clair. As a result, Muskies are not always found in the same place.

Finding Muskies

Early summer is usually a good time to target Muskies in or near the Detroit River or the shallow bays of Lake St Clair. These area’s are good through July or until the weeds grow up making it impossible to get a lure through to the fish. Remember, anglers are not legally able to target muskies until the first Saturday of June.

After the weeds choke anglers out of the shallows, begin looking for other areas where the weed growth might have created a new ambush point for a Muskie. In the Detroit River weed beds grow up in the middle of the river, in bays and along Islands. Usually the shallower areas tight to structure are too thick to fish by mid summer, so focus on open water areas and work the edges.

Muskies have feeding areas and resting areas that are not too far apart. Finding these feeding areas is simple; target changes in structure. Steep drops or weed lines are great places to concentrate. Work the deep edge of a weed line or drop off when trying to find active fish. Muskies will typically move up out of deep water to feed and then they will drop back into the deeper water to digest food. Before heading out it is not a bad idea to study a HotSpots map of Lake St Clair marking areas that had good deep water near shallower weedy flats. One mistake that many anglers make is to spend too much time in an area so try not to spend more than 1-2 hours at any one location. If there is no action, move on!

Muskies have feeding times throughout the day. This was noticed while fishing consecutive days having repeat action at nearly the same time each day. Changes in daylight affect the fish and trigger a feeding alarm clock. Lake St Clair is unique because there may be more than one fish in an area so, if one follows or hits, fish extremely hard in this area for at least the next hour. In addition to this, it is important to pay attention to the wind. Increases in wind speed will usually turn Muskies on like nothing else. Wind is usually the indication of a front moving in and that means action when it comes to Muskies. This is also a good time to try shallow. When the surface is broken, Muskies are more apt to move up to feed.

Getting the Right Gear

Casting for Muskies requires good gear as the lures are large and the fish hit with extreme force and this strains equipment. It is suggested to invest in at least two good rod and reel combinations. Concentrate on getting rods that are from 6' - 6' 6" that have medium heavy to heavy action for jerk baits and crankbaits and a 6' 6" - 7' 6" medium action rod for bucktails or plastic baits. There are many good quality rod manufactures on the market including; St. Croix, G Loomis, and Fenwick. Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops brand rods have a fine assortment of comparable rods. As for reels, there are several good options to choose from. I have always liked the Ambassadeur 6500C, Shimano Corsair 4000 and the Shimano Calcutta CT400.

Now that we have covered rods and reels, it is time to decide what kind of line to put on them. Monofillament is the choice when fishing Lake St Clair because of the clean water. Therefore, it is recommended to use a high quality line in the 20 - 25 lb test range. Monofillament may stretch a bit more than braid, but it is a good universal line. One of the greatest misconceptions of Muskie fisherman is the need of a steel leader. Anglers will get more strikes hands down using a clear fluorocarbon leader in 60 – 80 lb test. These leaders do tend to get chewed up a bit more so check them good after each fish.

Muskies feed on nearly anything they want. Therefore you would think one could throw just about anything in the tackle box and catch a Muskie. While this may be true on occasion, a more tactical approach to lure selection will significantly increase the number of Muskies hooked up. For the muskie angler 3 types of lures are needed; bucktails, jerk baits and crankbaits.

Triggering The Strike

When casting bucktails, use a steady pace keeping the bait 1'-2' below the surface always watching the bait. Muskies will frequently follow the bait for some time before deciding on whether or not to strike. When one follows jam three foot of the rod tip down into the water and make quick figure 8 passes with the lure trailing the rod tip by only about 24". Don't worry about scaring the fish; if it is in a mood to feed, it is only interested in the bait in front of its face.

When throwing jerk baits, rip the bait hard through the water, advancing the lure 6'-8' with every jerk, then allow the bait to sit still while picking up the slack. Most of the time the fish will hit as soon as the bait sits still. Once again, keep your eyes on the bait. If a fish is following, pick up the pace and figure 8 if necessary.

Crank baits are a little different because you can’t usually see the bait. This bait is perfect when fish are on structure. Try to visualize where the bait is at all times and think of where a muskie may be sitting.

While casting for Muskies you will get plenty of follows, and if you're ready, you can influence some of those fish and get them to strike. Sure there are plenty of other lures to chose from and many variations of presentation that work, but these are some of the basics that have helped many anglers improve their catch/cast ratio.