Tips, Tricks & News - Archive

If you are attending any of the major muskie shows this year be sure to check out the amazing selection of tackle at Big Wood Musky Lures. Kyle has assembled some of the most unique lures on the market and a lot of them are only available thru Big Wood Musky Lures. Be sure to stop and say hello to Kyle and tell him you heard about him at www.illinoismuskies.com. Check out the new spot for Big Wood Musky lures on Youtube

Check out The Fish Grip from Norton Brass Rattler Products. It is a great tool for handling pike and muskies up to 38”.
Smaller muskies and pike are the one that generally cause the most problems with handling and hook removal.
This little gem retails for under $15 and it floats!! For more information visit nortonbrassrattler.com

If you are looking for a great muskie reel at a good price check out the new Akena 400 from Okuma.

It is powerful and smooth with 6 ball bearings and a 1 piece aluminum frame. I really love the oversized handles. The 400 also has a bait clicker. It is a great value for just under $100! For more information visit the Okuma website.

Available on-line at Gandermountain.com.

Friend of illinoismuskies.com Jeff Lampe has recently purchased Heartland Outdoors from Linda Love. This has been a great magazine highlighting hunting and fishing in Illinois and I know Jeff will carry on the fine tradition. He is working on the website so please be sure to check it out at www.heartlandoutdoors.com



We are always looking for a gift to help catch fish. Sometimes it isn’t a lure or rod but a different kind of tool. Larry Dozard has a neat calendar that shows peak fishing times based on the Moon and its phases. While it doesn’t guarantee you will catch fish it does help you decide what times may be more productive. We all agree that any time you can get out fishing is a great time but all fishing times are not equal and fish are more active at predictable times. The wall calendar also includes money saving coupons. The wall calendar sells for $10 and they also offer a convenient pocket size version for $4.50. Order the combo for $13. Larry has been doing these calendars for years and you will want to start getting them every year. For more info visit Larry’s Fishing Hole On The Web
Larry and Linda Dozard have a great site filled with up to date fishing reports and other fishing related information

Ray Thompson from the IMTT has a great overview of the current status of Project Green Gene. Be sure to check it out. It is very interesting!!

One of my top 5 baits for muskie fishing is the spinnerbait. It is a great lure for beginners and professionals alike. It is a versatile lure that works in many situations. People routinely ask what lures they should purchase when they just start out muskie fishing. My response is that a spinnerbait is my choice for their first bait. It is the first lure I give to a novice muskie fisherman when guiding. It is hard to get snagged in flooded timber and comes thru most weeds with ease. One of my favorite spinnerbaits in the School N' Shad from Simms Tackle. It is different from other spinnerbaits in that it has 3, 4 or 5 blades. It really puts out flash and has a different vibration from other spinnerbaits. Also give the Hatchet Shad a try with its 3 counter rotating hatchet blades. Give these or one of the other Simms Tackle creations a try and you won’t be disappointed!!

School N' Shad

Hatchet Shad

Here is the IDNR muskie stocking information for 2010

Here is some great insight from Ray Thompson regarding the just released IDNR Creel Report:

Summary Report on the
2009 Illinois Muskie Creel Survey
by Ray Thompson
Chairman, Illini Muskies Alliance
This year, the Illinois Voluntary Muskie Creel Survey was supplemented by additional data
provided by the Muskies, Inc. members only contest. The MI data provided information on 919 muskies from 30” to 50.5” in 2009. After sorting duplicate entries, a total of 1,261 (the most ever) muskies were used as the data base for the annual report. This year’s survey has a great shot of Scott Bartell, a fisheries technician with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources holding a 51.25" muskie netted from the Fox Chain of Lakes
.Actually, the survey gives information on a total of 12,193 muskies from 1987 through 2009, from 66 bodies of water. This article will concentrate on the 2009 results and a comparison of the top Illinois muskie bodies of water for the past twenty three years. To obtain a free copy of the fact-jammed, 22 page, complete study, write the Illinois Department of Natural Resources at One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1271.
Typically, the reported catches have increased each year as the fishery has developed, since 1987, when the survey started. The average number of hours fished between muskie catches has also decreased. In 2009, time between catches averaged a little over 13 hours. Overall, the fishery continues to improve, largely due to the practice of catch and release, which started at 75% in the late 1980s and has increased to around 100% for the last several years.
When analyzing the survey, you must remember that participation is voluntary. Many fish go
unreported, due largely to ignorance of the survey, or personal efforts to keep catches secret from the public. The IMA continues to support and promote the survey through education and articles like this one. The IMA has asked for participation by its member organizations in reporting Illinois muskie catches for their members. We have also asked the IMTT and PMTT professional muskie tournaments held in Illinois waters to mandate creel survey participation in their contest rules. In 2009 the IMA, with a generous donation from Tri-Esox, provided 100 Creel aluminum survey signs for posting at boat ramps, concessions, etc.
Participation in the survey is easy. Funds are partially provided by the IMA. Simply fill out a postage paid "Green Card" for any size muskie captured, available at local concession stands, bait shops or state park offices and drop it in the mail. The following year, you'll receive an updated copy of the report, a certificate, suitable for framing and a muskie release pin. If you can't locate a "Green Card", write the IDNR, or contact one of the eleven IMA member organizations.
Each year the IMA recognizes the angler who catches, releases and registers the largest entry in the creel survey. The anglers catch must be recognized by one of the IMA member organizations. The IMA decided several years ago to honor the biggest entry each year in order to promote the survey and the IMA organizations. Unfortunately, the angler with the largest muskie captured in Illinois is not always the recipient of the trophy. The IMA trophy for the largest verified muskie capture in 2009 went to Colby Simms for his 51"- Kinkaid Lake release.
The report lists 31 bodies of water reporting muskie captures in 2009, as compared to 29 in 2008. Of those, 26 of the bodies of water produced 36" or larger muskies, 21 produced 42" or larger muskies, 12 produced 45" or larger muskies, 4 produced 48" or larger muskies and 2 produced 50" or larger muskies.
The following bodies of water reported muskies in the 2009 survey:
Banner Marsh
Carlton
Chopper
Countryside
Crystal
Double T
Evergreen
Fox Chain
Fox River
Galena
Heidecke
Independence Grove
Indian Creek
Island Lake
Kaskaskia River
Kinkaid
Linden
Loon
McMaster
Mingo
Otter
Pana
Pierce
Prairie
Shabbona
Shelbyville
Spring (North)
Sterling
Storey
Waterford
Not named
The top bodies of water (for all size fish) followed by the percentage of all fish reported in the survey, in order of productivity were:
Fox Chain-41.8
Kinkaid-20.9
Spring (North)-5.6
Kaskaskia River-5.4
Pierce-4.8
Shabbona-4.7
The top bodies of water followed by the percentage of all fish 36" or larger reported in the survey were:
Fox Chain-44.7
Kinkaid -20.0
Kaskaskia River-8.0
Shabbona-4.5
Spring (North)-3.1
Shelbyville -2.0
The top bodies of water followed by the percentage of all fish 42" or larger reported in the survey were:
Fox Chain-31.5
Kinkaid-31.5
KaskaskiaRiver-10,3
Shabbona-3.6
Shelbyville -3.0
Spring (North)-3.0
The top bodies of water followed by the percentage of all fish 45" or larger reported in the survey were:
Kinkaid-41.3
Fox Chain-31.0
Kaskaskia River-6.8
Prairie-5.1
The top lakes followed by the percentage of all fish 48" or larger reported in the survey were:
Fox Chain-50.0
Kinkaid-30.0
Kaskaskia River-10.0
Shabbona-10.0
The following lakes produced 50" or larger muskie reported in the survey:
Kinkaid-51”
Fox Chain-50.5” & 50”

Finally, the data provided in the survey yielded the following information for the six most productive Illinois muskie lakes from 1987 through 2009.

On behalf of the IDNR and the IMA, I’d like to thank MI for their assistance in providing the additional data.

The Land of Lincoln has become the Land of the 50” Muskie. Check out IMA Chairman Ray Thompson’s informative article on verified 50” inch fish in Illinois.

Rubberhairy Tackle

Eric Larsen has come out with an awesome new hand poured plastic bait called the Twisted Tullabee. Checkout this underwater footage!!
It has a 5” body and twin 8” tails. This will be a very versatile bait. It can be fished as a swimbait or in short hops, long pulls and even bulged along the surface. It is offered in a myriad of colors and Eric is always willing to make custom colors for you.

NazeBaits

I saw Corey Nazer doing a tank demo of his Livid Fish. It is a crankbait that also works as a jerkbait. I loved the action and the buoyancy. It trolls down to 18’ and cranks back down to 8’ or so. Go to their site and checkout the pool demo footage.

Check out a great new topwater bait designed to be fished in heavy weeds and slop. It is called the Bullfrog from Renegade Lures.

Contact Mike Heath at (715) 266-4203 for more information.                            

“What is the best numbers body of water for muskie in Illinois ?”

To answer your question on the most productive body of water for muskie in Illinois is not cut and dried. Statistics may not lie but statisticians certainly can mask the truth. The following statistics are from the 1987-2008 Illinois Voluntary Muskie Creel Survey with my own comments.

For instance, let’s look at the total number of muskie catches from the top 7 lakes, followed by the percentage of all fish reported in the survey (for all fish sizes, including fish from tailwaters).

Kinkaid-2,281-21%
Fox Chain-2,027-19%
Shelbyville-1,671-15%
Carlton-850-8%
Shabbona-784-7%
Heidecke Lake-653-6%
Spring (North)-607-6%

Perhaps the average number of hours between catches (any size fish) is the ideal criteria to establish the most productive muskie lake in Illinois (as Dale seems to be indicating). However, lakes as low as half an hour between catches, such as Forest Lake, which had only one fish reported, are not included. So, let’s look at the top 7 lakes (does not include tailwaters) in this category.

Spring (North)-5.2
McMaster-9.8
Shelbyville-12.0
Shabbona-13.4
Evergreen-14.0
Kinkaid-14.1
Heidecke Lake-15.2

But, most anglers don’t want to catch just any size fish, so, if we look at the numbers (by percentage, with more than 100 fish reported, excluding tailwaters) of muskies ≥ 36”, the top 7 lakes are:

Shelbyville-.62%
Kinkaid-58%
Evergreen-54%
Fox Chain-49%
Otter-40%
Carlton-36%
Shabbona-31%

Lastly, if we look at the 7 bodies of water as far as productivity (the most muskies ≥ 36” captured per acre) we can gleam some surprising information:

Carlton-4.03
Shabbona-.771
Evergreen-.203
Otter-.178
Fox Chain-.145
Shelbyville-.066
Kinkaid-.048

So, take your pick, which statistic is the most meaningful to you?

Thanks to Ray Thompson providing all this information!!!!

Here is another great online source of information about muskie fishing. It is Learningtofish.com

They have lots of great muskie fishing articles plus tons of other information for all anglers!

Here is a creative way to promote Catch and Release and be able to show off your trophy! The folks at Hunting Pins.com can take your picture and make it into a high quality pin for your hat or fishing jacket. It is a great way to show off your catch and it makes a very special gift for the person that has just caught their first muskie. The buttons are 2” in diameter and look great! The cost is just $9.99….much cheaper than a graphite reproduction!!! For more information visit Hunting Pins.com.

www.illinoismuskies.com contributor and friend muskie guide Duane Landmeier has a great instructional video out called “Muskies-When-Where- How with Duane Landmeier”.

Learn some of Duane’s secrets to consistently catch muskies. It will help the novice as well the veteran muskie chaser. He is offering them to our viewers for only $10 each!! Mention www.illinoismuskies.com when you order! For only $10 order one for yourself and one as a gift for your favorite muskie nut!

For more information visit the Mainly Muskie Guiding Service website.

I have novice muskie fisherman ask me all the time about what rods to use for muskie. Usually they have a heavy bass rod and ask if that will work. My standard reply is always “You can use muskie rods for muskie and bass but a bass rod is not designed to handle a muskie”. A flippin’ stick is close but most still won’t do the job. I then explain that a muskie rod can be a versatile fishing tool even when not fishing for muskie. I use my 8’ muskie rod when flippin’ for bass. I use my 6’9” jerkbait rod for throwing frog baits over slop and other weeds. You can really horse a bass out of the slop with that rod! I can also use my muskie rods for stripers, catfish and even saltwater fishing. I have caught snook, redfish, mackerel and grouper with my muskie outfits. Don’t be afraid to get yourself an outfit designed for muskies because you can use it for other applications since most fisherman target more than one species!

Your net is a vital tool when muskie fishing. If you are targeting muskies then get a net designed for muskies. A decent sized toothy critter can destroy a net not designed to hold muskies or other large fish. One issue with muskie nets is that they take up too much room and always seem to be in the way. StowMaster has a great solution to the space problem plus have designed a net that holds up to big fish. Check out their TS116Y net.  It has heavy duty nylon netting with fish-friendly knot-free design. Net Bag is 48" deep with a specially coated “Hooks-Less™” netting and is small meshed to protect fins. But the best part is that it folds down for easy storage!!! You can even get a storage cover for your net. Give the TS116Y a try for muskies and check out their great folding nets for all species of fish.

Here is an awesome new website to check out! Hook and Hunt TV. Our good friend Jim Crowley and his Outdoor Team have put together some great videos for the outdoorsman. Visit it regularly to see what new adventures the H & H TV crew has for us now!

Looking for a great way to pass the cold days of winter or the dog days of summer? Here are 2 books for you to enjoy from Kinkaid Lake guide Al Nutty. Check out “Tales from the Guide Boat”. It is full of stories from his years of guiding. Funny yet insightful! This will be a book you will want to share with your buddies!! To learn everything you ever wanted to know about Kinkaid Lake then get a copy of “Kinkaid Lake the “Reel” Deal”. This book is great no matter what species you fish for! 

For more info, CLICK HERE

Make sure you try Cortland’s new braided line called Master Braid. I have switched to it after using another braid for 10 years. I like the feel of the line and the way it casts plus the fact it doesn’t absorb water. Do yourself a favor and check it out!!!!  For more information click here:  Cortland Master Braid