Livebaitin'

Fishing livebait in shallow weeds has proven extremely effective for the author.

- Ryan McMahon

Using livebait to catch Muskies is about as old as the sport itself. A lot of lures have come and gone, some have left a lasting mark on the sport, and some seem to lose their luster after a while. In my mind, one thing will always remain constant — as long as there are Muskies swimming around, they will eat big, juicy suckers in the fall of the year. 

Although my preferred method of catching Muskies is to cast artificial lures, there is something about hearing the line out clicker on your reel sound off when a sucker is grabbed by a musky. You pull the boat back around to the fish and hope to see which way the fish is clenching the sucker, which way she’s heading, which way you should set the hook. You can feel your pulse in your neck and suddenly all the clothes that have kept you warm all day seem too big and bulky as you begin to sweat a little.

You’ve been bitten by a musky, but there is plenty that can go wrong before the fish makes it to the net. You feel the clock ticking in the back of your mind as you decide whether the time is right to set the hook. the wind blows the boat a little closer to the fish and you grimace. You back it off a little with the trolling motor but now wonder if it screwed up your angle on the fish. Wait! She’s moving away from you. 

Hit ’er! 

You slam the rod to the side and your footing on the boat deck becomes questionable. You catch your balance and realize you are dealing with a lot weight. She turns toward you, pulls hard and then gives it back to you. Your heart skips a beat with each headshake as the weight temporarily goes away. She’s close now. She sees the boat and runs. You gain some line and get her close to the net. She rolls and the shredded sucker is flung free. She pauses to collect herself and you slide a net underneath her ... and then you can breathe again.