Fly Fishing Insider Podcast
Musky fly fishing in Wisconsin runs on heavy tackle and low fish counts. A 10-weight is the practical minimum, 11- and 12-weights are the working standard, and flies grow from about five inches early in the season to 15 inches or more by late fall. A figure eight at the boat converts followers into eats.
Dan and Jen Donovan are a Wisconsin husband-and-wife team who run Musky Fool, an online fly shop that stocks nothing but musky-specific rods, lines, flies and tying materials.
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What rod weight do you need for musky on the fly?
For musky on the fly, a 10-weight is the practical floor and 11- and 12-weights are the everyday working rods. Lighter gear can land a musky, but it is hard on the casting arm and hard on a fish that needs a fast release. A separate corner of the musky fly world runs 15-weights and water-loads enormous flies rather than casting them in any conventional sense.
How big should a musky fly be and when do you size up?
Early-season musky flies can look like an oversized trout streamer at five to eight inches. Fly size climbs as the season runs, and by late fall anglers are throwing 15- to 20-inch patterns built on three hooks, a string of shanks and close to two whole bucktails. A 15-inch bucktail glider sells for roughly 45 to 50 dollars, which barely covers the materials packed into it.
Why does the figure eight matter in musky fishing?
The figure eight at the boat is where a large share of musky encounters actually happen. There are two separate problems inside it: getting a fish to follow, and converting that follow into an eat. Musky show up with no swirl, no wake and no warning on the third pass of a figure eight, so an angler who recasts instead of finishing the retrieve never learns those fish were there at all.
Where do musky sit in a river?
Musky in a river hold on weeds, edges and current breaks - holes, timber and anything that splits the flow. Spring musky spread out around spawning ground and can turn up almost anywhere, while fall musky pull into the deeper holes. Anglers floating a river tend to pound the banks and row straight past mid-river structure, which on bigger systems is reliable musky water.
Are river musky different from lake musky?
Musky began as a river fish, and river musky run leaner and smaller on average but stronger and more aggressive, because a river musky cannot simply sit and ambush all day. Lake musky have more forage available for less effort and grow larger, so the next world record is far more likely to come out of a big lake than a river. Tagging work shows individual musky moving several miles up and down a system in one season.
What musky strains are there and does the strain matter?
Three musky strains come up most often: the Leech Lake strain out of Minnesota, the native Wisconsin strain, and a Great Lakes strain. The Wisconsin strain is the classic dark green fish with a clear hue, while Leech Lake and Great Lakes fish are more spotted and lighter in shade. Wisconsin has stocked the Leech Lake strain alongside its own native fish, and the data, though hard to read, leans toward the Leech Lake strain growing faster - the standing fly-caught world record is a Leech Lake fish.
When is musky season if you are willing to travel for it?
Musky is close to a year-round fishery for an angler willing to move. Northern water in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Canada shuts down in December as it freezes, which is exactly when the southern fisheries in Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia come on and stay good through March and April. Northern seasons open again in May, so a musky shop watches its tying-supply orders and its line-and-leader orders swap regions right around April.
Key takeaways
- Carry an 11- or 12-weight for musky; a 10-weight is the minimum that is fair to both your casting arm and the fish.
- Finish every retrieve with a figure eight at the boat - musky routinely appear on the third pass with no prior sign.
- Size flies up through the season: five to eight inches early, 15 to 20 inches by late fall.
- On big rivers, fish the mid-river structure instead of rowing past it to pound the banks.
- Plan winter musky trips south to Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee or Virginia, and northern trips from May onward.
- Budget for musky flies: a 15-inch bucktail pattern runs about 45 to 50 dollars, which is why people stop the boat to recover one.
