fishingaddictsnorthwest.com

If you want to literally be afraid of what is on the end of your line and really second guess ever getting in the water again, try fishing for tiger muskie. These things are a crazy scary and aggressive predator and will eat whatever crosses their path, including a dangling toe off the end of the dock. But aside from that, their also a blast to catch on a fly rod.

The tiger muskie is a hybrid of the musky and northern pike. Hybrids are sterile although females sometimes unsuccessfully engage in spawning motions. Some hybrids are artificially produced and planted for anglers to catch. Tiger muskies grow faster than pure muskies, but do not attain the ultimate size of their pure cousins as the Tiger muskie do not live as long. The body is often quite silvery and largely or entirely without spots but with indistinct longitudinal bands.

Tiger Muskies are found in lakes across North America. They are solitary predators at the top of the food chain. Known as the fish of 10,000 casts, they can be elusive and frustrating. Those who experience the ferocity of a tiger musky strike will never forget it. It takes dedication, perseverance and practice to become a successful tiger musky fisherman. They are a challenging fish and those who pursue them with a fly rod must be well-prepared.

Tiger muskies will eat anything they can get their mouth around. Their diet includes other fish, frogs, ducklings, muskrats, mice and other unlucky animals. Like most members of the pike family, tiger muskies are an ambush predator. They prefer habitat with structure such as weed beds, rock piles and areas with sharp drop offs. Tiger muskies are notorious for following a fly a long distance before striking. Many fish are hooked less than 10 feet away from the boat.

Most serious tiger musky fishermen use an 8 1/2 to 9 foot, 9-, 10- or 11-weight graphite fly rod. Any large arbor reel with a good drag system will suffice. A heavy weight-forward fly line will quickly load the rod and turn over bulky flies. This allows for less false casting and quick follow-up casts. Consider a heavy sink tip or shooting head when fishing deep water. Fly lines designed for saltwater species often work well for tiger fishing and are available from most manufacturers.

It takes a big fly to get the attention of a tiger muskie. Most tiger muskie flies are 8 to 12 inches long with some topping 15 inches. Streamers and top water flies are both effective. Saltwater poppers and large divers create commotion on the surface and elicit violent strikes. The best color choice is a subject of much debate. Experiment with different color combination’s and don’t be afraid to change flies. White, black, orange, and chartreuse are all popular tiger muskie colors. The mouth of a tiger muskie is tough, bony and full of razor sharp teeth, so make sure your flies are tied on razor-sharp hooks.

Tiger muskies are not known to be shy, so long leaders are not necessary. A 4- to 6-foot tapered leader is adequate. Longer leaders will increase the odds of fooling trophy bass that may chase your offering. Regardless of leader length, a bite guard is essential. There are several brands of notable wire that will stand up to the razor sharp teeth of a tiger muskie. Heavy monofilament in the 60- to 80-pound class will also prevent bite offs. Tiger muskies will often inhale a fly, so make sure your bite guard is at least a foot long.

Keep your casts short-40 to 50 feet is sufficient. This will improve your hook setting ability and help you spot fish that may be following behind the fly. Vary the speed of your retrieve. Tiger muskies are attracted to fast sudden movements, so don’t be afraid of moving the fly too fast. Never stop or slow down the fly if a tiger is following. This is unnatural and often results in a lost opportunity. If a fish follows the fly but turns off it, quickly cast again in the same area. Consider rigging a second rod with a different fly to use on follow-up casts.

It’s almost that time of year when the tiger muskies become most active on the top of the water, so any sunny day we get from here on would be a good opportunity to go try for these monsters! Try fishing at Mayfield reservoir, Merwin, or Yale, all holding good size muskies! Good luck, good fishing! Hope to hear some stories soon!.

-tight lines

-troutbum89

For years I have heard the stories and seen a few pictures of the tiger muskies in Merwin. I always wanted to go try it out and see if I could catch one. I don’t know if it was the fact that everyone said they were impossible to catch, that made me not try or just the fact that I fish for so many other species I just didn’t have the time. Needless to say, I’m disappointed in myself for not going and trying sooner. These fish are by far on of the most interesting and exciting fish I have encountered! In no way do I claim to be an expert, but I have learned a lot about these toothy giants in the last couple weeks. My fascination with them has grown into an addiction just like every other fish I target.

A tiger musky is the offspring of a muskellunge and a northern pike. Washington’s tiger muskies are hatchery-bred from eggs supplied by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Washington fish and game has planted them in Mayfield, Merwin, Tapps, Evergreen, Curlew, Newman, and Silver (Spokane County) lakes to control nuisance fish. These fish are considered to be sterile so their population can be sustained only by continued stocking. Many people have their doubts on this; rumors are said that nature found a way. In Merwin population estimates are at about only 1200-1400 fish, I have my doubts on this number as well considering I haven’t been fishing for them that long and every time I go I seem to find them cruising lots of the shoreline. This number is very low from an anglers perspective, but take my word for it, get out and fish for them…you will locate fish, and have a chance at catching them.

Tiger muskies make seasonal and daily movements; their behavior is affected by weather, wind, water temperature, light, and other factors. In late spring they return from winter depths to warm shallow areas. During the summer and fall they can be found hovering on deep structure or drop offs, they can also be found close to shore on any sort of structure that they can use to ambush prey. They’re more likely to be shallow during warm weather and low light periods. It’s not uncommon to see a fish come out from its structure to investigate the boat or vessel that is in its territory. Right now is one of the best times to go fish for these shallow monsters. In the past few days I have located many fish right on shore waiting to ambush fish. Just find good structure and 5 out of 10 times you will find a musky holding to it in Merwin.

I have found that tackle selection is one of the hardest things when it comes to catching a musky. I have tried every lure you can think to throw at them. You will get many follows on lots of baits but not a lot of strikes. I have come to find out that the buck tail seems to be the lure of choice for most musky fishermen. According to a lot of people it’s the number one musky catcher in the country, and Washington is no exception. The buck tail just seems to be the most consistent for catching these fish. I can’t seem to find them locally but http://gruntmuskielures.com/ is a great source for getting the musky lures you need. Don’t get me wrong other baits can catch fish. Other lures to try include swim baits, jerk baits, top waters (zara spooks), spinnerbaits, and soft plastics. For you rod and reel I prefer a 7 ½ medium heavy rod, with a Abu Garcia 5000 series reel. You’re going to want to run at least a 25 pound test line, and I prefer mono just because of the water clarity we have at Merwin. Lastly you need to invest in some wire leaders. Imagine how you would feel to finally hook one of these fish and have him break off because their sharp teeth cut your line! Berkley makes some nice wire leaders. I would go with 30 pound 12” length.

In no way are these fish easy to catch, they are one on the most challenging fish I have attempted to catch. Its going to take some patience and persistence. Buy some books, do some more research on line, go out and try for these fish, the second you hook on, you will be hooked to! Thanks for reading, and remember Once The Addiction Starts It Never Stops!

YOUR CRAZY ADDICTED FISHERMAN…THE BASSINPIMP

Join the forum discussion on this post

If you’re looking to catch Kokanee now is the time to start. Spring is be the most productive time to pull out these fun and very tasty fish in both Merwin and Yale. Spring is not the only time you have a chance at these fish. You can find them throughout the entire summer but its going to take a little more effort finding them and a lot more weight, preferably a downrigger to get down to them.

Early in the season, March and April, Kokanee are in large, very concentrated schools near the surface of the water. You’ll need to fish very shallow with little weight. Troll the west end of Merwin where the water temp is warmer until you start catching fish, then stay in that area and you’ll notice patterns in where you catch fish due to the large schools.  In May and June the fish will follow the water temperature line down deeper into the lake. As the water warms, the fish will go deeper and deeper. For this reason you’ll need to fish deeper than you did before. Using a quality depth finder is an easy way of targeting the fish. If you don’t have one fish at different depths until you find them. Also, as the water warms, the fish will move to the east end of Merwin where fresh and cooler water enters from the upper Lewis River.  Fishing for kokanee can be done many different ways. Jigging, trolling, and casting are most popular. Trolling will be the easiest way in Merwin and Yale due to their size. Start by trolling ford fender flashers followed by a wedding ring spinner. When fishing on sunny days, use silver flashers, and use copper or brass on overcast days. Wedding ring spinners come in many colors but only red and green are your must have colors in your tackle box. Use the red early in the season when the kokanee are shallow and green when the kokanee move deeper. Also use Green Giant white shoepeg corn for bait, just one or two kernels per hook. Other bait such as single salmon eggs or a night crawler can work but corn tends to be must productive. Kokanee are strange in that sometimes they will bite best on things that other days they won’t touch. If you aren’t catching fish, make a change to your presentation about every 30 minutes, you’ll eventually find something that works, then stick with it.