07 / FRESHWATER / MUSKY
Musky fishing requires commitment. The lures are expensive, the casts are tiring, and the fish are rare. These picks earn their place because they produce.
MEPPS
Inline bucktail spinner that started a thousand musky tournaments. Subtle? No. Effective? Frighteningly.
SAVAGE GEAR
A trout-shaped trolling bait big enough to scare the bass that usually eat trout-shaped trolling baits.
CREEK CHUB
The original jointed minnow — been catching musky, pike, and stripers since 1916. Hundred-year-old design that modern lures still copy. The Pikie pattern is fishing history you can actually tie on.
BASSDASH
Multi-jointed glide bait with a slow-sinking S-curve that big bass follow for ten feet before committing. Under $14 for a glide bait that would cost $30 from a boutique brand.
RAPALA
Balsa-bodied trolling bait that dives 3-8 feet and triggers musky, pike, and trophy bass. Slow-troll it along weed edges and let the erratic wobble do the convincing.
ALL PICKS
Big Jerks.