musky baits

first off, using braid will eat the lead eyelet right off your uglystick....its why i switched to fusion. as far as lures go, try the perch x-rap or a big husky jerk, it usually works for me.

Not once have I ever had Powerpro chew into an uglystick tip

Small and big single and double bladed spinners, bucher topraiders, and soft plastics. Keep the colors bright in the daytime and black for nighttime.

Once again , ask 10 different peeps and you'll get 10 different answers . Always consider live bait and don't forget , if you do use live bait it
is legal to use crappies , perch ,trout , walleyes etc as bait as long as they were taken legally and they meet the requirements for the individual species from the specific waterway it was taken in . Don't forget that this might vary from the wateway that you are fishing in . If that 's the case , you have to use the bait with the requirements of the waterway you are fishing in . I realize you are interested in the Allegheny River. I like to float bait under the biggest plastic or cork float you can find . Sometimes this takes some work on your part and mail order might be the easiest way to go . A word of caution though ; large 3-4" cork floats might surprise you as far as price goes [$] , but you also want to consider that they are more efficient to float large baits with in comparison to the same size plastic float . The cork is far superior in that the same size cork will float a larger size bait . As far as lures , consider a Musky sized Jitterbug or Hula Poppers and any size Rapala in their largest size . You might want to consider Raps in their saltwater line as they are larger than their freshwater counterparts . Larger in- line spinners and Creek Chubs . I like the old wood Creek Chubs better than the plastic ones and they are available at a surprisingly reasonable price from places like The American Freshwater Lures Collectors' Club . I believe that is their name , but I could have transposed some of the words .

Remember most designed Muskie baits are pretty heavy may want to consider a stout musky rod and casting reel. You might have problems working larger baits with a fiberglass rod and spinning reel.

I believe it does require special clevise, i would just make sure to use a decent steel leader, not a berkley, not built very well and will eventually let you down. The allegheny river isn't really a numbers place for musky, in fact theres maybe only a few places in PA that could be considered #s waters. To me #s waters are places that you can expect action or a couple fish to hit the net daily.

i only use steel leaders when trolling....for casting i use a 2' leader of heavier braid.

FishingGuy, Alot of my side to side glide baits/topwaters work better with a solid steel leader. Make sure the leader is longer than the bait because the fish will have a tendency to hit the bait when its ending its glide and that when the leader is lying along the side of the bait. So by having a leader longer than the bait it reduces the chances your main line will be in the fishs mouth on a strike and should reduce the chance of a bite off.

ORIGINAL: anatikus

...for casting i use a 2' leader of heavier braid.

Be careful with braid as a leader, even the heavy stuff it is not very abrasion resistant. One or two nicks can cause a failure.

Use a 100 pound flouro and dont worry about it. I seen 30+ muskies caught on it last yr. With no break offs.

I use 80 lb fluoro. No problems.

Like Anz said, I wouldnt recommend a "braid" leader.

ORIGINAL: smallmouth76

There is a show at butler high school next weekend I believe. 90% of the vendors will be Muskie guys. Wiley lures, Leo's ect... . If u want lures and info go.

 
Could you please tell us if this show is indeed going on next week?  And if so, what times? 
There was an earlier post about this show somewhere but I can't find it again and nothing comes up about it when I checked the school's web site. I want to go but I need to be sure of the times since it's over an hour drive for me.
Thank You in advance.

Thank You Chris.  I'll be there.

Topraiders huh? Second time that ones been mentioned. May pick up one of those. Btw, I looked at a double cow girl the other day, it just has 2 regular clevices interlocked on the shaft. I have everything to make a slightly smaller version except the gigantic trebbles they use. Thanks again for all the help guys.

The Butler show gets better every year.