Musky: the ever elusive species that everyone seems to be talking about these days. I myself have gotten caught up in the craze and every encounter leaves me wanting more. For more reasons than me wanting an excuse to talk about Musky, I am now going to be doing a Musky related post every Monday.
Disclaimer: I don’t know what I’m doing. To say I know how to catch these fish would be a lie. I have caught some, and have seen some crazy shit, so that’s what I’m here to share.
So what are these post’s going to be about? ANYTHING musky related. Whether it’s fly tying, a tip, a story, biological info, or just pictures…it’s all fair game. I will leave the comments section open so feel free to spark up a discussion, or argue whatever I’m blabbing about.
This week I want to talk about hook size. I see a lot of people these days tying musky flies on beefy 8/0 hooks or something similar. Personally, I think this is not only overkill, but may actually lessen your chances of a good hook set which could lead to a lost fish. A couple months ago I was rowing my friend Dave (see video below) into some greasy water and he hooked into a really nice Musky. Three strips into his cast a big girl came out from some structure and murdered his fly. I watched him stripset 3 times and play the fish well; I thought it was in the bag for sure. Then outta nowhere...pop. Musky gone, cast counter reset to 0. Sorry Dave, hate to bring up bad mojo for ya.
So this left me wondering…why didn’t we land that fish? Well a couple things ran through my head. At first I thought maybe the fish was just clenching down on the fly so hard that the hook was never able to set. I read somewhere that musky are capable of 1200psi bite pressure! That number would have to spread out between all their teeth, but that's still a ton. Don’t quote me on that. Then I remembered seeing the fish with it’s mouth open wide and still hooked up, so that’s not what happened.
Maybe the hook was too thick? Very possible. If you look at a hook like the Gamakatsu 8/0 Octopus Hook, it’s got some serious thickness to it. Getting that hook to fully penetrate the mouth of a Musky could definitely be tough. Sure, you strip set hard, but a lot of force is lost in the flex of your rod, fly line and leader…especially if it’s hooked up further away from the boat.
Maybe the hook was too thick? Very possible. If you look at a hook like the Gamakatsu 8/0 Octopus Hook, it’s got some serious thickness to it. Getting that hook to fully penetrate the mouth of a Musky could definitely be tough. Sure, you strip set hard, but a lot of force is lost in the flex of your rod, fly line and leader…especially if it’s hooked up further away from the boat.
Now, let’s talk about smaller hooks. I will start off by saying the fish below was caught on a Size 6 Tiemco 800s saltwater hook I tied as a trailer (pictured below as well). This fish practical set itself, and I was just along for the ride. I’m not saying “use small saltwater hooks for musky” but it’s definitely food for thought. My preferred hook has been the Partridge 4/0 Predator X. It’s got a thin profile, is sharp as hell, and hasn’t failed me yet (bend or break). Half of the Musky I have caught this year have been on this hook and almost all have set like butter.
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| #6 Tiemco 800s that landed the Musky above |
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more Musky Mondays!
Ty
