Catching Muskie With Bluegill As Bait?

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pelleeklund

pelleeklund

Peacock Bass
MFK Member
May 23, 2009
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Pennsylvania
I had an idea for an attempt to catch muskie the other day and I wanted to run it by everyone before I put it into practice at the lake. I was thinking about catching a small bluegill and using it for bait, rigging it up in a similar fashion as I use for smaller bait fish like minnows. I would go through the back with a small wire leader attached to the hook, and float it about 3 feet down from a bobber. Does anyone think this will be an effective way to catch muskies before I end a bluegills life in pursuit of the big one? Not that I am ethically opposed to killing it, I just usually hate to see dead fish floating in the water while im trying to fish. I wouldn't also want to kill the dude for no reason. I know that muskies like to pursue fast moving lures so the only thing im concerned about is that it wouldnt be interested in a clumsy slow moving hooked bluegill. Maybe it would seem like an unnatural kill for it, and since it wasn't familar it wouldnt trigger its feeding behavior. On the other hand it would be injured, potentially bleeding and an easy mark. Basically if anyone with firsthand knowledge of this idea and these fish could help me you may save a bluegills life. Thanks ahead of time, I always appreciate the feedback I get on this forum.
 
pelleeklund;4363248; said:
I had an idea for an attempt to catch muskie the other day and I wanted to run it by everyone before I put it into practice at the lake. I was thinking about catching a small bluegill and using it for bait, rigging it up in a similar fashion as I use for smaller bait fish like minnows. I would go through the back with a small wire leader attached to the hook, and float it about 3 feet down from a bobber. Does anyone think this will be an effective way to catch muskies before I end a bluegills life in pursuit of the big one? Not that I am ethically opposed to killing it, I just usually hate to see dead fish floating in the water while im trying to fish. I wouldn't also want to kill the dude for no reason. I know that muskies like to pursue fast moving lures so the only thing im concerned about is that it wouldnt be interested in a clumsy slow moving hooked bluegill. Maybe it would seem like an unnatural kill for it, and since it wasn't familar it wouldnt trigger its feeding behavior. On the other hand it would be injured, potentially bleeding and an easy mark. Basically if anyone with firsthand knowledge of this idea and these fish could help me you may save a bluegills life. Thanks ahead of time, I always appreciate the feedback I get on this forum.
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This is a pretty normal way of trying to catch monster fish... I catch shad to fish for striped bass in the Hudson. I'd think that big bait fish might be more effective than a bluegill though.
 
At the right time of the year it will work but watch out for MR.BASS he likes it slow!!

Either way its a win but I perfur my monsters on something thats moving(kinda like the whole Esox family) no live bait for me, lure fishing is WAY is better!!!
 
suckers work
 
It may or may not be illegal.......Depends on where your at......I never understood the concept of putting a hook through the dorsal though.......Either go through the top lip or lips, or through the eye socket.........

Don't know why you would want it dead though? Predators like live bait.........
 
Nah Eric, i'm not going to kill it intentionally, it's just going to end up dead after i'm done with it. From what i'm hearing the profile is wrong anyway, something longer and more slender may be better as bait. I have a bait shop nearby so I could go the route of large baitfish but im still trying to do this without having to rely on them every time. (plus it's free to catch them, which is always a bonus for me.) I only have caught one perch this year so I may have to figure out a better way to get them on the line if I want to go with them. And Cichlid Fiend I love lures. I fish one bait rod while I keep myself busy using crankbaits on another. I used to booger fish when I smoked, now I got to keep my hands busy. The only musky I got this year was on a crankbait, the only problem is that I fish from shore. Here it is, not very impressive, but it was pretty cool for me.

Patmuskie1.jpg
 
i caught a big channel with the head of a sunny
 
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