Hooked on muskie lures – Ontario OUT of DOORS
You would possibly suppose that since muskie lures are costly, that will be a disincentive to purchase them. Properly, let me be the primary inform you that pondering is flawed. I used to be bitten by the muskie bug within the mid Nineteen Eighties, and ever since have felt compelled to take a position a substantial amount of cash in muskie lures. Many (most?) of them have by no means seen the water. Why this compulsion exists is a thriller to me, however I do know I’m not alone. It’s a half of muskie-fishing tradition. A core a part of its ethos.
My muskie fishing mentor was the late Russ Swerdlyk of Thunder Bay. A schoolteacher by commerce, his sideline was out of doors writing. Within the mid Nineteen Eighties, Swerdlyk was a subject editor for this effective journal and the one muskie angler I had ever met at that level. The primary time I visited Swerdlyk at his dwelling in 1986, we rapidly started speaking muskie fishing. As a full neophyte, discuss of huge fish following to the boat — solely to reject the lure, fascinated me.
“You need to see my muskie lure field?” Swerdlyk mentioned, with a smile. He already knew the reply.
Moments later, we had been digging by his selfmade field, a milk crate with PVC pipe to carry lures. This was within the days earlier than muskie deal with packing containers had been frequent. In that field had been lures I had solely ever seen in out of doors magazines or catalogues. Most had been bigger than something I’d ever seen, measuring six inches or extra. There was a floor lure that seemed like a child duck and one other jointed bait known as a Tallywhacker that had a prop for a tail.
Swerdlyk mentioned the noise that prop made might “name them in.” A number of the lures had break-away hooks, which he defined was good when a hooked muskie jumped and tried to shake the lure. Simply the thought of a four-foot muskellunge on the road was sufficient to make my coronary heart skip, by no means thoughts one which jumped.
Additionally within the field had been a wide range of bucktail spinners, together with the basic Mepps Muskie Killer and some massive spinner baits. Swerdlyk appeared to have solely one in every of every lure, apart from one thing he known as a “Suick.” There have been a number of of those lengthy, skinny wood baits, in six and eight-inch sizes. I made a particular word of this.
The opposite factor I famous concerning the lures was a basic lack of color. The spinner blades had some color — reds and fluorescent greens, however most lures had been predominantly one shade. When requested about this Swerdlyk responded that muskie fishing follows the Henry Ford principle: “Any color so long as it’s black.” That rule of thumb would stick with me for fairly just a few years.
Feeding the beast
Shopping for muskie lures quickly grew to become an obsession. In the times earlier than the Web, there have been no on-line retailers, so purchases had been made in particular person or by catalogue. On the time, my hometown of Thunder Bay had no deal with shops that bought muskie lures. You would possibly see the occasional Muskie Killer at Canadian Tire, however that was pretty much as good because it bought.
Fortunately, there have been retailers within the western a part of the area that catered to American muskie anglers. The one I preferred greatest was Bobby’s Baits and was situated proper alongside the freeway within the city of Vermilion Bay, on Eagle Lake.
Strolling into Bobby’s for the primary time was like coming into the Magic Kingdom. The partitions had been filled with lures the like of which I’d by no means seen earlier than. Hold in thoughts, we’re nonetheless speaking concerning the Nineteen Eighties right here, earlier than the muskie fishing growth actually took off. So, the lure decisions had been fewer and less complicated. But, for a brand new muskie angler it was Nirvana.
I purchased my first 10-inch Suick there (black, after all) and a number of other massive Eagle Tail spinners. The Eagle Tail had a black bucktail dressing and the most important blade I’d ever seen. I purchased a few them, one with a fluorescent pink blade and the opposite silver. These had been lures steered by the proprietor — whom I assumed was the Bobby the store was named after.
I additionally purchased some severe muskie leaders made of stable wire. The overall on the until was slightly below $100, which appeared like a fortune to me then. It was actually essentially the most cash this columnist had ever spent on three lures and some leaders at that level. Over time, I’d discover a couple different retailers that had muskie gear, together with some in communities round Lake of the Woods. But it was Bobby’s Baits that bought the lion’s share of the gross sales again then, and I’d at all times get at the very least one or two on the approach by.
My predominant muskie fishing buddy again then, Invoice Friday, of Kenora, began ordering lures through a list within the States. This was pre-Web, and it was everywhere in the telephone. At one level, Friday started particular ordering customized Believers that had the identical gelcoat end as bass boats. They had been known as Spinda Believers and had been 60 bucks a pop US.
Once more, this was 35 years in the past when $60 was huge cash for a lure. I although he was nuts and he agreed, though he caught a number of monster fish on them. Invoice handed away final 12 months, and I inherited a couple of his huge repertoire of muskie baits. Sadly, all of the Spinda Believers had lengthy since been left on water traces in Lake of the Woods.
My muskie fishing habit has calmed in current years. I not often get to fish muskie as of late, and once I do, I’ve many choices in my packing containers.
Nevertheless, it’s nonetheless almost not possible to not go look in any respect the beautiful lures once I’m in my hometown deal with retailer, D&R Sporting Items. Sure, even a Thunder Bay-based retailer has muskie lures on the partitions as of late. For a virtually reformed muskie lure addict, the temptation is rarely distant.
Initially printed within the June-July 2024 challenge of Ontario OUT of DOORS
