Tiger Muskie?

[hank4elk]

Anyone here fish for Tigers?
There in local lakes,some big ones I hear.
I'm mostly a trout guy these days if I do fish,too many danged elk around....but I have bass gear and was wondering the setup for Tigers.
I used to keep a bass rod with Rapalas on hand for big browns and rainbows.

 

[Muskeez]

Used to a LOT in MN. Your heavy Bass gear (Baitcasters) will work with todays superlines. I like 50# + Spiderwire Stealth or similar brands. The extra strength gives you more diameter which helps with backlashes and boatside strikes. Pike lures and smaller musky baits all work. Hard to beat a spinnerbait with bucktail hair or silicone skirt. Add a rubber twister tail or paddle tail to the back hook for more action. Fish them like bass or anything, concentrate on points and inside turns on the weedlines. Tigers do come easier than pure strain muskies but still can be a challenge. Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions on gear or anything. Enjoy the chase!

 

[jrabq]

Then you obviously know they are in Quemado and Bluewater. I have fished for them at Bluewater quite a bit, but not Quemado. Most at Bluewater are in the 26-32" range with a few bigger. In about 10 trips I have caught one over 40".

A normal bass rig will work just fine, just add a leader or you will loose some lures. A lot of guys use steel leaders, I normally use a foot or two of 30 lb mono or fluorocarbon. The big ones can be hard to handle once you land them, be sure you have some long pliers. Lots of crankbaits will work, including Rapalas, some have success with swimbait type lures and jigs. See guys with flyrods and big streamers having success, but seems like more work to me. A slow retrieve is often the ticket, but they do occasionally like it fast. I have caught a few on topwater, but most days the will not hit it.

Good luck!

 

[trotsky]

I fished Quemado 3 years ago. I used the same spinning rig I have used for northerns in the past. Get a good floro leader and you should be fine. I used 30lb braid for main line and had no problems. As far as baits go I would suggest anything pike fisherman use. The best luck we had was big bucktail spinners. God luck and let me know if you need a partner this summer. I can make the drive and will be there