# Vertical jigging for muskie question



## Troy Dave (Jan 26, 2007)

I am used to working the bottom when going after local saugeye or walleye. My question is when working deep timbered water at Caesar Creek, say 20 to 30ft, is it better to keep the bait around a 7 to 10 ft. working depth? I've read about jigging deep in the shipping channels in St. Clare but I have had no luck working deep at Caesars.


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## Earthworms (Dec 15, 2014)

Troy jigging can be productive near any structure. Locate the best structure and work it. Up high and down lows works. I jig under bridges etc....open water but mainly deep drop offs.


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## steelshep (Feb 16, 2011)

Troy Dave said:


> I am used to working the bottom when going after local saugeye or walleye. My question is when working deep timbered water at Caesar Creek, say 20 to 30ft, is it better to keep the bait around a 7 to 10 ft. working depth? I've read about jigging deep in the shipping channels in St. Clare but I have had no luck working deep at Caesars.


I believe jigging deep in the shipping channels is exactly what Jon Bondy does with his Bondy Bait at St. Claire and in the Detroit River. I've never really tried going that deep but I'll agree with Earthworms, find structure and work the entire water column (high and low). I've caught 'em off the bottom in 6-8 FOW and got one a couple weeks back near submerged timber as my jig was falling at a depth of around 2 feet.


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## peteavsurace (May 15, 2008)

Figure out the thermocline depth, jig just above that my man


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## TopRaider15 (Mar 10, 2015)

Was out at CC yesterday (because me and pa are idiots) working Bondy's on breaks, no luck. Thermocline is a definite area to pinpoint. More generally, I work like Bondy; start shallow edge of drop, let bait hit bottom come up 2-3 cranks and work the whole structure, rinse repeat until you've covered the water column and different depth ranges of the break. Mine usually show up on the graph as well so I have a decent idea of where I am in relation to the bottom. This is a tactic I just started getting into (last 12 months). I'm sure others on this forum have more knowledge, but I think its an overlooked way to fish, especially in our reservoirs.


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## Troy Dave (Jan 26, 2007)

How tight do you set the drag. Went camping/fishing Sun thru Wed and over that time hooked only 1 of 5 fish to hit the bait. The last one I lost hit like a freight train ( it was all I could do to hold on to the rod) and came off after about 5 sec. I set the drag fairly tight thinking I need it to hold for the hookset. But now I'm thinking maybe it needs to be loose enough so the fish can take a little line on that initial hit until I can get my act together. Or are they just grabbing that big chunk of rubber in their teeth and I can't get a hook set. Every day I was repairing gashes and tears in the bait with Mend It.


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## K gonefishin (May 4, 2004)

Troy Dave said:


> How tight do you set the drag. Went camping/fishing Sun thru Wed and over that time hooked only 1 of 5 fish to hit the bait. The last one I lost hit like a freight train ( it was all I could do to hold on to the rod) and came off after about 5 sec. I set the drag fairly tight thinking I need it to hold for the hookset. But now I'm thinking maybe it needs to be loose enough so the fish can take a little line on that initial hit until I can get my act together. Or are they just grabbing that big chunk of rubber in their teeth and I can't get a hook set. Every day I was repairing gashes and tears in the bait with Mend It.


I keep a fairly tight drag,I want to drive those hooks home when I get slacked or crushed. I prefer a high speed reel to pick up slack line when they hit on the slack, one turn and I can get back the last slack, 7:1 ideal if you are using a slow reel without much IPT by the time you got the slack out (if you were slacked) fish could have shook it. Also, sharpen the hooks! the factory hooks are strong but need a little sharpening. Losing fish is all part of fishing especially with a 7 oz bar of soap for a bait that is fluttering down the way it does, it happens.


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## steelshep (Feb 16, 2011)

Agree with gonefishin. It may help to keep Heiting's 2 rules in mind also:

Rule 1. Sometimes when you set the hook on a muskie they will come off.

Rule 2. It helps to cuss a little.


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## Troy Dave (Jan 26, 2007)

The one I caught slacked the line, in fact I watched the fish coming up to the surface. I'm standing there watching the water and about half way up a lift before I even notice the line go slack I see this musky coming right up at me and I think, holy ****, he's got my bait. So I reeled in quick and was able to set the hook. The ones I lost were all on tight line and were moving down or away from me.
And although I was not aware it was a rule, I definitely was following rule #2


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## K gonefishin (May 4, 2004)

We have had them follow all the way to the surface, a month ago my cousin had a mid 40s fish blow up on a monster tube when he was just about to pull it out of the water, he turned to look at the lowrance and splash water everywhere and a huge boil. Number 1 rule of musky fishing, ALWAYS pay attention, you will get bit when you least expect it, buddy had one blow up on a bucktail at the boat two weeks ago, he was turned talking to me and didn't see fish coming. Never fails.


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## burnsj5 (Jan 30, 2014)

Sometimes they just don't get the hooks, have seen where people will add a treble up top at the line tie and sink one barb into the bait. I would lock the drag down or keep it very tight, you need to move the bait to set the hooks and that can be more difficult with soft rubber baits where their teeth sink into, also if you're in timber and they take drag that fish is gone, you need to get it away from the wood and branches, if fishing breaklines less of a concern hoarsing them out of anything.


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