# Top Water For Muskies ???



## Fish On (Sep 1, 2004)

Do any of you use top water for Musky ??? , If so is there any top water lures that produce well 

Fish On !!


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## Pike (Apr 7, 2004)

I have some glide baits for sale in the Marketplace, all run at or just under the surface if your interested. I usually fish prop style baits when I muskie fish. There are a lot of different brands on the market. Bucher Top Raider seem to perform well.

Pike


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## FutureClassicChamp (Jan 16, 2006)

i get 40% of my muskies on topwaters. my best producers are pacemakers, marvs hairy bug, jackpots, super topraiders, and the best of all the WEAGLE!


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## Fish On (Sep 1, 2004)

FutureClassicChamp said:


> i get 40% of my muskies on topwaters. my best producers are pacemakers, marvs hairy bug, jackpots, super topraiders, and the best of all the WEAGLE!


do you buy these lures locally or are you getting them thru mail order ???
Are there any catalogs you could recommend that have a good selection of musky lures, This will be my second year going after muskies , I am sure there has to be some specialty catalogs that just deal with musky tackle


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## TIGGER (Jan 17, 2006)

I have the same question as Fish on. I went to Gander in Mentor and Twinsburg last week, not many choices. I asked them about it in Twinsburg and they said they shipped them out. Not much demand in our area.


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## Pike (Apr 7, 2004)

These guys will have what you need.

http://www.thornebros.com
http://www.muskyshop.com


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## Fish On (Sep 1, 2004)

Thanks Pike !!!


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## Weatherby (May 27, 2005)

Prop style topwaters -- Top raider, Super top raider, Pacemaker, Holcombe topwalker.

Globe style topwaters -- Lelure Globes, Holcombe globes, B.S. Willey globe.

Creeper style topwaters -- Creepenstein ($$$$$), Holcombe wave walker.

Walk the dog style topwaters -- WEAGLE, Baby weagle (Now called Jailbait), Poes Giant Jackpot, Viper, Doc.

Buzzbait style topwaters -- Bucher Slopmaster buzzbait, Boogerman buzzbaits.

Just get a couple to start out with. 

As FCC says the Weagle is probably #1 right now for a lot of people, but it takes some getting used to in order to work properly.


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## jiggin'fool (Dec 18, 2005)

now do you guys have better luck fishing topwater at night and in what kind of water.... over shallow points that have deep water access quick! I heard big buzzbaits and prop baits at night are killer!


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## Weatherby (May 27, 2005)

Sunrise, and Sunset through the night.

All types of water can produce at night. I know of some people that fish open water with topwaters at night and have good success.


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## FutureClassicChamp (Jan 16, 2006)

yeah ill fish topwaters pretty much anywhere, anytime. i love working them through saddles, over rock humps, and around wood.

yes, Pike's got it. Rollie and Helens and Thorne Brothers have just about everything. If youre looking for an original WEAGLE, i have a couple that im getting rid of that have never been used.


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## Weatherby (May 27, 2005)

Future, did you get any of the last Cady originals? He just had 100 on the site a few days ago. I got 1 Shady perch. He signed the last 100.


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## FutureClassicChamp (Jan 16, 2006)

i got a couple from him at the pittsburgh expo. i dont know the names of the colors, but one is a pearl body with like grayish scales or something on the sides. and one is black with a purple tinted head (and of course the white spot on the top of the head). both of them are signed on top of the head.


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## cincinnati (May 24, 2004)

Fishless all day until the weather changed & then this fish hit a Tallywacker @ 4PM. Missed another fish of similar size about 90 minutes later.


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## Paul Anderson (May 20, 2005)

Hey cincinnati....where were you fishing? Nice fish man...congratulations.


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## cincinnati (May 24, 2004)

I caught that fish @ Lac Vieux Desert on the WI/MI border.

Dad always used to say that if we get to Heaven, they'll all be hitting on the surface!


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## skipjack11 (Apr 12, 2004)

Musky Buster "Top Walker".


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## iwdavefish (Apr 30, 2004)

I also like the Top Walker. It's like a bucktail that floats.


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## FutureClassicChamp (Jan 16, 2006)

for those of you that like the top walker, check out marv's hairy bug. its much bigger.


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## crazycanuck05 (Jun 8, 2005)

I am headed to Lake Nipissing up in Canada the first week of June. I am going with my grandfather and two of his buddies. They are getting on the older side, so no early morning or night fishing for us. I really want to hook into some big northerns or muskie, and this lake is known for both. All I have are some decent sized bucktails and a few believers.

Lake is shallow with an average of like 5 feet depth. Lots of pinweeds, like massive shallow beds. There's a lot of hammer-handles in there, but any suggestions on how I might be able to lure out something of size?


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## FutureClassicChamp (Jan 16, 2006)

Nipissings avg. depth is like 20 - 30 feet. depending on what time in June and the water temps, for pike id start out on mid-depth structure adjacent to spawning areas. as far as muskies go.....ive heard of a couple big fish coming out of there. you might want to take a day and go out with the guys from lunge lodge. if you feel like taking a side trip, the french river is right there and GEORGIAN BAY! lol i love that place. that is the place for trophies. i saw a 56-58 there a few years ago.....i still have nightmares!


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## crazycanuck05 (Jun 8, 2005)

The average depth where we stay at is like 5-10 feet lol. For miles and miles. We are up in the northern part of the lake, near Cache Bay if you have a map. Last year I went I destroyed the pike in the fall using buzzbaits through really big beds of reeds, but almost all of them were hammerhandles.


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## coachfozz (Mar 19, 2006)

crazycanuck05 said:


> I am headed to Lake Nipissing up in Canada the first week of June. I am going with my grandfather and two of his buddies. They are getting on the older side, so no early morning or night fishing for us. I really want to hook into some big northerns or muskie, and this lake is known for both. All I have are some decent sized bucktails and a few believers.
> 
> Lake is shallow with an average of like 5 feet depth. Lots of pinweeds, like massive shallow beds. There's a lot of hammer-handles in there, but any suggestions on how I might be able to lure out something of size?



You should go south and a little east from Nipissing if you have the time. There is a lake called Nosbonsing. You will get some real nice Pike out of there also. I have fished both lakes for the last 8 years (wife is from astorville). I haved pulled a 42 inch Pike out of Nosbonsing and many 24-30 inch range as well.


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## crazycanuck05 (Jun 8, 2005)

coachfozz said:


> You should go south and a little east from Nipissing if you have the time. There is a lake called Nosbonsing. You will get some real nice Pike out of there also. I have fished both lakes for the last 8 years (wife is from astorville). I haved pulled a 42 inch Pike out of Nosbonsing and many 24-30 inch range as well.


Unfortunately I am limited to only the northern areas of Lake Nipissing, but thx for the advice.


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## coachfozz (Mar 19, 2006)

crazycanuck05 said:


> Unfortunately I am limited to only the northern areas of Lake Nipissing, but thx for the advice.


Too bad, Nosbonsing is about 20 minutes from the Callender Bay in Nipissing. 

You still will have some fun. Happy fishing.


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## davycrockett (Apr 9, 2005)

I just water tested a new bait of mine at the neighbors pond. It is modeled after the hairy bug and topwalker. It looks awsome I just wonder what the toothy ones will think of it! Hopefully will be able to fish test it soon.


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## FutureClassicChamp (Jan 16, 2006)

davycrockett said:


> I just water tested a new bait of mine at the neighbors pond. It is modeled after the hairy bug and topwalker. It looks awsome I just wonder what the toothy ones will think of it! Hopefully will be able to fish test it soon.



is it heavier than the bug and topwalker? i love those 2 baits but i often weight them for casting distance.


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## davycrockett (Apr 9, 2005)

FCC, I never weighed my baits but I was launching them out pretty good with my St. Croix Premier Jerk rod. Mine have the body/prop design like a bug but the hook/tail configuration of the topwalker. I tied the bucktail on coil for more weight. I'll try to steal a digital camera for some pics


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## davycrockett (Apr 9, 2005)

Here are my own custom Hairy Bug/Topwalker baits. Can't wait to test them on some toothy critters!


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## davycrockett (Apr 9, 2005)

While we're on the Topwater discussion here's a few more of my custom topwater baits.


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## FutureClassicChamp (Jan 16, 2006)

lookin good dave! how long/heavy is the prop bait? are you selling any of these?

have you experimented with making any walk the dog topwaters?


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## davycrockett (Apr 9, 2005)

Mike, thanks for the kind words. The prop bait is 9" and about 3oz. The tail section doesn't rotate as freely as I would like but hopefully it will break in (I think I got epoxy on the shaft during assembling!  ) I am pleased with it though for my first attempt. I am in the process of making a 7" Jackpot knock-off now. I have the hook hangers and tail weight in and need to finish it. I would like to experiment with a larger walker (9"?)like a Lee Lures Fish Stick or Weagle. I have been selling a few bait here and there, mainly family and friends. I can build about any inline or spinnerbait you want (Up to 1 oz head on Spinnerbaits) but I need to get the bugs worked out of the wooden baits before I would sell them. Check out my photo gallery as I have some of my baits posted. If you want wire baits, we can work something out.


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## PIKEMAN (Apr 14, 2004)

Coachfozz,

The southeast corner of Nipissing has some good pike and musky fishing. It's too long of a run, and a bit too dangerous, using a 14' boat, but you can trailer one over there in less than an hour from Cache bay. 

Look up HUNTERS BAY MARINA. You can launch there and fish in Hunters Bay. There are MANY huge musky and big pike pulled out of there each year. There are lot is nice weed beds & islands to work.

I'm heading up there in a few weeks with my son, brother, and father. We have been fishing the area on/off since my Dad started taking us up there in the late 1970's. I caught my best musky in Hunters bay. My Dad caught his best pike close to there.

I would also recommed that you try scooting over to the mouth of the French River. I have never fished the area, but every year guys from our camps will run 90 minutes via boat to fish the area..... and almost always come back with Walleye & pike.

Good luck!

Dave


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## coachfozz (Mar 19, 2006)

PIKEMAN said:


> Coachfozz,
> 
> The southeast corner of Nipissing has some good pike and musky fishing. It's too long of a run, and a bit too dangerous, using a 14' boat, but you can trailer one over there in less than an hour from Cache bay.
> 
> ...


Never went the southeast way, Nippissing is so huge, you need a whole week to fish it. I have fished the French River plus some of the smaller lakes that people don't know about. A real good lake up there is called Tomiko (its North of North Bay) and I fished some Lakes right on the Quebec/Ontario Border Caught a trout (not sure what kind, but it had mouth like a salmon) that was roughly 22 inches long, but we trolled and I was bored to death. I know Trolling can be fun, but I am cast and retrieve type of person. I love driving in the bush and finding these small lakes. You can catch perch forever in those things. Well Good Luck when you are and your family heads up there. Wish will be 8 months pregant in June so i am going to miss my yearly trip this year  I will make up for it next year though


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