Ontario Angling Hitlist: Chapter 4- Muskie Madness
Ontario Angling Hitlist: Chapter 4- Muskie Madness
The muskellunge is the world's largest species of pike(Esox). For anyone that knows me, they know how muskie-obsessed I am; I am very biased in my enthusiasm towards this species. Muskies ignited my passion for stalking big fish species; this species has a dedicated die-hard group of passionate anglers. Known as 'the fish of 10, 000 casts' the muskie is a difficult species to catch. It is unique due to its propensity to follow lures to the side of the boat offering anglers heart-stopping moments of pure adrenaline and excitement as this monster Esox materializes out of nowhere. The difficulty of their pursuits, the size of the fish, their athletic jumps, and their stalking behaviours cement muskies as one of the most hard-core fish species in Canada. Muskie fishermen typically fit into one of the two camps: they are either team casting, or team trolling with some also running live bait like suckers every fall. There's also a group of pioneering muskie fishermen targeting them by vertical jigging in open-water basins, fly fishermen have also began to pursue this species using massive streamers, and some anglers are even finding success utilizing cut-bait and dead bait suspended off bottom. Muskies typically associate with current, and some scientists have theorized that northern pike and muskellunge used to be the same species, upon speciation the former adapted to life in lakes while the latter adapted to life in flowing water. Although highly debated, the Ontario (potentially the World) Record muskie was 65 lbs and 58 inches long, however, extremely rare specimens have been documented in the 60" range.
With muskies there are 'a' spots, 'b' spots, 'c' spots and there are 'kill spots'! I happened to catch my first muskie of 2025 (and 3rd largest ever) on the first cast of the season in an infamous 'kill spot'. Let me briefly explain the difference between spots in which muskies are typically found. A 'c' spot is a location on a body of water where muskies reside that would likely not hold muskies of any concentration, potentially a transit spot that an individual may utilize while moving to better haunts. A 'b' spot is a locale that holds muskie occasionally but an angler is unlikely to catch or find active muskies on a routine basis; this may be a shallow bay or shelf in which the muskie typically does not hunt but may utilize to rest, bask in the sun, or laze and digest a recently acquired meal. With 'b' spots seeing muskie is possible, catching is also possible given the caliber of the angler, but lazy follows, muskie sightings, and lethargic fish would be more common-place in these areas. An 'a' spot is a spot more likely to hold muskies with the intent to ambush prey and actively eat. These spots may be sunken islands, boulder piles, expansive weed beds, shoals, points, islands, timber etc; muskies are utilizing these spots with the intent to actively hunt, ambush, or corral baitfish for the purpose of satiating their appetites. 'A' spots are active hunting zones and because of this anglers that find them are more likely to find active follows and striking muskies that have the intention of eating. That being said an 'a' spot is not necessarily a recipe to catch a fish; current, time of day, weather conditions, wind direction, and bait fish movement all play a part in the bigger picture in determining the presence and activity of muskies. A 'kill spot' is simply an 'a' spot on steroids where the conditions align to create and idyllic place for muskies to lie in wait to ambush unsuspecting prey. Typically with a kill spot, if there's a muskie there, they are there and are willing to eat just about anything that passes by them. Kill spots from my experience are usually created in current, more specifically, in obstacles or eddies that interfere with current creating a slack water area that muskies can sit and wait for their environment to deliver them unsuspecting prey. With a kill zone, the muskies are only there for the express purpose of acquiring sustenance and they will wholeheartedly commit to smashing most lure presentations!
Let me briefly explain my muskie kill zone; it is a confluence of two moving bodies of water that collide together in front of a rock-filled rapid that creates a frothy current of white water. A relatively small creek meets a river at a confluence and directly below their joining place is a set of whitewater rapids that are spilling over a drop in elevation (and some boulders). This spot is ideal because the combining currents and rapids have a current eddy on each side of the white water rapid, and the rapid itself has several unseen boulders that have current breaks right in the frothing tumultuous current. Both eddies and the rapid itself routinely have muskies present that are only their to satiate their appetites. I arrived at my kill spot early on Muskie Opener (3rd Saturday in June in most of Ontario), I then prepared my equipment and launched my first cast of the season into the raging torrent that the colliding bodies of water create. I felt my line momentarily go slack then felt the unmistakable energy transfer of a large muskie on the end of my line, I set the hook and unleashed the chaos as huge head shakes were felt reverberating through my 90 lb Braid! After an intense fight I scooped the net under a 45" muskie marking my 3rd biggest ever, the first fish of the 2025 season, on the first cast to boot! About 20 casts later I had a low 30" class muskie on, but it was only hooked by one treble barb in the beak of its mouth, one head shake and she came off and re-entered the abyss! Not for the sake of my Ontario hitlist but for the sake of my own endeavors I will hopefully publish a few more muskie catches this season.
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| The lure I was using on opener; the Daiwa Bessie |
Accomplished species so far:
Intended Targets in 2025:
-Tiger Muskellunge
-Longnose Gar
-Freshwater Drum
-White Perch
-White Bass
-Brook Trout
-Whitesucker
-Silver Redhorse
-Channel Catfish
-Black Crappie
-Rainbow Trout
-Coho Salmon
-Chinook Salmon
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