It’s a cold, windy, rainy day. Road Dog Travel Partner Troy
Lindner and I are returning from a Tennessee fishing adventure. As often happens,
we make multiple fishing stops on our way back to Los Angeles. This adventure within the
adventure involves hunting Tiger Muskie!
Conditions
Water Temperature - 48°
Fahrenheit
Air Temperature - 41°
Fahrenheit
Skies - Cloudy
with Partial Rain
Water Clarity - Highly
Stained Less Than 12” Visibility
Lake Level - Down
15’
The bite was slow, the pulse of the lake was slow, I was
slow, everything was moving slowly!
What is a Tiger Musky?
A
Tiger Muskie is a hybrid cross between a female Muskie and a male Pike. It’s an
apex predator that loves a big bite, and I planned on letting them have what
they wanted.
The Technique
The Technique: with the trolling motor set to a low speed,
we were ‘slow rolling’ swimbaits, a realism lure mimicking trout, targeting the apex predator in the lake, Tiger Muskie.
Troy and I have fished for these incredible predatory fish
before. We have presented various lures and found extensive profile swimbaits
to be a Tiger favorite. Most notable is the Huddleston Deluxe; both the 8-inch
and the 68 Special outperform all others.
Note that the 68 special, top swimbait above, is a 6-inch
Huddleston Swimbait with the same tail size as the 8-inch version, bottom swimbait.
Troy and I believe that a Tiger’s attention is caught by the unique thumping
signature created by the 8-inch Huddleston tail as it moves through the water.
Patience
We had been at it for a while, covering a lot of water. The
bite was as cold as the day. Occasionally, a Tiger would breach the surface,
giving hope.
The solid wire leader attached to the tie ring of the
swimbait is a must when fishing Tigers.
Based on the finger-numbing conditions, I aimed to swim my
lure as slowly as possible near the bottom without making contact.
Surprisingly, crayfish confirmed I was accomplishing my plan. I wasn't detecting the bottom, but I could feel crayfish hitting the swimbait.
The ‘craws’ were
grabbing the fins and holding on. I wondered if the Pro-Cure scent had anything to do with it. Highly stained water and
the illusion of realism swims by, and
these mean aggressive little buggers are trying to pull body parts from what
they think is a real fish.
I frequently use scent and felt confident that the Pro-Cure
Rainbow Trout scent would help a Tiger locate my deception in these
low-visibility conditions. I was fooling the crayfish; perhaps I could deceive
a Tiger too.
Regardless of the weather, being vigilant and prepared
during difficult, low-action conditions is extremely important. You may produce
only one bite. If caught off guard and you miss the strike, that might be your
only shot.
Rewarded
Demanding respect, a Tiger has a mouth full of razor-sharp
teeth.
I drew one bite that day, and I was focused. It was a good
one. Despite these conditions, this fish slammed the lure. Suddenly, I felt no
longer cold; it was a PB Tiger Muskie!
Every rule has exceptions, but on this bitterly cold late
fall afternoon, a slow pace suited the conditions and was the key to success.
I'm always a proponent of experimenting, bucking the trend,
and doing something different to set yourself apart. However, this day, it was
painfully apparent that a fast-paced retrieve would not work. The presentation
offered a big bite by swimming slowly near the bottom without requiring a
predator to move fast and far and chase its prey during these sluggish,
cold-stained water conditions. I'm confident that my illusion swam very close
to this Tiger's sensory.
Coming Soon: Part Two of this three-part series, Swimbait
Rigging for Tigers.
