Canada Muskie Fishing

If you are looking to catch a true freshwater giant, Canada Muskie Fishing is for you! Year in and year out, anglers catch enormous muskies while fishing in Canada. But many of them say they aren’t fishing…they’re hunting.

The Muskellunge is the largest member of the pike family. The name muskellunge comes from the word maashkinoozhe which means ugly pike in Ojibwe. Many folks confuse the northern pike and muskie as the two fish are similar at first glance. Similar to the northern pike, the body of a muskie is extended and sports a flat head. But there are subtle differences between pike and muskie.

The muskie has sharp vision and relies heavily upon its eyes for success. The Musky also has a line of sensory pores under its jaw. These pores detect vibrations in the water and can help the muskellunge find prey in difficult light conditions.

The muskie is typically found in clear lakes and large rivers from the St. Lawrence River to The Great Lakes and from Hudson Bay down to the Mississippi River basin. Ontario fishing is famous for muskie as is Manitoba.

While in Canada muskie fishing, many anglers have landed a fish up to 65 pounds. This is one big fish! A powerful predator, the muskie is known for its fierceness, so hold that rod tight.

The muskellunge is normally a solitary animal, but have been known to form small schools if prey is plentiful. Typically muskie will skulk among the weeds waiting the perfect moment to ambush its prey. The fish has the ability to accelerate at great speeds when it strikes. This alone has made the muskie legendary with some anglers.

Muskie have more endurance than a typical northern pike! Many anglers have felt their pulse jump by the long pronounced run of the fish. The muskellunge can easily clean a spool of line while throwing in some acrobatics for good measure!

Similar to the northern pike, the muskellunge will attack a variety of prey. Frogs, fish, ducklings, crayfish and small mammals are all on the menu of the musky. The fish will strike from the side but prefer to consume its prey head first and have been known to eat fish almost half of their size.

Tiger Muskellunge are a sterile species that are a combination of muskie and pike. Because the 2 fish often share a habitat, they can interbreed from time to time. The Tiger Muskie share the same general color scheme as the muskie, but are smaller. They also have a tail similar to that of the northern pike.

The fish reach sexual maturity by the age of 3 or 4 when they begin looking to spawn. Musky tend to spawn in the mid to late spring (April and May), which is later than pike. The spawn happens in shallow vegetated areas and can last up to ten days. The female will drop up to 200,000 eggs that will adhere to vegetation. The eggs that survive will hatch within 2 weeks. Before long the fry will begin to feed on plankton and soon thereafter fish. The muskellunge grows fairly quickly and will reach a length of 12 inches by late fall.

The female muskie grows faster than its male counterpart and can live for up to thirty years. A thirty year old muskie will be a very large fish, ranging from 35 to 60 pounds.

Muskie tend to have a slow rate of reproduction. Many regional governments have put in place programs to try to help population growth. The only real threat to the muskie are humans, birds of prey and northern pike (who tend to prey on the fingerlings). Canada muskie fishing is at its best when you know what close in on their native habitat. Normally they can be found in heavily vegetated lakes and they tend to migrate to tree stumps or beaver dams. It is rare you will find them on open water.

Trolling and bait casting are common methods to use while fishing for musky. Much like the northern pike, the muskie will hit a variety of different lures and baits. Pikie minnows, daredevils, bucktails, jerkbaits, spoons, spinners and artificial worms are the most successful.

A fast retrieval generally works well, but don’t be afraid to mix it up. Deep running muskie lures, like a bomber, have been known to hammer muskie most months. Make sure you have a few of these in your tackle box when you hit the water.

When all is said and done, take care of this fish resource. Muskie, while not endangered, are far from plentiful. Practice catch and release while Canada muskie fishing where possible. Help to maintain the population of this fantastic freshwater game fish.

Come back and catch them next year.

Thanks for reading.

Good fishing.

Some thoughts on Muskie Lures
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