I have been a weekend musky fisherman for decades, and since I retired, I have spent a lot more time chasing them. I have had some pretty good years, caught decent numbers and a couple of very nice hogs. But my success rate has gone down lately. I have thoughts on why and some possible solutions. See what you think.

THE PROBLEM:

So, why have I been catching fewer and fewer muskies over the last couple of years? It is a disturbing trend, and I need to do something about it. But what? What are the possible reasons for this situation? One thing that I have learned over the years is that you have to identify the real problem if you want a real solution. So, I took a hard look at it, and also consulted a master musky fisherman. Here are the possibilities.

POSSIBLE CAUSES:

**COVID. Everything else is blamed on COVID, so why not the decline in my catch rate?! In all seriousness, the epidemic caused a significant increase in recreational water sports. It also put more fisherman on local lakes. Maybe the fish changed location, seeking to avoid the increased commotion. Maybe they only feed during low traffic periods now. Maybe they go to the bottom and stay there all day. Maybe.

**FEWER FISH: Covid pushed more people into fishing, and it also reduced the number of fish that are available now. For two years agencies were unable to harvest eggs and raise fish for stocking. Many, probably most, lakes in out tri-state area rely on annual stocking programs to sustain the fishery. Now there are two year classes of fish missing. Those four- and 5-year-old fish could be 30 to 40 inches long now, certainly a fishable population.

Also, remember that the increased fishing pressure involved a number of anglers who were experienced musky hunters. Normally they would go to Canada but were relegated to fishing locally during the Covid years. It is reasonable to believe that more fish were caught in these years. Research tells us that one or two of every ten caught muskies succumb to the stress of being caught, even when released alive. Unfortunately, the more fish that are caught, the more that are killed, in spite of our best efforts.

**SMARTER FISH: Yes, I am serious. Maybe the fish became educated. The vibrations from lures, the pings of sonar, the whine of boat motors, and the pounding of music, all mean danger to a fish. There is research emerging that is telling us that fish really do learn. So maybe they just are learning to avoid me.

**GLOBAL WARMING: Like COVID, global warming is blamed for a lot of things. Maybe the warming temperatures have moved the seasons and the seasonal activities of the fish. Maybe fisherman, myself especially, have not adjusted. For example, this year Lake Erie did not freeze, and early seasonal movements were moved up at least two weeks. My daughter and I almost missed the perch bite because of this.

Also, it seems to me that over the last couple of years, the lakes are reaching that 77–80-degree water temperature a couple of weeks earlier. The research is clear that this is a danger to the fish and so I, and many responsible anglers, have stopped fishing for muskies when the water temperatures hit that level. That means about a month of lost time on the water.

Maybe I can blame global warming and COVID. But there is another possibility.

**OLD AGE: My grandsons do not allow me to use old age as an excuse for not doing something. They tell me that I am not old. Their motive is to get me to play wiffle ball, or catch, or throw a football. And really, what is old age and when does it happen? I am 74 and suffer no real impairments, but I have less strength, energy, balance, and stamina than I did when I was younger. I just cannot put the hours in casting that I used to. As a younger version of me, casting all day was a given. Now, there have been days when 3 hours of casting tore me up. You decide if that is old age or just aging. Me, I am opting for the latter.

**AND THE PROBLEM IS: MUSKY FATIGUE. That is actually good news, I guess. Why? Well, I cannot do anything about increased pressure, smarter fish, or global warming. I cannot do anything about getting older, either. But I can battle fatigue. The reality is that as I got older, I spent less time on the water because I got more tired and in fewer hours than in earlier years. I think that is partly because musky fatigue is its own kind of fatigue. Musky fatigue not only makes you tired, it also causes you to be worn out, sore, and beat up. For me, that means less time on the water and that means less fish. Hunters know that boots on the ground get game. Similarly, lines in the water get fish.

**THE SOLUTION: I want to spend more time on the water, so I need to find ways to fight the early onset of fatigue. There are basically two things to do. I can change what I am doing, or I can change how I am doing what I am doing. I choose both. To do that, I came up with seven strategies designed to counter the effects of “musky fatigue” and the aging process. These strategies may not be for you, and I truly hope you are not hindered by musky fatigue, but I need to give them a try. Maybe, just maybe, I will catch more muskie

SEVEN STRATEGIES TO BEAT MUSKIE FATIGUE WHEN YOU ARE 74 (or younger): Explanations follow.

1. Downsize
2. Troll
3. Take breaks
4. Use different baits
5. Improve your techniques for casting, retrieving, presentation
6. Be efficient in your boat set up
7. Take care of your body

# 1 DOWNSIZE: After Joe Bucher recovered from his injured shoulder, he started downsizing. He even worked with St. Croix to develop the “downsizer” musky rod. Since then, he has professed the wisdom and effectiveness of downsizing, especially in baits. But I want to take that a step further. I am downsizing everything.

I am moving to a smaller reel, lighter rod, and lighter baits to save energy and strength. The chart below shows some possible combinations. The lightest combination is 17.6 ounces lighter than the heaviest, and more typical combination. That is well over one pound!

is it worth it to downsize? Let’s take a look at the numbers. I believe that the average angler probably makes 1 to 2 casts per minute. In an hour, that is 60-120 casts, and in an 8-hour day that is 480 to 960 casts. If an outfit is only 14 ounces lighter, that is between 420 and 840 pounds that you did not lift, hold, and cast during the course of the day. This is, of course, an oversimplification, but even if I knock it down to a 10-ounce difference and 800 casts, that is still 500 pounds. I think that difference matters. At least it does for me. You may be different.

WEIGHT COMPARISON CHART

REEL	ROD	MUSKY MAYHEM	RED OCTOBER TUBE	TOTALS
Daiwa Lexa 400 @ 16.9 oz.	St. Croix Premiere 9 ft. XH @ 14.6 oz.	Detonator (#10 and #13 blades) @ 4.3 oz.	11 inch Boo tube mid depth @7.4 oz.	35.8 oz detonator 38.9 with tube
Daiwa Lexa 300 @ 11.5 oz	St. Croix Premiere 7 ft. Med @ 7.5 oz	Babygirl (two #6 blades) @ 2.3 oz	Ninja 7-inch mid depth tube @ 5.7 oz.	21.3 oz with baby girl 24.7 oz with ninja tube

You may not downsize everything. I can see where a shorter rod or smaller reel just may not feel right to you. You may not cast that often in a day or want to use smaller baits. But if you downsize anything at all, over the course of a day you are handling less weight, and possibly a lot less. That should lead to less fatigue.

Now, before there is an uproar, I do realize the downside to downsize. I certainly would not downsize if I was fishing the St. Lawrence, or if jigging was the productive technique for the day and place. But on most lakes, I am confident that a Lexa 300 with 50-to-65-pound braid and a Ninja tube or a Buchertail 700 will handle what the lake has to offer. But you may only be looking for big fish, over 50 inches, and in that case, you may have to skip downsizing and try some of the other suggestions below.

Downsizing may not be an option for everyone. I struggled today with one of the earlier rods that I made. I used a seven-and-a-half-foot rod with a shorter handle than I am used to using. It is a much lighter action and weighs considerably less than my go-to rods. I also had an Abu-Garcia rocket on it, which weighs less than my other reels. It was easier to wield for sure, but it felt weird. I can’t say I loved it, but I am going to give it a fair shot. It is clear that this rig is much easier to cast. You may just not want to downsize, but you can still try one of the other 6 strategies. Maybe trolling is a solution for you.

#2: TROLL:

The second strategy is just to troll more often, rotating it with casting if necessary. That is a little contrarian for me. I love the feel of a hookset. I love the sight of a following fish. I love getting bit on a figure 8. I do not love being worn out, sore, and stiff from casting for hours.

I think one of the reasons that I do not troll a lot is that I am not a good troller. But I have access to three muskie hunters who are excellent trollers and are willing to help me out. I love to learn, so maybe more trolling will be an exciting challenge. If it is or is not really does not matter. Trolling will keep me on the water longer. Cast for 2 hours, troll for 2 hours. If I do it again, I have eight hours on the water, twice what I have been doing.

Trolling is an effective technique when done well. I trolled for 4 hours today, and I was not worn out when I was done. I believe that I can easily troll for 8 hours. This might be the easiest way to gain time on the water. It may also be the most challenging for me because if I am going to do it, I want to do it well. Now that I think of it, that mantra holds true for all the good muskie hunters that I know. It is part of what makes them good.

SUMMARY:

Muskie hunters usually experience fatigue. Fatigue can be the result of a hard day on the water, or the grind of multiple days on the water. The older you get, the more quickly fatigue sets in. You can combat muskie fatigue by slowing down its onset. Downsizing rods, reels, and baits, and trolling, are two strategies for beating musky fatigue. Hopefully, that will allow you to spend more time on the water. It is a simple formula: Less musky fatigue = more time fishing=more fish.

But these two strategies may not work for you, or you may not be interested in them. No problem. Maybe some of the other strategies appeal to you. Take a look.

What do you think? How do you battle muskie fatigue?

COMING UP: In the next blog I will discuss the two hardest strategies to accept: #3 Take a break and #4 change your baits. These two things generally do not sit well with a musky hunter. So why consider it? Look for part 2 next week to see if you agree or disagree with the strategies.