Most hard-bait muskie lures are fish catchers right out of the box, but there are going to be certain times and situations where some simple minor tweaks make them far more effective for specific applications. Let’s focus on one of them here — reducing buoyancy to create more “hang time” and even attain neutral buoyancy suspension.
The simple tweak needed here is actually quite simple and requires no drilling or ad-on weights. All one needs is a split ring pliers and a selection of various treble hook sizes. In a nutshell, it all comes down to basic physics — smaller trebles generally weigh less than larger ones. Use smaller treble hooks to retain buoyancy. Replace them with larger heavier trebles to decrease the buoyancy. A buoyant lure rises quickly and is often preferred over shallow rocks and high weeds. Yet that same lure with less buoyancy might be more productive over deeper waters, cold front conditions and alongside isolated obstructions like fallen trees.
With this in mind, I usually keep several versions of my favorite cranks ready-to-go with different treble sizes so I can quickly and easily snap the appropriate one on per the scenario I am faced with on any given outing.
Wire leaders are yet another factor that can alter the action, weight and buoyancy of these lures. You need to experiment with a variety of leaders in order to achieve the desired buoyancy or suspender success.
Treble hook thickness and shank length are also noteworthy. Again, basic physics applies to the equation. Thicker trebles generally weigh hooks weigh more than thinner ones. Longer shank trebles contain more overall mass and weight than short shank versions. As a general rule, I always go “short shank” when upsizing to larger treble hooks. Otherwise, hook fouling is likely. Hooks that hang too far downwards are more apt to wrap up around diving bills and other hooks. Keep ‘em short (shank) and these issues are minimized. This is why an investment in a wide selection of treble hooks is a good idea and well worth the investment. Plus, muskie anglers tend to cut hooks out of a fish often to minimize handling and stress. A back stock of hooks makes it easy to retool and be up and running again in no time.
As a side bar, this whole concept of hook upsize and downsize is bound to affect lure action as well as tracking. In general, smaller lightweight trebles provide more pronounced side-to-side wobble and less stability at high speeds. While this might be preferable for slower tantalizing techniques over cover, it can be detrimental in a trolling application or even high speeds cranking. Need a lure to track better at high speeds? Add hook weight underneath. Larger heavier trebles help a lot here.
Summarily, as you hunt for new lures, you might want to simply consider purchasing a good selection of various hook styles and sizes that can quickly be changed out on your current lure inventory. Pour some water into a 3 to 5 gallon bucket in your own workshop or garage at home and attach various hook sizes to your favorite floating lures to see what it does to their buoyancy. Create several variations of your favorites with hook size change-outs and its bound to trigger more muskies in a far wider range of conditions.