Musky battle tactics and the actual sequence of rod movements one should execute during a musky battle are rarely discussed inside the pages of an article even though this often has a bearing on both keeping the fish hooked as well as getting it in easy net range.
Not surprisingly, saltwater gamefish publications and a host of YouTube fishing shows cover battle tactics in-depth quite often including drag settings, rod tip movements and even body posture. Back in my much younger days, I was fortunate enough to get out on the gulf Gulf Of Mexico with my grandpa quite often and thus learned from seasoned charter captains. Locking up with everything from redfish to grouper, drum, snook, cobia, permit, amberjack, tarpon and even sharks taught me a ton. The power and stamina of most saltwater fish is quite honestly startling. On more than one occasion, a charter captain saved me from actually being yanked overboard from an overly tight drag set.
Laughably, one could argue I hadn’t learned those lessons well since a musky almost pulled me overboard a few years back on an explosive boatside strike with a drag set too tight; check out The Tyson Musky on my youTube channel and see for yourself. The power of a big fish on a short line hit is humbling especially when they hit with a full head of steam.
Of course, all big fish battle basics start with a proper drag setting. Musky anglers tend to come from two separate camps on drag adjustments. One sets the drag star wheel way too tight literally locking em in place with pliers force. The other sets it too loose which destroys one’s ability to keep ample pressure on the fish at long distance. In my world, the correct drag setting for muskies is “tight” yet still allowing the drag to release under heavy pull pressure.
The hookset itself is worthy of an entire article. The key to a solid, powerful penetrating hookset begins with proper body posture and rod positioning. Always face your line of cast & retrieve preferably with one foot forward of the other. Do not turn your body sideways to any noticeable degree. Also, avoid any quartering rod angles during retrieve. This takes away valuable hook set rod sweep and depletes hook set power. Face the lure at all times.
When a strike occurs, a quick body rotation coordinated with upward lever-action arm movement towards your back leg drives big hooks home solidly; particularly with today’s tackle. Avoid repeated hooksetting or what some refer to as a double hookset. The double hookset action tends to do more harm than good creating slack or loosening tension which often results in a lost fish.
Finally, remember a tip taught to me from my many saltwater battles. Essentially, it goes like this fish up = rod down. Fish down = rod up. When you sense a fish is about to break water and jump, lower the rod tip. Boatside thrashers require drastic rod lowering submerge the rod tip. When a musky dives deep, lift upwards on the rod and let the rod bend do the work. Experience is always the best teacher. Follow these basics and you’ll efficiently battle and land most muskies with no issues.