The Livingston Lures Kraken, a hybrid jerkbait, is a game-changer for musky fishing. After years of development and testing, this bait has proven its ability to land world-class muskies. With its unique hard body and soft, replaceable tail, adjustable weighting system, and water-intake design, the Kraken offers unmatched versatility.
Understanding the Kraken’s Design
The Kraken is a hybrid bait that combines a hard plastic body with a replaceable soft, tube-style tail. Its adjustable weighting system lets anglers modify the bait’s sink rate by adding or removing weights using a Phillips head screw on the belly. Notably, the bait is intentionally hollow in key areas, allowing it to take on water during the cast—this is not a defect, but a deliberate design feature that gives the Kraken its signature glide and hang time.
You can also customize the hooks. While the stock hooks perform well, upsizing is a good option when targeting bigger fish. Thanks to its versatility, the Kraken can be adapted to suit a wide range of water bodies and fishing conditions.
The Kraken offers three tail options:
- Tube Tail — This maintains the Kraken’s original out-of-the-package style, but various tube colors and options are available, letting you mix and match to suit the conditions you’re fishing.
- Giant Grub Tail — This transforms your Kraken into a pull-pause bait, adding a different style of action.
- Paddle Tail — This turns your Kraken into a swimbait, combining paddle-tail movement with versatile weighting options.
The Right Gear Optimal Performance
To maximize the Kraken’s action, use the right setup:
- Rod: A 9’6” heavy-action Shield Rod (e.g., Daiwa Alexa TW).
- Line: 80-pound Next Level Braid paired with a 130-pound fluorocarbon leader with a swivel.
- Leader: A flexible leader is critical for the Kraken’s free-swinging, gliding action. Straight wire leaders may restrict movement, so opt for fluorocarbon to ensure the bait kicks out to the sides effectively.
This setup allows the Kraken to glide, surge, and hang in the water column, making it irresistible to muskies.
Fishing Techniques
The Kraken excels when targeting finicky or heavily pressured muskies that ignore traditional presentations like bucktails or topwater baits. It’s ideal for shallow feeding zones, deep weed edges, steep breaks, reefs, humps, or any structure with deep water adjacent to shallow food shelves—prime spots for big muskies.
Basic Retrieve
For beginners, start with a simple retrieve: cast the Kraken, reel a few turns, and pause. This creates a standard up-and-down jerkbait motion, surging forward and sinking slightly during pauses. The bait’s water intake enhances this action, making it dart and glide naturally.
Erratic Jerkbait Retrieve
To trigger strikes from neutral or negative fish, use an erratic retrieve:
- Cast and pop the rod upward (not too hard) to create slack in the line.
- Watch for the slack to disappear, indicating the bait is in its glide position.
- Let the bait hang and glide forward slightly and then fall downward. This hang time is critical for strikes, as muskies often hit on the fall.
- Mix in side-to-side rips by dropping the rod tip and pulling left or right, then returning to upward pops. This creates an unpredictable action that mimics a disoriented prey fish.
For example, a sequence might be: upward pop, pause, downward rip, side rip, upward pop, pause. This erratic action is deadly for fish that follow but don’t commit.
Shallow Water Applications
In early season or shallow cover (e.g., 2–3 feet over weeds or reefs), remove the weight from the Kraken’s belly for a slow, buoyant fall. Use gentle downward pops to let the bait skitter left or right, contouring shallow structure. This finesse approach is perfect for sunset fishing over reefs in Canada, where muskies move shallow to feed. A straight retrieve with occasional pauses also works, mimicking the water push of glidebaits without pulling the bait out of the strike zone.
Deep Water and Follows
For deep weed edges or breaks, keep the weight in or adjust it for a faster fall. Use long pauses to let the bait hang, drawing muskies up from deeper water. If a fish follows but doesn’t strike, incorporate hard side-to-side rips or downward surges, similar to Bulldog or Medusa retrieves, to trigger a reaction. Most strikes occur on the fall, so be ready for slack-line hits. Feel the line with your hand, and if it surges faster than expected, reel down and set the hook.
Figure-Eight Technique
Unlike bucktails, where you reel to the leader, keep 4–5 feet of line out for the Kraken during the figure-eight. Continue the jerking, falling motion in a large oval pattern, avoiding tight crossovers that could tangle the bait. If a musky follows but hesitates, speed up the corners, then free-spool and dead-stick the bait, letting it fall near the bottom. This often provokes a strike from picky fish. Alternate between dead-sticking and re-engaging the figure-eight to keep the fish engaged.
Bonus Trick: Sideways Weight
An unintended discovery during testing was turning the weight sideways (not flush with the belly). This creates a more aggressive left-to-right action and a slightly faster fall, ideal for deeper presentations or hyper-aggressive retrieves. Loosen the screw, rotate the weight, and snug it back (avoid overtightening to prevent damage). This tweak adds versatility when fish demand a unique action.
Strike Detection and Hookups
The Kraken boasts an excellent hookup ratio, with most muskies striking the head, where two large treble hooks ensure solid connections. Unlike soft plastics, the hard body prevents muskies from ripping through the bait, improving hook penetration. Be prepared for strikes on the fall or hang time, which may feel like a subtle tick or a sudden line surge. Reel down and set the hook firmly when you detect these cues.
Seasonal and Tactical Versatility
The Kraken’s adjustable weighting makes it effective year-round:
- Spring/Early Season: Remove the weight for shallow finesse fishing over weeds or reefs.
- Summer: Use standard weighting for deep weed edges or breaks, focusing on erratic retrieves.
- Fall/Winter: Add weight for deeper presentations, targeting suspended fish or harsh breaks.
For midday bites, when fish transition to shallower zones, remove the weight to keep the bait in the strike zone. This adaptability ensures the Kraken remains effective across conditions.
The Livingston Lures Kraken is a versatile, innovative jerkbait that redefines musky fishing. Its adjustable weighting, water-intake design, and hybrid construction allow for a range of retrieves, from finesse shallow presentations to aggressive deep-water rips. By mastering its rigging, retrieves, and figure-eight techniques, you can target finicky muskies on deep weed edges, reefs, and breaks. Experiment with the Kraken, tweak its setup, and fish it with confidence in the right locations.