When muskie-fishing expert Howard Wagner and I got together last week, the main topic of conversation was about what beginning muskie anglers can do to improve their success.

Here are a few of those tips:

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Keep the bait in the water: "A lot of folks new to muskie fishing tend to spend way too much time changing baits," Wagner said. "As a result, half of the day they don't have a bait in the water. The anglers that catch the most muskies are the ones that keep their lures wet."Muskie lures are expensive, running from under $10 to more than $50. It's not necessary to have several colors of each variety. The best approach is to have an example or two from several categories, such as bucktail, spinnerbait, minnowbait, crankbait and topwater. Toss in a couple larger crankbaits for trolling.Learn how to manipulate the lures that you own and find out the best conditions for each of them.•

Begin by learning a lake or two: Both Wagner and I have noticed that new muskie anglers have a tendency to run all over the place, trying out every lake and river within a 100-mile radius known to support the species."That's a big reason they don't catch muskies as often as they feel they should," said Wagner. "Running from one lake to another, they don't really learn the details necessary to consistently take muskies. A person is much better off sticking with a lake or two, ones close to home, so they can spend as much time on them as possible."•

Trim larger lakes down to size: It makes no sense to attempt to fish a huge lake like Pymatuning in one day."Muskie fishing is a waiting game," said Wagner. "When they get in the mood to feed, when their activity level picks up, you don't want to be on a long boat ride miles away from a spot you know has muskies."Wagner said the right approach is to cut up a big lake into pieces, like a pie. Learn one slice at a time. When you are familiar with a section, have learned its contours, discovered where the weed beds and wood are, maybe taken a few fish from it, you'll have the confidence to be there when the fish become active.•

Troll to learn a new water: Trolling is a great way to learn a new piece of water. Not that many muskie anglers need encouragement to troll. It's often the preferred tactic in these parts, so much so that it's pretty much the only way most folks approach it.But trolling should be viewed as more than a means to an end. Trolling allows you to learn the intricacies of a lake. Watching your sonar as you troll shows you where humps, channels and weeds are located. Keeping your eyes tuned to the details of your surroundings tips you off to places that are better casting spots.And though catching a muskie by any means is an accomplishment, feeling the raw power of the fish when it interrupts the retrieve of a cast is a special moment.