Tools help anglers hooked on muskies
The muskie is a difficult fish to catch. And, like a dog chasing a car, when you finally do land one, what do you do?
With a mouthful of daggerlike teeth and a typically bad attitude, a hooked muskie presents a danger to anglers who aren't prepared.
Over the past three decades, a strong catch-and-release ethic has evolved in regard to muskies, the reflection of a more enlightened attitude that reflects well-deserved respect for the species.
Most legal muskies were killed 30 years ago. Today, the release mentality, coupled with higher minimum length limits, sees most muskies being let go. Anglers properly outfitted to handle muskies can do so with minimum stress to the fish while maximizing their own safety.
Probably the best thing to come along in years has been oversized landing nets specifically designed for large predators.
Huge nets like Frabill's Big Kahuna and Beckman's Pen Fin-Saver allow muskies to be held in the water at boatside after being landed. The special netting is designed to be easy on the fish's fins, and the net's impressive diameter allows even a 50-inch muskie to stretch out.
Keeping the muskie boatside allows its head to remain underwater, where it can recuperate from the struggle. It also gives anglers time to calm down and to prepare for the unhooking process.
Unhooking a muskie is the event that poses the greatest threat to both angler and fish. Tools to accomplish the task include long-handled pliers, as well as quality hook cutters. Unhooking is done while the muskie remains in the net with its head underwater as much as possible.
How the muskie is hooked, as well as with what, will help determine how to get it free. Muskies often are caught on lures that feature two or three razor-sharp treble hooks. If the fish is hooked with only one of the trebles, it sometimes will unhook itself in the net,
When this fortunate occurrence happens, it's usually within seconds of the fish being netted.
Long-handled needlenose pliers, especially ones with angled tips, and channel lock-style pliers are good unhooking tools. The 10-inch handles keep the angler's hands a safe distance from the fish's mouth, reducing the chance of getting impaled on a hook or raked by a tooth.
They also furnish the gripping power and leverage to lock onto the shank of the hook and to twist or pull it free. Tools made specifically for freeing hooks are also useful.
The act of pulling one hook free can sometimes bury another one in the fish. If a partner is present, having him or her hold the lure away from the fish with a second set of pliers will help prevent this.
Lures like single-hook spinnerbaits and jigs are much easier to unpin from a muskie. Usually, it's just a case of grabbing the hook at the bend and twisting in the direction that backs it out.
Often, it's more feasible to cut the hooks. The criterion is this: If the unhook job doesn't appear simple, it's time to start cutting. The average pair of side cutters isn't going to shear a muskie hook, especially the shank of a heavy treble hook. The tool that will is a Knipex cutter. There are cheaper small bolt-cutter style tools that do a fair job, but the Knipex is so superior you'll probably end up buying one eventually. Put a wrist lanyard on it to prevent losing it overboard.
Once the lure is free from the fish, it's usually a fairly simple chore to pull out the remaining hook pieces. Carry a supply of hooks onboard to replace any you had to cut. .
While it might be a while before it's time to launch the boat in quest of muskies, now's the perfect to to assemble the items needed for their safe release.
Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.
