There aren’t many readers who wouldn’t like to catch a really big Ohio fish. They might try for a huge old flathead catfish or a lunker carp, but for real excitement there’s only one whopper swimming in our waters, the muskellunge or just “muskie.” The state record is over 55 pounds, and the man who caught it must have enjoyed a truly memorable fight. These toothed predators are a worthy opponent, one that strikes hard, runs far, and leaps high, and even a small 30 incher will put a serious bend in your rod, and give you plenty to brag about later with your friends.

There are only five lakes in the state that hold significant numbers of muskies, Clear Fork Reservoir, Leesville Lake, Piedmont, Salt Fork and Alum Creek, though other lakes such as Pleasant Hill turn up an occasional fish, and you might find one in Ohio Brush Creek. Tackle to take one of these whoppers is simple, and I normally use a good rod with plenty of backbone, and a reel with a smooth drag loaded with 20 pound test line. Some muskie hunters favor a steel leader to keep that mouth full of sharp teeth from severing the line, but I never do. The steel is visible and might cause some fish to change their mind about hitting, and I’ve never had one cut through my 20 pound test yet.

Lures tend to be large and expensive, and most anglers favor such as the Bagley Monster Shad, Mepps Giant Killer, Suicks, Creek Chub Pikies, Hell Hounds, twitchbaits like Slammers and Shallow Raiders, or large spinnerbaits. And colors that range from perch finish and fire tiger to silver, silver and blue or sucker colors. You can use those plugs in one of several ways. Casting is favored by many. At Clear Fork, anglers like to work around the islands, then hit a spring along the north shore where hot water muskies like to cool themselves, then move on down to an underwater island near the dam where fish like to linger. Otherwise, they’ll work bays and weed edges. At other lakes, there are more hotspots and probably marina folk can recommend top spots for the big fish.

Jerk fishing is a refinement of ordinary casting, and it depends on a muskie following a plug and trying to decide whether to eat it. This tactic starts with a standard retrieve, then at mid-point or so, you lift the rod and jerk it toward you rapidly. The following fish, if any, sees the meal suddenly trying to get away, and strikes the same way a dog chases a suddenly running cat. It’s always worth a try if action is slow.

The third method, and actually the best, is to troll for your catch. Trolling almost always works better than casting, though it can be as boring as watching grass grow and paint dry. Your lures are in the water full time, and if fishing with a friend you can set one rod far back, another close to the prop wash, and the two others at various depths. Trolling covers plenty of ground and even when they’re being temperamental, you should put one past a hungry muskie’s nose eventually. How fast should you troll in hot water? I talked to two anglers at Leesville one time who had taken three fish that morning. They said they were trolling fast, very fast, and it paid off that day.

Here’s a final thought: Muskies are temperamental fish and you might fish for days to take one, but they seem to lose their caution at night, I met another pair of anglers at Leesville who slept all day and fished all night, using big noisy spinnerbaits right on the surface and various big poppers that gurgled and splashed. They had taken a number of fish and one said “Night fishing is just spectacular! They sound like a depth charge out there when they hit.”