Why Downsizing Your Musky Lures Might Be the Best Thing You Do This Summer

Let me start by saying this: I'm not some musky expert. I'm far from a guru.

Most of my musky fishing happens on small, stocked lakes in southern Michigan. According to the Michigan DNR, these fish generally don't reproduce naturally. They're stocked, they get pressured hard, and once they're gone, they're gone until more fish are stocked.

Needless to say, the fishing isn't easy.

These lakes see plenty of boat traffic, and the muskies have probably seen just about every lure ever made. It often feels like it takes every bit of 10,000 casts to finally have one on the end of the line. But after all those hours of trial and error, I've learned a few things.

Without a doubt, the biggest lesson has been this: downsizing my lures has consistently produced more action.

Like a lot of people, I always believed muskies only wanted giant baits. The bigger the lure, the better. Giant bucktails, oversized rubber baits, massive jerkbaits—you name it. After an hour of throwing those things, every muscle in your arms, shoulders, and back is burning.

But after spending years on these small, heavily pressured lakes, I've started to think that's simply not true for every body of water.

My very first musky came while trolling a small orange inline spinner—honestly, it was almost small enough to use for steelhead. That lure got crushed by a solid mid-40s-inch musky.

Since then, I've thrown just about everything imaginable, from giant Medussas and double-bladed Cowgirls to small spoons and Whopper Ploppers. Every musky I've caught to date has eaten a lure under about five and a half inches long.

One trip really drove that point home.

My buddy Tyler and I were fishing one of these notoriously pressured lakes. I was throwing a 4.5-inch twitch bait, while Tyler was casting a small single-blade inline spinner.

The day started fast. Within the first 30 minutes, we'd already moved five fish, and I was able to boat a beautiful mid-30s-inch musky on that little twitch bait. It wasn't a giant by musky standards, but let's be honest—any musky is a good musky.

We continued moving fish throughout the day and ended up having one of our best outings on that lake.

Back at the launch, we talked with three other musky anglers who hadn't even seen a fish all day. Every one of them was throwing traditional big musky baits—a double-bladed bucktail, a Bull Dawg, or a 9-inch Suick.

Was lure size the only difference? Of course not. But it was hard to ignore.

It's also interesting how many muskies get caught by accident on bass tackle in these lakes. Every year you hear stories about someone getting followed or even hooking one on a small crankbait, spinnerbait, or swimbait while bass fishing.

To me, that's another clue.

These pressured muskies are clearly willing to eat smaller presentations.

Now, I'm not saying giant musky lures don't work. They absolutely do, especially if you're targeting true giants looking for one big meal. But if you're fishing smaller, heavily pressured lakes, I think many anglers overlook how effective smaller, more subtle baits can be.

In fact, my biggest musky—a 50-incher—came on a Rapala Super Shad Rap, a bait that's only about 5.5 inches long. It wasn't some giant rubber bait or oversized bucktail with enough flash to light up the lake.

So this summer, if you're chasing muskies on pressured waters, consider putting down the giant baits for a while. Try something a little smaller. Something a little more subtle.

It just might help you boat your next musky.