Safe Handling for Musky
We’ve entered one of the best times of year for us here at Virginia Trophy Guides, musky season. This comes with a lot of safe handling practices for us, and we always like to share with others the best practices we’ve found.
A lot of being able to ensure the safe release of a musky comes with the tackle and equipment used. Starting with the rods, we primarily use 10-12wt rods. Using anything lighter, not only makes it harder on your shoulder, but it makes it harder to create a short fight into the net, as to not completely exhaust the musky. We also use either 80lb fluorocarbon or wire in our leaders to ensure that we are not losing flies or lures in the musky after a bite-off. The last thing we want to do is make it harder for a Virginia musky to eat in the future. Nets and cradles are a contentious topic within the musky world, however, we use the biggest nets possible. We’re either using musky-specific Stowmaster or RS nets with heavy bags or a musky-specific cradle. The last thing you want to do is cram a musky into a small net.
After you’ve bagged your musky, it’s important to do a few simple things to ensure that it is going to swim off healthy. Removing the hook quickly, and efficiently isn’t always easy with musky, as sometimes they will inhale a fly or lure deep. Having long, heavy pliers, bolt or hook cutters, jaw spreaders, and a hook remover is crucial to safe handling when musky fishing. If a musky is hooked deep, it’s almost always easier to cut the hooks with cutters, and remove the rest of the hook afterwards.
Getting a picture of one of these elusive predators is obviously expected after landing one. Let's be honest, you earned it! However, it’s important to handle it with care. We try to advocate for a grip and grin in which one hand is firmly around the tail, and the other hand is supporting the weight of the fish under the belly. We try our best to avoid the gill plate hold, or holding vertically if possible, and we think you should as well. Best thing you can do when pulling a musky out of the net is face the head towards the net in the water, so if they start to squirm or fight, they can be put back in the net bag to calm down. Remember to keep these fish out of the water as little as possible. This included putting them on the bump board for an accurate length. We try to work swiftly, to ensure these river beasts are strong enough to swim off.
After you’ve gotten some quick photos, you’re going to want to hold onto the musky’s tail, with their head facing into the current. This pushes water through the gills, and helps them revive after a long fight. They’ll start to give you signs they’re ready to go when they go side to side in the current, and start to kick off. If this is the case, give them a shove into the current, and back to the depths!
We hope this is informative, and if you have any questions about safe handling practices for musky here in Virginia or anywhere, don’t hesitate to reach out!
-Austin & Josh
