Catching Muskie with Live Bait

Some people frown upon using live bait for musky. Others swear by it. It “may be” controversial in some corners, but it works. Knowing how and where to use live bait can prove very beneficial. For this In The Spread winter muskie fishing video, our venue is the still water environment of a lock adjacent to a dam. This is a great holding place for bigger fish in a reservoir system. It is the furthest point upstream these fish can go. It is the end of the road and a great place to hook into a big muskie. This is the perfect spot to use live baits. Cory Allen is your host and the original Tennessee Valley Muskie Authority. Cory has not just fished southern reservoirs a whole lot, he has studied them. He possesses a keen understanding of how muskellunge behave in this system and why live bait in the wintertime can put you in the cat birds seat to catch big fish. Cory will be using both big and small baits to cover the eating spectrum for winter musky. I am sure you have heard tell of the bass or walleye fisherman that caught a nice muskie using small lures. So, small live baits are important to your offering. By small we mean 4 to 5 inch shiners. Hey, and like they say, big bait for big fish. For the bigger offering, we will fish 12 to 18 inch rainbow trout. Trout make an excellent and very hardy bait. They thrive in colder water. You will learn about the Joe Murphy #stff live bait rigs and why they are outstanding. See how the rigs are assembled and why they provide more of a free swimming motion for the bait. Cory will show you with great care how to rig live trout for muskie fishing. He will also show you how to make a Carolina rig and use it for rigging shiners. Understand the terminal tackle for each outfit and how to deploy it in the water column. The coolest part is watching the bait on the graph get fired on by muskie. While not a panacea, fishing this way gives you a good chance at having multiple fish days. Learn about the weights, leader material, why it is better to go light, the hooks and the importance of giving your bait enough leash to roam freely and present a more natural appearance. It is always best to know more, to learn from exceptional fishermen. That is what we try to offer with this video, a chance to add a few kernels of knowledge to your fishing play book. Never stop learning. [Muskie Fishing Videos](https://inthespread.com/muskie-fishing-videos)