This monstrous muskie strikes at the last possible second.
The muskie is known as the fish of 10,000 casts for good reason. Large ones just don't come around that often. When they do, you must make the best of the opportunity. Because you may not get another chance at another for quite some time. This is probably how anglers developed the figure eight technique.
Muskie are notorious lure followers. They'll tail your lure all the way back to the boat and then turn away and disappear at the last possible second. The solution is to quickly dip the tip of the rod in the water and "swim" the lure in a figure eight shape.
Sometimes, that little bit of extra, fast action is all it takes to produces a strike. It doesn't always work, but when it does, it can produce the fish of a lifetime. In today's video, you'll see the technique worked to perfection.
In addition to being a highly effective method of getting a last chance at one of these fish, catching a fish off the figure eight must be one of the single most exciting ways ever to catch such a large predatory fish. The muskie here, taken off Minnesota's famous Mille Lacs Lake, completely passed off the first angler's lure. Notice that the angler who caught the fish increased the speed of the lure slightly. That was all it took to trigger a reaction bite.
Just make sure you have a long, heavy, and strong line. The fight for this fish was short because they had it so close to the boat. That showed as they tried to corral it in the net and for the photo afterwards. It wasn't worn down the way a muskie who took the bait normally might be.
This muskie was a once-in-a-lifetime fish for sure. The fact that they captured it on video so they can remember it forever just makes the trip all the more memorable!
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
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