Crankin' Deep for June Muskies
by Crash Mullins
Musky Hunter Field Editor

As most of you Muskie anglers already know, spring and fall are the prime times to be fishing for these "toothy critters". The last few articles I've covered some techniques for early spring fishing which covered the months of March through May. As we ease into June, you should adjust your technique as well.  

By June, the water temperatures are climbing into the 80?s which means that you should begin to crank deeper now. Early in the mornings, and late in the evenings, most Muskie's will be in more shallow water; you?ll also find them there on cloudy, overcast days. Once the sun gets up high you should start looking in deeper waters. Here at Cave Run I will start crankin' deep when the surface temps reach about 75 degrees.

BREAK POINTS

One of the things you should do is to look for what I call shelves or break points where you’d have your boat positioned in about 15 to 25 feet of water. When you cast to one side of your boat you would be throwing into about 5 feet of water, cranking back to deeper water to the boat. Cast to the outside and you will be cranking the lure from much deeper water back to your boat. Look for long points that are adjacent to deep water which creates this shelf style fishing. I look for a staircase point which means I am able to cast into 5 to 45 feet of water from the same boat position.  

"WHAT'S THE WATER TEMPERATURE?"

Just because the air temperature is hot does not mean that you have to be crankin' deep yet. You should rely only on the water surface temperature, and when it reaches 75 and above, then you begin the crank deep. Remember now, when you’re crankin' deep is to always figure 8 your lure at the boat. Don’t make the mistake of pulling your lure out of the water 2 or 3 feet from the boat! Cast your bait out there and begin your retrieval, now when you get your lure back to the boat keep the lure moving, and make a figure 8 through the water with your lure and rod. Trust me, this is one of the best techniques you can ever learn to use, it will definitely pay off for you. More often than not, that Muskie is following low behind that lure and that this is one of the most critical times for him to strike right there at the boat, so keep your lure in the water. 

LOOK FOR COVER

On bright, sunny days I like to look for a lot of cover. Cave Run Lake has plenty of cover, especially on the staircase or shelf areas. Now, when the water temps have reached that 75 degree mark, these muskies could be suspended at or around 10 feet deep. This is important to remember because if your are crankin' at 15 feet you are going right underneath him. One thing I have learned over the years is that if the Muskie is suspended, he will not dive down below him to hit your lure, but he will come up for a strike. Ideally, you should use your fish finder to locate them, I recommend Bottom Line Electronics. Locate what depth you think these Muskies are holding and match your lure choice to run at that depth. It’s better to run the lure a foot or two less than a foot too deep.  

EQUIPMENT

 Electronics

You should use a good fish finder locator. I use 2 of them, one is mounted on my console and the second one is set up with my electric trolling motor up front which is extremely handy for me. I use a Tournament Champion Series and a Tournament Master Series made by Bottom Line. 

Rod, Reel, & Line

I prefer to use at least a 6’9" rod and go up to a 7’6" St. Croix, which in my opinion is as good as it gets. You need to use the larger rods in order to make a longer cast to get the lure down deeper on the retrieve, plus it makes completing your figure eight a whole lot easier. You need a good bait casing reel, I use Shimano's 400 Calcutta or a 400 Corsair loaded with 25 to 30 lb. Musky Mono line made by Cortland. There are times that I also use 80 lb. Spectron by Cortland. Spectron is a super braided line and is really great for cranking deep because it’s a very low stretch line. I use a 90 lb. 7# strand Leader, 7 to 12 inches long. I’ll also be using a 12 inch, 100 lb. Mono hard line leader that is great for smaller crank baits. All of my leaders are made by "Musky Bills Guide Series Tackle", you may spend a little extra money but it is well worth it. 

LURE SELECTION*

DEPTH RAIDERS - BELIEVERS - 'LIL' ERNIES - BILL NORMAN DB3 SERIES 

* These are only a few of the may deep running lures that are on the market, but these work extremely well for myself and my clients.