CASTING AND JIGGING FOR MONSTER MUSKY!

DETROIT RIVER / ST. CLAIR RIVER

Some truly awesome musky fishing exists on the Detroit and St. Clair Rivers. Using a combination of cutting edge casting and jigging techniques, we consistently put musky in the boat with multiple fish days being the norm over the exception. While trolling is the most popular method of catching fish in our area, I provide a hands on experience for the musky angler that prefers to cast. The forage base and water quality on our waters are fantastic, producing a lot of 48+ inch trophies each year. If you have any questions about a musky trip, feel free to give me a call or shoot me an e-mail. I look forward to speaking with you soon!

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I don’t know much about very many things. I don’t read the papers, watch the news, follow many sports and I know particularly little about women. What I do know is that musky eat everything else I guide for, they are the coolest fish ever, and one day chicks will dig musky anglers over cowboys. (I also know how to find and catch a few fish, but that’s about it)

Believe it or not, I was at the forefront of jigging for musky in fast current with one of my best friends, Jon Bondy. We used to get bit off a lot vertical jigging for walleye during late-May trips. Then we started vertical jigging bull dawgs (too light, but they worked), later Storm Wild Eye Shads (also worked, but lost a lot of fish), and then Jon came up with a religious epiphany. He told me about this ridiculous creation he dreamed up over the winter, and I was thinking ‘whatever’. Well, after a bit of messing around, Jon invented the Bondy Bait. When it comes to jigging, that thing is the bomb.

With the advent of the Bondy Bait, Jon and I talked about publicizing his bait, therefore letting the cat out of the bag on the Detroit River. Well, as a fishing guide you only have so many things to take to your grave, and for Jon, it is being known as the pioneer of deep jigging on fast moving rivers, and probably more so for the ugly Bondy Bait. Yes, word is out on the Detroit River (In-Fishermen, this, that, and the other), but that’s history.

After a couple thousand hours fishing for musky on the Detroit River, I was able to duplicate a lot of the patterns on the St. Clair River, which in my opinion, is the next frontier in musky fishing. In 2002 I made the call that the Detroit River would become a big name in musky circles (Michigan Outdoor News – Oct. ’02). Well, it certainly has. And now, the St. Clair River is next-mark my word (Michigan Outdoor News – Sept. ’09).

Currently, I mix casting and jigging into most musky trips, changing up when conditions call for it. Bucktails, topwaters, bulldawgs, swim jigs and jerkbaits all come into play depending on the time of year.

From the opener of musky season (the first Saturday in June) through July are peak months on the Detroit River. The water is warmer in the Detroit River this time of year, fed by a warming Lake St. Clair. During August and September the St. Clair River is where it is at, fed from now warm Lake Huron. During the summer months, the night fishing on the Detroit River can be good, depending on the year. When October rolls around, both rivers are good, so we usually fish the one with better clarity given the latest winds. We also cast some specific spots in Anchor Bay and the main lake at times. Mobility is important to consistent success in musky fishing, and I like to fish a lot of places.

From a bass tournament background, and a lot of time over the years fishing for musky, I have learned to trust my instincts and ‘go with the flow’ based on the current conditions. Hopefully we can spend a day together chasing musky this season. I will work as hard as I can with little regard to boat gas burned or tennis elbow nagging to get you into some nice musky. I love these fish.

Good Fishing,

Kevin Long