The Hunt For Big Fish with Larry Dahlberg

Love the show and forums. The local bait shop sells rainbow trout for the stripe bass lake anglers, and bass minnows. The rivers in my local area are shallow rocky rivers with slow deeper areas down to 20' max with laydowns, only accessable by manpower watercraft. DNR shocking test results indicated a muskie fishery and state record muskie caught confirms. There are no trout in the river, use the trout for huge bass or muskie?

Muskies will bite literally any live fish. Usually the best choices are soft finned forage that stays alive on the hook and most importantly, reacts to the presence of a musky.
The problem is the strong possibility of the musky winding up with a hook down it's throat and a better than 90% chance of not surviving.
Use some kind of quick strike rig, or do like I often do, bridle the bait (use BIG baits) by passing your leader wire through the nostrils and crimping it with NO HOOK. Let the musky swallow it completely, get really close with your boat, have the net ready then winch him up and put it in the bag!
best,
L

Thanks, this will be a first with no hook.

Just watch the first 2012 hunt for big fish. Great show, hot water discharges are a big problem on most Southeast Lakes for all species of fish. I am with you for anglers fishing artifical lures only in these areas. Got a five hour period to try for first Muskie but without trout on the river, local tshop only had 6" bass minnows this winter. I drifted them out the back of the boat as I casted to laydowns with large spinners and jointed swimbaits. Perfect weather that day, 60 degrees with 2" inches of rain and 15 to 20 wind, last day before cold front. Covered approximately 4 miles of river banks with laydowns in deepest section of river. Next trip some deeper water between two shoals.