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You are here: Home / Boating & Fishing / Best Musky Lures: 5 Our Top Picks (Reviews 2022)

Danny (Escape trailers) / April 18, 2022

Best Musky Lures: 5 Our Top Picks (Reviews 2022)


When it comes to fishing for musky, there are a whole range of great lures available. Typically, people think of big lures and heavy tackle when they think of musky fishing. However, you will need to choose your lure carefully for different times of year as musky behave very differently in the winter, spring, and summer. But what is the best lure for muskie? When and where should I fish for musky? And how hard are musky to catch?
The Best Musky Lures For Musky Fishing Reviews
In this post, we will answer all these questions and more. We will also help you know exactly what to look out for when purchasing best musky lures. Finally, we will pick out five of our favorite musky lures for different seasons and fishing styles. Read on to find your perfect musky lures for fishing.

Our Top Picks

Best musky lures for winter: Sfeexun’s Lifelike Giant Sinking Fishing Bait

For a massive deepwater lure ideal for musky fishing in the depths of winter, this heavy and neutrally buoyant lure will win you some big musky battles.

Best musky lures for summer: Mepp’s BM HO-BO MuskyKiller-Bucktail

For a weighted bucktail that will make your summer musky fishing incredibly fruitful, this lure will help you boat more muskies than ever before.

Best musky lures for spring: Musky Mania’s 6-Inch Jake Crank Bait Natural Perch

For a smaller lure more suitable for musky you’ll find roaming shallower waters in the spring, this crankbait is ideal for musky in the spring.

Best musky lures for lake of the woods: Mizugwa’s Musky Lures Bulldawg Soft Bait Lures

For a musky lure that is going to bring you the biggest catches, these bulldawgs are great on lakes and offer different presentations so you can tempt in even the most cautious large musky.

Best musky lures for trolling: OriGlam’s Slammer Hard Bait Swimbait Fishing Lure

For an affordable set of lures ideal for trolling musky, this great range of lures allows you to try Our different presentations to get more musky into your boat.

NameOur RatingPrice
Lixada 8-inch multi-segment and jointed hard plastic lure4.5$
Mepps Magnum Musky Killer4.6$
Mizugiwa Fishing Zabder Freshwater Tackle4.2$
Mepps Musky Killer Spinnerbait4.8$

What Are the Best Musky Lures?

There is no one size fits all when it comes to the best musky lures. However, fortunately, with musky fishing, all sorts of jigs, crankbaits, bucktails, and more are tempting for fish and will work great. You can also choose from a range of weights, shapes, and sizes to see what works best for you. Indeed, it’s a good idea to carry a few different lures with you when musky fishing as their needs can change during the day and at different times of year.
Take the time to see the appropriate action to take with different lures. If you’re fishing during the winter months then you will want a slow action lure as the musky will be more docile n the cold water. When it comes to the spring and summer months you will be after a faster action lure. The fall might be the most fruitful months when it comes to musky fishing as they stock up on food for the winter months ahead, so you’ll want to choose the biggest lures for the fall months for the best fall musky lures.
Bucktails, crankbaits, and bulldawgs can all be great lures when fishing for musky. However, it is also worth trying with any of the following:

  • musky lures bucktail
  • musky lures trolling
  • musky lures topwater
  • musky lures medusa
  • custom musky lures
  • big wood musky lures
  • custom painted musky lures
  • baker musky lures

Where is the best musky fishing?

Musky, or more fully, muskellunge, are pretty uncommon across the US. Because of their long and slender build, they are often confused with the more abundant Northern Pike. However, you can find musky in the Northern and North-eastern parts of the United States as well as in that area of Canada. You’ll find it in decent numbers in Lake St. Clair that traverses the US/Canadian border in the states of Michigan (USA) and Ontario (Canada). Lake of the woods in Minnesota is another hotspot. Musky is also the state fish of Wisconsin, which is a great place to fish for musky.

Where can I find musky?

Once you’ve picked a location to fish for musky, you still need to find where they like to hang out. As mentioned, this will be different at different times of the year. During the winter months, you’ll need deeper baits as the musky seek out the warmer water which is found at depth in the winter. During the spring they will be in shallow waters and you’ll find you catch smaller fish. In the summer months, they will be more mobile so you’ll need to cover more ground to find them and they could be in shallow or deeper waters. In the fall head to the weeds where they will be stocking up on food for the winter.

Top 5 best musky lures reviews

So you know a bit about what sorts of lures work for different times of year and where to look for musky in warmer and colder waters. Now, all you need to do is find the lure that suits your needs. To help get you started we have picked out 5 of our favorite lures for different times of year and various settings. The list below has something for everyone and all these lures are affordable for all.

#1 Best musky lures for winter: Sfeexun’s Lifelike Giant Sinking Fishing Bait

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If you’ve gone into battle with a musky and had your little gear lures shredded, then you will love this giant musky lure. Over 8 inches long and great for deep water fishing, this lure makes the ideal lure to get into the depths those musky will be hiding during the winter months. You’ll find muskies seeking out the warmer spots which are in the lower depths during the winter. They will love this big bait just as long as you work it really nice and slow.
Other good things about this winter musky lure are that: it is heavy and neutrally buoyant making it easy to work slowly in the water; it works great with long hang time approaches and a twitch and pause action (just be sure to keep your action methodical); it has a realistic swimming style making it easier to catch musky; the sharp hooks ensure you musky latch on; it is suitable for fresh and salt-water, and; it is made from eco-friendly materials. The downside of this lure is that it is not big enough for the largest musky.
#Musky_Lure #Winter_Musky_Lure #Big_Lures #Deep_Lures #Winter_Fishing_Lure

#2 Best musky lures for summer: Mepp’s BM HO-BO MuskyKiller-Bucktail

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If you’re looking for the best musky lures for river fishing or the summer months, then look no further than this heavily weighted bucktail. Bucktails are the crème de la crème of musky fishing and far and away the best musky lures during the summer months. They make it easy to fish faster, cover lots of water, and try lots of different presentations. You’ll need to try all these techniques if you want to fish musky successfully during the summer months when they are much more mobile.
Other pros of this summer musky lure are that: it is made from high-quality materials and is made in the USA; when wet is 7-inches from the tip to tail allowing you to catch bigger musky; it is easy to make consistent figure of eights that musky will love with this lure; the bright orange color is a tempting presentation for musky in the summer months, it is a great price, and; it really is a must-have lure type for lovers of musky fishing. The downside of this lure is that it is no god for winter months.
#Summer_Musky_Lure #Lures #Summer_Musky_Bait #Summer #Summer_Fishing

#3 Best musky lures for spring: Musky Mania’s 6-Inch Jake Crank Bait Natural Perch

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It’s tempting to reach for your go-to summer lures the moment the sun breaks from behind the clouds in spring. However, this is not the best approach to catching musky in spring. Early in the season, you’ll find musky basking in shallow waters. The musky on offer will also be much smaller than later on in the season as the cold water keeps their appetite down. As such, this 6-inch crankbait is much more likely to be successful than larger summer or winter lures.
Other great things about this springtime musky lure are that: it is ideal for finding musky in shallow to mid-depth waters in lakes where they will likely be in the spring; it mimics the sorts of fish musky will be after during the spring-like perch, ciscoes, small walleyes, and the like; it is a modest size to reflect the sort of musky that will be around in the spring, and; it works well when crisscrossing potential fishing spots. The downside of this bait is that it can get snagged in weed quite easily in really shallow depths.
#Spring_Lures #Spring_Musky #Spring_Fishing #Spring_Musky_Lure #6_Inch_Crankbait

#4 Best musky lures for lake of the woods: Mizugwa’s Musky Lures Bulldawg Soft Bait Lures

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Whether you are looking for the best musky lures lake St Clair or lake of the woods, this 2 pack of 12-inch bulldawgs will be just what you need. The contrasting colors of the two lures works great in both lake of the woods and lake St Clair. Rocky areas and areas with weeds will be the hotspots when it comes to musky here for most times of the year. If you struggle to get a bite don’t go home early as musky are less spooked by boats as the light goes and they can no longer see it.
Other pros about these bulldawg musky lures are that: they are rigged with a handy integrated top hook making it simple to hook these lures up; the soft plastic feels realistic to fish encouraging them to make the bight; it can be used with slow, medium, or even fast retrieve styles so long as you use a twitching and jerking action, and; you’ll catch big fish with these huge lures. The downside of this musky lure is that it only has a subtle bump at the moment the lure is hit so you’ll need to be alert!
#Bulldawg #Bulldawg_Musky #Bulldawg_Musky_Lure #Bulldawg_Fishing #Bulldawg_Baits

#5 Best musky lures for trolling: OriGlam’s Slammer Hard Bait Swimbait Fishing Lure

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This 10-piece set of hard bait fishing lures are  great for trolling in fresh or salt-water. Whilst muskies can be known to follow cranks without hitting on the troll, thanks to the random movement of these lures you’ll impart action much easier. With 10 sizes and colors in the set, you are also able to give different presentations a try if things aren’t working out for you with your chosen lure. These high-quality lures are great for trolling musky and give you great flexibility.
Other pluses of these great trolling musky lures are that: they have a life-like swimming action enhanced with a moving tail encouraging musky to take the bait; the 2 BKK hooks ensure musky latch on; the fish have reflective scales akin to fish making them more attractive for musky when trolling; the hooks are impressively durable; the built-in steel ball helps you get the lure out further form the boat, and; they are shock resistant. The downside of these lures is that they are pretty small at just 3.54 inches.
#Trolling #Trolling_Musky #Trolling_Lure #Trolling_Musky_Lures #Musky_Trolling_Lure

What is the best time to fish for muskie?

Musky can be caught at any time of day with the right gear and action. However, if you are struggling to land one, you may want to give night fishing a try. The lack of light means they are less perturbed by the boat or will likely not see it at all. This encourages them to take the plunge on your lure more easily. When it comes to seasons, the fall is the most fruitful as this is when they really stock up on food and will go for anything.

Is Musky hard to catch?

Known as the fish of 10,000 casts, musky are notorious for being somewhat of a challenge to catch. However, with a decent lure and proper understanding of how to use it, you can catch huge musky if you know where to look. Smaller musky fish are easier to catch with fewer casts too, although you will notice they are harder to catch than similarly sized pike. Catching musky trolling is hard if you are not used to trolling but will be your best shot at a heavyweight.
Remember, musky aren’t picky when it comes to food and will eat frogs, rats, and fish, amongst other things. Give different lures a go if you find landing a hit a challenge no matter when, where, or how you fish and it might just be the secret to your success.

Should I choose a Live Musky Bait or a musky lures?

Live bait fishing for musky is an old tradition. However, live bait is expensive, requires you to carry them in enough water on your boat to keep them fresh, and it can seem crueler. Generally speaking, it requires a bit more skill with no live bait so you can take all the credit for your catch this way.

What does musky fish taste like?

Most people fish musky for sport rather than to eat as the fish is pretty bland in flavor. Given they are not abundant, it is also better etiquette not to take them away and in some states may be illegal to do so. Either way, it’s not really worth it as there are plenty tastiest fish out there than musky.

Conclusion

Catching musky is great fun and there are so many different ways you to entice them in. The baits on this list are great to have in your armory for different times of year. Its also always a good idea to give a few baits a try as musky can be a challenge to catch. However, with these lures, you’ll have a great chance if you follow the tips above and earn the right action for your chosen lures.
>> READ MORE:

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Danny (Escape trailers)

Camping at the beautiful Wokas Lake Forestry campground with our friends. The water was crystal clear and the lake was refreshing! Even Fani, our dog, who is NOT a water dog, found herself submerged from time to time. The last picture is our overnight in the grand metropolis of Campbell River, looking out at Quadra Island...our next destination. #escapetrailers

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