How to fish for musky or muskellunge using live suckers off Clayton N.Y. in the St.Lawrence river
- 1). Trolling and casting are popular ways to fish for muskie in the St.Lawrence river off Clayton New York. There are public boat ramps to launce your boat. If you are not familiar with the area for muskie fishing I would suggest you hire a experienced musky fishing guide. May 2 is the opening day for muskie fishing but the best fishing is in the fall going into winter. It can be very cold on the St.Lawrence river fishing for musky so dress warm. More fishing for muskies include the down stream sides of any of the deep water shoals off the islands between Cape Vincent and Clayton.
- 2). I like to drift the deep water shoals of Clayton using a heavy fishing rig baitcasting tackle spooled with 30-pound test line or stronger and a wire leader,muskie can bite through regular fishing line. If you can find them at the local bait store a 6 to 10 inch sucker hook through the mouth is a great musky killer. I like to use a 1/2 ounce sinker or heavier placed about 3 feet above the hook to let the sucker swim around. Using a fish finder find the shoals that are next to deep water the muskies lay along the rock shoals and feed on bait fish like a sucker. Trolling a large sucker bait is also good for muskie anglers because you can cover more water and increase the chances of a strike from a muskie. Remember muskies take a long time to grow so its important to handle the quickly and release the muskie back into the river as soon as possible.
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musky or muskellunge
While you are visiting Clayton New York take the time to visit the Antique Boat Museum its the world's largest fresh water boat museum.I have been there many times and the boats are absolutely pristine. Remember to practice catch and release when fishing for the St.Lawrence river muskie.
