Close musky encounters

Encounters with muskies that have followed the fly to within sight range provide some of the most exciting experiences in the pursuit of the fish of 10,000 casts. And having a good close-range game can be the difference between a simple encounter and putting a trophy musky in the bag.

Working the fly close in starts with rigging and consistency. After each cast I retrieve the fly to within approximately a foot and a half of the rod tip. My leader is attached to the fly line with a low-profile knot that slides in and out of the guides of the rod smoothly with no hesitation. I use about 18 inches of knotable wire bite guard and each retrieve ends with the knot between the bite guard and the main leader bumping up against the tip top of the rod. 
 
From there I perform a figure 8 movement with the rod tip deep in the water. I’ll add the figure 8 at the end of every retrieve whether seeing a musky follow or not. And instead of a true 8 movement I typically opt for a large oval made with wide turns. I have found an oval to be a bit less taxing to employ over the course of a day and provides more control of always moving the fly away from the fish. Employing the figure 8 or oval after every cast seems like a lot of effort but when performed with consistency this approach will end up with hookups on deep following fish that would otherwise have been squandered opportunities. For full control I use two hands when performing the figure 8 or oval with the line pinched off against the cork by the hand on the upper grip and held by the hand on the lower grip or butt of the rod.
 
When I see a follow there is an immediate effort to engage the fish into locking on the fly while continuing to chase and to have it not notice the rod, boat, and my profile. This can be accomplished by rolling right into the oval and speeding up the fly at the same time. The side view of the fly as it turns and presents a T-bone attack angle that is often the trigger for a strike. I also speed the fly up into the turns. This combination of angle and speed is my most consistent producer of a positive reaction. I continue to pick up the speed until the fish eats or swims away. Make sure that the turns are wide and that the fly is never moving back toward the fish. Sometimes I’ll change my position to make sure the fly is moving away from the musky. 
 
There is never just one right way when it comes to musky, in fact the opposite is often true. Sometimes a softer approach can work as well. For flies that are fished slow or to mimic a vulnerable or half dead bait, it may not look natural for the fly to suddenly begin swimming at a fast rate. Reading a musky’s body language as it moves into sight range may indicate that continuing to move and bump the fly slowly will keep the fish engaged and tempt it to attack the fly before it gets too close to the boat. I have witnessed my good friend Joe Goodspeed work this technique to perfection.
 
Style of the fly and how it is fished impacts the best approach for a musky that follows. It is also my experience that the behavior or reaction of a musky tends to vary from one watershed to another. While my go to approach is generally wide turns and speed, it makes sense to experiment and find the best approach for the water that you frequent. 

For a short video on boat side figure 8 techniques check out this video on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqXbYXexMP8&t=18s
And for more on musky fly fishing check out my book Hunting Musky with a Fly and follow me on Instagram @rickkustich.