Mastering muskie fishing’s art of the figure eight

Ask someone why they fish muskies, and the big esox’s willingness to follow lures and hit at boatside comes up almost immediately. With good reason.

Seeing a muskie suddenly materialize behind a lure as it nears the boat, having them chase it at boatside as you move it through a maneuver known as the figure-eight, and then hit – there’s nothing else like it in fresh water.

Follows, as exciting as they are, can also be claw-your-face-off frustrating. Fish that turn away at the last second, chase briefly but lose interest, or just slowly sink out of sight. Yes, follows are fun, but wouldn’t it be nice to get a bite now and then? Especially right at your feet?

Pulling off boatside moves like the figure-eight is one of the steepest parts of the muskie learning curve. There’s no replacement for experience here, but there are some things that flatten the curve and convert a few more of those follows into big-time hits.

I had the great fortune to spend a lot of time with the best when it came to converting follows into strikes – the late Jack Burns. He was the best. His approach was simple, built on a bedrock of observation and the consistent application of sound mechanics: make the fish chase, create triggers, and create opportunities for the fish to intercept the lure.

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Start with observation. Good quality polarized glasses are a must. The further out from the boat you see the fish, the more options you have to trigger a bite while observing the fish’s body language. Is it trailing well behind the lure? Or almost touching it with its nose? Is it swimming a straight line, or side to side? I take any zigzagging as a sign the fish is aggressive.

Your first opportunity to trigger a strike comes as soon as you spot a follow. Begin to play keep-away with the fish as it nears the boat. Gradually increase speed. Resist the urge to slow the lure. Speed is a critical trigger. If the fish wants it, you can’t move it fast enough. Slow down, and they usually lose interest.

As you accelerate, try to get them moving out of a straight line, either horizontally or vertically. Start to zigzag the lure, or bring it up to the surface. Many muskies will woof a bucktail as soon as the blade or blades disturb the surface. Watch how the fish reacts, or doesn’t. If it ignores the speed change, it might be long odds to convert. If it accelerates and starts to move, get ready.

The next chance to trigger a fish is the first move at boatside. This is critical; as the fish nears the boat keep your body movement to a minimum, especially on clear water or with pressured fish. Movement can spook them. If I see a consistent mistake that costs anglers fish, it’s lunging at fish at boatside and moving around too much. Stay still. Try to not lean over the side of the boat as you proceed.

As the rod nears the boat, gradually lower the rod tip underwater so that by the time the lure is boatside, the rod is close to vertical. Stop reeling with 2 to 3 inches of line past the rod tip, and no more. Free spool and clamp your thumb down hard on the line. Make a crisp right-angle turn, or  “L-turn,” right at your feet. The key is a sharp direction change. Aggressive fish will cut the corner and hit right then. I’ve had more than one smash face-first into the hull. No strike on the L-turn? Than it’s time to figure-eight.

From the L-turn, move the rod tip parallel to the boat. As your arms start to extend, begin a wide, smooth turn away from the boat, so your arms are fully extended by the time the turn is complete, then bring the rod tip angling back toward your feet. When it’s in front of you, it should be half way across the turn. Continue towards the boat, then make another wide turn, and repeat. Seen from above, it should look like a large figure-eight, with equally wide turns on each end.

The key is smooth, wide turns. Muskies don’t corner well, and can lose the lure if turns are sharp and jagged. Having trouble? A big oval also works just as well most of the time. Good figure-eights take something to practice. A little time spent getting it down pat will serve you well when a big fish comes in behind your lure.

If a fish is still chasing, try triggering it. Your best tool is usually speed. Play keep-away again, accelerating on straightaways, then slowing slightly – very slightly – on the turns to give the fish a chance to cut the corner and bite. Raise and lower the lure in the water – drive the bait deeper on straight-aways, and bring it closer to the surface on corners.

How long to figure-eight?

It depends on the fish’s body language. Any fast movement is a good sign. Fish that dart off quickly often come back and hit – it’s like they’re backing off to get the lure in the crosshairs for a rush. Keep at it. On the other hand, fish that won’t follow through a figure-eight, or simply sink out of sight, are far less likely to come back and eat. Come back later when conditions change. Unless a fish is really aggressive, I rarely make more casts to the immediate area. They tend to elicit a lazy follow. Again – come back later.

And if a fish does hit? Instinct will often lead you to lift straight upward, but you’ll end up missing a lot of fish. Try to pull the lure back against the fish’s direction of travel without raising the rod tip. If fish hit on the corner, driving the rod straight downward and back toward your feet is usually your best bet.

Then hang on and enjoy the fight. The next few seconds are usually mayhem and whitewater. I’m happy when fish immediately run away from the boat.

I’ve lost way too many fish that simply sit at boatside and shake their heads. There’s little you can do about it.

Converting fish at boatside is one of the most exciting parts of muskie fishing. It’s a skill you can develop. Like many things in fishing, the basics are simple, the refinements are nearly endless. Plan, practice the mechanics and keep the keep-away principle in mind. You’ll see your boatside success rate start to climb.