Dive and Rise Muskies

Ontario offers the best muskie fishing anywhere—and fall is the prime time to catch your fish of a lifetime.

Ontario offers the finest muskie fishing on Earth and there is no better time to catch the trophy of a lifetime than the next two months. It is all about the big toothy critters’ summer home ranges breaking down and their fall territories coming into play. And if you talk to seasoned pros, like Lisa Goodier, one of the renowned Ottawa River Musky Factory guides or Chris Huskilson, the Product Specialist for Peterborough Pro Tackle, you will hear two phrases repeated constantly….dive and rise and pull and pause.

angler with muskie

(Photo credit: Gord Pyzer)

“If I could only take one lure with me on a fall muskie trip,” says Goodier, “it would be a 14-inch Frankensuick. It has an adjustable weighting system that lets you switch from 6.7- to 11 ounces. You can also fine-tune the running depth by bending the metal tail. When you do this you can work the lure over shallow weeds or get it down five or six feet in the water column. The dive and rise action imitates an injured or dying baitfish and the hang time gets the big muskies excited.”

angler holding muskie fish

Chris Hulkinson opts for large tube jigs when the water temperature dips in the fall. (Photo credit: Chris Huskilson )

Huskilson, on the other hand, opts for big 10- and 12-inch Red October Monster tube jigs to smack knee-knocking muskies. And he concentrates his time on the water to the afternoon hours, when the big bite window often opens up widely.

“When the water temperature drops below 60° F / 15° C my big tube rod rarely leaves my hands,” he says. "I love fishing tubes in current, where I can focus on areas with abrupt depth changes, eddies and breaks. But I will also fish tubes over the basin. A hard bottom is essential and if there are bass around, I know I’m fishing in a high percentage area.”
angler holding fish
(Photo credit: Chris Huskilson )

To get the erratic pull and pause gliding action that is so successful, Huskilson says a long powerful muskie rod is essential.

“I’ve started using a 9’5” heavy action Daiwa Prorex rod teamed up with a Prorex reel spooled with a 100-pound test J-Braid X Grand line and I can throw the tubes further than I’ve ever been able to in the past. Tubes aren’t bottom contact or vertical jigging baits for me. I fish them very slowly, like super erratic glide baits, except they never move the same way twice.”
angler with fishing rod
Photo credit: Daniel Notarianni
anglers holding musky

Muskie guide, Lisa Goodier instructs her guests to always keep their rods in position to make a powerful sideways hookset. (Photo credit: Mike Spratt )

Goodier, too, opts for a stout muskie stick in the fall, picking an extra heavy action 9-foot Shimano Compre as her weapon of choice. But she keeps two reels in the boat, a 400 regular series Tranx and a high-speed version spooled with 80-pound test Power Pro.

“I use the high-speed reel late in the season,” she explains, “as I can still work dive and rise baits slowly. But the high gear ratio lets me pick up slack quickly as the hits often come during the pause. When the weather gets so cold that I am forced to wear gloves, I love the big power handle.”
anglers with fish

(Photo credit: Daniel Notarianni )

When I ask the two pros to give me a final fall tip to land the biggest fish of your life, Goodier says always keep your rod positioned for a good hook set. "I often see people with their rod tip near the windshield,” she chuckles.

“If a fish hits when you have it there, you have no choice but to set straight up which is the worse possible way. I’ve had guests straighten 7/0 hooks when they tried to set into the roof of a muskie’s mouth. So set hard, but always to the side.”
anglers holding large fish

(Photo credit: Mike Spratt )

“The best suggestion I can give,” says Huskilson, “is to always hit your tube on slackline while you are twitching it back to the boat. Fish it the same way you would a jerk bait or a walk-the-dog-style topwater for smallmouth. If you don’t hit it on a slackline, you’ll greatly limit the hang time and erratic action. I throw a lot of big rubber in the fall and nothing produces the numbers and size of fish for me like a tube. It’s a mainstay on my boat.”

Now, repeat after me: dive and rise and pull and pause.

About Gord Pyzer

Gord Pyzer is the fishing editor of Outdoor Canada magazine and field editor of In-Fisherman magazine. He is the co-host of the Real Fishing Radio Show and host of Fish Talk With The Doc.

Recommended Articles

Extreme Weather Walleye

Red Pine Lodge located on Ivanhoe Lake and is full of walleye.

10 Facts About Lake of the Woods

10 facts amazing about this massive Northwest Ontario Lake!

3 Great Ontario Walleye Destinations

Karl of Extreme Angler recommends must do walleye lakes in Ontario.

Ontario Brook Trout

Fish these 10 sweet spots.

Tag Team Walleye

Experience the fishing at White Moose Wilderness Outpost.

Top 5 Flies for Smallmouth Bass

The inside scoop on bass flies from the hosts of The New Fly Fisher.

Ontario’s Top 5 Ice-Out Species

Here’s where you head to kick off your open water season with a bang.

Catching Ontario Walleye

Pro Tips for Bait and Walley Presentations

5 Places to Shore Fish

Fish’n Canada shows you where to go shore fishing in Ontario.

5 Tips for your Fly-in DIY Adventure

Imagine fishing on a secluded pristine remote lake.

Ontario Multi-Species Fishing Lodges

High quality angling and top notch accommodations await at these fishing lodges.

Fishing and Foraging

Add some fresh foods and forage to your fishing adventures!

The Tigers of Sunset Country

The most picturesque of all freshwater fish.

Top 5 Musky Destinations in Ontario

The Musky Hunter shows you where to land the best musky in Ontario waters.

Keystone Muskies

Fishing Tips for Targeting Muskie on Cedar Lake

Top 10 Fly Patterns for Brook Trout

Learn Brook Trout Fly Pattern Choices for Surface Fly Fishing

Four Seasons of Bass in Ontario

Northern Ontario is home to year-round bass.

Top 5 Baits for Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass

What baits do you use to target bass? Find out why these 5 are the best!

Steelhead and Salmon of Northern Ontario

Ontario's north is home to tributaries of Lake Superior and Lake Huron—and many species of salmon and steelhead

The Largemouth Show

Fishing Fall Bass in the St. Marys River