Ahh Muskies!
You using a charter? Blame the captain!
Renting a boat? Blame the captain.
Walking around Burt or Mullet? Blame the captain!
Any intel on where they're being found in the water column? Temp , oxygen ect?
One day a angleworm or two inch minnows can get hit.
The next day a duck or two foot snake isn't enough.
And on the same day I've had one in several feet of water under lily pad edge in a channel chase and clobber a foot or longer flat tailed fake crawler swam just below the surface like a snake (don't find them anymore) and maybe fifty yards beyond on a deep drop a second one hit a medium crank bait.
Far beyond that was a dredged trench with a spring they liked to sulk around on bottom when in a neutral mood. Then move up under shallow cover (like one memorial floating dock) to ambush prey from.
What they are feeding on can matter. Though opportunists stimulated will hit a lot of things.
Trolling a mix can help. But lure speed and depth control gets harder with mixed offerings.
Some swear by having a lure working in the prop wash for insurance.
I wouldn't want to connect with a fifty inch fresh musky there though...
Depth in water column.
Speed of retrieve or troll.
Action of lure or bait.
Location musky are in , and what activity level they are at.
Or , just fish for them!
Calm water surface can see cruisers up high. But temp of surface water (and wind or breeze can push it downwind) and wave action can affect feeding behavior. Needs to be targets on or near the surface too when calm or fish can be expected to be focused on potential prey elsewhere/deeper.
Edges, shelfs, drop offs used as corrals , weeds to hide in like cops awaiting speeders , bottom cruising , current use...Lots of variables.
But a good consistent habitat is a unique niche vs cruising an entire basin.
A musky using a small area due to it's vantage can be duplicated. But is dependent on conditions too.
Somewhere a giant just ate.
And will again eventually.
What's on the menu? And will it stimulate lateral lines or just trigger a strike from sight? Or both?
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