“Patricia Strutz – Ms. Muskie – with Mepps”

Part 1: How I Teach Someone to Muskie Fish

Editor’s Note: Patricia Strutz of Eagle River, Wisconsin, muskie fishing guide and operator of “A Blond and Her Boat” guide service, is passionate about teaching women, children and first-time muskie fishermen to enjoy the sport she loves. Strutz has caught and boated 50-inch muskie and can compete with the some of the best muskie fishermen in the nation. This week, Strutz explains how she fishes for muskie and how she teaches her clients to fish for muskie.

Question: Patricia, where do you live, and what’s your occupation?

Strutz: I work as an outdoor writer and photographer in Eagle River, Wisconsin, for various fishing- and travel-related publications. I also guide in Eagle River and on many of its local lakes and ponds.

Question: Patricia, for what species do you fish and guide?

Strutz: I catch all fish that swim, but I only guide for muskie and northern pike.

Question: What kind of clients do you generally guide?

Strutz: About 60% of my customers are women because I’m one of the few women muskie guides. I offer all-women, couples and mixed-group trips. Too, I teach many first-time male muskie fishermen how to catch muskies.

Question: How did you become a muskie guide?

Strutz: I really enjoy muskie fishing. There aren’t many lady muskie guides, and I’ve found a lot of women prefer to learn how to muskie fish from a woman. I’ve been extremely surprised at the number of novice male anglers wanting to fish with me because they believe I’ll be more patient with them than a male guide would be. Ninety-percent of my clientele are newcomers to muskie fishing.

Question: What’s the first muskie-fishing tactic you teach a newcomer?

Strutz: I first teach my anglers to fish with a top-water lure and a Mepps No. 5 Aglia, because it’s easy to cast on a 7-foot rod. Also, you can reel the Aglia all day without getting worn-out like you will if you’re casting a bigger lure. Newcomers to the sport of muskie fishing become exhausted when casting a really big muskie lure all day. The blade on the Mepps Aglia always engages and starts to turn as soon as you reel it back to the boat. The Aglia is very effective when you reel it on a steady retrieve, and it easily comes through weeds. But most importantly, the Mepps No. 5 Aglia catches fish.

Newcomers to the sport of muskie fishing aren’t prepared for the amount of downtime required to catch a muskie. You may fish for days without catching a muskie. By fishing the No. 5 Aglia, my customers not only will catch muskie, but they also will catch pike, bass and walleye. When my customers fish the Aglia, they can catch fish and stay interested in fishing. I always make sure my novice fishermen get plenty of action to keep them in the game and encourage them to continue fishing.

Question: What color No. 5 Aglia do you prefer?

Strutz: We have two kinds of lakes in the north woods – gin-clear and dark-tannic stained. Most of the time newcomers to muskie fishing will fish the tannic-stained lakes. Normally, I’ll take beginner anglers to small, shallow, highly-stained lakes where they can catch more fish. On stained lakes, I prefer to use firetiger, pink and orange-colored Aglias. On clear lakes, I prefer more-natural colors, like brown, black or copper. Most clear lakes in this region are trophy muskie lakes. To get more action for my novice anglers, I take them to the stained lakes where they’ll catch more fish.

Question: Tell me about an average day of muskie fishing.

Strutz: On an average day, we may see one or two muskies following our lures and catch two or three northern pike. We generally only fish for 4 hours. After 4 hours of fishing, muskie fishing becomes hard work, and I don’t want to burn-out my clients on the first day. In that 4-hour period, we may catch a lot of muskies or only see a muskie or two. My fishermen often stop reeling when they see the muskie, which is one of the biggest mistakes made by newcomers. But, I’ve had a number of people catch their first muskies while fishing a half-day with me.

To fish with Patricia Strutz, visit www.ablondandherboat.com.