By Cory Allen

All too often in guiding, or just being a magnanimous steward into musky angling, we face the difficulty of finding lures that allow those with minimal experience to have a maximum opportunity at witnessing the awe of a muskellunge doing what it does best: #%^^ing things up.

Over the years of taking kids from 1 to 92 out on the water, I’ve assembled a small contingency of fail safe baits that when in doubt, even Steven Hawking could catch a fish on given the right guidance and placement. I chose these weapons by their absolute ease of use and versatility in the hands of those not possessing the “English” it takes to enact the more nuanced abilities some musky lures withhold to only the more creative sticks.

Savage Gear 4-Play

“Here, Johnny…reel it; then pause it…”

Johnny Edenfield was a cantankerous but motivated older gentleman from Atlanta when he hopped in my boat. His age admittedly limited the kinesthetic and power required to utilize some of the more agro baits. But this little gem? It took nothing but a couple handle cranks, and a short reprieve, all while comfortably seated in the middle of the Tuffy, to trigger a mid 40″ that shook at the boat, and 10 minutes later a 50.5″ behemoth that responded to the same presentation to hit the net. The proof is in the pudding.

Llungen Nutbuster Jr. Double Colorado

I was specific in blade arrangement in this. EVERY Llungen nutbuster model is a good tool for the beginner and the expert, but this particular little doll does a dance the others cannot. From the first time I saw a prototype fall in a perfectly cadenced, directly controlled slow roll fall of indeterminate length until the bottom or the angler halts its descent. Most blades, any blades, require motion of the ocean to make them function. Yet, this one? I’ve had fish literally take it as it fell on the end of a cast before I even engage the reel.

It is worthy of mention that after many unsuccessful forays, Marc Cooper – a catfish guru, landed several musky on this exact presentation with me the first time he utilized it in my boat. That’s about as good as an endorsement can come

Storm Thunderbeast

The proverbial diamond in the rough, I first saw this bait in a magazine, and dismissed it because everyone else seemed to. Then my friend Ian Swenson brought one down to fish with me in Tennessee a couple years ago, and I will never forget the first time I saw it glisten into the side of the boat, tail seductively undulating to a slow creep as the motion halted, an ever so slightly hesitation, then a perfect tilt downward at 30 degrees, a small rocking combined with the tantalizing twist of the tail as it fell at a perfectly controlled rate. I immediately knew this one was different. I also knew, I’d just found a lure that not only had the level of control a savant could manipulate to different means, but could be clipped on the leader of a new musky angler’s first cast, and whether or not they reel, pause, stop to scratch their ass, or stare at a bird in the tree, that bait will always be doing something that could easily trigger a strike. Combine that with the inherent ability to fish at literally any depth (and I’ve tested trolling up to 8 mph. without incidence or roll out) and I never leave the dock either on a solo scouting run or with clients in the boat without a complement of these in the box (or in my case, most likely scattered in disarray on the deck like a tsunami aftermath).

This is surely just a short list, and I must admit I’ve grown a bit more frugal with my “secrets” nowadays, but the keen eye will perceive the inherently similarities between these baits that qualified them as such. Just because they are perfectly suited for soft hands doesn’t mean the calloused grip of a seasoned veteran can’t appreciate and utilize even further those same virtues. It is their level of inherent control: From full forward reckless motion as simple as cranking a handle, to a dead stop and negligence to the angling extent of leaving a toddler locked in the car, these baits all perform. No matter what you do, these balls are always in play.