The Death Pause

‘KILL’ YOUR BAIT IN THE RETRIEVE TO LET BIG FALL MUSKIES EAT

- David Dykowski

Every year come September, you begin to notice the days getting shorter as a chill graces the air. While I love to hunt deer and watch football, my favorite part of the fall is hunting giant muskies as they put on the proverbial feedbag.

Seasoned musky hunters know it is not all about what lure you use during this time of year but how the bait is presented in key areas. Year after year, most fall pattern muskies I catch come on a tactic I call the “death pause.”

During fall, a musky’s metabolism starts to slow and they begin to try to pack on weight for the coming winter. The closer you get to ice-up, the less a musky wants to work for its food — they want big meals with little to no effort. This is why many anglers resort to live suckers for bait during this time. I have nothing against using livebait, but I am out there for the adrenaline rush of a musky’s strike, and the death pause often provides it.

Dive-And-Rise