Now is the time to start chasing those toothy critters. No one is more exited for the new Muskie season then Mike Keyes. Besides being a top competitor on the Professional Muskie Tournament Trial, Mike is also the founder and host of the Keyes Outdoors television show.  Below is a brief Q&A with Mike Keyes – hopefully, you’ll get a few ideas that will help you boat the big one.

How many Muskies have you landed in your life?

Oh, wow…I don’t know the exact number, but it’s well into the hundreds.  I’d have to it’s at least 500. 

Out of all those Muskies, which one is the biggest?

My biggest Muskie yet was caught on Mille Lacs.  It was August and we were fishing at night.  I hooked into her on a Double Bladed Cowgirl by Muskie Mayhem.  She was 51 inches long and had a 27 inch girth.   

On average, how many “follow ups” do you see per “hook up”?

Of all the follow ups I get, I would guess I only hook up with about 20% of those fish.  However, if I can turn those fish, even just once, my odds of a hook up go way, way up.  

On your show you talk a lot about the figure 8.  What percent of the time do your “hook ups” happen during your figure 8?

It’s easily 50%.  I can’t stress this enough, the figure 8 is extremely important. 

Let’s assume you just lost a bet with a fishing buddy.  Now for the entire season you can only fish for Muskies during the day OR night – which would it be? 

It obviously varies dramatically from lake to lake.  But consistently bigger Muskies are caught at night…so I guess I would choose to fish only at night. 

When you think of a good day in Minnesota Muskie fishing, what are the first 8 bodies of water that come to mind?

In no particular order, I would have to say:           

Mille Lacs; Vermilion; Miltona; Minnetonka; Detroit Lake; The St. Croix River; The St. Louis River; and The Rainy River. 

Which body of water do you think the next Minnesota State record Muskie will be caught on?

I would imagine it will probably be Mille Lacs, but it could be Vermilion.    

If you could only use one lure for each of the following months in Minnesota, what would it be?

June – Jr. Double Cowgirl, by Musky Mayhem

July – Double Bladed Cowgirl, by Musky Mayhem

August – Double Bladed Cowgirl, by Musky Mayhem

September– Heli Dawg, by Musky Innovations            

October – Magnum Bull Dawg, by Musky Innovations

November – Super Magnum Bull Dawg, by Musky Innovations 

On Minnesota’s Muskie Opener where will you be fishing?

Mille Lacs.  I usually fish for Muskies on Mille Lacs for about two weeks out of the year.   

What is the 1^st “new product” that pops into your mind that you think will help boat more fish this season?  

That would have to be the Super Model Double Cowgirl by Musky Mayhem , it’s great.   

On your TV show you cast a lot of absolutely enormous lures - so obviously you think size matters.  However, do you ever cast anything super small?  If so, what? 

Early in the season I fish some smaller lures.  Actually, I progress from very small lures in the spring, to large ones in the fall.  Even Walleye Fishermen, with their jigs and a minnow, will catch Muskies in the Spring.  I use small single blade bucktails and they catch a lot of fish.     

For more information on Mike Keyes, check out www.keyesoutdoors.com/