‘The quick strike rig is used with bigger sucker minnows or other types of large bait fish. The idea behind this is that you will have a hook in the middle of the bait fish and muskie usually take a large bait fish by biting the center of the bait. Instead of having to wait until the fish eats your bait entirely to get a hook set, you can get a hook set right away which prevents anglers from gut-hooking fish and killing them. Most people that fish for muskie will be practicing catch and release and the quick strike rig makes it easier to do that when using live bait.
Bobbers or floats can be very effective for targeting muskie when they are in the shallows. Make sure to use a big enough bobber to be able to handle the large bait fish that you will be using for muskie.
The Carolina rig is a popular live bait rig for targeting muskie. Just make sure you use the appropriate hook size for the baits that you’re using and if you are using large sucker minnows or other types of bait fish, you may want to use a quick strike rig with your Carolina rig.
The drop shot rig is a good rig for using live bait or soft plastics when targeting muskie. Just make sure you upsize to the appropriate hook size for the bigger baits.
