The Marcell, Minnesota area isn’t really known as a great muskie fishing destination, but there are lakes in the area that do have muskie in them, so you can target muskie here and have a chance to hook up with some fish. North Star Lake and Spider Lake both have muskie in them and these are the 2 lakes that most anglers will fish if they are looking to target muskie in the Marcell area.
North Star Lake
North Star Lake is a good fishing lake located just south of Marcell, MN. The lake has one public access and moderate shoreline development. The DNR’s management plan indicates that muskie, northern pike, and walleye are their primary species of fish and largemouth bass are secondary. This lake has some quality sized northern pike, walleye and muskie. Largemouth bass and smallmouth bass are here in catchable numbers if you choose to fish for them. Crappie, bluegill, perch and rock bass are also available for anglers that like to target panfish.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Spider Lake
Spider Lake is a very good fishing lake that is located about 8 miles southeast of Marcell, Minnesota. The lake is located in the Chippewa National Forest and has limited shoreline development. The DNR’s lake management plan indicates walleye, northern pike and muskellunge as the primary species of management with black crappie, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass as secondary species. Spider Lake is one of the better northern pike lakes to fish in this area with many big pike being caught here every year. Pike in the 5 to 10 pound range are common here with big fish up to and above 15 pounds very possible. Muskie, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, crappie, perch and bluegill are also available in this lake.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Using Leaders for Muskie
Muskie have some serious teeth. Use quality steel leaders to avoid bite-offs. If you are fishing clear water, you may need to go with a fluorocarbon leader to get bit. Most anglers will not go any lighter than 100 lb. fluorocarbon for muskie and don’t be shocked if you lose a big fish due to a bite-off. Some anglers go as heavy as 140 to 150 pound fluorocarbon. Ideally, you want to be as stealthy as you can so you can get more bites, but if you go too light with the fluorocarbon, you risk losing fish and possibly killing some big fish due to the lures getting stuck in their mouths.
Best Baits for Muskie
There are many types of baits to target muskie. Anglers don’t have as many options when using live baits since many of the fish that muskie eat can not be used as bait. Suckers and big chubs are usually the best options for most anglers that want to use live bait. For artificial lures, there are a variety of big baits to throw. Most anglers fish with bucktail spinners, some type of swimbait, topwater lure or jerkbait when chasing muskie.
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Best Rigs for Muskie
There aren’t too many different rigs for muskie fishing because you only have so many options for throwing some of the gigantic baits needed. Also, most anglers use lures for muskie or big sucker minnows, so you really don’t need too many rigs to target muskie. However, there are still several rigs you should know about, especially if you are going to be using live bait.
The Carolina rig, drop shot rig and quick strike rig are some of the best rigs for muskie.
Best Techniques for Muskie
Anglers use a variety of techniques for muskie. Casting is most popular, but jigging and trolling are also very effective techniques. Learn more about some of the best techniques for muskie page.
Learn More About Muskie
Our muskie fishing section has tons of tips on the best lures, live baits, where to catch them and how to catch them.
Visit our muskie fishing website to learn more.
