A real common question from muskie anglers is: "What do I do when I’ve located a big one?" There are several things to try, and to a certain extent, it depends on the amount of fishing pressure on the water. A fish that followed and didn’t hit is tough to trigger. Each additional time it follows and doesn’t hit … it gets tougher.

I know of success stories from repeated badgering … not moving on at all … just continuing to cast at the same spot. It works sometimes, especially with fish located in thick weeds. I prefer the "Return Later" strategy though. Try to avoid putting another bait in front of a fish that has shown himself, and move on. Come back later if when there's been any weather change, wind-direction change and or light-level change. Also, at times fish activity just seems to pick up for no apparent reason. That too would be a good time to return to a big fish and give him a another try.