Muskie On Top: Tally Wacker - Jordan

Sure catching a muskie is great, but catching a muskie on a topwater lure, that's amazing! One of my favorites is the Tally Wacker. It's famous for its "plup plup plup" noise, and if you lucky "SPLASH!"

This lure is jointed and the back half rotates around when brought through the water because of a single blade sticking out. This blade gives it that slow rhythmic noise and splash that drives muskie crazy.

A small modification I have made to this lure is to add split rings to the front two trebles. To do this you will have to unscrew some small pieces of metal that hold the hooks on. Be careful when screwing them back I, for the screws are small so the wood can strip easily. The reason split rings should be added is because they allow the hooks to rotate at full 360o. When a muskie jumps out of the water and shakes its head, the lure won't have to twist with the hooks, which will help increase the chances of landing more fish. I prefer to use very large split rings because they allow the hooks to hang down further which will help in both the fish making contact with the hooks during a strike, as well as helping the whole lure from spinning around during a faster retrieve.

I find that this is a great evening lure, and that it works best when the water is choppy. Since this isn't a very realistic looking lure, by this I mean it doesn't really look like anything in particular just something struggling on the surface of the water, in calm water the fish can see the lure more clearly which may just produce follows. In choppy water, the fish can only see some of the color of the lure and the disturbance it creates and not the little detail. Both choppy and calm conditions can be successful, I just find calm water produces more follows than hit compared to choppier water. Another good time of day to use this topwater is when its overcast. The first muskie I caught on this lure was during the middle of an overcast and windy day.

The Tally Wacker, for the most part, is to be retrieved straight in. Every 10 feet, or so, give it a twitch to entice a strike from a possible following muskie. At the end of every cast, perform an "L" under the water with the lure to give a follower on last chance to hit. If a muskie is following and still doesn't strike, continue on and perform a figure eight until the muskie has either hit or left.

In the event of a muskie "hit", DO NOT set the hook until you feel weight on the end of your rod. This is the most common mistake with topwater lures. More times than not, the fish will miss the lure. If this is the case, continue the retrieve as normal, don't stop, and be ready for another strike.

Next time you find yourself in prime Tally Wacker conditions, give it a try, and see for yourself just how productive they can be.

 

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