Tools and Mechanics
The Aqua-Vu DVR unit, which connects to the underwater camera, allows recording action and replaying it later—either on the camera monitor or on a home computer. “Not only did I learn all about various structural elements and fish response,” Schwartz says, “now I know how each lure works generally and reacts in different situations—their actions at different speeds and as they collide with bottom.
Schwartz’s system consists of an Aqua-Vu Scout SRT. This year, he will experiment with a new Motorized Aqua-Vu. He connects the camera optics to the cable of a small portable downrigger just above the downrigger ball, via an Aqua-Vu Cam Rigger kit. The camera’s lens can be adjusted to aim in multiple angles in order to keep different lures in line of sight. Schwartz has been trolling in less than 20 feet of water, often less than 8 feet beneath the boat, so a light downrigger ball is all that’s required.
He uses a Cabela’s clamp-on manual downrigger with a 4-pound ball, but also carries an 8-pound ball to keep a lure directly below the prop wash at faster speeds. “At times, muskies really like this,” he says. “But monitor the depth and structural layout, or things can get dicey. Be ready to crank up a few feet if you see bottom on the monitor, especially boulders. You don’t always have to keep the bait in the prop wash, though. Sometimes the 4-pound ball is nice because it lags farther behind the prop at faster speeds.”
Once the camera’s connected, attach your fishing line with an Off Shore OR-8 Heavy Tension Downrigger Release. Pinch the line just above the leader swivel. “If you’re running superbraid,” Schwartz says, “Double wrap the line into the release.”
“People don’t believe how close to the ball muskies will strike until they see it happen. I use a standard 9- to 12-inch wire leader that positions the lure less than a foot from the ball. Muskies aren’t afraid. When a muskie hits, the lure pulls free from the clip and you’re into a crazy green fish on a short line.”
Schwartz uses 81⁄2- to 10-foot medium-heavy power trolling rods, like a 10-foot Shakespeare BWDD 1100 or BWLD110010 or a Shimano Talora TLA-86MH-2. He fills a Garcia 6500 with 80- or 100-pound-test PowerPro. At that point, he places the rod into a holder and loosens the drag before lowering the ball. Then he shifts the motor into gear and drops the downrigger ball, while thumbing line off the reel.
Behavioral Revelations
Schwartz thinks these behavioral observations based on his underwater viewing will interest most muskie anglers. The camera never lies, though we’re left to interpret what we see happening below. Here’s how Schwartz sees things.
›Banging Bottom Triggers Muskies & Never Slow Down—“Most muskie anglers know that contact with bottom—particularly banging rocks with crankbaits—triggers muskies to strike. Camera observation confirms this,” Schwartz says. “I’ve watched a lot of fish follow or strike just after the ball bangs a rock on the edge of a reef, before it drops off into deep water.
