Slurping usually means a channel cat. They'll tear up shad when they find them. Recall a post a couple years ago by Doctor...there was a massive shad kill at CJ Brown, the whole marina was covered with floating shad. In a week or so, the channel cats came in there and cleaned it all up.

When it comes to musky fishing..........they are a funny critter man. It seems about the time you think you have them figured out, the game completely changes. I do have a few generalizations that I think are safe in "most" cases.

1). action and speed of the bait is the most important thing to getting bit. Do they want a deep diver trolled, do they want a bulldawg lazily jerked back and forth or do they want a bucktail burned over the weeds?

2). size and proflie are also important. Sometimes a long slender bait such as a 11" Jake is the ticket. Other times it is a monster shad. Still other times they want a fat old Believer

3) color is least important of lure attributes, but it should not be ignored. Certain lakes and rivers you can kind of isolate what type of colors shine(bright such as firetiger or orange VS natural such as perch, sucker or shad).

I do think in most cases it is better to go with small in spring, medium in summer and big in fall. However, those terms are relative when you are talking about musky fishing. One man's medium might be tiny to another guy.

I'm no musky fisherman...have only caught a few of them in my life, all on weight forward spinners with a night crawler on a little lake in Canada where our family goes pan fishing (perch, monster bluegills, walleyes) most years...so I can't really speak to that species.

I am a smallmouth guy. I don't buy the theory that bigger lures attract bigger fish (at least not to the exclusion of smaller fish). I do think bigger lures generate more vicious hits and I don't hesitate to use them (particularly top water lures) when the conditions are right. I've seen my share of 6 - 8 inch dink smallies and northern pike dangling from the end of a #13 Floating Rapala or a Lucky 13...it cracks me up every time! What were those fish thinking? Love the attitude, though!

IMHO, While size may matter at times, I'd have to say bigger does not necessarily eliminate smaller fish.

Great blog! Anyway you want to spell it I do agree with you that these are some awesome critters to chase. There is just something about fishing for them that is completely different than any other fish. I long for that reel scream, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..........zzzzzzzzz........zzz zzzz. The season is nearly upon us.