Cusk Techniques

[413iceman]

So I plan on targeting Cusk this winter. What you veterans use for setup? I was going to go with a typical bass set up approach with my tilts. Get some medium size shiners smash their heads in get them nice and stinky and lay them on the bottom.

Also any suggestions of protecting your tilts from snowmobiles cruising around at night?

Thanks

[woodchip]

Reflective tape

[hardwatergrampa]

loaded shotgun

[fishlessman]

use a nh cusk trap, a piece of wood strapping with notches cut out
http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=135472.0

[Gettinjiggy1]

Can I use my regular fishing traps?  Sounds like these rigs are designed to set and forget so to speak. 

[hardwatergrampa]

Can I use my regular fishing traps?  Sounds like these rigs are designed to set and forget so to speak.

  yes but only in maine law is different in  nh.

[Sinnian]

Can I use my regular fishing traps?  Sounds like these rigs are designed to set and forget so to speak.

You can, but the NH traps will last you forever.  Pretty harsh conditions at night for your tipups, and you don't want cusk to free spool anyway.

[Fish Wayniac]

Can I use my regular fishing traps?  Sounds like these rigs are designed to set and forget so to speak.

Your regular traps work fine for cusk.I put reflective tape on the top of my heritage close to the spring. Another piece of reflective tape on the flag. I position my traps in view from my shack window. Shine out a flash light and check for flags.Lay a big smashed shiner or sucker on the bottom on 4 traps . Jig the other line in your shack while waiting on flags.

[sebagosalmo]

Your regular traps work fine for cusk.I put reflective tape on the top of my heritage close to the spring. Another piece of reflective tape on the flag. I position my traps in view from my shack window. Shine out a flash light and check for flags.Lay a big smashed shiner or sucker on the bottom on 4 traps . Jig the other line in your shack while waiting on flags.

Wayne is spot on 👍

The only other thing I would add is make sure to use 15 lb test mono ,
And rubber band trick , with only 10-15  ft line to rubber band of free spool then hook set . This way smaller fish of 10 lbs or less will be hooked and waiting for you to pull up 😜 If it's a really large fish over ten lbs it will brake rubber band . I use the heavier sized rubber bands 
Other wise you will have 100 yards of line spoiled out around rocks and sometimes tangled in other traps with lots of tangled on bottom if you are fishing the rock piles .
Plus it just makes it easier cusk fishing at night , hooks are not buried deep in gullet of small fish if you want to release , beats retying hooks in dark and cold . My preferred bait is salt water smelts cut in 1/2 or 1/3 depending on size

Good luck

[hardwatergrampa]

 sebagosalmo       you forgot the gps   # as to where to set the traps

[sebagosalmo]

sebagosalmo       you forgot the gps   # as to where to set the traps

HA HA 😜

Can't give everything away 

Everyone needs a little help 👍

[woodbury pond]

In my experience cusk often don't even set off the flag. I've caught 5lb cusk in 80 feet of water when togue fishing and not known it until I went to check my bait.

When I'm targeting cusk at night and using traps I just tie the line around one of the props and check them regularly, easier than dealing with the reel and flag every time I check them. Flag staying up makes it easier to find the traps. I intend on making a few cusk boards for this season.

Also - use your old cheap junk hooks. 9/10 the cusk swallows it.

[woodbury pond]

Oh and know the regs, as hardwatergrampa points out NH is different than Maine. Maine has less restrictions around what you can use, but is way more restrictive on how long you can leave em. In Maine you have to check your traps every hour, in NH you can just leave em overnight which is why some of those NH traps are built to cover the hole to keep it from freezing solid.

[RealBigReel]

Sebagosalmo is spot on,  was going to give the same advice but he beat me to it....I will add that I use snap swivels and store bought snelled hooks...they almost always swallow the hook and its a lot easier to just replace the leader than try and save it in the dark when its just plain brrrr out...you can get your hooks back when you clean them.

BTW..Cleaning them is kind of an art form

[jacksmelt71]

large inline circles w/ rubber band trick. no winding a ton of line and having to remove and replace a hook!

[413iceman]

What size hooks you thinking?

[dvn4flags]

Some great cusk tips on this thread. The only thing Ill add is to make sure your reflective tape on wood part of trap is small and tape at top of trap is nice and big so you can tell the position it's in from a distance.

[Trout4evah]

I usually dead set my traps, aka set it on bottom, then give it an extra 4 feet of line, then I wrap the line around my trap.  I've lost a good amount of cusk from them wrapping my line up in a log. (i also fish on shore).  as far as knowing where my traps are, go to the dollar store and buy some glow sticks and tape them to your traps. works awesome and looks pretty cool too!

[Hottuna5150]

Jiggin em up works pretty well too. I use a half ounce Hopkins spoon with a whole smelt T'd off on a single hook. Beat the bottom. They're pretty fun to jig up.
Cheers

[8orach]

Big hooks are a must!! Dealing with a slimy cusk that has a swallowed a hook in 10 degree weather in the dark is a real pain. Short leaders, big hooks and weight. Big dead shiners, smelts or even cut up chunks of saltwater smelt from the grocery store right on bottom. Fish towards the end of February and the beginning of March for cusk as the move into the shallows to spawn. Target rocky, shallow areas around 10-20 feet of water and tie your lines off so they can only take about five feet of line. Type of ice fishing trap doesn't really matter, get some reflective tape for the flag or bring some extra lights to set by the hole. Lastly, constantly check your traps half the time they'll never even trip the flag!!!

[Jadler311]

Big hooks are a must!! Dealing with a slimy cusk that has a swallowed a hook in 10 degree weather in the dark is a real pain. Short leaders, big hooks and weight. Big dead shiners, smelts or even cut up chunks of saltwater smelt from the grocery store right on bottom. Fish towards the end of February and the beginning of March for cusk as the move into the shallows to spawn. Target rocky, shallow areas around 10-20 feet of water and tie your lines off so they can only take about five feet of line. Type of ice fishing trap doesn't really matter, get some reflective tape for the flag or bring some extra lights to set by the hole. Lastly, constantly check your traps half the time they'll never even trip the flag!!!

This is great info!! Heading up to Long Lake next week, should be a good time to land a few nice ones!

[FishHunter04]

loaded shotgun

😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

[FishHunter04]

Big hooks are a must!! Dealing with a slimy cusk that has a swallowed a hook in 10 degree weather in the dark is a real pain. Short leaders, big hooks and weight. Big dead shiners, smelts or even cut up chunks of saltwater smelt from the grocery store right on bottom. Fish towards the end of February and the beginning of March for cusk as the move into the shallows to spawn. Target rocky, shallow areas around 10-20 feet of water and tie your lines off so they can only take about five feet of line. Type of ice fishing trap doesn't really matter, get some reflective tape for the flag or bring some extra lights to set by the hole. Lastly, constantly check your traps half the time they'll never even trip the flag!!!

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