Many musky fishermen who use suckers have switched from single hook rigs to quick-set rigs for a variety of reasons. Some fishermen believe that quick-set rigs have an advantage over single hook rigs because there is no need to wait as long as an hour for the musky to swallow the sucker. Another advantage that many quick-set users cite is that they are far safer for the Muskies. Based upon our findings, thus far, this does indeed seem to be the case. In fact, based upon the findings of the CFMS-Y1, the Muskies that were caught on quick-sets exhibited no evidence of any trauma at all! In comparison, every artificial lure type used in the CFMS-Y1 inflicted at least some sort of visible injury to the Muskies in at least one instance. By using the term "visible injuries" we are referring to bleeding or ripped gills, hooks in eyes, hooks in the body of the musky, etc. Of the artificial lures used for the CFMSY1, jerkbaits led the way with the highest rate of visible injury. Bucktails recorded the lowest rate of visible injuries of artificials. And, quick-sets recorded no visible injuries. It should be noted, however, that unless an angler uses the standard quick-set rig properly, a musky could swallow the rig. A swallowed treble hook would mean a likely fatal injury to the musky. There are at least a dozen different types of quick-sets on the market. Most follow the same design in that they feature a single nose hook and a treble hook for placement along the side of the sucker. MUSKIES CAUGHT ANNUALLY ON SINGLE HOOK RIGS While researching this article, we conducted an informal survey of the owners of bait and tackle shops, who estimated that of those who fish for Muskies with suckers, approximately 25 to 33 percent use single hook rigs. In addition, it has been estimated that 15 to 20 percent of all Musky fishermen will use some form of live minnow bait, such as a sucker, at some point during the
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