Musky fishing is quite different from trout or bass fishing. Large Northerns also are tentative takers at times. They will follow the fly but not necessarily take it on the retrieve. Dan thought he had a Musky doing a figure 8 with his rod in front of the tube. You lower your rod with the fly only a couple of feet from the tip and make weaving motions sideways and up and down. Turned out to be a 30" walleye. A little while later he got a heavy strike on the fast retrieve and landed a 'small' Musky around 32"
All I accomplished was to 'move' a Musky but apparently that is considered OK especially for a novice.
Big flashy streamers and long poppers are what is needed and you have to have the right weight and length of rod. You might also get a significantly sized fish (in the 50-60" range) and you have to get them in real quick and on their way. Even though they are an ancient fish, they are susceptible to acid build up.
The water is warm this time of year and they love it. This fish was in prime condition. The related Pike like it a lot cooler.