Red, this past early fall, the two times you saw me on the river, I was doing exactly what you mention...casting and bouncing a deep diving rapala "minnow rap". Two trips produced three hooked muskies with one landed (40-45). I tend to use an "ultralight approach" (7 ft med-spin rod with #10 line probably seems crazy but I've never had a fish bite off that I can recall) just because I like the idea of landing big fish on light line and tackle and these types of baits are big enough to get a muskies attention. I have caught musky over the years on bass style cranks but the longer leaner baits tend to be more successful I think. Slow trolling these baits for walleyes in rivers has been a "new" approach for the fishing shows in the last few years. I have not done much of this yet but once I find more time, probably will as it complements a drift and jig approach when all I have is a trolling motor to move back upstream.

Phil