I have a buddy who lives on lake tapps, and does a lot of underwater photography, and last summer he came face to face with a pretty big tiger muskie during one of his shoots.

He invited me to come on over and see if I can catch one this season.

I have no idea about fishing for muskies! The last fish I caught was years ago, it refused my power bait temptation and kept teasing me by swimming around 4 feet in front of me and I used a boat oar to smack it out of some shallow water, an 18" rainbow in lake Burien, they get HUGE in that lake. (very sportsman like, I know) It tasted like victory.

What bait should I be using? I will be fishing from a dock in a fairly shallow area, about 8 feet deep. Too deep for boat oars.

What do I need to know?

Greetings,
Being from Minnesota, I had a friend who was successful at actually catching several of these amazing fish in the late Fall seasons back there .
You are dealing with probably the most difficult fish to land in a boat as actual Musky strikes are rare.
They call them "the fish of a thousand casts" for a good reason back there, they are seen but seldom hooked and landed successfully.
That might not be the case here but I am sure they are very similar fish in many ways.
Heavy top water crankbaits, bucktails and large spinners are what you will need and Musky tackle is very robust as well as the nets and gear you will need.
Any internet search will show proven techniques but this fish will not come easy, you will need to be persistent and patient if not a little bit crazy.
Back in Minnesota, they are especially active in the late Fall season where the weather is bitter cold so don't expect them to hit on a nice sunny day.
I wish you the best of Luck, the Tiger Musky is the greatest catch to brag about and take pictures of.
These amazing fish are released by the best anglers out there where they shall return to fight another day.
If you get it in a net, take care and use some common sense. I suggest some careful planning and be aware of the razor sharp teeth on these powerful fish.
Any good taxidermist would be more than happy to do a Tiger Musky, I'd be proud to have a trophy as well.
Many sportsman back home keep them in the water, they live for many years and can reach epic proportions.
Good luck out there.

Thanks for the info, looks like I'm off to look for a few crank baits and the like.

I've heard they are not very easy to catch, I guess I'll just set up a couple poles, one for trout and one for casting a crank bait lure.

I've seen a few, had one steal a bass, and had one on while bass fishing. I was always told that if I reeled one in, be careful of the mouth like a chainsaw. Slit their belly and throw them back in. Their buddies will take care of the rest.