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| Message Subject: Canada last week of June. First time and need suggestions. | |||
Hoffy |
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Posts: 90 | Have a chance to fish with my son the end of June and would like to go to Canada for the first time. Would like recommendations on resorts and what to expect for Muskie, smallmouth and pike fishing that time of year. (Primarily Muskie) Have been looking at resorts on Eagle and Flag Island Resort on LOW. Any suggestions or comments greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. | ||
| IAJustin |
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Posts: 1973 | I’d go up on the opener if you want to multi species fish, generally everything is still shallow...fish bays..and points or islands near spawning bays, often some big pike still hanging in the bays too especially if water temps are under 70.don’t overlook the shallow “smallmouth rock” shorelines ..the muskies like to harass the little bronzebacks if they are still up shallow, fun time of year and we get big fish too. Good luck | ||
| Propster |
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Posts: 1901 Location: MN | Sent you a pm. Where are you coming from? | ||
| lloyd christmas |
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Posts: 89 | sent you a pm | ||
| Fish4muskie |
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Posts: 112 Location: Illinois | Would love a PM on this subject also. I want to go next year for the first time. | ||
| Fishermantom81 |
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Posts: 9 | Check out Tamarack Island Wilderness Lodge on LOTW, I have been going there for a long time. The time of year you are looking at is good. Find any bolder pile(They are everywhere) and you can catch just about everything casting cranks. At that time of year I have caught almost as many muskie on shad raps or flicker shads casting for bass as I have casting traditional muskie lures. Some of the biggest fish I have caught were within 3 miles of camp. | ||
| wooglin |
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Posts: 31 | Cannot go wrong on Lac Seul - muskie in the east part of the lake. | ||
| Nomadmusky |
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Posts: 176 | I've had a lot of good luck that time of year. I've been going to Canada for around 30 years and Eagle Lake has been a spot I've been to many times. LOTW is great as well, and so are Lac Seul, or some of the other places, but if you are a first timer one place that can really give you a step up is Andy Myers Lodge. They are a fishing lodge with a full staff of guides, nice accommodations and great food. Eagle Lake has all the species you are looking for with trophy opportunities and all can be close to camp. The thing I think that works the best is they have a camp full of guides that you can hire, plus they have seminars at night, as well as simply the guides milling around camp, they are always happy to share information and techniques to help you get on fish. Their goal is to get you on fish and be successful. There are a lot of great body's of water and great places to stay, but Andy Myers Lodge gets you a jump to the front of the line with your learning curve. Give Steve Herbeck or Julian Kalka a call you won't be disappointed. | ||
| UglyPike |
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Posts: 101 Location: Niagara on the Lake, ON | Nomadmusky - 3/1/2018 1:58 PM I've had a lot of good luck that time of year. I've been going to Canada for around 30 years and Eagle Lake has been a spot I've been to many times. LOTW is great as well, and so are Lac Seul, or some of the other places, but if you are a first timer one place that can really give you a step up is Andy Myers Lodge. They are a fishing lodge with a full staff of guides, nice accommodations and great food. Eagle Lake has all the species you are looking for with trophy opportunities and all can be close to camp. The thing I think that works the best is they have a camp full of guides that you can hire, plus they have seminars at night, as well as simply the guides milling around camp, they are always happy to share information and techniques to help you get on fish. Their goal is to get you on fish and be successful. There are a lot of great body's of water and great places to stay, but Andy Myers Lodge gets you a jump to the front of the line with your learning curve. Give Steve Herbeck or Julian Kalka a call you won't be disappointed. VERY well said on all points. | ||
| Ernie |
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Posts: 51 | One idea is to stay at McIntosh lodge on Canyon lake. Walleye, smallmouth, no pike, and lots of muskies but most under 40”. Then add a guide day to close-by Eagle for a shot at a supertanker. | ||
| WiscoMusky |
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Posts: 397 Location: Wisconsin | I have been to a number of lodges on Eagle Lake, but Century Lodge has been the most enjoyable experience, with excellent fishing! The lodge is the most remote of any lodge on Eagle, and the accommodations are really hard to beat. Most importantly, the fishing in June will be the best on that part of eagle lake. The water is more stained and shallower, which will warm up faster than the water on the north and central parts of the lake, where all the other Lodges reside. You will not regret choosing Century Lodge | ||
| Andy Myers Lodge |
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Location: Eagle Lake Vermilion Bay, Ontario | just some food for thought as "theory" is not always....as it may seem or can be taken for granted as some "rules of thumb" so to speak and internet advice are based on just that. century is a great camp good people run it and it is the only lodge in osbourne bay but...you will hardly be alone because of that fact. quite the contrary actually especially in may and june many of the guides and guests from the big bus trips and busier camps from the central section will be heading there,it looks like a convoy at 7;30-8;00 am. , the walleye migrate there for spawning in big numbers. yes the water is darker and generally the section is shallower but..on avg untill into july the northern section in some areas will many times/years with good sun and avg. warming temps have warmer water temps and weed growth because of the southern exposure especially on the northern most shorelines and bays. osbourne bay is an awesome section of eagle lake and you'll catch fish there for sure but..there are 9 other sections of eagle that all have thier own idiosyncrasies, timing, and advantages that are many times overlooked or misunderstood. on avg i'd have to say you have a better chance at catching numbers at that time of the season and no doubt there are jumbos there but perhaps you'll have a better chance on avg for bigger fish a bit further north even in june early july. wherever you end up on eagle you will be sure to have a good time. tight lines!! steve herbeck AML prop. emeritus, guest fishing instruction coordinator, master guide, US marketing | ||
| muskie-don58 |
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Posts: 213 Location: FIB land | Great response from Herbie ... Thanks | ||
| RandyT |
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Posts: 16 | I would partially agree with AML that our observation as owners and hosts of Century Lodge since 1989, that back in the early to mid 90's we did have an increase of boats from time to time from lodges coming down from up the lake often times just to catch shorelunch (sometime literally fishing reefs 100 yards off our island). Osbourne Bay has a lot of intrinsic qualities that buffer the elements regardless of wind and sun and pressure on the lake, plus it is surrounded with excellent spawning ground areas that make fishing that end of the lake great right off the get go as mentioned above which draws people there. With that being said, because of the management of the lake and future thinking to protect and enhance the system that started in the early 90's with the slot size implementation, enhancement of natural occurring spawning ground areas, decreased amount of take home fish allowed and the change in overall mentality of the fisherman not to keep everything they catch, the whole Eagle Lake system has never been stronger (for walleye fishing especially) throughout the lake and the days of the "convoy" down to Osbourne are long gone. No doubt we do a few boats from up the lake come down to enjoy the unique location of Osbourne and Niven's Bay but the whole lake system is excellent for fishing. I agree with the above comment that regardless of where you go on the lake you should be able to do well. Personally, as a guest, wherever you choose to stay on the lake, I would rather find my fishing spots close to that lodge vs. driving long distances on a regular basis. Plus its just bad business to have your guide drive you way down the lake as often times guests that fish next to another lodge and enjoy it become that other lodges guests. On a side note, thank you Steve for the compliment and we too think that AML and many of the lodges up on the big lake and further have a lot of unique and special qualities that make Eagle Lake an excellent choice to spend your valuable fishing vacation. Of course, we would love to have you visit us and wherever you choose, we hope you have a great time! Randy Tyran Century Lodge www.centurylodge.com www.facebook.com/centurylodge Winter: 269-699-5792 Summer: 807-938-6863 | ||
| supertrollr |
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| for musky it's worst time of the year.if you can change the date do it.with the exceptionally cold weather have seen this year it will be even worst than usual Edited by supertrollr 4/28/2018 12:28 PM | |||
| Andy Myers Lodge |
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Location: Eagle Lake Vermilion Bay, Ontario | spring is catching up fast and everything is itching to catch up. i have not seen with the opener the 3rd week of june muskies actually spawning at opener in 20 yrs. many/most years into summer patterns already, some later spring yrs post spawn and some sections well past has been the typical late spring musky opener senerios. i wouldnt say it's the worst time but can be confusing if you are'nt reading the water your on from past expereinces. as far as action it can be a very good time period using smaller baits and fishing emerging weeds and wood, sand bays ,points, island clusters and reefs adjacent to the spawning bays. if you are ready to spend time looking for a big girl which yes sometimes it can be a tough one if you stay with traditional patterns and lake sections, try checking out 2 patterns..where ever walleyes on flats with emerging weeds or grass are being caught and lots of activity going on the more fish being caught the better AND the closets deep basins nearest the spawning areas. the smaller the basin the better as long as it is deep and holding suspended bait. troll baits up high on sunny warming patterns and deeper to around 18' on colder dropping water patterns and you do not have to run small baits.8-12" baits are fine. a walleye colored minnow bait,a cisco/whitefish pattern minnow bait running 5-12', and a fairly bright #9 blades combo 45-60' back with 4-8oz at 3.5 has always been a good spread for me at this time.most of the fish in this pattern at this time will be good fish and a chance at the biggest. steve herbeck Edited by Andy Myers Lodge 5/1/2018 3:48 PM | ||
| Lake Of The Woods |
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Posts: 63 | Spring Muskie Fishing Musky are late spawners, seeing as they like their water a little warmer than pike and walleye. They move into back bays, around shallow sides of islands, creeks and sandy flats to spawn. They prefer to have some kind of access to vegetation and like to be in anywhere from three to six feet of water. They seem to spawn in the same areas as the pike, only a little deeper. This keeps their fry a little safer from pike that have already hatched and begun their veracious eating patterns. After the spawn, muskies don't move far off of these areas as they are a fish that go dormant for the winter months and need to begin feeding right away to restock energy levels and get ready for another cold winter. What better spot than a shallow bay or rock pile flowing with minnows, pickerel, smallies and yes, even ducklings? Key areas to zone in on post-spawn include sandy bays, as musky enjoy sun tanning in the warmer water, thus hanging out with the kiddies in most swimming areas, especially ones in bays that have warmer feeder creeks running into them. Bays like this support schools of baitfish during late spring and early summer, in turn bringing in other fish as well as muskies. Rocky points or boulder flats holding some type of weed growth are sure spots to produce early-season muskies. If you can find locations like these close by with deep water, muskies will use these as an ambush point to hide and nail unsuspecting prey moving up out of the deep. As fall approaches, this same spot will be effective, although how it works may reverse. You may find in colder weather, muskies may sit on the deep edge and ambush from the other side. Lastly, passage ways through islands and shallow weedy sides of islands are one-of-a-kind spots to fish for June and July muskies. Don't leave any place unfished when cruising and casting through these areas. It is not uncommon to pull an early-season musky out of less than two feet of water. This is a great time of year for sight fishing. A good pair of polarized glasses are key for this. Now by sight fishing I don't mean drive around all day until you see a musky, but keep your eyes peeled as you are casting. Look for dark shadows in the sand bars and gravel flats, and if you do see one, keep your distance and make long casts past him. Another thing to keep in mind for big fish early is to not always throw big baits. Sure, there are some days when bigger is better when it comes to musky, but not early-season musky. Downsizing your baits on a slow day could make the difference between a successful trip and a dismal one. Also, if fish aren't snapping at bucktails and crank baits, try slowing it down with jerk baits and soft plastics ... finally an excuse to give your wife as to why you need all those lures in your box. Post Spawn & Early Summer Muskie Musky are late spawners, seeing as they like their water a little warmer than pike and walleye. They move into back bays, around shallow sides of islands, creeks and sandy flats to spawn. They prefer to have some kind of access to vegetation and like to be in anywhere from three to six feet of water. They seem to spawn in the same areas as the pike, only a little deeper. This keeps their fry a little safer from pike that have already hatched and begun their veracious eating patterns. After the spawn, muskies don't move far off of these areas as they are a fish that go dormant for the winter months and need to begin feeding right away to restock energy levels and get ready for another cold winter. What better spot than a shallow bay or rock pile flowing with minnows, pickerel, smallies and yes, even ducklings? Key areas to zone in on post-spawn include sandy bays, as musky enjoy sun tanning in the warmer water, thus hanging out with the kiddies in most swimming areas, especially ones in bays that have warmer feeder creeks running into them. Bays like this support schools of baitfish during late spring and early summer, in turn bringing in other fish as well as muskies. Rocky points or boulder flats holding some type of weed growth are sure spots to produce early-season muskies. If you can find locations like these close by with deep water, muskies will use these as an ambush point to hide and nail unsuspecting prey moving up out of the deep. Summer Muskie Once the water temperature starts to approach 60 degrees, the post-spawn muskie start moving into summer territories, typically this period is around opening day. Of course an early or late spring may have a dramatic effect on where they are located. A lot of the early summer musky population will spend most of their time suspended shallow over deep water gorging on ciscoes and whitefish. The best open water areas will have rock humps that top off shallower than 15 feet, muskies will use these rock humps as areas to feed in packs and corral schools of ciscoes. Trolling or casting crankbaits, bucktails, jerkbaits, and large minnowbaits are most effective when fishing rock humps as again the fish are not that deep Other muskies will remain shallow and in most cases not far from their spawning area. Look for the early season weed growth that is developed well, these are musky hotspots. This early weed growth signifies warmer water and baitfish, plus it offers cover for the musky to hold in. Good lures to fish over and around these early emerging weed patches are minnow baits and bucktail spinners, especially on overcast days with any kind of wave action. Reeds or bulrushes over shallow sand flats also attract early season muskies. Weed beds near deep water are excellent locations, fish that hang out in deeper water will head to the weed beds to feed on schools of perch. On larger weed beds, work the outside edges first, especially the inside turn, before heading towards the center. Speed up your presentation at this time of year to the ideal speed for your lures. Large spinner baits, bucktails and jerk baits get the aggressive fish. Full sized crankbaits and spoons are also a good bet. Your heavy duty muskie tackle is a must. As the season progresses and water temperatures reach 65 degrees, muskies will be scattered throughout the lake in their summer ranges. You will find musky on the classic structure that is easy to recognize, such as rocky or weedy points, narrows, island clusters, cabbage weedbeds and rocky reefs near deep water. At the peak of summer, our lakes surface temperature may reach 76 degrees; with metabolism at its peak in muskies, they will feed more frequently than any other time of the year. During the day, fish will suspend in deeper water. Trolling with large deep running plugs or bucktails, is the best way to cover a lot of water as effectively as possible. Troll with a long line and troll fast, 3 to 6 mph along weedlines near deep water, narrows and reefs. With high water temperatures, early mornings and evenings are prime fishing times to fish the shallow water weedbeds, deep water muskies move in to feed on the baitfish. Night fishing with topwater lures or large spinnerbaits can be a deadly tactic. Cast out and slowly retrieve your lure over submerged weeds or along the edges. Strong winds, warm surface temperatures and sunny days can be a productive time to fish bulrush points close to deep water. Because of the strong winds, these reeds will quite often hold schools of baitfish; creating a perfect ambush opportunity for the aggressive musky. The best lure to use are spinnerbaits with Colorado blades, the silver or gold blades thump hard and create incredible flash. A stretch of stable weather during the summer period will produce some of the best fishing of the year. If water temperature quickly drops several degrees because of a severe cold front, muskies will be much more fussy and difficult to catch. Using smaller lures and slower retrieves will increase your chances. By late summer, the nights are cooler and water temperature has dropped back into the mid 60’s. This transition to fall is a high activity period, musky are on the move from their summer feeding patterns, being versatile is now your greatest asset, when fishing for muskie. Here is some great information served up by a couple legendary Muskie soldiers. Very specific to all seasons of hunting the elusive beast. Seven Degrees Of Muskie Fishing By Bob Mehsikomer and Kyle Brickson For years, we at Simply Fishing have attempted to educate viewers and attendees of our various seminars of the specifics of musky fishing. The information we offer is grounded in science and experience and we try to reserve unnecessary comments or conclusions until our experience has demonstrated the true and relative nature of our findings. In this context, we have found that water temperature and its effects on the prey/predator relationship should be one of the most valuable assets in any musky hunter’s arsenal of knowledge. To keep this as simple as possible, we’ve conjured an easy-to-remember system which we refer to as "7 degrees of musky location" or simply "the rule of 7’s." This process addresses the variable stages of water temperature and how these changes affect musky movement. Most importantly, where we expect to locate fish within specific temperature ranges. Understanding the effect water temperature has on musky locations is arguably the most critical dynamic of successful musky fishing. After all, if you’re not fishing where the muskies are, you won’t catch them. Each water temperature benchmark in the "rule of 7’s" signifies an identifiable and significant change in the fishes’ behavior. These rules apply primarily to the northern regions of the musky’s range, but with slight modifications of extreme periods, fishermen anywhere can apply these guidelines. The observations are based on surface temperatures, realizing that during certain circumstances, surface temperatures are indeed relative to only a few inches of the water column. (i.e. severe fronts). Therefore, be prepared to apply some common sense in this approach to fishing. 47 Degrees and Rising: Spawning Cycle At 47 degrees, muskies experience the first of two compression periods because changes relating to everything will occur very quickly. Muskies are generally in the spawning cycle during this period. For the most part they are utilizing very shallow water, absorbing the warmest water available in the system. Areas offering the most direct sunlight, such as those in the northern or (better yet) northwest sections, generally receive the most direct sunlight and will warm fastest. They are also influenced by the stacking of warmer water due to southerly winds and are somewhat protected from the effects of harsh cold fronts often associated with this period. In most cases the female musky will simply roam favorable areas in preparation for delivery, often escorted my as many as two to five males. Under the right conditions the male will engage the female by bumping, nudging and in some cases even biting the ripe female. This ritual entices the female to drop her eggs which are then fertilized by accompanying males. The ritual is random at best, which is exactly why nature has hard-wired the males to work in concert, to achieve satisfactory recruitment. In most states and provinces this occurs during a closed season and anglers are prohibited from fishing for muskies. In the rare circumstance where fishing might be legal, you should be aware of the negative implications of pursuing these fish during the spawning process where the fishery is dependent on natural reproduction. After all, a big female is carrying some 250,000 eggs, which in most cases will seldom yield 1 percent survival in the wild. 57 Degrees: Post Spawn Transition At this water temperature, muskies will still be shallow and in most cases not far from their spawning locations. This is a prime time to seek them out in the system’s first emergent weed growth. Prime areas are shoreline associated weedlines both inside and out, shallow rockpiles and rock/weed combinations. All are prime territories for recovering females. They create a sanctuary for everything during this period. Other forage species are staging in the these areas in preparation for spawning, and combined with crayfish provide muskies have a virtual smorgasbord. However, beware that things soon change drastically. Shortly after exceeding the 57-degree benchmark, at about 59 degrees, tracking studies have shown a sharp increase in movement toward summer ranges. Keep in mind on a small lake this might mean a few hundred yards of travel, but on a big lake this may mean many miles of travel! It’s all relative. This is referred to as the post-spawn transition period. As a calendar point of reference, this temperature will often meet you at the boat landing on opening day. So plan accordingly, an early or late spring may have a dramatic effect on fish location. During this move to summer ranges fish will often hang up in transition areas. Transition areas are spots such as soft tapering points and flats that can hold numbers of fish during this period, especially during warming trends where the need to seek immediate depth is not desired. An often overlooked area during this time of year is the open water transition areas. Muskies seeking shallow water will often suspend shallow over deep water. Open water areas just off these transition areas, or confined open water areas, are prime for casting and especially trolling techniques. 67: Home is Where Your Heart Is By 67 degrees, you should expect muskies to be established in their summer ranges. And the saying "home is where your heart is" holds especially true for muskies. Although fish cover some water, they tend to use areas that suit their biological needs. Muskies often revisit several structures within these areas — often several times a day — depending on day-to-day weather patterns and forage availability. Others remain homebodies and will travel very little. Remember, this will be relative to the size of the water you’re fishing. This period is generally marked by the beginning of musky fishing pressure. For the most part muskies are now on classic, easy-to-recognize structures, such as points, saddles, aprons, weedbeds and sunken reefs. In other words, they are at home everywhere. A few fish get hung up in the shallows continuing to take advantage of post-spawn panfish. A few fish will gravitate to the extreme shallows which in some systems will in fact become their summer haunts — primarily in darker systems. As the days progress, warming water will cause an increase in metabolism, thus causing more frequent feeding periods (Ed note — see Bob’s article, "It’s A Matter of Attitude" in the February/March 2001 issue of Musky Hunter). However, the areas in which they choose to feed will primarily depend on more localized weather patterns and, of course, are relative to existing water temperatures. During this period anglers will constantly be tested, simply because the fish are located throughout the system and concentrations will be loosely defined. During such periods, if the temperatures have been in a constant warming trend, they will often utilize large, tapering points. However, that same fish which resides here will act very differently during cold front periods. With a drop of a few degrees in their environment, most fish will relocate to the more dramatic edges of the structure, such as sharp vertical breaks, or suspend away from structure. They will make it a habit during these periods to become very vertically-oriented. They will escape the cooling trends by simply dropping down in the water column, exerting almost no energy in this effort, unlike the energy necessary to navigate a larger tapering area to accomplish the same goal. If nature has done anything, it has instinctively conditioned these fish to conserve energy whenever required. This is evident when the pursuit of muskies becomes an obviously one-sided event, painfully witnessed by the absolute absence of fish. Saddles and aprons are without question among the muskies’ most preferred locations for activity during warm or improving trends. These are also areas where in the past we have connected with large numbers of fish under such conditions, providing the locations have adequate characteristics such as forage and diverse structure. The fish will generally vacate these areas during cold front periods, generally because of the smaller and somewhat shallower water nature associated with the more productive saddles and aprons. Look for these inhabitants to seek deeper water sanctuaries until things improve or until they have simply adjusted to the conditions. If these are your only options for fishing under severe conditions, expect to utilize patience and persistence. Weedbeds are easily located, but are seldom fished properly despite being incredibly paramount. They can be comprised of any number of aquatic plant types and will often be comprised of two or more plant types in a single location in more fertile waters. Look for transition of weed types as the spot on the spot. Weedbeds are also one of the few elements that will actually house muskies throughout the entire summer peak. By that, I am referring to the ability to hold complete societies from week to week. Knowledge and proper approaches to such areas will greatly improve your hour-to-fish ratio. The canopy effect produced by healthy aquatic plant life will cool the waters when necessary. The presence of healthy growing vegetation will provide valuable oxygen through the process of photosynthesis. When cover is required by the predator, little offers more value than a healthy weedbed and, in fact, nothing will house a more complete and diverse population of potential forage. These are all key considerations. Weedbeds in lakes such as Wabigoon will collectively hold up to 80 percent of the total musky population and can be productive three to four times as long as other prime structures, opposed to those found on Lake of the Woods which may only house 40 to 50 percent of the musky population during limited periods. While fishing Wabigoon back in the 1970s I stumbled on some idiosyncrasies of which I found most interesting and still apply today. During the periods of 67- to 77-degree water temperatures, it can be very difficult to entice fish activity in clear water systems under bright sunny conditions, so I started to seek darker water systems to overcome this apparent problem. Knowing I couldn’t change the weather conditions to those I preferred, I decided to adapt, by temporarily changing locations. In doing so I realized the darker the water, the quicker it warmed. As well as warming quicker it also promoted development of vegetation much earlier and quicker. So in fact, if I were to arrive at my chosen clear water system and was faced with bight conditions, I would trailer to a darker lake, in this case from Eagle to Wabigoon. What was most interesting was the fact in the case of the ‘Goon, the calmer the water, the brighter the conditions, the better it was. The sediment so profound in Wabigoon would stir up very easily under windy conditions, and settle under calm periods, which actually enhanced my results. The point is, wether you are moving around a very large system such as Lake of the Woods, or moving from lake to lake in northern Wisconsin, you can circumvent existing conditions to some degree by relocating. 77: Peaking out Summer peak is defined by the pinnacle in water temperature for the season, the temperature you can hope to expect in midsummer across northern regions of the musky habitat. Some years, like last for instance, many waters never attained this surface temperature. However, at 77 degrees, muskies will feed more frequently than any other time of year, possibly as often as every eight hours. Combine a stretch of stable weather during this period and you can expect multiple daily catches and numerous follows likely on the right water. If you are fortunate enough to experience this anomaly, suffice it to say, fishing can be as good as it gets! On the contrary, during unstable weather expect the musky to be more finicky than at any other period of the season. They will make very dramatic moves during this peak period based on changes in their environment. Periods of cold fronts will force the musky to adhere to harder breaking areas more consistently than they would during more favorable conditions. Again, history will tell us they like it warm. If the water temperatures reach or exceed say 77 degrees and rapidly fall back into the high 60s, obviously due to a severe cold front, larger female muskies will simply escape by going vertical and dropping below the negative influences until things improve, at which time she will again make another vertical move, ascending to her preferred comfort zone. This will hold true throughout the muskies’ natural range. 67: Fall Transition On the back side of 67 degrees is when the fall transition generally begins. Fish are now more likely to be found on vertical sections of structure, where easy access to deep water is generally available. Sharp vertical points leading into inside turns are fish magnets. The cool nights have begun. Day to day fluctuations in water temperatures will dictate absolute depths fish use. On warm days fish may still be found shallow, but in cooling temperatures fish again tend to drop down. Always keep in mind, for midday peak warmth during a cooling trend may quickly reverse this process and again bring fish shallow. It’s important to recognize that during this early fall period, frontal systems move through quicker as the region loses it’s stronghold on summer’s more favorable weather patterns. On natural lakes in the Midwest or throughout Canada, the more intuitive anglers will be tuned into the process of identifying and following roaming forage during this key period. Between now and the 57-degree benchmark, baitfish such as crappies, ciscoes, tullibees and others will start to congregate in the course of their normal daily activities and will often come into contact with prime musky structural elements as they travel throughout the system. It’s during this period that the predator will begin to show signs of conserving their energy supplies by dramatically reducing their daily movements and closely adhering to the art of ambush, tending to use vertical structure more frequently. Casting and trolling the more vertical structures, adjacent prime summer locations, should be a primary consideration. 57: Fall The benchmark water temperature of 57 degrees signifies entry to fall and coincides with the turnover period. Muskies have again begun to travel away from their summer home ranges. This marks the period when much of the available vegetation begins to die. Fish will again set up in transition areas. Sharp vertical points, shorelines and walls become prime candidates. This is the time multiple forage species begin to stage off breaklines. Although casting these areas can be effective, trolling now becomes a prime consideration. Active fish will primarily be at the mid-depth levels at 8 to 15 feet, although on days following turnover they can be at any depth. However, during warming trends fish again may move shallow. This is the period when conservation of energy falls into second place as they endure the relocation process. Fish this period much like you would the spring period of the same temperatures. Forage is on the move, selecting their primary comfort zones, and muskies follow. Any warming patterns have produced some of my largest fish while casting surface lures on existing outside weedlines. Kyle, on the other hand, has reported many multi-fish days trolling. As long as the muskies are on the move, they are using energy and will be feeding, but they are not necessarily using defined, prime, spot-on-a-spot structures and you will have to cover water to find them. 47: Fall Trophy Hunting When water temperatures plunge to 47 degrees, muskies are well-entrenched in the fall season. Fish are well-established in transition areas again utilizing vertical structure. They are now in the process of energy conservation and some of the larger females may even experience the beginning stages of egg production. Muskies are feeding and focusing on forage with high fat content, like suckers and ciscoes. Fish will most often be at their peak weight. Trolling these areas is now a primary consideration. Again fish may still respond during warming trends by moving shallow. Fish utilizing shallow structure and remaining vegetation make casting an effective option. 37: Break Out The Parka Fish are now usually found in deep water in their established wintering zones. Once the water temp drops to 39 degrees the upper level of the water column sinks and as the surface of the water column continues to cool, fish will seek the warmer deeper layer. Deep trolling and casting becomes an effective tactic. Muskies will often relocate to areas previously void of fish and may use open water far removed from any defined structure. Trolling areas out and away from structure is an effective tactic during this late fall period. Locating baitfish that have often pulled away from structure is the key to success. | ||
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