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| Was able to put our dock in this past weekend here in Northern WI and that got me to thinking about musky spawning areas. Just about every year, we see muskies in the spring in the shallow water, next to where the dock meets land. Sometimes it is one fish, other times two fish. Nothing special about the area, sandy, some leaves in spring on the bottom. It does get a lot of sun in the spring before the trees on shore get leaves. Couple years ago I had gone next door to help my elderly neighbor put in his dock and decided to come back through the water since I had my waders on. Right next to the dock, in about a foot of water, were two muskies. One was mid 30s, the other mid to upper 40s. Figured it was a female and smaller male. I got less than ten feet of them and stopped to take a better look. The small one suddenly went flying over the back of the large one, coming completely out of the water in its haste to get away. The big girl slowly and majestically swam out to deeper water. My wife had been watching from up the hill and couldn't figure out why this fish came flying out of the water.
My question is whether this is the type of area muskies spawn in or are they just resting. I have stood on the dock and looked down on them and some of them are really beat up. Last year as I stood on the dock, one came slowly out from under the dock. Low 40s fish, thick across the back and beat up. Deep scars on head, patches of missing scales along the back. Any ideas on what attracts them to such a nothing area? |
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Posts: 1080
| The area you describe as "a nothing area" and "nothing special"....well....seems like an ideal area for them to be spawning; shallow, sandy bottom, sun light to warm that sand which warms the water to their ideal temperature range for spawning. Seems pretty special to me to see that taking place. Sure...the fish will be brutal with each other during the act of spawning and the fish will show visual signs of wounds and scars and beat up, but...they'll heal up in no time.
Edited by MACK 4/16/2015 7:40 AM
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Posts: 54
Location: Madison wi | I also have a musky spawning question...... There is a lake in southern wi that i fish often. It has had consistant stocking for the last 10 or so years, but the musky population is very low. Its a 2000 acre lake that has a small feeder creek flowing into it. About 2 miles up the creek there is a tiny dam. My question is would you guys expect the muskies to be in this creek area in the spring time trying to spawn? I tried to get a boat up there before, but it was extremely shallow (1-2 ft deep) and straight mud/ muck bottom. I only made it about 1/2 a mile up the creek before getting beached in the mud and turning around. So the question is, do you expect this area to hold fish in the spring? I would like to fish this area on the opener but not sure if it will be worth trying to navigate in this extremly shallow water. The creek seems to be somewhat structureless, just straight mud bottom with no weeds. What are your thoughts guys? If a lake has a creek or small river running into it, can i expect to find muskies up there in early spring?
Edited by billy bucher 4/16/2015 7:59 AM
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| When I called it nothing special, it is because much of the shore line in that area is very similar. The one variable seems to be the sun. That spot gets sun better than other areas, so that may well be the key. Hope they are back this spring. |
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Posts: 397
Location: Wisconsin | I have a place on a large and deep lake with a low population of musky, but I have seen musky spawning in the south end of the lake with a lack of quality spawning areas. I really do think the best spawning occurs in the "best types of spots" but it also occurs everywhere in a lake |
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Posts: 20178
Location: oswego, il | My guess it you like to watch and that wasn't her dude. |
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