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Muskie Fishing -> General Discussion -> Clear water, boating pressure, and "spooky" fish, What's your game plan?
 
Message Subject: Clear water, boating pressure, and "spooky" fish, What's your game plan?
kdawg
Posted 8/17/2015 10:11 AM (#780763)
Subject: Clear water, boating pressure, and "spooky" fish, What's your game plan?




Posts: 727


With a little luck working on my schedule, I should have almost the whole month of October off. Want to try some lake hopping. I'm looking at trying a clear water chain based on info that I read has good sized fish. The problem is as stated, the fish spook very easily. Beside the obvious, approach quietly from a long distance, fish low light conditions and weekdays, what would be your game plan? I know this is against the norm for the fall, but would you consider down sizing your baits? kDAWG
ImpactFishing
Posted 8/17/2015 10:32 AM (#780766 - in reply to #780763)
Subject: Re: Clear water, boating pressure, and "spooky" fish, What's your game plan?




Posts: 87


My plan would to fish low light conditions which includes overcast weather and a good chop on the water. Guys on St. Clair don't downsize for the clear water there.
Alumanati
Posted 8/17/2015 10:40 AM (#780767 - in reply to #780763)
Subject: Re: Clear water, boating pressure, and "spooky" fish, What's your game plan?




Posts: 29


Location: Okauchee, WI
No I would not necessarily downsize. Do what you can to entice a strike before they can get a look at you.

Long lining a sucker on a slip float is always good for at least a "tell"
curleytail
Posted 8/17/2015 11:09 AM (#780776 - in reply to #780763)
Subject: Re: Clear water, boating pressure, and "spooky" fish, What's your game plan?




Posts: 2687


Location: Hayward, WI
Will you still have a lot of boating pressure in October? Lakes around here seem to go pretty much dead after the 1st weekend in September.

I'd fish rubber or cranks on deep weed edges, moving in or out if that doesn't work.

I fish clear water quite a bit, and really don't find those fish to be as spooky or light shy as I used to think they were. If it's bluebird and calm I tend to head deeper, but otherwise I don't wait for the perfect cloudy, choppy, rainy day to fish clear water.

Interestingly, the only fish I caught this Saturday was on an 11" Curly Sue, as it was almost directly under a ski boat going about 10 mph past me. I was just about to give them a dirty look when the fish hit...
woodieb8
Posted 8/17/2015 11:22 AM (#780778 - in reply to #780763)
Subject: Re: Clear water, boating pressure, and "spooky" fish, What's your game plan?




Posts: 1529


remember oct your getting into fishing windows the bite here is any given time but not all day. try natural colors longer leads and like the rest of us. pray to the musky goddes
Grass
Posted 8/17/2015 12:31 PM (#780796 - in reply to #780763)
Subject: Re: Clear water, boating pressure, and "spooky" fish, What's your game plan?




Posts: 608


Location: Seymour, WI
My own experience with October fish is that not as many fish are raised during a day of fishing, but the ones that do show, tend to be biters not followers.
Kirby Budrow
Posted 8/17/2015 12:45 PM (#780798 - in reply to #780763)
Subject: Re: Clear water, boating pressure, and "spooky" fish, What's your game plan?





Posts: 2255


Location: Chisholm, MN
Don't be afraid of clear water. Muskies are muskies no matter what the water color. I fish lakes like that all the time. Maybe not so much boating pressure though. If there are daytime feeding windows I use speed to trigger fish. A lot of times deeper running baits like bull dawgs ripped hard and fast work very well. Fish use deeper water than your typical lake when the water is clear, but they will travel long distances to chase your bait. Day or night, calm or windy, you can catch fish in very clear water...even in the figure 8.
BMuskyX
Posted 8/17/2015 2:08 PM (#780808 - in reply to #780763)
Subject: Re: Clear water, boating pressure, and "spooky" fish, What's your game plan?




Posts: 271


I'd fish at night with an unweighted Bobbie bait sloooowly. Let it surface or at least wake the surface between each pull.

Jaimy
ESOX Maniac
Posted 8/18/2015 10:40 AM (#780933 - in reply to #780808)
Subject: Re: Clear water, boating pressure, and "spooky" fish, What's your game plan?





Posts: 2751


Location: Mauston, Wisconsin
Yes, they can be spooky! Don't downsize, they are looking at bigger meals in late fall, cisco's and whitefish get pretty large.. Find the bait, find the fish. Deeper running baits or slow presentations with large jigs, big rubber or walk dog or twich baits and other slow retrieve surface baits. They are always looking up, the sides & front. To see down they have to be oriented with head down. Having your lure above them gives them a better target, use longer casts, get them to eat before they see the boat & you...night fishing when the cisco's are up higher in water column can be productive.

Ask the local fisherie's biologist where & when the whitefish and cisco's spawn in the chain, they may be setting up for spawning...and holding in deeper water off their spawning area's. The pigs would be lurking!

Have fun!
Al




kdawg
Posted 8/18/2015 10:50 AM (#780935 - in reply to #780933)
Subject: Re: Clear water, boating pressure, and "spooky" fish, What's your game plan?




Posts: 727


Two other questions. Do you believe muskies become conditioned to boating pressure and outboard motor noise? And do you believe big heavy baits that are typically used in the fall can actually spook fish when they land in the water?
figure 8
Posted 8/18/2015 11:45 AM (#780942 - in reply to #780935)
Subject: Re: Clear water, boating pressure, and "spooky" fish, What's your game plan?




Posts: 238


Long casts with rubber even at night works for me natural patterns during day, dark baits at night.
Musky952
Posted 8/18/2015 12:31 PM (#780963 - in reply to #780763)
Subject: Re: Clear water, boating pressure, and "spooky" fish, What's your game plan?




Posts: 400


Location: Metro
I fish a clear water lake and the fish are definitely spooked easily. I think even Mike Keyes expresses this in one of his shows while fishing a couple metro lakes. What I have done is really try to look for the fish when it is further away from the boat so you can prepare the figure eight. I am not saying I am a master by any means but I think trying to bring the bait into a natural figure 8 is the big piece of advise I can give.

I have had many fish spook because of a very slight change in movement right next to the boat.
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