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Posts: 284
Location: Eagan, MN | Porpoisers... Generally, thought to be nearly uncatchable. With only a couple of exceptions, that's been my experience as well. So, who's actually caught a musky after seeing the fish porpoise? How did you trigger the bite? Brian |
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Posts: 132
| Are you talking about when they have their head out of the water? Or are you talking about them 'finning' with back and tail out of the water?
I have caught quite a few 'finners' (15-20 I would say). I typically get them on topwaters, but have caught a few on bucktails.
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Posts: 833
| If they are swimming along like they are "gulping air" I've yet to find a way to get them to do anything. If they are on top and more "on the prowl" then I chuck a cast their way with a topwater or bucktail and they almost always follow and usually with aggression. |
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Posts: 2274
Location: Chisholm, MN | Brad P - 9/19/2016 9:28 AM
If they are swimming along like they are "gulping air" I've yet to find a way to get them to do anything. If they are on top and more "on the prowl" then I chuck a cast their way with a topwater or bucktail and they almost always follow and usually with aggression.
Huh, well I must be doing something wrong! They don't follow me very often! |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | If you see a "finner" as the above poster said, extremely common to get action from them. I'd say 75% of the time for me it results in a follow/strike/catch in some capacity. That's usually the sign of an active, excited fish
Haven't seen enough of the head out of the water fish, but the few I have I couldn't do anything with either.
Edited by Musky Brian 9/19/2016 10:57 AM
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| Kirby Budrow - 9/19/2016 10:37 AM
Brad P - 9/19/2016 9:28 AM
If they are swimming along like they are "gulping air" I've yet to find a way to get them to do anything. If they are on top and more "on the prowl" then I chuck a cast their way with a topwater or bucktail and they almost always follow and usually with aggression.
Huh, well I must be doing something wrong! They don't follow me very often!
Me too! I always asumed those were the ones that already had a meal and its their play time. |
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Posts: 2274
Location: Chisholm, MN | Wait...some of you are saying exactly the opposite of what I've experienced throughout my 18 years of muskie fishing! How can this be? I have casted at every one of those porpoisers, and maybe get 5% of them to look at the bait. I have never caught one that way, but I have heard of a few caught that way. In my experience, I see this happening MOSTLY on a bluebird morning, flat calm and very little action.
Side note: I can't even think of a time I've seen a porpoiser this year. Kind of strange.
Edited by Kirby Budrow 9/19/2016 11:00 AM
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Location: Contrarian Island | have had some hit over the years but % is low... prop bait topwaters have had all the hits .. also agree w Kirby, this year I haven't seen nearly as many as usual... did see one last week we got to eat a topwater tho
Edited by BNelson 9/19/2016 11:08 AM
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Posts: 833
| I will say that the ones that I get to be active are typically swimming around on top around a solunar event. That happened on Leech this year, saw a fish "finning" on top, chucked a bucktail in her vicinity and she came in hard. Went around the 8 a few times, nipped the bait, but didn't get hooks. Fish followed at almost exactly Moon Overhead.
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Posts: 718
| On the Detroit River, seeing those lift their head out and then dive is a very solid indicator of a good day. See no risers and it will often be tough. You may not catch those individual fish but it will be a good day usually. |
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Location: On the O | Last year on the Larry a buddy pointed out infront of the boat to a Muskie just casually swimming along. We all watched as it got spooked once it saw the boat and dove down. Not 10 seconds later one of the rods went off and we had one really similiar sized fish in the boat. We all agreed it had to be the same fish....maybe the secret is trolling for them!! But don't tell anyone.
Edited by BigC 9/19/2016 11:48 AM
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Posts: 1937
Location: Black Creek, WI | I have not had any success casting at porpoisers. I have had success when they break the surface in a feeding activity. You can't predict when a porpoiser will appear... so I just make a cast to them if I can reach them and see what happens. Beyond that, I ignore them. |
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Posts: 3136
| Side imaging and depth charges???? |
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Posts: 285
Location: NE Wisconsin | I second Jason |
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Posts: 7009
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | I am ashamed at our user community. How long has this been up and not one bad joke about catching porpoises?
Someone call ToddM's Mom and have her check to make sure he's in his room doing his homework. |
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| Is this correct as it relates to Muskies?
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Posts: 2384
Location: On the X that marks the mucky spot | 2 words: Weagle Baby!
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Posts: 574
Location: Elk Grove Village, IL & Phillips, WI | mnmusky has it down! |
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Posts: 284
| Put me in the 0 action in A LOT of hours and 20+ years on porpoising muskies. I am pretty surprised at the number of guys that are saying that they have gotten action from them to be honest. |
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Posts: 208
| ^^^^^^ what he said |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | Had one just as recent as last week in southern WI, really nice one too. She kindly told me I was casting on the complete wrong side of the weedline as I just happened to look over my back shoulder and see a tail and back motoring up for a second. Flung a cast out and she she shot right up and danced at my feet for a few turns before sinking away. |
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Posts: 132
| I had the same thing happen a couple weeks ago. Looked over my shoulder and saw a tail come out of the water. Bombed a topwater out just past her, she came right in and chowed at the boat - 50"er. |
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Posts: 115
| Ive caught 1 porpoiser in probably about 100 sighted porpoisers that ive casted at. Ive also seen them porpoise and a few minutes later hooked up. Was it the porpoiser that bit? No idea, but it was in the same spot.This is all on your home lake dunlap. I think its really low percentage to get action from them, but it does happen. |
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Posts: 107
Location: central illinois | Never caught a fish that "porpoised" tried many times. I don't even bother with it anymore. Any guest I have with me will focus on the fish that "porpoised." It gets them excited just like it did to me years ago. I have caught a couple out in the middle of the lake actively feeding. One was a personal best from a lake I fish. Also caught one sunning itself but it was around 30 inches. Not saying "porpoising" fish can't be caught but I just don't even bother to try now. |
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Posts: 1636
| In clear water lakes, we are 100% on getting follows from porpoising fish and have caught probably 25%.
On stained water... I have never gotten one to strike and I am unsure of any follows. Mostly river fish.
The stained water fish do not seem to be porpoising the same way as the clear water, lake fish.
Whatever the lake fish are doing is obviously making them super sensitive to lure activity.
Maybe the quick change from one world to the next is somewhat of a relief 
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Posts: 1636
| As far as triggering the fish in clear water... I have had my best luck with bucktails and crankbaits reeling them straight in without any jerks or twitches at a speed I do not feel is slow or fast... Just a normal retrieve to get the bait doing what you think it should do. I have not done well with any consistency while ripping the heck out of anything at any point in time in my entire life to be honest.
Good post... I like it! |
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Posts: 9
| Porpoising Muskies seem to enjoy watching me fish and that's about it. |
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Posts: 8716
| 0 for a bunch. Whack the occasional fish boiling up on the surface, but I'm pretty sure those are feeding. I still cast at 'em anyway. Have to. Tried pretending I never saw them, but that never works.
Always wondered if they do that to help swallow a meal and that's why they never respond...
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Posts: 785
| I almost feel like we aren't all on the same exact terms simply by how different some peoples experiences are. Fish that are cruising around with their fins out are almost always caught for me. They are hot and active fish.
Porpoising fish however (usually on super calm days) I consider to be ones that just break surface briefly with their back fins... I seen several do it last weekend and probably close to 20 this season with zero action from any. Most were seen on multiple fish days too. Now multiply that exact same result by 13-14 years of musky fishing. One lazy follow is the only action I've ever gotten from dozens and dozens of porpoising fish. |
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Posts: 296
| I see a lot of this in Canada. Over the years we've had many follow, caught some, and truly believe caused a bunch to go into their porpoising act.
Those sunny calm days really bring them up, especially in the community spots where theirs multiple fish constantly harased with baits. Repeated casts dragging them off the structures and then eventually they start porpoising behind you in the open water like their ticked off now and taunting you. No way those ones are biting anything!
Edited by Fishboy19 9/22/2016 10:52 AM
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