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Posts: 14
| I'm a pretty novice muskie fisherman and can't find much info on how to fish this fall transition period. Is it still too early for bull dawgs? Should I still be using my bucktails? Where are the fish? |
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Posts: 300
| People can correct me or disagree with me if I am wrong here, but I think once you hit about August...its never too early for bulldawgs. As long as you can keep them from getting hung up on shallow structure. |
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Posts: 32786
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | No transition of any real sort yet in N WI, it hasn't been cold enough to turn over, temps here are in the 60's. The two techniques you mention work any time, any season. Broadly speaking, the fish will be where the food is, and that is wildly varied depending on the system.
Where are you fishing? |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | sounds like somebody told you bucktails were summer baits and bulldawgs were fall baits ... first thing to do is wipe that from your memory and stop listening to that source. |
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Posts: 444
| LOL at Sled, I got a fish this June on a Bull Dawg. Bull dawgs, Bucktails, crankbaits, jerk baits work all season. You will need to experiment and spend some time on the lake you fish to figure things out. |
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Posts: 1023
| jonnysled - 9/22/2016 9:46 AM
sounds like somebody told you bucktails were summer baits and bulldawgs were fall baits ... first thing to do is wipe that from your memory and stop listening to that source.
Yup.
Baits are year long. Bucktails/Dogs work all year. In my experience, though, spots change. And how quickly/slowly you work your lures change.
Try hitting a few flats outside of weed edges and deep water. Get those dogs down deep, see what happens. And still hit those weed points with blades. Let the fish show you where they are. |
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Posts: 20179
Location: oswego, il | When the nights start to cool in august and through september is a great time to throw a bucktail or any bait shallow. The initial fallimg water temps, from the hotter the better seems to trigger alot of activity. Dont be afraid of bucktails during this time, fish get active and stupid right now! |
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Posts: 1209
| Try a top water |
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Posts: 1023
| Summer. I start with a bucktail or topwater and then typically move to soft pull baits if I am fishing deeper water or if fish seem to not be on the move. I throw pounders in the spring of it feels right. There's always large forage around. Typically though, I don't throw bucktails much after September. That's just how I roll |
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Posts: 400
Location: Metro | I have been having some issues during this transition into fall. I believe its because I don't know where they are on the lakes that I fish in the West Metro.. had a great start to the year and now haven't even had a follow in the past 3 weeks. I have tried up shallow and weed edges but still cant seem to find them.
Hopefully I can figure it out so the years to come aren't so hard. Some of the lakes that I fish are also getting bloomed out so you can't even see 2ft down. I am sure things will turn around soon. This crazy weather probably isn't helping. |
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Posts: 132
| Weather instability definitely isn't helping. I haven't been out much - but my hunch is that they are burying in the weeds or are REALLY shallow. |
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Posts: 255
| When I first began for muskie I thought that you had to follow all kinds of rules. There are general things to be smart about, but put a lure in the water and try different depth and structure, and different lures for those things. Read and research. Fall in WI for me means Mid Oct to ice, but you may be way different. I fish mainly river/flowages, stained water, max depth about 15'.
Examples:
October: Jointed 6" rapala and went to 3' weedbed, we got 3 in 45 minutes. Late Sept. got nice one on topwater in 7' on a point. Oct got 44 on bucktail in 10-12' dropoff. Thanksgiving week, water at 37 degrees: suckers got fish interested, but needed a crankbait ripped up at the boat to entice them. Mid summer found fish on rubberbaits near bottom at 14'; this also worked in Oct and got a 42.
Good luck
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Posts: 200
Location: Twin Cities | When temps start getting cold is when you start throwing the chicken carcas! |
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Posts: 221
| RunNGun - 9/22/2016 3:28 PM
Weather instability definitely isn't helping. I haven't been out much - but my hunch is that they are burying in the weeds or are REALLY shallow.
Bingo. |
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Posts: 99
| Generally bucktails are going to be your best choice as the fish are moving and you need to too. I like small colorful bucktails this time of the year as most lakes (>30') are going into a pre-turnover stage so muskies will be moving shallow to feed on smaller baitfish. A moderate retrieve is best, but slow it down to a crawl if it's cold out, or the wind is cold. Fish large food shelves adjacent to your summer haunts and the main lake. Don't have to be weeds. Can be rock, sand or a mix. Just make sure your gear is right cause the tankers are out and they will eat small baits. Post turnover, well that's another story. |
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