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| My boat was in the shop for almost 4 weeks, waiting on back ordered parts. I took my kayak out and fished from it on several occasions, looking for bass and pan fish. One area I hit was not far from my home, where I hit the inside edge of a very weedy shoreline. However, there is an area maybe 15 feet wide close to shore where there is very little in the way of weeds and has some downed trees, brush, etc. I did find some bass there but had a ton of 6" to 8" perch hitting the spinner. Got thinking, with that much bait, probably some musky around. I have caught/moved a couple fish in the past fishing the outside edge of this shore line but wondered if there was a technique/lure that folks would use to fish that inside edge. Guessing it would be difficult. |
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Posts: 1196
| I caught my first Muskie on an inside edge, pushed my row boat off the pier a couple stokes of the oars stud up fired a cast out over the weeds bring my bucktail in got a hit (and I saw the hit) caught 40" 16# muskie clubbed it a couple stokes of the oars and tied the boat to the pier. It was raining when I caught it, but the night before was super hot and woke up and it was super hot so instead of fishing I went for a swim. My swimming hole was right at the end of the pier and where the weeds start. Maybe my Muskie was watching me swim a couple hours earlier. And a lake I fish in Minnesota I love to cast my ultra light off the dock with 1/16 oz jig and catch perch. |
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Posts: 7010
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | Steve Worrall lives on the inside edge. |
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| Slamr - 8/26/2022 10:49 AM
Steve Worrall lives on the inside edge.
I was thinking about taking a Violent Strike jig/creature and tossing it up tight to shore and working it oh so slow like Steve has described. Not sure I have the patience. (Wasn't patience one of those things that is supposed to come with age?) |
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Posts: 490
Location: NW WI | What's ur depth range? |
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| 7.62xJay - 8/26/2022 12:52 PM
What's ur depth range?
Where I was, no deeper than 2 feet, than the weeds got thick. |
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Posts: 32800
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | The fish are there a lot. |
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Posts: 1196
| Yes there are always little fish close to shore Muskies cruise in and have them pinned against the shore. And also in the dark river chains we have in Wisconsin there's cover and nobody is buzzing the shore in there big boats! And on the deep clear lakes we can have deep water close to shore. |
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Posts: 3783
| Firetiger Johnson Spoon with a white twin twister tail, throw it right on shore and drag it into the water. Always a winner, but there's no better time than during the Great Frog Migration that happens for 3-4 days every fall, the inside weedlines are boiling with active fish. An open stretch of beach with a pier is gold, there will be big fish under that pier. A light leader means you'll catch some of the biggest bass of the year within 6 feet of shore. The wire leader must be light enough for the spoon to dance.
Edited by Ranger 8/27/2022 1:06 PM
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Posts: 490
Location: NW WI | So way I figure ur clean inner edge exists because either A: regular wind and wave disturbs root growth and deposits loose sand and gravel making growth difficult, or B: which with the lay downs you describe I'd assume it exists because of hardwood shade.
Either way ur food chain is similar, what changes is why the biggins are there.
If your seeing and hearing and inner activity, I don't think it's gunna matter at all what u throw, you'll prolly get eaten regardless, id just stay away from any "clown" colors unless ur water is espresso dark in 2'. But if they're just hanging out in the shade, something slow is where id lean. I haven't used em in years but sounds like a good situation for some of Delong's products. But personally these are the 4 baits id be reaching for for multi species fishing there. #1 LunkerHunt Fetch with a 7/0 Ichikawa swimbait hook texas rigged with a #5 split ring to the hook eye. U can use a larger longer swimbait hook but I'm picturing you having the option of tossing into brush or into weed mat. And that shallower hook with that flat belly swimbait will allow you cruise over weeds or deflect off of wood easier. Where as a traditional ribbed tubular swimbait will have a greater tendency to roll on its side when it deflects and get fouled or miss fish. #2 Is the picture, I think he's out of Hayward and I have no idea if his distribution gets over to you guys, the hooks he uses are inconsistent but either way I super glue in I think a 9/0 eagle claw weed guarded. Your cast distance is limited but throwing this thing unweighted has phenomenal enticing action. Yes it looks like a kids bait, but for <4$ just try one. #3 hollow body frog or toad kicker, and just like Ranger said, throw it on bank and pull it in. That technique I promise you makes a difference. If you want recommendations on hollow body frogs, PM me. I 1,000% guarantee you,what hooks bass doesn't hook Esox, but what hooks Esox hooks bass. #4 lizard creature, id rig like a 6-9/0 weighted swimbait hook with it. Hands down my favorite pattern is by Diesel Baits, but I don't know if he's open right now. Theres just something all predators love/hate about lizards even when it isn't spawn/post spawn.
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| Thanks for the suggestions. I have seen some decent muskies over the years in water barely deep enough to cover them, one of them followed a muskrat that was swimming tight to shore by my dock.
I like the different ideas for the inside edge, think I will give them a try next week. Somewhere I have DeLong eel that I could never figure out what to do with. If I can find, will throw that in the mix. |
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Posts: 32800
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I've done really well over there semi-paralleling the inside edge with a NO 8 Violent Strike spinnerbait. |
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Posts: 490
Location: NW WI | Would anyone every throw a Musky profile topwater parallel in this situation? Granted you'd have 1-2 casts paralleling between shore and weed edge. Just curious if it may be a good way to cover water fast for what's hot or is it maybe "too much". I'd think a Walk the dog would rein here, but haven't every tried any. |
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Posts: 32800
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | 7.62xJay - 8/27/2022 4:42 PM
Would anyone every throw a Musky profile topwater parallel in this situation? Granted you'd have 1-2 casts paralleling between shore and weed edge. Just curious if it may be a good way to cover water fast for what's hot or is it maybe "too much". I'd think a Walk the dog would rein here, but haven't every tried any.
Rough and cloudy, a Weagle does OK. |
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Posts: 1196
| If the wind is ripping throw whatever you what, now if it's quiet we have to be quiet maybe a single Mepps Musky killer, Bass sized Spinnerbait, 4" floating Mag Rapala, or as stated above Johnson's Minnow, or a thin spoon like a Williams Wabler or Baby Hawg Wobbler, or go old school Injured Minnow. But the most fun and maybe most effective would be to break out the 9 weight fly rod and feed them a fly! |
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Posts: 611
Location: Seymour, WI | When the water cools in late Aug/ early Sept, (now) I've seen fish move to the inside edge many times.
Target them with whatever works fpr the sit. Topwater, bucktail, suick etc. |
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Posts: 3783
| To me the "inside edge" is the weed line that faces the shore. Between the shore and the weed line is open water, after that there are heavy weeds from the bottom to the surface all the way out to the first drop off. The trick to targeting that narrow band of open water that runs parallel to the shore is to repeatedly cast to dry land, and bring the bait thru the open water, without making a disturbance. Almost anything but a Johnson's spoon will get hung up, either on shore or when, on retrieve, it hits the weeds. Either way, the "noise" you make getting unhung will spook the nearby big fish that are sitting under the weeds looking at the shoreline. And double bad considering the downtime of removing weeds from your lure.
You gotta be all ninja about these fish. Make your bait land silent (on shore), retrieve, and as it approaches weeds that rise to the surface, pop the lure out of the water so it lands near the boat. Reel up and do it again. Rubber on a weedless hook will work ok but it's not as easy to fling as a weedless spoon. In the end, rule out anything that isn't truly weedless, including spinner baits.
You can't use a heavy leader with a medium sized Johnson's spoon. Kills the action. I learned this whole approach way back when I was buying "Invisaleaders" by South Bend. Like 25# test braided wire. My biggest fish was a 40" pike and there were a number of 4-6# bass. All hooked within 6' of the shore.
Edited by Ranger 8/29/2022 3:33 PM
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| Years ago, I was volunteering at the boat landing for Clean Water/Clean Boats. It was the first day of the Hodag Musky Challenge and the few parking spots at the landing were taken. Two guys, probably late 70s pulled in with a small fishing boat, planning on doing a little crappie fishing. After launching the boat, one drove back to the road to park on the shoulder where he could find a spot. I explained about the tournament, as to why so many trucks/trailers.
As I and the other guy stood by the dock waiting for the gentleman to return, an upper 30s musky swam by, parallel to shore, in water barely deep enough to cover it. We watched it swim down the shoreline, then the fellow extended a hand toward the boats on the lake and with a smile said, "maybe they should be fishing a little closer". |
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Posts: 490
Location: NW WI | Ranger - 8/29/2022 3:10 PM
To me the "inside edge" is the weed line that faces the shore. Between the shore and the weed line is open water, after that there are heavy weeds from the bottom to the surface all the way out to the first drop off. The trick to targeting that narrow band of open water that runs parallel to the shore is to repeatedly cast to dry land, and bring the bait thru the open water, without making a disturbance. Almost anything but a Johnson's spoon will get hung up, either on shore or when, on retrieve, it hits the weeds. Either way, the "noise" you make getting unhung will spook the nearby big fish that are sitting under the weeds looking at the shoreline. And double bad considering the downtime of removing weeds from your lure.
You gotta be all ninja about these fish. Make your bait land silent (on shore), retrieve, and as it approaches weeds that rise to the surface, pop the lure out of the water so it lands near the boat. Reel up and do it again. Rubber on a weedless hook will work ok but it's not as easy to fling as a weedless spoon. In the end, rule out anything that isn't truly weedless, including spinner baits.
You can't use a heavy leader with a medium sized Johnson's spoon. Kills the action. I learned this whole approach way back when I was buying "Invisaleaders" by South Bend. Like 25# test braided wire. My biggest fish was a 40" pike and there were a number of 4-6# bass. All hooked within 6' of the shore.
Well said.
Few questions for ya. What size spoon are you using? I assume the Johnson's must run shallower vs a gaurded doctor or daredevil? When I do the same thing I found that pausing about 2-3 seconds after the initial bloop off of the bank and than retrieving tends to yield more strikes and more violent/accurate strikes as well. But ive never tried it with spoons. You have any input on how that works for ya with a spoon? Spoon with a tantalizing trailer jumping off bottom kicking up a dirt trail has gotta be extremely effective I'd think. |
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Posts: 3783
| I'm using the 2.75" spoon with a white 3" Berkley Twin Twister Tail. (I wish I had my Grandpa's skill at trimming and shaping an Uncle Josh pork rind.) I kinda do the "bloop pause" thing, too; the deeper the water the longer the pause. I don't use the 3.75" spoon because it lands too hard, won't dance right regardless of the tail, and is harder to retrieve such that I can silently flip the lure out and over the surface weeds. The smaller spoon just works better for me and the fish seem go nuts over it.
Frogs live along the shoreline all year, tho they're tucked and sleeping thru the winter. They migrate in large numbers in the spring and fall. The spring migration seems to be spread out over a week or three, but the fall migration happens all of a sudden and is done in a few days. In SW MI where I lived on a couple lakes and fished a bunch, the fall migration seemed to start during early October, triggered by a spat of warm, rainy weather. All the frogs who spent the summer away from the lake/swamp head back to the water. All of a sudden there are hundreds, thousands, of frogs on the wet roads at night. Everyone in MI, MN and WI sees this happen every fall. Seeing those frogs is the starting whistle for targeting the shoreline, day and night, for a good week or two. The frogs on the shoreline are also disturbed during this period by riparian owners pulling piers, boat lifts and boats out of the lake in prep of ice. But there are always a few owners who wait till November to bring in their piers. These piers are golden; big fish who come in to hunt the shallows at night hide under the piers after the sun comes out. They'll stay in that shade all day unless spooked.
Hope that helps!
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