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Posts: 1828
| This sounds just like last year's complaints. Not to say that this year hasn't been weird, but it seems like this is the discussion every year. "Weird weather"... when is the weather ever normal? "Low water temps"... Finally a year that you can fish all summer (temps stayed below 80), and now we say it's too cold?
BNelson - you keep asking about fish/hour stats. Is your catch rate much lower? How much lower?
I fished a fair amount (by my standards) up til July, and my catch rate is half that of last year. BUT most of my catches were in Sept and Oct last year. I start fishing again next week, so hopefully this fall is stellar. It kind of eases the pain of not fishing to hear that a lot of guys have struggled this summer. |
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Posts: 131
| For the little time I've spent on the water it's been a good year.I caught my personal best 55 and 2 days later kustom boy caught his personal best 54.5 .both on the same pond. For me it's been more of a mid morning bite .. I ve been through you pain Brad some years ya just can't catch up with the bite. I've been spending more time on spots casting primarily Jerk baits, no run and gun |
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Location: Contrarian Island | my boat numbers are a touch worse, a fish has hit the net every 4.92 hours.. the reason I ask that is when guys say they are having great years, ok well if they have 2 x the # of fish as their best year, but have fished 3 x the hours it's actually worse... when i have been out, the # of fish contacted and # of sheer hits is down... not seeing the bigger fish very often... just an odd year all over
Edited by BNelson 8/29/2014 1:38 PM
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Posts: 1828
| If a fish every 5 hours is a bad year... |
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Posts: 880
Location: New Berlin,Wisconsin,53151 | It's been the same year for me, I catch a couple opening weekend and then dream for the rest of the summer. The same pattern for the last 5 years. I found a new way to save my arms and probably for future muskie day's....it's called jiggin. Never thought I'd find myself doing it on a consistant basis, but the results don't lie, the last 7 out of 8 weeks someone jiggin has won the Wednesday night league. I wish I could say that it's produced good results for me, but I guess 2nd place isn't so bad, someone once said "it's like kissing your sister". YUK! Bring on the sucker fishing.......
Netman |
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Location: Contrarian Island | I didn't say it was a bad year for me. just a bad year overall..look at the big fish contest on here, half the fish to date as last year, friends of mine who are good fishermen not doing well, many guys going on trips to MN/Canada etc for a week and coming back with less than 10 for a week... that is just flat out slow in most guys books... it has been slower here in Madison.. just not seeing the # of fish per outing or getting the hits... Lake of the woods accounted for almost half the fish in my boat this year in a week...it's all what you expect...some guys think a 4 fish day is like out of this world great, well for some that is avg... just all what you expect and are use to doing
Edited by BNelson 8/29/2014 1:55 PM
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Posts: 1023
| Not a bad year, but a strange year over here. Lots of undersized fish in the spring. Then I got my butt kicked in the early summer period.
Re evaluated my approach. Gave a few new techniques a chance. Most failed, but one technique has paid off big time. Lots of fish, some nice ones. Repeatable. Got me back on track. Now I need more time on the water and on different water to keep trying my new technique.
But I have no doubt that had I kept doing my same old same old, that I'd be sitting here with an awful year under my belt.
Highest water temp I've seen was 79.5. And that went down to 78 quicly when the sun set. |
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Posts: 410
Location: With my son on the water | Is a 48 and a 53 on the same evening a bad year? Or seeing your son stick 4 over 40 inches in one evening bad? Not those days for me, but I certainly have had some tough days. But after those days, who cares?
To bad he has to go back to school. 
Edited by btfish 8/29/2014 3:14 PM
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Location: oswego, il | BNelson - 8/29/2014 12:23 PM
ToddM, from your post I would assume you have more hours in this season from the sheer fact you have been able to fish more in IL??? So...again, how is your fish per hour? as that is what matters really...simply putting more hours in to catch more doesn't tell the story....I think the temp ranges in IL have been where WI/MN 'usually' are for the season so that explains a bit about why IL is having a good bite imo
I dont know what my catch rate is but I do know I only have two days on the water this year I have not caught a fish and that was in the spring. Normally I am not musky fishing in late June, July and August. This year I am. Granted 13 fish are from a trip to lsc, throw those out and being able to fish during the summer is the difference between 18 and 60, just weekends. |
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Location: Canada | BNelson - 8/29/2014 2:37 PM my boat numbers are a touch worse, a fish has hit the net every 4.92 hours.. it would be helpful to me, for my own fishing, to know how your "boat hours" translates into "individual angler hours." I think my numbers going into this weekend are about 15 hours per fish. I fish alone 100% of the time. Wondering if my catchrate is lower than yours, a lot lower than yours, or dramatically lower! Purely so I have a benchmark for my own future fishing. Not interested in or hopefully not creating any p*ssing contests. TIA |
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Posts: 162
Location: Metro, MN | Ive caught a fish everytime Ive been out! Its still been a horrible year because I've only been out 3 times! The two w's playing defense on my chances to fish, work and the woman.
And BNelson is correct Lake St. Clair doesnt count |
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Posts: 305
Location: Illinois | I think individual guys can have great years even when fishing is slow overall. Based on the stats you can't argue that it's been a tough year.
Most fisherman spend the majority of their fishing during traditional peak times; dawn, dusk, and night. These key times tend to be best when the weather is hot.
Most fisherman are eating lunch or relaxing around noon, and missing the bite.
I know this because I always take a long lunch. |
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Posts: 296
| Not sure why the bites been so bad, but I've heard the same thing from others. I just got back from Canada and some of the muskies I caught on LOTW between Aug 8-16 were still carrying eggs. Water was still super high 36"-40" over normal in our area and I know it was even higher earlier. I had a 48" drop about 300 clear loose eggs all over my deck when I took her our of the net for a pic. Maybe some of the big females never spawned and are still absorbing their eggs. Too early to be next years eggs and doubt they'd be loose. All the fish we caught were fat and looked like October fish; even a smaller 37". We put 12 fish in my boat for the week, 6 over 45". 5 fish on figure 8s', and 7 out on the cast which is about average. 33" 37" 40" 42" 42.5" 43.5" 45" 46.5 47.5" 48" 50" 51.5". Some lost fish, but nothing big. Normal number of follows. My partner and I had an awesome trip! I wish we could have spread the wealth. Makes for a happier cabin.
Some fish adapted to the new shoreline cover while others were in their normal locations. You had to check both or you were losing out in my opinion. Our best spots were still good, but the fish were sometimes set up differently and you could easily miss out if you weren't thorough.
On the flip side, we were up there with 9 guys, 4 total boats and caught 24 fish for the week. Only 12 fish caught and one over 45" for the other 3 boats combined, a 49".
Some of our best sticks struggled all week. We all fish a lot of the same spots and it may have just been a timing thing. It's just really weird when you get such extremes just in one cabin. That's Muskie fishing I guess. I been on the other side and it can certainly be frustrating.
Weather is always king and the crazy weather patterns the past few years are beginning to be more the norm it seems.
Good luck out there! |
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Location: Contrarian Island | Newbski, I have a fish personally every 10.5 hours, but that is a bit misleading as one 3 day weekend friends come down from MN and I fish in back so I'm 3rd bait thru, and we got a few fish on suckers and I let them have the hits, fishing in back a few other outings with friends when we caught fish ..had I been in front or taken some of the sucker hits my fish per hour would be better but I always look at it as a team, not just my hours, but boat hours.. 12 fish in a week on LOTW to me is slow, we got 18 in our week to 52 and I considered it slow... we expect 4 fish per day in the boat on lotw... we had the hits to do it but lost too many.. tough year overall for most imo... hour for hour not as many fish are being caught or for that matter even seen ... on most bodies of water it seems...
Edited by BNelson 8/29/2014 7:57 PM
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Posts: 607
Location: S.W. WI | I am having a fine year. Size and numbers. Quite possibly my best. Probably more bigger fish this year (so far) than normal. Same 4-6 lakes I always fish, about the same # of days. No doubt it is a different kind of bite for me this year, but I think every year is. I have a few lures that get most of the fish and these lures seem to change each season.
...Also (sorry BNelson) but I have never lost as many fish as I did this May & June. We all lose fish yes, but not like what happened to me early this year. A lot of nippers and a lot of bigger ones that got off at the net. WAYYYY more than a years worth.
-Jon
Edited by Rudedog 8/29/2014 8:32 PM
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Location: SE, WI. |
BN, I think the night bite is slower this season because of the cooler summer we've had. I also think because of the high water on the woods, that fish are scattered as well. Talking to a local walleye guide, he said that he has had more pike and muskie's taking there walleyes coming up off reefs than he can ever remember. So obviously many more ski's are staying deep than the regular shallow patterns we are used to on the woods. Also, I think #ers are down because of the cooler summer has the fish scattered! 1/2 deep! and 1/2 buried in the weeds. Where a typical summer, 75-80% of the fish are deep. My numbers are down a bit. 2012 and 2013 I had over 200+ Ski's each season. This year my numbers are at a pace of about 130-140. I think a good cool down will change things for better numbers and big fish! Guiding Pewaukee Musky JD
Edited by jdsplasher 8/29/2014 9:18 PM
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Posts: 285
Location: NE Wisconsin | I am getting older and have not fished as much as normal. I have been to LOW for a week and have two more weeks planned. I have fished LOW since 1986 every year except one. Give me below normal levels EVERY time. And for WI, give me a warm spring over a late cold spring every time. Neither of which we had this year. Just my observations over the years. |
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Posts: 1168
| Life circumstances have dropped the number of hours I've fished down but the rate of catch and overall size is the highest it's been in a decade. More multiple fish days, more "quality" fish, more fish contact overall and more "quality" fish contact. I don't know, it's been pretty darn good. Patterns have been predictable and have hung around longer and this is not an anomaly for just my boat of those I converse with on a regular basis. Many guys are having very solid seasons. I looked at a fairly comprehensive log a friend of mine keeps (includes fish he knows were caught regardless of water) and there was a stretch a month or so back where over 20 fish over 45 inches were caught in one week by half a dozen guys.
In "poor" years some guys can have great years and vice versa....in "great" years some guys can have poor years. Just part of the game. |
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Posts: 23
| I agree with BNelson and Cochran. it surely has been a tough/different year so far, thank goodness september is almost here. looking over the numbers i have, my boat has a significant amount more during the daytime periods than other years. most summer nights we could count on a fish or more a night, not so this season. the night bite up in northern minny has been terrible for me. why do i think its been so bad? call me dumb, or doom and gloom, but i believe that the increase in muskie fishing pressure and amount of bait fish this season has led us to where we are at. ive seen more muskie boats (which is great) this year than any other year. it just means less fish for everyone. i do think sometimes that maybe some of these minny lakes that were stocked in 1982 and 1989 have reached a peak and are stabilizing out. theres some studies being done on muskie cannabilism and escapement and i feel that plays a role as well. ya have a 15 inch year old muskie swim in front of a 52 incher sitting on a weed edge, it gets chowed and its one less stocked fish to catch when shes 14. my 3 biggest fish this season so far have come in the evening, during full light conditions, which, the last 6 years i could not have said. i dont know what the answer is, just know its been tough compared to other summers. good fishing to all! |
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Posts: 23
| and where the heck is the topwater bite??? other than lotw.... good luck! |
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| This has been the year of follows for me. Dozens and dozens but few takers. Never had so many in one season with so few bites. I'm guessing this to be a good month in sept. Into oct. In hopes they start eating and less looking. |
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Posts: 271
| Scottie Thomas - 8/30/2014 4:52 PM
and where the heck is the topwater bite??? other than lotw.... good luck!
Vilas County for me. Ten days of fishing on two trips, (6 days in mid June and 4 days in late August). I put 13 muskies in the boat from 33" to 42".....10 were on topwater!
Jaimy |
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Posts: 35
| I love how it says the following on the MuskieFIRST home page:
"Summer Muskie action has been excellent! The weather across the country has been cooler and wetter than normal, keeping the bite active."
Seems like this is total bull! Since when do cooler temps translate to a better bite? I'd much rather be fishing 76 degree water in July than 71 degree water. Everyone I've talked to said it's their slowest year ever so far. I will agree that it's been a fairly good year for 50+ inch fish but terrible for everything else. |
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Location: MN | They gotta sell papers right? |
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Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | bcram555 - 8/31/2014 11:22 PM
I love how it says the following on the MuskieFIRST home page:
"Summer Muskie action has been excellent! The weather across the country has been cooler and wetter than normal, keeping the bite active."
Seems like this is total bull! Since when do cooler temps translate to a better bite? I'd much rather be fishing 76 degree water in July than 71 degree water. Everyone I've talked to said it's their slowest year ever so far. I will agree that it's been a fairly good year for 50+ inch fish but terrible for everything else.
That quote was from early Summer and was referring to the fact the water temps didn't scream up into the 80's as they had the last few years.
Everyone gets fired up for the 'best bite' when water temps hit 70* to 75* in the late Spring and early Summer, and again when the water cools in the Fall....odd.
Since when does cooler water (in the low to mid 70's) translate to a better bite? Study up on the biology of the fish.
The muskies are not eating or hitting any less than they ever would, especially when the water temps are dead center in the range at where a muskie's metabolism is peak. Jim probably said the closest thing in this thread to what we've found.
We hear the same thing MANY times about the Walleye bite, and then a National Walleye Tour event shows up and it takes almost the maximum weight possible to win, and 90% of that to get a top ten. At this weekend's NWT on Bay De Noc, the press and almost everyone was hollering the bite would be down and fishing really tough. We predicted after our day one morning interviews it would take 24 pounds to make a top ten going into day two. It took nearly 25. 28 is about all one can bring in...there's a slot up there and only 2 'overs' are allowed in the limit of 5 fish.
A couple of the best of the best thought out of the box, adapted, improvised; fished a method NO ONE else was using...and ended up first and second with close to the maximum weight possible (and took home around $95,000.00 in cash and a Ranger Boat certificate), even though the weather slowed the bite some for most of the field the second day...no wind and Bay De Noc ain't a good thing since the Zeebs showed up but both nailed a huge limit.
And then there are the dire predictions at any one BASS Elite event that the bite is 'off'. Someone finds the fish and spanks 'em good every time, and that 'someone' is usually the listing on the leaderboard at the end of the event in the top 20%.
I've heard that all Summer about the bass fishing from some folks up here. The fish are not where they were in late Summer the last few years and therefore are not 'biting' there..... |
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Location: MN | I have wondered if a lot of the fish stayed deep this year as others have mentioned in this thread. If that is the case shouldn't the open water trolling guys be having a better year? Can anyone who does it a lot comment? We caught a few nice ones early in the year deep but got bored of trolling and went shallow. Maybe we should have kept at it.
Most of the fish I caught this year were very solid thick fish. One in Mid-June looked like an October fish. That tells me they are still eating plenty, maybe just not what or where we have been offering.
Scottie the water is cooling down, the topwater bite is NOW! |
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Posts: 285
Location: NE Wisconsin | 1 inch of water over an acre is 27,150 additional gallons water the fish can be in. Multiply this by 1,000,000 acres of water in LOW and you get 27,150,000,000 gallons of water in LOW for every inch water above normal. Multiply this by 24 or 36 and we are talking some serious extra water to cover searching, for exactly the same number of fish that were there before the water rise. Give me below normal water levels anytime on LOW.
In WI, I feel, rising water temps are normal in the summer and what is expected by cold blooded fish. Fish seem to bite better in the summer with rising water temps, to a point, and slow up with the reverse or stable temps. In the fall, normal water temps are falling, when temps are falling fish are active, when a warming trend comes and water temps stabilize or rise cold blooded fish become less active. I have been wrong before and could be here also.
Edited by Johnnie 9/1/2014 7:36 PM
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Posts: 218
| Steve
The statements were about muskie not bass or walleye. Why change the topic? It is easy to move off topic and cloud the issue. I am sure you can defend your post, but it does not speak to the topic. Is there a reason to be so defensive?
Ray |
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Location: Contrarian Island | Ulbian I'm curious if you fish rivers? as some guys I do know that have had pretty good years have been fishing rivers... |
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Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Southshore - 9/1/2014 7:37 PM
Steve
The statements were about muskie not bass or walleye. Why change the topic? It is easy to move off topic and cloud the issue. I am sure you can defend your post, but it does not speak to the topic. Is there a reason to be so defensive?
Ray
I wasn't 'defensive' at all. I pointedly explained the front page headline the guy was commenting about point by point, and then addressed what our group has found out on the water this year.
It's called 'debate'. Way different than arguing, I offered opposing supported viewpoints.
All of the species of fish we pursue are not where they were during the warmer years, and that should be important to muskie angling for a number of reasons. Muskies behavior should not be considered mutually exclusive in the ecosystem.
Hardly clouding the issue, I was offering reasonable, factual parallels. Make more sense now?
And my post certainly does speak directly to the subject clearly in the first four paragraphs, please read it again.
I think I already mentioned the videos we shot with an Aqua-Vu Micro+DVR looking at the crappies were were after on Vermilion for the Spring Bay Worrall cabin fish fry, and finding big Muskies, and not just a couple, right there with them. Neither specie was there the last 5 years, and that is exactly the point I was making. We've seen that elsewhere as well. Why were we shooting that video? The fish were behaving oddly once the light got up seeming to refuse to rise more than a few inches off the bottom (despite being very aggressive once we figured out how to get the bait to them) eliminating the most efficient method of catching them. I wanted to know what was going on.
BN, you have heard of folks doing well on rivers this year? I haven't fished moving water since June, unfortunately. Keith was on the Pelican today right across from the house.
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