Is Fall a good time to go musky fishing?
mm3
Posted 10/12/2021 9:14 PM (#996402)
Subject: Is Fall a good time to go musky fishing?




Posts: 370


Location: Northern Illinois
I heard 90+ degree dead calm blue bird days in the middle of August are better. Do most muskie fisherman just go out in the fall for the scenery and the leaves turning colors?
sworrall
Posted 10/13/2021 6:49 AM (#996407 - in reply to #996402)
Subject: Re: Is Fall a good time to go musky fishing?





Posts: 32759


Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin
Fall is actually excellent. My favorite time of the year to fish muskies. How about everyone else?
Masqui-ninja
Posted 10/13/2021 7:28 AM (#996409 - in reply to #996402)
Subject: Re: Is Fall a good time to go musky fishing?





Posts: 1193


Location: Walker, MN
Warm weather and a south wind can be tough. Also, the deer aren't moving, no ducks flying etc.
A NW wind and nasty weather comes, and the deer are moving, ducks flying, and fish pigging out.
You CAN catch a muskie or two in any condition. In general, great weather, or great fishing...pick one.
ToddM
Posted 10/13/2021 10:46 AM (#996419 - in reply to #996402)
Subject: Re: Is Fall a good time to go musky fishing?





Posts: 20173


Location: oswego, il
Fall is great, the colder the water temps the better live bait and jigging becomes right until ice up. Give me some ice to break to get to open water! LSC is also a great time as well casting and trolling no live bait needed.

Edited by ToddM 10/13/2021 10:47 AM
mm3
Posted 10/13/2021 8:12 PM (#996428 - in reply to #996407)
Subject: Re: Is Fall a good time to go musky fishing?




Posts: 370


Location: Northern Illinois
Sorry, I was being sarcastic, a bad attempt at humor, and trying to get some dialog going. Yes, it's my favorite time of year to go muskie fishing as well.

I like the 2nd to 3rd week in September as I have had really good success at that time. Even caught my first muskie in 5 ft of water on a beautiful morning in mid September. Fishing's great, temps are very comfortable, it's quiet, and the trees are really colorful (wasn't being sarcastic about that one). It really caters to my fishing style as well as I seem to be more weed oriented and they come right in there that time of year.

I've brought the kids up to N. Wisc several times on Columbus Day Weekend too. Now theres a crap shoot. Seen everything from lakes turning over, to 80 degree weather, to snow storms. Not so lucky at that particular time of year. That weekend/those dates seem to be the center of the weather transition period.
BillM
Posted 10/15/2021 12:40 PM (#996479 - in reply to #996402)
Subject: Re: Is Fall a good time to go musky fishing?





Posts: 165


Mid Aug to Mid Oct is prime time (At least around here)
mm3
Posted 10/15/2021 2:40 PM (#996481 - in reply to #996479)
Subject: Re: Is Fall a good time to go musky fishing?




Posts: 370


Location: Northern Illinois
Maybe I think of Fall a lttle diffently than others who are really thinking of it as after turnover, deep breaks, huge lures, suckers etc, and I'm loosely grouping September in the Fall category too. Maybe a more accurate classification would be Spring, Summer, September, and Fall?
sworrall
Posted 10/16/2021 5:25 PM (#996497 - in reply to #996402)
Subject: Re: Is Fall a good time to go musky fishing?





Posts: 32759


Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin
I really don't think of Fall patterns being firmly in place until water temps are under 55.
cdubs
Posted 10/18/2021 10:23 AM (#996538 - in reply to #996402)
Subject: Re: Is Fall a good time to go musky fishing?




Posts: 68


Anytime you're able to fish is a good time to fish in my opinion, but I would rank fall fishing as being good in the 3rd or 4th out of what I consider 4 season's of fishing in Wisconsin. I would rank Late summer/early fall August 10ish to October 1ish (definitely running a longer this year as we just finally tickled upper 50's water temps) as #1. I would put the Late spring/peak summer open water bite #2 and opening weekend/spring and fall tied for #3 and #4. I understand that fish will be at maximum size come late October/November but if were talking catching fish this can be extremely difficult with very tight windows and not many of them. I generally switch to bird and deer hunting around this time of year. That being said, I commend the guys out there putting in the hours in the freezing temperatures for that 1 bite that could very well be the fish of their life time. And remember, my statements are based on my area in Wisconsin.
chuckski
Posted 10/22/2021 11:24 AM (#997662 - in reply to #996402)
Subject: Re: Is Fall a good time to go musky fishing?




Posts: 1152


Fall is such a great time to be up north! Cooler air temps and water temps and less people out and about with school starting.
From late August when the water temps start cooling the deep clear lakes can be good fishing deep open water for suspended fish not fast fishing but a good way to have a encounter Kong! Also a good time to fish after dark. And if you like to fish different baits they all work to a point. As the nights get cool or even cold the water temp cool time to beat the shore to death!
During turn over lake jump or fish a river system. Late fall some resorts will be closed along with some restaurants bundle up and fish deep (from the bottom up) the later in the year you fish the slower the fishing will be. but even short fish will be fat.
Many of the largest fish of the year are caught .
pickolish1
Posted 10/22/2021 5:14 PM (#997666 - in reply to #996419)
Subject: Re: Is Fall a good time to go musky fishing?




Posts: 56


ToddM,
You sir are a muskie fishing mutant!
You're my hero!!!