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Posts: 7119
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | Every year I try to expand my muskie abilities in new areas, what are your areas you're trying to expand into or get better at in 2004?
For me I'm going to try to throw more spinnerbaits and topwaters in the skinny water, and throw more jigs and straight cranks into the deeper water. I find myself throwing far too much wood in too many different conditions where other approaches would probably work better. The back cant handle the wood all the time, and the fish dont want the wood all the time.....so we're striving for better diversification in 2004!
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Posts: 26
Location: St Cloud, MN and Madison, WI | I think I am going to try to go from fishing 4-5 days a week last year to 5-6 days a week this year. Also would like to fish more during the rain to see if it pans out.
Doe |
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Posts: 1137
Location: Holly, MI | Going to learn the glide baits this year. I have a couple of home made and a couple of bought ones. I'll be throwing more bucktails this year too. I didn't use them much in the past but it seems like everyone talks so much about them maybe it is time to catch up.
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Slamr,
Just throw that spinnerbait over by that rock, there's ALWAYS a fish there....
I will be using crankbaits more this year, and spending more time on my favorite smaller Wisconsin muskie lakes looking for a matching bookend for the topwater fish Keith and I Frabilled last year. I am going to do more creature fishing this year, too, part of the small lake thing. TWO WEEKS on Wabigoon, too. More time with Sue on the water, and more time with Slamr on Pelican, he's a horse shoe for me out there. If I got Beav and Slamr in the same boat with me on that pond, Nwild would have to come over and help net fish! |
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Posts: 7119
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | ALSO, I want to find a day to fish with Beav (and as many other MuskieFIRST members as possible) I think the conversation would be interesting.....VERY interesting! He's been about as good a friend to me when I needed it as I have seen ever, regardless of our VERY different political views!
I am HOPING to be at the hideout at least once a month until Ice-up....if Sue and Steve will have me, and want to learn Pelican and some surrounding waters....I have someone that would like me to learn the water for my future life up north. Ok, at least I hope she does.... |
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Posts: 1764
Location: Ogden, Ut | I think i'm gonna play w/ jigs and spinnerbaits a bit more this year. I'd also like to land my first topwater tiger and get another one or two on a fly rod.
K. |
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Posts: 1335
Location: Chicago, Beverly | Try and catch more then 1 fish this year..lol... plus, throw more of a variety in both baits and colors this year. I think last year I limited myself a little too much on colors because of water clearity. |
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Posts: 69
Location: Nekoosa, WI | I'm going to fish a lot more in the fall. Last year I ended up fishing the 1st week of november, instead of bowhunting, (crunchy snow conditions), the fishing was fantastic. The live suckers didn't get touched, but when I found the right color crankbait, and it had to be the right color, I really nailed 'em. I can't wait for this fall. If any of you bowhunters are muskie fisherman, take some time off and get out on the water, you will not be disappointed.
P.S. Anybody else ever run into a bite that was really color sensitive? And I mean an exact color, not just a shade, or something close. I've got a feeling it might change from year to year, because musky fishing isn't supposed to be easy, but last fall, for 6 days, they wanted one color, and one color only.
Take care and CPR a big one.
Tim Uttermark. |
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Posts: 2037
Location: lansing, il | this year probablly the biggest thing im going to do is use all flourocarbon (and mono for trolling) leaders. give the triple d some serious work. i am also going to spend more time fishing open water suspending fish. |
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Posts: 389
Location: Presque Isle Wisconsin | Im going to stay with my program on the deep clear lakes.Use my drift bag more in able to really disect each spot on a pass.See what the wabull will do over open water.Use my Voodoo tails more on the flowage.Lastly I will put multiple 30# + fish in the boat with the big Charlie Sr. |
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Posts: 3242
Location: Racine, Wi | 1. I am going to fish more suspendos this year.
2. I am going to learn the Flambeau Chain better.
3. Troll with planer boards
4. Get Howie really drunk one day, help him launch his boat, put on my scuba gear and covertly follow him around to learn his secrets. 
Or, just poud the water using common sense and put fish in the boat. Now that would be a change. lol
Only 8 more days!!!!! |
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Posts: 2378
| fish more jig and plastics
fish more suspended fish on my favorite pressured lake
stay a little later on those weeknights
fish harder and smarter than ever before
fish later in the fall
try to get my wife to fish a few more times with me. if I could get her a fish I know she would love it.
Edited by BALDY 4/22/2004 9:27 AM
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Posts: 184
Location: Rockford Il 61108 | Im going to try and simplify it. Quit getting frustrated, and utilize more and more of the figure 8. Obviously I want to gain more water time. New boat, and everything should work out. |
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Posts: 267
Location: Right behind you (tap, tap) BOOO | <p>I definetly want to spend more time learning to fish suspendos, I think that will be the biggest in way of fishing different. I would like to land a fish on topwater also, so many blow ups and hook ups but none that made it to the boat. Got a few lakes I want to learn also, one for sure is Miltona in Alexandria MN.</p><p>Esox23 </p> |
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Posts: 440
| I am going to try and fish more open water. Absolutely going to stick that DDD fish that is avoiding me for some reason. I may also try and pack a small box of baits for a day and fish those chosen baits. Somedays the lure changing gets in the way. If the whole box is there the temptation is too great. |
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Posts: 149
| I'm gonna experiment with flourocarbon and some saltwater baits / presentations, esp. when trolling. |
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Posts: 827
Location: Minneapolis,Minnesota | Mainly I want to fish more new water.
I stick to the same handful of lakes all season long. I do well on them but want to get up north more to the head waters area and over to the Hayward area more this season.
I also want to use topwaters more as a search bait instead of always throwing hair or spinnerbaits, especially during high sky and midday conditions. |
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Posts: 122
Location: Pittsburgh, PA | Switch to explosives....
Use jigs more and try to turn more follows into catches.
Rich D |
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Posts: 96
Location: Eden Prairie, Mn. |
Open water / suspended fish - trolling and down rigging at high speed 4-5mph + to cover a lot of water and contact
more fish.
Mid-day topwater, Jigs n' Huge soft platics. Bust more lips off deep runnin' cranks on granite !!
Flurocarbon leaders, long, 18-24 inches for casting and 3-4 ft. for trolling.
Find and fish 'now where' spots - "Hidden in plain sight" spots.
Finally, catch a #$^*)&%$#@%& Muskie on Leech lake !! If it kills me or my boat and it's been close for both.
Mother |
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Posts: 2091
Location: Stevens Point, WI | More crankbaits this year and pull a brute of the WI River. I throw a lot of topwater and have good success so I'm going to throw them even more like Worrall said on the little gem lakes, especially the Wabull! |
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Posts: 2515
Location: Waukesha & Land O Lakes, WI | SlamR,
I'm going the opposite direction....I'm throwing more glides this year. I normally throw spinners and straight cranks, but want to widen my arsenal (not arse) by getting better at top water twitch baits like the Viper and glides like the Power Probe, Slammer DropBelly and Undertaker.
The water I fish is normally pretty thin stuff (8' or less), I want to leave the comforts of home and try more deep water (15-20) with countdowns like Cobb's Round Nose.
Edited by Gander Mt Guide 4/22/2004 2:43 PM
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Posts: 78
Location: Montgomery,Illinois | I seem to stick to topwater and hair way TOO much so im going to try some more twitch baits and after seeing so many fish on gliders last year i want to stick one this year. I also would like land more of the fish i hook unlike last year. Hopefully this fall my parents will let me take a trip or 2 and ill stick a PIG!! otherwise i just want to get out with some people who know more about the sport and try to learn some things to help me.
Jake |
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Posts: 20281
Location: oswego, il | I have some new lakes picked out to fish this year. I am always looking for good water to fish that gets little pressure. If I can catch as many as I did last year, I will be happy. As far as lures go, I hope to be able to fish with all the ones I bought last year. |
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Posts: 459
Location: New Baden IL | I'm going to take 2 Little ones in the boat with me this season. Last year the first fish in the boat was a 40" Fattie that ate a DDD with my little girl and wife in the boat. She played all day long and had a blast till I caught the fish....Then she SCREAMED BLOODY MURDER. She wanted me to release that fish as bad as it wanted back in the water.
This year, there will be a 2 year old and my 8 Month old little boy out there with me. Cant wait to see his face when Daddy catches a big Muskie.
Tactics wise, I'm going to give the Night Bite a serious try this year. If I can sneak out after the little ones are in bed, I shouln't feel guilty for missing out on some time with them, right??
Rod LaCaze |
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Posts: 75
Location: ft wayne, IN | Let's see, last year it was gliders and twitchers early then jerk crankin' late w/ big jakes & grammies; magic makers & dawgs in 2002; dawgs won it all in 2001; jackpots/surface/bucks-spinners in 2000; cranks before that; Lots of other stuff in between; I think this year should be a secret......OK AJ I give in: I'm going to try muskie flys w/ spincasters!!! The arsenal is ready but the weeds aren't yet; The J-Mack combo and technique sounds appealing too; Love the new Shimano Baitrunner reel; As always I'll expand my horizons in every direction and seek out new waters and most importantly foster new relationships and strengthen existing. There is always something new to learn from every person I meet and every article/book/tape/DVD I review. Thanks all for sharing it along with me! We all owe it most to our fabulous guides!! Gee, gettin' a little soft here, better go on......... |
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Posts: 59
Location: St. Cloud, MN | The biggest thing I want to do this year differently is just more time on the water. Watching local weather water and being there when the time is right. Three trips should help this out as well Wabigoon in july, LOTW in September and Vermillion in Oct. Another thing that I really want to do for this next year is be a better ambassader for the sport by getting a kid into it. Q |
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Posts: 484
Location: St. Louis, MO., Marco Is., FL, Nestor Falls, ON | My goal is to slow down and fish spots more intelligently. I worked on that last year with good results. I need to work on it some more. I REALLY need to start further out from the spots instead of charging right up to them. Bad habits are hard to break. |
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Posts: 90
Location: Florence, Wisconsin | I am going to stop fishing my "favorite" lures in situations that call for a different presentation. I am also going to do a lot more bucktail fishing this summer. I never have done much, which is probably pretty stupid, but I just ordered a great bucktail rod so that should help. Good luck all,
Bo Queen |
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What are you going to do DIFFERENT this year on the water?