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Posts: 91
Location: Wausau | Well lets hear your tricks. How do you go about paterning fish on the lake you will be spending the day/weekend/week on? If you are going to be spending a 4 day weekend on the Eagle River chain how do you spend the first morning and then how do you progress?
Thanks | |
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| With a guide. | |
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| Couldn't agree more with what Sally said, if of course, a guide is an option. Sometimes they are not. Other times you really don't need one if you have basic spots marked up. In that case, I will throw a variety of presentations. Maybe I'll throw a bucktail and the other guy throws a spinnerbait. Maybe my bucktail is bright and gaudy, and his spinnerbait is black/black. Or I throw a topwater and he throws a jerk. Or I go "standard" and he goes bass size. Whatever, point being to mix it up. Once I have found the bait, then I look for the spot.
One must analyze your observations. As fishermen, we make some of the most accurate and detailed observations out there without even knowing it. I try to take these observations (sometimes right then and there, sometimes in the cabin that night) and think what direction was the wind from? was there any? water temperature? time of day? air temp? moon or no moon? other fishermen or bird activity? lee side of structure? what nuances made that fish come off where it was (i.e. ledges, single stump, inside turn, boulder pile)? was the structure big or small? rocks? weeds? wood? After I have answered these questions then I sit down with the map. If I have caught or had multiple follows from an area, lets say the lee side of an island with a south or southwest facing bay, I will look at the map and circle as many south or southwest facing bays as possible. If the wind switches the next day I'll still check those bays, if they don't produce I'll find other bays that are out of the wind. ONCE YOU LOCATE FISH, FIND SIMILAR SPOTS AND EXHAUST ALL POSSIBILITIES.
If that doesn't work? Run, gun, and have fun! | |
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Posts: 2068
| Muskie's & pattern is that one of those oxymoron things? I think must muskies on heavily fished waters do a better job of patterning us than vice versa. Good luck trying to get an inactive fish to eat and even better luck trying to take your lure away from one that decides "your dead" -
"Every week you will have one great day three so-so days and three bad days" - Al Linder | |
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Posts: 389
Location: Presque Isle Wisconsin | Great question and esox50 gave you some good suggestions. Heres a few more suggestions that might help put more fish in your boat.First stop by the local Musky shop-even if you just buy a leader- and ask questions on current conditions,whats been working etc. When you get on the water-stop and go through a mental check list of observations relating to weather. Factors such as cloud cover,current and previous few days wind direction.water clarity and related factors, which shores on that body of water are shaded at what time of the day.Cover on those shaded shoreline areas. Weed conditions and types of weeds- transition areas from one type of weed to another.Observe areas that other Muskie and even walleye or pan fishermen are working.Try to observe what the other Muskie guys are throwing and whether any of the others appear to be guides.Stay with the type of structure that normally produces for that time of year,ie,if its mid summer Id check any offshore structural elements before fishing shoreline elements, conversely if its later in the fall Id check the steeper dropping shoreline related elements first.While these factors are but a few of the things to mentally check off the important thing is to take the time to do it before you make your first cast.In other words sit down and think before acting.On a chain as diverse and large as the Eagle River chain choose only a small portion of it to learn on your first outing. Dont try to fish the whole thing.AT least 100 other factors could be added to this list- Spend the time to think things through FIRST and you probably will come up with something that will produce for you.Not doing this is what leads to below average results for many people. As mentioned above investing at least half a day with a guide is the best investment you can make on new water.Many people on this board are skilled,experienced Muskie hunters but trust me its what we do if we travel to a new area and want to cut the learning curve down. | |
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Posts: 621
Location: Seymour, WI | The longer I fish muskies the more I subscribe to the theory that one fish is a pattern. If you locate fish in a certain area or with a certain presentation I think you should try to replicate that presentation in as many areas as you can and as quickly as you can.
There have been several times when I've been fishing and caught or raised muskies in an area or with a presentation that I didn't think was right for that lake or time of yr. (Fish holding very shallow in clear water or fish being triggered by speed) When in reality the fish really were holding very shallow or being triggered by speed. Too many times I've not picked up on the pattern quickly enough even thought the fish were showing it to me. Hindsight is 20/20.
Grass, | |
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Posts: 132
Location: Kawarthas, Ontario | There are so many variables in patterning fish. Experience plays such an important role. For me, the most critical component is what and where are the baitfish? Whether they're in the weeds, and how deep, or in open water, and their level in the water column tells me a lot about the overall mood of the fishery. The baitfish are an incredible barometer of so many variables. If the baitfish are negative, then it's a safe bet that you're going to be dealing with tough fishing, and need to organize your presentation accordingly. On the hand, if the baitfish are extremely active and aggressive, the predators will be as well.
Then we come down to the mechanics of bait and colour selection. There are days the fish want a specific colour or colour range. There are also days that the fish have a preference for a specific bait style, shape, or action. Finding that takes some experimenting, but once you have it, you're on your way to a successful day.
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Patterning Fish.... How do you do it