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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | This fall I have spoken to several anglers who are trying to break their personal best weight and lenght combined for their home waters. If you were to get a week to fish, and wanted to do just that on your HOME waters(not talking about a pig trip to the Larry od anything like that), what would your strategy/technique be? |
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Posts: 578
Location: Sheboygan Falls, WI | Good question Steve. It would depend on what water I was going on. They love 10" Jakes on one body of water. Slammer Cranks on another body of water and jerk/glide baits on yet another body of water. No matter which body of water I was on, 2 suckers would be out; one over the side and the other on a bobber away from the boat free swimming.
I would fish hard all week from dawn to dusk. I would also stay on the primary break first casting in to the shallows and then work it again casting to the deep side. If I could find any green weeds left, kinda hard to do up here right now, I would take a swing at these. If I did not find any active fish on these spots I would then move way shallow during the middle of the day after the water warmed a bit. If I still did not find any active fish I would then slide out to look for some suspended fish over deeper water adjacent to shallow feeding flats. If the lake contained cisco, I would look for either the pods suspended on the locator or the cisco busting the surface. Then the Bull Dawgs and Triple D's come out and kick some butt.
Heck, making me think about it I just might take a week off of work and go do it.
Is this the most efficient way to attack them? Probably not, but a day/week on the water right now would be fine by me.
Chuck |
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Posts: 7038
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | No clue what can be considered my "home waters" these days....but if I were to concentrate on catching ONE fish.....I'd be dragging two-three suckers over deep deep water, just barely hitting the edge of the break with long casts. I'd be fishing larger baits deep (10" jakes hit HARD downwards, mag dawgs, and 8" shakers), and slowly working a perka or a suick to hit the shallower waters directly from that break.
I'd be hitting my highest confidence spots really really really slow. No run and gun for this kid this time of year, I want that one fish, and I'm going to concentrate on hitting her haunt with something she doesnt have to work to eat. |
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Posts: 1764
Location: Ogden, Ut | I gotta find where they live before I can target them...I keep encountering 38-41" fish, but no big ones. Then I find a dead 46" on shore...go figure.
Can't use suckers here, so IF I knew where one was, and IF I thought I could get her, I'd throw bull dawgs and/or gliders. Most likely a Perka. If I had no clue WHERE specifically to start, I'd troll breaklines and 'likely' looking spots w/ cranks. Shallow early and late, deeper mid-day.
S. |
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Posts: 2024
| Personally, I really think that if I could get hold of some nice suckers here in Central IL they might be able to put something bigger than 40" in my boat... If I had the equipment I might troll really big shad bodied baits along the creek channels.
I do have a 10" Jake, though... hmmm.
Problem, at least on the water I fish, is generally you have to sift through a bunch of smaller fish before you get one decent size. Otherwise, I think it's more about luck and being in the right spot at the right time. The guys that catch nice fish are really not doing/throwing anything different than others, and they aren't fishing vastly different structure either.
Also, it would help to get out more than I am now. There is no substitute for time on the water. |
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| either hard or sand bottoms close to the main basin on Kentuck during times of daytime sun with suckers on quick-strikes .... if my cellphone worked there it would be my new office. |
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| Honestly...
I would wait until opening week of the season. The fish are active and up shallow...both big ones and small ones. Give me a 6" twich bait and twitch-twitch-pause... They have not seen a bunch of baits since September. They are dumb again...and hungry.
I've caught more fish of legal length and up doing that in the spring than I do all year. I'm on a Cisco based lake, so the bigguns go deep and are hard to catch. Could troll but I have tried that a bunch and it never has been that effective.
I have yet to break 44", but I have seen some monsters come in on that little twitch....just have not eaten yet. It's gonna happen though...
Steve |
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| I am hoping to hit Okauchee Thursday and find a big local girl. I will be trolling around pods of bait fish in deeper water and also casting to remaining green weeds near deep water breaks. I will be dead sticking a bull dawg when casting. No suckers with the girlfriend along. My nearest local waters are the Fox Chain (NO BIG FISH IN THE FOX CHAIN) and we have our FRV club tournament there Saturday. Todd M and I hope to catch some muskies, but I don't anticipate any monsters from the sewer. But the big girl hopefully will come this Fall from a S WI lake.
Hoping to hit Mille Lacs and N WI once more, and then concentrate on IN and Shelbyville after North Country ice up  |
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| esox50 where do you live? I might be able to get you some suckers if you want them. I am in the LaSalle/Peru area and run up north a couple of times in the fall and pick up a bunch of suckers to fish the lakes in my area. I could get some extra for you if you wanted to come pick them up.
Jeff Wilson |
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Posts: 152
| Cast the sweet spots early and late. Between those periods I would first troll the 15 to 20 foot water out from the weeds, then move to open water and run lures under, at the same level and above the forage fish. |
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Posts: 2089
| My home waters?Mille Lacs.One week.Hmmmmm.Simple.Get 3-4 hrs of sleep during the day, and fish #*^@ near 'round the clock.I would cast til my hands were bloody(Stupid Bird) and of course wind permitting.I would feed and hydrate during the trolling phase.Hey, this is sounding like a typical day this year.Hmmm.Rocks rocks and more rocks.Did I mention ROCKS?Shallow, deep and all points in-between.Some top at 3-4 and some at 12-15.Shhh.Cisco,er I mean tullibee(LOL) driven fat slob fish.Big baits.Mag Dawgs or Pounders, big cranks(10" Slammer Deep Minnow, 10"Jake) and a BIG bucktail(XXX or a Double Cowgirl).Put a couple pieces of the puzzle together with lots of hard work and some luck(read MOJO) good things are going to happen.Or should I say BIG things are going to happen. Obviously the water has a lot to do with the size potential.I thank God each and every time I slip the Tub into that pond.Every cast is a potential personal/state/world? record .Pretty amazing. Steve |
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Posts: 2091
Location: Stevens Point, WI | I think I could coax a nice fatty out of the WI River here if I really put some effort into for a week. I'm going to try for a few hours tomorrow. Fish should be setting up in the deeper holes and right on the edges of the the flats where it breaks into the main channel. I might even try some trolling which I never do. |
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Posts: 2024
| Jeff,
I'm assuming then you use them on Evergreen? I'm in Urbana, and only come up your way to hit Evergreen, and in fall I'm usually always fishing Shelbyville. If you ever make it down to Shelbyville, post something. |
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Posts: 2015
| think I already caught her out of my home waters this spring ....but she is growin |
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Posts: 3
| esox50, I fish a 250 acre private lake stocked with Muskies in Putnam, IL. I also fish shab, mcmaster (snake den) and occasionally evergreen and spring. I usually don't make it down to shelby but will send you a message if I decide to go. |
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| Every bait i own, every where that looked good on the allegheny river darnit!!
I still have yet to pattern or even gain a clue regarding these fish, so i'll just keep workin it like i do i guess.....points, holes and wierd combo areas like flats to deep off a point or island.......creek mouths that are giving dirty or clear to opposite water.....dam tailraces near the shore/10ft depths....water discharges and of course just floating around enjoying the brisk, refreshing air with my favorite Hefe Weissen, as long as my dad were there it really don't matter if i catch one. |
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Posts: 2024
| Jeff,
You've got a PM. |
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Slamr, Lambeau and I will be trying to pop a big girl this weekend. I think we will strat on Pelican Saturday unless I hear the cisco lakes are going up north. Deep breaks will be the key on the 18' breakline with suckers, casting Perkas up on the stones. Secondary choices will include big ssand flats on the deep edge off the weeds. ALl we can do is hit it hard and see if the ladies want to dance. |
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Looking for the Big Girl