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Posts: 723
| Early fall is a great time to go fairly fast, cover a lot of water, and search for fish, but, when the water temps start to drop down into the low 40 range, and you are not seeing as many numbers of fish each time out, and they tend to be smaller, would you take it as you are trolling too fast for larger lethargic fish? or the majority of bigger fish have just now congregated into their wintering grounds, and youre just not contacting them?
We have been just creaming the fish this year, numbers with a fair amount of bigger fish, and since the temps have dropped steadilly, we are still getting smaller fish, 33-37, only a couple an outing, but, have lost grip with the better fish we have been on.
Is it just common that the trolling bite slows down so much that it becomes not-existant before freeze-up? or do you just have to slow down to 1.5-2 mph to get better results?
I know its not a numbers game anymore, but, would like to hear some opinions on taking bigger fish in frigid temps, do many have luck trolling late in the year, or just cast the rest of the way out? | |
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Posts: 723
| guess no-one trolls for musky on this board huh? | |
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Posts: 3918
| I don't have a lot of experience but I once hit a late season pattern that really paid off. I slooowww trolled a 10" "weighted-to-suspend" jake at the outside edge of a windblown weedline. About 6-8' deep to the weed tops. Used the trolling motor and saw the most action when the bait just touched weed tops; I would hold the rod tip high and give a quick rip, and every strike came when the bait stalled after that rip. All fish at and just after dusk. I think I boated two fish one evening and three the next, (5 fish in two days is big numbers for me). Water temps cold enough that I was breaking skim ice heading back to the landing after dark. Also cold enough that reels were freezing up (Abu 5000 and 6000 series reels, the thumbbar types always freeze up before the push buttons) and I had to dunk and swirl the frozen net to get the basket to open up. Cold but fishy. | |
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Posts: 2060
Location: Appleton,WI | Dogboy,
I didnt change a thing on saturday and still boated 3 with one over 50".And The only thing I changed was I trolled faster and switched baits to handle the higher speed.Something to think about.Otherwise sometimes if a river temp is colder than the lake fish might migrate back to the lake or mouth. | |
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| I troll more when the water temps get to 40 and below, and the trolling bite really starts when the cisco or other baitfish stack up to spawn. Only fish I had this weekend was caught trolling a Mag Dawg, but the giant fish I had follow was casting a Mag Dawg. I believe in trolling big baits for big muskies and it certainly works for me  | |
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Posts: 1316
Location: Lebanon,Mo | i troll about fifty percent of the time here in missouri. my three fish that were boated last week came from trolling a hooker down 22ft in open water and bumping points.(big fish is pictured in fishing reports forum) of course you have to consider the water temps down here are still warmer than up there(were at about 56*) alot of people down here troll,but shallow.i like to go deeper to get to fish that arent as pressured as the shallow ones. my trolling speed last week was about 3 mph and will try it again tomorrow and this weekend. thats the info i have to give,its working for me anyway. | |
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| Every year for the past three I have been trolling until late November when the season closes in WI. Pretty much every weekend we get a chance to go we get a fish above 45 inches trolling. So you can definately get larger fish trolling late season.
We make it a point to vary our speed as well as make "S" turns when trolling. Each day is different some days more speed is better other days slower is better. There are no hard and fast rules.
I would continue to fish the area where you are catching the smaller musky but try a new spot at least once every trip. The musky should be moving to their wintering locations at least here, the water temp was 41 this past Sunday.
Believe me musky can move plenty fast in cold water if they so choose. Don't be afriad to try whatever techniques you want in cold water. I know people that throw top water baits until ice up with success.
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for those of you that troll......