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Posts: 294
Location: New Jersey | I live out east, and the water temps are still pretty good at 60-65 at the surface. It seems that the musky bite was on until the temps dropped below 67.
No, even with water temps in the low to mid 60's i really cant even raise a fish over the last two days of fishing all day.
There is no way turnover has started with these temps. I have been throwing everything from slow rolling spinnerbaits and bucktails, to suicks and bobbies in the weeds.
I have fished up shallow in the afternoon with the strong sun, I have fished deep breaklines with dawgs and depthraiders. I have upsized, downsized. The fish are just in a negative mood and dont seem to want to move. I am going to keep at it, but if you have any suggestions i'd love to hear them.
I havent trolled, but i see guys out there trolling and they are all gone by 1:00, so i can assume they arent doing well either.
Shouldnt they still be on the Fall Feed still??
Understand I am not looking for an easy way out, i am going to keep at it until ice up, but any pointers or personal experiences you would share would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Rob |
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Posts: 86
Location: University of Hartford | My advice is 2 fold, search for schools of bait (doesnt matter where in the water column) and fish around those, or find an influx of water like a rivermouth, or something of that nature and fish that.
If those dont work then try throwing baits at timber along the shoreline.
Good luck and tell me if this helps,
Alex |
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Posts: 371
Location: Dixon, IL | I fish until ice up! I like to have several rods with several lures to cover whole good musky area! Muskies seem like to be near baitfish, panfish, walleye, shad or ciscoes depends on where you live! Colder weather might be more hours per musky but average is bigger! I like to have grandma lure on one of my rod all the time. Good for twitches, swim or trolling! |
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Posts: 742
Location: Grand Rapids MN | Give us a little more info on what type of lake and forage and I'm sure there will be more input from others. I agree with finding forage but sometimes it tough to pinpoint them if they are hidding in cover or have huge daily movements. Check with other fisherman who may be fishing for crappies, perch, walleye, etc and see where they are finding them. Like the water temps you gave typically the crappies will be moving to deep weed edges and possibly suspending just out the weeds. See if that's where people are finding them or not. If you know the movement of the other fish that can help you determine where there may be feeding muskies. Just like the other guys said they will be feeding until you can't get out there anymore.
Good luck... keep us filled in if you find a pattern. |
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Posts: 294
Location: New Jersey | I have been hitting a smaller reservior that basically has the upper 3rd with flooded timber, good weeds, and incoming water. Max depth over there is in the 22 ft range. I usually see the most muskys over here, but the larger ones tend to be off the deeper water.
The other 2 thirds are good shorelines off of deep water. Max depth is 80ft. As far as forage: you name it its in there. Largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, yellow perch, walleye, bullhead, etc. As far as small baitfish like ciscos, herring, shiners, etc, i really dont know whats in there.
I would really like to put a pattern together and score big this fall.
Hope this helps and thank you already.
Rob |
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Posts: 2082
| "Fall feed" is a misconception fish eat more when water is warm. When fall fish slide deeper they can be more difficult to contact - many times as water temps drop, baitfish leave shallow water (where 90% of muskie lures run 0-6 feet). Try to locate schools of crappies and perch on your depthfider and keep putting time in with your dawgs and DR's. |
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Location: Athens, Ohio | Not raising fish after two hard days of fishing seems to be my pattern too. Keep at it, since whenthey do decide to eat, life is good! m |
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Posts: 1184
Location: Iowa Great Lakes | our water temps in the low 60's we are finding them shallow or on the first break. Weeds here are the key. |
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Posts: 434
Location: searchin for 50 | Muskies don't read books. They are creatures of their enviroment. Find the food Find the fish. Not every muskie left the lake but it sure can seem like it. |
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Posts: 61
Location: Sioux Lookout On Canada | Deep banks that hold walleyes/perch that allow the fish to go shallow are good places. Current areas are holding hungry and aggressive large fish. Both pike and muskies will follow food now since most cover like cabbage patches and so are dying off. All fish will react to these changes. No cover means fish are on the move. I agree to think about the food chain. As the water cools and mixes... probably still have a thermocline there, these fish will stage somewhere and it seems to be random. I troll rock walls, deeper humps and across points to find them. I have been catchig bigger walleyes on believers and grandmas(walleye patterns) while trolling. Sometimes when I find walleyes this way, I stop and jig them. A lot of times the predator fish chase down the food on my hook. First clue to a spot holding a trophy fish. Huge twisters-6" or so work good and bulldawgs. I use my lowrance graph to monitor at what depth the fish are feeding at and drop the bait to them. Having good luck this way so far. |
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Posts: 742
Location: Grand Rapids MN | I know I posted once already but I wanted to add for MH34 to not get discouraged. It's a transition period, for most species, so fish can be more spread out and not as easy to pinpoint. Day to day weather changes can throw big swings in location. So that's why I talk to who ever at the landing and even to a few boats out on the water, no matter what they are fishing just so I get an idea where the 'bait' fish are that day. I'm no expert but it's just something I try to do in building confidence and maybe, just maybe help in putting a pattern together.
Lots of good advice on this thread.... |
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Posts: 294
Location: New Jersey | Thanks guys for all the good input. I have been hiting the water hard and the weather has been warm for this time of year.
I did everything i could and nothing, so i went to a different lake. I got a 45.5 and lost a bigger fish.
Man, trying to put any sort of pattern together is tough this time of year. But, its better to be lucky than good.
Thanks to all who posted......
Rob |
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Posts: 1310
Location: Washington, PA | I would focus more on the baitfish, i.e. if you're in the east, find the shad. |
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Question for you fellow Musky Hunters