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| Anyone got any experience or tips for fishing for musky at a dam or a similar structure. Lures, presentations, etc. |
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Posts: 1405
Location: Detroit River | I haven't fished for musky near a dam but have for pike. Concentrate on the current breaks, current seams, eddys & any other obstruction that deflects the current.
Edited by Zib 3/12/2012 7:04 PM
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Posts: 217
Location: ladysmith, wi | soft plastics, suicks. if dam has turbines fish hold close to these areas |
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Posts: 268
| definitely concentrate on the eddy pockets, current seams and slackwater , i like to use cranks , pull and rise jerks, platics(bulldawgs, rubber dubbers, hellkats) and last but not least spinners, inline and spinnerbait styles |
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Posts: 43
| Most of my fish actually come from the moving water. Especially in summer. Moving water equals more oxygen and cooler temps. Its hard for me to beat a crankbait, although a good tail spinner topwater does the trick sometimes. |
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Location: 31 | Oh boy, this is a softball lobbed down the middle for me. Some of the most fun productive fishing is below dams, easiest/best place to catch muskies. Personally I never liked the slack waters as much as the wing walls, or more specifically the eddys that are so typical and the end of the apron/wing wall directly below the dam itself. My method was to stand right there in that corner and pitch my bait up tight against the concrete where there is a natural current break from the friction of the water coming out of the dam. I would work my bait with the current within about 6-12” of the wing wall over and over again. You obviously still fan cast some of the better areas but that was the money spot for me at almost every damm. Once an hour or so depending on the action, I would typically walk the entire dam and hit all the spots, almost always working past the likely looking places with the lure moving the same direction as the current. My best bait was absolutely the Amma Bama jerk, but a standard bucktail and top water worked a close second, obviously depending on the conditions. One thing about fishing below a damm, every fish is there hanging just off that current for one reason… an easy meal.
A good tip is to use real heavy line/leader and cheap hooks so that when you get hung up, you can usually bend the hook and pull the bait free. Good luck ! |
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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | I always liked the fastest current. Whitewater, even. My go to was a top raider. I didn't retrieve it either. I let the current do the work and I just picked up the slack. Work the bait down into current breaks. If you see jumping baitfish, get your bait in and toss it where they are jumping. |
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Posts: 1224
Location: Okoboji | they are all on the top side of the dam,,not on the bottom. |
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Location: 31 | kodiak - 3/13/2012 10:37 AM they are all on the top side of the dam,,not on the bottom. I believe you just revealed one of your go to locations  even though I'm pretty much finished with fishing below dams, I'm still respectful to others not to accidentally name someone's pet dam.
Like pointer say with the top water, this would be my preferred method to catch them with as well. I particularly liked it below gated dams, they were pure dynamite in the recirculating slack water at night. I can remember fishing below xxx starting at midnight on the open with a blue Rapala some 25 years ago. There were typically about 15 other guys there and after about 10 minutes of fishing you would hear the rods start going off, mostly on that blue Rapala because that was a proven lure and most were using it. Pretty soon everyone was using a blue Rapala even though it was pitch black sometimes...LOL!
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Posts: 1224
Location: Okoboji | na i dont fish there but i know that is where they are....have at it.. at least you guys know what to do with them when you catch em. |
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| Dams are a nice spot to try late in the fall when the lakes started getting hard. I go under the dam and fish the slack water with a small suzy sucker and Ive had some luck. Hope this helps |
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Posts: 688
Location: Northern IL | I too was thinking lake side, oh well. Trolling rip rap is pretty easy, it always has the deepest water in the lake, (clear) and its mostly clean. We've done it with some success at a few different reservoirs, Green River in Ky, Evergreen near Bloomington and Kinkaid. Kinkaid has a weedline.
It can vary but usually the most productive area will be where the old river channel cuts through or was diverted during the construction of the dam. Troll out away from the dam to locate the old river or look to the tail race side. |
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Posts: 688
Location: Northern IL | Dam phones 
Edited by jerryb 3/14/2012 3:45 PM
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Posts: 1455
Location: Kronenwetter, WI | Those dam muskies can be unpredictable, sometimes in the break, sometimes in the whitewater. We often can find a dam musky snuggled up against a concrete wall. Some of those dam muskies have sores on their snouts from rubbing against the cement!
Edited by Cowboyhannah 3/15/2012 2:00 PM
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Location: 31 | jerryb - 3/14/2012 3:42 PM Dam phones ;) Really?
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Posts: 688
Location: Northern IL | Hey Jery,
Been a while, hope your doing well. I've been seeing the counrty side latey and my way to post is off the phnone and it posted twice, have a great season Jerry!
We'll catch up some time. |
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Posts: 57
Location: Janesville wi | I prefer down river from a dam. First stretch of river that isn't rapids and has some depth to it downstream from the dam is golden. |
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| On my home waters there are numerous dams I fish and they are by far my best spring and summer spots. Believe it or not the 9 inch banjo minnow has been a hot bait here as well as the shallow bulldawg. The closer to the generator the better. Last June beneath the 3 dams I fish regularly I landed 7 muskies in 4 days the biggest being 48. Not always that productive but usually good for at least 1 or 2 every trip. These fish will sit in very strong current for a good length of time just waiting for the current to kick some sort of food up |
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Posts: 1660
Location: central Wisconsin | What does a musky say when it swims headfirst into a rock wall........................................dam!! |
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Location: Eau Claire,WI | I agree with Cowboy. If your lure isn't hitting the face of the dam you are not fishing close enough! Cast tight to structure, you might be surprised... As for lures,whatever you like to use will work at a dam. Some work better than others cause of the current. I beat the crap out of my lures,I carry a few spares of my favs with me so if I break a lip or have destroyed my rubber baits it isn't a big deal. If I want my lures to stay pretty then I will use em away from the shore/dam face...
A safety warning... Be CAREFUL at the face the dam,the currents can be strong
and unpredictable. I have been pulled into the face before,only way out was to fire up the big motor.kinda scary when you see water a few inches from rushing into your boat! Have fun!!!
Cowboyhannah - 3/15/2012 1:59 PM
Those dam muskies can be unpredictable, sometimes in the break, sometimes in the whitewater. We often can find a dam musky snuggled up against a concrete wall. Some of those dam muskies have sores on their snouts from rubbing against the cement! |
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Posts: 46
| My experience with dams is that its either feast or famine (for the shore-bound angler). The largest fish are almost always right up tight to the turbines or open floodgates. I've always been a fan of smaller glide baits where I fish. Remember to keep your hooks sharp as they will quickly dull if you hit rocks. I actually had my best muskie day ever (numbers wise) fishing beneath a dam yesterday. I ended up landing 9 muskies in 5ish hours! Good luck! |
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Location: MN | Do these Dam muskies feed at night? I have got a few below dams during daylight but never stay much after sundown.
I know they feed at night in the river but I would think that it would be tough for them to locate food with all the current in the dam areas I fish. |
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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | Yes. |
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Posts: 371
Location: Dixon, IL | downstream from dam is also good to try! My first musky came from about 300 feet down from the dam. I like 6 inch Grandma for start! Some big smallmouth on this lure, too! |
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Dam muskies