|
|
Posts: 2068
Location: Appleton,WI | Big deep gin clear lakes..........
Lake thats 7,200 acres and 234 feet deep and clear .......It takes the lake a long time to warm up in the spring,Does this effect the muskies movements as far as spawning?
Will they stay shallow till mid summer when it starts warming then move out or go deep right away?? |
|
| |
|
| Dude, a lot of the lakes
Edited by Sponge 8/22/2006 7:37 PM
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 2068
Location: Appleton,WI | Anybody else with a logical reason? |
|
| |
|
Posts: 419
Location: Appleton, WI | Hi Eric, I don't fish the extremely large, deep clear lakes for muskies since most of my lakes are usually quite a bit smaller than 7,000 acres. But I do fish some water that would be consider gin bottles or fairly clear lakes in the spring. You'll find the fish shallow in the spring,like any other lake they'll either be finishing up spawning during the opener or still in the midst of it. Usually find the fish on the sand flats that have some scattered wood around it. If there's a limited of weed growth so much the better.
On those bright, warm days in spring the fish will sit on the sand flats and sun themselves. It's weird, but the muskies seem to act like bone fish on the flats. They'll be found on shoreline that you'd swear would only be good for swimming because the bottom is so clean. Run and gun those areas fairly quickly because you want to cover the as much water as possible because at times these stretches can be fairly large. Attack the areas that will have the most exposure of the sun. Bucktails with willow blades is a good bait of choce when doing this.
Rocky areas are also good since they reflect the thermal energy quite well. Suckers will at times be spawning in the shallows at this time also(You'll often times hear them splashing around when doing the nasty). So naturally the muskies will slide up for a meal now and than. With that said if you don't find the fish in the skinny water. Move off onto the first break and spend your efforts there. The fish will often times slide on the first break to rest (big females will do this to get away from the annoying males), intersect baitfish that is staging up for spawning, or when cloud cover is apparent.
There's a saying that if you fish good smallmouth areas in the spring, they are also good muskie areas . I find that this is true, and if you see some smallies on the beds a muskie may not be too far away either.
catch ya later,
Krappie
Edited by Krappie 2/23/2003 9:27 PM
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 32
| Muskie E, I think I know which lake you are talking about. We've talked about this one over e-mail before. As far as spawning movements go, I would think that if there is still forage around that the muskies will be nearby. The smallmouth tend to stay fairly shallow year round on this lake, and especially in the spring. Look for rocky areas or big weedlines on the points on some of the large bays on this lake. I think that would be a good place to start. It seems that the really big fish of this lake would probably make the transition out to the plethora of open water baitfish as early as possible.
Mike Curto |
|
| |
|
Posts: 32924
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | The sun is on the southern axis that time of the year, so the North shore will get the most direct sunlight. Ever notice that the snow melts off the Northern slopes along the road first? That is why. The areas that have gradual slopes that face south will be warmer during sunny exposure, and the fish that have encountered that area more active as a result. Look for Aspens, and other softwoods along the north shore. If there is a flat there, the bottom should be marl, and will warm more quickly than hard bottom. Sand flats there, especially rimmed with reeds or tobacco cabbage are go to areas, as was already said. This doesn't mean the fish on the South side wil not be ative, nor will they move anywhere else, as there is no one to tell them it is 8 degrees warmer on the north shore. There I would do exactly as is posted above, excellent advice. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 2068
Location: Appleton,WI | So then if the shallowest bay is on the south shore it has the possibility to out perform the northern shores.Even tho there is 230 odd feet of water cycling to get warm.Cool,I think the thermo cline sets up near 35 feet kinda shallow for 200 feet of water dont you think?? |
|
| |
|
Posts: 419
Location: Appleton, WI | Eric sometimes the shallowest water isn't always the warmest neither. It may sometimes depend on a variety of things such as bottom content, water mixing caused by waves or current, and sunlight exposure. There's no hard rules for every lake, but Steve's suggestion to fishing the North shoreline is a good place to start. West facing shorelines also warm up quickly.
Look at the lake map and see what the bottom content is composed of. If it's a muck or dark bottom than they will warm up more quickly. Also if you have wind pushing into an area for a couple days you'll also have warmer water there also(the leeward side of the lake). The warmer surface water will be pushed to that side of the lake and may pool up in the bays or neck-down areas. The upper portion of the water column will be the warmest in the spring and fish are more accessible now than when August may roll around.
An answer to your question, Would be yes. The south shoreline can be productive depending on the conditions that have been mentioned.
catch ya later,
Krappie
Edited by Krappie 2/24/2003 9:01 PM
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 929
Location: Rhinelander. | Sounds like big green to me, lake is said to be a warm water fishery and a cold water one. The flats on the lake should warm up fairly fast. I do however fel that if hey spawn there it will be later then our smaller lakes. I fish one deep clear lake in northern wisc, and founf there that spawning is always later. However there really is no large shallow are to this lake.If it big green take the temp in several places and you'll find out.
Don Pfeiffer |
|
| |
|
Posts: 32924
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | One year ago today this was our top viewed subject. Any new perspectives now that a year has passed? Were you able to apply any of the answers? |
|
| |
|
Location: Athens, Ohio | Ah, in a year's time the passing of Sponger from our midst. I think he still sneaks a peek here every now and then, and Mauser heard from him recently, suggesting some more daredevil stunts for ATV's. I've not fished in gin in 2003, so I'll have to file the info in the memory banks. m |
|
| |
Take it back a YEAR! Hottest topic on 2/24/2003