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Muskie Fishing -> Fishing Reports and Destinations -> Lake study/ how would you target muskies on this lake.
 
Message Subject: Lake study/ how would you target muskies on this lake.
Alumacraft89
Posted 5/9/2016 10:35 PM (#816681)
Subject: Lake study/ how would you target muskies on this lake.




Posts: 192


Lake is man made
Stained muddy water visibility at times is 6".
Few trees sumbmerged in areas and a few other structures.
Weeds grow in 5ft of water or less.
Water temps reach 80+ in summer.
Shad based forage, bluegills, crappies, bass, walleyes
What tactics would you try?

Edited by Alumacraft89 5/9/2016 10:46 PM




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WiscoMusky
Posted 5/9/2016 10:59 PM (#816684 - in reply to #816681)
Subject: RE: Lake study/ how would you target muskies on this lake.




Posts: 400


Location: Wisconsin
Too many variables unanswered... What is the lake acreage? what's the maximum depth and what's the average depth? What is the musky density, and what are the prey densitys per acerage? What is the fishing pressure? Is this in Minnesota or in Tenessee? Based on the lakes geography in terms of where it is in North America... What season are you curious about, because each season requires different tactics

Edited by WiscoMusky 5/9/2016 11:04 PM
WiscoMusky
Posted 5/9/2016 11:10 PM (#816685 - in reply to #816684)
Subject: Re: Lake study/ how would you target muskies on this lake.




Posts: 400


Location: Wisconsin
Based on your original post, I'd fish bright medussas, suicks and bucktails on the weed edge... But if I had some more info id be willing to give you a bunch more!!! Let me know and I'll try to help
Alumacraft89
Posted 5/10/2016 12:07 AM (#816692 - in reply to #816681)
Subject: Re: Lake study/ how would you target muskies on this lake.




Posts: 192


South Michigan, 400 acres , maximum depth 53', around 1500 stocked the past 7yrs, Muskie angling pressure would be somewhere around medium. I just wanted some fresh ideas.
jerryb
Posted 5/10/2016 8:07 AM (#816704 - in reply to #816692)
Subject: Re: Lake study/ how would you target muskies on this lake.




Posts: 688


Location: Northern IL
89,
"What tactics would you try?"

The first thing I'd do is wait "if" this muddy water is not the norm. You may have better water color, meaning closer to normal, towards the dam area. Anytime you have a changing condition in weather or water catching is going to be tough no matter where you fish. If you have the time I'd begin to learn the layout of the lake by trolling it. Troll it as shallow as you can run (5-6') and as deep as the structure "bottom of the lake" allows meaning if it starts looking flat and mucky, stop. By trolling it you will soon locate the best spots and can focus your time in these areas.
Alumacraft89
Posted 5/10/2016 1:21 PM (#816744 - in reply to #816681)
Subject: Re: Lake study/ how would you target muskies on this lake.




Posts: 192


The water is always dirty!! I have caught fish in the channel they always seem to be in the connecting waters. Have trolled the deep water and nada always seem to get fish shallow even in midsummer in 3ft of water.
jerryb
Posted 5/10/2016 4:47 PM (#816765 - in reply to #816744)
Subject: Re: Lake study/ how would you target muskies on this lake.




Posts: 688


Location: Northern IL
Side feeder steam cuts or connecting waters are excellent places to locate fish of all species in any reservoir! However when I say troll the lake from top to bottom I'm not talking about catching fish in all that water but investing some time and learning as much as possible about the most productive areas in the lake before hand, the fish will come later. 

I first learned on a lake very similar to the one your talking about, Lake Marie for those familiar. It too has a weedline that ends at 4-5' in the summer months or it did the last time I fished it. However it is a natural lake and does not have some of the "possible" type structures that a reservoir may have such as road beds, rip rap, causeways, washes ect. there are about 17 different possibilities in a reservoir the fish can use, so it's tough to give you exact directions until you or I know what's there. Anyway we did catch some fish up near the weedline early in the year but all the structure (depths) need to be checked. Of all the muskies my buddies and I caught in the late 90's which were into the hundreds 99% of them were caught deeper than the weedline.

When you spend a few days trolling a lake correctly you will know more about this lake than anyone on this board can advise. You will know at what depths these feeder creeks break into the channel, the depth of the channel, the hard spots where the channel makes a turn. You will know the shape and the direction they take before meeting the old river. You will know where the fish stop and pause in their migration from the old river towards the shallows etc etc. Only by being on the water and doing the work will you be able to say "You know this lake top to bottom". Once you know it,,, then you can go to an area and cast it or troll it or vertical jig it. Investing a few days trolling IMO will pay big dividends and the tactic I'd use. Good luck!

Edited by jerryb 5/10/2016 4:48 PM
djwilliams
Posted 5/10/2016 7:28 PM (#816776 - in reply to #816681)
Subject: Re: Lake study/ how would you target muskies on this lake.




Posts: 793


Location: Ames, Iowa
I'd troll it in the fall with Slammers and Grandmas and fish it at night with topwaters the rest of the year. It would not be my daytime go to lake
tolle141
Posted 5/10/2016 10:13 PM (#816816 - in reply to #816681)
Subject: Re: Lake study/ how would you target muskies on this lake.





Posts: 1000


sounds like they're generally 5' and less. I'd look at where you have current and/or deeper water nearby. Then of those spots, I'd look a what's got dynamic structure. Then I'd prioritize those spots and hit the rest after.
Alumacraft89
Posted 5/10/2016 11:33 PM (#816822 - in reply to #816681)
Subject: Re: Lake study/ how would you target muskies on this lake.




Posts: 192


Originally there was two lakes here and they flooded them in to one big lake. I fish here atleast once a week or more. I know the spots to target and have caught fish here. It's a lake that does produce some nice fish. I usually troll the shallow flats or the channel. Seems like some fish are always in the channel with typical west wind this channel does get some current and areas where there's slack water that seems to hold fish on that current line. This lake originally has had no map I created the sonar charts for it. It has definitely helped in trolling breaks with out snagging. Thanks for some insight on some areas I may be missing opportunities. I'm going to try jigging some bondy on some of the windbown breaks starting deep and working up the break line shallower on each drift. This is about the only technique I haven't gave a try yet here.
Booch
Posted 5/13/2016 1:44 PM (#817088 - in reply to #816681)
Subject: Re: Lake study/ how would you target muskies on this lake.




Posts: 310


I'd fish it like I was told to fish Wabigoon by the lodge owner where we stayed: Don't bother fishing before 10:00 am. Hot, sunny days are best, and cast tight to structure with loud, bright lures.
djwilliams
Posted 5/15/2016 10:08 PM (#817242 - in reply to #816681)
Subject: Re: Lake study/ how would you target muskies on this lake.




Posts: 793


Location: Ames, Iowa
Sounds a little like French Lake west of Fauribault.
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