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Posts: 210
Location: Rochester, New York | There is this heavily fished warmwater alewife lake near me that is still a very popular and productive pike and tiger muskie lake and while i did well in 2023 the last 2 years haven't been very productive so switching up tactics trolling deep was the solution but we mark tons of bait balls so big one time the depth finder thought it briefly thought it went from 37to 17 ft but still we barely catch any of the fish by the bait we mark and was hoping for some lure advice as i really want to break the 40" bench mark
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Posts: 32919
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | What are you fishing with now that isn't producing? |
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Posts: 210
Location: Rochester, New York | sworrall - 6/23/2025 12:18 PM
What are you fishing with now that isn't producing?
Not very much though it has produced some fish
Giant shad rap on downrigger lost 1
Berkley Flicker Minnow
Bandit Walleye Deep Diver
Daredevle worked on a downrigger 1 hit
Rouges Haven't Worked very well
Flicker Shad Didn't Work
Deep diver Bomber haven't
I am still trying to find a grandma 6" deep diver in the alewife color for sale but thats it
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Posts: 776
| Your the spinning gear guy, right? Anyway, check out some old Doug Stange In-Fisherman videos on fishing swim jigs. He usually fishes them in the mid to late fall period and it just might work out for ya. And, he recommends using spinning gear! Kdawg |
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Posts: 213
| Occasionally I will have a guest that doesn't use bait casting gear so I have an 8' Okuma surf rod on board that will handle up to a 4 oz bait. I'm not sure how tolerant muskies are when it comes to down riggers and would be interested to know what other think. We spend a day or town trolling lakers in Canada during our spring and fall trips. In all those years we have only caught one northern behind a down rigger ball and the lake is full of them. Considering the pressured waters I would consider Super Shad Rap 2 oz of lead 3 ft ahead of the lure should give you about 12' at 3.2 mph. Another option are swimin dawgs. We throw them all the time and count them down to typically 15' before starting the retrieve. You can also troll them but once again you'll need some lead ahead of the bait. We generally troll over the top of the bait. Do the alwives move up in the water column towards evening. Time of day my be an important consideration
Good Luck |
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Posts: 210
Location: Rochester, New York | pstrombe - 6/23/2025 7:17 PM
Occasionally I will have a guest that doesn't use bait casting gear so I have an 8' Okuma surf rod on board that will handle up to a 4 oz bait. I'm not sure how tolerant muskies are when it comes to down riggers and would be interested to know what other think. We spend a day or town trolling lakers in Canada during our spring and fall trips. In all those years we have only caught one northern behind a down rigger ball and the lake is full of them. Considering the pressured waters I would consider Super Shad Rap 2 oz of lead 3 ft ahead of the lure should give you about 12' at 3.2 mph. Another option are swimin dawgs. We throw them all the time and count them down to typically 15' before starting the retrieve. You can also troll them but once again you'll need some lead ahead of the bait. We generally troll over the top of the bait. Do the alwives move up in the water column towards evening. Time of day my be an important consideration
Good Luck
No idea if they move up in the evenings i usually fish the mornings
I did land the fattest tiger muskie i have ever seen doing it
We mark the giant bait balls at various depths usually like 20 to 30 ft over 4
Or the bait balls will be big enough it will trick the depth finder |
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Posts: 210
Location: Rochester, New York | kdawg - 6/23/2025 5:32 PM
Your the spinning gear guy, right? Anyway, check out some old Doug Stange In-Fisherman videos on fishing swim jigs. He usually fishes them in the mid to late fall period and it just might work out for ya. And, he recommends using spinning gear! Kdawg
What about in the summer |
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Posts: 3910
| Consider making count downs out of Jakes or Grandmas. It's very easy, just drill a small hole in the bottom of the bait, hold it upside down in a tub of water, jiggle until small bubbles don't come out, pull the bait and plug the hole with epoxy. These guys do fine on a straight retrieve (casting or trolling) and excel at crazy twitching. |
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Posts: 2369
Location: Chisholm, MN | I have a feeling it's not your baits but instead the way you're fishing and location. Your tactics aren't typical muskie tactics. You didn't provide much information on that but even your baits you are using aren't typical muskie baits. Of course they can catch one here and there, not saying that. But I would go cast structure with real muskie baits and if that doesn't work, keep searching for other spots. Pressured muskies still bite regular baits. If you're not catching fish, then they either aren't there, you're missing key times, or you presentation is way off. |
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Posts: 210
Location: Rochester, New York | Kirby Budrow - 6/24/2025 10:13 AM
I have a feeling it's not your baits but instead the way you're fishing and location. Your tactics aren't typical muskie tactics. You didn't provide much information on that but even your baits you are using aren't typical muskie baits. Of course they can catch one here and there, not saying that. But I would go cast structure with real muskie baits and if that doesn't work, keep searching for other spots. Pressured muskies still bite regular baits. If you're not catching fish, then they either aren't there, you're missing key times, or you presentation is way off.
Conesus Lake
Normal techniques weren't working in the weedlines
I still mark lots of massive fish on those baitballs and have landed a few
As for baits thats what i was thinking was the problem
Thinking alewife imitations would be what to throw
But not finding many that go that deep |
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Posts: 1524
Location: Brighton CO. | I'm a big fan of countdown lures too. I have all the regular soft plastics and the countdown hard baits, But I also make my own.
It's not necessary what you throw but where you throw. Make long casts but keep your lure above the fish. |
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Location: PA Angler | Might try something different. Just throwing this out there. Just not alewife in the lake. I have got some jigging or casting a bigger predator fish near or in bait balls. |
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Posts: 210
Location: Rochester, New York | chuckski - 6/24/2025 11:48 AM
I'm a big fan of countdown lures too. I have all the regular soft plastics and the countdown hard baits, But I also make my own.
It's not necessary what you throw but where you throw. Make long casts but keep your lure above the fish.
I will invest in some though i will admit this is the first time i have heard of a countdown lure
If i am trolling after i countdown to the desired depth will it still stay
Solitario Lupo - 6/24/2025 11:49 AM
Might try something different. Just throwing this out there. Just not alewife in the lake. I have got some jigging or casting a bigger predator fish near or in bait balls.
What have you cast and jig successfully. I would actually like to be able get to a point where i can just cast or jig for the fish and be successful
I should probably also mention we have only down the trolling deep 3 times and all 3 times we got at least 1 fish
Though one of the days it was raining and it seems like if the weather isn't nice on the lake the bite turns right off
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Location: PA Angler | I have been liking lures like swimbait and jerkbaits that have a tail and slits in the sides. I really like the line thru trouts that savage gear make in all sizes and patterns with the slits. Most my luck was off a baby bass and some trout patterns think they are 6in to 14in. Also I make my own in 6in.
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