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Posts: 46
Location: Plymouth, MN | So this is my 2nd yr specifically targeting muskies. My PB is 48.5". My goal for this summer is to get over the 50" hump. I normally fish Tonka, Eagle, and Indy. Any advice for targeting big fish on these waters?
I know most will be hesitant to share lake specific techniques but any general advice would be helpful. I feel like these lakes are constantly pounded with bucktails, double 10s, and big rubber (I fish all these quite a bit) and wise skis have learned not to strike. I have been throwing a lot of jerk and crank baits so far this yr with minimal success. |
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Posts: 1901
Location: MN | While I believe there may be something to the idea of fish being conditioned to certain baits, I also believe that timing and feeding windows far outweigh any such concern. When they eat they eat. |
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Posts: 1360
Location: Lake "y" cause lake"x" got over fished | check your personal messages |
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Posts: 670
Location: Otsego, MN | Spend more time on Tonka, more chances at a giant there than the other lakes you mentioned. |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | Dr. Bruce Tufts of Queens University in Kingston Ontario say's fish can become conditioned to popular lures over time and I don't doubt his findings. That being said my go to lure for the past 30 years has been a firetiger Suick and it catches just as many fish now as it did then. A good percentage of muskie strikes are reaction strikes and location and timing are more important than lure ( if it moves its food ). I had one fish that I tagged in 1992 that I recaptured numerous times over a 7 year period always on a suick and always within 75 yards of where she was tagged (small river system )
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Posts: 1828
| horsehunter - 6/12/2013 6:25 AM
I had one fish that I tagged in 1992 that I recaptured numerous times over a 7 year period always on a suick and always within 75 yards of where she was tagged (small river system )
Very interesting. Did you catch that fish in all different seasons? Just curious. Sorry for going off-topic.
It's nice to know that fish never picked up on the fact that an erratic-moving stick with shiny tail always brought pain when she tried to eat it. Maybe some muskies are dumber than others though. |
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Posts: 833
| My experience with the big girls is limited, but I think timing is huge and I think they behave a bit differently than the smaller fish. They are also far more experienced. Was chasing a true giant last year and it only showed at select times and if you didn't execute that was it. By contrast the mid 40s fish I would see far more often. Does it mean anything? I don't know, but that was my experience. Others on here have far more experience with large fish, but I suspect they'll be tight lipped, especially in the metro. |
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Posts: 187
Location: West Metro, MN | The first thing to keep in mind that a 50" fish is a big fish. Not everybody is catching multiple 50's every year as sometimes the internet makes it seem. Timing and presentation both have to line up perfectly to catch a big fish. You will end up locating a big fish or a big fish area on each of those lakes and then it comes down to hitting that fish/area at just the right time with the right presentation and eventually it will happen. |
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Posts: 994
Location: Minnesota: where it's tough to be a sportsfan! | Unless a full blown bite is on the one thing I noted when I actually kept my log for 10+ years was that my big fish came on making my bait seem vulnerable. Hard to describe but as example banging a bait into a rock and pausing. The bait mimics the rock hit and does this stunned pause thing just for a second or two then starts up again....There are many of these triggers. Or by fishing a slow bait in key spots learning to twitch the bait without moving it. Nothing beats a bite, I've always said that! But making your bait more available to the fish can make up some of the attitude ground on bigger fish. |
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Posts: 3156
| Actually I would spend more time on Waconia,,,,I know of one former west metro dnr biologist whio said if he had to pick a metro lake that would produce a sheer giant he would say Waconia,,,full of fat oily sheepsheads Id bet per acre waconia has more 50' class fish,,,,and it also produced the onlty 50 in this just recently done metro tourney |
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Posts: 580
Location: deephaven mn | there are 50'' fish in all thre off those lakes, i do not think lure choice is as important as right place at the right time. most likely these 50'' ers were born before bulldawgs and cowgirls so they have seen alot of hot baits swin past
if you fish enough you will encounter big fish on these lakes. if you meet one you are on your way... come back on that fish at primetimes and it just might go
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Posts: 46
Location: Plymouth, MN | Thanks, lots of good info...I had one located last yr on Eagle but could never get her to bite. Once the weeds died off last fall she was gone. Haven't seen that fish so far this yr, hope its still around
Interesting about Waconia, I've always heard good things but haven't fished it yet.
jakejusa - Is it just a very subtle move with your rod or is there a trick to making a bait twitch without moving?
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Posts: 829
Location: Maple Grove, MN | I agree that Tonka and Waconia are probably the two best big fish lakes in the metro, but they are not exactly numbers lakes. You will often see way more fish on Indy, Eagle and other smaller metro lakes than those two. For Tonka, be prepared to spend a lot of hours locating the fish. There is a lot of water and shoreline and they can be just about anywhere at any given time. Lots of guys stay off Tonka because of that reason alone.
For big fish, I like to head to Mille Lacs whenever I can. While the fishing there is not as good as it once was, there are still very large fish there and they do still eat. One just has to be persistent and think outside the box at times.
Good luck. |
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Posts: 46
Location: Plymouth, MN | So I finally had that first 50+ on the end of my line last night only to lose her at boat side. Needless to say it was heartbreaking. Half of me wants to get back out there right away and the other half wants to quit muskie fishing for the summer. I'm sure I'll end up back out there again this evening. |
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Posts: 572
Location: Maplewood, MN | Never give up. |
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