Posts: 63
| Yes,late September is a good time to start fishing for trophy Muskie which are usually females that are starting to feed heavily in preparation for the winter and to help with egg production.
There are thousands of areas to hunt for these large fish in many different types of habitat areas which depend on water depth,clarity,water temps and structure.Shallow areas of the lake will hold Muskie where the forage fish can be found.Perch,Crappie,SM Bass,Walleye,Pike,White Sucker.The medium shallow(Mesotrophic) and shallow(Eutrophic) water areas and bays on LOTW with aquatic vegetation that held these forage fish in the summer will not be the areas to focus on as the dying vegetation will decrease the dissolved oxygen levels as they begin to decompose.The forage fish will move to the open areas and gather in deeper water around structure like saddles,humps,rock piles or reefs and the Muskie will follow.The fall turnover period will start to mix the Epilimnion (top layer of water) with the Metalimnion(middle layer of water where the dissolved oxygen rich thermocline exists during the summer months) and thus create a unified layer of water rich in dissolved oxygen where forage fish will collect. Shallow reefs adjacent to deeper drop offs are a good target area.Points off of islands with humps or saddles hold Muskie at the apex as they will face head first into the wind driven waves waiting for prey to carelessly swim by.Troll the deeper areas in the open water at say 15' to 20' if in 30 feet of water.Muskie will suspend in these areas and hunt down schools of forage fish.
Areas that have the above mentioned water classifications are plentiful on LOTW and include areas such as the Hades Islands,Barrier Islands,Safety Bay,Rat Portage Bay,Matheson Bay,Keewatin Channel,Welcome Channel,Andrew Bay,Witch Bay,Sunset Channel,Portions of Yellow Girl Bay,Sabaskong Bay any many other areas.
There are other areas on LOTW that are deep Oligotrophic waters that are 200+ feet deep with crystal clear waters that hold Muskie, Lake Trout,Pike,Walleye,Smallmouth Bass and deep running forage fish like Herring,Ciscoes,Alewife,Smelt,Whitefish,etc.These type waters are low in nutrients and aquatic vegetation is only present in some shallow areas.They are also less likely to experience algae blooms during hot summer months that can shut down fishing production from days to weeks.The Thermocline can be found at deeper depths but the lake will also go through the fall turnover process as explained previously.Large Muskie in Oligotrophic lakes can be found and caught at much deeper depths as they tend to like the cooler water and also feed on the Lake Trout,Ciscoe,Herring,etc..One thing to keep in mind is that some of the forage fish such as the Ciscoe for example spawn in the fall,usually in October when the water temps hit the mid to low 40's .They will start to gather on shallow reefs and rocky humps at this time and the Muskie know this cycle.Muskie will actually stage themselves in these areas a week or so in advance anticipating the Ciscoe or Herring migration.When the forage fish arrive the Muskie are there and ready to intercept and sabotage them,...and that's when Muskie anglers want to make an appearance and increase their chances for hooking into a trophy.Find these areas and you will be rewarded.
Also,find reefs,humps ,saddles that are adjacent to deep drop offs and toss large 8" to 10" crank baits,soft plastics.Use surface baits on those evenings when the water is glass flat.Troll the deep open water at depths up to 50 feet if fishing over water that is 100+ feet.Use a Dipsy Diver or Pink Lady to get you down to those depths.I have caught Muskie in Oligotrophic Lakes while fishing for Lake Trout at depths of 50 feet.Points off islands as explained above also deserves attention.Find those isolated rocks that are just below the surface and surrounded by deep water in the range of 40 to 80 feet and cast some crank baits.If using Buck-tails slow your retrieve down as the cooler water temps will slow down the velocity of the Muskie attack.When trolling try speeds of 3-5 MPH instead of summer speeds of 6-8MPH.
Oligotrophic water areas on LOTW include Whitefish Bay,Clearwater Bay,Ptarmigan Bay,parts go Regina & Yellow Girl Bays.Also, inland lakes such as Kakagi Lake,Rowan Lake,Dryberry Lake,Silver Lake,Delaney Lake and many others.
There are Muskie throughout the entire LOTW so to say where the optimum area is located is a difficult task indeed and perhaps impossible.Just get out there and cover as much area as you can trying different techniques.Don't waste too much time in one area,...just cover a spot thoroughly with as many casts as it takes and if nothing surfaces move on to the next spot.If you get a follow here and there but the fish are not in feeding mode leave and return in a day or two when it is ready to feed again and take the bait aggressively.
Again,use LARGE baits as that is what the brutes are in search of.
As well,try live sucker rigs as this approach can prove to be very productive in the fall.Rig up a 6 to 8 inch white sucker on a couple treble hooks.One in the snout and one near the dorsal fin.Open the bail and allow the bait ti swim freely while drifting from over deep water towards a shallow reef,rock pile,saddle or hump.When the Muskie grabs the bait allow it to take some line and swim off with it.It will usually stop and turn the the bait head first before swallowing it.This process may take a minute or two.Once that time frame passes set the hooks and prepare for battle.
Edited by Lake Of The Woods 8/23/2016 2:37 AM
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