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| Just to know what to watch out for this year of ski fishing, what seasons do Skis suspend? |
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| E'14,
Let me take a stab at answering your question, however this subject in itself can change by region of a state/procvince or even by lake.
First let me state that in my world the word "suspend" is synonomous with "open water". In other words these are fish not specificially relating to a weedbed/rock point/tree branches, etc. i.e. suspended in open water.
Now bear in mind; Muskies do little in their life that is not related to hunting food and spawning. If you learn more about the habits of the forage species in your lake/area you are well on your way to more successful Muskie fishing.
That being said in my area of West-central Wisconsin a general rule is that they tend to suspend more during warm water periods in mid summer than any other time of the year, and again in the fall as they begin head for deeper pockets of water after coming shallow for the "fall feast".
When I am not finding action on/in weeds/breaklines and other visible structure I will look for suspended baitfish in open water with my sonar and generally will find Muskies close by.
Now the depth of water vs suspended depth will vary by lake of course. Open or deep water in one lake I fish is 11-14 feet, another lake I guide on has 70 foot holes and it is not uncommon for me to find fish in 22-28 feet of suspended depth in 40 feet of water during the middle of summer.
There are some (myself included) that believe that some fish spend the vast majority of their life suspended in open water and rarely if ever come shallow except for the spawn......
I am going to try and cut this short as it can become a lenghty subject and is hard to cover in depth in a brief reply, but a few things to remember.
They will suspend to find cooler water during the hot summer months. They will suspend to stay close traveling schools of baitfish whether they be Ciscos/Whitefish/Perch or Crappies. And some will spend the majority of their life in open water as long as there is food there.
Do not ignore these areas, learn where the mid-lake humps are in the waters you fish. Learn how to use your sonar/locator to your advantage. And put some time in either casting or trolling these areas and you should increase the numbers of fish you are catching.
With a little luck my rambling on answered your question and didn't confuse the heck out of you...[:bigsmile:]
Mark
Musky Adventures
Eau Claire, WI
www.muskyadventures.com |
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| Esox 14,muskies suspend from spring until fall.Some fish relate to weeds all season while others are open water roamers.
What is key in finding suspended fish is bait or forage.Deep pools or holes,top end or bottom end is where most muskies suspend with forage.Aslo keep a vigilant eye on breaklines leadint to these deeper pockets as fish travel along these routes during their movements.Yes they are riding high also in these zones.
Keep an eye on your graph,somedays the bait is on the bottom and other days they can be as high as 2 to 4 feet.Generaly fish relate high during the summer and botto dwell during the fall.Once waters drop below 37,they come right back up again in suspended mode.
Hope this helps
take care
marc |
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| My only thought (uneducated though it may be) is this: when you are really hungry, would you rather chase down a waitress at a crowded bar to order yourself some chow....or sit at the buffet and eat till you drop!? My point is this, the muskies will be where the food is....if the forage is shallow (perch, shiners, etc.) they'll be there, if its deep and they can gorge themselves over the open water, then they'll be there.
Slamr |
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| Ok thanks guys this helps much more. I'm going to watch these suspenders this season closer and see if my boating percentage doesn't go up[;)] [:p] |
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| Esox, not a pro here but on your lake things get suspending when they kill the weeds which removes alot of shallow cover. The crappies move out and so do the musky. Check out the deep water in front of the dam 20+ feet.[:)] |
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