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Posts: 150
| One of the issues that I frequently run into is what to do when everything goes to hell. Usually, I am a "fish the spots at the right times" kind of angler. My strategy usually goes something like:
1) Identify spots that are attractive before hand, either based on past experience or map scouting if new water
2) Move to spot.
If I get a follow and a hit but no catch, finish the spot and move on.
If follow and no hit, circle back and cast the spot again.
If nothing, move on.
3) If any of these spots produce, move back to the spot during minor/major and hit it again.
But what do you all do on those terrible days where you get no follows on any of your targeted areas? Get trolling and cover water? Not a live scope guy, so driving around picking them off isn't something I will be doing. |
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Posts: 67
Location: Minnesota | Well, I'm not much help here because 95% of my days are those terrible days you speak of, but once my go-to (baits and spots I like) doesn't pan out, I start to throw things I rarely throw, on spots I wouldn't usually fish. I also don't Livescope or troll, so casting different spots is all I can do.
I may have to take up trolling this next season; just isn't the same "fishing" I like to do. |
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Posts: 2056
| Don’t think you are …know you are , it’s all part of the muskie matrix |
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Posts: 670
Location: Duluth | Fishing further off of a spot has helped when my first,second passes aren't producing. |
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Location: Athens, Ohio | Every day is a dead day - until it isn't.
I just pop in a cd of the Good ol' Grateful Dead and keep fishing.
m |
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Posts: 356
| Always doing what you always do, means you’ll often get what you always got. |
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Location: PA Angler | Sometimes I always wonder what I can do myself but I think just keep going until it happens. Trolling can always be something new to try might have better luck. Switching lures(color and sizes) sometimes. Then the days they are sluggish and just looking I’ve found the live bait guys out fish me. One of them gotta finally work haha. |
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Posts: 1528
Location: Brighton CO. | You'll aways find new spots by trolling to your next spot. (lots of unmarked spots on our maps) |
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Posts: 543
Location: NW WI | So many factors play a role but in summary:
A phrase I have Is "Time to do something stupid. Do what you don't think you should do".
or
If there's shallow structure (Lillies,Milfoil, wicked steep shorelines,) I'll downsize to large multispecies presentations and move in tight and shallow. .
Edited by 7.62xJay 12/24/2024 8:23 PM
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Posts: 579
Location: deephaven mn | success is harder to achieve, stocking is down pressure is up. Fishing isn't luck its knowledge and persistance.
fish make the rules you need to be there when they are ready to bite. like mentioned before keep going keep casting.
after a half a day with no sucess try trolling it has saved the day, or change depth you are fishing go shallow fish slop or shallow weeds. or go two cast lengths out from the edge.or fish backwards put your boat on top of stucture and cast to the depths bringing your lure across in a different direction |
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Location: Athens, Ohio | Somewhere, I read,"If you throw the wrong bait long enough, sooner or later it becomes the right bait. " m |
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Posts: 1528
Location: Brighton CO. | mikie - 12/25/2024 10:22 AM
Somewhere, I read,"If you throw the wrong bait long enough, sooner or later it becomes the right bait. " m
Put eye bolt on a 2x4 and a couple of hooks see above comment . |
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Posts: 8821
| Here's what we do:
1. Start with proven tactics on proven spots
2. If that fails to show some color, explore different depths/presentations on proven spots
3. Speed up your presentation - sometimes speed is the trigger
4. Slow down and put something in their face that hangs for a bit
5. Work the same areas, but work them a cast length or so off the structure
6. Try fishing the inside edge instead of the outside
7. Try open water - adjacent to areas where you've seen/caught fish
8. Try fishing shallow reeds, sandgrass, or sand flats
9. Try anything with wind blowing into it or any areas with current
Nothing working? At that point you know either the fish aren't there (where else can they really go??) or they're just sitting there doing nothing.
At that point, you have to choose what hill you want to die on:
1. Proven tactics on proven spots until you run out of day or the fish decide to move
2. Find an area that you really enjoy fishing, and a lure you really enjoy throwing and accept the fact you probably ain't catchin' #*#* today anyway, might as well have fun doing so. |
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| I tend to troll and really watch SI and sonar, learning about structure, etc. A couple years ago I was fishing on the chain where I live and after hours of fruitless casting, decided to troll. One shoreline I regularly casted to revealed some interesting structure I had not noticed and even what looked to be a sunken fishing boat in 10ft of water. |
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Posts: 793
Location: Ames, Iowa | "Every day is a dead day - until it isn't." This is most certainly true.
Jim Murphy once told me, "you're doing everything right, it's just a matter of time."
I'm on Leech, so if there's no muskie activity, I can troll for some walleye, slip bobber perch, or throw the bullrushes for bass. |
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Posts: 424
Location: MN | Nothing original here, but I like to always come back to location, timing, and presentation.
Are you certain you are on fish? You can't catch something that isn't there. Even if you are sure there are fish on the spot/area, are they located on the spot where you think they are? If you are not sure, and it's been dead, then it's time to pick the best spots and fish them thoroughly - shallow, mid, deep on the spot and adjacent open water. The fish might not be exactly where you have been fishing - maybe they're up in 2 ft of water close to shore, or out slightly deeper than you normally fish, or 100 ft off the spot out in the open. FFS or SI can help you eliminate open water and trolling is applicable here too - doesn't hurt to take a pass outside of a spot if you don't see anything up on it. Watch whatever electronics you have for signs of muskies or bait. If you do see bait in an area/depth, skew toward that depth or type of spot but don't die on it.
If timing is the issue, you need to grind until a window opens. This is often the problem when people complain about follows but no bites. If it is totally dead, I would not assume it is solely timing until you have evidence you are actually on fish. Best to keep an open mind on timing, especially if you have multiple tough days in a row. Have you tried every time in the 24 hour cycle? Do you have any recent history of bites or increased activity?
For presentation, I would start with a coarse view - think in categories rather than minutia. If you have not identified location, stay with your most reliable baits in each category. Avoid anything unproven or experimental. Skew toward slower and more stop-and-go retrieves and baits that get down if you are fishing deeper. Move the boat on the slower side so your casts are closer together. |
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Posts: 1369
| A lot of good advice here. The only thing I'll add, is something I only do when I'm by my self, which is most of the time. It would drive anyone else nuts. Primarily use it on familiar waters, as new water has too many things to explore. On familiar waters, you should know where fish hang out. I now use spot lock, but prior to that, I would drop anchor. I will spend a ridiculous amount of time in one area, typically involving weeds in some fashion. I'll make a ton of casts with various lures of different sizes and work at different depths. Everything from Jackpots on the surface, to Berkley hollow bellies on weighted hooks. Stand up jigs with rubber, to Rapala spoons and Silver Minnows with a twister tail. Jerk baits and 2 oz. spinner baits and buzz baits. I'll study the weed clumps, looking for alleyways coming from different angles. I don't fire off cast after cast in a frantic fashion. I take time between casts, looking in the water and paying attention to any little movements on the surface. It's easy to spend an hour or more in one area. This approach typically produces at least one fish on any given area.
Edited by TCESOX 12/29/2024 11:29 AM
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