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Posts: 1996
Location: Pelican Lake/Three Lakes Chain | Each year about this time this topic starts going through my head. What type of lake will I choose as my first victim of the year. Where or where will I launch on May 28th?
Smart money goes on a shallower dark water system, and that is the route I usually take every year. Dark, shallow water warms quicker = more active muskies. At least that is my reasoning. Here is the kicker though, in the deeper clear lakes I have a hunch the big females may be the most concentrated they will be all year long due to the fact they just got done spawning. All the big females should be in or around likely spawning areas. They may not be as receptive to chasing baits, but it only takes one!
Do any of the rest of you go through these mental gymnastics when it comes to lake choice. What is the reasoning behind your choice. |
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Posts: 2515
Location: Waukesha & Land O Lakes, WI | May 15th I'll be on Tenderfoot and LVD Norm....early season with the boundry waters. |
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Posts: 1996
Location: Pelican Lake/Three Lakes Chain | Actually GMG, I will probably start a bit earlier than that even on an "experimental" lake up in that general area, probably right after ice out. Very legal, and a good remedy for months of cabin fever.
Those lakes don't count though because your options are limited. When you can go anywhere, where will you go and why? |
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Posts: 2515
Location: Waukesha & Land O Lakes, WI | Well, one leads to another....the weekend of the Musky opener I'll be fishing the WMT on LVD, so the boundry waters opener is an exploration day.
I'm sort of lucky because I live down here and can fish the game fish opener on Pewaukee, Okauchee and then hit the northern opener in NE Wis. I usually don't have to stray too far from Palmer because it's shallow and flat, thus it warms quicker. When the opener up there comes, I'll be fishing shallow, shallow shallow with small twitchers and soft plastics.
So for guys looking for Northern Wisconsin lakes, I'd say look for lakes that are shallow and med to small sized. The bigger lakes usually have ice on them longer, thus they stay cooler longer. Look for lakes with moving water as well, I've had alot of luck fishing creek and stream mouths.
Weeds is another key, find healthy green cabbage and you'll find fish.
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Posts: 663
| Yes Norm, I go through the same thing. Fortunately we are in an area of abundant choices and sometimes the deciding factor hinges on how I feel when I walk out the door. I'll probably hit the experimental lake too as well as some boundry water early. Sure is fun to be starting to think about this stuff. I may concentrate a bit more on early site fihing in some clear lakes. I've seen a few real tankers the last couple years. As you mentioned they can be pretty tight lipped but hey, what the heck. |
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Posts: 1916
Location: Greenfield, WI | Pewaukee gets most of my attention early just because of tradition and its close proximity. Once the upstate opener arrives, don't be afraid to go on the larger lakes that may have extended shallow flats which can warm up before the balance of the lake. Also many rivers warm up faster than lakes, and may not have the boat traffic that many lakes have, give them a shot. |
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Posts: 686
Location: Tomahawk, Wisconsin | I have put together a pretty cool pattern over the last couple years and it goes against the grain, deeper lake, not all fish have spawned on this water here by opener and these fat girls will eat!!!!!! These fish are near the spawning grounds but are usually in at least 10-15 feet of water. Depends on the spring but it sure beats catching those beat up 36 inch males!! |
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Posts: 199
| I'll be pre-fishing LVD on the 22nd and fishing the tourny on LVD on the 28th |
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Posts: 2691
Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin | Muskydr, your correct about that pattern.
I know of a few big girls that I have seen in spots against the grain.
Most of my attention is going to be river areas leading into the lake and marsh areas. Both of these spots will hold lots of fish. If you can find sand/rock close to these areas you will be in the spot on the spot. Be carefull no to spook them, stay back and slowly work the areas from a distance.
Most of the fish in my area have spawned by the opener so its not anti-ethical to work these spots. Targeting spawning fish is a touchy issue and not a pattern I recomend, but thats only my opinion.
I will be on Pewaukee Lake because its my home water and the opener is the best two days on the lake for the first two weeks. It always slows way down after the opener and by mid to late May it starts to rock again. Maybe the 200 boats on it for the opener might have something to do with that. LOL |
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Posts: 1916
Location: Greenfield, WI | Mike, only 200 boats!?......or did you just stop counting?
I was working on a new pattern for those without a boat, that I could write a magazine article on. You carry a couple of your favorite baits and one rod, and walk from boat to boat, casting while you walk!
Edited by Steve Van Lieshout 3/2/2005 5:28 PM
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Posts: 1906
Location: Oconto Falls, WI | I usually start my season off fishing the breaklines in 10-15' of water, depending on the lake. While everyone else is way up shallow fishing the reed beds and such, I have the deeper water to myself. I have found I see and catch much larger fish on the breaks and deeper right from opener. I may still slide shallow every once in awhile to keep the fish honest, but I don't start going shallow until mid morning or so. The fish on the breaks are often times more active, and there are more of them at sunrise than you will find in the shallows. Shallow water does warm up the quickest, but it also cools down the quickest. Keep in mind if you go out early in the morning that the water off shore in deeper water can often times be warmer than that in the shallows if we have had a cool night. The biggest factor for me early is know your baitfish, and where they are early in the year!
Water clarity doesn't bother me a bit. I have no problems starting my season off on a cisco based lake that is very clear. Quite simply I am going for the larger fish, and clear water lakes early on can be great for contacting some of the biggest fish in the system all year long as mentioned already. They are a bit more difficult to get to strike, but like Norm said it only takes one. One of the biggest fish we saw all year last year was on a cisco based lake over 40-45' of water in MI the week before the WI opener.
It all comes down to quality vs. quantity. I choose to go for the quality fish, and I pay the price at time for it. But then again, I have had great days right from the opener for quality and quantity fishing the deeper water. |
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Posts: 389
Location: Presque Isle Wisconsin | Big fish can be caught on the deep clear lakes right from midnight of opening day and depending upon client choice Ill be very happy to be tossing baits at them.Ive seen,caught, and had some monster fish get off the hooks on the trophy lakes fifteen minutes after the season opened. Some of the larger ,older females will make a FAUX run into the spawing grounds for a very short period of time and then head right back out to the main lake areas.
One pattern that has worked for me is checking shallow rocky shoreline connected areas where sunlight is beating down right on it. After that Ill check any offshore shallow rock bars that are getting those sun rays.After that Ill look for shallow sand bars that will hold the suns heat.These areas just seem to have fish on them all the time early in the season.If the pre season weather pattern has been un seasonably warm Ill move out to deeper water structural elements or open water.
Ill certainly try the larger stained water systems early in the season such as the flowages ,but it can actually be easier to locate and catch bigger fish sometimes on the bigger clear lakes at this time of the year because of the predictability of certain structural elements in the spring. Having said that -I do fish a number of smaller "BLACK HOLES" in the spring,but these are specialty bodies of water that contain very large fish because of a lack of pressure and a superb forage base. |
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