|
|
Posts: 43
| Ok so Ive been fishing all my life so 21 years now, but its been very basic walleye and pan fishing. I started muskie fishing 3 years ago and have yet to have one hit the net. I really dont even get many follows. I have every bait imagineable so thats not the problem. I was wondering presentations and locations mainly. I fish weed edges mostly tonka and waconia sometimes mille lacs and just work the weed edges at 15 to 20 FOW and cast all day. I just started trolling also to give myself a rest. Usually 2 to 3 MPH also just along the weed edges. I was wondering, I hear people talk about breaks the shallow break, the deep break, the inside edge the outside edge, weed changes differents structures and tons of other locations and I was wondering how i find these and what to look for? Also people trolling open water or suspended muskies what to look for there? Like i said basic pan fishing and walleye fishing with a bobber and hook is all ive done so this is all new to me. Please and Thank you for any input i can get. No spots obviously just tips please! About anything whether it be bait, time of year, time of day, moon phases confuse me, presentations and what to look for on a lake or map. I know this is a lot but anything will help! Goodluck all! |
|
| |
|
Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | Well since you're starting from square one muskie fishing, I'd do two things...I'd hire a guide on your home water. That one day and $400 will steepen your learning curve more than anything else. They'll show you the breaks, the structure, how to corrodinate that with the GPS and so on. They can also talk moon times and all that crap as well.
Next thing I'd recommend is since you're in the "sponge" stage where you're soaking up everything you can about muskies is to watch some videos. Watch the seasons of Musky Hunter...lots of good advice there. Then there's several instructional/entertainment videos available as well. Just watching these DVD's, the guys will talk about figure 8's, moon, presentations, etc. Your best investment would be the season of MH TV show. You can even buy and watch them, then sell them on here. Bring yourself up to speed and then you're on your way. Good luck! |
|
| |
|
Posts: 538
Location: northern indiana | Well said esox. All I can really add is learn and know the body of water you are fishing. Wind blown edges, steep breaks and water clarity defferences, are all key areas I look for and fish heavily as well. Patience is key and your time will come. Good Luck and just Have Fun!!! |
|
| |
|
| not bad advice, but to actually answer some of your questions, milfoil doesn't grow any shallower than about 4 feet, and no deeper than about 14 feet in the lakes you're fishing. forms a solid wall of weeds at those two depths, the 'inside' and 'outside edge'. most of your summer fishing will probably focus on the outside edge, that is, doing what you're already doing. as long as your casts are landing past the outside edge and going back over it on your retreive, you're good to go. sounds like you got that part down.
come september as water temps drop to 70 and below, a lot of fish will move up to the inside edge, 4 feet of water or less. the inside edge itself can be good, but also the bare sand between the shoreline and the inside edge. on tonka a lot of places there is also cabbage growing between the shoreline and the inside edge of the milfoil, and these spots can be really good, but cabbage is definitely not necessary, fish love the bare sand. this is a good pattern until turnover. concentrating on learning how to fish milfoil this season is probably the best thing you can do for yourself.
Moon - the 15 minutes before and after moonrise or moonset are key. this is simply a good time to be on spots where you know there are fish or go back on fish that you've seen earlier than wouldn't eat. don't be driving your boat somewhere or fishing somewhere you don't know there are fish during this time.
hope that helps a little, could ramble on about breaks and such but i think it's an overused word and something people say to try and sound smart. don't try to figure out everything at once, fish aren't all doing the same thing at any given time anyway, just keep it simple, keep fishing with other anglers, keep fishing new spots, and write down what you learn. |
|
| |
|
| First off, there are nno stupid questions. We were all new at one time or another. The way you learn is to ask questions. My advice is to hire a guide, join a local muskie club, absorb everything, and have fun doing it.
One piece of advice is that you are trolling to slow. Try 4.0 to 4.5 and make abrupt turns on the weedlines. Just about everything that I have learned is from the help of others. Take advantage of it. |
|
| |
|
| I hate to push my own services but you really should consider a guide. Myself or one of my fellow guides could help a ton. It's not so much hiring someone to catch you a fish it's more hiring someone to show you how to fish. Sort of a "private fishing lesson." It actually sounds like you're close, you just need a few more things to put it all together. Many of the guides on those lakes would be willing to teach...John Hoyer, Bob Turgeon, Greg Schroeder, Spencer Berman or myself on Tonka...Jason Hamernick for Mille Lacs. John and I run very long half days in the evening all summer. The whole "work the weed edges in 15 to 20 f.o.w." sounds about right. I usually lean a little more toward 20 f.o.w. than 15, but those edges will hold fish all season. As far as moon stuff check out the past issues of Keyes Outdoors Online Magazine. I wrote an article on moon stuff a while back.(there I go again) I'm more a fisherman than a writer but, if it doesn't confuse the h*ll out of you, it may help. Feel free to shoot me a pm or email with specific questions. Good Luck |
|
| |
|
Posts: 55
Location: Coon Rapids, MN | Thorne bros has seminars every wednesday night that can be helpful. They have a schedule online each month that tells the speaker and the topic. If you can't make it to their shop all the pervious seminars are posted online. Bob Turgeon did a seminar back in april on the basics and I know there are a couple from their spring sale. Last spring there were several on muskies as well. Good luck soaking up the info!
Edited by Blake 6/8/2011 9:00 PM
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 3913
| Yer walleye experience will serve you well. Expect to adjust to a fish that has shorter hot periods and that are just as pickey about presentation.
Plus, and just between you and me, as a rule you can't go wrong trying to pick off the muskies that are following the walleye that are following pods of baitfish that are suspended in open water at the termo. You'll spend a lot of time using winter jigging prsentations, above and around the pods of baitfish.
Wink, wink, not a word, now. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 43
| Thanks for all the great answers guys they are really helping!! I did join muskies inc and am gonna fish in most of the twin cities chapter events around the lakes here so im hoping that will help. And I have also talked to you Ben at the muskie expo and possibly somewhere else you helped me a ton just in 5 minutes of talking and I see Spencer and Schroeder out on the lake all the time too. I kinda follow them haha it might be annoying. But I really am thinking of doing a guide soon with my mom and my brother so I might send you a PM soon Ben and see. Ive also emailed you before after we talked at the expo you gave me one spot and I get a follow there everytime so its already helping. Thanks again guys and keep it coming im trying to sponge everything! Goodluck!! |
|
| |
|
Posts: 275
| The Twin Cities Chapter of Muskies Inc meets the 2nd Tuesday of every month. Our speaker next week is Kevin Cochran, an expert on the Bemidji/Cass lake area. If you are from the TC, feel free to drop over.
Tom Keith |
|
| |
|
Posts: 43
| Well guys I guess the advice helped!! My brother hooked up with one today with me running the boat and watching the graph. His first one too. It felt amazing to see him pull it in and I netted it for him. What a cool thing. We worked trolling a little faster at 4.5 mph like no dumb questions said so thank you!! We made our first pass at 18 feet on the first edge with blades and then the second pass through in 23 fow with divers and thats where he hooked up!! A beautiful 42 incher! It was windy and cold compared to the last week the casting wasnt too fun but trolling in this weather is awesome!! Thanks everyone for the advice! One more question... how do i get pics on here? I want to show it off now  |
|
| |
|
Posts: 538
Location: northern indiana | dhost thats what this site is all about. Congrats and looking forward to the pics. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 43
| http://i1084.photobucket.com/albums/j413/hoopster943/IMAG0269.jpg |
|
| |
|
Posts: 32935
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Nice work! |
|
| |
|
Location: Des Moines IA | Look for pods of baitfish on your sonar. Deep structure will hold them a lot, sometimes they're just out in the middle of the abyss for what appears to be no reason as well. Troll in, around and through them, trying to keep baits around half as deep as the pod. If you see the pod bottom out at 15 feet, over 30 feet of water, try to run baits 5 - 10 feet down. Muskies feed up, so err on the shallow side, they'll come up for them if they really want it. The key to trolling, is knowing exactly where that bait is depth wise, relative to how many feet of line you have out. Don't be afraid to cast in, at,, and around pods of baitfish as well. Cranks, and dawgs work well for that. Weed lines, are great to run baits alongside as well. Again, err on the shallow side as muskies feed up!
Edited by MuskieMike 6/9/2011 10:54 AM
|
|
| |
|
| That a way!!! Nice chunky fish too! Congrats to you and your brother, what a way to share a family pass time. Sounds like you are on the right track to lots more success. |
|
| |
|
| Good job on fish! You have gotten enuff advice, to catch all the fish you need. change up speed, color and depth and become the best trolling person out there. anymore advice will only confuse you, and give you too many options. You will catch big fish year round by the above mentioned advice. MY advice to IS: buy a hook cutter and a handling glove and let them go immediatley. picture only if you must. "be safe and good luck". |
|
| |
|
Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | very cool ... congrats! |
|
| |
|
Posts: 41
| one thing that i didnt see mention on here was cast angle. My buddy taught me this and it has helped me alot. when makeing cast dont cast the same angle ever time. i like casting weedlines at a 45 degree angle. i seem to contact more fish that way. aslo once youve worked a weedline down put you boat on the other side and cast from shallow to deep. or vices versa if you start from the inside. i am by no means an expert at muskie fisherman but this little detail has changed my game. Good luck |
|
| |
|
Posts: 327
| In my experience ( and a few people I fish with on this site !! ) , you have to break something everytime you're out , lots of country music ( especially Kenny Chesney , lol inside joke ) and patience that you broke something and listened to country all day and didn't see a fish !! Congrats on your fish , take in all you can and you will win the battle !! |
|
| |
|
| Watch what other musky anglers are doing, where they are fishing or what they are using especially if they catch one. Join a local Muskies Inc chapter or muskie club. That does not mean go crowd them or cut them off it means pay attention. If you can find the spot they are fishing on that particular lake map look for other areas of that lake that look similar and fish those areas. As many other have stated hire a guide to learn the lake. Guides are a wealth of knowledge and most are willing to share information and answer questions regarding locations, seasonal movements, lure selection, etc. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 5
| Dusty! Little Lando here (Korver). I just just really started fishing musky seriously last year and am starting to learn some things myself. Was talking to Kyle about his fish the other day and told him I gotta go fishing with you guys sometime. I read these forums all the time, didn't know if this was you or not until you brought up the 42 inch catch. Ill have to talk to ya about it at the next J-Ball game. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 43
| Forsure Korver itd be a blast to fish together and figure things out. We will talk soon |
|
| |
|
Posts: 43
| Well all I can do is thank you guys again this is amazing! My bro got into another one today a 40 incher. In 4 years of fishing weve had 2 in our boat before last week now we have 2 in a week! Thanks everyone. Its a bad picture cause the sun was bright and it was a cell phone and we were being really quick but it still works!
http://i1084.photobucket.com/albums/j413/hoopster943/IMAG0272.jpg |
|
| |
|
Posts: 5
| Nice! |
|
| |
|
Posts: 2
| Dhost21 congrats on you success the past couple of weeks. My recommendation is the same as many others. Hire a guide and have them take your knowledge to the next level. Watch how they fish what they fish and their mechanics(figure 8 etc) I strongly recommend John Hoyer and Ben Olsen. Both are A++ guys and phenomenal fisherman. They live and fish the metro every night of the season if they aren't up on Vermilion beating up those fish. You will learn a lot and probably catch your personal best! Good luck the rest of the season. |
|
| |
