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Posts: 63
| I am fairly new to muskies and the closest lake with them in it does not have a closed season. As a result, the muskies follow the walleye in and dine on them while they spawn early season-including right after ice out.
Was hoping for some tips on fishing early, cold water muskies in this situation. thanks,Chris |
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Posts: 455
| Well they both move shallow to spawn so the Muskies may or may not be eating walleye. More likely they are both eating perch. |
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Posts: 1638
Location: Minnesota | I would try bass size baits. let the fish tell you what they want |
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Posts: 72
| A buddy of mine use to do pretty good on a gold jerko on a lake similar to this |
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Posts: 192
Location: Quebec, Canada | Researches have demonstrated that walleyes represented less than 5% of muskies diet but that they will hunt on similar preys which is why you can often find muskies with walleyes or in similar habitat. Find the bait fish they feed on, on your body of water.
Edited by Drakl 1/26/2014 7:46 PM
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Location: Eastern Ontario | Muskies will eat anything they can catch and get down their throat including walleye, pike, and other muskies.
Muskies have eaten all the walleye in our lake. Just ask the clowns who go out opening day and troll a rapala 2 feet under the surface till the beers gone. They didn't catch a walleye so the muskies must have ate them all. |
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Posts: 20278
Location: oswego, il | Muskies will key on the most abundant forage. There aren't but a few places where walleyes are the most abundant fish and muskies are present. In those circumstances the walleyes decimated the forage base. |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | My most abundant forage is beef but if I'm in a feeding mood and a plate of chicken or pork gets too close it's gone. Tonight I went to a Chinese Buffet and foraged on everything.
I believe muskies to be opportunistic rather then selective just by the number of different items found in stomach contents often at the same time.
Currently in our lake it's crappie that are out competing the walleye and the crappie were nonexistant 10 years ago. 10 inch Jake in crappie pattern has become a good lure.
Edited by horsehunter 1/26/2014 9:08 PM
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Posts: 1460
Location: Kronenwetter, WI | "Tonight I went to a Chinese Buffet and foraged on everything". Literally just chuckled out loud at that...wife asked what's so funny, she wouldn't get it...I just waved her off. |
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Posts: 1352
Location: E. Tenn | horsehunter - 1/26/2014 8:54 PM
Muskies have eaten all the walleye in our lake. Just ask the clowns who go out opening day and troll a rapala 2 feet under the surface till the beers gone. They didn't catch a walleye so the muskies must have ate them all.
Down south the muskies eat all the crappie.... unless there are no muskies, then the stripers eat all the crappie.
Typical statement.. "We used to pull them out of there by the bucketloads... now there ain't any... gotta be those ^#@$% muskies!" (stripers)
Edited by miket55 1/26/2014 9:59 PM
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Location: MN | miket55 - 1/26/2014 9:57 PM
Typical statement.. "We used to pull them out of there by the bucketloads... now there ain't any... gotta be those ^#@$% muskies!" (stripers)
Hear the same thing all the time. I get angry looks when I ask "do you think it could have been you with your bucketloads?"
As others have said fish smaller baits and fish slow in cold water during the Spring. Smaller sized grandma or similar bait-twitch, twitch, pause BANG! |
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Posts: 455
| The lake I fish has a huge population of walleye, perch and white perch. When the state goes to collect the muskies they have to go every day or the nets will fill with perch and walleye and they die. The average walleye is about 26" and the average muskie about 40". The perch are 6" to 10" and that's the most productive lure size. The small % of fish big enough to eat walleye will most likely eat perch as well. Most lakes that have no closed season people use small baits in the spring. |
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Posts: 2686
Location: Hayward, WI | horsehunter - 1/26/2014 9:02 PM
My most abundant forage is beef but if I'm in a feeding mood and a plate of chicken or pork gets too close it's gone. Tonight I went to a Chinese Buffet and foraged on everything.
I believe muskies to be opportunistic rather then selective just by the number of different items found in stomach contents often at the same time.
Currently in our lake it's crappie that are out competing the walleye and the crappie were nonexistant 10 years ago. 10 inch Jake in crappie pattern has become a good lure.
You know, I'm beginning to enjoy reading what you have to say more and more on here.  I have to agree. Walleyes probably don't typically make up much of a muskie's common diet, but I'll bet in the right scenarios they will target them.
Regarding how to target those muskies? It's nothing I've ever been able to do legally where I live so I'm not sure. Everything I've read shows that small baits are popular, but it would seem like something big and slow could work well too. Maybe shallow Mag Dawgs, Suzy Suckers, Super D's or something along those lines would be the ticket. Or a suspending bait like a DDD, or a big glider.
Edited by curleytail 1/27/2014 5:32 PM
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Posts: 230
Location: St Paul, Minnesota | Hey Chris,
I'm in favor of the down-sized and slower tackle suggestions, but one suggestion I'll throw out for you that I haven't read yet is to have a guide take you out for a half day on your primary lake of choice. It may be a bit expensive but it will speed up your learning curve dramatically. Not only will you get to see what lures the guide recommends for this time of the year as well as what works (if it works), but you can also see their set-ups, their spots on that lake, and you have the entire half day to pick their brain about spots, lures, product, and techniques that can make the good part of your upcoming season a lot more successful.
Good luck!
-C7 |
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Posts: 1000
| There's a lot of research related to the diet and impact of large predators in a typical fishery. The research tends to point towards no measurable impact on populations. The population density is just too low. Walleye and muskies do spawn at very similar temperatures so you'll likely find them in the same areas at that time. While I'm certain they have eaten walleyes at this time, most people downsize in the spring.
My suggestion: downsize to bass-sized twitch baits and maybe plastics. Then key in on the warmest water you can find at that time. I think you may actually be better off keying in on the sucker spawn if there are any streams flowing in. |
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Posts: 1168
| Nershi - 1/27/2014 2:04 PM
miket55 - 1/26/2014 9:57 PM
Typical statement.. "We used to pull them out of there by the bucketloads... now there ain't any... gotta be those ^#@$% muskies!" (stripers)
Hear the same thing all the time. I get angry looks when I ask "do you think it could have been you with your bucketloads?"
As others have said fish smaller baits and fish slow in cold water during the Spring. Smaller sized grandma or similar bait-twitch, twitch, pause BANG!
The easy way to respond to that is to tell someone who is saying that: "I've never seen a muskie with a belly as big as yours." |
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Posts: 63
| wow guys, thanks so much for the opinions and input. I really appreciate it! Tight lines, Chris |
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Posts: 1000
| I also like "Maybe if the walleye anglers were as adamant as the muskie anglers about releasing their fish then things might be different..." |
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Posts: 1530
| funny. muskies are very abundant on st clair.
we walleye fish and get limits. maybe your thoughts were brought on from someone that doent understand...
man is the invasive specie |
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Posts: 2754
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | ulbian- Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Have fun!
Al |
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Posts: 1405
Location: Detroit River | On LSC the walleye & perch fisherman always blame the musky for eating the perch or walleye. There are several of the perch & walleye fisherman (actually I shouldn't call them fisherman) that will kill every musky that they catch. I once had a guy at the ramp ask me what I was going after & I told him musky & he said; "Be sure to kill every one that you catch. Those #*^@ things are eating all my perch." |
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