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Posts: 814
| I WAS JUST WONDERING WHY ARE SO MANY LARGE MUSKIES CAUGHT EACH YEAR IN WATER SHALLOWER THAN 5 FEET, DURING THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER AREN'T THESE LARGE FISH SUPPOSED TO BE SUSPENDED OVER DEEP WATER WHERE THE WATER IS COOLER AND THERE IS MORE OXYGEN?? AT LEAST THIS IS WHAT IV'E BEEN READING LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK????  |
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Posts: 723
| these fish don't know how to read articles, and therefore go wherever they please.
Kinda funny when you don't expect it and all of a sudden there is a 50 cruising in 2ft of water.
You just never know. |
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Posts: 663
| Very interesting question and no doubt about it true. My feeling on this is that some of those fish may be seeking refuge in the shade provided by shallow heavy weeds and to some extent shoreline related cover. I think these fish are the ones who spend most of their time in the mid-range areas of the 6 to 12 foot depths for example and use the shallow areas for feeding and resting. That is their comfort zone and may have no reason to go out and suspend in open water. They adapt to the conditions of their zone and just find the water that suits them for the short term.
The open water and fish that relate more to deep water conditions likewise adapt to their respective areas. |
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| In my experience it totally depends on the body of water. I fish a deep clear muskie lake and big muskies are rarely in the shallows even in the fall. I realize this is a unique situation. On the other hand have caught big muskies in the summer in Canada in water you can't believe they could physically fit in without being exposed. All the big muskies in the early days of Lac Seul were in the slop through-out the season. |
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Posts: 2089
| The body of water is a big factor.Big difference between a 500 acre lake in Wisconsin and say LOTW or one of the big bodies of water in Minnesota.Many lakes have certain idiosyncrasies that "make" the fish behavior less predictable.Forage is another factor.Suckers don't suspend over deep water , but ciscoes, perch and crappies do.Hmmm.Deep is also a relative term in relation to particular lakes or areas of certain lakes.Remember also, that the strike zone of a muskie in deeper, clear water is huge.A flick of her tail is all it takes.Almost effortless.Season and location have a synergistic effect.Time on the water is the best teacher.And if possible, fish a bunch of different types of lakes.Oh yeah, there are NO rules in muskie fishing, only guidelines.And one of the most important things....THINK OUT OF THE BOX .Ain't muskies grand?Fish shallow on certain bodies of water, and you WILL encounter some of the largest fish in that system.Canadian examples are LOTW, Lac Suel and The Goon.There are 50lb fish in less than 3' of water on these ponds.Nowhere to go but up!!!Awesome!Lots of examples in the other areas as well.As my college football coach used to say,"scratch where it itches".I wonder if coach Fry ever fished muskies? Steve |
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Most flowages and rivers will have slop muskies, and big ones, most of the year. Any Mid Meso or Meso system that features prey like perch and bullheads will, too, if the cover and prey are there, so will be the muskies. I've caught muskies in a foot of water i at Sioux Narrows, Annie Island, Ghost Bay, Sabaskong, and about everywhere else I fish LOTW, but they are not there in some areas all the time, or even most of the time because of water conditions. Gotta figure out when to fish shallow and when to hit the breaks and suspendos. That takes experimentation. I DO fish WAY shallower than many, but hit the deep breaks with Creatures and gliders when it's called for.
The Goon is a flowage, and dirty water to boot. Cover, prey, and best temps are shallow for a large portion of the year. SO are the fish, but again, not all of the time. SO many variables, so little time... |
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Posts: 20281
Location: oswego, il | I know what you are talking about here. It's called 3 mild summers in a row. It has done absolute wonders to our fishing success this year. |
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| I have seen two sixty inch plus muskies in two to three feet of water just cruising and having a good time in a famous flowage up north!  |
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| Each body of water is unique. I have found fishing in heavily boat traffic lakes that they will go shallow especially near adjacent deep water. They will seek shelter in shallows very close to shore for other reasons but also to escape boat traffic. |
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Location: The Yahara Chain | These fish could be digesting food. Muskys being cold blooded creatures will go to the warmest water (shallows) to speed up their metabolism. When their belly is full they will have a closed mouth but when they start thinking about feeding again they would be catchable before they go deep to feed again. |
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