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Posts: 303
Location: WI | How fast can I travel in my boat while searching for schools of baitfish?
What's the best way to attack a school of bait fish (I don't have cisco's in any lakes I fish, but I know the perch, pannies, and juvie walleye may)? & how far can I expect a school of baitfish to move in 15min...hr...1/2 day...etc.
What are some favorite lures and presentations for casting over/around open water baitfish?
Thanks a ton!!
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Posts: 129
| mag bulldawgs and depthraiders |
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Posts: 101
Location: Northern Illinois | Just keep an eye on your depth finder, you'll know if they have moved. I agree on the depth raider, they work well when fishing around suspended schools of baitfish. |
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I do OK swimming a big creature, but will be tossing a Suzy Sucker more this year. |
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Posts: 4
Location: Pelican Rapids, MN | Bulldawgs and other swimbaits are great, as well as some of the deeper diving or countdown cranks. However, don't neglect your jigs! A big Bait Rigs jig with a big grub or swim tail is awesome for suspended fish. Also the Fuzzy Duzit from Shumway's tackle is a great presentation for targeting those fish. I use it primarily as a vertical presentation but it works well casted and twitched as well!
JS |
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| The key is to find baitfish and work pods of baitfish like structure. I like to deep crank Legend Perchbaits, DDDs and Depthraiders and also toss soft plastics like Magnum Bull Dawgs and Suzy Suckers. Jig A Beasts, Red October Tubes, and Fuzzy Duzzits shine in colder water conditions |
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Posts: 1060
Location: Palm Coast, FL | PE,
All of the baits given above are great presentations. Fuzzy's even work in warm water conditions!
Speed of your boat to find bait fish depends on your unit and how it acts at higher speeds. If I am looking for pods of baitfish, I am also trolling at the same time...no need to waste any moment to fish.
The movement of the baitfish also has a lot of factors...cloudy, morning/afternoon with the sun beating down, wind, etc. The sun/cloud factors will make the baitfish move deeper and shallower. While the wind will move them around the lake chasing the plankton that is moving.
If you find a pod of baitfish try and work on the outside with the large cranks/soft plastics. If nothing is happening try going to the fuzzy on the outside...still nothing?...go right into them and jig it below, up through, and above.
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Posts: 1936
Location: Eau Claire, WI | Some good information already posted. I'll add one thought.... don't get tunnel vision when it comes to fishing open water. Most all of the same baits you use on traditional structure will work in open water. Just depends what depth and type of presentation you want to make. And do not discount using topwater for suspended fish, even during a bright day.
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Posts: 303
Location: WI | Lots of great info guys! Thanks. Now I need to stay patient until opener! My new sonar unit(Lowrance LMS-335df) is color, but I'm not sure what color pods of baitfish will apear? Also, would using an underwater camera be helpful in distinguishing what type of baitfish I'm marking?
Steve W - On a side note...I know you've talked about the spinning gear you use while jigging, but I can't remember the lengths and brand of rod/reel you like best? If I remember correctly, I believe you like 17lb mono too. I'm hoping to put some time in with jigs/creatures this summer. |
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Posts: 1060
Location: Palm Coast, FL | PE,
Your color sonar unit will display most pods of bait fish in the blue/purple. They will also show more of a round object. Unlike when fish are marked on your graph...they show up as a hook with yellow/red in the top of the hook for bigger fish. |
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Posts: 1906
Location: Oconto Falls, WI | Mark Hintz hit the nail on the head! Really any bait thrown while structure fishing can be used for suspended fish. Topwaters are overlooked, and saved the day one day last year for my boat. In my opinion the key to suspended fishing, besides location, is getting your bait noticed. Some do it by throwing a contrasting bait (perch color while fishing a cisco school), but I do it by jerking/ripping my baits. To me Flash and Vibration is the ultimate way to get your bait noticed. I can also tell you that if you do limited jerking of baits, like crankbaits, you will catch a lot less fish suspended. They almost always hit after the jerk. The reason you want to jerk the bait, like a crank, is to get it to kick out more so than to speed it up. However, some baits you will notice are more productive not jerked as much, like Big Joes.
Don't get caught up in having to see baitfish on your graph to fish suspended. I catch a lot of fish without anything on the graph at all. A school of baitfish may be just over a cast distance away with muskies relating to it, and they won't mark on your graph. Those muskies are still catchable as they will travel a distance to hit your bait. Over time you will figure out the productive areas of the basin to fish. Sure motoring around (at whatever speed your graph can still maintain a reading)helps find where some baitfish may be located, but only if they don't spook from the boat. Rarely, and I mean rarely will I spend my time circling a baitfish school trying to catch a fish.
Baitfish location in the basin is just like baitfish located to structure. They may remain in an area for a very short period of time, or can stay in the area for weeks. One day no matter where you go in the basin the baitfish are everywhere, and the next you would swear the lake is void of a fish!
Fishing for suspended muskies is a game of efficiency. Learn to cover the most amount of water while casting, and you are half way there on figuring out how to catch them in "no mans" land.
Favorite lures:
Triple D
Jakes (10" and 8")
Big Joes
Bulldawgs
Ernies
Cisco Kids
Depth Raiders
Globes
Docs
Warner Bait
Reef Diggers
Bagley DB08's
And on, and on, and on. I fish with a lot of cranks as that is what I like to fish. Use whatever lure gets you at the level you want to be at. Nothing working, try something off the wall. These lures work regardless if you are fishing a lake loaded with ciscos, perch, crappie, or any other suspending baitfish.
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