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Posts: 34
Location: Iowa | Hi guys, we go up to Canada in the spring right at the muskie opener. Often we will see big pigs in two to three feet of water.
Two questions-
Is it unethical in you opinion to fish for these guys if they are still spawning in the muskie world?
Also, if the season is open and it is fair game, what would be a good approach to hook these submarines? |
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Posts: 572
| I've been wanting to go the opener (3rd Saturday in June) in Ontario.
I thought the spawn was over by that time but the fish remain in shallow water for awhile. I'm sure Ontario has set a date to ensure the spawn is over, even in a late Spring year.
Muskies do not lay nests like bass. So, I don't think a muskie that hasn't spawn will be inticed to protect their eggs. Actually, I've heard it is hard to catch some of these shallow fish as they are recovering from the spawn. I think it is the warming of water tempertures, as well as, the recovering from spawn that keeps the muskies in shallow bays.
I only hope I can go some day to opening week to experience sight fishing for some large muskies in a shallow bay.
Looking forward to hear what others think.
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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | Try downsizing your tackle, and throwing some jigs at them, just an idea I have heard a little about.
Mike |
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Posts: 381
| Reels
Welcome to the site! |
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Posts: 34
Location: Iowa | Thanks! I signed up a while ago, but I only fish Muskie hard when I go to Canada (Minaki) The rest of the time it is those smaller fish with teeth  So, I have lots of questions of course when I start thinking of the June trip. |
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Posts: 34
Location: Iowa | Oh Crap....lol. Hi Bill. |
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Posts: 1060
Location: Palm Coast, FL | Try throwing spinner baits in the weeds. Slow rolling it through them. When it hits a weed, rip it through. I was fortunate enough to fish with Perry Smith on LOTW for a week before he got sick. He taught me a tremendous amount about that lake. Yes, they are still sometimes spawning if it is a cold spring. |
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Posts: 34
Location: Iowa | Big bucktail type spinners? |
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Posts: 1060
Location: Palm Coast, FL | safety pin style. Also he threw the heck out of his favorite bait...#5 mepps muskie killer. Gold blade with black hair. |
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Posts: 381
| Reels
Just keep up the work when you are Walleye fishing. If I remember you boated a HAWG last year.
Are you going the week before the opener like years past? |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | These fish are more then likely done spawning, Muskies sun themselves all the time, if the season is open you are not being unethical.
I had a lot of success last year sight fishing for Muskies in Shallow Areas in June in Canada. From being able to watch their reactions to lures, I can tell you they had little interest in 90% of lures, especially bucktails and jerkbaits. The key was plastics, bulldawgs in a natural color were a huge hit. If the fish we saw were not caught they would almost always be guaranteed to at least stalk the 'dawgs when compared to other lures you couldn't get them to move an inch. Try it out this year, making bulldawgs "crawl" in the sand and kick up dust is dynamite |
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Posts: 34
Location: Iowa | Thanks guys, great advice.
Bill, I will be up for two weeks. 2nd and third week. Yep, we did get that hawg pulling spinners in the river in front of one of the islands. 54" Grampa. Biggest fish I ever saw or touched.
Ron
Edited by Reels 3/28/2006 7:05 PM
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Posts: 1060
Location: Palm Coast, FL | If you are a Muskies Inc. member...you can check Perry Smith's catch record and see what he used. He was retired and spent the entire muskie season on LOTW. |
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| Musky Brian
Are you removing the belly hooks when crawling your Dawgs?
BrianF. |
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Posts: 3242
Location: Racine, Wi | Brian, you can keep them on, as it's usually a sandy bottom. The other thing to use are reapers. They hook real well, and are easy for the fish to suck in. Sight fishing is indeed a great way to score those post spawn sunbathers. It's probably one of the coolest things to see when a fish reacts to a jig. |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | I keep the Belly Hook On, The regular weighted Bulldawg definetely will find its way into trouble when fishing near timber and other structure, but it's just something I put up with because the results are so good. There's nothing like watching a 40+" musky come and inhale a bulldawg in crystal clear water while you are out in the afternoon sun |
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