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Posts: 7
Location: St. Charles, Missouri | I'm going to fish a small lake in Missouri tomorrow that has a decent population of stocked muskies. Most of the lakes around here froze and are either still frozen or half thawed. This one is in southeast Missouri and has been ice free for a couple of weeks, though I don't expect the water temps to much above 40. Is that too cold to start looking for muskies?
The lake is approx 165 acres with the deepest water around 28 feet. Figured I would start trolling the first breakline into deep water and watching the sonar for shad schools, then maybe move into the more protected shallower coves as the day wears on to see if any fish have moved up to feed.
Does that sound a like a good strategy or should I wait till I know water is closer to 50?
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Posts: 1916
Location: Greenfield, WI | As I have said for years, "the only rule is there are no rules", and "the best time to go is when you can."
I would rather go and get skunked than not go and wonder! |
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Posts: 2361
| Here is what I would do faced with similar choice where I fish, and in particular with a warming water pattern.
I would start at the bank in any shallow weed or cover situation I could find. My first effort would work from the very shallow tight to shore area and would cover out to the depth at which I could not see bottom, whatever that might be, and then go out another 4 feet or so in depth.
I would not think in terms of the first break unless things were negative, ie cold front or falling water temps. Gizzard shad and musky tend to raise up pretty quickly in response to warming water. In stable water levels I would look to get hits from cover on shallow flats. I would use pull baits not gliders. |
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Posts: 7123
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | FROZEN is too cold....soft water in any temp at this time of year is better than HARD. We did well last year on shad-based waters just after ice-out by being about a cast and a half off of structure, keeping an eye out for schools of shad. The muskies aren't necessarily IN the schools of shad, but lots of times hanging somewhere in the perimeters of the schools.
But as always, I gotta disagree with firstsixfeet....I'd be creeping a glider along, a few feet deeper and whole lot slower than I would any other time of the year. But, as always, let the muskies tell you what they want....eventhough 95% of the time they don't do all that much talkin!
Slamr |
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Posts: 2361
| yes but.....you are fishing in Lake X, a bathtub with an overpopulation of musky, so many they jump in the boat, freak situation, if that's the situation in the Mizzou lake it don't matter where he fishes or WHAT he fishes with.
Mark Twain, I guess if your lake is overpopulated with fish follow Slamr's advice. If not look for the most active willing biters to be searching out the warmer water and the shad. Also there probably are a few structural elements in your lake that concentrate fish regardless of season. Once you find them you will always have a starting point. And in my opinion maybe mine only, glider patterns come and go but pull baits ALWAYS produce in cool water. |
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Posts: 20281
Location: oswego, il | It's to cold right now. My left ear fell off walking from my car to the mn expo. Had to superglue it back on. |
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I would toss a jig at them, but that is me. |
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Posts: 7
Location: St. Charles, Missouri | Well I got skunked, but it sure beat doing chores around the house.
Water temps were in the 43-46F. range with the protected sunny coves getting near 47, but I didn't spot any fish or have any follows. A local who fishes there alot recommended big cranks fished really slow along steeper banks and big spinnerbaits rolled just off the bottom in the shallows. Found shad in 14 feet suspended at 6-10 and marked some big blips around them, nothing was interested. I think my problem though was that it was so windy it was hard to keep the boat under control and really work an area thoroughly. Figures the one day I go is the first day we have wind over 10 mph in two weeks.
Oh well, it's early yet. Will gead back down there in another week or so and see what's happening. The lake is by no means a muskie factory. It has a low density poplulation that does not reproduce and was first stocked in 94. Netting last fall though produced two 44 inch females. There should be more fat and sassy ones in there than that.
Thanks for the tips fellas! |
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