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| All of these I am putting in the article section of the site under member articles for easy learning in the future.
Here is the discription of the small lake.
500 acre round lake
Deep bowl style
50 ft deep in the middle
The weed line starts at 10ft
Shoreline to the weed edge is 100ft.
Shallow structure is reeds.
Forage:cisco and perch
Water color clear, 12ft of clarity
Weeds: cabbage, coontail
Bottom: sand and muck in the deeper areas
Spring fed lake
The water is located in Vilas Co Wisconsin and is a good balanced fishery. Large fish are common from this small lake, but not numbers.
Its August, water temps are 65 to 70. wind at 10mph from the west.
1)Where are you going to fish?
2)With what presentation?
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| Early and late I'll spend some time on the weed lines and on top of any bars or points, but most of the time I'll be fishing suspended in and around any structure where deep water connects and then right down the middle looking for suspended bait-fish in the thermalcline. All baits are in play now, I've boated 30lb class fish on bucktails over 35ft of water running them just ins under the surface, Last season my client and myself boated a 49 1/2 (bucktail) and a 52 1/4 (Suick)just 45mins apart doing this. I also really like the Bulldawgs and Live action baits for this presentations. Suckers are a little tough to keep alive at this time but if possiable they wouldn't hurt your chances. A key to this type of fishing in my opinion is cover alot of water. |
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| I want more..[;)] |
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| Jason,
I have a hard time adding anything to Chucks Post...
I have a similar lake except mine is deeper and has more mid-sized fish than being a trophy fishery...
Another difference is by August my lake the last few years has had surface temps in the upper 70's and low 80's...
The thermocline was at 24 feet over all water deeper than 30 feet. Baitfish were suspended approx. 16-21 down and the ski's were right with them. This lends itself to a trolling presentation as it's too hard to get any sort of casting bait other than a countdown there and a countdown doesn't spend enough time in the strike zone. Verticle jigging may work but it's a touch boring for me to spend much time with it.
Under these condtions the best time to fish my lake is early morning, at sunset and night fishing. I would want to check out the bars and weedlines and any points that break off into deep water. Of course if the Ciscos are doing their little dance breaking the surface I might try to fish along side of the school during dusk.
Early morning and evening I would have one person throwing topwater and another working a crankbait. The crank needs to be bounced off the bottom on edges and points and on weedlines it should be worked on outside edge getting down into the deeper weeds and letting it back out when it gets hung up.
Under your example I would fish the open water with the Ciscos and at light change (dusk)or windchange I would run some topwater over the weeds on the east (downwind) side of the lake.
Don't forget that suttle changes in wind, daylight, weather, can trigger feeding windows....
Hope this makes some sense and helps a little.
Mark
Musky Adventures
Eau Claire, WI |
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| Assumptions:
1) Never fished the lake before - don't know the spots on the spots yet.
2) Bowl style - no points, bars, etc... Only weed edge and flats.
3) Gin clear to moderately colored.
4) Three muskie-teers in the boat.
5) No trolling.
I would be on the water before first light. The whole idea is to establish a pattern as quickly as possible on this body of water. I would set up a drift starting on the West end of the lake on either the North or South shore. Drift one side first and then go back to the other end of the lake and come back down the opposite shoreline.
I would set up the first drift so the boat was positioned just off of the break. The person in the front would be fancasting topwater across the shallow shelf. A quick moving topwater like a Topraider or a Pacemaker. The person in the middle would concentrate on the breakline casting down the pipe as well as angles in his/her "lane". This person would be twitching crankbaits like a 7" perch colored or cisco colored Slammer, Jake, Shallow Raider, Crane or deep diving Slammer. The person in the back would concentrate on the deep side of the boat - from the thermocline to the surface. Cisco colored bulldawgs would be my bait of choice as well as deep diving Slammers, Ernies and Depthraiders. All three individuals fan casting and mixing it up until something moves. Once a fish goes, alternate presentations and concentrate on that depth/area. Keep switching up North and South shoreline until the late afternoon.
Late afternoon, I would begin to concentrate on that East shore into witch the wind has been pounding all day. Position the boat off of the breakline. Work it with a variety of baits. My personal preference would be twitching crankbaits, bucktails and surface baits. Move to strictly surface baits at dusk. If the wind dies to nothing, I would work Squirkos, Bulldawgs, Creepers, Hawg Wobblers and a Dancin Raider. Maybe even Wag the Weagle for a good buddy of mine......... |
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| My first plan would be to crank the deep weed line with Depth raiders and Slammer Deep Divers. If water temps are right, I will have someone pitch topwaters over the flat and back across the weed edge.
Night fishing might be a good thing to do too.[;)] |
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| I would spinnerbait the heavy stuff, and topwater the edges at the same time with two anglers. Add a third, and a bucktail or glider, and the program is complete![:bigsmile:] |
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| I would approach this lake like I do me boss...early, loud + on top! Since the lake is "spring fed" I would choose a Sealy Postepedic mattress spring for bait....[:0] [:sun:] |
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| Also would add working the shallows with a 5" Slammer in the early morning, in the stuff. Learned that last year on Pewaukee Lake. |
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