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Posts: 18
| So, I've been a fisherman for several years now, and I have to say, since getting an Internet connection at home, I've really enjoyed the variety of sites out there to learn and talk to like-minded fisherman. A friend just turned me onto this one.
I do most of my fishing at a few small lakes here and there, and I have to say, I know them pretty well and do pretty well on them. However, I find that I am reluctant to fish elsewhere because the comfort factor is just not there. Do any of you ever feel as if you're stuck in a rut in your fishing, whether it be fear of trying a new lake or new technique? What do you do to get yourself out of it? What kind of tricks do you use to learn a new lake?
Thanks. |
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Location: Des Moines IA | Sometimes people have open seats in their boat, and they need a net man. Just ask on the general discussion forum if anybody has an open seat on any of the lakes you want to explore. I usually try to split the boat gas, and or buy lunch. I have done it the last 2 weekends. Worked out great. You meet new people, and learn new water. I learned alot from both of the other fisherman. I have never thrown as much hair, suicks, and topwater as I have the last 2 weeks. Not to mention learning a couple of good spots to fish once my motor gets fixed. |
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Posts: 617
Location: Clintonville, WI | I'm guilty of seeking too many new waters to fish (if that is possible). Makes it hard to learn anything really well. Part of that is my boat slut status, soon to end, and part of it pure willingness to try new water all the time.
New water gets me going but good.....researching before the trip, figuring out the map(s), bait choices, etc. However, over the past three years I have settled down and gotten to know what I'd say are 7-10 bodies of water pretty well, but still have more to learn on them and I will go back to them more and more. These are now waters I now have a lot of confidence on nonetheless. The good thing is that this list is spread over a wide geographic range and includes systems of all types, which provide good fishing opportunities all year. |
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Posts: 663
| Wow, good question. I see where you're coming from and agree it's easy to get comfy with a few lakes and not venture forth to new stuff. A couple years ago I made it my goal to get out and fish a bunch of new lakes. I ended up fishing 18 new bodies of water that year. That seems like a lot and it is but with literally hundreds of musky lakes in my backyard I felt I had to do it. Now, what I do is to shorten up that list but spend multiple times on a few new lakes each year. It takes some time to really "know" a lake. I think if you have the ability to pick out 2 or 3 lakes that interest you and get out there at least a few times during the course of the season you will add immeasurably to your fishing enjoyment. It also provides alternatives that you can go to when conditions aren't favorable for your old stomping grounds. Visiting new lakes gives you the opportunity to compare similarities between lakes and take what you've learned from one place and apply it to a new location. I guess the real bottom line is, what gives you more enjoyment. If finding new water and exploring trips your trigger then great but also be prepared to discover that you might just enjoy staying with your proven producers. Nothing wrong with either choice as long as you are enjoying the sport. Don't think you "have to" do anything. After all, this is supposed to be fun. |
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Posts: 20281
Location: oswego, il | Never, I mean never limit yourself to a few bodies of water unless it is not financially feaseable. I have said this many times, if you are not catching fish on a lake, fish another lake. I fish alot of new water every year. I don't just fish a lake to fish it, the lake has to meet some criteria. They generally turn out to be great places to fish. When I go up to northern wi on a vacation, I will take a couple hours during a bad day and scout some lakes to see if I can launch or the particulars of that lake. Never be afraid to launch your boat someplace new, you might be in for a pleasant surprise. |
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Posts: 1168
| Each trip I make away from my home area I try to fish a new lake regardless of conditions. It helps to have a log of what types of water you are on even if you don't see a darn thing. Now I can go back and compare lakes if I hear a lot of buzz about a certain body of water I can find something somewhat similar and fish with less pressure. Even if that time on that new water doesn't yield any results, don't give up on it....just learn from it.
Learn from anyone that is in the boat with you, even if they have less experience. Had a great experience this past weekend with someone I had never fished with before. Learned quite a bit just from techniques to the waters we fished (fished some of my favorite water and some of his) as well as the motivation for muskie fishing in general.
Last thing I can say is even when you are "familiar" with a home water, try to learn something new each time out. Vary your milkruns up and hit your spots from different angles. You'd be suprised what you can learn on a body of water that you think you are familiar with already. It has paid off when I venture elsewhere as well. |
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| Exploring and learning new water is the best part of musky fishing other than catching them. I just explored several new areas this past week, and two other explorations planned in the coming weeks. The good old days are now and big fish are popping up everywhere. Even if you don't want to explore new water, put your effort into discovering new spots to fish on your home waters. That will be a good investment as well 
Good luck, and feel free to ask about any new waters on here. We will try to help! 
Edited by muskyboy 9/27/2005 9:23 PM
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| Good question. For the past couple years I've been toying around with the idea of trying a new lake in Canada - Lac Seul, Eagle, Cedar, whatever. We've been fishing LOTW, Sabaskong, for almost five years and know the area relatively well. It was a BIG decision to fish Mille Lacs instead of LOTW this year. It's tough because you are trying to pattern or at least come up with a good milk run on a body of water, but if you start fishing a new water you've got to start all over again.
Now, the aforementioned has mainly to do with annual week-long trips. Here in IL there aren't too many lakes with muskies around where I live - aside from Lake Evergreen and Shelbyville. There's a small one about 20 mins from my house that I had never seriously fished until this year. Let me tell you, I'm glad I started fishing it. I think it's important to at least venture out once in a while; experiment especially if you've got a cool tactic you think might work elsewhere. Can't hurt to try!!!! |
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Posts: 18
| All very good points, but I guess more my question was... part of what's been holding me back is that I've been fishing these lakes so long, I almost forget how to approach learning a new body of water. Any suggestions on that? What is the benefit to hiring a guide in that case? |
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| Figure out what lakes you want to try and get a good lake map
See if you can find any MNR/DNR info on the lake such as stocking dates and numbers
Study the water and identify good points to target
Get on the water and study the water in more detail
Run and gun until you find active fish on the spots you planned to target
Or hire a guide and watch and learn from a day of fishing with him/her |
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Posts: 663
| All excellent points from Muskyboy. I especially find the DNR helpful. Ask if they've done a recent lake survey and if a map is available. Often times you will get more info than what you can imagine. After all, you paid for that work to be done with your tax dollars and license fees. Ask around local tackle shops if they have any pointers on the lake. A good shop should be willing to help you out. I also observe where and what kind of fish people are fishing for. A good walleye or perch spot will likely have a musky show up from time to time. Don't be in a rush to start fishing right away and cruise the lake using your electronics to show some of the hidden secrets of the lake. If you're on big water, break it down into sections and tackle them one trip at a time. If you can find a good detailed map of the lake take some time to look it over and think about the best possible spots to put some time in. Check those out thoroughly and see if your map study time squares with the reality. Sometimes you may have to cover those spots a few times to get a good feel for what's going on. Check on the message boards and fishing reports and do a search for that lake. You might just find a local expert who's willing to help out with some info. If I'm going to a new area I will usually hire a local guide who can help me determine what's going on and get me up to speed on prevailing conditions. Ask a lot of questions. I have to admit that I become a little obsessed about studying this stuff but it all helps me become a better fisherman and have more fun and confidence in the sport. |
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| The number one reason why my numbers have gone up is because I added more lakes to my arsenal. Every lake turns on at different time periods. By doing your homework you can find out the prime times of these lakes you want to fish. You have a milk run with the lake you fish---Do the same thing by choosing different lakes throughout the season. Each lake will at least turn on for a couple weeks throughout the season. Make sure you're there to hopefully pull in a fish of a lifetime. Good Luck |
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Posts: 2091
Location: Stevens Point, WI | I'm always looking for a netman many weekdays, I fish many different waters and am trying new ones fairly often. Very good advice from everyone. If central WI is relatively close get in touch with me sometime. |
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