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Message Subject: opening week in Ontario????

Muskie Bob

Posted 11/23/2005 12:29 PM (#166353)
Subject: opening week in Ontario????

Posts: 572

I've been thinking about going to Ontario the opening week (3rd Saturday in June).

What methods, type of water, lures are best?

How can I determine if the opening week is too early?

What should I expect? good and bad?

Thanks,

Muskie Bob

Fisher

Posted 11/23/2005 12:54 PM (#166357 - in reply to #166353)
Subject: RE: opening week in Ontario????

Posts: 425

Location: Roseau

It can be a good time on the water, I like fishing the opener and I fish it on LOTW. I havent seen a good number of bigger fish but usually see alot and catch a few inbetween. The last 2 years have been quite different, 2 years ago cold and a cold spring, fish seemed to still be fairly active but smaller around 40" and under. This year it was cool but opener warmed up and we saw a ton of fish but agian smaller 40" and under range, but happened to move a pig one morning on the topraider, but she wouldn't commit. Overall lure choices for us are spinnerbaits, believers and suicks or bobbie's and we are sticking in the shallow weedy bays with wind in them or facing south. Topwater is something we havent tried a whole lot but i think it could work. I think the fish are easy to find early in the season but have trouble with the bigger fish showing themselves. Also I dont down size lures either and it seems to work out ok. PM me if you want or need more info. I will glady let you know more!

Thanks

esox50

Posted 11/23/2005 4:24 PM (#166372 - in reply to #166353)
Subject: RE: opening week in Ontario????

Posts: 2024

Fisher hit it on the head. We have fished the week after the opener on LOTW and did best in both shallow weedy bays (also S or SW facing) and weedy shorelines (cabbage/reed/boulder mixtures). Our go-to baits that year were small spinnerbaits and Mepps burned to the boat. We tried topwater when the water was sub-70, but only when it actually hit 70 and went above did we get any action on top.

MUSKYJ

Posted 11/23/2005 6:26 PM (#166387 - in reply to #166353)
Subject: RE: opening week in Ontario????

Posts: 276

Location: in front of my comp

I have done well in the past speed trolling smaller crank baits over new weed growth. Boated the biggest one I have seen a few years ago on opening day. Also trolling spinnerbaits works well too...

Donnie3737

Posted 11/23/2005 9:42 PM (#166393 - in reply to #166353)
Subject: RE: opening week in Ontario????

Having fished Eagle for 18 years, of which 11 or 12 were spent on opener, everything posted is correct!

I would seriously consider spot-fishing the shallow, weedy bays, or sand beaches. You can actually stand up in your boat, on a ladder or something of that nature, and look for the fish swimming/sunning in the shallows!

It is WAY COOL!

Flip an Esox Cobra jig in it's face (about 35-40" away!), with a lizard of some sort (swimmer head makes for a great bait)...whatever color works for the lake you are fishing...and wait until the fishes tail comes off the bottom, then give it a rip. Before it hits the bottom, it'll get smoked by king jaws of the freshwater. This is the only way we've caught the bigger fish in the past. The smaller fish are generally in the weeds, because the spawning didn't take as much out of the them as the big girls.

Andy Myer's Lodge is an excellent place to go for the opener. They've got boats, motors, and maps of about 8-12 GREAT early season muskie lakes. This jig system works!!

Sincerely,
Donnie

Two Rivers

Posted 11/24/2005 6:18 PM (#166451 - in reply to #166353)
Subject: RE: opening week in Ontario????

I live in eastern Ontario and opener is usually not my favorite time to be out. Really depends on what kind of spring we have if it's warm and sunny spring things will be good on opener. Best bet would be start to mid July.

IAJustin

Posted 11/25/2005 9:21 AM (#166478 - in reply to #166353)
Subject: RE: opening week in Ontario????

Posts: 2062

where do 90% of musky lures run? five feet or less?I think 90% of the skies are in 8ft or less that time of year-(have move 30+ fish in a day on LOTW in june) fish will be still recovering from the spawn most years -so fish emerging vegation near spawning grounds - fun time of year - I would stongly recommend the opener - first week in july may be more consistent but you will have more pressue and dont wait till mid-july.... there will be a feeding frenzy sometime between the opener and july 7th!

ski86

Posted 11/25/2005 11:05 AM (#166488 - in reply to #166353)
Subject: RE: opening week in Ontario????

I would fish the 2nd or 3rd week of July. If you get a cold Spring it could really shut down fishing. In middle July, you will produce action throughout your entire trip.

Cory Toker

Posted 11/25/2005 12:09 PM (#166495 - in reply to #166353)
Subject: RE: opening week in Ontario????

Posts: 240

I live in Winnipeg and All I fish is LOTW's. Opening weekend can be the best. I like to look at the cabbage beds and rock piles.....Yes rock piles. These can be great big fish holding spots during the opener. First weekend out this year we boated one 48 incher and saw three bigger fish all on rock piles near deep water but close to shallow bays. This is for sure one of my favorite times as the fish are can be very easy to pattern.

Good luck
Cory

ESOX Maniac

Posted 11/25/2005 3:26 PM (#166511 - in reply to #166353)
Subject: RE: opening week in Ontario????

Posts: 2754

Location: Mauston, Wisconsin

Western Ontario - We're up there a week late this year(last week of June), unfortunately I'm missing the opener, unless I take 2 weeks off! We used to go up the end of May-> first of June. Muskies were always in a feeding frenzy. Sure it was cold- but action for muskies, smallies and lakers was always awesome. Then they changed the season, and we shifted our trip to be sure the muskie season was open.

It's called flexibility. Be prepared to adapt!

Have fun!
Al

esox50

Posted 11/25/2005 4:14 PM (#166516 - in reply to #166353)
Subject: RE: opening week in Ontario????

Posts: 2024

Scroll down

Edited by esox50 11/25/2005 8:05 PM

dougj

Posted 11/25/2005 6:23 PM (#166530 - in reply to #166353)
Subject: RE: opening week in Ontario????

Posts: 906

Location: Warroad, Mn

Been doing it for around 40 years. Sometimes it's great, some times it sucks. A lot depends on when the ice goes out, and water temps. To guess at that right now is pretty silly.

Doug johnson

esox50

Posted 11/25/2005 7:56 PM (#166540 - in reply to #166353)
Subject: RE: opening week in Ontario????

Posts: 2024

Donnie is right on. We saw the craziest thing last year in about 2' of water WAY back in this one bay. I looked to a small cabbage patch, amidst TONS AND TONS of sandgrass and other junk weeds, only to see a dark shape next to it. We were in shallow water so I whispered to my dad, "I think that's a muskie." I fired my Lilly Tail over and she came after it, then disappeared. My dad tossed a smaller spinnerbait over and WHAM!! She nailed it. I've got the net in hand and tell him to hit the free spool, he does, but can't get it reengaged. Too much slack and she's gone.

In anger he brings the spinnerbait in and whips it behind the boat. He starts reeling it back in and I turn to see a big, white mouth inhale it, AGAIN! He waited until the fish had turned before setting the hook, but still didn't get enough steel in to pin her. Utterly pissed off, I start to pull up the trolling motor. I look up again and see the fish sitting by another cabbage patch. Cast. Follow. Nothing. Look for another cabbage patch. There's one. There's the fish. Cast. Follow. Nothing. This repeats itself at least four more times, and I am 100% positive it's the same fish (same scarring and bright white coloration).

I turn around probably the sixth or seventh time, and see the fish 20' behind the boat. I flip a cast past her, rip it forward, and she finally eats. We get her in the net and she wasn't a monster by any means, but a truly memorable 41"er.

Here are the sequence of pictures taken during this ordeal. Just goes to show that these fish are, indeed, catchable by sight-fishing.

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