Musky Report 7/15
Muskie fishing in the Three Lakes and Eagle River area has been outstanding!!! Multiple fish days have been happening very frequently and there are a few patterns that have been working consistently. Muskies that last week remained unresponsive to shallow presentations are now out on the prowl and actively searching for food over shallow weed flats and rock bars. The active fish can be caught by using fast moving search baits such as bucktails, topwaters and spinnerbaits. Shallow running cranks have also been taking fish too. One thing to remember, especially when fishing shallow, is to pay special attention to lure color. Look to sunlight conditions such as percent cloud cover in order to choose the correct color. Bright, sunny conditions have been calling for gold and silver (metallic) patterns while darker conditions have called for darker, more opaque shades such as burnt orange or copper. Using a search and finesse tactic, we mark any fish that do not immediately strike and then come back later and catch them at a more opportune time, many times with slower moving lures that can trigger strikes.
To continue with my last post which discussed targeting muskies after dark – let me say this…you are missing out if you are not fishing when the sun goes down! It is time to turn into a vampire and hit your favorite lakes at night. Go after that big fish that you simply could not get to hit during the day or hit that lake that has only been producing lazy follows. Pick a lake that you know very well as darkness can be a dangerous time to fish if you are unfamiliar with the shoreline. As mentioned before, I use all the same baits normally used during the day with the exception of topwaters at night.
Fish deep if you are not seeing the action in the traditional shallow water haunts….that is all I need to say here.
The final pattern that emerges every season and that has continued to put fish in the boat this year is waiting for the “last light lunker.” This is when during the evening, a scenario develops when you have not had much action and the fish are unresponsive to almost all presentations. Save your absolute best spot and hit it right after the sun has already set, once it is getting dark. You will generally see a good fish come out of nowhere are smash whatever lure you are throwing thanks to the transition period, from light to darkness.
Give these techniques a try and keep fishing hard!
Good luck,
Chas Martin
www.muskymastery.com
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