fishingisliving Posted November 18, 2009 Report Posted November 18, 2009 As mentioned in part 1, we stumble on certain spots where bait fish is stacked and looks like a giant snake looking cloud of bait, yet we cannot get bit in those places. It often occurs that when we move away from these clouds we get a good bite. There are many possibilities of approach in the fall, some will find bait fish, near structures and if they see (on the sonar screen) big hooks scattered around it they will stay there for a long time until some sort of weather change (even a minor one) may trigger a musky to bite. This approach can pay off, but sometimes what we think look like big hooks on the bottom can be deceiving. It is a gamble, no matter how good you know your electronics you can still interpret screen signals the wrong way (how do you even know it's musky?). If you are wrong, you will waste your time, but if you have hooked a fish on this spot in the few days prior that helps knowing if you are on fish and combined with the proper spread of bait and hook signals. Then spending a lot of time in that spot may just be a matter of time before a giant nips the lure. A second approach is better in my opinion, but if you are not on the water regularly it is very difficult to be effective, since you cannot follow the bait fish and see where they are over time and you will be just guessing by looking at the map. Don’t spend more time then you need to cover the area and then move on to another zone. Do not keep focus where the clouds of bait are simply overwhelming. These areas seem to be too crowded and the odds of your lure will be targeted for a meal is quite low. If you find an area that has even just one or two small clouds of bait or random hooks, these deserve your attention but do not waste your day on one area. Leaving a good area for a few hours and returning later on using slightly different baits can be the difference between one fish or four fish in your boat during the day. So the quest continues for a fat fall “fatso”. We had arrived on a spot and found just the right amount of activity on screen, the bigger fish are starting to show themselves. As soon as we passed the bigger bulk of the sonar activity we got bit, twice! The backgrounds have been changed on the pictures above to preserve the spot These fish were a lot of fun, very agressive and gave us a good fight, even some out of water acrobatics which doesn't happen often in the cold. If you are trolling for fish, pay attention to the current on the area you are fishing. Understand your baits are not behaving exactly the same moving up current as they are down current. Make sure you try both, fish the spot up current and down current. Keeping a detailed log will help you develop patterns over the years and get a decent idea of what to do on your spots for each type of weather and conditions. No but seriously, where ARE the giants? in part 3! Stay tuned
Raf Posted November 18, 2009 Report Posted November 18, 2009 Bill Hamblin made some interesting points re: fishing bait in the musky hunter's almanac. Basically he said NOT to fish it or fish outside of it. It's a very good read. Bill fished georgian bay but I'm sure it applies anywhere.
Guest gbfisher Posted November 18, 2009 Report Posted November 18, 2009 waters still way to warm....they might show up after the season closes.....lol
Raf Posted November 18, 2009 Report Posted November 18, 2009 true enough andy, it's been 44 deg for two months now lol
msp Posted November 18, 2009 Report Posted November 18, 2009 Wow, they look like giants to me! I would love to see what a giant looks like to you. Thanks for the read and pics. Very informative. Oh yeah, do you get more bites trolling up current or down current ?
trapshooter Posted November 18, 2009 Report Posted November 18, 2009 (edited) A couple of real nice, clean muskies there. Great job!! Excellent insight and observations too, fil. There was an article in Outdoor Canada recently about Don Schwartz. He's been filming underwater video's of muskies and their behaviour while trolling. He mentions the same thing that you and raf alluded to... not a lot of muskies in areas that bait fish are concentrated. Some other interesting things to consider.... muskies far more interested in the spinning propeller then they are in baits and muskies following a bait for a looong time too. He said a lot show up when his down-rigger cannon ball smacks the bottom. Interesting stuff. Looking forward to part 3!! Edited November 18, 2009 by BenBeattie
Terry Posted November 18, 2009 Report Posted November 18, 2009 drool drool nice fish can't wait to see the big ones....LOL
kickingfrog Posted November 18, 2009 Report Posted November 18, 2009 In part 3 the anglers must get smaller.
fishingisliving Posted November 18, 2009 Author Report Posted November 18, 2009 In part 3 the anglers must get smaller. lol I'd love to lose 50 pounds!
Jigger Posted November 18, 2009 Report Posted November 18, 2009 Some good points there fil. Looking forward to part 3 for sure. Could be gb's right. This mild weather must be frustrating for the guys looking for the more typical fall situations...
Fisherpete Posted November 19, 2009 Report Posted November 19, 2009 Now those are a pair of beauties! Congrats and can't wait to see part 3!
TroutnMuskieHunter Posted November 20, 2009 Report Posted November 20, 2009 Great read Fil and beauty looking Muskies!!!......
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