Pigeon Lake-Suggestions

[skdds]

Hi Guys,

 

Heading to Pigeon Lake in about two weeks. Anybody been there recently? Hows the bite, lure suggestions for Muskie and Walleye?

 

Thanks skdds

[lew]

I fished the shallow weed flats south of Gannons on opening day and got a musky in the 1st 15 minutes on a large black/orange spinnerbait, but then an electrical storm moved in so we called it a day.

 

I'd suggest now though with the warmer waters to fish a bit deeper in the northern part in the heavier weeds and you should do OK for muskies with big spinnerbaits.

 

No idea on the pickeral though.

[skdds]

I fished the shallow weed flats south of Gannons on opening day and got a musky in the 1st 15 minutes on a large black/orange spinnerbait, but then an electrical storm moved in so we called it a day.

 

I'd suggest now though with the warmer waters to fish a bit deeper in the northern part in the heavier weeds and you should do OK for muskies with big spinnerbaits.

 

No idea on the pickeral though.

 

Thanks for the tip. Seems like Black and orange is a popular colour combo...I've also read a few posts here talking about "Jake" and "Believer" lures. Never heard of these. Are/how are they used this time of year or not?-skdds

[lew]

Jakes & Believers are both excellent musky baits and range is size from about 6" right up to 13". Primarily trolling baits but both work well as crank or twitch baits too.

 

A 10" Believer is also an incredible musky lure when moved very slowly across the surface late at night.

 

Bumble Bee is my personal favorite for Believers and the Jake colour is something that looks like a sunfish pattern.

 

Lots of other colours work well though.

[Pigeontroller]

10" Jake in Orange Tiger trolled anywhere in the north end...

 

Hint-Muskie friendly net or Cradle, hook cutters...

 

Hint-Troll the north and west side of Big Island, and all around Dropping Reef...

[F_ast]

ewwwww.... trolling. Not a fan. LOL

 

I have to get out to the Tri-lakes one of these days.

 

Skdds, Jakes and Grandma lures are basically the same bait.

 

http://www.muskymania.com/products/jake.php

 

http://www.jacksonlures.com/commerce2/Grandma.htm

 

Believer's can be either mono body or jointed.

 

http://driftertackle.com/products/believer.php

 

Both the Believer and Jake catch fish. I am a huge fan of Perch patterns. They will work just about anywhere in North America.

[jimmer]

If you're going to be using those larger muskie lures. Make sure you have the proper tackle to land and then release the fish. They can make a mess of you pretty quickly if you get those hooks stuck into you with the fish still on.

I always suggest to look for weedbeds to start for either muskie or walleye and start with the deep edge.

The west side of big island is a good place to start as a previous poster indicated. Mid lake out from gannons narrows is also good.

[muskymike]

Thanks for the tip. Seems like Black and orange is a popular colour combo...I've also read a few posts here talking about "Jake" and "Believer" lures. Never heard of these. Are/how are they used this time of year or not?-skdds

 

If you have never heard of a Jake or a Believer, please do some research before going. Take Dax's advice and get a net suited for muskies, hook cutters and some good pliers.

 

Don't go in blind and dont specifically target fish you are not prepared for.

 

I am not trying to sound like an , just be prepared please.

[skdds]

If you have never heard of a Jake or a Believer, please do some research before going. Take Dax's advice and get a net suited for muskies, hook cutters and some good pliers.

 

Don't go in blind and dont specifically target fish you are not prepared for.

 

I am not trying to sound like an , just be prepared please.

 

Thanks guys, very good advise much appreciated..I am busy going through all the info I can get will up some of my tackle too..just in case.. handled some good size pike before, but this sounds different, and I don't want to get hooked by a musky lure. I'd be a little shocked if I hook a good size fish my first time out....Suggestions for rod and line: I was thinking 50lb test braid and Heavy action rod. I already have 50lb fluro leader used for pike..I have a good set of pliers and cutters.

Edited June 29, 2011 by skdds

[muskymike]

Thanks guys, very good advise much appreciated..I am busy going through all the info I can get will up some of my tackle too..just in case.. handled some good size pike before, but this sounds different, and I don't want to get hooked by a musky lure. I'd be a little shocked if I hook a good size fish my first time out !

 

Okay, how do I say this in the nicest way possible...

Your safety is of our concern, but the fishes safety, longevity and well being is of a much greater concern. You catching the fish will not kill you, but can very well be fatal to a musky. Please handle them with care is all we are saying. Have the right net. Good luck out there.

[skdds]

Okay, how do I say this in the nicest way possible...

Your safety is of our concern, but the fishes safety, longevity and well being is of a much greater concern. You catching the fish will not kill you, but can very well be fatal to a musky. Please handle them with care is all we are saying. Have the right net. Good luck out there.

 

I got thick skin to comments...I Agree with you 100%..(..but I also don't want to get hurt!) I'm not targeting trophy fish either for a first go-keeping the lures on the shorter side, but know I must be prepared for whatever bites... and so, I am asking the questions here to be better prepared for me and the fish. I am also a conservation minded individual...skdds

[Rizzo]

You catching the fish will not kill you

 

...although you may wish for your own demise if you have a big treble stuck in your arm or eyelid and the rest of the hooks in a thrashing 45 inch musky!

[Whitemikeca]

Thanks guys, very good advise much appreciated..I am busy going through all the info I can get will up some of my tackle too..just in case.. handled some good size pike before, but this sounds different, and I don't want to get hooked by a musky lure. I'd be a little shocked if I hook a good size fish my first time out....Suggestions for rod and line: I was thinking 50lb test braid and Heavy action rod. I already have 50lb fluro leader used for pike..I have a good set of pliers and cutters.

 

Don't take the comments too harshly. These guys are just looking out for both you and the fish. Once you get the musky bug you will understand where these guys are coming from.

 

As for your tackle, a heavy action bass rod will only be able to handle the smallest of musky lures. Most musky lures are too heavy and displace too much water for a bass rod to handle. I would suggest you go grab a musky stick. Bass pro has a musky rod series that is cheap but would work well as a beginner rod. I would suggest a 7 foot long extra heavy action rod.

 

50lb braid is also a little light for throwing musky baits. If 50lb gets even minor nicks in it from rocks, etc, it is very susceptible to breaking off when using heavy musky baits. I would go 80lb/100lb or 65lb as a bare min.

 

Get an extra large net. When handling the fish, keep them in the net, in the water at all times, with the exception of a quick photo op. The last thing you want it a trashing musky on the floor of your boat.

 

As others have said, you should grab a good pair of bolt cutters to cut hooks if the fish takes them too deep.

 

Pigeon is a great musky lake. There are skis almost everywhere. The main patterns I have seen on pigeon are:

1) Fish roaming the weed flats in the south end of the lake

2) Fish hanging off the windblown side of shoals and reefs in the north end of the lake

3) Suspended fish in the main basin of the lake.

 

Good luck! Take some pictures and post a report!

[lew]

 

but I also don't want to get hurt!)

 

 

Without a doubt, the most dangerous part of the whole process of catching a musky is when your reach into the net to remove the hooks from the fish. They are extremely nasty and can move faster than you'll ever believe and if your not paying attention every second, she'll drive a hook into your hand before you can blink.

 

Just be very careful and if you can cut the hooks or remove them with LONG nosed pliers from outside the net without lifting her, that's the way to go. If you need to get a grip on her, hold the gill plate on the opposite side of her jaw from the bait.

 

Hooks are cheap and I'll normally always cut a hook unless it can be removed easily. If it's gonna be difficult at all, cut them off and put a new one on. Pulling those big trebles back out thru the hole it made going in can make a real mess out of her jaw.

 

Once you get the hooks removed, take the bait out of the net and hang it over the side of the boat so it's completely out of your way.

 

Not trying to scare you at all, but many very experienced musky anglers get hooked every year and it's not gonna be a nice experience at all.

 

Just be careful, pay attention and don't be afraid to ask questions if your unsure of something.

Edited June 29, 2011 by lew

[Andy]

"Amen" to what Lew and the others have said. I was fishing the area last week. Last day out I landed a personal best, fat and between 43 and 44 inches. It inhaled the bait, and as I reached into the net to grab the fish, it thrashed and tore open my thumb with a tooth. I began bleeding profusely. It clamped down on the bait and I needed my jaw spreaders, bolt cutters and long nosed pliers to get the hooks and cut off barbs out. The stupid part is that I keep gloves for landing musky on the boat! I just got complacent, and I paid for it. The fish would have been dead if I didn't have the right tools. The fish swan away with a little help, but I'll be nursing the wound for a couple weeks. Do not assume anything, and that includes that you won't catch a big fish. You just never know, and you want to be ready. Andy

Edited June 29, 2011 by Andy

[craigdritchie]

Some excellent advice in this thread, particularly the tackle notes from Whitemikeca.

 

If you're not quite ready to splurge on a pile of new gear, you can use a heavy bass outfit for muskie fishing provided you (1) stick with smaller baits, and (2) are willing to target smaller fish - "smaller fish" being up to about 40 inches, or around 16 - 17 pounds.

 

With a heavy bass rod and 50 pound braid, you're confined to using lures like smaller inline spinners (Mepps Muskie Killer etc), spinnerbaits up to maybe 1 ounce, buzzbaits, twitchbaits (Slug-Go etc), jigs, spoons (big Johnson Silver Minnow) and small muskie crankbaits (Rapala Super Shad, small Depth Raider, etc).

 

One of my all-time favourite muskie spots (and the place where my avatar pic was taken) is just loaded with these guys, and it's an absolute blast to go in there and catch a dozen (or more) muskies in a day on heavy bass gear. You don't always load the boat, but it's always fun (click for another pic).

 

BIG TIP -> if this appeals to you, seriously consider fishing rivers instead of lakes. Smaller muskie usually hang shallower than larger ones do, and the cooler water and higher oxygen content in rivers (compared to lakes) gives the fish a much, much better chance of survival.

Edited June 29, 2011 by Craig_Ritchie

[ehg]

 

 

Pigeon is a great musky lake. There are skis almost everywhere. The main patterns I have seen on pigeon are:

1) Fish roaming the weed flats in the south end of the lake

2) Fish hanging off the windblown side of shoals and reefs in the north end of the lake

3) Suspended fish in the main basin of the lake.

 

Good luck! Take some pictures and post a report!

The last few years i have caught most muskies trolling Perch Super Shad Rap, 8 to 10 inch perch jointed Believers or Depth Raiders. Most fish were caught off windblown reefs suspended over the nearby deepest parts of lake in north end.

Like this one caught on Perch Super Shad Rap.

Again lots of great advice here. Personally use a MH carolina rig and Abu Garcia reel which seems adequate for these smaller musky lures. Also perfect for throwing bucktails when wanted. The fish on Pigeon are mostly between 10 - 15lbs. with the odd one over that. A 50 inch fish seems to be a trophy there.

Take great care to land these as outlined in prior posts.

A few times have been cut by thrashing muskies when removing from cradle.

Despite utmost care sometimes those nasty teeth will quickly slice.

[skdds]

 

Take great care to land these as outlined in prior posts.

A few times have been cut by thrashing muskies when removing from cradle.

Despite utmost care sometimes those nasty teeth will quickly slice.

 

That looks nasty!! Thanks for all the advice for me (and hopefully others who may be interested in this thread). Any more suggestions always welcome. -skdds

[Pigeontroller]

50 lb. Floro is too light to use as a Muskie Leader. 130 lb. as a minimum. If your leader is cut you will lose an expensive lure and WE will lose a fish.

[muskymike]

50 lb. Floro is too light to use as a Muskie Leader. 130 lb. as a minimum. If your leader is cut you will lose an expensive lure and WE will lose a fish.

 

Agreed. I use 150# seaguar to make my leaders with stay locks #4 or #5.

 

I would much rather lose a fish then lose a lure...but then again I am cheap. I wouldn't go under 80# on line either, but thats just me.

[skdds]

Agreed. I use 150# seaguar to make my leaders with stay locks #4 or #5.

 

I would much rather lose a fish then lose a lure...but then again I am cheap. I wouldn't go under 80# on line either, but thats just me.

 

Got it. Will add to the list.-skdds

[F_ast]

Not all line is created equal either. A lot of guy use PowerPro, but IMO, it is garbage. Best muskie braids on the market that are easy to find here locally are:

 

P-Line Spectrex (I best I have found to date)

Suffix 832

Cortland Masterbraid

 

Reason I dislike the PowerPro is it bleeds its pigments all over your hands, close, rod, reel. It also seems to carry a lot of water back with it and you litteraly get soaked in comparison to the rest. I find that the P-line Spectrex and the Suffix have a much tighter braid and smaller diameter to them than the PowerPro as well. 85# Spectrex is about the same diameter as 50#PP.

 

For leaders, I like Titanium. I use 12 and 18" Terminator leaders. I have also used Floro leaders 150# +, but you need to inspect them all the time. If you have even a knick in the line, trash it.

[K_F]

Great info in this thread guys - and thnaks to all for the shared knowledge

 

i credit posts like these for all the fish ive put in the boat

 

[jimmer]

If all this doesn't scare him off, skdds will be a great muskie angler LOL.

[skdds]

If all this doesn't scare him off, skdds will be a great muskie angler LOL.

 

LOL..going to take more than this!