Imagine this scenario.
Its late in September, and you have a whole weekend to fish. You seize the opportunity and decide to hit some large water in hopes of latching into a monster of a muskie. The water temps are around 57-62 degrees and this is pre-turnover conditions. You are armed with a number of baits of all sizes, types and the appropriate gear in which to fish them. Many questions arise as to what tactic you should key in on. DO YOU;
1. Troll? Working the breaklines next to deeper water trying to cover water and hunt down an active fish?

2. Cast and work jerkbaits around visible deep (on electronics) and shallow structure that is mostly shoreline related?

3. Go on a search and destroy mission launching big bucktails up shallow keeping your boat just off the dropoff so as to not spook fish?

4. Use a slow, methodical approach and toss twitchbaits parallel to the dropoffs and remaining weed edges/rock reefs?

5. Work the mid-lake reefs and late summer haunts that you had some success on three weeks ago?

6. Just shut-up and fish trying all these crazy tactics and not committing to any one thereby not establishing any sort of a pattern and go home fishless? (Not really serious, but I've been guilty of doing it before out of frustration).

What do you DO? Just thought this might get a fun discussion going and maybe reveal a tip or two for me this weekend! Thanks Fellas!

Cast-n-Blast

What's Zup man?

I would do them all if it was a NEW body of water to find out what the fish are telling me?

On my lake I have about six different things I do on days like you mentioned.

Most of which are Secrets, but can be and are revealed to clients and good friends.
LOL
Mostly I would recomend #6, but come home with pictures of fish in the boat, Big ones!
LOL
Good subject, lets see where it goes, then I may Add more?
LOL

Yer bud.

T.


www.muskytomsguideservice.com

Big water, good breaklines, and big fish at the temps you describe makes it SURFACE BAIT time. One angler throws topwater out and parallel to the break, one throws the bait of choice up on the stuff...Works for me.

CasterBlaster,
I would fish with the one they call "The Wolf of the waters".
It looks like Saturday just might work out for me now, that is if you haven't found a partner yet.
Let me know.
Have a good one!
The Wolf
(320)656-1646

#2

I look for the baitfish and then adjust my presentation accordingly. I turn on the wide-side graph, start looking in an area where I believe baitfish should be holding, locate the baitfish, and then work the area hard. I'll look at shallow areas first and if the baitfish aren't there, I go out deeper. First I check the drop-offs and deep water right adjacent to them and then mid-lake structure and then open basins. I don't waste time in an area where there are no baitfish. Baitfish=Muskies. No baitfish=empty water.

Good fishing.

Hey C&B,
I hate to troll but the baitfish should
be schooling up big time, off of humps
in the main basin....The whitefish are
moving to areas off of gravel and rocky shorelines, look for the ones that fall sharply into deep water....

Well....thats what I'm going to do.:)

Since you're on big water, looking for big fish, then start with #1 and if it does not pay in a few hours go to #6. Most importantly though is to have a second guy out fishing with you so you can run a second line.

I'd start with #2, inside weedlines, with topwaters, spinnerbaits or jerks. If that's not going then I'd move to the ouside edges with Depthraiders or bulldawgs, then off the breaklines looking for baitfish - maybe trolling then following up with casting to areas full of bait. I's also go back and check the edges, periodically, especially if the weather changes.

I would troll, cover a alot of water fast and find that big fish on the deep breaks 18 to 25 ft.