Did anyone happen to read the article in the new musky hunter about anchoring for muskies? Some of the examples the author used to back his claim that this is a valid method seemed like chance occurances. Has anyone else used this method before? Maybe I just have a hard time picturing myself dropping an anchor in thick cabbage to cast for 'skies.

MN

I read it. I think it can work. I've fished from shore before, on lazy days, and pounded the same spot for over an hour, and then finally a strike. It could be the fished just started to bite at that time, but who knows?

Might work if the fish are moving a lot. Otherwise, it sounds low percentage to me. But thats my opinion. Herb

ive got a 38 inch musky last year anchored in a weed bed, i usally always keep a musky rod in the boat, even if im out perchin with the kids, anytime i anchor for walleye northern or even perch with the kids i always fan cast around the boat once or twice, u would be suprised with the results.

I haven't read the article yet, but it sounds logical to me as long as you are willing to invest the time this process may take. We used to still fish with jigs and suckers for pike on quick strike rigs using this method and it was almost always productive. There would be the occassional quick fish that wasn't spooked, and then over the course of the next few hours, more pike would follow all within a 50 foot diameter of the boat.

I have a couple of theory's. 1) Many pike (and/or muskie) call that area home (at least for that day, week or month) and won't go far if spooked. And 2) A small stirring of the bottom sand or muck will often attrack bait fish, and thus follow the bigger fish.

I must admit that we caught many more small fish (up to 10 lbs) than we ever caught large fish.

Randy
www.pikeandmuskie.com

The first time I was up in LOTW, my musky Buddy and I pretty much sat on one spot for at least a half an hour just casting, and sure enough my one and only fish for the week hit.

I have my opinion about being told "not to burn the spots and cast and leave after 10 minutes because if you don't get something by then it's time to try another spot." Most musky fisherman know good spots when they see them. So just as one fisherman heads off to find another spot, another fisherman pulls into the one you were on. If that isn't burning a spot by fisherman after fisherman hitting the same spot what difference does it make if the same person sits on the spot for an hour? I think anchoring is a good option for me at least.
Running and gunning may be fine for others, but I prefer a more leisurely approach, and think it could work with anchoring.

If it is a "BIG MUSKY SPOT", if a musky leaves, won't another big musky come in eventually because the spot is great habitat?

Just some thoughts!

Sage advice Muskiegal! Especially the part about someone coming in right after you. I read a story about Esox Angler Editor Jack Burns casting something like 29 times to the exact same spot and then "BAM" a fish hit, so you never know.

Yeah, i would have to agree with the fact that you hit a spot, and 10 minutes later, another boat casts the same water that you just left! Especially in the Northern wisconsin lakes where there are tons of fishermen/women(that is for you muskygal!) I guess it is hard to change your thinking, especially when summer/fall fishing when you are searching for agressive fish, and you want to cover as much water as possible. I can sit all day in a deer stand, but my patience runs thin when fishing. I can't sit in the same spot if nothing is hitting.....that is unless I have a few beers and cigars in the boat with me!

I'm sure a person can catch fish anchored in one spot, but the question I have is: do you have the same chance as fishing more area in the same time frame? My experience is the more spots one can cover affectively, the better your chances are of success. I like to make contact with as many fish as I can so maybe, just maybe, I'll find a stupid one that will take my bait.:)

Good fishing all.

There certainly are conditions when covering the water thoroughly, and sometimes repetitively is the ticket to catching fish. If you can't get them with a feeding response, you can always try for the annoyance response. Sometimes it works! Even something as small as a change in speed can push their buttons.

My only concern with anchoring is Murphy's Law. Put something down there in the water that a big muskie can use to her advantage - like an anchor rope to wrap around or hang a bait on - and you can bet that it WILL happen. The theory is the same, but I'd prefer to use the electric OR if the fish seem spooky, use the wind and make repetitive drifts over the same area. You cover the water just as thoroughly, but remove the anchor rope from the equation.

Steve Wickens

Good point about the rope. I once saw a boat on Mille Lacs using a drift sock hook a mid-sized Muskie and it got all tangled up in it. After a bit of a struggle, they managed to get the fish untangled and released, but it didn't look like much fun. You just know the fish is going to head right to it and then you're in trouble.

I use an anchor on windy days, I mean windy days that are frequent on Leech Lake. This method is especially good when fishing the rocks. Example, while fishing the Muskies Inc. tournament a few weeks ago we were in some very windy conditions. We were fishing wind blown rocks and points. We raised a nice fish on one of the spots, the trouble was that we could only get a couple of casts to the spot because of the fast drift and danger of blowing into the rocks. We went around again and the fish was hot on another bait. Same circumstances, too close to rocks and fast drift. The fish would only come on a long cast and settled in one area close to a large boulder. We anchored a long cast away from the spot and the fish hit on the fifth cast. She was 48.5 inches with a large girth. I have used this technique for years with similar results. Another plus is fighting the fish without blowing into the rocks. I have a flotaion device on my anchor rope that allows the anchor to be retrieved if necessary, just untie and fight the fish.

Good luck, Murph!

Yep, I've had success anchoring in a weedbed on windy days and casting spinnerbaits over the top of the weeds. I have taken some nice muskies using this method.