Strange muskie behavior on the St. Croix

I was on a beach last Sunday AM (around 7-8) with my family on the MN Side of the Croix, and what looked like a log at first came upriver very slowly about 20 – 30 feet off shore. As it approached we saw that it was a large fish, and only had the front 8-14 inches out of the water like it was angled at a 45. It bobbed up and down slightly, and looked as if it was trying to shut its jaw but couldn’t every once and a while. At one point, two guys came by us throwing muskie lures and missed the whole show. Over the course of maybe an hour, the muskie only went under water twice for maybe 2 minutes each time. Only once did it kick its tail fin and we could see that this muskie was definately over 5 feet long. It was the strangest thing, we had a couple of theories, like it was trying to swallow a large fish or choking on a lure (but we didn’t see either). I have attached a pic, sorry it is not better. Do you know what this monster was up to? Thanks.

We call it porpoising, I have seen it many times and on many different bodies of water. I like to think they are up top looking for skiers and jet skis to attack but that probably isn’t the case. Musky display very strange behavior from time to time on the surface and under the water. I can only chalk it up to the fact that they are the absolute top of the food chain and fear nothing. I have yet to see any studies as to why they behave the way that they do but I imagine if any other musky nuts see this post they will have a whole gaggle of stories about this kind of thing.

Northern pike do the same thing. It is not all that uncommon. Usually you see it during the hot mid to late summer months when the water is warmer.
I do not know for sure what they are doing.

Yeah, I’ve seen it quite a few times as well. They are weird fish, I think this goes under the same category as following baits (low and slow, hot fish are different), sitting motionless just under the surface (like a gar), and hitting the bait belonging to the newbie. This category how muskies attempt to drive musky fisherman nuts (more than we all ready are).

Looking for baby ducks ?

Looking for bass guys on their birthdays….

Seen it a bunch of times…….They are not feeding either…..Just hanging out pretending they are a 12′ gator is my belief!!!!

They will hardly EVER strike a bait when they are doing this too. I’ve only heard of 2 different people having success one time each, when they have seen this.

I’ve never even pulled a follow from it.

I’ve seen one hit on the Flambeau River two years ago. My canoe partner and I saw it. He wondered if he should throw a bucktail at it. I told him they never hit when porpoising. He ignored me and did it. Two cranks of the handle and it was on. CPR’d a 48″ fish. It was a very hot July day. Bluebird skies. Very strange.

I have seen this as well on a number of different waters. To bo honest my biggest fish to date was doing this with another fish about 60 yards in front of the boat, I casted out and the fish hit almost as soon as the bait hit the water. Most times that I have seen this I have not been that lucky, normally they won’t even follow. Strange, but it does deserve a cast or two.

I will never ever make the mistake of not pitching a lure of some type in front of a fish like that.

oh yea, you gotta pitch at em…….just sucks that they just don’t respond.

So Bob, did you pitch your lure right into the mouth????

Just kidding, that is cool!

SLAM DUNK …..No I casted to where I saw the fish going, and I threw out in front of her about 5 feet

My buddy and I saw it on Tonka two weekends ago. We thought it was a duck at first, till we got closer. First time I had ever seen it (not much into Muskie but I might be now). Right after it spotted us and wanted nothing to do with our jointed raps were were trolling at that moment, it went down to the deeps. A few minutes later we could see a bunch of bait fish surfacing right by the area we spotted the fish. Sure got the heart going for a few seconds.