As this year’s Muskie season comes to a close, I would like to share my first full Muskie season with everyone; things I’ve done and things I’ve observed.
June: One of the first things that I learned was plain and simple: if you find the bait fish, you will find the Muskies. Key for most of June was fishing deep water with easy access to structure. At times it was difficult to stick with the open water pattern because you don’t always see a lot of fish; you may go 4 hours without seeing anything, and then in the next hour see 10 fish and boat 2. In the end, it was all worth it. My biggest fish in June were two- 49s” and a 48” chasing schools of sunfish and crappies.
July: One word to describe July fishing: WOW
The first part of July’s fishing pattern was the same as June’s – open water pattern. My fishing buddy, Joe and I saw 30 Muskies make it to the net that month. The last part of July showed us a more typical fishing pattern as far as where you would normally see fish: tips of points; inside corners on steep weed lines, and mid-lake structure like reefs, islands, and saddles. Again, where the bait fish were, the Muskies followed. July’s fish sizes ranged from 40” to 49.5”, but I could still not break that 50” mark…….that would change in August.
August: Fish location remained steady for August. The difference was in the speed of the bait. The faster the bait, the more intense their need to eat the bait. Bucktails could not move fast enough! I also saw my PB fall three times in August! My first 50”, then four days later a 52”, and finally at the end of the month my giant 53” x 24” beast! Awesome!
September through season’s end: What’s a guy to do? Fishing, hunting – hunting, fishing??? Well, it ended up being a pretty easy decision since there weren’t any geese to shoot and I was on a big “fish tear” – I just kept on fishing. The fish never really left the late summer spots of deep weeds, mid-lake reefs, and sharp brakes. A noticeable difference was the size in bait that I was throwing. I went from pounders to 2 pounders; from Mag Sues to Mammouth Sues; from dbl 10 to dbl 13 bucktails; from 10” jakes to 14” jakes. Thank God I’m a big guy because the size of these baits are ridiculous! Some of the fattest fish of the year met the bottom of my Beckman net.
The moon phase played a huge part in my success. Some of my largest fish were caught minutes before, after, or at moon rise and moon set. Daily Solar Lunar (Major and Minor) activity also played its part. Also, the amount of time on the water was a big factor in my success. It was a big advantage to spend five to seven days/wk on the water (can you tell I’m single); so was having a great fishing buddy (Joe)!
On a final note, I just want to say thanks to everyone that I shared a boat with this year: Bob, Plungpool, Cal, Max, and especially Joe and Tom (Big Mama Lures); without you guys it would have been a very lonely season. Also, a big Thank You to IDO Fishing for letting me come onto the site and brag just a little…..Total fish tally this season: 35 fish ranging in size from 36” to 53”. Waters fished: Vermillion, Milacs, and Metro.
Overview and credits to fishing tackle/equipment:
Rods: 3 – St. Croix Legend Tournament
Two – 9’ (extended from 8’6” by Thorne Bros.) X-Heavy (Big Dog)
— used for big rubber, big bucktails, and big crank baits.
One – 9’ (extended from 8’6” by Thorne Bros.) Heavy (Sling Blade)
— used for regular bucktails, top water, and jerk baits.
Reels: High speed salt water.
Shimano Trinidad 16 (pull 47” per crank)
Shimano Calcutta 700
Diawa Saltist LW40HA (pull 47” per crank)
Line: 100lb. Suffix Braid (Best IMHO!)
My tackle ranged anywhere from normal Muskie bucktails to “Oh my God are you kidding me” rubber. I caught fish on just about anything except top water and I believe that was due to the late summer water temps not being warm enough.
If I’ve left anything out that you would like to know, please feel free to ask. I could talk about Muskie fishing all day long. For those of you who know me, as I always say:
“I’d cast that.”
Tim Schmitz
It is no accident that guys like you that take the time to get on the water and understand the pattern catch the most and biggest fish. One take away I have from your post is that I probably need to suck it up and start trying to chuck the biggest lures I can find. 
and start bombing away.
) to the ability to catch fish when you got within 20 feet of a particular Ranger.