Muddy muskies, thinking outside the box!

The plan for the day was to take my auntie out and target fish on some shallow weed lines. Before I could get the boat dumped in “leechboy” had a change of heart and decided to jump in with us rather than chasing eyes around. A quick survey showed several boats on EVERY weed patch so we got nutty and decided to hit deep water, avoid the crowds and target some of those little talked about mud muskies. After much debate over which flats to hit first we chose the N. central mud since we were close by, the decision turned out to be a good one with one nice 40″ pike and this 50″ ski making their way to the boat. Not to mention the follow and near miss of another 50’s class fish, incredible!! Ohh, the looks on the walleye guys faces when we pulled up trolling and chucking shadzillas. Out of the corner of my eye, throughout the day I noticed more than one guy shaking their head in disbelief.

This would be my first trip targeting fish on the mud, I’ll have to thank my “old timer” neighbor who just the day before claimed there were good numbers out there and he’s caught them in the past. Chalk one up for the old guys! It was my first trip out there but I can say without a doubt won’t be my last!!

BIRDDOG

That’s definitely the big girl most guys are looking for, nice fish!!!!!!!

What a fish

Nice job! Excellant fish

In June of 2004, I got involved with a 40-42″ muskie out on the mud flats. I was prefishing for a walleye tournament with Ted Merdan and pulling Reef Runners on boards through 4′ chop. We came upon a cloud of baitfish so thick that we lost the bottom reading! On the backside of that cluster was a small number of huge arcs and of course, our next bite!

Where there’s food, you’ll find active muskies. They can travel so far so easily that a trip out to the flats is no challenge at all. The only challenge for the angler is to be as efficient at finding the food source as the muskies are! Find the food, discover the predator.

Good job on taking a chance and experiencing success!

Well done Shane. Now why havn’t I been invited? Remember……. I know where you live.

Great fish Birdog Looks like auntie doesn’t want anything to do with that muskie Thanks for the tip ,gives me another option when I finally make it up in a few weeks

Great looking Muskie.
Congrats..
Jack.

Wow, nice fish!! Hook a guy up and he pulls a stunt like this and doesn’t even call j/k

I’ll be up this weekend. Looks like we might be semi neighbor

Nice fish!

Cool BD

Congrats!

Great fish Birddog! No surprise to me catching this fish out by the mud flats because a couple of weeks ago I had a muskie in the high 40’s trying to eat my 24 inch walleye as I reeled it in on top of the surface!

That’s a nice fish LeechBoy & BirdDog (aka Lance Wendlandt & Shane Wendlandt). But get your netting arms ready ’cause I plan on you two doing a lot of netting and picture taking this weekend on the pond Time to get a bigger one

PS: Put some beer on ice for me and see you tomorrow!

Way to go!! Just curious as i have tried that many times. Was that fish on the bottom or was it suspended??? Thanks

Slowroller: We have spent a lot of time varying our depth approach on the open water Muskies, and by far our action is coming in the upper half of the water column. IN fact, I would say 90% of our follows and strikes are happening in the top 10 feet of water over the basin. This seems to be the primary diffrence in walleye and muskie out in no man’s land. If you go deep you more consitetnly catch Walleyes (although we catch some walleyes in the top water columm); if you put the big baits higher, much better odds of Muskie action. Don’t be afraid to run baits in 3-7 feet of water over the 35′ basin.

Kelly

NO _____ !!!! Wow, i have been fishing too deep. I have been pulling near the bottom. But i really dont see to much on the graph above the 15ft mark. How fast you trolling? Thanks

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But i really dont see to much on the graph above the 15ft mark.

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Considering your cone angle is about 3′ diameter at 15fow down, on a fairly clear body of water, you’ll hardly ever mark open water, suspended fish that shallow, right below your boat.

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But i really dont see to much on the graph above the 15ft mark.

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Considering your cone angle is about 3′ diameter at 15fow down, on a fairly clear body of water, you’ll hardly ever mark open water, suspended fish that shallow, right below your boat.

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Yeah thats true!! I bet i should be using planner boards too??

Slow Rollin u never seem to catch anything. I’m going to be nailing Mille Lacs Monday-Wednesday. Got to get that first 50 incher out of the way for the year. I got the secret spot away from all the crowds. Can’t wait.

Nice fish BIRDDOG! You get that one near Myr Mar Flat or one of the closer mud flats from the north end shore?? I have been thinking of trying that, but its like finding a needle in a haystack fishing open water on Mille Lacs.

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Slow Rollin u never seem to catch anything. I’m going to be nailing Mille Lacs Monday-Wednesday. Got to get that first 50 incher out of the way for the year. I got the secret spot away from all the crowds. Can’t wait.

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I know, i have tried that alot. Just cant seem to get a crush. Congrats to these guys by being able to do it. I am still confused on it. They have the majic touch i guess.