Late October Musky Report

I have to start this report off with the monster fish that entered my boat last Wednesday night. This was a true giant at 54″ x 26.5″. It was caught by Mike Kramer of Kramer Bros. Tackle on a sucker. This fish obviously had been eating well, it actually relieved itself on Mike and the carpet of the boat (as big fish often do). When we inspected it’s waste, there was both feathers and hair in it. The hair was maybe an inch long and sort of wirey (muskrat??), the feather fibers were white and maybe 3/4″ long. Maybe it’s not too late to be throwing topwater! Mike catches big fish all over Northern/Central MN and also makes some awesome bucktails called “windowmakers”. These baits have some incredible flash… check em out!

In my travels to the north I did meet up with some clients to do some fishing. We had some very chilly weather and extreme wind that limited our fishing spots and made casting tough. We caught fish using several techniques but suckers were definitely producing for us. I was surprised to find that big rubber was actually not getting much attention but bucktails were. Fish seemed to be active during the major period when it was in the afternoon. During this time they were chasing down bucktails like the Kramer Bros. 12’s. It seemed that they would either follow a reaction bait like a bucktail or eat a big easy meal like a sucker. The fish were in shallow weeds and sand. My theory is that with the water still in the upper 40’s there were no ciscoes staging for the spawn in the shallows. This is where the muskies were so they were either munching suckers or big meals on top of the water (like the monster 54″ had been).

Back home in the Twin Cities the weather has been chilly and down right uncomfortable at times but the water temps have not necessarily plummeted yet. They seemed to crash quickly through the 50’s and now are parked in the upper 40’s but creeping down to the mid 40’s. The cold, calm nights should excellerate this process and remind the muskies to fatten up. This has been happening every time we lose a degree or two in the water temps. However fish are still not stacked up on the outer weed edges. They have been tucked in the weeds pretty tight in the metro lakes. An effective way to fish right now is to work your boat right down the edge with the angler in front casting bulldawgs parallel to the weed edge, while the angler/s work glide baits over the weeds.

We are heading into the home stretch for musky fishing. I wouldn’t say that we are staring the end right in the face, but we may not make it all the way to the end of the season (Dec. 1). This is a time of year where you need to pay attention to details, find baitfish, and work slow and methodicaly through high percentage spots. Baitfish will start stacking up on weed edges so pay attention to your graph and make a note as to where this is happening. Feeding windows are short for muskies this time of year so be ready. Also, don’t forget to be safe out there. Fish with a buddy, wear your life jacket, and stay in the boat. Good Luck out there!