The summer peak muskie bite is in full effect on lake vermilion and many anglers are cashing in on the goods! My boat has been out almost everyday staying busy and chasing these toothy giants. The weather thus far has been mild and not very much like the hot and typical summer patterns so we have been able to adapt and keep catching!
One of the best ways to put fish in YOUR boat on such a pressured lake is to do some scouting and look for structure that nobody else is fishing. These big fish are smart and would rather use a hunting ground that is less pressured. So my best advice is to drive your boat around in 10ft. or less and mark out any boulders,weed patches,turns,points,edges and any other identifiable structure so you know what you are casting too. Sunny days are best for this as you can see into the water and may even be lucky enough to see a large muskie sun baking on the rock piles.
I have been fortunate enough to be out everyday fishing with friends and clients and almost nobody has been left disappointed. Our best streak was 10fish in 4 days including a 50.5 and 52 incher caught 10 casts apart from each other. Boy was my buddy Dave on a roll that night!! The key to getting the bigger fish to bite has been being in the right place at the right time….or knowing where the fish are clustered and being there right before a storm front.
The best bite of the year is ON FIRE and i can only imagine that it will continue thru early september when lakes turn over. The muskies should be showing up shallow more and more as the sun warms the water; this making the hunt even easier in my opinion. Keep watching my fishing reports as august is BIG FISH MONTH and i do plan on a few 55+ in fish hitting the net real soon! So until next time keep casting,do your homework, and you can capitalize on your own dream fish.
Great Report AJ…..Say hello to Kyle next time you see him. Good friend of mine. Good Muskie stick as well.
AJ:
Will your lake turnover??? Its been cool, pretty breezy, I got lake temps over here in the upper 60’s after these cold fronts!!! Just wonderin’???
Mark
Cal- That is funny because when I told Kyle i’m involved at IDO you were the first name he came up with. Had nothing but good things to say about you! I will surely tell him you say hi.
Mark- with the extended forecast i’m looking at who knows what is going to happen this year?? We have some hi 60 degree temps as well but the fish are still on the chew. My location and presentation has varied much more this year with the unusually cool weather but they are fish and they must eat.
I would also like to add that these pictures are all from AFTER the MIKE ANDERSON muskie trip! haha I think that guy must have smuggled some bananas into my boat on his first lake vermilion muskie hunt. Because it’s been all GRAVY since then…..hehe
just kidding mike i had to rub it in!
Haha
Dont worry AJ when I return from Alaska i will be heading back up for a few of those fish. BTW im pretty sure i only casted 999 times and they call them the fish of 1000 casts for a reason. Ha
Keep at em Bud
Great report A.J
I’ll be up there on monday for a week of R&R and big muskies
Very cool A.J., and quality fish ta boot! Several of those pics are at night, and I’m wondering if you’re doing different things at night than what you’re doing during the day. Any insight on that pattern?
Joel
The common thing I always try to do at night is work a bait VERY slow! So then I select a lure that can both be worked very slowly over the structure and this is the major key for my boat! I can’t give away the exact lure for our current pattern but I can say we are thinking outside the box!( not supermodels hint hint).
For the old crestliner first dark has been the time to be on your go to spot and camp it out! A lot of the peak times this is how I fish… So I am not driving around wasting much time.
These are the two main points to success lately that I have noticed cross the board. Thanks for the positive feedback everybody, and wish me luck on the next big hookup!
A.J.
Very impressive fat fish, LOTS of August ahead,
Good Hunting,
Jack