Last Chance Open Water Muskies

With ice forming around me, and my reel freezing solid in the rod holder as I trolled, just one thing kept me motivated, scoring one last monster Musky. I managed to hook some hawgs, but not the elusive 50+ that I had been looking for all year.

My first trip out in some time was last Sunday, the weather was a balmy 41 degrees, with some good sun and a 15 mph wind. Just right for pulling giant plugs. I left the camera in the truck that trip so I won’t say much about what went down, however I can say in the first ten minutes I put up a 39.5″ pike on a 8″ Crappie Phantom pulled behind a board, on 8′ weed edge. I fished for about three more hours before the rod doubled over again, slammed by a 42″ Ski crunching a Salmo Whitefish trolled at about 4 mph, in 16′ of water near a couple of deeper holes. Both fish came on first lake, the Pike just off one of the weed fingers on the west side, and the Lunge up on the northeast side, about 400 yards out from shore.

Wednesday, would be a whole different affair. More than a 1/3 of First lake was iced over, from the northeast corner all the way down and through the channel between first and second. Taking that into consideration, I figured it would be that much easier since I had less lake to troll. I hit the water about 1 o’clock, utilizing an Off-Shore board for my long open water trolling passes. It wasn’t until about 3:45, when I got my first hit, and boy was it a doosie! I was pulling the Shiner pattern Little Ernie, sipping a Bud, listening to Soucheray, when my planer board took flight. When the fish hit the board launched six feet in the air and flew off, as the 41″ Musky made it’s first power run to the surface. Instantly she went to an acrobatic display of tail-walking trying to shake the hooks. I scrambled to the rod holder and was stricken with panic, because the once wet spool had frozen solid since the last time I had to check my bait. I opened the bail, and gave 100 lb. PowerPro a couple of reel hard tugs and thankfully she broke free. With Lunge out about 50 yards and my hook-up in question I wasted no time in horsing the fish to the boat. The picture above is about the best I could do being alone, and not wanting to do any damage to the fish. She hit the tape at 41″, and was carrying at least a days worth of unlucky panfish in her tummy. My second fish for the day came about 10 minutes after the sun went down on the horizon. I was right in front of town so the street lights and the moon gave me some additional time to use the planer board. The strike wasn’t quite as dramatic with the board just skittering across the surface as the 38″ clamped down on the Ernie and scooted to deeper water. I had considerably less line out in the dark so the battle was over relatively quickly and the fish was secured in the magnum Beckman net. Both fish for the day were found in water in excess of 15′, over completely barren bottom structure. My only guess is that they are out pushing around schools of suspended Crappies and Sunnies, even though I was never able to graph any major groups of fish.

It shouldn’t be long now, I just read on Roger’s website that ice has started to lock up Red, and many of the very small lakes should be walkable within the week. Here’s hoping, because I have the patience of a three year old when it comes to going fishing!!

Dan Larson
In-Depth Angling Field Staff
Hawg Hunters Guide Service
612-247-9398