It’s hard to say what makes a lake good musky water. Some say it is plentiful forage, others draw reference to sheer size and quality structure, well for Bob and I it is how a lake treats us every time we fish it. Sugar Lake during our last two trips out has given us a heaping helping of Esox hospitality, and some darn nice photos for the archives. Once again location was the key in finding active fish, something we refer to as the “The spot, on the spot”. And if Lindy Little Joe Inc. is listening… SEND US SOME TUBES!!!!!
With a last minute project at work coming in last Friday night, I regretfully had to cancel my Saturday trip with Bob to our new semi-local favorite Sugar Lake in Wright County. Fortunately as of late, Bob has had no trouble finding people eager to hit the water chasing Muskies. Good friend and panfish guru Randy Robarge, tagged along for what would ending up being a busy day on the water. Unlike our last trip out, Bob found the lake packed with guys tossing baits, and a precious few spots left at the access even at 6:00 A.M. (so if you think want to give it a try, go to the south access, and come early). Overall the added pressure may have hindered the quality of the bite that day, with Bob and Randy chocking up zero follows, one flouro leader bite off, and Bob boating just the one fish, pictured above, a girthy 40” that couldn’t resist a Black/Red Fleck Lindy Tiger Tube. However what the Muskies lacked, the Pike more than made up for, with about 15 green missles wrecking about a third of Bob’s tube inventory. Nothing huge, with one fish maybe crossing the 5# mark.
So here’s more about “the spot, on the spot”. On this site in recent weeks it has come to my attention that Musky “fisherman”, are supposed to be tight lipped and secretive about what lakes they are on, and where they fish on those lakes. And as you can imagine, much has been said about how that could, or more accurately should, present itself on this site, a site that takes pride in it’s open sharing of sport fishing. Tips, techniques, and yes even locations are all an intricate part of sharing. Certainly it would be inappropriate for me to assume that people should automatically give up spots, but recently people have gone out of their way to hide things. Something that Hawg Hunters, has never, and will never do. So in keeping with that tradition we are going to start sharing more than ever. So to all you Musky noobs, get out there, and here is a good place to start.
Here is the spot that Bob stuck his fish on. A mid-lake hump, that comes up out of 30+ feet of water. Above is the spot right off the break, and here is “the spot, on the spot”, a massive green pile of cabbage that starts in 16’ of water. This is what we fish, transitions, transitions, and more transitions. I know the pics didn’t turn out that well, if you want more info just PM me or Bob and we can probably help you out.
I hope this information makes for a great day on the water, for anyone with the time and energy to get out there. Fishing can be hard work, but with great friends and good information, there will be lots of fun to be had by all.
Say hi if you see us on the water…
Dan Larson
Nice fish.
Jiggin Jim