Minnesota-Mid Summer Muskies

It’s almost the end of July, we are fast approaching the full moon and the lunge are on the chew…BIG TIME! Over the span of the last week I have noticed some major changes in fish activity and keying in on these changes has put some very nice fish in my boat.

The fish above we have seen A LOT this year. We nicknamed her the Willow Tree fatty and last night she made her way to the bottom of my net and I was lucky enough to get my picture taken with this very well built fish. Finally got ya Fatty!!!

Like I said above, there have been some major changes in what I have seen on the water over the last week. First and foremost is the abundance of activity during low light periods. The amount of bait-fish right now is remarkable, I can see huge clouds on the electronics during the day. As we get closer to sunset these big clouds are moving up in the water column and we are actually seeing a lot of surface activity as well. Seeing this on the graph is one thing but to visually see it on the surface is another. Reading the water by visually seeing breaking bait-fish has been key for our success over the last few days. Casting to these big clouds of bait is a blast, we are over deep water and the lunge are right there just waiting for an easy meal…and that’s what we are giving them. We have been working a lot of big plastic at a very slow pace to get these fish to eat. Dunwright’s and Thunderbeast’s have been our top baits. Pearl White, Cisco and of course Walleye have been the hot colors, the first two are producing best in the low light periods and the latter during the day.

Weeds are now well established and water temps are on the rise. This has the fish much deeper then one would expect, now toss all the bait-fish into the equation and where does a guy start? My focus has been on deep water structure adjacent to very deep water. Looking at maps prior to hitting the water has been very helpful to make a game plan for the day. Find the deepest water, then look for flats, bars and elongated fingers that run out to the deepest water available, this is where I am finding all the bait-fish and the lunge. The muskies have been sitting on the deepest points and fingers just waiting for an easy meal to come past but also finding comfort in the fact that deep water and safety is only a tail pump away. These fish are on the edge! Heavy fishing pressure will push these fish out over deep water during the day and what I am finding during these low light periods is that the fish are pushing back up and are very willing to eat a well place bait. Working this deep water takes a little adjustment in technique. Long casts and counting the bait down is a must. You need to get down to the fish over this deep water and that requires a long pause after each and every cast. Hold on good and tight when the bait is falling because the strikes are bone crushing when it happens on the fall. A guy could loose a rod fast if not paying attention. Once the bait has dropped into what I feel is the strike zone, I start working them back to the boat on a very slow pull pause. In this deep water I feel the pause is the most important part of the retrieve, often times I pause long enough for the bait to start to fall again. Once the bait is back to the boat, you gotta stir the pot! These fish that come up out of the depths will show up with no warning, its almost like they are shooting straight up to eat your bait. Making a 1/2 hearted figure 8 is going to cost you fish out over deep water. Stir the pot on every cast!!

The last 2 days I got the chance to get the Big Man back in the boat with me, its been far to long Lars! There is something special about fishing with someone who knows your every move. Dan and I have spent enough time in the boat together that fishing becomes much more then just casting aimlessly. We talk about structure, bait selection, fish movement, wind, water temp, sun and moon, past trips and what we experienced during those times. The other thing is we are constantly watching the electronics’s (front and back of the boat) and communicating with each other what we are seeing. At the same time keeping an eye on the surface for those big clouds of bait-fish breaking. Electronics’s are a wonderful thing but don’t forget your eyes are just as valuable for reading the water, don’t over look the obvious. We work well as a team and our fishing styles compliment each other very well, even better when there is slime in the net and my knuckles are bloody. Its been a great couple days in the boat, thanks for being there Bro! Thanks for the net jobs too, it my turn to get the net tonight –

Last night I boated old broke back prior to the sun going down. Not sure what happened to this fish but it was an injury this fish must have been living with for some time, perhaps all its life. As we released the fish it swam away just like any other lunge, goofy looking but healthy.

Until next time- Happy Hunting!