Rob Manthei
07-14-2009, 09:21 PM
Things have stablized quite a bit.....finally.....water is a consistant 68 to 70 degrees on most lakes big and small.
Walleyes are locking into their summer patterns finally....deep coontail and cabbage edges, but also using deep sand and gravel bars. Early and late are the obvious times, however some days with wind and clouds there is a daytime bite. Leeches and nightcrawlers are my top choices.....on the windy days I am doing best with slip bobbers and 1/32 oz jigs suspended 1 to 3 feet off of the bottom with leeches...I like to cast the weed edges with 1/16 slow poke jigs with crawlers and leeches...black or chartruese seem to be best, however, some might call this color turn-tech...on the tougher days, a small split shot and a red aberdeen hook is best. I am using 6 lb Berkley Vanish most of the time....fluorocarbon lines are a definite plus in our clear lakes. FISH THE WINDY SIDES!!
Muskies are doing whatever they want, when they want, and how they want.....be ready to be versatile. Some days weed edges are the ticket, and the next open water suspended.....bucktails are getting follows and some strikes, but it seems that the suspending minnow baits like DD's, Grandmas, and jerkbaits like suicks and bobbies are best for biters....Open water fish are best with rubber....Big Joe's, Mo-Jo's, and Bulldawgs are the top choices here.
Today was a heartbraker of a day......had two great young sticks in the boat(Tanner and Cody, two 16 yr old future musky sticks).......we had 15 follows and 5 strikes.....of which 3 fish where hooked and should have been boated....the only luck we had was bad luck......from fish rolling in the line and cutting off to split rings opening and failing......UGH!!!! Hey guys, next time.....the good, the bad, and the ugly of fishing muskies....
Here are some photos finally....
Good Luck!!
Walleyes are locking into their summer patterns finally....deep coontail and cabbage edges, but also using deep sand and gravel bars. Early and late are the obvious times, however some days with wind and clouds there is a daytime bite. Leeches and nightcrawlers are my top choices.....on the windy days I am doing best with slip bobbers and 1/32 oz jigs suspended 1 to 3 feet off of the bottom with leeches...I like to cast the weed edges with 1/16 slow poke jigs with crawlers and leeches...black or chartruese seem to be best, however, some might call this color turn-tech...on the tougher days, a small split shot and a red aberdeen hook is best. I am using 6 lb Berkley Vanish most of the time....fluorocarbon lines are a definite plus in our clear lakes. FISH THE WINDY SIDES!!
Muskies are doing whatever they want, when they want, and how they want.....be ready to be versatile. Some days weed edges are the ticket, and the next open water suspended.....bucktails are getting follows and some strikes, but it seems that the suspending minnow baits like DD's, Grandmas, and jerkbaits like suicks and bobbies are best for biters....Open water fish are best with rubber....Big Joe's, Mo-Jo's, and Bulldawgs are the top choices here.
Today was a heartbraker of a day......had two great young sticks in the boat(Tanner and Cody, two 16 yr old future musky sticks).......we had 15 follows and 5 strikes.....of which 3 fish where hooked and should have been boated....the only luck we had was bad luck......from fish rolling in the line and cutting off to split rings opening and failing......UGH!!!! Hey guys, next time.....the good, the bad, and the ugly of fishing muskies....
Here are some photos finally....
Good Luck!!