Trolling 4/26, 5/2

[Esox masquinongigantis]

Last weekend during the IMTT on Saturday we got 2 Muskies 41" and 36" and a 23" Largemouth on deep diving Shad based crankbaits. All 3 fish came on down rods and hit bright color baits.

Sunday we spent the entire 12 hour day trolling and were the only boat muskie fishing on the southern part of the lake!! Where are all the muskie fisherman?? Just a year ago there was a PMTT this very weekend!!! Anyways the water was about perfect as far as clarity: 2-3 feet probably. 60-62 degree surface temperature all day and light N/NE winds. While the weather the beautiful the fish were not cooperating too well. 0/3 on fish with for sure 2 of them being muskies. All 3 hit natural color shad based crankbaits run on planer boards. It seemed the fish were just nipping the backs of the baits....and were obviously not staying hooked. Both fish we saw were on for maybe 5 seconds and we saw throw the bait while we trying to reel tight after the planer board tripped. Has anyone had a big problem hooking fish on boards because of all the slack that it can create?? Or maybe it was just a combination of bad luck, light hits, and the slack created from hooking fish on boards?
Hopefully the trolling bite will pick up!!
Anyone else had much luck??
Any sort of casting bite going on??

[Jimmy]

Don't change anything with your boards and how you are running your baits. What I do to battle those days that the fish are just nipping at the back hook is to run about a 2 inch wire extention from the rear eyelet on your cranks and attach your hook to that with a split ring. When they nip at the back of the crank they will get a mouth full of hook.

Also, change the "factory" hooks to 3/0 cone cut VMC.
Good Luck & thanks for the report on here ....

[Sean Landsman]

Buddy of mine was just down there the other day and caught a 39" on an XRap casting. He said natural colored crankbaits were the ticket, and they raised a bunch more in several coves on the south end. Like you, he also said the water was clear.

Thanks for the report EM. I will be down there on Mother's Day with my immediate family. Do a little boating, a little fishing, and spread some of the ashes of our late dog. She loved Shelbyville!