September, 2009

It is now the last day of September and the muskie fishing is rocking. The last two weeks were extremely good for casting. It's been a few weeks since I have trolled but I am sure that pattern is ready to produce some big fish. I will be doing some of that this week with my clients on the 5pm till 10pm trips. We cast until dark and then troll after dark. This is a great way to experience the excitement of casting and trolling. Casting after dark is not for everyone. It takes concentration and confidence because most of the follows you will not see until they crush the bait at the boat. This is not for the weak at heart but it's perfect for people who would like to feel a rush like no other. Hooking a big muskie with two feet of line out in the dark is something I can't explain. All I know is I never can get enough of it, either can most of my regulars that have been coming back every year in the fall to chase that experience again.

The water temperatures were in the 70's most of September until the cold snap this past weekend. 30 to 40mph wind gusts with 25 to 25mph winds stirred up the lake and dropped the water temperatures to 60 degrees in two days. Now we all like to see a steady drop in the water temps but 10 degrees is extreme. The good news is the fish handled it well and are still active. Some of the patterns that were so good like Lungen DC9's and 10's have slowed a bit. Look for the Suicks, gliders, Slammers and slow top waters like Creepers and Hawg Wobblers to get very good. Also do not forget to hang a sucker or two over the side of the boat, this is sucker time again. Thursday was the first time I used them this year and it was only a little over an hour before one got eaten by a mid thirty's.

One other thing you will notice it the lack of weeds where they have always been. I have seen big weed beds go from 4 foot tall to flat in just over a month. Lots of zebra mussels have been attaching them selves to the weeds more than ever this year. I can't help but think that as this zebra mussel infestation get's worse the weeds in Pewaukee lake will become less and less in the shallow 3 to 12 foot range. I have noticed a far better coontail weed in the 11 to 14ft range than ever before. Pond weed is also showing up in big piles. One kind is in the 4 to 6ft of water and the other is in the 7 to 8foot range. The perch and gills are using this weed piles to hide. The muskies are holding close to these piles because of the food holding in them. I have caught 12 of the 17 muskies last week from these areas. If you can locate them work the whole area around them, they are fish magnets lately as the milfoil drops. I can see already what is going to happen in the next few years on Pewaukee lake. Lots of changes on the way. Some are good(better quality weeds-less milfoil) and others will not be so good(less weed cover and more zebra mussels). Either way we can't stop the changes, we just have to adapt to them and find new and better patterns that will produce for us while we are on the water. I already have two developing patterns that are going to out produce some of my old regular patterns. I always welcome change, it just makes fishing more interesting. Learning the new patterns first will put you on more and bigger fish while others are still struggling to catch fish using the old patterns. The coontail, cabbage, spiny hornwort, pond weeds and other grass weeds are going to take the place of a lot of milfoil as the zebra mussels clear up the water. Like it or not change is happening, it's not reversible. I am working with the Pewaukee Lake Sanitary District to identify these new weeds and document where they are growing. In the next couple years Pewaukee Lake will be very different from the milfoil infested lake it always has been. Is it from all the chemicals lake residents paid to get dumped in front of their houses, is it the zebra mussels, or is it the lake cycle and the combination of the poison and mussels? Either way change is on the way, it's already very evident on the lake as of today. I hope I have not bored anyone but I thought most would like to know what's going on with all the weeds. You will see what I mean when you get out to your favorite weed bed, look around for the outer edge and can't even find the weeds.

I am looking back at all the fish that were boated the month of September and I don't know where to start. I can't go through the whole month of story's so I will just pick a few of them from the first few weeks and get into the good ones in the last few weeks. The first half of the month was just ok. A fish or two was the average but some days were hard to even catch a fish then a day or two were outstanding. Just enough to keep everyone looking for that hot day, that feeding window we all know can happen if we hit it just rite. The first half of the month I was also working on my land and house up north so I didn't get out that much, I know what the second half was going to be like when the water started to cool off so I needed to get that out of the way.

The 4th of Sept was one of those tough days. PJ was looking for some muskie action but the bite was very slow. We worked in shallow and deep but all we could manage was a nice 23-inch walleye. Brandon and his client came out between my up north weekend trips and had some action casting Lungen DC9's before dark. They had multiple fish following but they could not get them to strike. After dark we set up the trolling rods and worked the weed edges and flats looking for a hungry muskie. After a hour we connected with a nice three foot long muskie that ate a Depth Raider. We worked multiple areas that were holding muskies and lots of bait but that was all we could get to hit. The next time I had the chance to get out I went with a friend to experiment a few other patterns. This trip was outstanding because I caught 5 muskie and had a few other rips trolling that night. They were 39, 36, 32, 34, 31 and all but one hit after dark. The next night I was back out working a different part of the lake with that same pattern but only managed to get a 38-incher. Two days later I had a client named Kevin who I needed to get some fish for. I was excited to get him in my boat and on the hot pattern. We only managed a 32-incher casting and not a fish trolling that night. Grrrr, the ups and downs of muskie fishing!!! The next night I was out with Tim and his father in law. I had both of them in the front of my boat casting the weeds and I was in the back making sure all the area got covered. On the first drift we had multiple fish up chasing our baits and I caught 3 from the back of the boat. Crazy how the fish can be that way some days. Most of the time the first lure through an area will get the fish. The fish we got casting that afternoon ate the DC9 buck tails and a Headbanger top water bait. We did get more action that night trolling also. A 40, 38.5, 36.5 and a 33 were the sizes we put in the boat during that 5 hour trip. The bucktail bite was on and the water temperature was in the low 70's.

The next two night were also productive with at least one muskie per night over 37-inches. Wednesday the 23rd was Ryan and Justin's turn to get back out with me. Justin is Ryan's autistic son and loves to fish but with his handicap it's hard for him to cast. Ryan and I both worked hard casting our lures and Justin's lure between our casts. I was lucky enough to hook a three footer at the boat but it got off before I could get the rod into Justin's hands. A short time later another muskie hit my DC9 way out on the cast but still no fish for Justin. By now Ryan and I were working hard to get a fish hooked up for Justin to reel in. We had multiple follows and hits but still no fish. Then a 38-incher crushed my DC9 at the boat while we all were watching the follow change to a strike after a burst of speed out of the turn. Now Justin was super excited to get his hands on this rod and catch this fish. What a cool experience helping Justin catch his biggest muskie. After a good battle and some intense boat side jumps and runs Justin got his muskie in the net. WOW was he excited to get his hands on this fish for a picture. He was all for letting it go to grow up so he can catch it another day. Later that night Justin got to catch his second muskie trolling after dark. What a cool kid and a love for fishing with his dad. I got to give Ryan a lot of credit for all the hard work he has put into raising his autistic sons and to take the time to get Justin out fishing. He is one great dad for thinking of his kids first.

The next night I had a cancellation so I went out for some muskie action myself. I worked a spot I have not fished for a few weeks because it's not big enough for a full boat of people casting. I worked this small weed patch and plucked two muskies using the Lungen DC9's. Now it's Friday night and my job is to take out the Callies sons. They got an early Christmas present from their mom and dad who they gave a gift anniversary present to last month. Mike Callies is also my son's teacher so I need to get him some fish for sure. I started the boys out on my hot spot casting the Lungen Tails and some top water. Mark was the hot stick in the front of the boat with three muskies following his bait to the boat. Mike was the first to score and he did it at the boat with a perfect boat side oval. Now Mark had the hot stick but Mike was first to catch one so the brother competition was getting rolling between the two older brothers. Ten minutes later Mike scores again, this time it was out from the boat so I had time to get the net ready. After some boat side antics I scooped Mike's second muskie into the net for a quick picture. After releasing the muskie I kept the boat in that hot area slowly drifting along some huge pond weed piles way out from shore. I have them all marked on my GPS so it's easy to keep a drift close to them but not into them. "Fish On" I hear as Mike set the hooks into his third Pewaukee Lake muskie. How sweet it is to see a guy triple up between two of his brothers. Now we got some smack talk going on at this point but the little brother Rick who is stuck in the back is still fish less. I assured Rick that the back is not all that bad. I tripled up just earlier that week with the same lure he was using from the back of the boat. So it's a bunch of follows and three muskies for Mike. I usually start to troll after dark but they assured me they could do fine casting. I explained to them casting after dark can produce some big fish but trolling will usually get more numbers. They opted for the casting to try and score a big fish. I took them to my top 5 spots and Mark came up with the big fish of the night. I had a blast guiding these guys and listening to all the smack talk going on while they fished. Congratulations on a three fish night Mike and kudos to Mark for catching a 40-inch plus muskie to get big fish of the night.

The next night I was out with Rich and Todd for more muskie action. We fished Saturday afternoon and had fish going on the first drift we made. All in all Rich caught two muskies, Todd had his chances and so did I from the back of the boat. Sunday the 27th was a perfect muskie day but they were picky. A mid day wind switch didn't help us much but Geoff and Darrell kept at it until they got the window they were looking for. Darrell got to catch two muskies casting the DC9's over some of the remaining weeds in the area we were working. Nice job Darrell on the mid thirty's and forty plus inch muskie you got on a very strange weather day. We had all kinds of changing conditions all day long but persistence always pays off during the slow days on the water. I have to admit Geoff and Darrell never lost the drive it takes to score a fish on a slow day. Congratulations to them for sticking it out until they scored. This was the last of the Septermber trips but October is starting off in a big way.

I will add a couple of pictures to show you what the first few days of October has been like for my clients. Pete and Richie came up from IL to get in on some muskie action on the 1st of October. They started out casting while I rigged up the first suckers of the season. They casted all the sweet spots as I kept them over the scattered pond weeds that were loaded with blue gills and perch. They had multiple follows but no hits. Soon a sucker got ate and Pete was quick to grab the rod and hammer the hooks home. I short time later Pete stuck one casting before the end of the outing. They had a long ride back to home in IL so they called it well before dark. I slid back out to catch the last hour working a few new spots. A nice 39-incher was hungry enough to smash a sucker after following a glide bait to my boat. The next night I had a gift certificate trip to Jerry, he just retired and this was his present. I had Jerry, Steve and Ryan out for this outing on Friday night. Jerry started out the night with a muskie hitting a sucker soaking just over the side of the boat. Steve was the second to grab a rod and get in on the action, he got his muskie just after dark. Ryan had the big fish of the night and it's only fair because he was the last to grab a rod. Three muskies in 5 hours was not a bad night in anyone's book. I wish some of the fish that were following before dark would have hit, that would have made it a huge night. Saturday morning came very fast after a late night on the water with Jerry and the boys. I launched the boat as the morning light was just cracking, drove over to Eric's house to pick him up along with his son and two brothers. We started out in my hot spots and had a fish hit a Manta glide bait within the first half hour of casting. I watched the fish tail dance with only two feet of line out since it hit at the boat. By the time I grabbed the net at my feet and lunged to the front of the boat the fish was off. It's hard to get a good hook set sometimes when the fish hits and scares the crap out of you, LOL. A few more follows and I suggested to go over to another spot that is also loaded up with muskies. I set out the sucker rods and my clients got back to work casting again. Multiple follows finally gave way to a 40-inch muskie that smashed a sucker hanging over the side of the boat. Randy was quick to grab the rod and set the hooks hard to make sure the fish could not shake off. This fish took off under the boat and gave Randy all he could handle to get it back out from under the boat. A wild fight ended when Randy got the fish to the boat close enough for me to scoop her into the waiting Frabil. Randy was quite excited with his personal best muskie and I could tell. After a few good pictures we released the fish so it could be caught again. Now the boys were all pumped and they got back to work casting various lures looking for that next hit. I explained that we were now in the middle of a prime time major and chance of another fish were very good. I watched a huge muskie come up and crush a sucker at my feet ten minutes after we released the last one. I grabbed the rod and handed it off to Jim. He set the hooks into this brute and the fight was on. I saw how big she was but didn't want to mention it and get Jim too excited. I knew he had his hands full with this fish. This was a good fish I told them as everyone was waiting to see the fish as she was getting close to the boat again. Finally the muskie came up and we all got a good look at her before she took off again. After a good hard battle I got the net under her and we all exchanged high fives to celebrate a great catch. A few quick quality pictures were taken and Jim let his trophy muskie go to battle someone else another day. What a cool morning for Eric and his visiting brothers Jim and Randy from PA. I bet they will remember this morning for years to come. I know Eric's young son will because he learned to cast and what it takes to get a muskie.

Well that's all I have for now. I hope your dreams will come true next time you hit the water looking for that special day. My guide job dates are down to 5 more open dates left for this season. If your looking to get out please call or e-mail me asap to get a date set.

If you have never been out with Mike's Extreme Guide Service please look through some of the past "REPORTS" that go back through the years and check out my "TESTIMONIALS" link to see what my clients have to say about their experiences with my service. I have added a few testimonials from the last 4 years for you to see. If you have been out with me and would like to add one please feel free to send me an e-mail. I will be glad to add it to the list. Good luck to all of you this October and November. I hope to see you on the water