The end of September 2011

Ending the month of September doing evening trips on the water was extremely good for me and my clients. The evening trolling bite was absolutely the best bite of this season. In the 13 half day trips I made in September, 37 muskies were caught, two big smallmouth and three nice pike. The casting bite was slow to get going but now its picking up. I love this time of the season because of the options you have on the water. The trolling bite will still be good until the lake turns over in a week or two. Casting will get even better as October brings in the colder nights and muskies shallower. The sucker bite will also get very good in October. I am very excited about getting on the water and seeing more of these big fat muskies that have stayed out in the deep water all summer long. This year more than ever had the big muskies staying out in that deep water longer than usual. Part of this was because of the extremely high water temperatures most of the summer and the other factor was the amount of bait Pewaukee has this season. Huge schools of perch are all over the western half of the lake. Big schools of bluegills also made for some easy meals while they were suspended out in that open water during the heat of the summer.

Whatever the reason was that the bait and predator fish stayed deep most of the summer it's over now. Lots of those fish are now back on the flats and into the weeds. The muskies are very thick and fat already and feeding heavy to stack up some winter weight. This is by far the best time to be on the water looking for that big muskie, northern pike, smallmouth bass or walleye. Everything is in the eating mode now and it's the best time to fish. When the water gets into the low 50's the casting bite will slow down. Once the water temperatures get under 50 degrees it's all about suckers. Muskies just love suckers suspended close to them so they don't have to expend a lot of energy chasing food. The end of October is about the time the muskies start slowing down some due to there metabolism in the cold water. Smaller feeding windows will happen at this time. Also the best bite will be the warmest part of the day. So before we get to all this slowing down stuff and smaller feeding windows we should enjoy the prime fishing we have now at the start of October.

The last week of September was outstanding for action and bigger fish. The most recent trip I did was with Justin and his dad Rob. They are the owners of Vibrations Tackle Company and wanted to get out and stick some fish with me. I told them we should have good success if we trolled because every trolling trip in the last few weeks has been very good. They just wanted to catch some fish and also test some of their baits to see if they would catch fish trolling. I started off using the baits I have been catching fish on the last two weeks and as usual we started off quickly with a muskie in the first hour of fishing. Not a big muskie for Ron but it was a fast start to a great trip. After a quick release I got the rods set back up and we were back trolling. Before that hour was up Ron was into his second fish of the trip. This fish hit a crank bait trolled behind a planner board which was getting pulled under the water by the muskie. Justin and I laughed because we both new it was going to be a bigger fish. As I took the board off the line I could see that the fish was still deep and not ready to give up anytime soon. Ron did a great job working the muskie up and away from the motors. A text book fight ended with a text book net job and Ron was soon holding a 39-inch muskie for a picture. A nice release and we were back trolling for more action as the sun was setting into the trees. Rip, Rip, Rip goes the rod and Ron was into his third muskie of the trip. Justin and I just looked at each other and laughed as Ron enjoyed catching a 35 1/2-inch muskie that hit a short line trolled crank bait. Another picture, release and a round of high fives made this night a success already. Three muskies in three hours was not bad but we were not done yet. After dark one of the rods started to bend and drag started to scream out. Ron was quick to grab that rod before I could even turn around to see what rod it was. I loved to see Ron having a blast and grabbing the rods as they ripped out line. Now Ron was into another good fight because this fish stayed down also. After a fun battle the muskie was up to the top and ready for the Frabil. This was a stocky 38-incher to add to the list of muskie he caught. A couple quick pictures and a release made this another memorable catch. Now it's about quitting time and we were working our way back to the launch trolling a prime area. As luck would have it another muskie slammed one of our crank baits and Ron was all over the chance to score another muskie. This fish hit the deepest set crank that was quiet all night. A great fight with a awesome jump behind the boat made this a perfect ending to a extremely fun night of muskie fishing. Justin and I were so happy to watch his dad fight the biggest fish of the night into net range and I sealed the catch with a scoop of the Frabil. A round of high fives was in order before Rob got to hold up his 5th muskie of the trip. A picture with him holding a 41-inch muskie and his son by his side made the last fish special. I can't tell you how happy I was for Justin and Rob to be able to share a great night of muskie fishing together with me. I love my job for so many different reasons but seeing the faces of clients and being part of there memories is just something you cant explain. Thanks for letting me be part of it Justin and Ron!!!

Those of you who are looking to get out with a guide sometime this fall should get a date set up before it's too late. I have had to turn down over a dozen people in the last two weeks because all my available dates are already filled up. I can recommend a few guides that are putting fish in the boat if you would like. I don't want to post specific names on my site because some would be happy and others would wonder why they were not mentioned. I know the best guides and will be happy to share them with anyone looking to hire a guide yet this season. I can't accept any more clients this season. My guide schedule, full time job, bow hunting deer, gun hunting deer, and family obligations have all my available time slots filled in October and November. December is still muskie season but I will only set up fishing trips depending on the conditions. We still could be in the boat or maybe on the ice like last December. Last year lots of muskies were caught through the ice using large shiners and tip-ups in late December. This December we could still be sucker fishing in my boat or tip-ups on the ice. If your interested in late season muskie fishing or walleye fishing feel free to e-mail me and we can talk about our options.

So now get off the computer, get your stuff ready and get out and enjoy the great outdoors in a boat, in a tree, in a duck blind, or for a hike. October is by far the best month for being outdoors. Enjoy the colors and sounds of fall before it's over. God bless America and the freedom we have in our great country!!!

September 21st, 2011

September is the start of the fall feeding and by the numbers of fish that have came into my boat I would have to say it time to get on the water. In the last 10 half day trips my boat was on the water we stuck hooks into 31 muskies. That's a over a 3 fish a trip average and makes for great action. The big fish are now starting to show up more on the graph, in the net and following while casting. Its prime time to get in on the action. Beside the great average for September muskies we are catching lots of bonus fish like walleyes, smallmouth bass and nothern pike while trolling for muskies. Multiple patterns are all working most days, sometimes we have to find the hot patterns by switching up tactics and baits before we get into the action. That's all part of the game we play when we get out on the water each day or night. Remember it's called fishing not catching.

Water temperatures are now in the 68 to 70 degree range on most area lakes. The milfoil has started to drop some and the deep water coontail and cabbage is looking great. Both the western half and eastern half of Pewaukee lake is looking great for casting and trolling. I have worked the shallow eastern basin casting and trolling with success lately. Targeting the open areas and thick weed edges produces the most consistent action. Large bucktails like Llungen Dc9's and 10's worked great during dirty water or windy conditions. Suicks and Phantoms were my choices when the water was clear and wind was slow or calm. The western half of Pewaukee lake has so many options I could type all day. You got weed line casting and trolling, the flats that are full of deep water coontail that have tons of bait fish all over them. These areas are best to troll until you see where most of the action is, then cast those areas with bull dawgs, crank baits or large buck tails. Then you got the break lines and open water fish that can be caught trolling or casting. I have only got on the water about a dozen times this month so far due to a family trip up north, work schedule, deer stand prep work and Packer Game. What I can tell you is the action is very good if you get on the correct pattern and area. I see lots of people doing the same old casting or trolling runs this past two weeks. The lake has changed a lot over the last couple years and so has the patterns and areas. If you're not doing very well when you're out try and keep an open mind and experiment a little bit. I hear from lots of people that the lake is not what it used to be, just check on Lake-Link and read all the negative posts. I don't get into all of the internet sites and read all the stuff people are posting but I hear about it all the time from my clients and friends. MuskieFirst.com is the only site I like to keep up with. It's the largest internet muskie website in the world and I am proud to be a Pro Staff member of that website. Great people on that site to help everyone out, if you have never checked it out you should. They also have walleyeFirst.com, bassFirst.com, salmonFirst.com, whitetailFirst.com and more to come. Be part of the information highway, it will help you learn more about the sport you love.

Now for a couple fishing reports. I will start with Brian and his friends who fished with me on a 5pm to 10pm half day trip on the 7th of September. Brian and the boys wanted to get in on some trolling action after a long stressfully day at work. I set up the rods and working deeper water because the winds were clam and the sky was clear. The first fish ate a crank bait just before 6pm. It was not a big muskie, maybe low thirty's but a fast start to our trip. They decided to pass on a picture and I water released the muskie. I got the rods set back up and we were watching the graph to see what depth the bait and muskies were holding at as we trolled. After an hour I noticed a pattern developing in deeper water and I adjusted a few baits and depths to key in on the fish. It only took a half hour after that for us to score the next fish. This was a respectable 39-incher and Brian's friend was all over the chance to catch a good muskie. He had his hands full as this fish didn't want to come in very easy. After some boat side antics I got the Frabil under the fish to seal the catch. Two quick pictures and she was back in the water where she belongs. Now it was Brian's turn to catch a muskie. Being the great guy, he always goes last when he takes his friends out fishing with me. So now I am working hard to get Brian a good muskie for his patients and persistence. It took a about an hour and a half before a rod sounded off with a bunch of "RIP RIP RIPS" before Brian could get the to the rod. This fish stayed down deep all the way to the boat and kept the suspense going until she showed herself for a brief second and took a good run back down deep. After a great battle Brian had her under control and into net range for me to scoop her. I quickly unhooked the fish and let her rest while I got the camera ready. A fast picture to seal the memory forever and the 39 plus inch muskie was released to fight another battle and grow bigger each year. Good times had by all on this trip made it a perfect night to be on the water and a easy ride back to Chicago.

Since the World Champion Green Bay Packers played the next night I was off the water watching Americas Team start out the new season just where they left off, winning!!!!

Now it's Friday and I got the chance to fish with a good friend and tournament partner. Mark and I got out on Pewaukee Lake after a fish fry at Mugshots Sports Bar. We started out trolling so we could get a look at how the fish were set up. Using my Humminbird 1197SI we could see where the bait was and more important the predator fish. A couple adjustments and we were ready for action. The first reel started to sing out drag only 15 minutes after we adjusted the lines. A 32 inch muskie was soon being water released to grow up. The second muskie hit only ten minutes later and Mark was glad to catch a 35 1/2 inch muskie to start his night. After a quick water release Mark and I looked at each other a laughed at how fast the first two muskies hit. Two days before the full moon is my favorite time to be on the water or in the woods. This night is just another example of why I like this moon phase. Now we are just getting into prime time as the sun sets into the trees on the north shore. Rip, rip, rip goes another rod and I am into my second muskie of the evening. Another legal muskie gets water released quickly so we can keep the other rods in the water and keep trolling. By water releasing muskie without netting or touching them allows the fish to bolt off quickly and usually needs no extra attention. Of course we watch to make sure they swim back down quickly as we release them. This will not work in hot water as easy because they need to be watched and protected until they get back down under the surface. Now we got three muskies and it's just about dark and Mark is looking to get his second muskie. It was not long before another rod sounded off and Mark was all over the chance to fight another muskie. Another low thirty's muskie was water released and we were back hungry for more action. The next fish took a little longer to hit but I was not complaining because I knew we were not done yet. Another mid thirty's muskie crushed one of my crank baits trolled through a huge school of perch. This is what good fishing is like during a prime moon phase and good fishing weather. Before we ended the night Mark had another muskie hit a crank bait trolled just above the coontail weeds on a flat close to deep water. What a great night of muskie fishing. Mark and I had seven hits and stuck hooks into six muskie in 4 hours of fishing. It was hard to quit fishing that night after 4 hours but both of us were very tired and had to be up very early Saturday morning so we called it a night.

Now it's Saturday night and my clients are pumped to get out after talking to me at the launch. We quickly launched the Ranger and got out to the area we had so much luck the night before. The boys were patient as we trolled and watched the graph looking for bait and muskies. I wish it was as good as the night before but we only managed to catch two muskies Saturday night. It's always hard to repeat a great night because the fish are usually full from the night before. I think that and the calm water had something to do with the bite for Mike and the boys. We will get them next time Mike.

I got out a couple more times with success but nothing like that last week Friday. This Friday night the 16th of September I had Pete and Shawn up from Chicago for some muskie action. They wanted to troll, eat and drink a few beers after a long day at work. I got the rods set up and noticed good amounts of perch and blue gills suspended just off the break line. I made a few adjustments to my lines and trolled back through the bait working the lure through the schools of fish. Before the first hour was up we had the first fish hit a crank bait and Shawn was into his first Pewaukee muskie. This gave Shawn a good fight and stayed down deep all the way to the boat. After a few scary moments when the 39 1/2 inch muskie was under the boat and prop Shawn had the fish in net range and on the surface. A fast net job, unhooking, picture, and release made this catch and release text book. Shawn has a great picture to save the memory and some slime on his hands to keep the smell of muskie in the air. Now it's Pete who needs a muskie since he always gives his friends the first fish when we get out. Pete didn't have to wait long because his fish hit just a half hour after Shawn got to catch his. Now Pete is into his fish and it's staying down also. As it turns out Pete's muskie was just about the same size as Shawns. Two very solid muskies in the first hour and a half got me thinking about last weekends action. Pete got a quick picture and released his muskie so it can grow bigger each year. Shawn got a second muskie just after dark and chose to water release it since it was smaller than the first fish and no picture was needed. Pete was quick to score after that because we didn't get 100 yards after setting the lines back up. A mid thirty's muskie was quickly photographed and released and we were back looking for more. We did get another shorty before their half day trip was over, adding even more inches of muskie to the grand total. What a great night for Pete and Shawn. I had a great time also with those boys netting and taking pictures for them.

The next guide job was with Justin for his birthday on Pewaukee lake chasing muskies. We started out fishing deeper water due to the calm winds and clear sky's. We checked a few spots that usually held fish but they were not stacked up like normal. I moved out even deeper and worked west to the condo's area and started to locate more bait and predator fish. Justin got his first muskie of the trip just after locating these fish outside of the coontail weeds suspended. Not a big muskie but a start to a good night on the water for Justin's birthday present. After a quick photo we were back looking for more action. As it turned out we got the second muskie before I had the chance to get all the rods set back up. Now Justin was into his second muskie and possible his new personal best. Years ago I took Justin out and he got a 37 1/2 incher with me that trip, he now had a muskie that stayed down deep and I told him this fish might be his new personal best. After a very good fight the muskie was at the top of the water and into my net. A good clean 37 1/2 inch muskie was a welcome fish and still his personal best. We laughed about it and released his fish to grow bigger for the next person. Now we got all the lines cleaned and reset back up looking for more action. We worked that same area for another hour with no more action. I decided to keep looking for more active fish in another area and we moved on. The next fish was a giant smallmouth that crushed a crankbait trolled just off some deep water structure. This 21-inch smallmouth was extremely fat and put gave us some good arial displays when it jumped clear out of the water a few times. Justin got some great pictures of his 5 pound plus bass before letting it go for others to enjoy. It was not long before a rod started to sing out that sweet sound of drag and Justin was into another fish. This time it was a 32-inch northern pike that hit a shallow running prop wash crankbait. After a few fast pictures we released the pike to be caught by another lucky fishermen. That was all the action we had that night but I'm sure Justin had a great time on his birthday half day trip with Mike's Extreme Guide Service, I hope to see him again because he is one cool kid.

The nest day I had a gift certificate trip for Dave and Mary. It started out with great conditions but no action for over three hours. I worked multiple patterns and lots of different baits to no avail. Just as we were talking about how the fishing can be great one day and slow the next day a reel started to strip out drag and Mary was quick to get her hands on it. She had a blast bringing in her first muskie of the trip, Lori and Dave took pictures as she caught the fish, the money shot holding her muskie and the release. Very cool to see the excitement after a long wait for that first hit. I quickly got all rods set back up and we were excited to get another fish. It only took about 5 minutes and Lori was up to get herself a Pewaukee muskie. This fish was not as big as Mary's but a welcome sight. As it turned out we had a double hit and Mary got to reel another muskie in also. After the two fish were released I started reeling in the other two rods and something was on one of them. I handed Mary the rod and she was into her 3rd fish of the trip in just a half hour. This turned out to be a nice smallmouth bass that went about 4 pounds. How crazy was it to troll for over 4 hours without a hit and then catch 4 fish before the next hour was up, that's fishing. You never know when or how many fish you will catch on a fishing trip but you always must be confidant and pay attention to your electronics and conditions. I have to admit I was getting worried about a skunk that night even though my September average is over 3 muskie a half day trip plus the bonus fish like walleyes, northern pike and smallmouth bass.

It's now the mid September and the muskies are still moving in from the deep water. Look for the casting bite to be getting good real soon. Some quality fish are now showing up on the weed lines and open areas. With every cool night the water temperatures will be slowly dropping and more fish will be showing up shallow. Are you ready for the casting action? How about some great trolling? You better get in on it while you can, things change on the water quickly in the fall. Remember, water temps and weather controls the patterns and tactics. I would be glad to help any of you learn these fall tactics and patterns. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions. I hope everyone has a great fall. Please respect others on the water like you would like them to do to you. Handle the fish with care to protect our resource for years to come. Good luck everyone!!!