May 21st, 2007
How time flies when the fishing season starts. Here it is the third week of May, and I am just now getting time to type up this report on Pewaukee Lake. So much has happened since my first May report. The Pewaukee Classic was a great time, and I ended up getting a 3rd place trophy for my 39-inch muskie I caught while fishing with my friend Mike Phelps.
Mike and I started out fishing the wind blown North shore in the narrows because that shoreline was getting pounded by wind for a few days and the fish were stacked up. Mike and I worked jerk baits, twitch baits and glide baits to see what would trigger a strike. The Suick was the first lure to draw a strike but that 40-incher got lucky enough to not get hooked. Mike was now pumped to get more action and continued to work his Suick. I switched to a Suick I had that was hot a few days earlier. Within an hour, I had a very respectable 39-incher hooked. I looked for the closest boat in the tourny and got them to confirm the length. That was the only legal fish we caught that day, but it was a fun day on the water and for a great cause. Six fish were caught that day by 80 some people that signed up. A 40 took 1st, a 39 1/2 took 2nd, and my 39 took 3rd place. After a good meal, everyone got door prizes and the lucky winners of the raffles got to go home super happy.
Muskie fishing from that second weekend up to this past weekend was just OK. Most of the fish caught were smaller male fish with some larger female muskies showing up just to follow lures to the boat and turn off. The Wisconsin Muskie Tour(WMT) came to Pewaukee Lake the 19th of May, and 22 fish were caught and released by 150 muskie fishermen. 75 teams hit the water Saturday morning for 10 hours of fishing. 4 teams got 2 muskies and 14 other teams caught one muskie. I fished it with a friend from work, and we had plenty of chances to catch some quality muskies but we never got to register any fish for a number of reasons. My partner and I had fish going on glide baits and twitch baits. Slammers and Undertakers to be exact. The winners caught their fish on Bull Dawgs. Actually, over half of the fish were caught ripping Bull Dawgs over open water or over the top of the weeds. I talked to plenty of the fishermen after the tourny and multiple patterns were showing fish but ripping the Dawgs triggered the fish into striking. The largest fish was a 46.5 incher, and that fish hit a plastic lure too. All in all a very good tourny on Pewaukee Lake. The weather was perfect and the fish were getting ready to start eating again as the effects of the spawn wear off.
I had a guide outing the day after the WMT tourny, and we made the best out of the conditions we had. With all the pressure of the tourny and the severe cold front that set in that night, I told my clients that it was going to be very tough and we were going to have to work hard to find an active fish and then get it to eat a bait. I fished with Scott Allen and his dad Jack that morning because Joy Allen, Scott's mom gave him a gift certificate to go muskie fishing. We started out fishing around 7am and didn't see a fish by noon, what a slow post-cold front morning. After lunch we decided to work the warmest water we could find and stick to it for the remainder of the outing. After a few lure changes, Scott got a small muskie to eat a Suick. I gave Jack my favorite Slammer twitch bait to work and showed him the best way to work it. After the first run through that area I was encouraged by the warming water temps and the sun starting to peak through the clouds.
Jack was getting tired but kept with it. Then it all came together for us with a few broken words and grunts from Jack as he set the hooks into his first muskie on his first day of muskie fishing. Now this fish was no ordinary muskie from what I could see as I hurried up to the front of the boat to remove the trolling motor and get the net ready. I was happy to see a huge fish on the other end of my clients rod. This huge muskie was exactly what us muskie fishermen fish for each and every day we set out to catch our dream fish. Not only was Jack battling his first muskie on his first muskie trip, but it was a fish of a lifetime for most muskie fishermen. Scott asked if he could net his dad's fish, and I was happy to watch knowing that Scott is a veteran muskie angler. Jack battled the huge fish like a champ with Scott netting the fish as soon as it got close enough to put the net under her. Jack has now caught a 49-inch muskie on his first time out muskie fishing. After a few quality pictures, he released the fish to make someones elses outing a trip they will remember forever. I explained to Jack just how rare it is to catch a muskie over the four foot mark. A fifty is the standard rule of a true trophy but any muskie that gets into the mid to upper 40's is a trophy in my opinion.
Look for this coming Memorial Day weekend to be the start of the good fishing. Water temps are getting back up into the mid 60s, and the fish will start to get more active. With the fishing just getting better and lots of clients waiting to get out, I will try to keep a Pewaukee Lake report going for those who are wondering what is working and what the water temps are in the area. Look for the bucktail bite to get rocking and the top water bite to start soon. Most of the fish that have been caught in my boat are the smaller males and some upper 30's fish. Jack's 49-incher is the largest so far, and more magnum fish will visit my boat this season. If you're thinking about getting a date booked for this summer or fall I would strongly suggest dropping me a call or e-mail so we can get you hooked up. Lets get out fishing. I would be glad to put you on the hot bite, proven patterns or show you all the hot spots. It's time for you to experience Mike's Extreme Guide Service.
The 2007 Season Opener
Light rain, slight East wind and very few boat out was how I entered the 2007 season. "This is going to be a great day on the water" I told my brother Greg as we motored away from Smokey's Muskie Shops launch. How things changed in the first hour on the water. The wind started to kick up and blew all weekend.
We started out on Rocky Point working the shallows for muskie with suckers, glide baits and twitch baits. We worked the best spot with no action so I decided to make a change to another spot that always gave up a fish on the opener. This time we were on fish as soon as we got set up. I had a good fish chase a perch Baby Wabull all the way to the boat and then turn off as I went into the figure 8. Seconds later the sucker rod was shaking and the sucker came to the top of the water with the muskie hot after it, but still no strike. This was what we had going most of the day. Almost all the spots we worked we raised some fish or had them chase the suckers around for a while.
I decided to change up my strategies and work some more wind blown structure. This was not going to be easy with how strong the wind was and running suckers while casting. The call was a good one because I had a mid 40s muskie eat that perch colored Baby Wabull about 10ft from a wind blown shoreline. She was a big strong fish and came out of the water as soon as she could. I did everything I could to keep her head in the water, keep the boat off the rocks and still catch the fish. You can guess what happened next, straight up out of the water and tosses my bait back at me. Now that hurt, actually still hurts as I remember it as I type this. Long story short we raised 12 fish, lost one, and missed a couple more. Most of the action came on a glide bait or a twitch bait.
Water temps are in the low to mid 50s depending on which end of the lake you're on. The East end is always a little bit warmer because it's shallower. My brother Greg and I finished up our day early whipped by the wind and fish. This was the first opening day I didn't score a fish in so many years I can't remember, but that's fishing. That's what makes the good days so good. The night ended with a group of us washing down a few beverages as we exchanged stories of the fish we raised, caught or lost.
Sunday was much better for my daughter Krystina and myself. We got out on the water about 2pm for some family quality time. She started out casting a small bucktail and I worked a Slammer and Jake twitch bait. We also set out a couple suckers on quick-strike rigs for the fish that follow but will not hit. The action started as soon as we got out. I had a mid thirty's muskie take a swipe at my bait but missed it. Now I am getting a little bit pissed because I have not scored a muskie yet. The next follow solved that problem with a violent hit at boat side. A scrappy low thirties fish was a welcome site to feel after a long day fighting the wind yesterday.
The next fish was Kristina's to catch as it hit her bucktail but it got off before she got it to the boat. Now the fish were going and we're having some fun. We worked some more shallow spawning areas with consistent action from smaller male muskies. "Whoosh" we hear just behind the boat, a 36-incher decided to eat one of the suckers that I had trailing behind us. I quickly gave the rod to my daughter, she set the hooks hard and the fight was on. After an enjoyable battle the muskie was released to grow up to fight another fight. Ryan had a few follows and I had some more action in the back of the boat as we casted our way back to the launch. Not a bad afternoon on Pewaukee Lake, two fish caught two lost and 13 follows.
So if your one of the lucky ones who scored a fish or two on the opener I congratulate you on your success. If your one of those who got skunked like me on the first day, your time will come soon enough. Learning the patterns and spots is only half the battle, getting them to open their mouth and eat the bait is the other half. Muskie fishing is hard enough to get them to follow, getting them to eat takes luck and some triggering moves. I have a bunch of tips and tricks that will usually get them to trigger. With the water temps in the low 50s, it's hard to get them fired up unless they are very hungry. As I type this up, it's hot and humid outside and the water temps are getting warmer. Looks like a great weekend is ahead of us. My clients this week should see an increase in the attitude of the fish we contact.
The Milwaukee Chapter of Muskies Inc annual "Pewaukee Lake Classic" will be held this Saturday (May 12th). If you're going to be able to fish this weekend I would strongly suggest getting into this fund raiser. You can call Smokey's Muskie Shop for more details, call me or show up at the 6am sign up at West Park. This event is family orientated and has a dinner, raffle, door prizes for everyone and trophies for the winners.
Look for more Pewaukee Lake reports to follow soon. I will try to get two a month up on the website to show recent client fish pictures and some others that were caught out of my boat. May and June are filling up fast. July is almost completely booked already with people looking to get out trolling. If you're thinking about shortening the learning curve of muskie fishing I would be glad to help you in any way I can. Please take some time to look around my website and see what's been released in the past years for you to catch. Catch and release works, just look at all the big fish being released and getting to the magic 50-inch range. Will one be yours to hold this season? I sure hope so. Good luck to all this season!!!