September 14, 2003
Fall fishing time is here, enjoy the good weather while you can. Soon the weather will not be as pleasant, cool nights and damp mornings are not too far off. Last weeks weather was just what you could ask for; some rain, clouds and wind helped the fish get active. Pewaukee lake has been consistent for muskie action, most of the fish have been in the mid to upper 30’s with a few over 40 being reported. Lots of the fish came from trollers but the casters are finding plenty of muskie action on the weed lines. The water temperatures are now dropping to the very low 70’s and the fish are moving shallower. Soon casting and dragging a sucker will be the go to pattern.
I got out Monday with my son after work for some quality time trolling. As we were setting up the rods a muskie grabbed one of the crank baits. Mike grabbed the rod and the fight was on. A 35-inch muskie was caught and released before we ever got all the rods set. This was the start of a very good night; we caught and released two more muskies. The second fish of the night was a 37-½ incher and the third muskie went 38 ½ inches. The only bad part of the outing was the bee sting my son got while fishing. I was pumped to get back out the next day after work, this time it took 3 hours to get a 36-inch muskie trolling. This is the time of year when both, trolling or casting could be hot. So far the trolling bite has produced more fish, but that will change very soon. It will not be long until the casting and sucker over the side of the boat method is the preferred pattern. This is a great one two punch, they follow the lure to the boat then eat the sucker. As soon as the water drops into the mid 60’s I will be doing just that.
With the falling water temps it’s time to start working the weed beds again. Early mornings and just before dark is top water time. Fish will start to get very active at this time. Jerk baits, bucktails, spinner baits, and crank baits should work for you all day. Try to work a bait on top of the weeds and one along the weed edges if you are fishing with a partner. Well it’s off to Madison for the Professional Muskie Tournament Trail’s last Qualifier for me and my partner.
Madison lakes produced big numbers of fish in the tournament. Actually it set an all time record for fish produce. 68 fish were registered during tournament hours, something like 18 or 19 were bigger than 40-inches. I caught a 38 ¼ the first day, got a 44-inch and a 36-inch the second day. What a weekend, we ended up taking 2nd place and catching the biggest fish on Sunday. The winning pattern at Madison was casting top water baits over rocks and weeds. We worked the weed edges with spinner baits and Suicks to catch our fish. Most of the fish were just outside the thick weeds hanging over the scattered weeds. Weighted Suicks produced most of the action. Next it’s off to Cass Lake for the PMTT championship in October.
Fishing is just going to get better as the fish start to fatten up for the winter. Fall is big fish time, don’t let the opportunities slip away. Get out and enjoy one of Southeastern Wisconsin's best muskie lakes. The pleasure boaters have now started to put the boats away for the winter. The sailboat races are just about done for the year. Jet skies and wave runners are now wear they belong, in a garage. Fishermen now outnumber the recreational boaters. This is the time of year I love. Get in on the action before it’s too late. If you were thinking about booking an outing do it now, the dates are almost filled up. I have a few open dates left, lets go catch some muskies. Good luck to all and I will see you on the water!!!
September 7, 2003
September is here already and along with the fall months will come the bigger fish. This is the time of year when you launch your boat, drive out and wonder if you should troll or cast. This is the question that will be asked by most of the trollers who have been working the deeper waters of area lakes for the mighty muskie. The days are getting shorter, the water is cooling off each night and the fish should be getting into the fall feeding pattern. This all adds up to great muskie fishing.
The casting bite is getting better each week, trolling is still producing some good numbers of fish for those who put their time in. This past week fair amounts of people were casting the weeds with some success. The boats trolling has decreased some due to the casting bite picking up.
Monday my son wanted to go fishing and I was happy to take him. I decided to troll because it has been the hot pattern. We worked the Rocky Point area looking for baitfish and came across a hungry muskie in the first hour of trolling. Mikey was quick to grab his rod and work the 38-incher to the boat, after a quick picture we released the fish to fight again. The baitfish was stacked up in that area so we kept working it. About an hour went by and the second fish was on, this time it was on my side of the boat. The muskie taped out at 37-inches and was released. Both fish were caught between 6pm and dark.
Tuesday I had the day off so what better way to start the day than go fishing. I caught a 36-inch muskie trolling after casting two hours with no action. Later that day I worked some of the weed lines in the Narrows. My PMTT partner Dan and I worked over the weeds and along the outside of the weed line with crank baits, jerk baits and top water. Most of the action came from the outer edges of the weeds; we put two muskies in the boat and raised 4 others. I got out Wednesday and Friday for 4 hour each night. We caught one muskie each evening trolling, both fish came as the sun dropped behind the trees.
The walleyes have started to get more active this past week. A 24-incher was caught off the North shore along with an 18-inch. Both fish were caught trolling small crank baits over deep water. The walleyes were suspended and hanging around the bluegill and crappie schools. I did catch one walleye this past week trolling for muskies. The bass have started to move back into the weeds. This is the first week in three months that I have not caught a bass trolling. The people looking for some action from the pan fish will not have to look long. Multiple boats on the North shore and West End and Rocky Point have been catching fish after fish. I see them every day as I troll and cast the areas holding the baitfish.
Sunday was a Lake Michigan meat run down to the Port of Milwaukee. The fish are still holding in the 60 to 90 ft of water east and North of the main gap. We got out just before daybreak and started in 60 ft of water with Moon Glow Pro King spoons set 30 to 55 ft down. It was not long before a downrigger tripped and the drag started to scream. A nice 3-year-old King was the first fish boated with lots more to come. We finished the day with 18 hits and 14 fish boated. Three Cohos, an 11# Rainbow Trout and a 10# Brown Trout and a pile of 3 year old Kings filled the coolers. Most of the fish were taken off the downriggers. We set one at 55 and the other one at 50, we also used stackers on each down rigger spaced 15 feet above the ball. That way we had spoons at 40 and 55 on one and 35 and 50 on the other down rigger.
We also ran dipsey divers (set on 3)back 80 to 125ft, this would give us 30 to 40 ft on those rods. The 90 to 100 worked the best with green/moon glow spoons. I worked the GPS speed between 2.5 and 2.9, we had better action the faster we trolled. Start out slow early then speed it up later in the morning if things get slow. The 4-year-old Kings are staging in the harbor with many more coming in very soon. Lake Michigan can be very nasty at times, if you take your own boat as we did you must follow the rules set by the coast guard. Big water can get dangerous, respect it and be careful.
With the fishing getting better, now is the time to plan your fishing trips. There is only a few months left of muskie fishing. Of those months yard work, football games, deer hunting, duck hunting, and the list goes on. It’s a full schedule for the avid outdoors person. Get in on the action, make the call, get out and enjoy the this falls fishing before its over. Fall is trophy time, book the good dates while you can. Good luck to all and I will see you on the water!!!