Ok....so I'm not sure if I got spoiled by early June, or if I'm doing something wrong. In the early part of the month, we were going out, running lures about 8 feet down, and banging out 4-5 fish every trip. Nothing huge, but still fun.
The past few weeks, I'm running everything 10-15 down, trolling the edges of humps and flats, and averaging 1 fish per trip.....but, these fish have all been in the 40+ range.
I'm running Tuff's down about 10 feet on my out/long rods, and Jakes around 13-14 feet on my down rods. Trolling around 4MPH.
What am I doing wrong? Or is this to be expected this time of year?
Ok....so I'm not sure if I got spoiled by early June, or if I'm doing something wrong. In the early part of the month, we were going out, running lures about 8 feet down, and banging out 4-5 fish every trip. Nothing huge, but still fun.
The past few weeks, I'm running everything 10-15 down, trolling the edges of humps and flats, and averaging 1 fish per trip.....but, these fish have all been in the 40+ range.
I'm running Tuff's down about 10 feet on my out/long rods, and Jakes around 13-14 feet on my down rods. Trolling around 4MPH.
What am I doing wrong? Or is this to be expected this time of year?
LOL and yea one fish a trip sounds good to me muskie fishing...... Ive heard before that trolling i think just above the thermocline is usually good for muskie. Im sure the thermocline should be setting up soon in most lakes that develop one. Im more familiar with central ohio lakes not sure were your fishing... I also imagine you can find them in the THICKEST vegitation you can find...
Use the forums as a tool and go back and look for summer time muskie reports. Theres LOTS of them. Keep at it just because its hot they still have to eat...
Actually in this hot weather if i were to fish for anything i think it would be muskie. LOL just cause you can troll fast for them and create ur own breese to cool ya down.
Thanks for the advice....I guess I just got spoiled going out in early June and boating 4-5 a trip. They were smaller though..in the 20's and 30's. What I've caught this week has blown my mind..and I lost an absolute pig tonight. Never had a fish run drag like this...I thought I had a snag until it launched out of the water. Having flirted with the 50 inch mark twice, I can tell you there is probably a 55+ in West Branch...swimming with my 20 dollar lure in his mouth tonight.
How do you know where the thermocline is? I've heard it will show up on a fish finder, but I'm not seeing it. I'm trying to run my lines between 10 and 15 feet down.
Water temps are in the 80's right now...making sure to get this fish back down as fast as we can, and not play them out too much. Seems to be working so far as all fish have swam away on their own...after a bit of work.
On another muskie site, a few guys posted pics of floaters at West Branch. One was 43", one 41", and another was 46" all dead. Its hard to say if they may have been poor releases or the temps, but 80 degrees is HOT for these fish. If you are seeing that it takes some serious effort to get the fish to swim away, they may not make it. It's delayed mortality for the fish, as they will swim away, but eventually go belly up. Be safe out there and take extra caution if you are going to fish in 80 degree temps. I love muskie fishing but hang it up past 80, a picture is not worth me killing a nice one!
I've been seeing more floaters out there lately as well, and I'm hoping none of them are mine. A guy in MN told me that after working them in the water, try pushing them straight down/vertically...tried it a few times, and they take off when they hit that colder water.
There was only 1 fish I was worried about a few days ago...I just removed the net to work him in the water a bit, and he just took off..fast....stayed near the top for a few minutes, but I couldn't get to it again..then he dove. So, hoping all turned out well for him.
I'll definitely think about hanging it up for a bit...I'm worried that the WB water level is going to drop so far that fall fishing is going to get shut down.
Any advice on a safe/good release is welcome. I've read quite a bit on it, but always looking for ways to do it better. I'm not into killing these fish at all, for any reason.
Dude I can't believe you are fishing for muskie in the summer. What are you thinking????? "They take alot of effort to get them revived but they always swim away." I am sure your fish are floating on the top dead. Its hard for muskies in KY and OH to reproduce naturally. I know in KY they cannot reproduce naturaly. We need to take care of our fish. What is your justification for fishing for muskie in the summer, not to mention the hottest summer we have had in many years?
Me? Cause its something i enjoy to do,and the dnr feels its ok for me to do considering they allow me to fish them when the water is above 80.... Actually i dont really fish for them that much at all but wouldnt let warm water stop me from fishing them. And when i acidently catch one i dont feel bad it decided to hit my plug. If I know a fish I caught wasnt going to make it I will keep and attempt to eat it or give it to someone i know will eat it. If one dies on me after i think it made it im very sorry it happened but am not gonna stop fishing because of it.
Muskiewolverine, Usually in our graph you will see a solid line of fish at one certain depth.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><<><><><><><><><><><><>
Almost as solid as above
Last edited by Saugeyefisher; 07-08-2012 at 05:41 PM.
1. Please point me to a reliable source/website that says you should not fish for muskie in the summer. Every guide I've talked to said that this can be some of the best fishing of the year, as long as you are careful, and get the fish released as fast and as safe as possible. I'd much prefer to do all of my fishing when the water is cool...I don't have that option. I get on the lake as often as I can, and the summer is when I can get out the most.
2. You have really no idea how I handle fish...nor the 20 other muskie fisherman out on the lake every night. If it's looking whipped when I get it in, it doesn't come out of the water. Period. The only reason I even take one out is if it's worth a pic. I have yet to release a belly up fish, and I have yet to release a fish that hasn't swam away with a good amount of energy and under it's own power. (save for one a few nights ago that was hopelessly tangled up....it took about 5 minutes to get him going) Trust me, I'm careful, and I'm always asking pros at how they do it. We get the fish out swimming as fast as possible.
3. I don't feel I need to justify anything. I can respect your opinion, but I also respect the opinion of some other very serious muskie fishermen. If it was a major concern, we'd have a season like other states. We don't. If we had waters that stayed in the 70's all summer it would be great. We don't. Don't act like I'm out spearing sturgeon and clubbing seals, or throwing muskie into the bottom of my boat every chance I get.
4. Is there a chance I've killed one or two fish this summer? Of course. Same can be said for you when you fish, no matter what time of year. I also killed an owl when it flew into the front of my car 10 years ago, but that doesn't keep me from driving at night. The worst condition I ever released a fish was a 25 inch late last fall, when it was about 50 degrees outside. I had no idea what I was doing, and I can tell you that fish probably didn't make it. That bothered me, and I make damned sure to try my best not to do it again. If all these fish are dead, as you say, then the lake would be full of floating fish. I've seen three in the past month, one of which had half of it's head wiped out by a prop.
1. Please point me to a reliable source/website that says you should not fish for muskie in the summer. Every guide I've talked to said that this can be some of the best fishing of the year, as long as you are careful, and get the fish released as fast and as safe as possible. I'd much prefer to do all of my fishing when the water is cool...I don't have that option. I get on the lake as often as I can, and the summer is when I can get out the most.
You said that you saw a bunch of floaters. I would think that would be your reliable source as to why it is a bad idea to fish for musky with the water temps this high. Not saying that those are your fish floating but why take the chance? Plus the majority of guides that are making money to fish are never going to say it is too hot to fish.
__________________
Lost: Other OGF's posters balls if found please return to them immediately. You guys know who you are.
I'm waiting for the boycott and picket signs at all the Ohio Muskie Trail tournaments.
Funny thing you say that because everyone seems to have a problem with this event but not a muskies inc. event or Ohio husky musky club event that holds them this time of year that's been goin on for years and years so why should I be reprimanded and asked to cancel my event and not these other tournaments?? Ive received nasty phone calls and everything?!? All the fish were caught Saturday and not one died no floaters on Sunday what's the problem?
Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine
I don't think you should be singled out. And I don't know if some of the water temps in years past were as high as this year. But I am sure a few years had to be pretty close. I don't think that anyone can guarentee that every fish caught over the weekend survived though. But either way no one is ever going to agree on this topic.
__________________
Lost: Other OGF's posters balls if found please return to them immediately. You guys know who you are.
I would say that 99% of what I read, tournaments held, etc., all seem to point to summer fishing being safe, legal, and ethical. Like anything else, if done correctly. Until someone can point me to reliable info, and a lot of it, that says otherwise, I will keep fishing, and fishing safely.
I never said I saw a bunch of floaters. I said three. I've also seen probably a dozen other dead fish in the past month that weren't muskie...maybe we should just shut down all summer fishing.
Muskie Help Again
Muskie Help Again
Linear Mode
