Muskies On The Move

By Tim Endler

Trying to locate muskies throughout the seasons can be very difficult if you don’t know what to look for. Muskies, being the top predator in the food chain, more or less can wander any place they want, but each body of water and water temperature can give you a good place to start.

More times than not, muskies are relating themselves to structure. This can include weeds, rocks, and wood, depending on what each lake or reservoir has to offer. I like to break the muskie's location and attitude into six different categories, pre-spawn, spawn, post-spawn, summer, fall, and winter patterns.

Pre-spawn

Pre-spawn in my area of Pennsylvania can be anytime from April to May, depending on the type of winter and how long it takes the ice to melt off the lakes. My fishing usually begins as the water temperature reaches the mid- to upper 40s. At this time of the year muskies are beginning to move from their winter holding areas to main lake points, rock piles, or flats just outside of shallow bays or inlets.

Since at this time of the year weeds are not present in most lakes the muskie will look for irregular bottom structure to hold on. I like to target depth ranges of 10- to 15 ft., using small crankbaits, working the lure slowly and making contact with as much structure as possible. Muskies at this time of the year can be caught but usually are not very aggressive.

In recent years many fisherman have begun to put soft plastics into their arsenal at this time of the year. Tube baits have become popular when worked very slowly around structure like rock piles and wood, and dropped off the outer edge of a rock point to entice the muskies to strike. The key to this time of year is working baits slow and close enough to the fish to get them to strike.

Spawn

As the water temperature begins to rise into the 50s the muskie will move into the shallow bays to prepare to spawn. In most regions pre-spawn and spawning time for the muskie is a closed season, so be sure to check the regulations in your area before heading out. Muskies like to spawn when the water temps reach approximately 55 degrees.

On most lakes and reservoirs the northern end of the lake is always the first to warm because it receives the most sunlight at this time of the year. This is a good place to check for warmer water first. This is not to say that every muskie in the lake will swim to this area, it just means that the muskies in that location will be more aggressive and easier to catch.

When finding spawning areas the key is a dark bottom bay with fresh weed growth. If you can find a feeder stream or spring in the same bay it’s all that much better. Fresh water flowing into a bay is usually warmer than the lake water itself and can warm a bay up all that much quicker. Usually at this time of the year there is also a migration for baitfish to move into these areas, which also bring the muskie into a small feeding pattern.

One common mistake fisherman make at this time of the year is to start deep inside the bay and work their way out. This will definitely decrease the chance of catching fish because the muskies are still not very aggressive and can be spooked very easily. Start at the outside of the bay and work in, concentrating on any weed clumps, log piles, and especially a creek channel if present. Muskies will often hold in the creek channel and move to the weed flats of the bay to feed throughout the day.

My favorite lure for this type of fishing would have to be the safety style spinnerbait. By fishing this bait you can control the speed and depth that it is fished, allowing you to comb the weeds flats or let it flutter down into the creek channel. Depending on the water color of the lake it is very possible to see muskies swimming around and actually "sight-fish" for them.

Post-spawn

Once the muskies have finished their spawning ritual, and the water temperatures begin to rise above 60 degrees, weed growth often begins to expand throughout the lake. Muskies will begin to migrate to new, deeper weed growth just outside of their spawning area. Many of these spots will be the same spots that you have fished during pre-spawn. The muskies will still frequent their spawning bays but are now beginning to set up their summer home ranges. Baitfish will also migrate to the new weed growth therefore making it that much more attractive to the muskies.

Muskies will also become more aggressive at this time so your lure selection can also change. This is when I start throwing small jerkbaits and bucktails, as well as the small crankbaits and safety pin spinners. It is also worth checking shallow lake humps that hold weeds with deeper water around them. Muskies will begin to cruise around at this time of the year and will often stop and hold on such structures.

Seasonal patterns

Once summer has set in there is one place to look for muskies weeds, weeds, and more weeds. Sure there are muskies caught suspended over open water, but for the highest potential, focus on weeds. Shallow or deep -- it really doesn’t seem to matter. I have caught more and bigger muskies in the deepest water with weeds present, but it is not always the case.

Most of the baitfish in a lake will relate to weeds for cover and for oxygen during the hot summer months, and so will the top predator in the food chain. Do all weeds hold muskies? No, but the thickest, freshest weeds will be the prime area to find them.

Depending on the water clarity, weeds can grow in very deep areas of clear water. Find these areas and work them, starting on the deep weed edge moving up into the heavy cover.

In dark water lakes, muskies will move up into what looks like a jungle (slop weeds). The only way to fish these areas is to find small open pockets, make short precise casts, and try to keep you lure as weed-free as possible. I have found that muskies will hold to this pattern almost all of the summer until weed growth starts to die off.

It also is possible to catch muskies in open water during this time of the year. If one can find a suspended group of baitfish, this can produce some big summertime fish.

Trolling is also a very effective way to cover water and catch fish in the summer. Some lakes become overtaken with weeds, so where do you start to cast? Start trolling using a crankbait that will just tip the tops of the weeds, or a spinnerbait for the thicker weeds, to cover water and eliminate poor spots.

When trolling in the summer over the weed beds I like to follow a certain pattern. I will first follow the outer weed edge up the shoreline then sweep back around making "S" turns over the thick part of the flat. If you do pick up a fish when trolling the weeds, stop and go back and cast the area for a while. This is how you find where and why that fish was holding there and what to look for in your next spot; plus nine times out of 10 there will be more fish holding in that area.

When casting, lure choice can range from topwater to deep diving crankbaits, depending on how thick the weed cover is. One thing to remember is that speed of the lure seems to be a big factor in the summer. Two of my favorite patterns is ripping a jerkbait through the weeds or burning a bucktail just across the tops of the weeds. Speed kills in the summer.

Night fishing is also very common in the summer months. With an increased number of boat traffic and fishing pressure during this time, some lakes give up a good bite at night. Fish outer weed edges and rock edges with a crankbait worked slowly to moderate and also weed flats with a bucktail or topwater bait.

Fall is by far the best time to be on the water if you are looking to put a big fish in the boat. As the water temps drop and deep weeds in a lake begin to die off, baitfish begin to move back to the shallow waters concentrating where weeds can be found. This effect brings some of the biggest muskies in the lake up to feed. Sunken islands, deep main lake points, saddle areas that funnel baitfish, and weed edges and flats can produce some very nice fish at this time.

Muskies are also at their most aggressive stage of the year, feeding heavily for the upcoming winter months. This is big lure time; I use mainly large crankbaits either cast or trolling, or large jerkbaits ripped through the weeds. Depths holding most of the fish at this time of year can range from eight- to 15 feet.

Large weed flats seem to be the most productive, with sunken islands being a close second. This is one time of the year that finesse fishing is not needed. Cover water efficiently but quickly to find active fish. As water temps begin to fall into the lower 50s and upper 40s slow your presentation down slightly but focus on the same areas.

Once the water temperatures fall below 40 degrees my season is usually over. The fish at this time of the year will move into their deep holding areas and become very hard to catch. Every year you hear of someone catching muskies in December before the lakes freeze over or in January or February through the ice, but to me it is not worth the time and effort.

Fishing the rivers in the winter months is a different story however. Many anglers turn to the river to get their fix during the winter months when the lakes are frozen and this can provide some exceptional fishing. Most of us sit and sharpen hooks, clean up our equipment, and dream of next year when we will start the process all over again.

Man I can’t wait until spring!