Don Dziedzina
With fall coming many anglers are getting exiting about the muskie fishing. I just returned from Lake Mille Lacs in Minnesota and the fishing there was great. Some of the guys that were on the water were fishing for muskies but the action was slow. The water temperature on Mille Lacs was still in the sixties putting it very close to peak muskie fishing time. Some muskies were caught, but no fifty inchers yet.
It’s been said that muskies will be very active when the water temperatures reach about fifty-nine degrees. I personally have seen the reality of that many times when fishing up north. So we’re not that far away from getting some good muskie action here in Illinois.
One of the places to go that is close by is Lake Storey just outside of town. This is a very well known lake for producing nice sized muskies. They have had good stockings of muskies in 2001, 2002, and 2003. These three stockings total up to about 800 fingerling fish and that means by now, they should all be of legal size being 42 inches.
Fishing on Lake Storey from a boat is by electric trolling motor only. Better spots to fish will probably be on the west end.
Big suckers below a bobber trailing behind a drifting boat will cover a lot of water. I’ve caught muskie that way and it’s a very successful presentation at this time of year. One muskie guide told me that by having a sucker rig that has a single spinner blade in the front of it will add some flash to the rig.
Sometimes that’s all you need to catch the eye of a muskie and once they get the sight and smell of one of their favorite meals, a live sucker, it’s fish on for sure.
You can also fish for bass, bluegill catfish and walleye while drifting with a sucker behind the boat. Make the most out of your trip. Do some multi-tasking. Working a shoreline for bass with a white spinnerbait may surprise you with a muskie jumping on the bait. Drifting with a big minnow on the bottom, using a Lindy Rig for example, can catch a walleye or two. But don’t be shocked if a muskie picks up the bait.
If you drift with a sucker behind the boat, you can also cast for them with inline spinnerbaits, glide baits, and jerk baits. I recommend that you don’t go with those huge 12 inch baits. Downsize a bit and it will increase your chances of getting a fish.
A lot of anglers don’t believe in using steel leaders because they feel that it takes away from the action of lures.
I don’t really know if it’s all that true. But what could be worse is when a big muskie get on and bites the lure off the line. Now he’s stuck with a big lure in its mouth and most likely that could be fatal for the fish. Use a leader. Muskie fishing is right around the corner. Dust off the ole‚ muskie rod and sharpen up the hooks. Great fall fishing is right around the corner and you’ll want to be ready. ***
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