NumenOn the Water
Date: 5-16-15
Body of Water: M Lake
Boat: Numenon
With: Alone
Target: Muskellunge
Time: 10:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Conditions: Overcast and fog burning off; hazy sun and 74; mild S wind; super clear water, 61-64 F
After my C Lake skunk, I started thinking more critically about local muskie options. M Lake gets awfully busy during boating season, and I'm usually careful to select quiet times to pursue muskies there. But she fishes well in the spring, and I know she holds some large fish. Moreover, concurrent muskie tournaments in Northern Indiana and Central Michigan provided options for the other muskie fans around here. When this day started off with rain, and once I had fully diagnosed my trolling juice issue, purchased and installed another deep cycle battery, and pulled Numenon out of the garage, I was off to the ramp.
Things were still quiet when I launched at 10:30 AM, but the rain had stopped, skies were slowly starting to clear, and activity was increasing. This lake is typically overdeveloped, and every house has a dock with their boat(s). Over the course of this trip most of these boats came out. Most were recreational, and most of the local fishermen were targeting panfish or bass (both in pre-spawn mode.) I pretty much had any available muskies to myself; I could not ask for much more.
As I pulled into my first spot, I was stunned at the water clarity, especially in comparison to my recent experiences at nearby Lake C. My second impression was that the weed growth was getting off to a healthy start. I know that the variety of submerged weed growth on this lake is a bonus feature for the lake's health and productivity. Water temperatures were also a bit lower than I had expected, so sight fishing for post-spawn muskies was in order. (This is really the only lake around here that affords this option.) My eyes were glued to the bottom during most of the trip as I scanned for individual fish while fan-casting the weed lines and flats.
My second stretch of shoreline provided the first muskie sighting of the day. A mid-30s fish was following my bucktail "low and slow." She disengaged well away from the boat and never appeared too interested in eating; but I recorded her location on the GPS so I could re-visit her later in the day. She had also revealed her preferred location, about 5 or 6 feet of water, in the growing weeds, near the drop-off. This let me concentrate with increased confidence on these types of areas for the rest of the trip.
After my C Lake skunk, I started thinking more critically about local muskie options. M Lake gets awfully busy during boating season, and I'm usually careful to select quiet times to pursue muskies there. But she fishes well in the spring, and I know she holds some large fish. Moreover, concurrent muskie tournaments in Northern Indiana and Central Michigan provided options for the other muskie fans around here. When this day started off with rain, and once I had fully diagnosed my trolling juice issue, purchased and installed another deep cycle battery, and pulled Numenon out of the garage, I was off to the ramp.
Things were still quiet when I launched at 10:30 AM, but the rain had stopped, skies were slowly starting to clear, and activity was increasing. This lake is typically overdeveloped, and every house has a dock with their boat(s). Over the course of this trip most of these boats came out. Most were recreational, and most of the local fishermen were targeting panfish or bass (both in pre-spawn mode.) I pretty much had any available muskies to myself; I could not ask for much more.
As I pulled into my first spot, I was stunned at the water clarity, especially in comparison to my recent experiences at nearby Lake C. My second impression was that the weed growth was getting off to a healthy start. I know that the variety of submerged weed growth on this lake is a bonus feature for the lake's health and productivity. Water temperatures were also a bit lower than I had expected, so sight fishing for post-spawn muskies was in order. (This is really the only lake around here that affords this option.) My eyes were glued to the bottom during most of the trip as I scanned for individual fish while fan-casting the weed lines and flats.
My second stretch of shoreline provided the first muskie sighting of the day. A mid-30s fish was following my bucktail "low and slow." She disengaged well away from the boat and never appeared too interested in eating; but I recorded her location on the GPS so I could re-visit her later in the day. She had also revealed her preferred location, about 5 or 6 feet of water, in the growing weeds, near the drop-off. This let me concentrate with increased confidence on these types of areas for the rest of the trip.
I continued to cover water and saw impressive numbers of pannies, baits, and bass. Some of the bass were pretty big (up to 4 pounds or so); this might be a fun pre-spawn option if I ever choose to put down the muskie stuff or bring a partner to this lake.
The next 'skie I saw was a tiny guy with his head tucked into the weeds; he wasn't interested in eating at all and was the smallest one I've ever see. He was interesting to notice, but didn't really do anything in terms of immediate excitement or success.
While I was pounding the weed lines, I was also starting to experiment with different lures and presentations. Twitch baits, glide baits and rubber all made appearances, and I was exploring onto the flats and off the edges near especially good looking weed areas.
When it was time to re-visit the first fish, I decided to approach from the opposite direction and give her something she hadn't yet seen. As I glided toward the weed line from the depths, and still a hundred yards or so away from where I'd had the follow, I made a long cast with a favored glide bait (White Perch Rapala Super Glide) and as the lure came over the edge into deeper water (12 or 14 feet), another muskie appeared. This one was a true monster, and she provided my best combination of view and size of any muskie ever. She appeared about 20 or 25 feet from the boat (which is the zone of many of my Lake M strikes), and while she was clearly intent on eating my bait (I could, after all, see her tongue clearly as her maw gaped behind and below my bait), but she wasn't lit up, and she just couldn't pull the trigger. I bet my nerves failed and I broke my cadence; although I'd like to think that she just wasn't ready to make her mistake. Her mouth closed, she nosed the bait and disappeared into the depths.
I immediately entered Waypoint 660 into my bow graph, and I will return later. In fact, I gave her a few more options later in the day, and while I didn't see her again, I did see another really nice, post-spawn fish in this same stretch. But this fish was disinterested in my offerings (where was my senko, used so successfully 2 years ago?)
So, another skunk, but seeing 4 fish in a trip is very cool; and coming within a fraction of an inch of hooking a personal best is even cooler. The lake gave me enough on this day to build on; why I'm typing this now instead of fishing is inexplicable.
What do I have to say about this?
I've encountered some very nice fish on this lake. The biggest have offered just brief hookups with no clear sighting, or disinterested follows. This was the one (so far) that I could have (should have?) executed on. I didn't, and I'm not really sure of my expected failure rate in such situations. I'll just have to keep at it and find out with time.
Did I mention that a glide bait raised this fish? My other truly monstrous close encounter on this lake featured a glide bait too, and in fact I've never had the hooks stick a muskie on one of these lures. Gliders are notoriously difficult hookers, but they do attract attention. I'll keep throwing them, at least when bucktails and jerkbaits aren't moving fish.
Someday I will replace my bow-mounted sonar/GPS, or I'll sell it with the boat, or something. If that sonar lands in your hands, remember Waypoint 660.
I've encountered some very nice fish on this lake. The biggest have offered just brief hookups with no clear sighting, or disinterested follows. This was the one (so far) that I could have (should have?) executed on. I didn't, and I'm not really sure of my expected failure rate in such situations. I'll just have to keep at it and find out with time.
Did I mention that a glide bait raised this fish? My other truly monstrous close encounter on this lake featured a glide bait too, and in fact I've never had the hooks stick a muskie on one of these lures. Gliders are notoriously difficult hookers, but they do attract attention. I'll keep throwing them, at least when bucktails and jerkbaits aren't moving fish.
Someday I will replace my bow-mounted sonar/GPS, or I'll sell it with the boat, or something. If that sonar lands in your hands, remember Waypoint 660.
No comments:
Post a Comment