Fall Perfection

NumenOn the Water

Date:  10-25-15

Body of Water:  C Lake
Boat:  Numenon

With:  Alone

Target:  Muskellunge

Time:  11:30 AM - 4 PM

Conditions:  55-56 F and pretty clear water for this lake (2-feet + visibility); sunny and brisk, about 50-60 F and post cold-front; generally NW winds at about 15 mph; Full Moon -2 Days

I was greeted at the ramp with news of a 37-incher and a follow; both were reportedly on "spinnerbaits", and this was about the extent of my exposure to muskies this day.  
I focused on buck tails, but utilized everything but topwaters, and I even thought of them towards the end of the day when it was about as warm as it was going to get.  There were another three boats, at least, at all times fishing for muskies; these fish are pressured.

This lake reminds me of a miniature Lake St. Clair.  It's a shallow bowl ringed with weeds.  There is little to concentrate fish, and it seems like they are as apt to be anywhere on this ring as anywhere else.  I know this isn't exactly correct, but empirically, in the amount of time available in a given session or season, making good presentations might trump an exact location.  And so, unless a fish has shown itself, I might simply circle the lake while casting.  This day, with no fish sighted, after a couple of cycles around the lake, I ventured over to adjacent K Lake.  This lake is much deeper and has some structure to possibly concentrate fish.  In all honesty, those I trust most on such things don't spend their time on this lake, even though it is connected to oft-productive C Lake.  While K Lake just doesn't seem to reliably produce fish, on this day, it offered something different than what was not working; and so why not give it a shot?  I  focused on one area with the steepest  drop adjacent to the most expansive flat.  There were no weeds on top, and so I worked the edge and the suspended bait nearby. This all looked pretty enticing to me, but still nothing showed.  I simultaneously kept an eye on another boat trolling the basin to no apparent avail, and as they passed by, they provided a report of three follows on small spinners, but no bites.

But what is "small" in the world of local muskie fishing?  My Windell's Harasser is a smallish muskie bucktail, especially compared to the double-10s that are so prevalent.   But perhaps a Mepps 4 or 5 is worth a toss when it is tough.  (One is rigged and ready to go as I type this.)

A good partner in the boat is probably worth at least 4-times the info I can generate by myself.  Between covering different water and using different baits and presentations, a partner can help solve this puzzle faster.  And without a doubt, time on the water is the most important factor in this game.

My buddy and mentor JVK launched his boat as I retrieved Numenon,  but I have received no word from him since, so he probably encountered no fish.  This is probably the case for his guided trip on T Lake on Tuesday, too.  There is no shame in a muskie skunk; the worst scenario is simply not trying.

What do I have to say about this?

Perfection?  Well, it certainly didn't spring from the fishing excitement, but rather from the exhilarating fall weather and colors.  Even if hadn't yet caught my muskie, I was smart to amend my plans, go home, and grill and share a dinner with the girls.  I may have missed moonrise and sunset, but I’d hedged my bets with the sun directly overhead and the moon direct underfoot while I was on the water.  I'll continue to try, when I can.

I'll be trying again this Sunday, and we'll be predominantly fly fishing per the request of my guests.  Why we would choose to make a hard task more difficult, I cannot say.  But perhaps the flies will constitute "small" presentations.  Maybe we'll slay 'em.  Maybe we will learn something.  I know we'll have an experience!

Fall Perfection