Hey guys, Q: If you had one spot to try for a trophy muskie on Lake Namakagon, Cable, Wis, in mid-Oct., where would it be and why? Thanks.
Musky Fishing
Trophy muskie
I do not know that lake. Never fished it. But...I'd be using suckers. Big suckers. 17-18 inchers. Quick strike rigs.
I'd look at a map and find the deepest water next to the best weeds on the lake. And by best, I mean green.
I'd move slowly along that weed edge and then bounce to deep water and watch my graph.
Maybe I'd cast the weeds with a large jerk bait or bulldog, but I'd always have suckers under the boat, below where you can see them, if not on the bottom.
Deep water I'd have two about two feet off the bottom and a third probably on a slip bobber half way down the water column.
And I'd be looking hard to find some wood in that deep water that is close to the weeds.
Unfortunately Wisconsin does not have the genetics to produce many 50" fish. Additionally most WI lake do not have the forage base to grow a 50" fish. Basically WI is a numbers game with mid 40" fish being the best the state has to offer. That not to say a few 50's do show up but they are extremely rare. If your goal is a 50" fish go to Green Bay, St Clair or Minnesota but be prepared to fish community spots.
That being said I live in MN but fish mostly Wisconsin. Many lake to choose from, great scenery and in most situations I don't have to compete for spots.
Muskie kid, I thought I would check this lake out. So I got out my Sportsman's fishing map guide. Here is what it say's. You might have to try all four basins to see which one is producing best. For Muskies, try the rock bars scattered throughout the lake, and weedlines at 8 to 10 feet. Bucktails and big crankbaits should get some action. And you can use jerkbaits in the weedy southeast bay of Upper Lake. The water here is stained, so you might want to use brighter colors. Also, in October after turnover, muskies move to rocks. Try jerkbaits and quick set rigs with suckers. All these quotes are from Bruce Shumway. After checking out the lake map it looks like there is a lot of water to cover. Cast, cast, cast !!! Good luck. JJ
20 yards left of the big rock with the tall pine tree next to it. Okay on a serious note. I've read muskie books. I've been to the muskie hunter school in St. Germain. Some of the things I've heard throughout my years from the seminars is this. Fish windblown shorelines, fish the weeds, fish the rocks, crank your baits fast, crank your baits slow, don't forget to figure eight after each cast, and there is much more. Get a good lake map and decide for yourself where to start. Then cast, cast, cast.