Early Season Musky Tactics!
By: Jack Gavin
By: Jack Gavin
Long Minnesota winters are enough to drive a musky angler insane. The anticipation of seeing a fish crush a topwater or eat a bucktail boatside has us daydreaming each and every day. You’d think that this syndrome would have musky fishermen chomping at the bit to get on the water the minute the season opens, but the fact is that many guys don’t begin throwing until late June or even July. I know this because I used to be one of them. Like many others I felt the activity level of the fish just wouldn’t be there due to cool water temperatures and inconsistent weather patterns. Muskies are hard enough to catch, right? Wrong… Early season musky fishing can yield great results if you’re able to understand what the fish are doing and where.
In Minnesota the musky season opens the first weekend of June. Depending on spring weather conditions, an early season musky angler will be faced with fish in the spawn or post-spawn stage. Muskies spawn when water temperatures range from 49 to 55 degrees as a rule of thumb. Therefore, it is important to understand if the lake you will be heading to on opening weekend is behind or ahead of schedule. On years when the ice goes out early and spring temperatures have been fairly warm it is likely that water temps will be 60 plus degrees and the majority of the fish will be finished spawning. On the contrary, late ice-out dates and cool/rainy springs can hold water temperatures low enough for fish to still be spawning come opening weekend, especially if you’re planning on heading north. In either situation you’re going to want to start your search in shallow dark bottom bays that contain cabbage, coontail, milfoil or whatever the primary vegetation is on the body of water you are fishing. Bays and inlets on the north and northwest ends of the lake are a great starting point. These areas will contain the warmest water on the lake due to their length of exposure to the sun.
Spawn
Personally, if water temps are even in the ballpark of the 49-55 degree spawning range I’m going to start way in the backs of the dark bottom, north end bays. On Lake Mille Lacs I’ve witnessed very large fish in water so shallow that their back tail fin was showing itself with water temps at and slightly above 60 degrees. Investigate this 1-3 foot depth range with small spinnerbaits, twitch baits, and even large rubber seinko presentations. To effectively fish this thin water, downsizing can be vital. Bass sized spinnerbaits and very small single hook bucktails are a personal favorite in order to stay free from the developing weed growth. If the fish are in this shallow water and spawning I promise you will know fairly fast. Fish will be very visible in the shallow water and at times they will be very active. If there doesn’t seem to be any activity in this zone and water temps are climbing away from the predicted spawning temperatures it’s time to make a move, but it’s almost a sure thing that the fish haven’t gone far.
Post-Spawn
After you’ve eliminated the shallow spawning grounds it’s time to find the nearest developing weed growth. Ideally this type of area is 5-10 feet deep and contains fresh green cabbage, coontail, or milfoil. During the post-spawn stage fish are recovering from the difficulties of the spawn and can be fairly lethargic. The high level of oxygen contained in the year’s new vegetation is just what they are looking for. As far as your presentation goes I personally feel that this is a time to slow down. Yes, faster moving bucktails and spinnerbaits can produce fish in these conditions but put the odds in your favor. Slowly worked twitchbaits, jerkbaits, and even walk-the-dog style topwaters can be the best way to coax a giant from the dark weed pockets during the post-spawn stage. Hopefully these simple tips can help you get a head start on your musky season but as always, let the fish tell you what they want while you’re on the water looking for your next early season musky opportunity.
In Minnesota the musky season opens the first weekend of June. Depending on spring weather conditions, an early season musky angler will be faced with fish in the spawn or post-spawn stage. Muskies spawn when water temperatures range from 49 to 55 degrees as a rule of thumb. Therefore, it is important to understand if the lake you will be heading to on opening weekend is behind or ahead of schedule. On years when the ice goes out early and spring temperatures have been fairly warm it is likely that water temps will be 60 plus degrees and the majority of the fish will be finished spawning. On the contrary, late ice-out dates and cool/rainy springs can hold water temperatures low enough for fish to still be spawning come opening weekend, especially if you’re planning on heading north. In either situation you’re going to want to start your search in shallow dark bottom bays that contain cabbage, coontail, milfoil or whatever the primary vegetation is on the body of water you are fishing. Bays and inlets on the north and northwest ends of the lake are a great starting point. These areas will contain the warmest water on the lake due to their length of exposure to the sun.
Spawn
Personally, if water temps are even in the ballpark of the 49-55 degree spawning range I’m going to start way in the backs of the dark bottom, north end bays. On Lake Mille Lacs I’ve witnessed very large fish in water so shallow that their back tail fin was showing itself with water temps at and slightly above 60 degrees. Investigate this 1-3 foot depth range with small spinnerbaits, twitch baits, and even large rubber seinko presentations. To effectively fish this thin water, downsizing can be vital. Bass sized spinnerbaits and very small single hook bucktails are a personal favorite in order to stay free from the developing weed growth. If the fish are in this shallow water and spawning I promise you will know fairly fast. Fish will be very visible in the shallow water and at times they will be very active. If there doesn’t seem to be any activity in this zone and water temps are climbing away from the predicted spawning temperatures it’s time to make a move, but it’s almost a sure thing that the fish haven’t gone far.
Post-Spawn
After you’ve eliminated the shallow spawning grounds it’s time to find the nearest developing weed growth. Ideally this type of area is 5-10 feet deep and contains fresh green cabbage, coontail, or milfoil. During the post-spawn stage fish are recovering from the difficulties of the spawn and can be fairly lethargic. The high level of oxygen contained in the year’s new vegetation is just what they are looking for. As far as your presentation goes I personally feel that this is a time to slow down. Yes, faster moving bucktails and spinnerbaits can produce fish in these conditions but put the odds in your favor. Slowly worked twitchbaits, jerkbaits, and even walk-the-dog style topwaters can be the best way to coax a giant from the dark weed pockets during the post-spawn stage. Hopefully these simple tips can help you get a head start on your musky season but as always, let the fish tell you what they want while you’re on the water looking for your next early season musky opportunity.