asteffes

Waconia and Independence both have very high water temps right now....mid 80's for sure. You have the right to fish them, but I encourage you to consider waiting a week or two til water temps improve. Smaller lakes? I hope you are referring to Wasserman, Piersons, or another Tiger Muskie water in the area. Do not go to Lake Rebecca - that is a brood stocking lake and we cannot put heavy stress on those fish right now. Temps out there have to be mid to upper 80's, haven't been there, but I know it is very small and heats up fast. Let me know where you decide to go.

So what lakes are you considering?

Jalberg- Being this is your first time I have a couple of suggestions/questions for you. 1.) Do you have a large musky net? This is vital in muskie fishing. If you do not have one you are risking the life of the fish as well as injury to yourself trying to catch and release the muskie. 2.) Do you have proper release tools? Hook cutters, long nose pliers, mouth spreaders, etc...These are also a must. When a fish is hooked badly, muskie fishermen cut the hooks on their lures and then remove the excess remnants from the fishes mouth/gill areas. Without these items, the fish will suffer and you may end up with a treble hook in your hand. 3.) Water temps are very high in the metro right now and many of us are choosing not to fish for muskie because of this. Check your water temps and consider what they are before targeting this species. They become very stressed during the fight and warm temps equal lower oxygen levels which means it is more difficult for the fish to recover from being caught. 4.) What lake are you fishing? Every lake is different and it is tough to give you advice without knowing this. Please do not take my post negatively. I think that it is great that you and your cousin are interested in the sport. I am an addict and hooked for life, but I want you to also know how much many of us value this resource and the steps we take to ensure that it is protected. Please make sure that you have the proper items as mentioned above if you do end up going. Tony

Nice Fish! Fox or French lake?

I would give Travis Frank from www.trophyencounters.com a call. You will learn a lot and have fun too. I fish the lake a lot as well, but I am working more and more. I would love to help you out if I can. Keep in touch. Both Travis and I tend to avoid the water when it is this warm so you may need to wait for the temps to cool a bit before one of us can get you on the water. Tony

DHost- It definitely had not picked up a week or so ago. Temps have been way too warm and I have not targeted muskie out there for close to 2 weeks now. I cannot give you any recent updates. Tonka was very good for me about a week ago as well, but there too I have not been fishing due to warm water. Good luck and be care with the resource if you go. Tony

You must be pretty close to sugar lake as well.......

Maybe the DNR killing large numbers of cormorants on Waconia have boosted the baitfish numbers, thus giving the muskies a "buffet" and less interest in our presentations..... http://www.thornebros.com/messageboard/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=33703#Post33703

Indy was good for me about 3-4 weeks ago, been slower in recent days (at least for me). Tonka has been tough, but things are getting a little better. If you are going out in the late morning and planning to fish a while I would do Indy as Tonka will be crowded on the weekend with boats. You just never know, any given morning can be good anywhere. If you don't know tonka well I would go to Indy simply because it is easier to fish. Good luck!

My hope is that it is not an overpressure/mortality issue, but rather a high population of bait fish due to the elimination/reduction of the cormorants. Only time will tell. I hope more than anyone that things are in good shape for the future of the species there. I am encourage that many other bodies of water are "tough" - maybe it is everywhere. I do know of a few lakes north of the metro that are doing well....maybe I need to spend more time up there I will keep those names quiet so not to upset anyone.

Are M logs always accurate and honest? Tonka and Independence have both been way better than Waconia this year for me. Just Sayin - I still think that the cormorants affecting the bait fish population have more to do with this than I originally thought.

James- I still live there and have fished it for 10 years with a high level of success. It is NOT the same lake it has been. I fished it last night thinking maybe the night bite was going. Fished 8 pm to 2 am with not even a single follow. People may think I am nuts, but I wonder how much the cormorant population is affecting the bite out there. There used to be hundreds if not thousands of cormorants living on Coney Island. The DNR has been shooting them annually now for a couple of years and the population is way down. If these birds were eating 2-3 pounds of fish per day, that means that the forage in the lake for the muskie to eat was significantly less. Maybe there is just plenty of food for them now?????? I doubt it and still chalk it up to too much pressure and mortality, but that is just me. The lake is in very rough shape right now. I hope it bounces back.

I would check with Gander Mtn. They have their Guide Series Rods that are usually pretty reasonable. I too would go with an 8 ft rod, I think you will find you like that better in the long run. Word of caution: I would not throw double cowgirls with an abu 6000 series, you will be buying a new one next year. The abu would be just fine for small bucktails, topwater, and other jerk baits/cranks. Good luck!

I would check with Gander Mtn. They have their Guide Series Rods that are usually pretty reasonable. I too would go with an 8 ft rod, I think you will find you like that better in the long run. Word of caution: I would not throw double cowgirls with an abu 6000 series, you will be buying a new one next year. The abu would be just fine for small bucktails, topwater, and other jerk baits/cranks. Good luck!

BuckKiller- I like Waconia as well, but for whatever reason (weather is a major factor) the lake has been very slow this year. In addition, the lake has gotten overpressured the past few years which has lead to more and more mortality of fish. Just check with Mase's In Towne Marina and see how many fish get harvested each year. New size restrictions will hopefully help, but too many "uneducated" anglers out there who don't know any better. Too many guys coming to the dock with a muskie on a stringer wanting a picture and taking it home with them over the past 5 years. Then tack on the fish that die during catch and release attempts. No matter how great the angler is, there will still be times when a lure is taken too deep etc...and the fish cannot be revived. I have fished the lake now for over 10 years. The lake has seen some dramatic pressure increases during this time. Many guides have come and gone on this lake as well. Is it still a good fishery? Yep. Are there still some big fish in there? Sure. I just think that it is not as good as it once was. Why? I don't know. Will I still be fishing there? I will, but I may venture to some other bodies of water in an attempt to have a little more peace and quiet. (If there is such a thing anymore ) See you out on the water!