Alexander or Shamineau?

[CaptainMusky]

Set your expectations way lower than 15 years ago on Sham/Alex.

I would agree with this in reference to numbers of fish, tough to get a multiple fish day out there now. I had one last year, but so far this year I am lucky to get one.

I would say trophy potential is definitely there now though. I got a couple over 49 out of these lakes the last couple years, so in that regard my expectations are higher than before. It used to be a 44 was a BIG fish out there, now the chances of a fish over 50 are much better, but obviously those are much tougher to catch.

[Musky Buck]

Yes, numbers, we rarely even get a follow, genereally just a 1 chance biter, sure was nice 15 years ago to see 12-15, we always had this ratio thing see 6 and 1 would give you a go sometimes 2 and on good days 3 well if you're seeing a dozen you get the math and if you missed that chance you'd have another at some point, it's just every spot gets drilled and re-drilled and drilled again and hit again after that, we are all just hitting the same old good spots over and over and over daily, hourly, etc. and it isn't our bad fishing skills or doing something different than the other guys etc. Find new spots eh ? well those are getting drilled and drilled and drilled, there's only so many adult fish to go around that's why guides like big water as you can find fresh fish that move onto the hundreds of spots on the lake and that's even getting tougher for them. Just the way anything good in this state goes but oh well, it is what it is.

[CaptainMusky]

guides like big water as you can find fresh fish that move onto the hundreds of spots on the lake

Agreed 100%. Lakes like Mille Lacs there are fish that there is really only once chance to put a lure in their face. That time is Fall when they are fattening up when Tullies are spawning. No one ever contacts these fish earlier in the year, they never see baits. With that much water those fish are just biding their time and we as anglers have to pray we find them when the feed bag is on.

I really do enjoy fishing Alex and Shamineau because it was on those lakes that I really got into musky fishing and its reasonably close to home. If I were to start now or in the last couple years and be spending as much time on those lakes as I did 10 or more years ago I would probably give up musky fishing. But it was those early days that got be going.

There is still nothing like the knee shaking that happens when you see a true giant fish like there are on Mille Lacs. I have never seen a fish like this on either of these two lakes. Some that were nice, but nothing like the tanks on Mille Lacs.

[shamalex72]

I really do enjoy fishing Alex and Shamineau because it was on those lakes that I really got into musky fishing and its reasonably close to home. If I were to start now or in the last couple years and be spending as much time on those lakes as I did 10 or more years ago I would probably give up musky fishing. But it was those early days that got be going.

That pretty much sums it up for me too.

[Musky Buck]

More to the guide theory is they have the boat and the HP to handle big water and get to spots quickly and off the water quickly meaning it's like going to a casino which I despise seeing the elderly blow those social security checks into, the checks I hope are available yet to us in the future, anyway it's like hitting a hot slot machine at the right time and they are on the water at first light, if mid-day moon,major,minors connect, then back on the water for the witching hour into dark, not saying what they do is easy, not at all, not that it's their primary job either unless mommy and daddy set them up financially to pursue their dream, how many guides are in this state each summer, hint book a MN guide because if this fishery is broken someday their off scott free to their homestate where they pay taxes. Sorry, off course, but try to argue those points, sham/alex is not a top guide destination unless requested or after labor day, be good to those lakes and realize we all could compare our GPS's and we'd overlap the spots thousands of times, clean that trailer/boat always but the ones reading this aren't the ones we need to worry about.