First trip out

[Arkman]

Ok not really but sort of. A couple times in the last few years we've gone out and tried for an hour or so. Nothing really productive.

This weekend I finally bought a rod and reel and some baits. My bro in law and I went out Saturday morning on West Battle lake. It's not too far from our cabin so we thought it was worth a shot. We spent a few hours trolling and a few hours casting. I'd say all in all we fished for 6 hours and we got nothing. I went into this trying to convince myself that I would be ok with nothing, but in the end I was disappointed.

We still had a good time and I intend to do this more. Next weekend I'm going to spend a few hours on Saturday fishing with a generous member of this forum and hopefully we don't come up empty handed.

Does anyone from this board ever fish west battle? Any advice?

[Musky_Madness]

Yeah tremendous lake! Its early in the season so don't give up yet! Not to mention this is not a normal year! Study your lake map fish the breaklines and the fish will show themselves. Be patient, read up on this site and don't be afraid to try anything. The water is very clear so fish will spook easy and follows are hard to come by or turn into feeders. I've had multiple fish days there without ever having a follow.

[Shoot2Kill]

Hey man....

A good friend of mine has fished West Battle for many years, he's a great muskie fisherman and that lake handed him his butt more times than not, but when he did score, it was worth the wait. A member on here fished it on opening weekend and fished all day and never saw a fish until a 48" fatty was on the end of his line at like 6:30 that night.

If you're gonna fish muskies, you have to mentally be prepared to go home empty and be okay with it....as much as it sucks. I am fine with going home empty usually, what is annoying is the people that don't undestand muskies that give you that look like you're a retard when they ask you how you did and you tell them you didn't catch one after spending all day fishing.

How did the new set up work??

[Nick Kuhn]

One of the main reasons I use jerkbaits so often is that I do like to catch at least one fish on an outing, and jerkbaits tend to get you a few small pike.

Tough times are tough times. For example, the last 2 years I've gone the entire month of August without seeing a muskie (~50 hours of fishing each year). It pays off eventually, just remember that it may be a long ways off.

[Arkman]

Musky Madness- I sent you a PM.

The new setup worked great. I really like the rod. WAAAAAY better than the ugly stick I used once last year. The reel worked good too. The handle was a little loose but it was an easy fix. I'm going to see if I can find some directions online to clean/grease it before our trip.

I think part of my frustration was me feeling like I didn't have any idea if I was even looking in the right spot. We asked the kid at Bens Bait where to go and he literary said. "Muskies...on battle? West Battle? Uh..." I stopped listening after that. We went to the only spot we know.

I need to do more research on where to find these fish in different conditions. To say I was disappointed is a little of...I mean, yeah I was bummed to not catch a fish but in the end I'd do it all again (with the exeption of spending a couple hours walleye fishing )and be ok with the same outcome. I had a good time.

Besides, when you throw giant baits around it sort of always feels like you are catching a fish...man do those things fight

[Musky Buck]

Battle = After Labor Day and especially October. You may even get on film as there will be people filming out there after labor day. But, most if not all musky lakes are going strong after labor day or there's at least windows of opportunity. Don't worry that you struggled on that water, this June it has nothing to do with the lure or spots you tried. Don't worry about the DVD's and video we watch all winter long, that isn't reality at all. Here's a tip, shad rap walleye out there and you'll have as good a shot at a muskie as you will casting for them, at least from the factual reports I've heard and seen this season. Good Luck and remember the alleged best guides in the business put in 16 hour days with nothing boated or even seen and this year that is happening with frequency.

[50inchpig]

Head north, Arkman - DL, Beers, Pelican - or South - Oscar, Lobster, maybe Miltona. West Battle is a tough lake for a beginner. We've vacationed on Stuart and East Battle for years and I've got more hours on West Battle early in my career than I care to admit. Now I'm older and smarter and don't challenge her much anymore.

You are lucky though to be near so many great musky waters up there, I'd love to live up there someday.

I won't even let those kids at Bens wind line on my reel.

[Arkman]

I keep hearing its a tough lake. Bummer, its so close to our cabin. I will head out on those lake you mentioned more. I'm going to hit DL this weekend, but I think I'll try out on Battle again on Friday night. I figure it will give me some practice casting if nothing else. DL is only 40 min from my house but battle is only 15 from the cabin so when we are at the cabin I'll hit battle sometimes.

Musky Buck - We spent a few hours fishing eye's on Saturday with no luck. I'm not the best walleye fishermen either and that lake is so big (to me) its overwhelming. I didn't even know where to start for the eye's.

[Koepper08]

Stick with it! I went my entire first year of musky fishing without a fish. I put in at least 15 full days, 12 hours plus or minus, without a fish on the line. The follows kept me going. I finally boated my first musky on opener this year and the second came into the boat a couple hours later. Put in your time and find spots where muskies live, eventually it will happen! The wait is worth it!

[Musky Buck]

You've got an interesting yet fun dilemma, are you better off learning Battle more as you are closer to it or punt for a DL/Alexandria area musky lake. Battle = After labor day remember that, for me I'm already folding honkers but my connections are out there and those big girls move onto very castable spots, Battle is tough if it's sunny you better try to dig them out of the weeds and cloudy is ideal on that clear body of water where the weedline can grow real deep down. The fish in there are gorgeous. Look at the lake map, put a half dozen X's on places where if you were a musky you'd live there, go fish those 6 spots and see what develops.

[10,000 Casts]

West Battle is not as scary as people make it out to be, just put in some time. I fish it about twice a year now but I used to fish it alot more. Find good weeds and start there. Fish can also be inside the weed edge in shallow or outside the weeds in 20-30fow over the flats and in open water. As far as "typical" muskie spots, there aren't a ton and they get pounded pretty hard now. A good gps map chip and a good depthfinder helps.

[Arkman]

Thanks everyone. I've been doing some research on the lake and trying to put it all together. We'll see what happens. Who know with this weather. Hopefully I at least see a couple tomorrow. If anyone sees someone out there in a red lund who looks like they have no idea what is going on...say hi, its probably me.

[SaWW]

I'm in the same boat as you are man...pun intended. This is only about my second year of serious musky fishing and I've yet to boat one, or even get one to follow...frustrating indeed. My only advice is to look at each outing as a positive experience, whether you have any action or not. And like they say, a bad day of fishing is still better than a good day at work. Hang in there, it's early in the season yet and there's still plenty of time to hook one...hopefully we'll both get our first ones this season.