Lotw Trends

[Lals]

We go on our annual trip in early July and wanted to share some of the trends that we have experienced and maybe you could share yours?

 

• Smaller blades are getting bit... Showgirls vs. Cowgirls.  Really have stopped throwing Cowgirls.
• Glide baits can be very hot.... but it is funny how they can go cold as well
• Weeds continue to seem to decline a little but has seemed to stabilize.  Not as much cabbage in some west facing sandy bays.  Which is probably a good thing.  I have a hard time finding them in larger cabbage beds. 
• Seems like you need to keep running and gunning to find an active fish(s).  Many good spots you  will find nothing going and it seems that each year you find different hot areas
• Seems like there is strong year class LY that was around 46".... the year before they were 43-44".  This year maybe 48" which would be awesome!

 

Always fun and fish have been pretty cooperative the last few years for us but you got to work for 'em....

Edited June 13, 2019 by Lals
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[Wanderer]

Interesting points @Lals

 

I’m heading that direction this Saturday for a week and have been thinking about what to throw.  I’ve picked up some glides but haven’t really used them much.  The smaller blades is the direction I planned on going as well.  

 

Hope to have some pics again this year.

[Lals]

Just came back from LOTW.  Numbers were down but not bites.  I was a miserable 6 for 15 fish on. 75% of the bites came on the figure 8, I mostly tried to set back into them and they would come "unbuttoned " pretty quickly.  Next year, I will  try pulling them around or if they bite up in the corner of my figure 8, I would then pull the rod straight back trying to set it in the corner of their mouth.

 

Smaller bucktails got the most bites.  Cranks did pretty well too -- 7" Slammers and Crane Bait.  One friend got a 48 on a Top Raider. I had a 4 -5 large fish follow a top raider or a jackpot but none bit.  My brother got a 50" on a Mepps Musky Marabou.

 

[Wanderer]

Great fish @Lals!

 

You sound like we did on the way home from our trip - analyzing every fish we didn’t hook up or keep hooked after they bit.  I didn’t get any joy from a Top Raider either but live chucking them.

 

Thanks for the report!

[Lals]

One crazy story while up in LOTW...  When you fish a week up there for Muskies something pretty crazy will happen but this year was among the most fascinating experiences that I have had.... We are fishing a weedy spot on an Island and all of the sudden I see a tanker swimming parallel to the boat about 10 yards out (BTW, I have never seen that up in LOTW before).  First I thought I was seeing things, took a second and third look and then yelled "there is a huge Musky swimming out in front of us".  The Musky went straight to my brothers Top Raider and hammered it!  All of us saw it.  My brother fought it for a while and it shook free.   

 

So this experience got me thinking if the Muskies are really turned on can their strike zones be that large?  I am estimate that fish swam more that 10 yards to intersect with that bait!  Maybe it was just cruising and by luck it happened?  I sure seemed that the Musky was focused on eating that Top Raider .... so maybe the Strike Zone is that large or much larger than I thought...