I need some help

[MNBIGBEAR]

I just got back from a trip to Vermilion. We fished all day Friday and all day Saturday and not a fish. We had at least 12 follows on Friday and only one on Saturday and none of the fish we did see seemed to be very hot. Tried early morning, late at night, rocks, weeds, everything I could think of and it didnt seem to make a difference. I am going to be up there this whole next weekend too. Any tips or suggestions?

[cmoredrakes]

When you get a follow on a muskie or pike, have a second rig ready. As soon as you see the fish turn away from your bait, reel your lure in and cast out the second rig. The fish is most likely to hit a different bait than the one it followed up to the boat. I usually rig up a suick or a bucktail. The fish that follow usually hit on the figure-8 move too. Try to find out which method works best for you.

Try slower presentations like topwater lures in the early morning. Hawg Wobblers, twitch baits, jerk baits, Poe's Giant Jackpots are some good early morning and evening topwater lures. Or just bulge a bucktail on the top. Pause the bait every now and then, the fish seem to hit most topwater baits when they're stopped in the retrieve every so often. Plus when you stop the bucktail on any sort of retrieve, the hairs flush out and that really seems to trigger fish into hitting them.

hope some of these tips help.

[MNBIGBEAR]

Thanks for the tips drakes. I always use a follow up lure and has worked for me alot in the past and I feel my figure 8 is pretty good but nothing seemed to be working. Could have been one of those days but I have seemed to be having alot more of them lately. Gets you to start asking some questions if you know what I mean. How much do you guys think fishing pressure and just general boat/jet ski traffic has on fish activity. We saw a ton of fish on friday but come saturday when the lake filled up with people (many more musky fisherman too) the fish just seemed to disappear. Even from spots that I know not many other fisherman know about. Any ideas, thoughts?

[cmoredrakes]

It seems every time there is alot of jet skis and activity, the fish move deeper or bury themselves in the weeds or hide under rocks during the day to get away from the noises and all. Usually we resort to sucker minnows under corks if the fishing is really hard, 'cause the fish are basically inactive when there are alot of boats racing around. I know it's cheating, but it makes the rod bend . Deep weed edges or sunken islands tend to produce most of the fish on these types of lakes.

Try to find a spot away from all of the boats and try slower presentations again. These kind of days are good night fishing for muskies 'cause they lay low all day and are looking for food during the night when all the perch and other food sources are asleep. Top water or noisy baits work well in the night over shallow weed piles and rocks 'cause they generate splashes and noises that sound like a wounded baitfish on the surface. They will cruise the tops of the weeds at night looking for wounded prey.

those are just some the facts i've learned from muskie fishing on pressured lakes.

Hope these tips help to put more fish in the boat for you. good luck!!

[CommonSense Guy]

I would target times of peak activity. Obviously mornings and evening are best. But look at the Game activity charts. Target major peaks of activity. Maybe on the middle of the day or maybe at three in the morning. If it lines up with a full moon you will be in business. Always be out there before a front. Have you tried night fishing? Might be your best bet. Just be prepared and be careful.

[danlk]

if your getting the same results on following fish change something. try a faster retrive a 7000 is bettor than a 6500 for this. if your thowing a bucktail start your retrive as soon as it hits the water. change lure direction as the bait nears the boat sweep your rod it might pull their trigger. ps when using a bait like a hawg wobbler when it hits the water give your rod a pop then start your retrive in the summer try night fishing. two more tips real sharp hooks and always be ready when the bite comes you only get so many chances good luck DLK,

[MNBIGBEAR]

Thanks for the tips guys. I dont know if anyone else is in the boat Im in but nothing seems to be working for me this year. Just checked and looks like I will have a full moon for me on Thursday and I am hoping by starting this trip in mid week I might not have to battle alot of other traffic on the lake. Hopefully I will have some pictures to post when I get back Thanks again guys

[Tonka Boy]

I had a similar problem in Canada this past week. We probably caught 1 in 10 fish that followed...and most came in "hot". The two things that really helped were (1) had a small bucktail as a throw back lure, and the other (2) to really speed up and try to rip the lure away from the fish at and during the figure 8. We knew these fish were feeding as they always came from behind (reaction strikes often come from the side) so it was just a matter of giving them something they couldn't resist. In this instance the topwater woke them up, the small bucktail which followed brought them in.

Of course some days nothing will work, but I know these way north lakes are REALLY heating up with the warm spell.

[porterhouse]

Try using a J-Mac jig with a 6" salt shaker for a throw back.

Brian

[Random guy]

Quote:

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Try using a J-Mac jig with a 6" salt shaker for a throw back.

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Amen!

[Cooter]

The fine folks at J-Mac and Lunker City must thank God each night for Doug Stange!