Lake Waconia

[cupper]

I went out this morning from 6:00-10:30... conditions seemed just right - cloudy, light breeze, water temps around 73. Tried shallow weeds, sand, deep weed edge, and rocks. Threw bucktails of various sizes at various speeds along with a topraider and a suick.

Nothing. Not one fish even moved for me. I have been to Waconia about 4 times now... probably put in about 20 hrs on that lake and have zero fish to show for it (pike/muskie). I have heard is is a wonderful lake for northern and muskie, and I believ it... there are some great looking spots out there. Can anyone point out some flaws in my gameplan for this morning or drop a few hints to get me going in the right directin on this lake. I hate asking questions like this, but I feel like I am trying a variety of different things and nothing is working for me.

Thanks for any ideas you are willing to share!

-cupper

[Muskydanno]

That lake like alot of others this year , seems to be in a funk. Its not uncommon to go out there 4 or 5 times without any action. Other times its a blast , just depends on where they are located. It seems the only thing missing from your gameplan is finding the actual locations of active fish.You are using the right stuff, like alot of lakes it takes a few trips out to get a feel for where they are at any given time.I was out there three or four times in june this season without a fish, where last season during the same time period i had three or four in the net and lost several more.Now i live up in milaca so you know where i am spending alot of my time. Waconia is one of those lakes where you almost need to be on the water two to three times a week, just so you can be on top of patterns that develop.Those fish will bury themselves in the weeds when they are active and even more so when they are inactive.And believe me there is plenty of salad out there for them to hide in when they arent sitting off the breakline eating potato chips.

Hope this helps somewhat, and keep at it!

Dan

[Lals]

It is a crazy year and I think that the Muskies are definately becoming more educated. I have had more and more "porpoise" by the boat to check us out. Yesterday evening there was one that had it's head out of the water crusing next to the boat for 20 seconds. Historically, August has been tough for me, this year I am having more success fishing later in the day into the early nite You are doing right things and hitting the right areas. Keep doing it and experiment with different lures -- I would add a shallow invader to your rotation. If you are fishing into the night use a lure with a good thumping vibration on the breaks. I have success with chatterbaits and big spinnerbaits.

Don't fret too much, Sept is around the corner and the Top Water bite and Musky fishing overall should ignite soon.

The last thing I would add is that over the last 3 weeks we have been getting very few hits (very few northerns), very few follows that we have seen, but 5 out of the last 6 times we have had at least one Musky on. The key is keep working and patience and be ready for one hit and most of the time that one hit is a "good one".

[cupper]

Thanks for all the info fellas! It is interresting to hear your thoughts and experiences. I will say that right now, my biggest weaknesses on this lake are learning the breaklines (the dropoffs are very different from Minnetonka, which I am used to. Less deep water on this lake and more gradual drop-offs), finding the midlake reefs (I have no gps and I just need to become more familiar), and fishing the north side of the lake (I have concentrated mostly on the area around the island and the southern shorline from the public access to the west side of the lake).

I feel like once I learn the breaklines I will better be able to fish the weed edges and thus, figure out if the fish are holding there, or in shallower water.

Side question... Has anyone tried "grinding" on this lake with a heavy spinner like a "Pearson grinder"? I have a feeling this may work well.

Thanks again! I'll try to keep this thread updated on how I do.