Boat Position - What would you do?

[cherokee]

Let's say musky are hanging on the break in 12 feet of water (weedline and semi clear water). Would you position your boat shallow and cast deep or would you position deep and cast shallow? I would like to get other's opinions and the why behind it.

[MUSKY18]

Personally for me, I would move the boat out deeper and cast in towards the shallows in the conventional manner. I would only move far enough off the break so that my casts would still get into the weeds, and then come out onto the break. Just feel that you have a better chance of picking up the fish this way. Plus with most lures imitating bait fish, having it come from the weeds towards the open water would look like a fish heading out to deeper water.

Just my .02

[Esox_Magnum]

For me alot depends on wind/pleasure boat wakes.Some days we'll stay up on the weeds and cast out, others stay out deep and cast in over the weed edge, sometimes even stay on the break and fan cast right down break. All depends on wind, traffic and mood. All have produced and sometimes if we feel or know a fish is in the area we'll work it from every angle till we raise/catch her or decide shes not in the mood.

[cherokee]

I probably catch more in the figure 8 when positioned on the deep side. It seems like if you don't get the musky in the first few turns it has a better shot of repositioning itself in deep water and coming in to smack it. In a case where a musky is hot and than shoots out, keep figuring eighting and hang on because more than likely it will be back.

[JRedig]

For me it depends completely on the lure i'm throwing. I usually don't just do one or the other though, both have their time and place.

[10,000 Casts]

I like to stay out and cast in but I do like staying in and casting out too. It's probably 50 50 for me.

[cjac]

I am in the "depends" category too. Wind, weedline shape, traffic, etc all play a factor. Sometimes I do like the shallow throwing out to the deep Just to get the rise up and to the weedline. Plus.....it's just something a little different looking, possibly a trigger. I'll take anything I can do to differentiate my presentation on heavily pressured waters.

Just make sure you're not up too tight on the weeds where your ability to spin a fish on an 8 is hindered by weeds below your feet.

[Tim_Anderson]

I will typically try a few different things on a given day. First to start from deep and cast shallow. Second, to take your boat right down the breakline and cast parallel to the breakline off the front of the boat. And third, to cast from shallow to deep over the breakline. I usually do it in that order.

I will try all of these techniques when the fish are inactive as well as when they're active. One thing I've learned is that changing casting angles on fish is sometimes a great trigger. If I move a fish, I will always icon that fish and then come at it from a different angle.

The muskies are also very conditioned to option number one (everyone does it), but much less to options two and three. Change-up from what everyone else is doing is sometimes also a great "trigger".

Good luck,

[cherokee]

Tim I do the same thing with my hand held.

The reason I posted this thread is that I was fishing with a relatively new musky guy. He asked the question about which was better and I really didn't have a good answer for him other than I have caught muskies using all three approaches Tim mentioned.

I guess lure choice plays a big part of it. If I'm alone I don't mind running right on the break and casting straight ahead as well as fan casting.

[b1gf1sh1]

personally i prefer deep to shallow for several reasons including safety and ease of boat control, but i have much better luck with shallow to deep. i park on shore about 100 feet away alot after a sighting and walk back( in the water on private land) and cast out. really has helped me,IMHO, get those fish that did'nt hit out deep or from the sides. really think sometimes it just looks a more natural presentation or it could be the fish is set up in an ambush position and can't see or feel it at those angles where it is. i posted or responded to one sort of like this topic and asked if others did it and a memmber who fishes the pond alot said he does and believed it may be because of heavy pressure on there and it gives them something different. because most fish are'nt used to seeing a lure casted from shore/islands. kind of was on my mind too but was nice to hear another backing it. weekend can't come too soon!!!!