Fall is in the Air!

Many consider Labor Day as the start of the fall season.  In my world, this means we are a few days closer to my favorite time on the water.  Giant fall muskies will soon be on the menu.  Monday morning, was a good example to the madness forthcoming.

Meeting at the ramp in the morning darkness, I told my clients, Adam and Jesse, that I didn't like our weather conditions.  The cold front had moved through, the wind laid down to zero and the temps were stuck at 45 degrees.  Did I mention there wasn't a cloud in the sky?  Not exactly ideal.  Still, the boys were eager and we hit the water hoping for the best.  This turned out to be a good move.  Less than an hour into our trip, Jesse hooked his first top water muskie ever.  This also happened to be his first over 50.  At 51 inches, the muskie slurped his bait like a bluegill eating a bug on the surface.  At first glance, we both said "bass."  As the fish cruised lazily left to right, I ran to the back of the boat for a better look, and was pleasantly surprised by the outcome.  That was about the same time the fish went wild.  Moments later we were hooting, howling and pumping fists.

Jesse's muskie marked the end to an 0 for 14 streak.  During the previous 4 trips, my clients had generated 14 strikes.  The conditions were prime and the muskies were chomping.  Sadly, they all managed to get off in one way or another.  I know that is why we fish them, but it was seriously getting out of hand.  Big fish, little fish and everything in between.  I watched them shake off boat side, fly across the surface like tarpon, and make good hook sets look poor.  I watched a high 40's eat a fly, only to break the line before the net.  I watched a young 12 year old battle her first muskie, only to break her heart.  One miss after another and another.  While the action was good, I was beginning to wonder when our luck would change.  Thanks to Jesse, I didn't have to wonder for very long.  Thankfully, he provided another spark and Labor day holiday to remember!  Here's to you and a great start to the fall muskie season.  I wish you all the best!  Until the next muskie strikes, keep on living the dream!

I'd Rather Be Lucky...

Make a long cast, grip the rod tight and work the bait erratic with an increase and decrease in speeds along the retrieve.  Once boat side, lower your rod tip into the water and power into the first turn in a downward motion followed by a rising motion coming out of that turn. Sound familiar?  Make another wide turn and bring the bait near the surface, then back down.  Repeat over and over then cast over and do it all again.  Don't stop this process for even a second or you won't catch anything today. 

Ah yes, this is muskie fishing.  A sport with so many rules that it seems painful to do.  After nearly 4 hours of perfect form, flawless figure 8's and precise boat control on prime structure, I was about to give in to the muskie God's.  I cranked the trolling motor on high and told the boys, "hang on, I am going to move us one last time for one more cast." Eric left his line hang out the back and I motored us across the area we just completed a solid 20 casts on.  With my headlamp shining on Eric, I watched his rod bend over.  "I think I have a fish," he said quietly.  "No, it's just weeds, never mind...wait, yes, yes it is a fish." I started laughing and expected to see a bass or a clump of milfoil.  To my surprise, the biggest muskie of Eric's life swam peacefully around the boat holding a bucktail in it's mouth.  That was the moment chaos broke loose.  But, it was already too late for that muskie.  This scenario proves that I would much rather be lucky than good.

The following morning I meet a couple muskie junkies at the boat landing.  The sun was still sleeping when I gave my usual muskie tutorial.  With proper casting form completed we moved on to the hook set and battle scenario's.  All things necessary to properly get started in muskie fishing.  It was during this time that a muskie grabbed my clients bait and took him for a ride.  If it wasn't the 6th cast of the day, it was his 7th.  That was a good start and the first muskie of Mark's life.  I can only chalk it up to luck!

That night I hooked up the boat and decided to fish the late shift.  My "lucky charm," Matt Hennen was eager and the conditions looked prime.  An hour into the wild goose chase, he hooked up on the figure 8.  I quickly reeled up my line and grabbed the net.  With pictures logged on my camera's SD card, we released the fish and head back for more.  But, there's a problem.  In a hurry, I failed to reel my bait completely into the boat.  Hanging over the side, the hook grabbed a weed during the drift and pulled the entire rig overboard.  Uh oh!  Upset at myself for the stupid move, I started adding up the dollars.  The Calcutta was only 5 days old, and counting up the rest of the rig just made me want to vomit. 

I shined my headlamp into the wind driven waves in hopes of finding the needle in the endless hay stack.  For 20 minutes we drug baits across the bottom hoping to snag something at all.  I zoomed tight on my GPS trail and followed as close as possible.  Then, out of nowhere I spotted it.  The bait held tight to the milfoil, but the cork end floated upward giving a sparkle when my light flashed across the Calcutta gold.  I almost wet my shorts with excitement.  Still laughing about it all, Matt re-hooked his favorite lure and tossed it back out.  In 5 short turns of the handle, he was hooked up again.  If I wasn't there, I probably wouldn't have believed it.  This proves again, that I'd rather be lucky than good.  In the muskie fishing world, I'll take what I can get.  This point marked the 7th consecutive trip with a fish in the boat and the first double.  Maintaining a streak is something I am always proud of.  Will it continue?  Until the next muskie strikes keep on living your dream!

Muskie Love...

Ah yes, it feels good to be back on the water.  With the recent surge of extreme heat, I took a break from muskie fishing for about a month.  Like many of you, I feel strongly that our resource is far more important than my addiction to catching muskies.  Thus, the lack of journal entries.  Last week the heat broke and the fishing resumed.  Thank Goodness!

I managed 4 trips and 4 fish in the net.  One each time.  Not great, but not terrible either.  Consistent is a good word for it.  Along the way, a few things stood out.  One is bad, the others are good.  I'll start with the bad one first and end in a positive note.

Friday night I hooked up to the rig with plans to head north.  A quick check of the trailer lights indicated a problem.  2 hours later, we found the glitch and re-wired the works.  Upon reaching Mille Lacs, the storm and lightning proved too much and we lost out on an evening of fishing.  Saturday was a slight success.  We were able to locate some fish during the day, and entice one of them to eat after night fall.  On that big lake, I consider all fish a success. 

The downfall was the issue waiting for us on shore.  When we dropped the boat in the water that afternoon, steam came from the water due to my extremely hot trailer.  Uh oh.  Turns out that a piece of my surge brakes had broken and left the brakes stuck in a slightly "on" position.  This lead to heat, which lead to my bearing dust caps blowing off, which lead to oil loss, which lead to a hot everything, which lead to discovering a major problem when backing the boat in the water.  Does that even make sense?  The muskie made me feel better for only a short moment.  Luckily, no permanent damage was done.  Today I have a new brake system and all new bearings.  Essentially it set me back 3 days on the water and several dollars.  Sadly, it's all part of the game. 

Now for a positive fish tale.  Last week I met my pastor, Joel Johnson, aka: Pastor Joel, at the lake Minnetonka access slightly before sunrise.  We had been trying to get together for several weeks to share a morning of fishing and fellowship.  This man has been a huge part of my life and this was my opportunity to share my fishing passion with him.  Muskies were the obvious choice.  For Joel, this was something he had never fathomed.  His quote when we pulled off the dock was "My biggest fish is only 4 pounds.  I just want to see a muskie!"  A short while later he had his first muskie encounter boat side.  A few more casts and a large splash left his top water lure rocking back and forth.  As the magical hour approached, I told him to be ready.  We pulled up to a spot I told him "this is my favorite muskie haunt on the entire lake."  Then as if it was scripted from above, my rod doubled over and I was in consumed in battle.  I screamed, "Joel, this is a monster, get the net, the net, JOEL, GET THE NET!"

At the start of the day we went over how everything would go down.  I showed him the net and how the handle extends as well as the process of putting it in the water.  Since we were out for fun, I fished right alongside in hopes that either of us could land a lunker.  Now engulfed in battle, everything we discussed went out the window.  As the giant fish came boat side, Joel screamed "it's a monster!"  I laughed in agreement, only to see that he still had the handle extended through the center of the net.  Now in chaos mode, I hurried to help him make room for the large fish.  In a last minute effort to boat the fish, Joel extended the handle and pulled it right out of the net.  With a yoke handle in one hand and the net basket in the other he frantically yelled for help.  I was laughing and prodding him to hurry up.  It was perfect madness.  Somehow he managed to get the net back together and scooped up the fish.  At this time I was laughing out of control.  Joel was covered in a deep sweat and had drool coming out of his mouth from yelling and rushing so frantically. It was the experience of a lifetime.  Once the hooks were out, I gave the fish to Joel.  He wanted to feel the power of this fish and when she was ready, she swam back to the depths.  I don't think it gets any better than this.  Certainly something the both of us will never forget

Another cool story.  A few months ago I was contacted by Doug Stange, from In-Fisherman magazine and TV.  We discussed a few things, and swapped some information.  I recently open up the latest edition of In-Fisherman magazine and find that Trophy Encounters is a featured destination for August and September.  How sweet is that?  Growing up as a kid I always thought that some day I would like to make it in their magazine.  Making this dream happen puts a big smile on my face:)  I guess the power and allure of a big muskie can make dreams possible.  Until the next one strikes, keep livin' the dream!

One for Old Times...

During the summer of 1998 I became obsessed with catching muskies.  My best friend, Dusty, was my partner in crime.  Together we fished the crap out of lake Minnetonka and Mille Lacs trying to learn everything about the fish of 10,000 casts.  It took us a full season to land muskie number one, but that fish gave up a pattern, and we instantly went on a tear.  The first week after we hooked up, we landed over 20 more fish.  At the time, this was unheard of.  Eventually, the success lead to the start of my guiding career, and brings me to where I am today.

Fast forward 13 years.  The same addiction still holds true for Dusty and I.  The only difference is that I am the lucky one that gets to fish for them all the time.  It had been several years since we rekindled our love for the Esox, but Saturday morning we hit the water and the only gear in the boat had muskie written on it.  We took to lake Minnetonka and laughed about muskie stories from years ago.  Just the two of us and the fish. 

An hour into our trip I tossed him a cowgirl and wished him luck.  He chucked it out and instantly started ripping on the bait.  "Is this the lure you give to your clients when you are ready to go in," he laughed.  We all know how hard these baits pull, but he had never thrown one before.  I laughed, and he continued, "how will I know when there is a fish on the end?" He went on and on cracking jokes, but the jokes stopped when a solid 51 incher flew up behind his bait.  He didn't catch that fish, but it brought him back in the game.  That fish, nicknamed "Janet Reno," sank below and he looked at me smiling.  Moments later another giant came boat side.  Even hotter than the first.  Then another, this time flaring her gills and eating his cowgirl on the first turn of his 8. 

I couldn't have drawn it up any better.  A quick pic, followed by a quicker release, then we shared a moment.  Not like a hug or anything, but a guys moment.  One of those, "that was cool, we both know it, and we don't have to say it because we are guys" type of moments.  Shortly after, the wind died down, the sun came out and the thermometer prepared for the hottest week I have ever seen.  A heat that will keep me from chasing muskies until the water temps drop back below the 80 degrees.  Thank you, Dusty, for another great memory.  You are the best!  Until the next monster strikes, keep on living your dream!

Lake Waconia Muskies in Limbo?

I've fished the lake since I was old enough to cast.  I've been a fishing guide on Waconia for over a decade now and I've logged thousands of hours on this bowl shaped pond.  I'm not saying that I'm an expert on the lake, but if you spend enough time on a single body of water you notice changes.  I do my best to pay attention to the details and understand why, especially when my job depends on it.  It seems many of you have seen these changes too.  Here are a few things that come to mind and questions that I've been asked by anglers on the lake.  I'll call this a Lake Waconia Q & A session.

Why is the muskie bite so tough this year?  A few factors likely contribute, but I feel it is mostly related to pressure.  The lake has been fished hard for several years now, and I believe that the population in Waconia is possibly 50% less than it was 5 years ago during the "hot bite" window.  I really started to notice the impact last year.  Lack of proper C&R practices have left many fish floating, and old age has probably accounted for a few others.  Muskies were stocked in Waconia in the mid 80's.  An average lifespan of 25 years means natural death is certainly taking place.  While regular stocking still occurs to keep the population at healthy levels, I feel strongly that the death rate the past few years has been extremely higher than the stocking rate. 

Pointing fingers is not what I'm getting at.  We've all fished the lake and enjoyed the great fishing, myself included.  The reality is that I've counted as many as 10 floaters during a single week of fishing.  Not every week is that way, but it was a common trend to see dead muskies floating the past few seasons.  I've seen more floaters on Waconia than all the other muskie lakes I've fished combined.  I attribute that to my hours on the lake and the small size of the lake.  In a typical day, I'll cover much of the lake.  A floating white log stands out and I always take a look.  Therefore, if it floats I will probably see it.  That's not always the case on Minnetonka or Mille Lacs, so my numbers of "floaters" may be skewed on Waconia.  Regardless, they are ridiculously high. 

Here's a fishy equation to consider.  Lake Minnetonka is roughly 14,000 + acres and the muskie population is stocked to hold roughly 1,100 adult fish (of 30 something inches or larger).  Lake Waconia is roughly 3,000 acres.  I don't know what % they stock this lake to hold, but if it is based on similar calculations to Minnetonka, which I believe it is, then we are looking at Maybe 300 fish total when it's at a healthy or high level.  With the recent mortality on this lake, the numbers are hard to ignore.  If the muskies aren't there, we can't catch them.  This isn't science, just common sense.  Proper catch & release is the most important aspect of muskie fishing.  When it goes wrong, the effects are noticeable in a hurry.  I believe this is the case here and my notes lead me to believe that we might have a loss as high as 50%.

I personally feel that the muskie population is cyclical and it will come back with time.  It just may take a few years.  I also believe that the "glory days" for Waconia muskies were just a few short years ago.  I'm not sure if it will ever be what it once was.  In my opinion, the population in Waconia was at a record level around '07 and '08.  If you fished it back then you probably agree.  Somewhere in the middle of then and now is probably a little more realistic for the future.  It still remains a tremendous fishery and holds extremely large fish, but we'll just have to work harder for each one.  With that said, I still believe it's a trophy fishery that's worth a cast.

Did the cold spring temps effect the muskie bite?  It probably has some effect on the overall catch rate because a fish will eat more when it's metabolism is running faster.  If a fish eats more often, it has more chances of being caught.  With that being said, my "personal opinion" of muskie fishing on Waconia is that it has always been a good lake to fish early in the season when the water is cold.  I can't explain why, but I've had some of my best years of muskie fishing out there when the temps were cool.  Therefore I don't attribute the cold spring to the entire problem.

Are there more Northern Pike in the lake right now?  I have seen and heard of more pike being caught this year than the past few.  Scientifically, I cannot say why, but mother nature will allow more pike to thrive if the competition for food is lower.  Less muskies will probably equal more pike.  In the past, Waconia was always good for a few large pike.  Mid to upper 30 inch fish.  Not many, but a few good ones.  This year I have seen more of the 1 to 2 yr old pike, under 24 inches, which leads me to believe that there is less competition for food (less muskies).  It's just my opinion, but I am once again pointing at common sense to back me up with this case.  If the muskie numbers are down, I wouldn't be surprised to see the pike catch go up significantly in the next couple of years.

Do muskies get conditioned to lures and fisherman?  In short, Yes.  5 to 10 years ago they would smash any lure that passed by their face.  After being caught a few times, that lure still looks like food, but it seems they are more timid.  This seems true statewide.  But, a muskie is still a muskie and you never know what they will eat and when.  Follows have gone down for me.  Many days if I see 3 I will get 2 strikes.  That's common. less follows and more strikes, with far shorter feeding windows.  It seems they don't follow a lure just for poops and giggles any longer.  I attribute that to conditioning.  It's the nature of the beast.

Deep breathe...Are you still with me?  Time for a break.  This is a lot of information.  My hope is to give the most accurate details of what I believe to be true on lake Waconia.  Hence the long drawn out paragraphs.  Since I have several topics remaining, I think I will tackle them in segments.  Still to come on Waconia...Cormorant effects, forage situations, walleye populations and weed growth - what is this grass and where is the milfoil?.  I really believe that all of these topics relate to all the species that we fish fish.  I hope this helps answer some questions you may have when you are out there.  Until next time, keep on livin' your dream!