[bartmandude]

Hi all,

While this isn't really "windy city" focused, I'm hoping my windy city brothers can help out.

I'm heading up to Delavan Lake (WI) on November 10th to go musky hunting. I've only caught one musky in my life, and it was small (26" or so) and caught by accident. I had been wading for smallmouth bass in the Paint River up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula with a Flueger President ultralight with 4lb test line, using a number 1 Mepps Aglia. It was a heck of a battle.

Anyhoo, so here I go, musky hunting for the first time, and dropping some serious cash along the way as I "gear-up". I got an Abu-Garcia C-4 reel, a Bass Pro Pete Maina 7.5ft MH musky rod capable of hurling gigantic lures (2 to 8 oz). I've picked up a few musky lures based on some research, including a few different types of inline spinners (Llungen DC-10, Buchertail, Double Cowgirl), a bull dawg, a Grandma, a Smoker SS Shad, and a Swim'n Joe. My cohorts apparently have lots more to dip into.

So here's a few humble questions to those seasoned Musky pros in the group:

1. Given that it's fall, and will probably be on the chilly side, what parts of your typical lake would you target? I believe we're planning to start in whatever bay the wind is pushing into, hoping the shad and ciscos are getting pushed in there as well. Does this sound like reasonable logic?
2. What would be your primary "go-to" techniques to try in terms of lure type, retrieve speed, retrieve type?
3. Is there any general advice you'd offer for a first time musky fisherman?

Thanks in advance,

-bartmandude

P.S. I'm bringing some bass gear just in case

 

[Andrew_R]

Hi all,
So here's a few humble questions to those seasoned Musky pros in the group:

1. Given that it's fall, and will probably be on the chilly side, what parts of your typical lake would you target? I believe we're planning to start in whatever bay the wind is pushing into, hoping the shad and ciscos are getting pushed in there as well. Does this sound like reasonable logic?
2. What would be your primary "go-to" techniques to try in terms of lure type, retrieve speed, retrieve type?
3. Is there any general advice you'd offer for a first time musky fisherman?

Welcome to the club! This year was my first year of actually seriously fishing for Muskies (I go in northern WI). Made maybe 15-20 outings, went 2 for 8 on fish (lost 6), had too many follows, and more than half of my outings were for exploring and BS'ing, and looking for future lakes.

Anyways, I've never fished Delavan, but here's what you should look for anywhere this time of year::

1) Good logic. I don't know how deep Delavan is nor if there are any deep and steep shoreline zones or good areas for open water fishing, but you should also try working cranks, jerkbaits, and bulldawgs - if you have any baits of that kind and if the lake has such areas, I would look there first.

2) I would be casting cranks, and jerkbaits. Slow to medium retrieval speeds. Drag a sucker along too.

3) Visit and start reading a plethora of information at MuskieFIRST.com - That's what I do very often.

andrew

 

[IXmarksthespot]

who are you planning to head out there with if I may ask?

 

[FishinMatt]

I hate to burst your bubble, but Delavan is not a consistant musky lake at all. They have vigoursly tried stocking it, but they have not taken hold with a targetable population. The good news is that it is hands down, the best big pike like in SE WI. Just about whatever you have in the box for skies will get you a shot at some really nice pike this time of year. There is no cisco or shad forage in the lake, and the pike are usually spread out. Some will be on the deep weedline under the suspended panfish, some on the inside of the deep weedline as ambush predators, and for reasons we cannot explain, there are almost always 30''+ pike sitting up in a foot or less of water in certain areas of the lake. In the Fall I usually prefer the Lakelawn area for casting, but other places like the Yacht Club, Browns Channels, and the outside of the bays on the West end are good locations. Normally, we will keep the boat in 12-15 feet of water and cast in over the drop-offs. If you review some past threads, Coyote and I have tons of Delavan reports, and I was out a bunch around this time last Fall if you care to research. With that said, there are some muskies in there. I have hooked into 2 over the last 3 years, and I believe Coyote has hooked into 4 or 5 in a little bit of a greater time frame. If you really want to target them, my top 3 choices in the general area would be Pewaukee, Ochachu, and Silver.

Your tackle choices sound good. I have the Mania combo and it has handled some nice skies and pike

 

[bartmandude]

I'm going with my brother and a friend from work. The coworker is the man supplying the boat, and the majority of the musky experience.

-bartmandude

 

[bartmandude]

Thanks Matt, that's great info. I'm not sure how we settled on Delavan specifically. I'll talk to the boys. I believe my co-worker saw the stocking reports, and a few articles like this one : http://www.thefishyspot.com/articles.php

I love pike too, and have a little more grounding in the techniques for those guys. I'll try to skew to the smaller side of the musky lurs. Maybe we'll get lucky

Thanks especially for the tips on alternate musky lakes. I'll definitely research those.

-bartmandude