Musky fishing in the late season is when you have to make it count. It’s when you have to perform at a higher level if you want magic to happen. The lakes will be icing over soon and the season will end.
Fall has become possibly my favorite time of year to fish muskies. Everything is condensed compared to the crazy marathon hours of the summer months. The days are shorter and the feeding windows smaller — but at times way more intense. It’s time to put in some serious work. The period of October through December can yield some of the greatest catches for any musky hunter. The fish have started to produce eggs, they have been eating well and if you’re looking for a bigbellied super tanker, the fall period is the best time to catch one.
Casting is the only option in my boat and I haven’t used livebait in years. To me it’s all about feeling the strike, coaxing that big beast into smashing your lure, working and manipulating your bait just right to get one to make the mistake of inhaling your bait. Trolling and livebait fishing just isn’t for me. There is something about heaving Pounders and Medussas that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It’s the anticipation of the next cast and what could happen. It’s the idea of knowing that I tricked an old giant into biting. Why else would we go out in below-freezing temperatures, deal with broken equipment, fish in big waves and still have a smile on our faces? Because we all know the possibilities of what could happen. It’s do or die time.
Early Fall Patterns
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