Early Fall Patterns

Early fall provides some of the best opportunities in the entire season to catch a giant musky.

- Luke Ronnestrand

Labor day weekend signals a time of transition. Falling water temperatures, fall forage movement and slower lake traffic are all signs of the approaching change. Gone are semi-predictable summer patterns and consistent success.

Early fall welcomes challenging musky fishing, but it can be some of the year’s best. muskies will be shallow again, including some of largest in your lakes. This is one of my favorite time periods due to the success i have had as well as its challenging nature.

Following are three patterns that put big muskies in my net year after year.

1. Blades & Shallow Weeds 

Almost every make and model spinner catches muskies, and most weedy areas hold a musky at some point, but there is disparity in the early fall. By the end of august, many weedy areas look a lot differently than they did at the beginning of the month. many of the grassy types of weeds and thin leafed cabbage types have died off or are less predominant. Patches of coon tail and broad leaf cabbage are intact and tend to be in great shape. These weeds are generally found in shallower water, located from the middle of the weedy area to the inside edge.

Whether coon tail and broadleaf cabbage plants continue to grow throughout the fall or they are exposed by the diminishment of the other weed types, they will become the main attraction. outside edges will take a backseat as the most intact weeds become the focal point. typical weedy areas associated with points, saddle areas, narrows/channels, flats and large bays are all good. What separates the good from the really good are larger distances with decent depth between shore and the inside weed edge, depressions near the inside weed edge, and sand.