Last Chance Muskies

Winter is coming ... now is the time to hunt for a Great Lakes giant.

- Mike Hulbert

Fall musky fishing ... These words mean a great deal to anglers across the musky range. It’s all about the possibility of landing a true giant, the fish that can make your season and, perhaps, your lifetime. This end-of-the-year blitz, which normally occurs in November and December where i guide on Lake St.Clair, is time to make things count. The days are short, and windows of opportunity are even shorter. Sometimes huge north winds and bitter cold keep you off the water, but when mother Nature finally gives the green light, it’s time to shine. On Lake St.Clair, along with the other Great Lakes fisheries, late fall means the seasonal migration for these fish before winter. I want every opportunity i can get to catch them during these migratory movements. Understanding these movements is a huge piece of the puzzle. In this article i plan to shed light on where, where and how to catch your new personal best!

Early-Late Or Late-Late? 

The term “fall” must be addressed before i can specify location and lure selection. For lack of a better term, i am going to use the terms “early-late fall” and “late-late fall.” to me, early-late fall is the end of October through mid-November and late-late fall is mid-November through mid-December (or ice-up). Water temperatures during this period will be all over the place so it’s important to watch them closely. You will see quick drops when the super cold fronts roll in, but water temperatures can increase fairly quickly in unseasonably warm weather. Water temperatures in early-late fall generally range from 52 degrees to 42 degrees, compared to 42 to ice in late-late fall.Muskies will be making their final push to their wintering spots and their location can be spot-on predictable.

Early-Late Fall