My fall trophy musky fishing commonly centers around deep, clear waters that contain ciscoes or whitefish.
During summer, muskies that feed on these open-water forage spend little time relating to structures, and they can be difficult to catch with casting methods. In fall, however, both baitfish and muskies are shallower and more accessible. Best of all, the muskies are bigger.
As water temperatures drop into the low fifties, ciscoes and whitefish prepare for spawning by moving closer to gravel shorelines, shallow sand bars, and even some rock humps.
Muskies use the structure to ambush prey and to work in packs to corral the forage fish. If conditions are optimal--overcast skies and a chop on the water--the muskies will feed on the ciscoes in shallow water, especially near and after dark. High skies and calmer conditions, however, can cause muskies to feed deeper, near secondary breaklines.
Most of the musky tournaments I fish are in the fall and allow casting only; many are located on clear waters. Although, I might prefer to troll, fish suckers, or get off the water, I am forced to stick it out and come up with techniques that produce.
One of the most effective techniques I've developed, and one of my best kept secrets, is using weighted or countdown crankbaits during the fall. This has resulted in several tournament victories and muskies over 35 pounds.
Countdown crankbaits allow me to fish more effectively in deeper waters--places not normally fished by most anglers. For years, I would weight crankbaits with lead or add water to the bait to make it sink. The keys were weighting the lure so it sank relatively level and didn't foul, yet sank quickly enough to be effective during windy conditions and, most important, maintained the action of the crankbait at slower speeds.
To obtain these three elements I modified, and quite frankly ruined, a lot of lures. Now Buchertail has developed a new countdown Depthraider that does everything I have described right out of the box. The lure sinks level at one foot per second and maintains a fish catching action at slow speeds.
When fishing countdown crankbaits I use two separate approaches--a straight crank and a count down.
I use the straight crank approach to cover both shallow waters and those slightly deeper than most anglers fish. I use this method when fishing steep-breaking shorelines or shallow rock and gravel bars.
My system consists of a low-speed Daiwa reel with a 7-1/2 foot Daiwa musky rod spooled with 40-pound-test Magnathin. The slow-speed reel allows the crankbait to run deeper (since it sinks), making contact with more objects and becoming an easier target for a musky. The Magnathin line has a thinner diameter to make the lure run deeper, and its low visibility doesn't distract from the lure. The longer musky rod quickly eliminates any line stretch and provides an excellent hookset. The countdown Depthraider also runs deeper than other floating or neutrally buoyant crankbaits.
In the fall, I have caught many big muskies directly after the lure has made contact with deep rocks--ones that are deeper than most anglers can reach using conventional lures and conventional casting techniques.
On many occasions, I was able to fish behind other anglers knowing my lure would be fishing an area that they did not fish.
The second approach to fishing these crankbaits is to actually count the lure down to a specific depth and then retrieve it slowly. This method is great for casting deeper points, rock humps, or baitfish schools suspended near structures.
When counting down the lure, you can make contact with deeper rocks that are hardly ever fished by other anglers. The lure spends more time at a productive depth, and it can also be presented to suspended muskies that otherwise could only be reached by trolling.
The same equipment used for the straight cranking works for this countdown approach.
In fall I sometimes fish jerkbaits, jigs, and other lures, because being versatile is important. But in waters that receive a lot of fishing pressure or have a population of muskies that just can't be reached with conventional lures, the countdown crankbait is my top choice. This lure has produced numerous times and has won many a musky tournament for me in the past--and it will again
Copyright (c) 1996 Jim Saric. All rights reserved.
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