In Spring, as the ice melts, surface water temperature is barely above freezing, and the water beneath the surface is often warmer. The Spring is when muskellunge are close to where they will spawn when the water temperatures rise. The water isn’t warm enough for the muskellunge to move into the shallow water, so it’s best to fish the open water near spawning sites and drop-offs.
Baits commonly used by anglers in the Spring are crankbaits, swimbaits, verticle jigs, and soft plastics. Look for heavy populations of baitfish to decide the best spot to start.
Pre-spawn is when the shallows’ temperature rises above the open water and drop-off areas’ water temperatures. The muskellunge will move up into the warm shallow waters during this time. During the pre-spawn, female muskies heavily feed to supply enough energy and nutrients to make their eggs.
During mild conditions or warming trends, anglers typically fish the shallow sand areas and weed flats with crankbaits, swimbaits, glide bait, and soft plastics, duringa cooling trend when the shallows’ temperature drops, anglers fish with the same lures used in Spring when the ice is first starting to melt.
A spawning musky is unlikely to bite a lure; however, muskies don’t spawn all at the same time, so while you may see a pair of muskellunge spawning, there will likely be others nearby who are still feeding and haven’t yet started to spawn. In this case, anglers will use the methods and bait for pre-spawning fish.
Muskellunge during the post-spawn is generally very sluggish. The male muskies are more active than the females during this time. The lull lasts for about two weeks on smaller inland lakes. Larger lakes, such as Miller Lacs, Lake St Clair, and Lake Michigan, and large river systems generally experience less lull because of different water conditions.
Once the muskies recover from the sluggish period, they will be the most active they are all year. The bait type depends on the local forage, but soft plastics, bucktails, and topwater plugs are generally used this time of year.
In the summer, the best time of the day to muskie fish is early in the morning or evening. Muskellunge generally don’t feed as much in the middle of the day during the summer. Top bait for the summer includes bucktails, soft plastics, topwater plugs in open water, weed edges, and rock piles. Fishing for muskies at night is best during the summer months and done with the same baits, but retrieve slowly since they rely on their vision and can’t see as well.
If the water temperatures exceed 80 degrees, it’s best not to fish for them as the water is too hot and can be detrimental to their health if caught.
In Fall, the muskellunge move out of the summer spots into shallower waters. The best muskie lures for this time of year are bucktails and soft plastics.Late Fall is the best time for musky fishing, producing the largest fish of the year. This is the time committed musky anglers are fishing before the lakes freeze over.
This time of year, the muskellunge are looking for an easy, fatty, big meal and don’t want to exert energy by chasing down a small, fast-moving baitfish. In the autumn, the Musky eat vigorously, adding body fat to get them through the harsh winter. The best baits to use in late Fall are big jigs and soft plastics with slow, easy movements—fish along drop-offs and the open water with large baitfish populations. Muskies often hold near their spawning sites in late Fall, so consider fishing a potential spawning site.
Lake St Clair
Lake St. Clair is a freshwater lake between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan. Lake St Clair has the second-highest number of registered muskellunge. Lake St Clair is one of the best lakes to catch numerous fish in the 30 to 40-pound range and commonly in the 40-inch to 50-inch range. Heavy populations of muskies occur in the St. Claire river system to the north and Detroit river south.
It’s best to have numerous baits that vary in size and color when fishing for muskies, especially in Lake St Claire. Some of the standard trolling lures on Lake St. Clair are from Spanky, Ziggies, Blue Waters, Muskie Train MX6 and MX9, Shads, Musky Armor, and Masons. Casting weeds can be very effective when muskie fishing. Choose your lure pattern based on weed thickness, weed type, and water depth.
