Sometimes orange blades on a black bucktail will trip a muskie's trigger faster than silver blades will. Photo by Pete Maina

Muskies are never easy. We hear all kinds of things about what makes them tough to catch. The reality is that they are tough because there aren't many of them. It's the way nature works. Those at the top of the food chain are present in the smallest numbers, so there aren't many of them. And, often the muskie your lure does finally encounter is not hungry or just not in the mood. Add to this dog-day summer conditions, and yeah, muskies can be tough.

Summer is often feast or famine. There are so many things to try. It can be very high-speed action, and it's always challenging and fun. And if they're not bitin', you can always go swimmin'.

Here's a six-pack of solutions that work for myself and other guides.

NIGHT-FISHING
Part of the general problem with summer is simply boating traffic. While the recreational traffic is actually more aggravating to deal with, it is less of a factor in regard to angling success than specific muskie angling pressure. Even though night-fishing for muskies is nothing new, most of the effort exerted on Esox and prime structures is primarily in daylight hours. During the summer -- and especially so on the busier lakes -- this is a great way to target muskies.

With pressure, eventually some muskies get trained to just avoid prime, shallow structural elements in daylight -- with the possible exception of excitable weather conditions and a jumping barometer. In steadier weather, they learn they have far fewer bad experiences after dark, and they can't see as well. These things work in your favor.

This isn't rocket science. If there is a misconception about night-fishing, it's certainly in how to go about it. Many anglers use topwaters only, or maybe bucktails, or possibly even slow crankbaits. Nothing changes really, other than the fact that it will be varying degrees of dark, and headlamps will be needed. Muskies see better than most people realize, though, and are pretty efficient night-feeders. Trolling will work, and not just at a crawl. Muskies get really agitated at fast-trolled lures.

Simply seek out the prime structures on the water. These are the ones that are receiving pressure during the day. And there's a reason they are, because they're good spots. In summer, they are much better after dark.

WIND
Wind is a big factor any time of year. Of course, there are many variables, an obvious one being lake size. Sustained wind and the wave action and the current it creates greatly help summer muskie hunters.

Basically, when wind is sustained from one direction for a period of time, it can create a two-fold advantageous situation. First, the longer it continues from the same direction, the more it tends to stack up life on the windward shores and sides of midlake structures. It will generally bring fish up a little shallower. Wave action creates a bit of chaos and reduces visibility somewhat. It can knock potential baitfish silly, making them just a little easier to catch. I suspect this is the reason predators often go shallow in larger waves, because this is where they know the prey will be disoriented. Reduced visibility just seems to make them more apt to make mistakes.

So, wind can create a situation that makes daytime fishing more effective, and frankly, nighttime fishing tougher. And like darkness, wave action tends to reduce both recreational and angler effort.

Many people blindly race to the windy side of the lake, or only fish the windy side of a structure or island. They are expecting "stacked" fish because they are fishing the windy side. Understand that the "effects" take time. If it has been calm for several days and wind starts up, the wave action means nothing other than a little chaos. And this is good. But say the wind had been blowing for several days from the same direction. Now, running to the windy side is likely a mistake, at least for a period of time as the positive locational effects of the previous sustained wind don't immediately dissipate.

So, use wind and wave action in smart fashion. Boat control in waves is definitely tougher, but if a boat is rigged properly, a little experience fishing in waves is easily done and can really improve your odds.