Muskie metabolisms are at their highest during the warm-water period of summer. They generally are more aggressive -- willing to move farther, faster -- to grab a mouthful. Right now is a great time to take an approach that means covering water.

In-line and safety pin spinners are classics for this summertime approach, being efficient, allowing for fast, straight-in retrieves that cover water and trigger fish to strike. Crankbaits with fast retrieves, or trolled, accomplish the same things.

And it's an exceptional time of year for topwater presentations, as the commotion can attract fish from some distance. Efficient predators have learned through experience that they can use the surface of water as an edge, one that prey can't go beyond, as an effective trap.

So, there's the good news -- and the bad news. This top-of-the-line predator prefers warmer water and will be most active right now. Yet, there are more options to cover with regard to location and time to be fishing than ever before. It's all about putting time in, and being as efficient about it as possible.

BREAK IT DOWN
Efficiency starts with identifying your many options and then prioritizing them. Every lake is different in its structural elements. What are they? Suspended muskies are an option that has to be considered. Besides that, what else is there? Weeds, rocks, wood, bulrushes, for example. Listing them or labeling on a map helps, especially when attacking a body of water for the first time.

Now prioritize what you think will be best. The criteria could range from what simply looks best to what you've been hearing, possible past experience and hunches. Always try to get as much information as possible from others about what's been working. Local reports are important, as they may point you to prioritizing to do as those anglers do -- or in many cases not as they do.

Generally, you should consider that structures with direct access to deeper water will be most likely to hold larger critters, and that sharper and more irregular breaks are better. Keep in mind that it's just a map and there are no "set" rules. Prioritizing is an important part of the plan, and yet nothing should be written off. Even if a plan is based merely on hunches, be certain to prioritize those hunches.

The same thing goes for potential presentations. The reason to start with the various lake structures and locations is that doing so directly affects your presentation choices. This exercise is different for everyone, simply because all anglers like different lures; some are far more limited than others in their choices, but all have their favorite muskie baits.

As you begin to build lure arsenals, strive to add to each group equally. Crankbaits, jerkbaits, spinners, topwaters and soft plastics, cover the categories. Lure choice shouldn't be considered a "summer-only" proposition, either. They aren't cheap, so as you are adding lures to your arsenal, consider that you want to be able to cover different depths when choosing sizes and actions.

Lure prioritizing, then, needs to correlate to the structures and locations you've prioritized. If talking very shallow water and/or thick cover, those lure choices obviously are different when compared to deeper angling options. The exercise is the same though: With the lure options you have, ask yourself what runs well in the depth range you need to cover, and what do you think has the best chance of producing?

Here too, though, it's important to consider another factor in efficiency, that being hooking and holding percentages. Lures that are less bulky tend also to be better hookers and holders. Spinners, for instance, while they can be extremely large, are still really only wire and hook. Usually the wire is flexible and often jointed on large baits. Flex is good; there is nothing to grip. They tend to hook better and hold better -- as compared to a very bulky-bodied lure of plastic, wood or soft plastic with no flex.

Consider this when prioritizing which lures to try: Speed itself can be a trigger. With each structure option, have a list of your prioritized lures. That should change under abnormal weather conditions. Generally, slow-moving, erratic presentations should move up in importance. Most important though, is having the plan.