Muskies are never what most would call “easy” to catch. But their need to feed ahead of winter, usually on large prey, boosts the odds in the angler’s favor. (Photo courtesy of Shimano North America Fishing)
December 14, 2024
By Scott Mackenthun
November winds swirls and the sky is frequently gray. Shorter days and cold temperatures affirm that Old Man Winter is descending. However, hold off on stowing the boat or digging out the ice fishing gear for now. Late fall is your best chance at a giant musky. As baitfish congregate, muskies aren’t far behind, and they gorge themselves Grab your long johns, zip up your lined parka and bibs, and pull on your pac boots. The weather may be ice-cold, but the musky fishing is red-hot.
GO BIG As with many outdoor pursuits, time and place matter greatly when chasing muskies after the weather turns cold. For John Holmgren, fishing guide and host and curator of the "Devoted Outdoors" social media and YouTube channels, that means knowing where baitfish migrate and being there to take advantage. He says both shiners and suckers move shallow in search of warmer water, oftentimes in areas with sandy bottoms.
A fall musky quest usually begins with examining deep-to-shallow breakpoints and structure. Holmgren suggests focusing on mid-lake locations, such as points or bars that bring shallow shoals closer to deeper water. Boat control is highly important, as you want to be stealthy in your approach. Keep the boat in deeper water, moving slowly, and cast into the shallow water. Reefs are ideal, especially on lakes with ciscoes (aka tullibees or lake herring). Holmgren says cold-weather muskies often move up and down these break lines, points and reefs where sharp depth changes are present to search out prey.
Muskies are highly attuned to moon phase and positioning. Be aware of major and minor bite windows and take advantage. (Photo courtesy of Bondy Bait Company) Ciscoes generally spawn in late fall or early winter when water temps drop to around 40 degrees, often just before ice begins forming. Holmgren recommends checking shallow, rocky or gravelly reefs, or structures like points and humps, when temperatures begin approaching the mid to low 40s.
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In general, big muskies prefer large prey. As part of his master’s degree work back in 2020, Kamden Glade, a fisheries biologist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources , pumped musky stomachs to get a better understanding of their diets. He discovered that while large muskies would eat less frequently, they typically ate larger-bodied prey. He says that suckers in the 16- to 20-inch range and northern pike in the 20- to 26-inch range were common meals.
“For large muskies, it almost seemed like it was a feast-or-famine strategy,” Glade says. “Eat a big meal, digest it and then only forage when you need to.”
He cautions that these observations about diet composition are highly dependent on the specific waterbody. In some lakes, muskies are classic, lie-in-wait ambush predators. In others, they’ve adjusted their behavior, cruising around and running down open-water prey like ciscoes rather than lying in wait to ambush prey in the shallows. For muskies that adapt successfully in open water, the risk has a tremendous reward, as ciscoes are the forage with the highest caloric value and contain lots of fats.
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Holmgren says that musky anglers should imitate the prevalent forage base—often with equally large baits—and spend time on the water during major feeding windows. One of the most dependable of these windows happens in the late evening and into the night, when many ciscoes like to spawn. Muskies are on the prowl, moving up onto structures to intercept these spawning ciscoes, so fishing during evening and nighttime hours can be quite productive.
Bottom line: Fall is a time of increased activity on many lakes, and Holmgren recommends anglers spend time determining the biggest and most abundant forage species for their lake’s muskies. Figure out what muskies are chasing, pin down where that forage can be found in the fall and spend time in these areas, he says.
“You may only get two big bite windows where they really get going, but when they get going, it’s good,” the guide adds. “And you can get the biggest bite of your life at any moment. You must stay prepared, just because it’s such an unbelievable chance at a big fish on every cast at any moment.”
Bucktails can be effective on late-fall muskies, too. Fish them with a steady, relatively quick retrieve during the day; ?use a slower constant retrieve at night. (Photo courtesy of Shimano North America Fishing) CRANK, RIP OR SWIM Holmgren relies on a few different baits when targeting big, late-fall muskies. The common denominator among them is their large size, intended to match prevalent forage. These baits include big crankbaits, rubber baits and even bucktails.
For crankbaits, the guide really likes a Grandma Lures Grandma (9- or 13-inch model) or a Musky Mania Jake (10- or 14-inch model). He typically fishes the large cranks at night and employs a reel-and-rip retrieve.
“A quick rip gets a musky excited,” Holmgren says, “and then you pause it and let it hang there right in their face. That usually draws a strike. We like that pull-pull-pause cadence.”
One small tweak that works well for Holmgren is attaching bell sinkers to the split rings on crankbait hooks. The 1/8-ounce additions add a little extra weight to keep the crankbaits more neutrally buoyant, like a jerkbait, yet still allow them to be pulled down to depth.
During the day, the guide prefers using rubber baits, with his favorites being Bondy Bait’s Royal Orba and Beaver Baits’ Baby Beaver , a versatile hybrid bait made of rubber and hair. As with the crankbaits, rip these along quickly, pausing while reeling up slack.
In some cases, Holmgren will mix in bucktails as a change-of-pace presentation. While typically considered more of a summertime bait, the guide has seen bucktails perform very well in fall. He fishes them on a steady retrieve and says a quicker pace usually works better during the day, while it’s best to slow things way down at night. The Musky Mayhem Super Model and Musky Frenzy Stagger Blade IC12 are his favorite fall bucktails.
Big muskies require equally stout tackle. Holmgren’s go-to fall rods for throwing larger baits are the 9-foot-6-inch, extra-heavy-power models in Thorne Brothers ’ Predator and Stealth series. Thorne Brothers rods can be individually customized, so tailor rods to your exact preferences. Holmgren pairs his rods with Piscifun Alijoz 300- and 400-series reels, both of which come in high and low gear ratios. He relies on high-gear-ratio models for faster daytime retrieves and low-gear-ratio reels when using slower retrieves at night. The guide opts for 100-pound PowerPro or FINS Braid main line and a 180-pound fluorocarbon Stealth Tackle leader .
Large rubber baits are a go-to for most musky anglers pursuing big fish in late fall. A rip-and-pause retrieve is typically used to rile up muskies and entice bites. (Photo courtesy of Shimano North America Fishing) Other key gear considerations include a proper landing net and clothing. For the former, Holmgren prefers Clam’s Colossus TD Net , which is big, easy to handle and uses a coating that’s gentle on fish skin. Clothing-wise, prioritize outer layers that block the cold, wind and rain. A heavy jacket or parka and bibs are sensible. Late fall and early winter can be dangerous for anglers because of both the temperature and the heavy winds that cold fronts often produce. Come prepared for the elements, and don’t take chances with where you operate your boat or with what you wear on the water.
For those who can withstand the conditions and pinpoint schools of bait, fall is synonymous with giant muskies. Always make the most of your opportunities by paying attention to major and minor bite windows, such as moon up and moon down, and moon rise and moon set. Moon up refers to when the moon is directly above you and highest in the sky, while moon down is the opposite. Moon rise occurs when the moon crests the horizon, moon set occurs when it dips back below it. During daylight hours, also pay attention to the weather..
“In the fall, when it’s super cold, a patch of warm weather and some sunlight can really do wonders for your muskie fishing,” Holmgren says. “You really can’t beat the fall. If you want the biggest fish on the biggest bites, late fall is your chance to swing for the fences.”
MUSKY MECCAS Six go-to fisheries for big, late-fall muskies. Kentucky’s Cave Run Lake has an excellent musky fishery and offers anglers one of the southernmost opportunities to tangle with the fish of 10,000 casts. (Photo courtesy of Shimano North America Fishing) The Midwest offers a multitude of destinations where anglers can pursue giant muskies, even potential state-record fish. While big-fish opportunities exist in musky hotbeds like Wisconsin and Minnesota, intriguing fisheries can also be found in other states, including some on the far edges of the musky’s natural range. Here are five options to consider this fall.
WISCO WONDER Wisconsin’s Chippewa Flowage contains 15,300 acres of impounded waters and is famous for muskellunge. More taxidermized man cave and barroom trophies likely originated here than anywhere else. Check out pinch points and flow locations that taper to deeper water.
MICHIGAN MARVEL Torch Lake in Michigan is home to impossibly large Great Lakes muskies due to its connection via the Torch River to Lake Skegemog and, in turn, Elk Lake, which connects to Grand Traverse Bay and Lake Michigan proper. These are fish that have made a living crushing big prey species in the comforts of these waters.
NORTH STAR NIRVANA Minnesota’s Lake Vermilion is known for having a low density of muskies but giant specimens. Fattened on ciscoes, these behemoths shine in late fall. Best known as a walleye factory, this lake could challenge Mille Lacs for the next state-record musky.
HAWKEYE HAVEN In Iowa’s northwest corner, the Iowa Great Lakes stand tall among musky fisheries, especially West and East Okoboji and Big Spirit. Giant muskies frequently shock anglers when they follow baits all the way to the boat in the lake’s clear waters. Weed lines and rock piles concentrate muskies that prowl nearby.
PRAIRIE STATE PARADISE Illinois’ Shabbona Lake is a 318-acre manmade lake just outside of Chicago. It has a no-wake restriction for motorized boats and sees a lot of anglers, yet it still cranks out giant muskies, including a couple of state records.
BLUEGRASS BEAUTY For a little different flavor, try heading southeast to Kentucky’s Cave Run Lake. This body of water has enjoyed a stellar reputation among muskie diehards as a winter fishery, and its fall run of muskies is impressive. The 8,000-plus-acre impoundment of the Licking River is stocked annually with muskies and produces some huge fish.
This article was featured in the November 2024 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe .
