Casting for Muskie in Trolling Country

Casting for Muskie in Trolling Country
By Chris DePaola

A few years ago, Pete Maina from Esox Angler and Bas Pro Shops was the guest speaker at the Cleveland Chapter of Muskie, Inc. banquet. He was amazed at the large numbers of muskie taken throughout Ohio and Pennsylvania. What really shocked him was that most of these fish were taken trolling. He didn’t realize that the majority of fishermen in this area prefer casting to trolling. He asked the crowd how many caught muskies casting and a few brave souls raised their hands. Pete adjusts his presentation to discuss the predator-prey relationship and how critical this is to an angler’s success. He explained how this information would apply to fishing our waters. After he was finished, he asked the crowd why trolling is so popular with area anglers. I was also interested in hearing some of the responses and wondered what Pete was looking for.

The first response was that we have a limited number of muskie lakes, which leads to heavy fishing pressure. In Ohio, we have ten bodies of water that receive annual muskie fingerling stocking. Another response was the difference between man-made reservoirs and natural lakes. The pre-conceived idea is that natural lakes are easier to cast. Fluctuating water levels were another issue discussed. Many of our reservoirs were built for industry and flood control, and water levels are adjusted seasonally.

The truth is that we have no natural muskie waters in Ohio. Pennsylvania and New York have a few, but the majority of the lakes in this region are manmade. There are other reasons why the crowd felt trolling was so successful, but we kept coming back to the forge base as the major difference.

I asked Pete why he did that little exercise. He said there had to be a reason we’re catching all these fish trolling. He thought it could be the forge base, gizzard shad. I told Pete that most anglers in this area don’t even know what ciscos and whitefish are, let alone what one looks like, myself included. It got me thinking as to why we don’t experience more success with casting? I sought out a few of the veteran casters I knew and we discussed why they were successful. The common trend was a great understanding of the seasonal movements of the gizzard shad. Gizzard shad make up the majority of our forge base. A recent study by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources found that gizzard shad make up 90% of the muskies’ diet.

To give you an example of how a change in forage base can affect your fishing, let me share this story. This amazing change took place at Chautauqua Lake in New York. In the 1970’s and early 1980’s, casting a jerkbait was the technique of choice at Chautauqua. If you weren’t throwing a jerkbait, you had limited success. By the mid to late 1980’s, we start noticing how difficult it had become to catch fish casting. Yes, you could still take fish casting, but you had to work for them. While Chautauqua had gizzard shad as part of its force base, the numbers were very small. As we experienced several mild winters, the gizzard shad population exploded. Then, in the early 1990’s, a few of my friends discovered a huge, untapped muskie population relating to the suspended open water forge. It was not uncommon to catch several fish a day. The muskies were still in the lake, but they were feeding on the most abundant food source available.

In order to catch muskies by casting in this part the country, you have to fish smart and be persistent. What most of the successful casters have in common is that they slow down and fish the entire area thoroughly. It isn’t uncommon for them to fish a spot for two to three hours before they decide to move on. They also fish the entire water column. You may want to start with top-water bait or a bucktail, and then switch to a jerkbait. Before you leave the area, try working a crankbait along the outside fringe of the structure in the open water. Several large fish have been taken with these methods. After we discussed a couple of their ideas on why they were successful casting, I asked them to share a few seasonal patterns. As with any forge fish, gizzard shad will make location adjustments throughout the season. Gaining a basic understanding of seasonal movements would help you locate more muskie.

Fall is the most misunderstood time of year. The annual fall drawdown begins in September; you have to understand how fish react to fluctuating water levels. As the water begins to drop, fish that roamed the shallow bays will be forced to relocate. Gizzard shad will try to find the warmest water possible. Often they suspend in open water near structures. This time of year, sharp-breaking points and humps with some type of weed growth will generally hold fish. Some of the best casting action will now be taking place. This pattern will remain intact until the water temperatures drop below the 40° mark. On one trip in October while fishing West Branch Reservoir in Ohio, we located some nice fish in the weed beds. A week went by before we could return. To our dismay, the water level had dropped and the weedbeds were nearly dry. We found some fish relating to the few weeds that were still alive. Large jerkbaits, twitchbaits and small crankbaits were credited with taking the majority of the fish.

If you have a good understanding of the seasonal movements of gizzard shad, you should be able to add a few fish to your annual total. So try casting this fall. You may be surprised!