Wisconsin fishing guides and Wisconsin fishing guide reports from the Wisconsin Angling Adventures Fishing Guides Team. Our pro staff of Wisconsin fishing guides, Joel DeBoer, Todd Bohm, Joe Szarkowitz and Chris Jennings, invite you to come fish for walleye, musky, northern and smallmouth bass in Northern and Central Wisconsin.

Fishing Articles & Pro Fishing Tips

Over the span of his professional fishing career, Author and Outdoor Educator Joel DeBoer has authored many, many top-notch articles on the "How To's" of becoming a better angler. On this page you will find just a sampling of some of his articles and tips - we hope you enjoy!

CLICK HERE to return to the Index of Fishing Tips & Articles!

Early Season Muskies
Fishing Articles & Pro Fishing Tips >>

The symptoms are obvious: cold sweats as one passes by their favorite lake, visions of weed beds and rock bars manifesting themselves during inopportune moments, and dreams plagued by vicious striking leviathans that appear from almost nowhere.  There is but one cure for musky fever, and thankfully the season is almost upon us!
 
Although the musky season North of Hwy 10 does not open for a few weeks yet, the season South of Hwy 10 begins anew Saturday, May 3. Early season muskies in Wisconsin can present a challenge to even the most ardent of anglers.  Depending on your geography and the season-preceding weather, water temperatures may vary significantly thus finding Esox masquinongy in a variety of seasonal patterns.  A balanced and varied repertoire is often necessary to consistently score on the king of freshwater during this timeframe. 
 
Historically thought of as bass lures, lipless rattle-style crankbaits make for excellent musky lures during the early season. While I am certainly not the first to find this pattern, I can attest to its effectiveness based on the large numbers of muskies boated we've boated on this style lure while fishing bass and walleyes in the months of May and June.  The light bulb went on several years ago, and as various tackle manufacturers have come out with "beefier" versions of the bait, we have taken the opportunity to use them in the exclusive quest for muskies - with terrific results. 

Lures such as the Bucher Tackle 4" PT Pro Rattler excel in these situations. Tackle for fishing rattle baits in the early season for muskies consists of medium heavy action rods such as the St. Croix Premier and Avid in the 7'-8' range. I prefer longer musky rods as they allow for more accurate and effortless casting in addition to added hook-setting and fish fighting leverage. A quality bait casting reel such as an Abu Garcia 6500 C-3 spooled with 65# or 80# Stren Superbraid and coupled with a quality fluorocarbon leader such as Stealth Tackle's 14" 100# model with complete the outfit.

Lipless crankbaits work exceptionally well for muskies when worked over the top of cover. The key to eliciting more strikes is to work the lure in a manner that makes periodic contact with the cover. This is easier when fishing rocks, but can be tricky with vegetation.  Begin by searching over the top of newly emergent weed beds; this may mean searching a bit as the water temperatures may be on the cool side and thus the weed beds not yet fully developed. In this scenario, locate the fullest weed beds in the closest proximity to spawning areas, and begin working from shallow to deep being mindful of particular areas that seem to hold more or active fish. Remaining vigilant, look for emerging patterns and explore similar spots in the body of water as well. 

For muskies that are in pre-spawn mode, begin your search at transition spots between spawning areas and more traditional summer holdings. This is an excellent time to key on points and humps leading from spawning grounds to mid-lake structure.  Although often thought of as crucial musky habitat in spring and summer, weeds need not be present for an area to hold active fish. Rock and wood cover on structure will hold fish as they make their progression towards summer areas.  This is especially true in rivers or reservoirs where vegetation may be sparse or absent; stumps, logjams, and rocks, or any combination thereof will hold muskies plain and simple.

While no pattern is a "fail-safe" when musky fishing, using lipless crankbaits for muskies is an excellent addition to the ol' Esox angler's repertoire. Catch a big one - let her go, let her grow! I'll see you on the water…

- Back to Index of Fishing Articles -


wisconsin fishing guides, wisconsin fishing reports, wisconsin, fishing, guides, reports, walleye, musky, central wisconsin fishing guide, WI, northern, pike, smallmouth, bass, muskie, muskellunge, vilas, county, northwoods, eagle, river, wisconsin fishing, Lake Wausau, Lake Du Bay, Big Eau Pleine Reservoir, The Willow Flowage, Wisconsin River, Merrill, Brokaw, Fox River, Big Arbor Vitae, Crescent, The Manitowish Chain, Mohawksin, Minocqua, Mid lake, Kawaguesaga, Lake Tomahawk, Kentuck, Star lake, fishing guides

• Back To Top Of Page •

• Site Navigation Map •
Contact - Wisconsin Angling Adventures Fishing Guide Service

Powered by Outdoor Network - Website Hosting, Design & Marketing

FishingInfo.com - Fishing Information Network
Outdoor Network - Website Design, Hosting & Marketing

© Wisconsin fishing guides and Wisconsin fishing guide reports from the Wisconsin Angling Adventures Fishing Guides Team. Our pro staff of Wisconsin fishing guides, Joel DeBoer, Todd Bohm, Joe Szarkowitz and Chris Jennings, invite you to come fish for walleye, musky, northern and smallmouth bass in Northern and Central Wisconsin.