How to Nail Down Late Summer Muskies!
This time of year is great for musky anglers who love to switch it up when it comes to lures and presentations. The later parts of the summer are really a catch-all for hungry muskies. Depending on the day, time, and weather, muskies are ready to eat nearly anything if you’re set up for the structure. So, if you’re heading out to fish the remaining few weeks of Summer, Musky Shop can help you out with some selections that definitely cater to the Late Summer Bite.
Early Morning Muskies
If you’re fishing daybreak for Late Summer muskies, it’s safe to start with some shallow water presentations. Early mornings are cool and calm without being overly hot in the shallows. These shallow presentations can vary depending on your lake, as far as color/pattern, but getting a bite is as easy as tying on your favorite walk-the-dog or tail plop bait and casting in from the 10-15ft into the shallows and summer weeds. This technique works in all types of weather for VERY early mornings. For great results work with quick tempos with short pauses. Musky Shop highly recommends Joe Bucher Walkin Raider or Lake X Fat B’s. Try darker colors to impress a musky with your silhouette.
Mid-Morning Muskies
If you aren’t an early riser or you’ve drifted past the daybreak window, it’s time for a change of pace and performance with your Late Summer selection. As the day warms, muskies will start towards the deeper end of the shallows or first break. There are two great ways to fish this mid-morning bite. Back the boat up from toward the 15ft mark of your break and cast toward the shallows hitting all points in between or pointing the nose of your boat at the bank and fish perpendicular out either side, running your lures along the first break lines. This is a great technique for getting those muskies in motion. This part of the day is great for upping your game to some double 8 or 10 bucktails. Medium speeds with bursts are a great way to get a follower to commit. Color will vary from lake to lake, but black/orange is always a good place to start. Esox Assault EA-9s or Mepps Musky Flashabou can work wonders. If deep weeds are going to be a problem, try switching over to a Figure 8 Meatgrinder or Bucher Slopmaster for a similar effect.
Afternoon and Evening Muskies
As the heat of the day has peaked, muskies are moving to the deeper edges, deep reefs, and rocks to wait out the heat. These muskies are sometimes affected by a little lockjaw, so it’s important to get them in the mood with the right presentation. There are several ways to present these deeper-structured muskies and get them interested. Jigging deep structures might put you on the nose. Try a Bondy Bait or Chaos Tackle Pegassus in a dark shade or even a walleye color. If jigging isn’t the strategy for you, try parking on the first break and casting out with a deep running crank. This method will definitely get the attention of a deeper-holding musky or musky on the move. Northland Rumble Beast 8 and Big Fork Reef Diggers have a great wobble and can get down low for some attention. If crankbaits don’t stir up any action, rubber is your next best friend. Toss out a Toothy Tuff or Suick Curly Sue and bounce your way back to the boat off of structure. This is a great way to get the desired attention.
Late Evening and Night Bites
As muskies are still at depth during the late evening and into the night in Late Summer. It’s truly a fantastic time to troll. After a full day on the water, nothing is better than kicking your feet up and letting the boat make the waves. Keeping some Grandmas and Supernatural Big Baits around with a little flash is perfect for Late evening bites, especially if there is a bright moon. Having a wide wobble and a little flash creating some disturbance is a great way to cap off the Late Summer fishing day. Night and evening trolling is easy on the arms and even more productive than time spent casting. Map out the deeper edges and structure and follow them around the lake, remembering to keep your trolling lures at varying depths to ensure that the entire edge is covered. It might guarantee you a giant.
Though summer is almost over, musky fishing is about to take off like a rocket. Everyone loves fall fishing because the muskies are usually busy putting on weight, but don’t count out the remainder of the summer fishing schedule. This is the best time of year to deploy your entire arsenal on the lake and change lures regularly to keep you with the constantly moving muskellunge. And if you play your cards right, you’ll end up successful with a Late Summer Trophy.