Musky Shop Northwoods Fishing Report: Late November 2024
Hello Everyone,
We hope you're all having a great fall and finding time to go fishing.
Fishing in the Northwoods of Wisconsin has been a bit up and down, as it is often in late fall. The water temps in the Minocqua area are in the mid-to-low 40s. The Musky Sucker bite has been good, as well as the trolling bit. Again, it is a bit up and down, but some really lovely Muskies have been caught.
Muskies are scattered, but the majority of them are caught near weed edges and structural edges. That is a good thing, as one can drag Musky Suckers along the edges so they don't get tangled and then cast if the weather is warm enough. I've found that Fish Monkey Gloves stealth Dry-Tech gloves are great for casting. Honestly, it's hard casting with gloves, but the best gloves I've found are the Fish Monkey Stealth Dry-Tech gloves.
The following lures are currently being used with success and have been great baits historically throughout the Northwoods of Wisconsin and the entire Musky range: 13” Grandma, 9” Grandma, 14” Slammer Minnow, 12” Slammer Minnow, 10” Deep Slammer Minnow, Any Supernatural Big Bait, Legend Lures Plow, Legend Lures Perch, and 12” Big Fork Reef Digger. I realize I have just listed quite a few links, but all of these baits have been used for Musky success and have produced great Musky catches for many years. My brother and I, as well as staff and a ton of customers, have used many of these with great success over the years.
When you hit the water this late fall, try to work these baits along edges and out in main lake basins as well. Typically, in lakes with ciscos, the ciscoes tend to move into the edges late in the afternoons; thus, Muskies will follow them into the edges, so keep an eye out for Cisco's dimpling the surface of the water, then try to work in and around the pods of ciscos. If you're not seeing them break the surface, that's Ok. Just look for the pods on your electronics and work in and around them again.
Another thing to consider is looking for pods of bait in the Man Lake basins. Many times, there will be pods of bait out in the basins as well. Take note of their depth and try to run your baits near the bait if possible.
Have some trolling leaders on hand as well as good release tools such as Knipex, needle nose pliers, Grabb It Hook Holder, and Bucher Jaw Spreader. Another thing I have learned to do over the years is to have two lucky nets in my boat. Now I have a bot where I can lay both of them flat on each other so they don't take up a bunch of room. The reason I do this is it's typically quite cold, and one net can become frozen, so I like to have a backup in the boat, and I try to keep them both pliable, but with wind and water spray as well as snow this can be a chore, but it has paid off for me over the years.
We hope you have great success this late fall. Feel free to send us some pics, as we would love to see your success. Remember to be very careful and know where each foot is going, as one does not want to stumble and fall overboard.
Thank you very much for your business and support. We greatly appreciate it. Let us know if we can be of service to you.
Good Fishing, and God Bless,
Jim Stewart