Chasing muskies in the summer is exciting, productive, and less limited. Learning summer musky tactics will put fish in the net. People have misconceptions about muskies at all times of the year. Summer is not different. Fish are going to behave differently and be in other locations. In summer, the fish will move around a lot more.
The sport’s growth has led to a lot of information, both good and bad. If you focus on the bad it leads to frustration and little to no success. You need to use good information to help get a few in the net. This means having a plan when you go fishing. Let us face the facts, muskies are a low-population fish. A strategy needs to be in place for success.
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Finding Summer Musky
Muskies are creatures of habit. Their life is simple and all about surviving. They seek out food and preferable water conditions. These fish once an adult do not worry about predators. Musky are the apex predators in the waters they inhabit. The fish goes where it wants depending on environmental factors.
Summer Musky Tactics Environmental Conditions
Muskies will stay in the preferable water temperatures in the summer. When the shallows get too warm. The fish goes into the deeper water. This is what causes a problem finding the fish. They can be deep or suspended in the water column. You need to find water with a temperature between 60-75 degrees.
The warmer water will hold some fish. Yet, once water gets above 75 it can stress a musky being caught. The fish’s survival odds drop dramatically. Water in the good range is often in the deeper areas. But not near the bottom or top of the water column.
You need to fish several depths in the 5-20 feet range. A spot with a drop-off starting at 5-8 feet and going down to 20+ feet is a good place to start. In the summer, a place like this allows the musky to go up or down in the water to find a suitable temperature. Some waters lack this feature.
If that is the case, look for some current. There are spots on lakes with the current. It can be natural or wind-created. You need to find them. Find structures where there are uplifts on the bottom of a lake. Slopes or a hump push the water up, making the current a little faster. The little difference in current can have a big effect on muskies.
In this case, what is open water may be the area you need to fish. Find areas with some depth with a feeding area close by. The fish are scattered in these places. Yet, the fish will relate to some type of structure. Try to locate old stream channels, submerged roadways, and other structural features. The fish may be high above but are going to be in the area.
Weather
You want some wind with musky fishing. Wind creates ripples or choppy water on the surface. This keeps the sun from penetrating easily. When you have calm surfaces the fish go deeper and it is tougher to get a strike. A little cloud cover helps also. Blue skies tend to be the hardest days to raise a fish.
Changes in barometric pressure influence all fish. When the pressure is falling or low the fishing is slower. Rising or high steady pressure is better for fishing.
Add in the majors and minors also known as the best fishing times. Both happen twice a day. It can be in the morning, evening, mid-day, or night. The majority of experienced musky anglers know the time when they go out. It makes a difference in how many fish you can see.
It only takes a couple of minutes to check this information on your cell phone. The internet is full of weather-related sites with this information.
Structure and Cover
Learning the water is crucial for musky fishing. You need to know the places with the right water temperatures, structures, and feeding areas. Use a map and search out likely spots. Make a plan and hit the spots and work a few lures.
Look for new weed growth in the water of 8 feet or deeper. If new growth is not present, find some old weeds. An edge of old dead weed growth does hold fish. Fish do prefer some type of structure and cover. If the cover is not present, focus on some type of structure. Drop-offs and points tend to be good places muskies like to hold in summer.
The fish will use the old stream channels and underwater roadways at times. You have to take into account the weather. The more sunlight there is the deeper the fish will locate. The sun increases the temperature and fish do not like a lot of sunlight. In other words, on days with more sun, you likely need to fish deeper.
Water Clarity
Water clarity is another issue you need to address. In the summer, the water tends to be clearer at times. The spring run-off is over, having no impact. There is less rainfall also. The fish move into deeper water in these conditions. The temperature may be fine in shallow water. Yet the sunlight is penetrating deeply into the water.
In clear water, hope for some wind. The wind causes ripples on the surface. As a result, reducing the sunlight penetrating the water. Cloud cover is beneficial also. The blue sky days with no wind are often unproductive for any type of fishing. Keep an eye on the weather forecast and plan the days you will fish accordingly. Less sunlight has fish more active and in shallower water.
Lures for Summer Musky Tactics
People will tell you different tactics for the summer. Some fish fast and a few go slow. Some fish in the day and a few hit the water at night. What matters is water temperature, clarity, and depth. This determines the lure. The fish has to see the lure. Plus, you need to run it at the right depth
In clear waters, a musky will see you and the boat. If the musky is turning away at the boat. You are likely being seen by the fish. In this scenario, night fishing will help. The fish does not see the boat or you. You need to fish slower at night. Allow the lure to run a few feet deeper.
Lure Choices
Topwater lures can produce in the summer. People tend to work the lures too fast. Slow down with topwater. When a fish is following is when you speed it up a little. Think like the prey. It will try to escape a predator by moving faster.
If fishing lures other than topwater run the lure deeper. A lot of people run lures at 2-6 feet of depth. Try running the lures 6-10 or deeper. In summer, the surface water is warmer and there is more light penetration. Fish will be lower in the water often. Where there are weeds, you should skim just above the weeds or along the weed edge deeper. In these situations, the lure type dictates the speed.
A heavier lure can be run faster at depths over 6 feet. You can work lighter lures deep by going a little slower. Smaller bucktails work for going slow in deep water. The lift of the blades and less weight keep them off the bottom.
Understand muskies have a higher metabolism in summer. They will feed more. You will find musky tactics have a large range in summer. Use big and small baits, any type of bait can work. Try going fast and slow with retrieves. The fish dictates what they will eat. A musky’s mood changes by the hour. What is working in the morning usually does not in the afternoon.
How to Work the Lures
Watching videos on Youtube you will see guys jerking hard and cranking fast. They like showing videos of burning bucktails, jerking big rubber, or diving and rise lures. You will seldom see people using jigs, twitch-baits, or other slow retrieve techniques.
A musky angler needs the full box in the summer. You want the speedy lures, rip and reel types, and some slow ones also. In calmer water or at night use the slower lures. Think of it as finesse fishing musky style. Try a large tube, twitch-bait, or work another lure slowly.
Pay attention to the amount of noise. The loud splash alerts the fish to the lure being in the water. The amount of sound on a retrieve will draw in or push a fish away. Sometimes a lure splashing and chopping the surface is the right action. Yet, other times a slow gentler retrieve with less noise makes a difference. A musky knows what is around them in the water. They rarely need a loud noise to get their attention.
Conclusion
Musky will spread out in summer. The water temperature is a factor. Fish avoid water out of the preferred range. The cover holds fish if the food and temperature are suitable. At times the fish suspends. The weather will make fish go into certain areas.
Change up lure speed and depth. Muskies will be a little deeper a lot of the time in summer. Slow down with topwater and mimic a fleeing prey if you have a follow. Muskies feed more in summer. Try other lures and retrieves to get fish hitting. Your favorite may be the wrong lure that day. Using summer musky tactics means you need to adjust throughout the day.