Kenora | Area Waters | The Fish | Fishing Calendar | Map
There are a lot of muskie on Lake of the Woods and the Kenora area can definitely hold its own compared to the other areas on Lake of the Woods. There are good numbers of muskie here with some very big fish too. You have so many areas to fish with islands, points, bays and offshore structure here. Whether it is weeds or rocks, you can find muskie throughout the Kenora area.
Catch Lots of Muskie
Kenora is home to a lot of good muskie water. With access to the main lake so close to town, anglers can find some many awesome fishing spots for muskie all season long. Because of the pressure in this area, you may not catch as many muskie as you would in the Northwest Angle area, but you definitely could have multi-fish days once you learn this part of the lake.
Catch Big Muskie
There are plenty of big muskie in the Kenora area. Take a look at the map and you’ll see why anglers have so many options here. You can fish shallow bays, rocky points, reefs, islands and tons of main lake structure. Muskie up to and above 50 inches are possible here.
Fishing the Bays
There are many bays to fish in the Kenora area of Lake of the Woods. It may be weeds or rocks, but there are plenty of fish in the bays to help attract some muskie there too. Spring and fall usually provide some of the better fishing in the bays for muskie, however, you can find some muskie relatively shallow throughout the summers as well. Find the bait fish whether they are relating to weeds or rocks and start casting your favorite muskie baits.
Fishing the Drop-offs
There are some really good drop-offs that hold good numbers of smallmouth bass and walleye. These spots usually produce better in the summer and fall. Find the walleye and bass and there’s a good chance some muskie may call these spots home as well.
Fishing the Points
There are so many points to fish and many of them will hold either smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike or a combination of them. The points will have lots of rock and some will have weeds too. Muskie will relate to both, so when fishing the points, make sure you’re covering a lot of water because there are so many points to fish here.
Fishing the Islands
You have lots of islands to fish and many of these islands are great spots for smallmouth bass, walleye and northern pike too. With a combination of rocks, weeds and some nice drop-offs, you have a ton of areas that can hold muskie.
Fishing the Reefs
Reefs can be hit or miss with muskie, but there are plenty of these predators that patrol the reefs for an easy meal. The reefs usually hold plenty of walleye and smallmouth bass from summer through fall and muskie can often be found patrolling these areas to find an easy meal.
Fishing the Rocks
With rocks everywhere, it’s hard not to be fishing the rocks when targeting muskie here. Muskie will gladly eat a smallmouth bass or walleye, so you can definitely find plenty of muskie cruising around the rocks whether that’s an island, point, reef or just a rocky shoreline.
Fishing the Weeds
Muskie love the weeds just like northern pike and there are plenty of nice weed edges near deeper water here that will hold some nice muskie. You will definitely find more pike in the weeds, but if you target the weeds with muskie baits, you will most likely run into some quality muskie here.
Using Leaders for Muskie
Muskie have some serious teeth. Use quality steel leaders to avoid bite-offs. If you are fishing clear water, you may need to go with a fluorocarbon leader to get bit. Most anglers will not go any lighter than 100 lb. fluorocarbon for muskie and don’t be shocked if you lose a big fish due to a bite-off. Some anglers go as heavy as 140 to 150 pound fluorocarbon. Ideally, you want to be as stealthy as you can so you can get more bites, but if you go too light with the fluorocarbon, you risk losing fish and possibly killing some big fish due to the lures getting stuck in their mouths.
Best Baits for Muskie
There are many types of baits to target muskie. Anglers don’t have as many options when using live baits since many of the fish that muskie eat can not be used as bait. Suckers and big chubs are usually the best options for most anglers that want to use live bait. For artificial lures, there are a variety of big baits to throw. Most anglers fish with bucktail spinners, some type of swimbait, topwater lure or jerkbait when chasing muskie.
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Best Rigs for Muskie
There aren’t too many different rigs for muskie fishing because you only have so many options for throwing some of the gigantic baits needed. Also, most anglers use lures for muskie or big sucker minnows, so you really don’t need too many rigs to target muskie. However, there are still several rigs you should know about, especially if you are going to be using live bait.
The Carolina rig, drop shot rig and quick strike rig are some of the best rigs for muskie.
Best Techniques for Muskie
Anglers use a variety of techniques for muskie. Casting is most popular, but jigging and trolling are also very effective techniques. Learn more about some of the best techniques for muskie page.
Learn More About Muskie
Our muskie fishing section has tons of tips on the best lures, live baits, where to catch them and how to catch them.
Visit our muskie fishing website to learn more.
