In the spring, muskie fishing can be hit or miss. On many waters, you can’t fish until muskie season opens, so even if you see some big muskie in the shallows while fishing for other species of fish, you can’t fish for them. If you fish enough, you will most likely see some of these huge fish just sunning themselves in just a few feet of water. Have fun looking at these fish knowing that you can’t even cast a lure at them.
Once muskie season finally opens, the fishing can be very good in the shallows, however, at times, these fish will spook easy.
Find the Warmer Water Temperatures
The warmer water will usually hold more bait fish and some muskie will most likely be in the area too. Shallow bays, dark colored water and the northern shores will warm faster, so check these areas out.
Find the Green Weeds
The new green weeds that are forming will hold a variety of fish and muskie won’t be too far behind. In some of these spots, you may catch some muskie in just a few feet of water.
Downsize Your Muskie Baits
This is one of the hardest thing to do for a lot of muskie anglers. It’s almost like they would prefer to get skunked throwing a big bait than to make an adjustment and downsize to a smaller lure. Some of the most successful muskie anglers already know that you can catch plenty of muskie and some big fish too in the spring with smaller lures.
Make Longer Casts When Fishing Shallow
Because muskie can spook easily in the shallows, you need to make longer casts. Once a muskie is locked in and chasing a bait, they may hit right at the side of your boat. However, before they see your bait and are in attack mode, they may just see a dude in a boat staring at them. Instead of them thinking about feeding when seeing your bait, they may already be in escape mode. If you continue to spook a lot of fish in the shallows, you’re going to have a tough day on the water. Some of these fish are catchable.
Fish Current
With the ice melting and the spring rains, water levels will usually be higher than in the middle of the summer and fall on many bodies of water. On some of them, there will be a spillway or dam attached to them. The current attracts fish to these areas. Whether you are fishing above or below the dams, you can have some success in both spots, so they are worth checking out.
