As we venture into the heart of musky season most anglers dream of whizzing bucktails and topwaters from the moment they launch till they are back at the docks. Warmer weather and substantial weed growth seems to drawl your average musky angler into the shallows like a moth to a flame. However, as we creep into the beginning of July savvy musky anglers and experienced guides start pushing back from the shallows and start targeting one of the most substantial summer patterns, muskies on deep weed edges.
While it should be said that some muskies will remain in and use the shallows to feed, a major segment of the muskie population will have taken up residence in somewhat deeper water by the time the first fireworks hit the summer sky. This switch to summer staging is due in part to forage movements coupled with increased thermal stability establishing in the main basin of mid and large bodies of water. The move to deeper edges in the summer can also be hastened by aquatic bug hatches of numerous species. Regardless of the exact reasons why that many muskies including some of the largest in anybody of water begin staging deeper in the throes of summer, let’s look out the basics of where and how to take advantage of this major muskie pattern.
Where: Muskies will begin staging on the outside edges and in deeper sections of weed beds. At times actively feeding muskies will suspend just adjacent to these weed edges in open water with the intent of intercepting bait-fish entering or leaving these outside weed edges. While each and every body of water is different and weed growth can vary substantially a good rule of thumb to find the outside edges is a little bit of off the water research.
The littoral zone of most bodies of water is found in zero to twelve feet of water but this can vary based on water clarity. In general, major weed growth will not be found deeper that twelve feet, with this in mind starting your search for outside edges in this zone makes logical sense. By highlighting your maps at twelve feet, you can quickly scan and identify these outside edges on new bodies of water. Bodies of water you are familiar with should be easier as a quick scan with your electronics will show you how far out already identified weed beds extend towards the main basin. If you are targeting a body of water that is lacking substantial vegetative cover you can still take advantage of this pattern by fishing the deeper structural elements present.
How: First and foremost, one needs to consider boat control when targeting outside edges, with no shore line or weeds present as a visual reference making use of waypoints and marker buoys can help when targeting an unseen edge. It is imperative that your lures are landing past and are brought out to the outside edges of the weed beds, so any means used to ensure that you know precisely where these edges are is critical for success.
When targeting muskies staged on these deed edges selecting lures that run right above the weed tops is the right call. Jerk-baits like the Livingston Lures Kraken and Red October Tubes are stand out presentations for targeting deeper weed edges. These deeper running lures have an erratic action that seems to generate strikes even during post frontal conditions. Working Krakens and tubes in a quick jumping, fast sinking manner seems to be the standard approach. However, taking advantage of the Krakens versatile weight system allows for tweaking the rate of fall which can heavily influence success on any given day.
Working your lures in a vertical popping action while making glancing blows with the tops of deeper weeds will yield bone crushing results. Follow up this tactic with a deeper figure eight for muskies that have followed while keeping in mind that at times you will have engaged with suspended muskies mere feet from your boat that need a little more time to commit. While at times fishing in a run and gun manner can be productive, taking your time and thoroughly picking apart these deep weed edges seems like the best course of action. For maximum effectiveness focus on precision boat control coupled with saturation casting. If you find yourself struggling to get a bite this summer, break away from the shallows and take advantage of this deeper edge pattern.
Cheers,
Steven Paul