Early Fall Transition
While Summer is slowly fading into a memory, the best of what musky season has to offer is just around the corner. As the heat dissipates from in land waters, rivers and reservoirs muskies start making serious moves to the shallow zones. This shift from mid and deep holding areas to shallow haunts can lead to explosive action and opportunities to tangle with true giants. With this in mind, lets take a look at a few unique ways to capitalize on this early fall transition.
- While most anglers will focus on the outside edges of weed beds, this early fall period is a great time to get deep into the slop. Lures like the Steve’s Meat Grinder from Figure 8 and Joe Buchers Slopmaster Spoon will alleviate most weed fouling. I would mention that the space behind weed beds can be highly productive. On some bodies of water there are gaps behind vegetation creating a little space before the water meets the shoreline. Targeting this super skinny water behind weed beds with spinner baits and top waters can be deadly and is often where muskies are hanging out during the warmest parts of the day.
- The Fall and dive and rise lures are a match made in heaven. Utilizing the Livingston Lures Titian dive and rise in and near shallow rocks can coax some of the biggest bites of the year. Making repeated contacted followed by a slow float up often is the key for generating strikes. The Titian and other dive and rise lures can be highly effective when worked in weed beds during the early fall. Areas with voids or early decay are prime targets when working Titans and dive and rose lures. Repeated dives and rises in small weed voids can be like ringing the dinner bell for trophy class fish.
- While the common knowledge of musky fishing is to downsize when muskies are following and not eating. However, in the early fall going bigger can help seal the deal. Making the jump from double 8’s to 10’s or transitioning from a mid-size Bulldawg to a Magnum can make all the difference. The early fall at time calls for a bit of “shock and awe” so making the jump up on or two size classes should be a option you are geared up for.
- While solar lunar majors and minors can play heavily during this time period a keen eye should be kept on periods of peak sun. Muskies can and will slide in extremely shallow during the early fall when the sun and subsequent warmth at it’s highest. Yet again the fall breaks a few musky rules but its hard to argue with hooking into a giant around lunch time.
While muskies have and will always be hard to peg down, the transition in the early fall is one of the most consistent opportunities each year. Dial on shallow zones and get extra sloppy you might just put a monster in your net.
C heers,
