Musky Shop North Woods Fishing Report: Late September

Hello Everyone,

Early fall is setting in and fishing remains strong in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Musky, Crappies, panfish, Bass, and Walleye have all been biting very well. Typically, as fall begins and the water temps begin to drop fish tend to move shallow and that is what is currently happening. Our overnight air temps have been dipping into the upper 30's and 40's. The water temps are slowly dropping and everything is in transition to shallow water.

When I say shallow, I am talking about shoreline to the first weed or structure edge.  Every year there are really big Muskies caught in 2'-3' of water in early fall. We are getting good reports of Muskies being caught from shoreline to the first structure edge on a variety of baits.  Figure 8 Spinnerbaits, Topkicks, Alpha Dawgs, Shallow Red October Tubes, as well as Big Fork Sandcats have all and will continue to work well.

A few days ago, my brother, John, caught an upper 40" Musky and 2 friends caught some really nice Muskies and all were in transition to shallow water in the 8'-10' range. One of their Muskies was a really nice Tiger.  There was also plenty of bi-catch chasing their lures.

Live Musky Suckers have been working too in early fall as our guide and staff member Fred Palermo and Tim “The Mayor” Ives have had several clients catch Muskies on Musky Suckers. Fred and Tim, as well as many other guides, position the sucker just outside of the weed line and above any structure so that the sucker isn't getting tangled in weeds or brush, then cast up shallow past your live bait. This technique has been working very well.  You can pick up suckers in-store and get some easy-to-use Shumway Rigs to get you going.

Tossing a jig with a Fathead minnow up shallow can be a dynamite technique this time of year as well as a slip bobber over the weeds with a Kalin’s Crappie Scrub. You can catch literally anything doing this.  With everything moving shallow Walleye, Bass, and Panfish can all be caught shallow casting varying Rapalas, like the Original Floater F18 or X-Rap Jointed Shad.

I hope this information helps you to be successful when you hit the water. If you fish from shoreline to the first structural edge you should find some fish and quite possibly some really big ones.

If you need assistance or a Fishing Guide, please call 715-513-7700 or check out our website at https://www.muskyshopguideservice.com/ or please stop by The Musky Shop. It would be our pleasure to serve you. "If You Don't Know Ask A Pro"

Good Fishing and God Bless, Jim Stewart