Best lake US or Canada for Large muskie?

gordonh8r · Post by **gordonh8r** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 8:48 am

This past year I caught the bug for muskie fishing and would like to plan a trip either in Canada or the US this spring. Where would be the best place to have a successful (50 incher) trip . Even if I have to pay a guide. I would like to get the wife hooked on it as well.

Post by **Will Schultz** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 10:56 am

How do you want to catch that fish? Casting or trolling can make a big difference in your decision about where to plan a trip.

If you don’t care how you catch a 50”er then it would be impossible to beat trolling St Clair in late June/early July.

If casting is your preference then late July/early August on Lake of the Woods would give you your best shot at a 50” muskie.

Here are the top five lakes for producing 50" muskies according to Muskies, Inc. data from more than 250,000 muskies reported:
1 - Lake Of The Woods
2 - Vermilion, MN
3 - Lake St. Clair, ON/MI
4 - Mille Lacs, MN
5 - Leech Lake, MN

gordonh8r · Post by **gordonh8r** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 11:54 am

Thanks..

I would love to catch one casting however , because I am taking the wife I think I would need to troll.

gordonh8r · Post by **gordonh8r** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 11:57 am

one more question ...Does anyone know of a good guide on St. Clair?

Post by **Will Schultz** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 5:56 pm

Bob Devine (you can meet him at our banquet on March 7th)
www.chartertalk.com

edalz · Post by **edalz** » Wed Dec 31, 2008 12:04 am

I went to Eagle Lake this year and they have some monster fish and we saw an average of 15 fish a day and we had a 55" muskie at the boat....some real monsters in that body of water.

Duke · Post by **Duke** » Wed Dec 31, 2008 1:13 pm

You will hear this same thing when you start talking with any guide, but just keep in mind that even on the world's best big muskie water a successful trip will not be determined by catching a 50"er! Even on Lake St. Clair or Eagle Lake with experienced guides, 50" catches are a rare occurrence. Your odds of doing it though are going to be best going with a trolling outfit on Lake St. Clair.

gordonh8r · Post by **gordonh8r** » Wed Dec 31, 2008 4:45 pm

where is Eagle Lake

Chasin50 · Post by **Chasin50** » Wed Dec 31, 2008 4:50 pm

Duke wrote:You will hear this same thing when you start talking with any guide, but just keep in mind that even on the world's best big muskie water a successful trip will not be determined by catching a 50"er! Even on Lake St. Clair or Eagle Lake with experienced guides, 50" catches are a rare occurrence. Your odds of doing it though are going to be best going with a trolling outfit on Lake St. Clair.

LSC is good for some and absolutely amazing for others. I know of a certain gentlman who boated 10 fish over 50 in 15 days this season on LSC. There are certain guides and a few hardcore folks that are networked and they move with the fish. Some of those guys catch multiple fish over 50" in a DAY... That is not even remotely normal as Duke mentions...

For most dedicated fisherman who aren't "networked", you will need to put in serious hours for a 50. Ask Mike King about a 50 on LSC...
Mike and Michelle King fished LSC for like 10 years before catching their first. Then they had a couple banner years boating several. When you average the time out, I think 300-400 hours per 50 should be expected. However, timing is huge, and if you are in the right seasonal movement with the right weather conditions, it can be much much less.

Here is a recap of 3 years of fish in the boat from a working man, mostly from LSC and about 75% from trolling. Average about 3.4 hrs per fish. Doing the math, almost 800 hours worth of fish.

Size........Number of Fish
<30".......29
30-34".....64
35-39".....74
40-44".....47
45-49".....16
50+"........2

Total........233

If you want a recommendation for a guide, I think Bob Devine would treat you well, and he fishes from a 621 Ranger, so the fishing experience is real. If you are more interested in a cushy ride in big water and want to fish from a yacht, Mike Petiglio is probably in the short list of top producing guides.

IMOHO, I would spend the money and go east. My experience out there with a guide - 8 days, 8 fish in the 50's seen or caught, 2 boated. If you look at Thorpe's record for a typical year, a 50 comes in the boat every 3 days. I think that would be tough to beat almost anywhere.

edalz · Post by **edalz** » Wed Dec 31, 2008 11:22 pm

gordonh8r wrote:where is Eagle Lake

This will show you where it's at:

http://www.andymyerslodge.com/eagle_lak ... cation.htm

Kingfisher · Post by **Kingfisher** » Thu Jan 01, 2009 3:11 am

Yes St. Clair is a tough nut to crack but once you get on the pulse you can do real well. Michelle and I worked three areas for 30 days on the water during our 2006 season. We boated 63 fish during those 30 days. Out of those days 6 of them were unfishable and we struggled just trying to keep the boat in the water . High winds pushed us off many times and forced us to try the river. 7 footers over your bimini top scare the crap out you. We caught 11 fish 47 inches or larger with three over 50 in two days to finish a great season there. Catching a pair of 52 inchers in one day was the thrill of a life time.

The trick for us was staying in three major areas that were producing and finding the spots within those areas that were extra special. My Global MAP GPS was the most valuable tool in the boat. We Had a milk run and it worked all year. We could have boated a lot more smaller fish that season if we had moved in closer to shore. We were after the big girls and stayed out in the 17 to 18 foot range almost all year. I would have to go back and count all the 42 to 46 inchers that we caught . must have been like 15 or so. three 45 inchers in one day if I remember right.

We followed Captain Craig Miller and Mike Pitaglio around a lot the first week we were there. Those two guys know where the big fish water is. Now I do too

Good luck out there and be safe. That lake can blow up in a heartbeat and fill your boat with water. Mike