Planning for Muskies: What makes a good day for Musky Fishing?
It seems that the days of the coffee table Farmer’s Almanac are quite over and as we surf into the realm of online content, it’s hard to find a one stop shop for musky information. Information has expanded and production is on the rise, but when you want a simple answer, it might allude you completely. So here is a one stop note for new or experience anglers looking for answers. What makes any day a good day for musky fishing? Or any other words, when will muskies be most active.
As muskies don’t generally have a calendar available and certainly don’t suffer through a 9 to 5, we must assume that the sport of fishing isn’t catered to weekends only. Honestly, what makes a good day can be broken down into a hundred different categories. A lot of the time, weather and frontal patterns are the key, along with your seasonal standards.
Muskies are driven to eat by their biological mechanics much like people. Humans have been prescribed to the breakfast, lunch, and dinner routine for years, and it makes logical sense. You need food for energy to start your day. You would usually take a meal for lunch to keep your focus and find motivation. Finally, we like to have some dinner and drinks as we wind down after a long day for the calories to burn overnight. This scripted diet not only makes sense to us but can also be prescribed to underwater creatures of habit.
This is where moon phase becomes more relevant. Because there isn’t a physical confirmation of time in aquatic locations, fish and other species depend on other forces such as gravitational shifts and light penetration to push and pull them throughout the day. So as a musky angler, you can definitely count on having the most opportunities to “dine” during these feeding windows created by the ebb and flow of nature. Muskies will be the most aggressive eaters during the highpoints of the daily lunar cycle.
Outside of times of day, it’s important to focus on upcoming weather patterns. Depending on your geographical location and the current season, it’s important to follow normal and unseasonal weather in your area. Pre-frontal muskies are far more active than during or post. If there is a cold front coming, get out of ahead of it and fish the entire day or two proceeding. If there is a warm front moving through do the same. Stability is the best time to fish for muskies. It’s inevitable that it takes 3 days of stability until muskies are back on the feed. So, if there is a cold front moving through, by the third day it is often satisfactory enough to settle back into a feeding pattern. Don’t be confused, RAIN is not a front, it’s just rain. It might be on the edge of a front but it is not the only marker.
Water temperature is another great consideration for choosing your fishing day. Muskies are happiest in cooler temperatures. Though summer success is great. Larger muskies tend to hook up the most as the temperature drops. They tend to be more sluggish in summer as every meal is an expense of energy they can’t be troubled to lose. When water temperatures hit the low/mid 60’s, that’s the best time to strike.
If weather and water aren’t enough, then let’s introduce chop and clouds. If you’re hunting for trophies, like any of the largest creatures on earth, they live the longest due to their healthy, stealthy habits. Large muskies have the best stomping grounds. They typically hold up in the best structural spots and routines. One of these is to hide on bright sunny days. Big muskies prefer to strike when its cloudy, overcast, or the lake has a little chop. They want to attract very little attention and move around in an area with very little light penetration. Slight water chop and cloud cover make this the most possible.
If you are looking for the perfect day to go fishing, take all of these factors into consideration. I know that many can’t get out during the week, but given bad conditions, it makes more sense to launce your boat on a Wednesday at 7:30PM, than a Saturday at 8AM. So, give your calendar a look, compare it with moon phase, weather predictions, and temperatures. You’re looking for cool water, moon pull (or sunrise/sunset), some chop and clouds, and a prefrontal or stabile forecast. There you will have the best day to launch your boat and net a musky.