 | "Guide Service & Outfitter" |
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2003 2002 |
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I wish I could
give you a better fishing report but fishing is still a little slow on Pewaukee Lake.
I just got back from Cass Lake Minnesota where we fished the MuskiFIRST Monster Outing.
After fishing that water its hard to come back home. Fishing was outstanding, I
boated a 46 1/2 inch muskie and raised 5 the first day, the second day I boated a
43 1/2 incher and raised 5 more that day, the final day I raised one fish but caught
two small muskies. I will get the two bigger fish on the pictures page when I get
the pictures e-mailed to me.
Pewaukee Lake has a good algea bloom going again, some cooler nights are needed to drop the water temperatures. This will get the fish going and rid the lake of this green problem. I talked to some of my friends that fished the weekend and fishing was slow for them and everyone they talked to. The Two Charlies tournament was held at Smokies Muskie Shop on Saturday and 4 fish were caught that day, the biggest was a 44 inch I was told. I will be getting out Wednesday to see whats up on Pewaukee Lake, the new moon is the 8 th and that should help perk up the fish around that time. When this bad algea bloom goes away fishing is going to rock like you wouldn't believe. This time of year water temperature dictates what to do more than ever. For example as the water cools glide baits and pull baits will start to be the baits to use, but before that the bucktail and twitch baits will prevail. Fast erratic twitching with Slammer crank baits and burning bucktails over the weed beds will catch the most fish, trolling is still a very good and should not be over looked. Some of the biggest fish will be taken trolling at this time of the year, work the bait fish schools and the breaks in the big lake for your best chances. The weeds beds are down about 4 feet in the narrows due to the lack of good sunlight, this can be good because it gives you more room to fish over them. When the water clears the narrows is the place to fish. The water clarity has been so bad for the last month that fishing pressure in the narrows has been very light. I will get out this week and figure out whats working to put fish in the boat and post it next week. Good luck to all and see you on the water!!! |
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Water temperatures have started to fall with the cool night we had this last weekend.
The muskies have started to eat suckers this last week. I know of three fish that were
caught on suckers. As the water cools a sucker on a quick strike rig is a must while
you cast. There was a 52 incher caught Sunday morning that was released. With the
full moon phase this last weekend I knew someone was going to catch some thing big.
I got out Thursday night to cast the west end weed line and we raised 4 fish and I
lost one at the boat before we could get a picture. All the fish Thursday were in
the 36 to 42 inch range.
Friday I got out again to see if I could boat some of those fish and it didn't take long, my partner stuck a 36 inch muskie on his second cast with a home made bucktail. The conditions were perfect for this to be a great night, we casted down the weed line working the edges with buck tails and crank baits. I decided to try a suick and it was a good choice, a 37 1/2 incher followed my suick in and ate it on the first corner of my figure 8. After a boat side battle and water everywhere she was under my control. It is nice to see that these fish are back on the weed lines. With the night cooling down so will the water tempatures. Fishing is only going to get better as the water cools. Pull baits, glide baits, bucktails and twitch baits will all produce fish now. Don't rule out top water baits just yet, the next two weeks is great topwater time. The hottest bait this last week was bucktails, I got out for a couple hours tonight and the only fish we moved was on a bucktail. Mornings are usually very good this time of year because the fish seem to move into the weed beds at night and the first fishermen to them in the morning get the action. The 52 incher was caught in the morning around 7:00 am on Sunday. I was in our duck blind with my 13 year old daughter for the youth duck hunt that opened this weekend. I did get out fishing from 9:30 to 11:00am on Sunday and raised 3 muskies on the west end, one of the fish that I raised was caught by a boat that was drifting behind me. That fish hit a bucktail and measured 38 inches. I raised all three fish on a suick but the bucktail produced the hit. Some times it takes a change of baits to get the fish to hit. Its always nice to have a second rod by you to use for a throw back rod. If you get a active fish that will not hit pick up that extra rod and cast something different back at that fish. For example if a fish followes a bucktail in and will not hit try a twitch bait, if a fish follows a pull bait try a glide bait or a crank bait as a throw back lure. My point is change something when you throw back to a active fish. Most likely if you use the same lure the fish will show less interest the second time but if you change baits you might catch that fish because you already know that the fish active. I am on my way to Cass Lake on Wednesday for some trophy muskie fishing with the MuskieFirst crew. Fishing on Pewaukee Lake will start to get real good for the nest month, don't miss out on the action, I know that I will be out as much as I can for the rest of the season. Good luck and see you on the water!!! |
09-16-02 |
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Due to the excessive honey due list I had at home last week and opener of bow hunting
on Saturday I don't have a personal report to post. I do know of a few nice fish that were
caught this week. The water tempatures are on the way down due to a few cool nights this
weekend. The weed line fishing is getting better with a nice 44 incher caught casting by
one of my friends mid week. The trolling bite is still going good with a few fish taken
that way.
The full moon phase is getting closer and I can't wait to get out and cast the deep water weed lines for some of the best night fishing of the year. I have always done great during the full moon phase in September. With new carpet in the house and the bathroom remodeled I should be back in the drivers seat. I can tell you that the bucks are still in there bachelor groups, I had three bucks under my tree at one time Saturday night. The biggest was a respectable 8 pointer that stood 10 yards away and mock spared with the 6 point and 5 point. I was great to get out in the woods but now its fishing time. I will be back to the take care of the bow hunting the first week of November. As for the muskies its time to get serious about sticking some of these early fall fish. Get out and take advantage of the moon phase this week, I know that I'm going to be out on the water. With the days getting shorter it is still possible to get a half day guide outing in from 4pm to 9pm or something like that. So far crank baits have been the best bet for trolling and casting but remember things change this time of year as the water tempatures drop. Good luck to all and I will see you on the water!!! |
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Water temps still in the high 70's today with some areas reaching 81 by late afternoon.
I got out tonight and was surprised to find the water over 80 degrees. Fishing seemed
the slow side today, I talked to two of the other guides tonight and no one put any
fish in the boat. With the new moon only a few days past you would think the fishing
would be better.
Last night I got out around 7:30 and started to troll when a 36.5 inch muskie ate one of my DB04's running in 23 foot of water. For the size this fish was a scrapper, seems like the fish have gotten stronger in the last week. Before long the second muskie hit and started to peel off drag, after I grabbed the rod the fish seemed to come to the boat very easy like it was a small fish. As soon as the fish got close to the boat she went nuts, she tail walked off about 25 feet of line then straight to the bottom. After a great fight I slipped the net under her and removed the hooks. A friend of mine was close by and offered to take a picture of the fish for me. I was more than willing to take him up on his offer. After a quick picture and a measurement the 41 inch muskie was released to fight another day. Water temps should start to drop and the fish are going to start to get real active. Im thinking this full moon phase around the 20th of this month should be a great chance to get a pre-fall trophy. It will not be long and the muskies will be back on the weed lines. I got out Sunday morning early to see if I could find some fish on the weeds along the Rocky Point area, we worked bucktails and surface baits until the sun came up. After the sun rose we worked the north side of the narrows down the outside weed line with crank baits and bucktails, we moved some fish but nothing with any size. Thinking cover water because this was going to be a hot calm day and our best chance would be early and late. We trolled the weed edges all the way to the west end without a fish, then ran the breaks all the way down the south shore and back to Rocky Point without a hit. Thats fishing I guess but I will be home for the Packer game at noon. "Go Pack Go" I am looking forward to the drop in water tempature to get these fish in the correct frame of mind. Eat, eat, eat and eat some more. Check out the 41 inch muskie on the pictures page I will post it tonight. Good luck and I will see you on the water!!! |
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With the algae bloom still hanging with us and the east wind blowing for the 6th
straight day fishing has been slow. Not many big fish caught in the last week on
Pewaukee Lake. I was out wednesday and lost one that I didn't get a look at and had
something else hit, both hits were trolling in 17 to 22 foot of water.
Thursday I got out around 7:30pm for some night trolling and caught a 34 1/2 incher off the condo's in 24 foot of water at 9:10pm. I fished my MuskieFirst challenge match Saturday after I guided a half day in the morning. I tried trolling the weed lines then tried trolling the breaks, nothing doing. Seems like some fish moved back into the weeds and some moved deeper to suspend. I think the oxygen in the top of the water is bad due to the bloom. Something is slowing down the fish and in the last three days I have noticed three muskies and two walleyes floating dead. All of these fish looked in good shape and must have died from release attempts. Saturday after lunch I went back out to fish the challenge match and stuck a 27 to 28 inch northern and a 32 3/4 inch muskie around moon set(2:45 to 3:15). After that I fished until dark without any more action. That was a small feeding window that day. I know of two more fish that were caught Saturday both were mid 30's. After three days of muskie fishing I needed to get some serious action so it was off to the big pond for some king salmon. We fished in the main and north gaps. Fish were stacked up and so were the boats. A nice brown trout was the first fish to hit the livewell soon to be joined by three 4 year old kings. Two of those were pushing 25lbs and did some serious line peeling before we got a net to them. After 9:30 the action seemed to stop and the recreational boaters took over the harbor. After a look at Pewaukee Lake on the way home I decided it best to get some work done around the house. Be careful if you are going to troll for muskies and hook up with one, they have been a little sluggish going back. When you catch a fish please leave it in the net while you take out the lure and have everything ready that you need if you must take a picture or measure the fish. Time out of the water should be only a minute or so. For some reason people have had trouble releasing fish healthy for the last two weeks. If you see someone bring a fish into the boat stop and see if they need a hand, most people would be glad to get some help and maybe they might learn something. With all the recent articles in the paper there lots of new faces and boats on the lake, some of these fishermen lack the proper tools and knowledge to make a very good release. By asking and helping we can not only protect our resource but teach others the skills to make them better fishermen and the people they fish with to. Knowledge is the key to successful CPR (catch-photo-release). See you on the water and good luck!!! |
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MIKE KOEPP 262-691-8909 To Schedule Appointment or For More Info: Info@mikekoepp.com |