Articles : How to Catch 131 Muskies In One Year

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How to Catch 131 Muskies In One Year
By: Steven James Rusteberg

What do you consider a good year of muskie fishing? One fish? Ten fish? Twenty-five fish? Fifty fish? How about one hundred fish? What if I were to tell you out of my one-hundred thirty-one muskie in 2003, more than ninety-four fish were caught in the state of Illinois? Yes, most came right out of this beautiful state we live in. Ninety-four Illinois muskie made their way into my boat this year. Many more were caught by clients, fishing partners, and friends. This is Illinois fishing at its best, and it’s only getting better. I believe everyone reading this article can have whatever you consider a very successful 2004 muskie season. Out of ninety-four Illinois catches, my biggest release in this state was a 49” beauty out of Shelbyville Lake. A 44”, 44.25” 45”, and a 47” were not far behind as some of the best fishing I have ever had in Illinois this past year.

I believe with minimal effort a fifty or seventy fish year is not unreachable for the average Illinois muskie fisherman. The key to successful formula is watching (and fishing) lake “peaks” and “valleys” during the fishing season. The success I have experienced in 2003 was not knowledge I had obtained overnight. I carefully have logged every muskie fishing trip for the last twenty years.

Waking up early in the morning and picking a lake to fish is not a formula that will consistently put muskie in your boat. Researching, and collecting data form year to year is the way to consistently become successful.

Each lake in Illinois has a “peak muskie time” as well as a period I like to call a “valley”. Capitalizing on peak times and avoiding the “valley fishing” is a formula that will lead more muskie to your lure. Lake hopping during their peak periods will likely help you consistently catch fish year round. Avoid the “valley”. The “valley” is a period of time on any given lake when muskie populations are scattered and hard to catch. Every lake has a” valley” at different times of the year. Knowing what time these “valleys” occur is the key to your success. Stay as far away from a lake in its “valley” as you can. Only fish lakes that are climbing to their peak at any given time of year.

If you leave home in the morning, headed toward a lake, and you don’t know exactly what the history of the last couple weeks of fishing have done, I strongly suggest you are making a mistake. With modern technology of cell phones, the Internet, and GPS (global positioning system), nobody has the excuse of not being able to access current, accurate, fishing information. The Internet alone allows you more current fishing information, than any one person can process. Chat rooms, message boards, and web sights teem with up to date current fishing information. Use this information to your advantage.

If you are not keeping a log of all your muskie catches, you should start one. I have kept a log that dates back over twenty years of muskie fishing. From this data I can chart fishing successes as well as lost time on the water. Putting all your data into a spread sheet, and then charting your success and failure, will draw a simple picture for you “of when” and “when not” to be on a lake. For instance, my data has showed over the last twenty years that I am most likely to catch mutable muskie on Shabbona Lake the second week of May thru the first week of June. From this data I can easily plot out a year round strategy for muskie fishing Illinois lakes. I can capitalize on past year success and avoid potential monthly slumps.

I have literally charted over eight-hundred Illinois muskie on over twenty-seven different lakes, rivers, and streams. This wealth of information I have created has lead me to be more successful as time goes on. This is why I believe charting and graphing your success, as well as you failures is so important. This data you have gathered will spell out for you a lakes peaks and valleys. With this information you can become extremely efficient form year to year. This will mean to you, less time on the water, with more fish in your boat.

Track from year-to-year as much information as you can. I track lake, lure, color, size of fish, location of fish, weather, casting or trolling, sex of fish, and more. I track each trip with a rating system from 1 to 10 (10 being a very good trip). I can chart a lake biased on this rating system as I fish it. If it consistently scores a one in June, I know not to spend a lot of time on the lake in June. Years of fishing data can easily be stored on computer and the data entered is a helpful tool for successful fishing trips.

Here is just some of the “peak” fishing times for muskie on Illinois Waterways:

January – February
Shelbyville / Kinkaid

March
Spring Lake / Lake of the Woods (Illinois) / Banner Marsh

April
Lake of the Woods (Illinois) / Spring Lake / Otter / Shelbyville

May
Shelbyville / Otter / Shabbona / Evergreen / Canton

June
Fox Chain / Shabbona / Loon

July
Loon (night fishing) / Fox Chain (night fishing) / Lac Sule (Illinois)

August
Evergreen

September
Shelbyville / Pana / Paradise / Otter

October – November
Shelbyville / Otter / Loon

December
Shelbyville / Kinkaid

The lakes listed above show a month-to-month peak level of muskie activity. If it is not listed below the month, don’t go! Following the guidelines above will keep you on productive water year round. Multi-musky days will become a rule, not the exception by simply recording your data such as I have done and learning “when to be” and “when not to be” on any given lake. The above data has proven successful for me time and time again.

A pattern, is a pattern, when it can repeat itself year after year. Anyone can get lucky and catch fish on a fishing trip occasionally. Your goal is to become a fishing micro-processor. If you track your data you will know how to become very successful on every outing. This simple formula has equated to a very successful 2003 for me and I know it will carry you to the best 2004 fishing season ever. Fish only the lake listed below the specific month for muskie and I know your 2004 muskie fishing season will turn out to be the best ever.