T-Billy

Hmm... Seems those cooler August nights stay north of the Mason Dixon. 😉 It was 47 when I hit the water this morning.

I think it's temp. The cooler nights of late August cool the shallows down. It brings fish shallow, including big fish. I generally pick up a few big's pitching super shallow cover in late August and early September. I don't see that happening this year though. I'm focused on those big muskie that have come shallow.

Only when I'm licking the bus windows. 🤪

I got started at 04:30 this morning. At about 04:50 my double 10 got absolutely smoked by this big girl. Biggest fish of 24 so far. 46.5". A few minutes after 06:00, as the sky was just beginning to lighten a bit this 40" came up and mauled that double 10 just as I was about to swing it into the 8. Awesome bite, and then chaos on a few feet of line. Both fish really wanted that 10, as they both got the front hook. I didn't move another fish until a little after 09:00 when this 40" came up out of some shallow milfoil and latched on to a musky killer. That little spinner has been getting it done here lately, and it's putting some quality fish in the net. One missed fish, and one follow after that. I called it quits at noon. I'm gonna get an earlier start tomorrow, hopefully get a line wet by 02:00.

My bass numbers are WAAYYY under average this summer. I'm not sure if spending 90% of my time on the water muskie fishing has anything to do with that or not, but I suspect it might. 😁

Dang Jar!!! Glad you're mostly OK. Praying for your healing brother.

I used to, but don't any longer. The fish don't care.

5 or 6 power rod, straight 50# 832, snelled straight shank flippin hooks.

I thought of you the other morning A-Jay, when I found my night bite had made the annual August transition to rock. Water temps are coming down. I thought, it's about time for A-Jay to run into some of those big brown sows. That window is opening here. I'm gonna try to make it down to my favorite SM lake next week, and see if I can get some to eat in the dark. That lake also has a good muskie population and several weedy bays with feeder creeks. I'm anxious to see if I can get on the same blade/crank bite down there that I've been on at Leesville once the lights come on. Brownies all night, slimers all morning, sounds like my kinda party!!! 😉

It sure is @MassBass. It's my favorite way to catch 'em.

My work schedule has me rotating back into some weekend days off, so I got to go fishing with my bride for the first time since late June. We had a great morning and put a couple fish each in the net. Both of hers were bigger than mine. 😁 I love it when she gets the better of me. I started things off with this 37" on a Tuff Shad at first light. Tammy followed that up shortly after with a 40.5" on a Muskie Killer in the shallow milfoil. It's only her second over 40", so we were both tickled with that. After a few hours with no action, it was Tammy getting it done again with the Muskie Killer with a 38.5". I picked up my second with time running out, again with the Muskie Killer in a shallow creek channel. 38" Back to the grind tomorrow for the next four days. #HAPPYWIFEHAPPYLIFE!!!

My favorite time of day. I'm with ya 100% Katie. I don't have any lonesome waters available, but I often have the lake to myself for awhile during the hours I operate during the warmer months. I love those bog pics. Looks like my idea of Heaven. Streets of gold and a mansion on a hill don't interest me. A dirt road leading to a cabin on the shore of a quiet lake on the other hand...

You do that in a canoe? THAT'S IMPRESSIVE!!! 😉

Pretty much the same here. Surface temp was 76 this morning. It was 82 two weeks ago.

I don't know what y'all got going up there, but here the water temp's down about 6 degrees from it's peak a couple weeks ago, and they're stacking up in all the bays that have a feeder creek. 4"-5" cranks and smaller blades have been producing best. The fish are moving into the back of the bays and back out to the weeds in 10'-15'. That pattern will hold up clear into October. Ours are man made reservoirs with a shad forage base. I don't know if the same pattern happens up your way or not, but it might be worth checking out.

It's been kinda tough sledding lately. Stable high pressure, little wind, and clear water. I've been moving lots of fish, but getting them to commit has been tough. Took a skunking Wed, and only managed a 31.5" yesterday. Last night some storms rolled through, and this morning we had some showers and a low cloud ceiling. That put 'em in a much better mood. Started the morning off with this 37" on a 5" Tuff Shad. SLOW cranking it over deep coontail at first light. Next up was this thick beast of a 45.5" on a Mepps Muskie Killer, about an hour later. I've been getting lots of follows but few bites on bigger blades, so I downsized this morning. It proved to be a good call. Cool story on this fish. It followed my double 8 spinner in yesterday about 100yds further back in the bay in just a couple feet of water. It saw me and wouldn't follow into the 8, but didn't spook either. It just sat there for a bit looking at me, then slowly swam off. I recognized it as I was releasing it today by the white scar on it's head that I had noticed yesterday as it was sitting there. The final catch of the day came just over an hour after that in the back of another bay, again on the Muskie killer. It's a lean but beautifully marked 44". It was all down hill after that. Lol. I lost two at boatside while trying to net them. Not heartbreakers though, a mid 30's and a high 30's. Missed two that absolutely smoked my Tuff Shad. Not sure how they didn't hook up, they were violent hits, and I had five follows. Pretty busy 7 hours by muskie standards, and two mid 40's in the net is an awesome day. Happy, happy, happy!!! 😁

I got out in the wee hours wed morning and did a bit of bass fishing. I figgerd I better catch a few to keep my BR membership in good standing. It's been awhile. I've been completely focused on muskie. As I suspected, the bass have largely abandoned the shallow weeds for rock structure. It happens every August around here. I think it's because the gills are done spawning, and have vacated the area, so they move to rock and fill up on craws. I caught about a dozen of these cookie cutter LM. The first one I caught off of rock spit up a good size craw onto the floor of my boat. The craw was alive and well. Best bass of the morning came about 05:00 on a 5" tuff shad after I'd started cranking for muskie. That's one ambitious 3 pounder. I also picked up a nice eye. It's one of the rare lucky ones that got released. Most of them get released to the grease. I knew I was gonna be on a long grind for muskie, and wouldn't feel like knocking the sides off of it when I got home. Took a skunking on the skis.

No such thing as secluded waters in my neck of the woods, but if there were, that's where you'd find me.

Looks like pitch'n paradise to me Katie.

Define comfortably. 😂 I throw pounder bulldawgs on my 9'6" XXH Daiwa Prorex, but not very often and not for very long. It does "OK" with them, but a XXXH would be better.

That's how we roll as also. Serves us well too. We have a joint savings where we keep a balance for major unexpected expenses, but aside from that, we each handle our share of the bills, and we each buy what we want without having to consult the other. We never fight about money.

I have a bunch of them. All lines are excellent for their price points IMO. The Invoker series is my favorite.

I lost two at the net on Wednesday and ended up taking a skunking. I moved five yesterday, but they were being skittish and the only one I got to commit was this little guy that just squeaked into the count at 30.5". I picked up two early this morning on cranks, then the bite shut down like the flip of a switch. 39.5". 37" So... I fell a bit short of my 100 fish goal, but it's all good. 94 muskie over 30" ain't a bad rookie year. I've learned a bunch, and now have some experience with them in all four seasons, so I feel like I have a solid foundation to build on. New goal is 100 before ice over. The current count for the 2024 calendar year stands at 44.

Nope.

I hear ya brother!!! The fish in my local lakes feed twice a day. Right before I get there, and right after I leave. 😂