Detroit River Update

Detroit River muskie have really shown their contrary nature this season. Early, when I would have expected them to be somewhat shallow, we were getting them mostly out of water in excess of twenty feet deep. Now, when they would normally be moving to even deeper structure, we are picking them up in eight and ten feet of water. Remember that I usually start in twelve or thirteen feet of water, and work out from there. It is important to always be ready to adjust to what the fish are doing. Fishing is definitely about much more than just catching fish, but it is definitely much more fun to catch fish than to get skunked. Always be ready to adapt. To give you an idea of the type of quality Detroit River muskie fishing provides to the persistent angler, here's how Ron Fodor and I have done both together and fishing separately on recent trips. Muskie boated per trip --5, 3, 4, 1, 2, 0, 3, and 2. (I drew the blank by the way). Most of those fish were between 38 and 49 inches long. The guys I consistently fish with all agree that we are very lucky anglers to live close to such a productive body of water. The key to taking advantage of that productivity is knowledge. There are hundreds of anglers that fish our river that never catch more than a few pan fish and maybe an occasional walleye. The river is like a great treasure chest, and knowledge is the key that opens it.

"Heck, I gotta Weed!"

A recent experience prompts me to comment. While trolling a shelf in fifteen feet of water, our lure stopped dead in the water. When I first picked up the rod I was sure that I felt that tell tale throb at the other end of the line. However, anyone who has done a fair amount of trolling knows that sometimes you can get a similar reaction from a lure that is popping from weed clump to weed clump. When the line didn't move to either side or begin stripping out, we figured we had hooked solid into bottom or some serious hard structure. Putting the boat in neutral, we began drifting back toward the lure with the current, but kept constant pressure on the line. Suddenly the snag began moving in the opposite direction of the boat drift! A thirty one pound muskie had grabbed the lure and then just sulked near the bottom. After a great battle, we managed to boat the fish and even got some video of the struggle. Ron has related a similar experience to me and so I pass it on as a bit of muskie wisdom. Never assume that you are snagged. Keep your line tight and treat every "snag" as a fish until you are ABSOLUTELY sure. (Yo, Adrian!)

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