Mesotrophic lakes

If fishing a eutrophic lake can be intimidating, then fishing a meso lake an be downright confusing. At least in a eutrophic lake we know that the forage and therefore the muskies will relate to the weeds. In meso lakes, muskies may relate to walleyes in the weeds, or walleyes or smallmouth bass on rocky points or shoals, or perhaps they will relate to sunken islands or weed-to-rock bottom transitions. Even worse, perhaps they suspend and follow roaming schools of ciscoes or whitefish. Most mesotrophic lakes offer such a wide variety of potential fish-holding structures (see Figure 12-5) that setting a game plan can be very difficult. In addition, most meso lakes with reputations for producing really large muskies, 40-pound-plus fish, are usually huge bodies of water. It could take forever to cover all the possibilities!

On this type of lake more than any other, it really pays to do some homework before you go on the water. A call or letter to the agency responsible for natural resources for that area can give you some invaluable information. You can find out what forage fish are available and which ones the experts feel the muskies relate to most. Local bait shops or resort owners can tell you what techniques are locally successful and at what time of year the fishing is best. Most of the local business people want your repeat business so they should give you good information.

1. Area A is the prime walleye spawning area. Its hard bottom is not attractive to spawning muskies.
2. The fast-breaking shorelines and steep rock points in area B will attract a lot of walleye in the late fall. Muskies will definitely use this area in the fall.
3. The sandy beaches of area C are typical of many meso lakes -- nice for swimming but there is nothing here to hold any fish.
4. Area D is probably the best spot on this lake for numbers of fish. It offers a prime spawning area and a large shallow flat capable of supporting much forage. The deep weedline has some cabbage and would be very attractive to walleyes, with area D-1 being the best summer location (slow taper) and area D-2 being the best fall location (fast taper).
5. The same as area C.
6. The sunken island at F has some weed growth on top and is fairly shallow. Its nearness to area D is a plus as normally it doesn't take much pressure to fish down a small structure like this. It could be a big fish spot if it isn't charted or doesn't receive much pressure. It is too shallow to count on ciscoes for forage.
7. The point at area G and the adjacent sunken island at area H are both key areas. A muskie could make this area its home, foraging on walleyes and waiting for the wind to deliver ciscoes or whitefish. This is a big fish location.
8. See G.
9. Although area I does have one nice rock point, there is not enough to hold much forage in this area. Try covering it quickly with a trolling pass on your way from K to G if you must, but don't waste much time here.
10. This could be a major muskie spawning area. It probably won't hold fish after spawn but its nearness makes K a winner.
11. A slow tapering point with adjacent flat area, K is an outstanding structure. The weedline is deep and would hold numbers of fish. The slow taper would be attractive to fish in the summer period and the nearness of deep water and the rock rubble off the weed edge would hold fish in the fall. This is a great structure. Area L would not generally be too good a spot because it does not provide a large food shelf, however it would in this case be a migration route for walleyes leaving the spawning area at A and moving to their summer location at K. The inside turn at L-l is an excellent late fall or coldfront location where the weeds are closest to deep water. This deep, small sunken island may or may not hold fish. Its small size means it would not support much forage but its nearness to the walleye spawning area could make it a good fall location.

Click to Listen!