Hook, Line & Sinker:

Fall Muskies
Playing the odds

By Mike Seymour

The muskellunge is the top predator among freshwater species, and catching a muskie is the ultimate freshwater fishing challenge. 

As the top freshwater predator, muskellunge are low in number compared to other species. Also, as king of their waters, muskies can feed whenever and wherever they want, and they can prey upon whatever species they desire. Furthermore, as muskies grow older, they develop specific feeding tendencies and have no reason to strike an angler’s offering. Despite these challenges, this time of the year offers anglers the best odds of catching that fish of a lifetime because the decreasing daylight and dropping water temperatures of autumn signal increased feeding activity. This increased activity gives the angler an edge that doesn’t exist at other times of the year. 

Like the pursuit of other species, a number of variables come into play in the pursuit of muskies. Certainly there are no absolutes in muskie fishing, but attention to three variables in fall fishing can significantly improve any angler’s odds of hooking into Mr. Muskie, and those variables are temperature, location, and time.

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