Shallow water muskies
August 12, 2024
White Bear Lake
1 photo
Trip Summary
Trip Summary
I spent this last week targeting very shallow water, typically in 3 to 4 foot sand flats with small, scattered broad-leaf cabbage patches. Some of these cabbage beds are as small as a 20' x 20', and they are holding multiple fish. How I approach these flats is, move in a zig-zag pattern across the flat with my trolling motor, and as I found these isolated patches of cabbage, I would map them out on GPS so when I come back, I know exactly where the best locations are. With this recent cooler weather, the water temperature has dropped significantly and there are a number of muskies starting to move into the shallows, and it's only going to get better as we get closer to September. I had 2 different baits in the water at all times, one being a tail rotating topwater, like a Lake X Fat Bastard. The second was a double 8 bucktail, like a Spanky Baits Fireball. When I'm throwing a topwater, I use a Tackle Industries 9'6" MH or XH rod, the 9'6" makes boatside maneuvers a bit easier when trying to keep the bait moving on the surface. With bucktails, I'm throwing those on a Tackle Industries 10' XH, the extra length allows you to make very large and smooth boatside maneuvers so your blades don't stall on the turns, which is extremely important, especially in shallow water. Typically, I prefer a overcast day with a slight breeze, that seems to be the best for active muskies in skinny water. Sunny days will still hold fish in the shallows, but they seem to be more boat shy due to visibility.