Catch More Muskies Findin' the ''Spot-on-the-Spot''

By: John Holmgren (Tooth Seeker Guide Service)

There are certain spots on a lake that hold more muskies than others. There are certain locations on these spots where you will catch more fish. Time on the water has proven this to me.

Each lake is different, and it takes time to learn where these types of areas are. Keep in mind these locations change with the seasons. Muskies are apex predators that rely heavily on being precise and efficient. I don’t believe they're just roaming around aimlessly looking for a meal. This gives you “the angler” the advantage if your willing to put in the time to figure their locations and patterns. I’m not saying muskies sit in one spot. I’m saying you find them in certain spots for a reason. Often when you find one you will find more in the same area and for good reason.

Food and Cover - There are two main reasons muskies are where they are: food and cover. First things first, you need to understand the main sources of food and structure in the lake you're fishing. Once you have identified this, scouting the lake is second most important. I spend many hours driving around the lake and marking out structure, bait and now thanks to Mega Side Imaging even muskies themselves. SI has made this process much more efficient and effective. It gives you the confidence that you are fishing where fish are. It’s crazy how many muskies can be seen in one location or what we call “Wolf Pack” once you find what they are relating to.

Eater Spots – Figuring out locations that hold muskies is only half the equation. At the beginning I mentioned there are locations that hold more muskies than others but there are certain spots on these locations that fish set themselves up to eat on. I call these eater spots, the X or the spot on the spot! Every fish I catch I put a waypoint and I can’t tell you how many of my spots have multiple waypoints stacked on top of each other. These locations are usually the tip or edge of a weed bed, a point of an island, fallen tree any type of structure that gives cover and an easy ambush to prey swimming by. It even gets a little deeper in depth. Over time you will even see a pattern of big fish eater spots! I have caught three of my biggest muskies within a cast of each other on the same spot.

Capitalizing on a window – Now that you have located areas with multiple muskies, and you have determined the eating spots leave those fish alone until the window opens. This is extremely hard to do but one of the biggest mistake’s anglers make is they cast back multiple times on a fish that they had follow. Every time a musky follows is less of a chance of it coming back and eating. Wait until the opportune time to go back on these fish. There are numerous eater spots on a lake. Make yourself a list of these spots to fish during peak times such as moon rise, moon set, majors or weather changes. This gives you an opportunity at catching multiple fish during a feeding window.

I get asked the same question a lot. What do you do to catch more muskies? My answer is very simple and can be applied to anything in life. If you want to be successful you have to make it a priority, dedicate yourself and put your time in. My wife and I share the musky fishing passion and we enjoy doing it together A LOT! We are no better than any other angler we just choose to make it one of our priorities and spend a lot of time doing it! Get out there and Cast!