fishless. It’s a tough choice to make and by casting you take your chances; sometimes you get lucky. The pet question most Muskie fishermen asked me was: "What do you consider the best Muskie water?" My answer was as follows: "If you want to catch a Muskie in both lakes and rivers, fish the shoals and reefs." These are the more likely to find a feeding Muskie. Now you won’t break any records, but it is a fact that they produce the most Muskie. The 40-acre shoal on the St. Lawrence produces close to 500 Muskie per year. At least 5 each year in the 40-pound class. The sand bar at Ogdensburg on the St. Lawrence produces about the same except only 3 or 4 at 40 pounds. I could mention other shoals that could produce equally as well, but lack of pressure fishing on these shoals keeps a good supply of Muskie for the area. For some reason, Muskie keep replacing the ones that are caught within a day or two…like a never-ending supply. That’s what makes the guides in the Clayton and Ogdensburg area happy. They do produce some sizeable Muskie for the guide that knows how to fish Muskie. In the lakes, it’s a different story. With less traveling Muskie, your on your own and hunting becomes the name of the game. The successful lake Muskie fisherman not only figured a pattern but he knows where the Muskies live. He doesn’t let the Muskies hunt him, he knows he has to hunt the Muskies. He knows if he released a Muskie in a given area of a lake, he will be there to catch again. Not so in releasing river Muskie. My choice would be river fishing 2 to 1 over lake fishing. There are too many variables in a lake that can change your success. A big wind or no wind can change the flow of water in a lake. The
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODA4MA==