Show Time

January the 8th through the 11th is the Ultimate Fishing Show in Novi Mi.
I will be tying the Brunner Runner known as The Worlds Best Hand Tied Muskie Buck Tail.
I will also be selling them at the show.
I will be doing Seminars. Will post the times when known.
Jimmys on Jefferson South of 16 Mile Road will still be an outlet.
See you there. Bob

Hunting

I spent the opening day morning in a ground tent waiting for a deer to pass by. After a few hours and a lot of wind and some rain I finally saw about 16 Turkeys going toward my Sons blind a few hundred yards away. Then just before 10:30 8 more Turkeys showed up and stood 15 feet in front of me for about 5 minutes. There were a couple of full bearded Toms in the group. So for my half day it the woods it was no Deer and 24 Turkeys. But it was great to set there and take photos of the birds and nasty sky. Just still being alive is a thrill.

Fish with me

quote="muskiebobsr"]Lake St Clair Muskie Fishing. Go Fishing With a National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame Legendary Guide. Try your hand casting for Muskie with Legendary Guide Robert G. Brunner Sr. (Muskie Bob Sr.) Fishing for Muskie with me you will have only one thing I promise and that is I will take you to the feeding areas used by the Muskie. I will take you to the areas where the Big Girls feed. I have been drifting and casting these areas of Lake St Clair for over forty years. It took a lifetime devoted to these fish to find the spots that hold the bait fish that draws the predators to the areas. I will put you over fish and let you know what is usually the best lure to use on the day when we fish. I will fish with you if you want but I will just guide if that is what you prefer. People do like to see how I work my baits however. We will hit several spots that I know are used by feeding Muskie. The lures used will depend on the weather as well as the time of the season. My Hand Tied Buck Tails called Brunner Runners, have taken over 100 fifty inch plus Muskie in the last three years. Body baits in different patterns will be used as well as jerk baits and surface lures. We will also toss rattle baits and even some plastics. You will spend six hours of drifting and casting to the spots I take you. The clock starts on the first cast not dock to dock. Beyond a doubt you will catch some species of fish as we drift and cast. The is one thing about Lake St Clair and that is you never know what is going to hit your lure when you cast it on the waters Claire (old spelling). Small Mouth of six pounds and better are common as well as twenty plus pound Pike. You might get into a school of good eating Walleye casting these lures. Catching twenty pound and bigger Channel Catfish happens quite often. It is a very rare day that someone on board doesn’t catch a fish. I will answer your questions about fishing to the best on my ability. If I don’t know the answer I won’t make something up. I will try to tell you where you might find the answer. I do know a lot about fishing for a lot of species but there is always someone that knows more. The more questions you ask the more you will learn. I prefer to fish with one or two people. Parents with a child under 16 can bring him or her along for free. I really enjoy teaching kids how to fish. Being a guide I go with you as long as you boat is between 17 to 24 feet and three people have room to fish out of it. Special five day rate is available for longer stays This is usually a very fun filled day on the water and if you want we can go in for a Burger or a bowl of Chili at lunch time it is all right, this will depend on what area of the lake we are fishing. I will keep you in Michigan waters so that is the only license you will need. I suggest that you bring a cooler with water or soft drinks. I will not fish with more than a six pack of beer on board your boat. None on the rental boat. Drinking and boating is just as dangerous as driving and drinking. Make sure to have a good Life preserver. Life preserver must be worn while the big motor is running. This makes good sense. See you on the water. Good Fishing. Let it Go - Let it Grow. Thank you for reading this Bob.To contact me go to michiganmuskiebob.com[/quote]

Bait Caster Tips

I have used Bait Casters my whole life and really prefer them over other outfits for big fish. My first reel was a direct drive that cost me 25 Cents. The tip Commando gave was the best but I even like it better if when you are starting to learn if you tighten the brake so you have to jiggle the rod for the lure to drop. Another tip that might help is never try to throw to hard. This is what most new users try to do. Let the rod work for you as that was what it was made for. I have also found over the years that if you only leave about 6 inches of line out from the tip when you cast you should get more distance. I am always available for help and I still guide and I'm only 84 and don't know what I want to be when I grow up. LOL. Bob This post has been edited by muskiebobsr: Today, 11:08 AM

My Thoughs on My Catches

Joined: 13 Oct 2007Posts: 155Location: Shelby Twp. Michigan
Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 11:51 am Post subject: My Thoughts

Why I started guiding and other things. View Member Profile Add as Friend Send Message Find Member's Topics Find Member's Posts Today, 06:00 AM Post #2 LSCN Sponsor Group: LSCN Sponsor Posts: 3335 Joined: 12-April 02 Member No.: 211 I would say that one of the trollers has to have the best year on the lake. A few years ago they were putting at least 20 fish a day in the boat and if they only fished a couple of days a week over the 6 month season that would be a ton of fish. My best day ever was an 8 hour day by Brandenburg when I caught and released 17 Muskie casting a Red Eye. My best year was 1984 I caught somewhere around 170 Muskie. I have no idea of the amount of Muskie I have taken but it really makes no difference as just being able to still fish for them is great. I caught another one today and l also lost a very big one again. Caught the one on a Buck Tail and lost the other using a Red Eye. In the olden days it was like maybe 30 fish this year 40 or so the next, then maybe only 15 or less. The fishing was a lot different and the equipment was also much different. My 3rd Muskie I caught on a Plueger Buck Tail and it was a 33 pound fish and we had fish dinners for a week. My Mom was very good a preparing fish. HO2 could be close or not but I don't care and niether should you or anyone else. I don't give a dam if any one has caught more Muskie than I have: what I care about is how much do they respect the fish and how do they handle it. Are they going to leave it for the Great Great Grand Kids?? I have spent that last 30 years of my life trying to teach people about fishing. Not just Muskie but all about fishing and the joy of doing it. I have tried to show how to use a rod and reel and what lures work best for this and that. I have taught hundreds how to cast. The most important part to me has been the Kids. When I have a kid to teach that is the most satisfying day for me. I was not inducted into the Fresh Water Hall of Fame for the fish I caught but for the adults and kids I taught and led to the fish. This is what I want to be remembered for. I can tell you that one of my first clients was a 14 year old boy for his Birthday. His Dad payed me $100.00 to take them fishing and the kid caught I believe it was a 40 incher on a Red Eye behind Buds and he still fishes for them on the lake. I talked to his Dad a few years ago about it. I had a 7 year old Girl and her Dad from Ill. and she pulled a 25 pound Muskie to the boat by herself. Then her Dad knocked it off the line with the net as he wanted me to take a picture of him netting her fish. She will never forget me not I her. That is the part that I love the most. The showing not my catching. I have more than likely caught a bigger Muskie than 98 percent of the people fishing this lake but who cares? I don't. I still love you all and wish you a great success in you fishing and Life. This post has been edited by muskiebobsr: Today, 03:12 PM Attached image(s) -------------------- Fresh Water Hall of Fame inductee 2005 Legendary Guide michiganmuskiebob.com Blog fishmichwithmuskiebob.com Home of "The Brunner Runner" The Worlds Best Hand Tied Muskie Buck Tail The Worlds first and only (So far) leaderless Hand Tied Buck Tail Seminar Speaker LET IT GO LET IT GROW_________________Robert G. Brunner Sr Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame Legendary Guide. michiganmuskiebob.com The Home of "The Brunner Runner" The World's Best Hand Tied Muskie Buck Tails. The Worlds first leaderless Buck Tail
Back to top

Joke on Michigan Living

Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2008 10:51 am Post subject: Funny joke Michigan

Y Buck Thought my fellow Michigander's/Michiganian's might appreciate this. Chuck was sitting in an airplane when another fellow took a seat beside him. The new guy was an absolute wreck....pale, hands shaking, biting his nails and moaning in fear. "Hey pal, what's the matter?" Chuck asked. "Oh man.... I've been transferred to Michigan," the other guy answered, "there's crazy people in Michigan....and they have shootings, gangs, race riots, drugs, the highest crime rate...." "Hold on" Chuck interrupted, "I've lived in Michigan all my life and it is not as bad as the media says. Find a nice home, go to work, mind your own business, enroll your kids in a good school and it's as safe as anywhere in the world." The other passenger relaxed and stopped shaking for a moment and said, "Oh thank you. I've been worried to death but if you live there and say it's OK, I'll take your word for it! What do you do for a living?" "Me?", said Chuck, "I'm a tail gunner on a bread truck in Flint."_________________Robert G. Brunner Sr Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame Legendary Guide. michiganmuskiebob.com The Home of "The Brunner Runner" The World's Best Hand Tied Muskie Buck Tails. The Worlds first leaderless Buck Tail
Back to top

');
//-->

Hall of Fame classifications

Definitions of Recognition Categories
ENSHRINEMENT: Considered are persons who have had a lasting National or World impact to the benefit of freshwater sportfishing.
LEGENDARY ANGLER: Considered are persons who have had at least regional achievement in their endeavors to have a lasting impact to benefit freshwater sportfishing.
LEGENDARY COMMUNICATOR: Considered are persons who have developed a unique communication means or avenue which was instrumental in introducing fishing to the public or in maintaining public interest or awareness.
LEGENDARY GUIDE: Considered are persons who have gained, by their expertise and professionalism, a status of credibility and immortality judged so by their customers, the region and/or their peers.
LEGENDARY ARTIST: Considered are persons whose creations introduce, encourage or inspire the enjoyment of fresh water fishing on a local, regional or national level.
ORGANIZATIONAL/GOVERNMENTAL ACHIEVEMENT RECOGNITION: Considered are organizations or government entities which have demonstrated and/or performed a valuable service or act to benefit freshwater sportfishing within its jurisdiction or the boundaries of its organization whether local, regional or national.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD: Recognizes individuals, groups, or organizations for their programs benefiting freshwater angling which clearly are not covered by other recognition categories.

More Muskie Growth Facts

muskiebobsr


View Member Profile
Add as Friend
Send Message
Find Member's Topics
Find Member's Posts
ipsmenu.register( "post-member-747047", '', 'popmenubutton-new', 'popmenubutton-new-out' );

Today, 10:43 PM
Post #1
LSCN SponsorGroup: LSCN SponsorPosts: 3302Joined: 12-April 02Member No.: 211
Had a long talk with the DNR today on how much the Muskie gain Plus the weight of their eggs and other things. The fellow is one of the people that works the brood stock n Lake Hudson. The Muskie as well as other species that spawn in the Spring start to develope their eggs in the Fall and that is one more of the reasons that they need to add winter fat. They not only have to live off their fat the need it to help develope the eggs for their spawn in May. He told me that most Muskie carry about 10 percent on their body weight in eggs and he said he believes that anothe 10 percnt is needed in winter fat for the fish to survive. So those forty plus pound fish that are being caught now will be in the figty pound range by the end of November when they usually stop feeding every hour or so as they are now. We really have a world class lake. Plus they feel that the Gizzard Shad is the Muskie main diet on Lake St Clair. They should been pushing the Shad out of the deeper water as you are reading this. Good Fishing All. Bob ( Cast like a Girl) Brunner No Laura you cast like a Boy LOL. --------------------
Fresh Water Hall of Fame inductee 2005Legendary Guidemichiganmuskiebob.comBlog fishmichwithmuskiebob.com Home of "The Brunner Runner"The Worlds Best Hand Tied Muskie Buck TailThe Worlds first and only (So far) leaderless Hand Tied Buck Tail, Seminar Speaker LET IT GO LET IT GROW

Muskie Growth Age Factor

I have been doing a lot of reading lately about rapid growing Muskie and Slow growing along with What is Ideal growth for really Big Fish that is a 70 pound fish.

Fish that grow to fast die very young. If it grows to slow it never lives long enough to reach that size.

It needs an intermediate growth rate and live for lots of years to become world record size.

Georgian Bay fish meet this requirement as has been proven by the size of the fish caught there in the last 20 years.

The Green Bay fish in the Fox River area grow very fast therefore don't live to a ripe old age. they do get very heavy in a short amount of time and if one did hit the 60 inch mark at about 17 years it more than likely would break the 70 pound mark. The chance of catching this fish is like 1 in a million or more. Some of these Fox River Muskie have hit 40 inches in as little as 4 years and that is unreal to most of the Muskie Fisher People. They netted a 51 1/2 inch Muskie that weighed 47 pounds there.

The other end of Green Bay is deeper and more conductive to longer living fish with more of a chance to become record fish like the fish in Georgian Bay. Gizzard Shad are their main diet and according to the D.N.R up there it creates very heavy fish.

Now for my lake of choice Lake St Clair a wide spot in the Great Lakes System I do believe it has the potential of producing very long and heavy fish now. In years gone by we always had long but skinny fish. That is not the case now as the fish are getting heavier by the year and to back this up just check the records of the Muskie Tournament over the last five years. This past July and August produced fish of over 40 pounds. I remember when almost every M.O.M.C. Tournament was won with a 25 pound fish. I can see ahead to when there will be fifty pound fish weighed into the most of them.

Feeding Time

It is time for the big girls to put on the feed bag. They will start to chase the bait fish into the shallows for their lets fatten up for the ice cap. It is Mother Natures way of their survivial to keep the species going. From what I understand by the middle of November they have all their winter fat and their eggs have formed without the air sacks. Not sure of this but some bioligist can say yes or no about the eggs. But they should be their heaviest at the end of the month. That means that 41 and 42 poubnd fish that were caught in July and August should be pushing the fifty pound mark. I was talking to Dave Richey yesterday and he said he understood they gained about 20 percent of their body weight. So 20 % of 42 looks like 8.4 to me.so you take it from there.

33 years doing

My mount

Only took 33 years to get it done.

[IMG]http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w286/muskiebobsr/Mebigmount1.gif[/IMG]

Fish now

Edit post
Report this post
Reply with quote
Re: Brunner Runner's
by muskiebobsr on Wed Aug 27, 2008 1:20 pm
Now is the time to come here and fish. The big girls are starting to come shallow chasing the Shad and Sheaphead as well as the Whitefish. 55 1/2 taken 2 days ago at over 41 pounds. They will soon start their winter feeding binge to put on their body fat so the can make it thought the winter. They are their heaviest by the middle of November as they have all their winter fat plus their eggs have started to develope from what I have read. So now is the time for big fish. Good Fshing. Bob
H.O.F. Legendary GuideSeminar SpeakerHome of the Brunner Runner the Worlds best hand tied BucktailWeb Sitemichiganmuskiebob.comBlogfishmichwithmuskiebob
muskiebobsr

Posts: 55
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2008 10:50 pm
Private message
E-mail

How not to catch big Muskie

Wrong way to catch a monster Muskie.Discussion of baits/tackle and methods of fishingplus fish stories of days gone by.
Moderators: pjwatson05, CrappieKeith, kevin
Post a reply

1 post • Page 1 of 1
Edit post
Report this post
Reply with quote
Wrong way to catch a monster Muskie.
by muskiebobsr on Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:20 pm
My 56 1/2 inch fish should have never been landed but the Muskie God was smiling on me. I was fishing alone in my 14 footer with a 15 horse engine. I had a 20 inch ring Bass net. I was using an old 7 foot Ugly Stick and a Mitchell 300 with 10 pound Trilene XL. A #3 Sampo snap and swivel and a 1 ounce brass Red Eye Spoon. I was Pike fishing against a couple of friends of mine. I had fished for a couple of hours then went in to eat at the camp gound on Brevoort Lake in Michigans Upper off US 2. Ate and got back in the boat and went about 100 feet or so and started to cast to the edge of a Reed Line that was in a couple of feet of cyrstal clear water. I saw these 2 fair sized what I thought were Pike cruising though the Reeds. Very Green fish so Pike was what I thought. They looked like about a 30 incher and the back one look to be about 3 feet.I tossed a #13 Rapala into the reeds in front of the larger one and twitched it back to the boat abour 6 or 7 times. No reaction from the fish so I decided to put on a Red Eye. Just as I finished changing the lures the smaller fish swam into an opening in the reeds so I tossed the spoon in front of it. The fish swam toward the bait and nipped at it and stopped. I came back on the rod and it just bent in half with no movement so I figured the spoon had sunk into the root of the reeds (Toughest weeds to pull lose) For a ferw seconds I figured I would have to go over there and pull my lure free from the reeds.I'm putting all the pressure on the line that I can amd all of a sudden the fish started to move and the line moved with it. I thought to myself God what a strong Pike as I had forgot that a fish in super clear water on sand is much bigger then it looks. It went about 20 feet and then turned toward the boat about 15 more feet and it swam into darker water and I started to yell out loud oh my God its over four feet long. My screaming brought everyonr from the camp gounds to the dock.There am with the biggrst Muskie I had ever seen on ten pound and an open face reel. After a few minutes I picked up the net and knew it was way to small but it was all I had. I think it was 13 passes past the net when I decided it was time to try to land it. So as she swam near the boat I opened the bail on the 300 and sat it down in the back of the boat. i put the net flat against the boat and when she swam up I put her head into it and lifted. Of course the first thing to happen was the handle broke off. There she was a net around her Gills and me leaning over and grabing the edges of the net and lifting her into the boat sideways. I hurt myself in the groin area and had to have and operation on it.I got back to the dock and put her in the trunk of my brand new 1975 Cordoba we put a couple of bags of ice on her and I went looking for a certified scale. It took almost and hour to find one and when I opened the trunk to get the fish there was a few quarts of roe in among the ice cubes as she was just starting to spawn even though it was the 7th of June. She still weighed over 52 pounds without the eggs.Now my biggest question of this fight was how the heck big was the other one as it was at least 6 inches longer. I do not recommend anyone to go fish for big Muskie with 10 pound test on an open face outfit.
H.O.F. Legendary GuideHome of the Brunner Runner the Worlds best hand tied BucktailWeb Sitemichiganmuskiebob.comBlogfishmichwithmuskiebob
muskiebobsr

Posts: 31
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2008 10:50 pm

Lake St Clair Casting Guide for Muskie

Being the first casting guide for Muskie on Lake St Clair and more than likey having the most time on the lake I have kept improving my Worlds Best hand tied Muskie Buck Tails over the last 25 years or so. My clients are having more and more big Muskie up to the boat every year behind a Brunner Runner. If I could just get the client to keep the buck tail moving I'm sure the catch rate would surely climb. This is my 79th year of fishing the lake so next year is my 80th fishing birthday (84th Life Birthday is next month) LOL. TIP OF THE MONTH When a fish follows your bait to the boat always keep the lure moving. My advice is to go into a big circle with the lure and bring it right up to the rod tip so it follows the tip in the circle. Any long line left out causes the lure to yaw (Drop or Rise) (Spoon or Floating Bait) This will cause the fish to leave as this is not a normal reaction to its prey.

Late Summer

Most fish are deeper as the surface water warms. Some of the big girls still head for the shallows for their morning feeding time. I try until about 10 A.M. for the morning bite then I start to go to the outside of the structure for my fish. The fish usually feed more often at this time of the year.

Back Fishing

Well I'm back at it a bit. Haven't caught anything yet. Try to burn most of your baits back to the boat now as the fish are very active with the warmer water.

Summer Pattern

It is time for a movement to deeper water for most of the fish. Just remember that a lot of the big fish move into the shallows to feed over night.

Monday I'm going out for the first time since the 10th of June. I will post here what is caught.

Best tip there is------------Keep your hooks SHARP

Summer Pattern

Summer is upon us so it is time to pick up the speed of your retrieve. Not super fast yet my a medium speed will work fine. Good Fishing. Bob

Finished

Not a bad looking fish. Caught on a 1 ounce Brass Red Ete Spoon on 10 pound Trilene XL on a 7 foot Ugly stick Spinning rod and a old Mitchell 300 reel. a Sampo snap and swivel and no leader. 56 1/2 by 27 3/4.

Head

The painted head. My 52 plus inch mount is for sale on Ebay.

Show Time Algonac

I will be in a tent at Algonac this week end. 4th - 5th - 6th. July. For the Walleye Tournament.

Summer pattern's starting

Most of the fish have move into their Summer haunts, Just remember that the big preators feed in the shallows early in the morning.

Late June Tip

Time to pick up the speed of your lures now as the water is getting warmer and the fish are more active. It will be another month before you need to burn them back to the boat.

Tip #2

For some reason the fish have been hitting the yellow colored baits the most this year so go Yellow.

Todays Tip

Still work your baits at a slow pace at this time of the year. I don't pick up my speed usually until the middle of July. Smaller baits will work the best most days at this time also.

Summer Nuskie Fishing

Lake St Clair Summer Fishing for Muskie by Bob Brunner
by Muskie Bob.

Lake St Clair Muskie Casting with Bob Brunner
Casting for Muskie on Lake St Clair has become very popular over the last few years and I no doubt am a big part of the reason for this. In 1984 I wrote a book called Casting Anchor Bay and it was basically about all the different fish I caught while drifting and casting on Lake St Clair.
I caught my first Muskie there in 1931 and have been at it every chance I get since. Casting in the lake is so much different than trolling It is almost like night and day. When a big Muskie comes up out of the depths at the boat and grabs your lure I know of no other thrill that makes my knees weak Over the years the lake has changed a lot and now with the super clear water it is like the olden days (Pre WW II) as you can see bottom in most places on the lake.
At this time of the year we have been having most of the fish come up behind Buck Tails (Brunner Runner’s) or Spoons (Red Eyes). The fish have usually been a little slow to take but with a good circle or figure eight you can tempt a lot of them into a hit. I like to drift and cast around the many weed beds that I know of in the lake using baits that I know take fish most of the time. This is a good time of the year to see fish as they move around a lot at this time. They feed more than once a day most of the time now because they burn off their fat faster now with the warmer water.
Of course after the second cold front in September this will change completely. From the middle of September until near the middle of November is the time period when the start to put on their winter fat so to speak. They charge the baits and really grab them. This is the time when it is unusual for them to follow a bait at a slow pace. It is grab and run and a heck of a lot of fun. You should plan now for your Fall trip to Lake St Clair.
I could write page after page of all my years at this sport but I would rather show you. So see you on the lake and good fishing Bob Brunner
Contact me at michiganmuskiebob.com
Muskie Bob "Let it Go... Let it Grow"
Freshwater Fishing Hall Of Fame
Legendary Guide

http://www.michiganmuskiebob.com
Home of "The Brunner Runner" The Muskie Magnet.
The Worlds Best Hand Tied Muskie Buck Tail.
Blog - Fish Mich with Muskiebob

Color

Color is based on a lot of conditions . What color is the Water - Sky - Lots of choices. I did a study at mccc when I was in my 50s and black and silver were the best. I still go by the seasons light early and darken up as the season goes. We have a super clean water here now and you would think natural colors would work best but there are days that Hot Pink is the best thing you could use. I let the fish tell me.
They can reach as old as 35 years under the right conditions.



May is the month that most Muskie spawn at least in this area of the home range. you will find some that are still spawning in June.
About 18 inches except I have them hit 43 inch Muskie at the boat when I was trying to get the hook out.
Yes and I love Cass Lake. Wabado Little Boy also. I used to fish Bob Ms tournaments back in the 80s 90s
Any other questions I can help you out with?
BobMuskie Bob "Let it Go... Let it Grow"

Fishing with Bass Lures (Odd one for me)

Every one has their favorite Bass lure and most people never use mine. There are thousands of very good lure out there that will catch Bass. Some will work most days and others only now and then. Tubes are one of the hottest baits at this time. When I was a kid our best Bass bait was a Bass Oreno with a Red Head and White Body. They still take fish by the way.

Rattle Traps are great Bass lures as well as spinner baits. It depends on where the Bass are and what they are feeding on that makes the difference in your choice of baits. There is nothing better than a natural bait of course like a big Shinner or Worm

Now to my favorite Bass bait. I have caught the most Bass over the years on a 1 ounce Brass Red Eye Spoon. The most on any day and the biggest of my fish by far except for the 13 pound Large Mouth in Florida. I have taken a 9 and 1/4 pound Large Mouth. My best Smallie was a 7 pound 5 ounce fish. Another odd bait I use that most people don't for Bass is a Buck Tail. I'm talking about a full sized Buck Tail now a little one. The ones I use for Muskie and Pike. You would be surpised at how big a bait a Bass will hit. Another odd ball for Bass that we get hundeds of Bass on is the full sized Rapala Super Shad especially in the Perch or Golden Shiner model. In fact I had a client catch a certified Small mouth that went 8 pounds on a Super Shad.

You kids fish for Bass as they are one of the best fish to learn on and I should know as my fish ever was a Small Mouth Bass in Lake St Clair in 1929. That spot in Lake St Clair holds a lot of memories for me. My first Bass and Pike as well as my first Muskie in 1931.

Remember check the food the fish are feeding on as if you can match it you will have a better chance to get a fish. Color - size - shape all make a difference in tour day on the water.

More to follow. Good Fishing All. Bob

Big Water vs Small water Muskie Fishing

Casting for Muskie in big water is a completely different than in small inland lakes. In a small lake you have a few prime spots and mainly that is where you go 90 percent of the time. I would say that in most waters you only have 10 percent of it that holds fish most of the time. That means that on a 500 acre lake there is 450 acres of dead water. I would say that a good Muskie Hunter would figure out a small lake in a season or two as it depends on how much time he spends on it. The water I fish the most, is around 330,000 acres so I have 33,000 acres where I should catch a fish but I also have 297,000 acres that you usually won't find a fish. I have been fishing this body of water for 78 years now and I might know where the fish are most of the time in about 50 percent of the 10 percent of the fish holding water. In small lakes you can find areas where a creek comes in and it will hold fish for you and it might be in a nice quiet spot and the big fish feel safe but it big water any creek that comes into it usually has boat traffic on it in most cases that creates a different set of problems for the Muskie fisher person. A weed bed on a drop off that holds bait fish is ideal in small waters and it does work in big waters but the drop off on a smal like is a very small area but on a big big water lake that drop off can run for miles. We have one such drop off line where I fish that is several miles long and there are weeds here and there along it. The funny thing is very few of these weedy areas hold fish most of the time. Muskie like to move to other areas a lot. On a small body of water you can find the places they move to without to much trouble. On my lake they might move 10 miles or more. So this is a much bigger problem for the big water fisher person. Muskie are really a river fish and they really like moving water. To give you an idea about big water compared to small water lets take my lake St Clair and Cass Lake Minnesota. Cass is a good sizes lake and has a lot of current seeing as it is part of the headwaters of the Mississippi River. I have fished this lake about 5 times and I have learned almost all of the really good spots on it. I know there are a few more and within a week or two of steady fishing I would have a fairly clear picture of most of their movements and feedin areas. I will give you two years of fishing on my lake and I think you will find that there is a great difference in finding areas here that hold fish compared to Cass. It really is just the fact that the water is so vast and so much of it looks alike. There is another factor not mentioned so far and that is depth. Lake St Clair is more than likely the shallowest Muskie fishery in the world. Anchor Bay the Nortern end of the lake is over 45 square miles with a maxium depth of 14 foot. The Main lake of way over 400 square miles except for the shipping channel has a depth of 24 feet. That is the reason I see more fish per day here than other lakes as they are always nearer to you. Fishing the Great Lakes proves much harder also. There are monster Muskie in all of the Great Lakes but they are also very hard to find. I wish I had a hundred lifetimes so I could fish all of the Muskie lakes in the world. I know a few areas to catch Muskie in Lake Huron, like Geogian Bay for one and the North Channel for another.

Lake St Clair Muskie

Muskie Season opens on Lake St Clair on June the 7th. I'm booked for the weekend and hope to get my client into a decent fish to start the season right. There are some great fish in the system now and they will be getting heavier than ever because of the water claity and also having Whitefish back in the lake.

Pre Season Bass Fishing.

I have been doing a little pre season Bass fishing lately and the success has been fairly good most of the time. We have found that most of the Bass are shallow now and willing to take most of the baits you throw at them. For Us in this area of the Country the baits iht mostly yellow has been working the best. Small size is also the ticket most of the time. Body baits have worked the best for me. Not much luck with Mepps and they are usually very hot at this time of the year. Muskie season opens here on the 7th of June and I will go out for Bass a couple of more times before then. I still like to catch Small Mouth but we have been getting some very big Large Mouth lately. Good Fishing All. Bob

Gas Victim

Well I became a victim of the unreal gas prices as I had a client cancel 2 days. He had booked the first weekend of the Muskie Season. He lives in Pa. and he said the price of gas changed his plans. So I lost two more days pay. Just think if we would ever get together to stop this thievery we could halt a lot of it. If every one in the U.S. didn't buy a bit of gas for 48 hrs what would they do with all the surplus setting on tankers in the Gulf of Mexico and other places around the world. It would drop the price in a hurry. It just makes logic but it will never happen because people just don't pull together the way they did in WW II. My thoughts for the day. Good Fishing Alll. Bob

Mothers Day

Was going to fish today in memory of my Mother. We used to fish togeather a lot in the Spring time. Of course she would hold the worm down with her shoe to put it on the hook and we all would get a good laugh out of that. So Happy Mothers day to all the Mothers out there and especially to the ones that take their Sons and Daughters fishng. Enjoy Your Day. Bob

Worlds best hand tied Buck Tail Time

I won't be long before I will be out tossing my Brunner Runner's know as the worlds best hand tied Muskie Buck Tails Over the last 3 years there have been over 40 Muskie over 50 inches taken on one of them, from the reports I have revievd. I also know that are taking big Pike in the U. K. overseas. I usually cast the smaller ones at this time of the year but there are days that the Muskie want big baits even in the early part of the season. The lighter colored ones are the best most days but not always they might want black. Just like my book Catching Muskie and The Rules of Muskie Fishing There are no Rules. Slow is the way to go early also but again not always. Some days they like to chase but not very often in the early part of the year. I think this is one of the nest lures made for Muskie. I am lowering the price on my on line store this year dor a month or so. So get a good supply while I still have some left. michiganmuskiebob.com

Early season bite.

It is on as the fishing is getting better each day on the whole. Some very big Bass are being taken around here. The Pike are also in full swing. The Walleye are getting near the headwaters of the Detroit River and hitting well now. They will soon start up the shoreline into the main lake. You can follow them all the way around the lake for the next month. Start up the West shore and move all the way around the lake. The Muskie season starts soon and I will be after a couple of world record line class fish this year. We are getting some very heavy fish in our lake now.

Spoon color for Trout and Salmon

Some people seems to think that color makes no difference to fish but I tend to disagree with this. I have found over the years that one color of spoon will work and then the next day it won't. Every rule about what works on bright days such as silver for sunnty days and brass for darker days really won't hold true every bright or dark day. I rarely use bright spoons most of the time even though I should use them more than I do. I usually work brass or darker spoons for Brown Trout and Lake Trout and for Rainbows (Steelhead) and Y Kings usually prefer to use Silver. This works best for me about 95 % of the time. Keep track of the type of day and the color of your spoon for a year or two and see if this pattern holds true. Good Fishing. Bob

Cold Front

Well with this weather we are having here in the Mid West the fishing is on the down side most of the time. Spring is having a hard time getting here. You can still catch fish but it isn't as much fun when it is cold and windy most of the time. Good Fishing. Bob

Walleye

The Walleye are in the rivers around here and some very nice fish are being caught. One of the best methods has been what they now call Whipping that in my day was called Chugging. Pencil Plugs are right now catching most of the fish fom the reports that I have been getting. Another way is to Jig for them.. Tro;;ing with small body baits will also work. Everyone seems to have their own favorite way of catching Walleye. Just enjoy and toss back those big and eat the nice tender little ones. Good Fishing. Bob

C&R Bass season opens on St Clair Saturday. I'm going out Sunday morning with a great Bass fisherman. John Miniaci. he is good but he catches more Muskie then Bass when he fishes with me. We more than likely will be throwing sevearal different lures. You can use most of the smaller Bass baits now. My real favorite after the Red Eye is the Bill Lewis Rattle Trap in Red. Crawdad is one of the good ones. I like the 3/4 ounce over the smaller ones as I thnk you will average bigger fish with them. Work the shallows along drop offs and sand bars and the edges of the reeds. Good Fishing. BOB

Pike

Great time for Pike fishing. Their spawn is over and the water is still cool enough that all the big fish haven't gone deep yet. Spinner Baits and Buzz Baits work well now. So do buck tails and super shads.

Bass

It is time for the Bas to start staging for their spawn. Most are already in the shllows now. Most of the States that have a catch and release season have started. Small Mepps on light lines is one good way to go.

Muskie Fishing

When you are casting for Muskie and a really big fish comes up behind the bait I never go into a figure eight. For big fish I lelieve that a big circle is much better. I have had times with clients doing figure eights and they hit the Muskie in the side and spook it away. Usually on the second time around in the circle as it is going up and out I speed up the lure for a few feet. That is usually enough to get the fish to strike. Hold on tight to the rod. Try this and see if it does work better for you. Good Fishing. Bob

Spring Fishing

Now is the time to work your baits slow and easy. The water is still cool and the fish are also on the slow side. The smaller lighter colored baits are sually the best at this timeof the year. Good Fishing. Bob