ESCANABA in da SPRINGTIME

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If any of you muskie fisherman out there are anything like me, about January you start dreaming of open water, fifty foot casts and 50 inch muskies following those casts back to the boat. There's no getting away from it, it's in our DNA or something, we want to fish muskie and we want to fish muskie NOW.

Well, there's good news for us muskie fisherman that are affected with this mutant gene. There's a place we can go to satisfy this primal instinct earlier in the season than may be thought to "ease our pain". No, this place is not in Iowa. It's Escanaba Lake in central Vilas county, located just north of Sayner, Wisconsin. As a matter of fact, you can ice fish muskie in this particular lake if you're so inclined, although I myself don't take it to that extreme.

This lake is a muskie addicts "fix". There is, 1. No closed season on muskie and 2. No size limit for muskie on this particular lake, although the second fact is of no real consequence seeing that I release all my fish anyway. This wonderful resource is brought to us by the Wisconsin DNR Escanaba Lake Research Station located in the American Legion State Forest and consisting of a handful of lakes that have different regulations for the purpose of fish population studies, human impact studies and a plethora of other scientific studies that include everything from microbes to rocks as far as a non-rocket scientist type like myself knows.

What all this means to us muskie freaks is that we have a place to open- water fish from ice out to ice over and beyond. I love this lake to just get out early and dust the winter cobwebs from my gear and my head. I can usually get out sometime in April and start limbering up for the upcoming "official" muskie opener, or should I say openers, as there is a Wisconsin southern water opener ( First Saturday in May, south of Hwy 10 ), a boundary water opener (May 15th, Wisconsin/Michigan waters), and finally a northern water opener (all waters north of Hwy 10 usually the third or fourth Sat. in May, depending on the DNR). Whew! With all that to keep in mind I'm blessed to have a lake I can get out on early and just fish.

(A note to the mischievous of our clan: If you post the fact that you went muskie fishing in April on one of those internet fishing report boards you'll cause quite an uproar. I know this from experience. What a hoot!)

Escanaba Lake isn't as pressured as one might believe, the shorelines are undeveloped and pristine, what better place to shake the winter blues? It's not a very weedy lake, except in a few areas, owing to a crayfish population. It is a very rocky/sandy type of lake and these rocks are what I focus on early in the spring. Those rocks and the large, shallow east bay are two primary areas I concentrate on during the early spring season. The water is surprisingly clear and at this time of year cold, so don't expect super active fish. Throw in the fact that the muskie are also thinking more about its biological urges at this time and you have some fairly tough fishing. By no means are they uncatchable but expect lots of slower moving fish, lookers so to speak, but this article is all about just being able to get out and enjoy our particular sport a little earlier than some of us may have realized possible, now with all that said, lets get down to what baits I use here at this time of year.

With the fact in mind that this water is still very cold, I start with smaller jerk and glide baits. The Piglet has always been a good producer for me here. I also like some of the smaller gliding type baits like the Undertakers here; you can work them slower and still present an erratically moving target. I have to remember that these fish are still very sluggish and any bait I can get to work properly but slowly is what I'm after. The smaller Suicks would also probably work well here, although I myself have not used them much. These jerk/glide type baits are the ones I'll use against the rocks the most, versus, say, a bucktail. The Piglet is a floating type bait and the Undertaker sinks slowly, making it the bait I'll use to slowly bounce off the rocks, it's got an incredible action when used in this fashion. I've found these fish in very shallow water along these rocks just seemly warming themselves in the sun.

Ah, the sun, I should mention that this early in the season I prefer to fish those warm sunny (light wind) spring days. I've been out there on overcast days but I don't seem to do nearly as well.

Bucktails, these baits are very useful on this lake but you have to use the right ones, or so it seems. I prefer the smaller Ghost Tail 1. They can be retrieved slower and still be worked in very shallow water. Pick and choose your favorite color, but some of the brighter ones have worked well for me. Another bucktail that really works well on this lake (and every where else for that matter) this time of year is a smaller bucktail that goes by the name of Muskie Catcher. It's a very light weight bucktail with wood instead of metal on its shank below the spinner blade. These baits are terrific early season bucktails. They can be run slow and shallow, just the two prerequisites I look for in early season baits.

This should be enough information to get anyone started on this jewel of a lake that we muskie addicts have available to us. There are a few simple rules to follow, like having to register at the station before and after you fish but it's a small price to pay to get out and fish some muskie when most of us are still oiling reels and sharpening hooks. You'll find the guys running the research station very helpful and friendly and well worth talking to before you head out on the water. Chances are you'll run into me (Muskiematt) if you get out there early this season.

Good luck this season.

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