Summer’s over. Days shorten. Harvest’s in. Winds blow. Birds head south. Rains come. Lakes get choppy. . .
The Packers are playing… BUT so are the musky and walleye; and, like the Packers, the musky and walleye “play for keeps”!
Here’s what some local anglers reveal about fishing their “primo” northern fishing areas in October. . .
“I get goose bumps. I’m quivering, as I even THINK about October,” exudes George Langley, Eagle River fishing guru / guide / bait & tackle shop owner (Eagle Sports).
“October is the single best month of the year for musky, both for size and numbers,” Langley notes. “Musky are not just feeding, they’re gorging themselves for winter, and when they hit, it’s big. I mean, you’re going to feel them hit. It’s a thrill that is unmatched with any other gamefish,” Langley says.
Musky will hit jerk baits, crank baits, but most of all they love HUGE, live suckers, he says. “These fish are trying to build up body fat, and the season tells them instinctively to feed as hard and as fast as they can. Big suckers fit their bill of fare perfectly,” Langley says.
“Any lake in the Eagle River area will produce great musky in October,” Langley adds. “Just remember to fish the shallower weed edges to the deep water and you’ll get action.”
Langley also notes that almost every musky caught in the Eagle River area is released.
He goes on to say that walleye fishing is wonderful, too. “Use a 1/4 ounce jig and a big minnow. Nothing fancy. Fish slowly along shallow rocks and shoreline at night, and deep over hard bottom, or gravel, structure, and drop offs during the day. Not only will you get a possible trophy, but lots of anglers end up with limit stringers including 6-pounds-and-up-sized fish!”
Langley laughs and concludes: “In the warmer weather, walleye and musky can be finicky and fickle. But in October, it’s like they take a ‘stupid pill,’ and bite at almost anything tempting that is put out for them.”
[Image: Courtesy of Mike Crowley; available for sale at his website Life in the Northwoods]