I remember my last fall musky outing to the Northwoods of Wisconsin. The incredible aroma of burning leaves, coupled with the enticing homey smells of maple and birch woods burning from a nearby cottage fireplace; still linger in my memory. I remember the crunch of amber and gold maple leaves beneath my feet as I walked down to the pier to board my boat for the days first cast. The shoreline was littered with a dazzling array of multi-colored leaves that had lost their grip, and had fallen softly into the water. The crisp morning air combined with the smell of fresh pines and a steaming cup of hot coffee; is really something to treasure up there. Even the air has an intoxicating freshness that seems to clear your mind when you venture north in the fall.  The everyday problems and deadlines with work & family seem to disappear almost as quickly as your days spent on the water. For it is up here in the Northwoods, that the fall days are short and darkness comes early.

While casting the shorelines in search of that elusive 50 incher, my partner Frank Bottiglieri & I were amazed that for the middle of October, the water temps were still in the 52-55 degree range! It was during this trip that my entire philosophy on how I fish for fall muskies, would be forever altered. In the 19 years I’ve spent chasing muskies, the fall was a time reserved for working jerkbaits like Suicks, Bobbies, Eddies, Smitty’s, Reef Hawgs and Scharfs (to name a few); over deeper structure like rocks and timber. If that technique didn’t work we would move to secondary breaks adjacent to deeper water with Fuzzy Duzzit’s or jigs & creatures. If that effort proved futile, we would troll the deep breaks with Jakes, Depth Raiders, Cranes and Believers, hoping to elicit a strike or two from Mr. Musky!

We began one Thursday morning, working the deeper water to froth, with an arsenal of jerkbaits that would make any musky hunter proud. The Suicks, Bobbies & Scharfs really got a work out, without so much as a follow! Around noon, Frank and I stopped into the local tavern for some lunch and a quick review of our game plan. We conversed with a couple of local boys who had been out on the lake for several days. When we asked how the fishing had been, (waiting for the old "you should have been here last week") we were taken back by the duo’s eager response. The muskies had been very active on "hair" we were told! "Boy, these guys must think we are stupid" I said to Frank, "do they think we just started musky fishing"? "Bucktails in October, are they nuts?" I laughed! The two noticed our dismayed looks and quickly assured us that this pattern of bucktails fished in "skinny water" (less than 5 feet) was no fluke. They promptly produced photos of (2) 42 & 44-inch fish that supported their story. They had raised at least another 6-10 fish that morning using this technique!

After lunch, we began our search for green weeds in shallow water. Believe it or not, we found many shallow areas (5 feet or less), that still contained green cabbage and coontail weeds in mid October! We began fishing these areas with a variety of bucktails. It was shortly after we began our search & destroy mission in the shallow weeds, that I yelled to Frank, "fish on"! Within a few minutes Frank netted the scrappy 39 incher and we promptly photographed & released her! "Wait a minute, I said to Frank; what just happened here"? "Here we are up north, in the middle of October, and we’re ripping bucktails in skinny water"? "Go figure, Frank replied", as his bucktail hit the water. About 45minutes later I connected again with a 37 incher that we photographed & released. Shortly before nightfall, fat, chunky, 43 incher decided to eat my Hi Fin Fooler! Again, this musky came from skinny water that still held green weeds! And so it went for the balance of the weekend, as we continued to raise fish using shallow water, weed patterns with bucktails and jerkbaits. The green weeds continued to support the baitfish, and the muskies were right in there with ‘em!

So when this fall rolls around, don’t limit yourself to "typical & traditional" fall patterns & presentations. Try searching for some green weeds in "skinny water" with your favorite bucktail and jerkbait. Don’t be afraid to travel down your own path and do something "unconventional", it may pay off! You will be surprised at what you hook into, quite possibly the fish of your dreams!