Let's talk Thornapple Lake and how to find success there in November. Here are some images from a seminar I did a few years ago that should get us started:
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"kid coulson" said:
Walleye Jake worked well for me one Nov. out there.Some fish hadnt made their way to really deep water as 12 foot seemed to be a good depth.
8" or 10" Jake?
Casting or trolling?
If trolling how deep were you running the bait?
If trolling was there a specific speed that seemed to be the ticket?
It was a 8" trolling.Its more of a dull mustard w/brown bars.They called it walleye.I was trolling 3.2-3.8 mph around 40 feet back(thats pretty standard for me) trying to keep in 10-12 feet of water as advised by the
Kings.I Popped 2 decent fish that day and the Kings popped 2 Nice fish
doing the same thing I believe.
But,its not like I can do that everytime I go there.It did work on that November day. [smilie=2thumbsup.gif]
8" on 40 feet @ 3.5mph (depending on line dia.) is going to put that bait in the 8-10' range.
Good advise for November on many days. 8-12 feet seems to be a good depth. Why? Well… if you pay attention to your graph and do some research with a lure that can be dropped to the bottom to snag weeds you'll find some nice green coontail in certain areas. When you can establish WHY, you're on your way to being able to repeat success.
Also, good observation on color. Gold, brown, yellow is the color of the forage and is preferred by those fish on many days.
Now we're getting somewhere…
OK how about the wind. I've only fished there a few times. As you mostly know I'll be trolling. So my game plan it to troll the dropoffs. Shollowside of the boat run one lure about 5 ft down and one about 7 ft down. Deepside run a lure at 10 ft and one at 12 ft. Till I start marking fish at one depth. Going to start out with bigger lures 8-12 inch Jake's, Muskie Shacks, lokes, on the deeper lines. And slasher's and smalled lokes on the shallow lines. Starting off with sucker colors. looking for the wormer water.
[smilie=grimreaper.gif]
LeMay OUT
I was thinking about the wind and how it might make small schools of feeder fish stayout deep.And look for the schools with hooks under them and drag lure right about the hooks. Does this lake have schools of bait fish this time of the year? And how would the wind make the small feeder fish move?
LeMay
"LeMay" said:
I was thinking about the wind and how it might make small schools of feeder fish stayout deep.And look for the schools with hooks under them and drag lure right about the hooks. Does this lake have schools of bait fish this time of the year? And how would the wind make the small feeder fish move?LeMay
Most of the muskie size forage isn't going to be suspended in open water. The schools of bait you'll see out there are normally YOY bluegills 1-2" long. Even the crappie that are suspended all year are relating to the deep weed edge or other bottom cover.
"LeMay" said:
So then this time of the year. Finding cover in the deeper water with small bait swiming around it would be a good place to look for muskies this time of the year? And troll lures about the cover by about 3 to 5 ft?
A gazillion YOY bluegills suspended over deeper water, should be a hint on where larger fish and larger forage are located. A bunch of fish aren't going to a single area because they're in danger. Thornapple has always been less about forage and more about finding "good structure".
"LeMay" said:
So are their any good rock piles on the old river bottem or old brigde ramps over the old botten to look for?
Since this isn't a flooding, like Ovid or Hudson, there isn't anything hidden down there that is manmade, it's all natural. The real key is finding good structure and fishing it completely. The big girls in there don't wander around in the fall, they set up on good structure and move shallow or deep based on weather, water and light conditions. The biggest drawback is that there is SO much food in there to satisfy a BIG fish that they aren't hungry very often.
"kid coulson" said:
Big Will,
Is the water coming in from the creeks to cold for the fish this time of year?Might make the muskies a little uncomfortable. [smilie=cold.gif]
Unless there is forage being brought in. ????? TX -kid
The river and creeks are usually bringing in colder water this time of year which makes them less of a "point of interest". Muskies like current and the opportunity it brings but at this time of year there isn't much (bugs) that is being washed in by the current, so the food chain moves.
I fished the lake saturday and sunday. best spots were anywhere with green Coontail. Like Will says find the right structure. I took a 37 on a top water sunday morning over a nice bed of greens another bigger fish missed and a 31 ate a little claw that afternoon. Also some pond weed narrow leaf cabbage mixed in. Experience tells me the fish are going to move out from the dying weeds any day as water temps drop. I have two plans for the day. Cast the edges with shallow baits and twitchers including my Weagles. After 9:30 I will be trolling tight to the edges for the rest of the outing. I have always done well during the month of november in 9 to 12 feet short line trolling with lures tickling the weed edges. I marked tons of baitfish clouds over 23 to 30 feet in the Central basin. Tiny bluegills snagged on hooks. There are some Muskies out there eating them but I didnt mark any big ones out there. I pulled some big baits through that area for three hours not a sniff. I put 238 way points down so I am all over the edge as acurate as it can be done. This is where the little Tiller boat just kicks my starcrafts ass. I can turn so hard with that 14 foot Jon Ill keep 4 lures in water not snagged in the weeds. Ill see you all out there. Kingfisher
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