I'm not talking fish chasing bait here but actually muskies that slowly roll (giving you the fin). Let's hear your thoughts and observations on this thing they do…
Is it ever a good thing?
Can these fish be caught and if so what's worked?
Do rolling muskies equal a good day to be fishing for something else?
I've seen them on Thorn & Hudson doing the up-perascope thing, doing a 360 look around. Sometimes I wonder when they are doing stuff like this if they are trying to digest a fish or they are just feeling there oats. Then there are the times they mean business, when they are slamming stuff on the surface. Steve
I really wish I knew what they were up to- its fascinating, and weird. Sometimes they grab a drink of air, which they apparently can transfer to their swim bladder internally through diffusion, so I guess that covers that. In our experience, those fish can be caught somewhat regularly.
But most times they porpoise, they only seem to tail (give the fin), not gulping at all. And they do it so nonchalantly like the bada$$ beast they know they are. This one is a complete mystery. When there is a lot of this activity going on, fishing will be an excercise in frustration as these fish will very rarely even follow, let alone eat. The feeding activity for all the fish (not just the tailers) seems to shut off when this is taking place. Sure is a cool show though, like whale watching, and you will catch just about as many fish if you do just sit and watch them!!!
Just another trait that adds to their "mystique" to borrow a term from Mehsikomer (I'm not saying anything else!…).
I have seen this at Bankson before. Most of the fish I have seen doing this are over deeper water away from structure. Suspending fish? Transitioning fish? like I said, the deep water I have seen these fish in are not just away from structure, but the BEST structure in the lake. No sucessful hook-ups or follows from these fish.
It definitely shocks you or even "wakes you up" on a slow day of casting when suddenly a porpoising muskie shows up…seemingly in defiance. I have seen this occur twice on Vermilion in the middle of the day. I also saw it happen on Black Lake once around 11 AM when I was standing on the dock getting ready to head home with rod and reel put away. Even though the concensus opinion from MH and In-Fisherman says these are NOT active fish you still have to try for them. Especially when they are as big as these clearly were. All three occasions were hot and sunny (coincidence)?
It would seem that coming back to these spots at night would be a good idea but we did not pursue it. In the case of V we were miles from the camp at the time and a night journey on that water can be very dangerous.
Also, one time on Houghton Lake my dad and I saw a large Northern do the roll and swim routine, again bright sunny day. I think I even hit it with a spoon well placed from my trusty Zebco 33 (this was 44 years ago). I wish dad was still able to fish but I'm trying to carry on the tradition without him!
From my perspective Duke summed it up pretty well. Lazy rolling fish means tough and often worthless fishing for the entire lake/river, if you need to mow the lawn these days are good for that. The lazy rollers are kinda cool because they give you hope and you know there are fish around, unfortunately only one in 1,000 of them will eat. Once in a great while these fish will follow and the only way we've ever triggered them to eat is to burn a bucktail about three feet down (when I say burn… I mean as fast as humanly possible, you can't do this for more than about ten casts).
Gulping fish are catchable fish, with a variety of techniques but again speed seems to be the best trigger.
"brandon" said:
i have seen this over shallow stucture and over deep water with no baitfish around. are these spots likley to still hold active fish when they are not doing this?
Generally they do this near areas they prefer to use when active (usually the "best structure"). So the answer would be yes, I would expect to find these fish nearby and active on a good day.
I have had a number of muskie in my fish tanks, and have a tiger and a gar in there right now. The gar will go for a gulp every hour or so, but will do it the second he misses a feeder fish. I have also seen all the muskie go up for a glup or two as well. Not nearly as often as the gar, but it almost seems like a thing they do when the are feeling there oats. But what do I know, it is just fun to watch em! [smilie=biggrin.gif]
"Deadduck1" said:
I have had a number of muskie in my fish tanks, and have a tiger and a gar in there right now. The gar will go for a gulp every hour or so, but will do it the second he misses a feeder fish. I have also seen all the muskie go up for a glup or two as well. Not nearly as often as the gar, but it almost seems like a thing they do when the are feeling there oats. But what do I know, it is just fun to watch em! [smilie=biggrin.gif]
Seems to agree with the observations Duke and I related. My BST (bull-$*# theory) is these fish are gulping to add air to their swim bladder because they are (or intending) to moving shallow in the water column.
If I remember right (and maybe I'm not) gar are among fish that have the ability to use oxygen from their swim bladder in to increase it in their blood, gar gulp air quite often and it usually seems to be as they are feeding.
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