“Wisconsin Fishing with Pete Stoltman”

Part 2: Reel-In Early-Season Muskies

Editor’s Note: Pete Stoltman of St. Germain, Wisconsin, host of the Internet radio show, “Regular Fishin’ for Regular Guys,” guides and fishes for muskie and other species of fish, including bass, bluegill, perch, walleye and crappie on every lake in northern Wisconsin. “There are a couple hundred lakes in the county where I live,” Stoltman says. “So, I choose the lake to match the species of fish my clients want to catch.” Stoltman also works at Rollie and Helen’s Musky Shop (www.muskyshop.com), the world’s-largest tackle shop devoted to muskie fishing, in Minocqua, Wisconsin. The shop supplies fishing tackle, including Mepps’ products, to any part of the world where fishermen target big pike and/or muskie. This week, Stoltman tells us where he finds fish in Wisconsin and how to catch them.

Question: Pete, after catching smallmouths, your muskie season arrives. How do you catch early-season muskies?

Stoltman: I prefer to fish the No. 5 Aglia for muskies. When most people consider muskie fishing, they think of the No. 5 Aglia because it seems to match the size of forage the fish prefer during the early season. At the beginning of the season, muskies tend to like a slower presentation than they do further into the season when their metabolism speeds-up. With many other spinners, you have to reel very-fast to cause the spinner to turn. But with the No. 5 Aglia, you can slow that bait down and crawl it over the tops of the weeds.

Question: What color No. 5 Aglia do you like best?

Stoltman: I choose my color depending on water conditions, like water clarity and water color. On crystal-clear lakes, I’ll use a silver blade-black tail combination or a silver blade-white tail combination. On lakes with a greenish stain, and tea-colored lakes, I’ll use brighter colors, such as a hot orange blade-black tail combination. For general fishing, I prefer to use the brass/gold blade-brown tail.

Question: What line, rod and reel do you use at the beginning of muskie season?

Stoltman: I’ll use 65-pound-test Cortland Spectron Super Braid line on a 7-foot, 6-inch Fig Rig medium-heavy rod with an Abu-Garcia Record Series Reel.

Question: How big are the muskies you catch at this time of year?

Stoltman: Typically, these muskies are in the 30-inch range. We’ll often catch 20-inch yearling muskies, and there’s always a chance of catching a monster. Catching a muskie in the 40-inch range at this time of year isn’t uncommon.

Question: Tell me about the retrieve you use to get the muskies to bite.

Stoltman: I generally begin with a slow retrieve. If the muskies aren’t responding, I’ll speed-up my retrieve.

Question: What regions do you fish?

Stoltman: In the early season, I like to fish shallow bays with newly-emerging weeds - places where muskies have been spawning. The muskies usually hold close to shallow bays where the water first warms-up.

Question: In one day of muskie fishing, how many fish do you expect to catch?

Stoltman: My goal is one muskie. Muskies are pretty-rare and strange creatures. To catch one muskie per day is a good day of muskie fishing. There are days when I’ll catch more than one muskie, but those days are very rare. Multiple muskie days occur earlier in the season just after the spawn. Oftentimes I’ll see four, five or six muskies during the day that will follow the lure right up to the boat and then spook-off. They’re very curious.

Question: How do you make the muskies bite when they’re following the lure but not taking it, and your lure begins to get close to the boat?

Stoltman: When I see a fish following the bait, I’ll continue with a steady retrieve or speed the retrieve up a little bit to make the muskie think the bait is trying to get away. As the lure moves close to the boat, I’ll make an L-turn with my rod and then make circles or a figure-eight using my rod tip at the boat’s edge. Too, I’ll stick the rod deep down into the water to get the bait below the boat, so the muskie doesn’t run into the boat if it attacks the lure.

To fish with Pete Stoltman, call (715) 542-4142, email him at pjs53@frontiernet.net, or visit www.lastcastguideservice.com. You also can listen live to Stoltman’s radio show on his website from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm CST on Sunday evenings.