“Wisconsin Fishing with Pete Stoltman”

Part 5: How to Catch Giants

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, what muskie bait do you use at the end of the season?

Stoltman: I’ll use the Mepps Giant Killer from mid-muskie season until the end of the season when I’m fishing deeper weed edges and submerged rock structure. Some people call these deep rocks sunken islands. In many Wisconsin lakes, we have cabbage weeds that will grow and spread out on the lake’s surface, where muskies like to concentrate. The Giant Killer is designed to run deep, so I cast it over the weeds and reel it as quickly as possible to keep it from sinking down into the weeds. If there are muskie hiding in the weeds, they’ll either see or feel the vibrations coming off the Mepps Giant Killer. Once I reach the edge of the weeds, I’ll slow down my retrieve and let the Giant Killer dive down toward the bottom. Then, I’ll reel it fast enough to keep the blade turning and keep the bait just off the bottom.

Using the Giant Killer, I can catch the muskie hanging in the weeds or just off the edges of the weeds. A muskie often will attack mid-retrieve, if it’s down deep, or follow the Giant Killer to the edge of the boat and attack it. When I’m fishing open-water rock structure, I’ll run the Giant Killer over the tops of rocks and slow down my retrieve, so the bait follows the contour of the rocks down toward the bottom. Muskie often will hold on or just off those rock structures. When I’m fishing the Giant Killer, I’ll use 80-pound-test Cortland Super Braid line on a 7-foot, 6-inch Fig Rig medium-heavy or heavy action rod and an Abu-Garcia reel.

Question: When you’re fishing the Giant Killer, what size muskies do you catch?

Stoltman: Remember, I’m fishing the Giant Killer toward the end of the season, so the muskies naturally will be larger. At this time of year, we catch muskies in the mid 30-inch range to the lower 40-inch range. Using the Giant Killer, we look for really-big muskie. I’ve found that we catch bigger fish on deep weed edges or out on rock humps toward the end of the season.

Question: At what time of year do you fish the Mepps Giant Killer?

Stoltman: I use these baits when our weeds are fully developed, around early to mid-July. I’ll fish with these baits until the end of the season, usually around November 30. Once our water temperature hits below 75 degrees, we start finding muskie on those mid-lake rock structures, especially when there’s a good wind blowing on the lake.

Question: What’s the biggest muskie you’ve boated?

Stoltman: My biggest muskie I’ve boated is a 53 incher that weighed 40 pounds.

Question: What size is the average muskie you catch in August?

Stoltman: The average fish at this time of year measures 40 to 45 inches, with 44-inch muskies being fairly common. The later in the season I fish, the more I begin to target bigger fish with the Giant Killer.

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.