“Wisconsin Fishing for Muskies, Smallmouths, Trout and Crappie with Ed Spoerl”

Part 1: River Fishing for Muskie

Editor’s Note: Ed Spoerl from Stevens Point, Wisconsin, fishes three tournaments a year, including the Wisconsin Muskie Tour and a tour hosted by a local muskie bait shop in Manitowoc, Wis. Although he’s a tournament muskie fisherman, he’s not one dimensional. He fishes for walleyes, smallmouths, panfish and trout. Though Spoerl doesn’t work as a guide, he enjoys guiding his friends and often donates guided trips for worthwhile causes.

Question: What’s your favorite lure for muskies?

Spoerl: My favorite lure for muskie is the Mepps Muskie Marabou. In the central-Wisconsin area where I fish, we’ve got a lot of river systems that hold muskie, and I like to fish the Musky Marabou primarily in the holes of the river. These holes will be 3- to 6-feet deep. I also fish on the breaks and the weed lines in the rivers.

Question: How do you fish for the muskie in the holes?

Spoerl: I throw the Musky Marabou perpendicular to the hole and the current. Next, I use a moderate retrieve, so that the lure gets about 2-feet deep. Then, I use a steady retrieve to bring it in the boat. Now, in these little holes, we’ve got muskies up to 51-inches long. But, the average size is about 32 to 36 inches. Every now and then we catch an occasional fish that will be over 40 inches, and on a rare occasion we’ll catch one over 50 inches.

Question: Which river are you primarily fishing?

Spoerl: I’m primarily fishing the Wisconsin River.

Question: How are you finding the holes in the river?

Spoerl: I drift the river in a flat bottom boat or a johnboat, and I usually am looking at my depth finder to find the holes or learn new holes. My favorite holes are the ones that are longer. Often they’ll be 200- to 300-yards long, and the muskie can be holding anywhere from right in front of the hole, down in the hole or in the tail-out where the hole ends. In the spring and summer, I find most of the muskie holding just in front of the hole and in the hole’s tail-out (the area just below the hole). In the fall, the muskies usually congregate in the depths of the holes.

Question: What color seems to be the best for the rivers that you fish?

Spoerl: I like either orange or chartreuse blades with a white Marabou tail.

Question: What pound-test line are you usually fishing?

Spoerl: Any of your braided lines will work, as long as it’s about 80-pound test. I use a Shimano Calcutta CT 400 reel or a reel like the Abu 6500. I either fish St. Croix or Fenwick rods. I like them in the medium-heavy action and 7-1/2-foot length. I also have rods that are as long at 8-1/2-feet long, but my main one is the 7-1/2-feet length.

Question: What’s the average size fish that you’ll catch?

Spoerl: Other anglers don’t commonly catch 40-inchers. We catch them regularly. You won’t catch so many 50-inchers, but they are in the river. Now, we have had days when we struggled to catch a muskie in the river, but we’ve also had days where we’ve caught as many as eight. The good news about fishing the river is that the fishing is not as dramatically affected by weather as the ponds, lakes or reservoirs. On many lakes, if a cold front moves in, the fish will usually shut down. But, because the river waters are running, it is easier for them to maintain a temperature and the fish don’t seem to be as dramatically affected by those cold fronts as the lakes. So, I believe that my chances of catching a muskie are much higher by fishing on the river.

To fish with Ed Spoerl, email fightingbsox@yahoo.com, or call at 715-340-9101.