Keying On Changing Conditions

Every year the weather seems to get a little stranger. Perhaps the El Nino effect, or maybe global warming really is taking a toll. Two years ago we had 50-year-high water levels on Lake of the Woods, and it was, obviously, suppose to be an unusual event. Last summer the water rose even higher following 18 inches of rain in two days. Then, toward fall water levels dropped like a rock.

These unusual conditions effected most of the muskie waters in northwest Ontario, including Lake of the Woods, the body of water where I spend most of my time. Many conditions change from year to year, from the start to the end of the season, day by day, and even hour by hour. Changing water conditions are one of the most important factors in fishing success. We pay much more attention to lure selection that we can easily change, and weather conditions that we can easily observe, than we do to changing water conditions. I'm typical in that regard, but I've learned a few things that help produce fish consistently under changing conditions.

It's rare for lake conditions to remain constant from year to year. Most short-term changes are related to weather conditions, but weed kills and short-term pollution problems affect the water, too. We've had rapidly rising and high overall water levels the past two years. On Lake of the Woods, high water in spring causes more cabbage weedgrowth, particularly in the sandy weedy bays and on shallow saddles. Muskies move into these areas, because there's more cover and more food.

WATER LEVEL AND CURRENT
High water also creates different holding spots for muskies. They usually push shallower rather than deeper. Last year, many fish moved into black-water bays. These are shallow areas that during normal water levels don't have much weedgrowth because they have soft, muddy bottoms, and they don't hold many fish. With adequate depth, though, these areas become great holding areas for forage fish like bullheads and suckers. Then the muskies move in, too.

I like slowly rising water levels. This allows me to easily fish above the weeds, while the muskies seem comfortable staying shallow. In general, I like modestly high-water levels rather than low levels. Interestingly, **** Pearson, who is known to catch a fish or two at times, prefers low water. We've had a number of discussions about this, concluding that we're both right. He loves to fish rocks, which are the best in low-water conditions. I'm an old weed fisherman and conditions are usually better with high water. When I'm on the water, there's never an 'always correct' answer.

High water on Lake of the Woods also creates current. Many of the large Ontario shield lakes are reservoirs; the dams are used not only to generate electricity, but also to regulate the water levels. Excessive, long-term (several days or even weeks) of heavy current means few catchable muskies in classic current areas. The fish drop down to the bottom and stay there, staying out of the current, or they move out of the area entirely.

When current bends weeds flat, classic spots no longer produce. On the other hand, when weeds stand straight up, or almost so, the fish usually are there and high in the water column (even when the water's eight feet deep). I catch them near or on the surface. In high-water high-current conditions, I look for spots blocked by large land masses. Some of the best spots are areas I wouldn't fish during normal conditions.