If you read our beginner's guide to musky on the Eagle River Chain, you already know the punchline: ask the regulars when to come, and they'll say fall. The summer boats thin out, the maples light up along the shoreline, and the biggest musky in the lake start eating like they know winter is coming. Here's how we'd fish the chain from now until the season closes.
Why fall
Why is fall the best time to catch a big musky?
Musky are cold-blooded, and they spend all summer spread out and well fed. As the nights get cold and the water drops, two things happen at once. The baitfish they hunt, ciscoes, suckers and big perch, start to bunch up, and the musky follow them to put on weight before ice. That means fewer fish scattered across the whole lake and more big fish sitting on a handful of predictable spots.
There is one hiccup to plan around. Somewhere in early fall the lake turns over, when the cooling surface water sinks and mixes with the bottom. For a few days the water can look murky and the bite can go strangely quiet. Once the lake settles, the fishing usually comes back better than before.
Where to look
Where do musky go on the chain once the water cools?
The last green weeds
Early in the fall, find weed beds that are still green while the rest are dying off. They hold the baitfish, and the musky won't be far behind.
Channels & necks
The channels that link the lakes of the Eagle River Chain funnel baitfish all season. In fall they're even better, especially on a windy day.
Deeper breaks
As it gets truly cold, slide out to the first steep drop-off off a point or a rock bar. Late-season fish often suspend just off these edges.
Wind is your friend this time of year. A shoreline or point with the wind blowing into it stirs up the baitfish, and it's often where the active fish are. The Sugar Camp Chain has plenty of this kind of water close to home, and our fishing page covers the lakes worth your first morning.
What to throw
What lures and rigs work best as it gets colder?
Think big and slow. In September, bucktails and topwater baits still get bit, especially on warm afternoons. As the water chills, musky don't want to chase as far, so switch to baits you can work slowly: large soft plastics, jerkbaits and glide baits that hang in front of a fish's face.
Fall is also the traditional time for a live sucker on a second rod, set under a float off the side of the boat while you cast. If you try it, use a quick-strike rig so you can set the hook fast and release the fish without it swallowing the bait, and check the current Wisconsin DNR regulations for rod limits and rules on the water you're fishing. Whatever you throw, finish every cast with a wide figure-eight beside the boat. In cold water, a lot of fish commit right at the end.
Stay comfortable
How do you stay safe and warm on the water in fall?
Fall musky days are the gray, blustery ones, and the water is a lot colder than the air suggests. Wear your life jacket while you're moving, not just stowed under the seat, and dress in layers you can peel off at midday and pull back on when the sun drops. Pack gloves and a dry change of clothes. If you're in a kayak, stick to protected bays and stay close to shore on windy days. Let someone back at the cabin know which lake you're on, and come in before dark. Short days go fast out there.
Afterward, a Friday fish fry is the classic reward. Our where-to-eat guide has the favorites starred.
Where to stay for fall musky
Both of our cabins are open year-round and put you right on the water with a dock to launch from. The O.G. on Lake Arbutus and The Grandy Dandy on the Sugar Camp Chain each come with kayaks and a hot tub to thaw out in after a cold day of casting. Fall weekends go quietly, but they do go, so book ahead.
Good to know