Muskellunge

Where to go

Muskellunge lake by lake

Ranked by how good the fishing actually is, not alphabetically. If a lake is not on this list, it is because the fish is not worth targeting there.

1. 01

   Lake St. Clair

   Lake St. Clair holds the densest muskellunge population on the continent, and the old line about ten thousand casts does not apply here. A competent angler on a good October day can raise a dozen fish and boat several.

   Prime time: June through mid-November, with October and early November the trophy window · Depths: 8–16 ft over cabbage and sand; 18–24 ft along the shipping channel edges in late fall

   Full guide
2. 02

   Lake Ontario

   Almost all of Lake Ontario's muskie fishing is in the upper St. Lawrence River, from Cape Vincent through the Thousand Islands, plus the eastern end of the lake those same fish roam after spawning. It is one of the few self-sustaining Great Lakes muskellunge populations and a true trophy fishery, but it has declined and is slow fishing even by muskie standards.

   Prime time: Late August through November, with October and November the trophy window · Depths: 8–18 ft on weed edges and shoal tops in early fall; 20–40 ft along channel drop-offs by late fall

   Full guide
3. 03

   Lake Michigan

   Lake Michigan's main basin is not muskie water, but Green Bay holds a genuine trophy fishery for Great Lakes spotted muskellunge, rebuilt by stocking since 1989. Fish the lower Fox River, the southern bay and the Door County bays in fall, and understand that this is a big-fish, low-numbers fishery that stocking still holds up.

   Prime time: September through November, with late October and November the heavy-fish window · Depths: 6–18 ft over weed and soft bottom in the southern bay and Door County bays; the dredged lower Fox River channel in late fall

   Full guide
4. 04

   Lake Huron

   Lake Huron muskie fishing is a northern-island game and it is nothing like St. Clair — fewer fish, more water, and long days between bites. Fish the St. Marys system and the Drummond Island bays in September and October and be honest with yourself about the odds.

   Prime time: Late July through October, with September and October the best window · Depths: 5–14 ft over cabbage and rock; 14–22 ft on the outside weed edges in late fall

   Full guide
5. 05

   Lake Erie

   Lake Erie is not a muskie destination and you should not plan a trip around it. Where the fish do concentrate — Presque Isle Bay, the upper Niagara River at Buffalo, and the western basin near the Detroit River mouth — they are genuinely large, and a fall fish there is a real trophy.

   Prime time: September through November, with October the best window · Depths: 6–16 ft over weed flats and river-mouth structure; 18–28 ft on late-fall current breaks

   Full guide
6. 06

   Lake Superior

   Lake Superior has one muskie fishery, the St. Louis River estuary between Duluth and Superior, and it's a good one. Anglers who target muskie there catch them at better rates than recent creel surveys found on Leech Lake or Mille Lacs. Away from the estuary, plan nothing.

   Prime time: September and October, with October the peak; an early-season window in late spring · Depths: 4–14 ft over weed and wood in the upper bays; 15–25 ft along dredged channel edges in the lower harbor

   Full guide