This thick-sided muskie came to net for the author last week as the bite has turned on in west-central Minnesota. DEO Photo by Andrew Slette.

By Andrew Slette

This past week has been one of the best weeks of the season so far, with lots of active muskies moving to the inside weed edge. The fish have been active all day long.

Detroit Lake has been one of the best local lakes producing quality fish. It has been giving everyone who goes out opportunities at muskies, some as many as five or six fish a day. We haven’t been having many follows throughout the day as most of the fish either eat or don’t show themselves. The inside weed edges have been the ticket, from four to eight feet of water, throwing small, fast moving bucktails and topwater baits over the shallows.

The Stagger Baits series from MuskyFrenzy has had most of the action on the bucktail side of things. Many fish are highly educated to the bucktail baits at this point on local waters, but the different vibration of these thin-wired, stagger-bladed inline spinners seem to pique the interest of the fish, just as if you were to turn the clock back to five years ago on the bucktail bite. After 8:30 pm, however, the bucktails haven’t produced as well. Once the sun hits the treetops, cast your topwater offerings and crankbaits and run them a little slower than you would during the day.

Pelican Lake has been a little on the slow side, but still putting out some good fish. You must look a little deeper on the structure than Detroit. The muskies on Pelican are still sitting in 12-to-20 feet of water, so rubber baits like Bulldawgs and hybrid offerings like Beaver Baits have been the best bet. Just like Detroit, we have been having very few follows on Pelican. If you put in the time and make the casts, you will get your shot at a fish.

Lake Sallie and Many Point Lake have been slow. With Pelican being decent and Detroit as good as it has been, I haven’t found the need to try anything else for myself. As the days get shorter and water temperatures continue to drop, however, these lakes will likely have a better bite especially once September hits.

Andrew Slette is a Dakota Edge Outdoors contributing writer and fishing guide specializing in trophy muskies in Minnesota’s west central Lakes Country.