“Catching Muskies, Walleyes and Panfish at Wisconsin’s Eagle River Chain of Lakes with Jim ‘Hi Pines’ Rechlitz and Mepps and Mister Twister”

Part 2: The Moody Muskie

Editor’s Note: Jim ‘Hi Pines’ Rechlitz is the owner of Hi Pines Guide Service in Eagle River, Wisconsin, and an officer in the Headwater Chapter 12 of Muskies, Inc. He guides primarily for muskie and walleye as well as panfish and smallmouth bass on the Eagle River chain of lakes in northern Wisconsin.

Question: Do you ever fish at night for muskies?

Rechlitz: Yes, I do, and night fishing is usually a topwater game. When I’m fishing for muskies at night, one of my favorite lures is Mister Twister’s Top Prop. I fish the Top Prop over submerged weeds or along the edges of weedlines at night. I usually like to fish the Top Prop in 8-10 feet of water. I also use the Top Prop early in the morning and late at night because I think the muskies may believe that the Top Prop is a baby duckling that’s struggling in the water. Muskies love little ducks.

When the mallard ducks hatch here, the little ducklings will follow the mother duck in a line behind her. That’s when the topwater action for muskies really heats-up, especially early in the morning and late at night because that’s often when the ducks move across the lake. I’ve been out on the water plenty of times, watched a mother duck swimming with her ducklings and seen a big muskie blow-up, usually on the last duckling behind the mother. So I know that muskies like baby mallard ducks. Although none of us can read the mind of a muskie, I do believe that the Top Prop may look like a duckling to a muskie under the water. So many times I not only fish the Top Prop at night, but I fish it right at first light or really late in the evening.

Question: Jim, how big was the biggest muskie you’ve ever caught?

Rechlitz: My biggest muskie was 45 inches. I caught one in 2008 that was 42 inches, and I’ve caught several in the 38-inch class. As I explained earlier, the Eagle River chain of lakes has quite a number of 34- to 38-inch muskies in it, and Mepps’ Bucktails and Mister Twister’s Top Props produce a large number of muskies in our area. For a muskie caught in our area to obtain a length of 50 inches, the fish usually is 20- to 25-years old. We have caught some 48-50 inch muskies in this region, and those are really-old fish in the twilight of their lives.

Question: How long do you usually take a client out for when you go muskie fishing?

Rechlitz: I’m 71-years old, and I like 4-hour trips. My favorite time to fish is the first 4 hours of daylight. I believe that’s when the fish are the most active, and I can be the most productive.

Question: What do you believe your chances are of catching muskies during those first 4 hours of the morning?

Rechlitz: In the past, the muskie has been known as the fish of 10,000 casts. But here at the Eagle River chain of lakes, we now say the muskie is the fish of 7,500 casts, because we have so many muskies here, and anglers are so successful. Up here, you’ve got a good chance of seeing a muskie and having a muskie follow your bait to the boat. First-time muskie fishermen seem to catch their first muskies here quite often, and anglers who are really-good muskie fishermen also do well in our area. But muskies are moody.

A classic example is a client I had this year who booked 4 days of muskie fishing. The first day out on the water, we didn’t even see a muskie. The second day, this client had two or three muskies follow his bait to the boat. The third day, the muskies were attacking the lure, but they were short striking and nipping at the tail of the Mepps Musky Killer. The fourth day, he couldn’t keep the muskies off the hook. They went on a feeding spree, and I think this demonstrates the mood swings of the muskie.

To fish with Jim ‘Hi Pines’ Rechlitz, call (715) 479-6113, email hipines@hipines.com or hipines@newnorth.net, or visit www.hipines.com.