Sun baked shallow flats and highrising underwater points can be among the best early season musky producers. In fact, numerous lakes are completely void of classic bays, coves and canals yet are bound to contain shallow flat or two. Without these other attractive locations, flats that are shallow enough and situated on a sun exposed portion of the lake are often main musky hangouts. Of course, the same food chain correlation again applies here.
Let’s first breakdown what exactly is a “flat”. In a nutshell, my description of a flat is essentially an underwater shallow extension. In fact, in low water periods a typical flat will actually be completely dry land. In higher water flood situations the best flats are often only a few feet deep, yet extend quite a ways off shore. Flats are the complete opposite of a steep breaking shoreline. What makes one flat better than the next one at holding fish is often nothing more than its geographical location on that given lake. Solar heat and sun exposure is key.
Cover on these flats such as weeds, brush or reeds can make them even more productive as fish producers; particularly when hunting bass and crappies, yet it is not as critical in the musky game. Do muskies like cover on shallow flats? Yes! But be aware that these top tier predators can also be spotted cruising clean sand flats as well laying completely motionless on a sun baked clean spot. With this in mind, one needs to check an entire flat for the presence of a musky. By the way, actually sight casting for them is possible and probable in this situation.
Lure selection and cast placement can be a critical and often challenging part of the spring flats game. This is definitely one of the very best scenarios for fly casting muskies and can actually give one an edge in quiet effective cast placement. For the more traditional musky chaser, consider lighter long rods and small lures including topwater options. Soft plastic jerkbaits can really smoke flats muskies, too. Yet, small lightweight in-line spinners such as my original 500 Buchertail are tough to beat day-in and day-out. Spinnerbaits and bass swim jigs are definitely the way to go in reeds and timber. Make ultra long casts and place your lure far ahead of a sighted fish. Don’t be surprised to actually see the musky respond, chase the lure down and crush it right before your eyes!
Weather factors on any given outing can affect the mood and even the location of muskies on these early season flats. While sunny afternoons warm the waters and provide the best visibility, it can also make muskies a bit spooky. A general rule of thumb is if you can see the fish, it can also see you. So, a cloudy day after a nice early season warming trend provides the ideal scenario for clear water flats muskies, but it rarely works the other way around. If you don’t get the warming trend beforehand, the overcast day will rarely produce dramatic results. You need the heat beforehand for the whole thing to really work.
Finally, I’ve noticed strong wind and wave action can really crank these fish up after, and I repeat the word “after”, a warm flat day. Strong wind and wave action by itself rarely produces serious musky action early. However, the first day that wind blows after it has been calm and sunny for hours can be fantastic.
Joe Bucher
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