The key ingredient that I look for on opening weekend, when it comes to identifying a super-stellar bay, is the kind of bottom substrate that is present. Bays that have a dark-bottom substrate loaded with muck, decaying leaves and weeds and lots of sunken logs are the best! And it is extremely important to note that contrary to popular belief, these muskie hot spots do not need weed growth either! Of course, the presence of weed growth is a huge plus but, the bays that produce the best for me just have one common factor: dark mucky bottoms! Not only are these dark-bottom bays areas where muskies do their spawning but they are also solar heat generators that attract all sorts of critters that muskies like to eat. So in finding one of these areas, you have discovered where muskies will be reproducing and, where many of these fish will hang around shortly afterward. In these areas I focus on fishing in 1-3 feet of water but this takes a particular type of lure and rod combination to be successful.
Chas Martin
