Why is fall the trophy muskie window?

Three curves cross. First, the fish are at peak annual weight: females are packing eggs for next spring on top of a season of growth, so the same fish weighs more in November than in July. Second, cooling water — down through 10 °C (50 °F) and below — pushes big fish to feed heavily while daylight shrinks the windows, concentrating effort. Third, on many trophy waters the ciscoes and whitefish spawn shallow at 4–7 °C (39–45 °F) in late fall, parading the biggest soft-rayed calories of the year across rock shorelines at night — and the biggest muskie in the lake show up to meet them. Cold hands, big fish; that trade is the whole fall program.

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