A solid start to our 2021 southern zone Wisconsin musky opener. My partner and I handled six fish, with many others that we couldn’t get to cooperate.

We fished water in the low to mid 50 degree temperature range. Plastics (both big and small) have been producing fish for us more than anything else. It helps to have just a little more float to your presentation. It seemed that the actively feeding  fish were close to weeds and tributaries in relatively shallow water. 

Feeding windows were the most important factor for us during opener. Most of the action happened an hour before and through the majors each day, including one three hour window that resulted in four fish in the bag. 

There was a lot of down time between feeding windows, at which point we located fish chasing schools of baitfish closer to the surface. I started throwing swim baits in colors that matched the hatch and we found two more hungry fish. With the sun shining high in the sky, we found a few fish suspended in deeper water. A slow sinking jig put one more fish in the boat. The water temps are still pretty cold across Wisconsin, so the slower you can work your baits the better your chances are. 

Chris Thein