Post Spawn Muskie Fishing | Collins River

Dwayne Hickey is here with his playbook for targeting post spawn muskie on the Collins River in Tennessee. Dwayne grew up muskie fishing on the river. His knowledge of the river and how it fishes throughout the year runs deep. His decades of experience shines through in the simple approach he takes to fishing the Collins River.

This muskie fishing video has two main parts. The first half of the video was filmed during the initial stage of the post spawn period in April. The second half covers the later post spawn period in early May. This way, you get a good idea of how the fishing evolves through much of the post spawn muskie fishing period.

The stretch of Collins River Dwayne makes his home is an interesting piece of water. There is so much variation in the way the river falls out. You have an undulating mix of shallow, deep and deeper water, gravel, weed, steep banks, gentle banks, feeder creeks, springs, mud and lots of timber. Taking a slow drift down the river reveals a a veritable cornucopia of bait. This makes for rich ecosystem and a consistently productive musky habitat.

The post spawn period on the Collins River finds muskie moving into the shallows from the deeper waters where they have been concentrated. Males will be the first to move out of the deeper holes, perhaps tired of getting abused. Gradually, the mama muskies will start patrolling the shallows. This entire period is one of recuperation. The fish need to get their energy back. You will typically find muskie eating smaller easier to grab baits. Dwayne recommends down sizing your presentations. Slow rolling spinner baits and minnow style lures is a great way to proceed.

The keys, as Dwayne lays them out, are targeting the shallows, at the expense of the deeper holes. Really take your time to work the banks in the shallower stretches of the river. Make pinpoint casts and make a lot of them. As the muskie spill out into the shallow waters, they also spread out. You want to pick apart the banks and all downed timber.

Even though Dwayne focuses on using spinner baits and minnow baits, be open. Try lots of different presentations. Use jigs in deep water areas with wood. Don't be afraid the run back up river to work a good looking area over again. This is precision fishing. If you are not putting your lures close to fish, you may not garner their interest.

Dwayne Hickey runs a very simple muskie fishing program all year. He is not one of those guys that brings fifty lures on the boat. It is just not necessary. His depth of experience and knowledge dictate such. Listen carefully to what he is saying. By following his pointers, you will find a lot more success muskie fishing the Collins River.

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