2009 MuskieFIRST Online Seminar, Matt Snyder

Category: chat

Mar 30th, 2009 by OutdoorsFIRST

Modified Mar 30th, 2009 at 12:00 AM

lambeau: MuskieFirst welcomes Matt Snyder, muskie fishing guide in northern MN and southern IL…thanks for joining us, Matt!
Matt_Snyder: thanks for having me
lambeau: how about a quick overview of your guide locations?
Matt_Snyder: ok sounds good
Matt_Snyder: I spend spring on Lake Kinkaid in southern Illinois and all summer until freeze up on Vermilion
muskellunged: Where did you start fishing musky- and what made you want to become a guide?
Matt_Snyder: I stared here at kinkaid and Chad Cain talked me into doing it full time
muskellunged: Braggin time: what’s your biggest musky south and biggest north?
Matt_Snyder: biggest up north is 54″ x 27 and 47 on kinkaid
lambeau: awesome fish!
Matt_Snyder: thanks


	Guide Matt Snyder

GUIDE TRIPS:
bette: how bout spring dates in april? still have open dates available?
Matt_Snyder: I do bette starting mind april though the end of the month most weekends are booked
lambeau: what’s a typical guide date like with you on Vermilion?
Matt_Snyder: i run a 10 hour trip
Matt_Snyder: weather moon and wind determine my start times
lambeau: do yo still have openings available for this summer? how could someone contact you?
Matt_Snyder: i do have a few days left in July and Aug but very few.
Matt_Snyder: email: [email protected]
Matt_Snyder: or through chad’s website www.chadcain.com
Matt_Snyder: phone at 618.303.6056
breutzy: Matt, hope your boat is huge as i will have to bring most everything in the frig to keep Drew from complaining about being hungry
Matt_Snyder: yes I cant wait for our trip breutzy!!!!
Matt_Snyder: LOL bring lots of food we will be out there for a long time!
lambeau: how is your availability during the MuskieFirst outing (Aug 22-29)? anything open yet for people coming on the outing?
Matt_Snyder: Aug 26th 28th and 29th are open
lambeau: that should go quick!
Matt_Snyder: thanks
sorno: ow, more salt…
breutzy: glad i came to talk to you at mil. right after i confirmed for the outing with Steve
Matt_Snyder: seilers and I had a great trip last year during the MuskieFirst outting !!!!
seilers: Yes we did
Matt_Snyder: last year seilers and I boated 9 fish in three days during the outting 5 in one day biggest was a 51
seilers: Should have been about four more. I lost my focus a couple of times

LAKE KINKAID, IL:
lambeau: great…tell us how the fishing has been so far on Kinkaid? what’s the bite?
Matt_Snyder: Fishing down here this spring has been great
Matt_Snyder: mostly gliders jerkbaits and lipless cranks, also small twitch baits
Matt_Snyder: Biggest in my boat this spring was a super fat pre spwan 47 caught by a client
lambeau: is it still pre-spawn overall?
Matt_Snyder: yes, but we are very close to spwan
Matt_Snyder: some could be but the majority have not yet
Matt_Snyder: water temps have stayed around 54 for the last three days or so
breutzy: Matt, is there a huge difference fishing the southern lakes compared to wis and minn
Matt_Snyder: yes huge difference
Matt_Snyder: kinkaid has shad forge base while the mn lakes i fish are whitefish and cisco based
lambeau: what will you do differently once the spawn starts?
Matt_Snyder: when the spawn kicks in full force we (guideteam) dont guide
Matt_Snyder: we usually pick back up around the 10th of april
Matt_Snyder: most of the spwaned out fish move out of the spawning areas and hold around deeper cover and creek channels
lambeau: do the shad spawn shallow in late spring/early summer? Do the muskies follow?
Matt_Snyder: the shad spawn happens later which brings the fish back to shallower coves and such
BenR: Have you had success on days when the shad are spawning?
Matt_Snyder: yes Ben very good sucess at times
lambeau: what are your tricks for standing out from the (shad) crowd?
Matt_Snyder: I like to unmatch the hatch so to speak
Matt_Snyder: use loud bright colors
breutzy: what time of the spring or summer do you typically move to the north
Matt_Snyder: late april early may
BenR: Do the fish stage on the southern end in the spring now?
Matt_Snyder: they seem to be more catchable on the south end no ben
Matt_Snyder: there are still very sucessful dnr net in the johnsons creek area however
Matt_Snyder: this year on the south end of kinkaid the rattle bite was great
BenR: Has there been any ideas provided for the shift from the north to south in the spring? The barrier perhaps? Any reproduction in the clearer water?
Matt_Snyder: ben i personally think that it has to do with were the fish are stocked in the first place
bette: matt, how long will you be staying down south and guiding this year before heading back north?
Matt_Snyder: bette until late april

LAKE VERMILION, MN
SG_Musky_Nut: Do you typically guide on the east or west end of Vermillion?
Matt_Snyder: I live on the east end but fish both a lot
madmanmusky: What Temp frame do you see the fishing on vermilion moving from the weeds to the rocks.
Matt_Snyder: upper 60’s low 70’s
figur8: 5 top lures for summer fish on Vermilion?
Matt_Snyder: 5 top baits are DC-10 lowrider, pacemaker, superhumper, krisco
muskellunged: Besides the LowRider, what are your favorite topwaters?
Matt_Snyder: pacemaker creepers super humper
Matt_Snyder: all are awesome topwaters for me
figur8: Night or day fishing which is better on Vermilion?
Matt_Snyder: 50/50 totally depends on wind moon and weather in my book
lambeau: on Vermilion, how do you target big fish vs action?
Matt_Snyder: great question lambeau
Matt_Snyder: i find that there are all sizes of fish on a ton of spots
Matt_Snyder: case in point: one July evening my cleints and I pull up to a spot and get 5 fish in less than a hour and a half all from 41-52
jaysea: How bout the dog days
Matt_Snyder: I night fish during the dog days

MUSKIEFIRST OUTING ON VERMILION:
lambeau: the MuskieFirst outing is the 3rd week of August…with cooler nights that time of year, how do you approach things?
Matt_Snyder: pretty much the same way I would approach any summer trip
lambeau: do you think the cold nights in late summer get the fish moving?
Matt_Snyder: yes i do lambeau
Matt_Snyder: I have had some of my best nites when its freezing out
breutzy: Matt, will there still be a pretty good topwater bite going on during the outing, my nephew loves to fish topwater
Matt_Snyder: yes breutzy there should be for sure
breutzy: awesome
Matt_Snyder: looks like its gonna be another great outing
lambeau: should be…even bigger group this year and later in the summer
seilers: Is late August more casting than trolling?
Matt_Snyder: all still pretty much casting then
lambeau: anything you look for on the West Arm that’s different than your focus on the East end?
Matt_Snyder: Bait
Matt_Snyder: I look for bait more on the west end then I do on the east end
lambeau: more suspended bait west, or still structure related?
Matt_Snyder: suspended
Matt_Snyder: also the water on the west is a lot clearer so i like it windy or real dark when I fish the west end

DEALING WITH PRESSURE:
jaysea: In regards to combat fishing community spots ie “BIG V” do you often go against the grain skinny water, odd ball spots or focus more on secondary spots in relation community spots?
Matt_Snyder: both jaysea, the great thing about vermilion is that its loaded with lots of big aggressive fish that love to bite
lambeau: what are your strategies to deal with or avoid pressure?
Matt_Snyder: when its crowded I start picking apart the off the wall spots and will jump in to the community stuff too
Matt_Snyder: first thing I do is try to not let it bother me
Matt_Snyder: second Run the spot well or different that others may do
Matt_Snyder: also if i find a wolfpack of fish I will target them at moon phases and such
sorno: do you find there are (community) spots that are just ‘not worth the hassle’ (over rated maybe)? and conversely other spots that are worth the wait but maybe over looked to some extent ?
Matt_Snyder: sure do sorno thats the great thing about being on the water.. however all of the community spots can kick out a gaint at anytime

NIGHT FISHING:
Brandyn: what do you do on those days where you find wolf packs of fish that dont move or follow… do you camp or wait until dark?
Matt_Snyder: I dont leave em brandyn until they bite
Matt_Snyder: they will bite normally after dark
lambeau: night fishing is clearly a key strategy, do you have any presentation tips for after dark?
Matt_Snyder: I never burn baits after dark I like to slow down and move the boat slower then I would when fishing under the sun
Matt_Snyder: also I will camp out more after dark
lambeau: and it sounds like you’re a believer in moon phases?
Matt_Snyder: I am a moon freak gotta give Chad Cain credit for showing me a ton about muskies and moon phases/rise and set then I just tweaked what he and I learned to fit my fishing style
lambeau: what makes for a good moon condition?
Matt_Snyder: Full moon with heavy cloud cover is my fav
Matt_Snyder: also I like the new moon period when its really really dark
Matt_Snyder: topwater blowups are great then and freak people out!

SUSPENDED FISHING ON VERMILION:
jaysea: Do you fish a suspended bite often on the big V and what’s it usually take for you to make that shift.
Matt_Snyder: i do jaysea its on of my fav ways to catch muskies on vermilion
Matt_Snyder: I fish suppended early in the season and late late fall after the whitefish spwan
lambeau: what do you look for re: suspendos on Vermilion? any clues others should watch for?
Matt_Snyder: lambeau BAIT! whitefish and cisco’s
lambeau: those can’t be muskies out there, right Sorno? lol…
sorno: no, that would be ridiculous..
Matt_Snyder: lol
sorno: wait, that’s an escape response!
Matt_Snyder: not many do it but it can payoff huge

TROLLING ON VERMILION:
Brandyn: matt, do you ever troll on vermilion and do you ever troll at night with any success?
Matt_Snyder: I do troll on vermilion esp in the late late fall
Brandyn: big and slow?
Matt_Snyder: I have had good sucess trolling when its dark too
Matt_Snyder: I have had vermilion fish over 5 mph and as slow as 2.3

EQUIPMENT:
lambeau: tell us about your preferred gear choices: rod/reel/line/leader ? and why do you like those in particular?
Matt_Snyder: I use our musky armor rod/ reels I love my trinadad and TE’s/ spectron 80 and power pro 100/ stealth leaders
Matt_Snyder: stealth came out with a new 5″ lipless crank leader that worked great down here this spring
lambeau: that’s a shorter straight wire leader, right?
Matt_Snyder: yes, i like to downsize my leader to make the bait shake more
bette: glad you liked em matt. i appreciated the feedback and help while developing them as well.
lambeau: Matt, you’re associated with Musky Armor / Llungen…can you tell us about some of their offerings this year? sounds like you’ve been using some new rods?
Matt_Snyder: Musky Armor / llungen has came out with a new rod line up
Matt_Snyder: so far they are great, we should start selling them by May if all goes well
jaysea: Their own blank or using something else
Matt_Snyder: own blank
seilers: Where will we be able to buy the rods?
Matt_Snyder: stan we will have them on our website and some retail stores
Matt_Snyder: also the Krisco is an AWESOME bait that is gonna put a lot of fish in the net
Matt_Snyder: it covers the same water as a bucktail
Matt_Snyder: the MN fish will love the Krisco
lambeau: how does the Krisco run when cranked f-a-s-t ?
Matt_Snyder: very well I have yet to get one to blow out trolling it over 5mh
KidDerringer: Seen some video of Krisco deal…looks fun
jaysea: If you slow crank the krisco is it like a serpentine topwater
Matt_Snyder: yes it is
jaysea: looks like it puts off a thump
Matt_Snyder: its jointed with rattles 9.5 inches long
Matt_Snyder: the squirrley krisco will be great up top as well and for casting!
Matt_Snyder: really excited about the bait we did great with the prototypes so we expect great thing
muskellunged: Krusher: any tips? Is this mostly a casting or trolling bait in your opinion?
Matt_Snyder: I prefer to troll the krusher I have had decent sucess twitching it too

WRAP-UP:
lambeau: MuskieFirst thanks Matt Snyder for joining us for the chat tonight…good luck with your spring season on Kinkaid and your later season on Vermilion!
Matt_Snyder: thanks lambeau
muskellunged: Would you begrudge someone keeping a world record? I need to know cuz I want us to still be cool when I do? Seriously- would you keep or release that BEAST?
Matt_Snyder: wow thats a tough ? muskellunged I would more than likly put her back but would not be mad if the angler harvested the fish
breutzy: Matt, have a great early season and i cannot wait till august
muskellunged: Thanks and good luck
seilers: Thanks Matt.
sorno: thanks Matt
Matt_Snyder: hey guys thanks for having me I look forward to seeing some of u at the MN show and in my boat! happy hook sets!

Matt Snyder
http://www.chadcain.com
email: [email protected]
phone: (618) 303-6056

2009 MuskieFIRST Online Seminar, Matt Snyder

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