uskellunge aren’t the first gamefish to come to mind among anglers wetting a line in the Great Lakes each summer. Salmonids, yellow perch and walleye steal much of the show, leaving “the fish of 10,000 casts” in the prop-wash as most Inland Seas anglers pursue more popular species.

That is, unless that wake cuts across Lake St. Clair, world-famous for its muskie fishery. Or, as Bret Alexander has enjoyed for four decades, you head to his home waters of Green Bay, which are earning a reputation as the Great Lakes’ top “huskie” muskie destination.

“It’s just something that’s been in my blood since I was a kid,” the veteran charter captain answered when asked about the allure of muskie fishing with so many other excellent fisheries at his doorstep. “They intrigue me. They are the hardest to catch and the most exciting fish in the water. It’s an adrenaline rush. Like most anglers, I love catching walleye and smallmouth bass, but there’s something about fishing for muskies that gets people really cranked up.”

For the past 16 years, the Green Bay native and year-round guide has focused on fishing for muskies during the open water season.

“In the past ten years or so, muskie fishing everywhere has grown to be very popular, and especially on Green Bay. The sport has grown crazy fast, and people are learning that the biggest muskies in the world are coming from the Great Lakes.”

And Green Bay in particular, according to the captain. “The only other Great Lakes muskie fishery I know of is Lake Huron, and of course, Lake St. Clair. And there are a lot of fish in those two bodies of water. But nothing tops Green Bay for big fish.”

Yet that doesn’t come naturally. Alexander explains that Lake St. Clair has “amazing natural production” thanks to “perfect habitat and spawning grounds” for muskies, while Green Bay offers “perfect habitat and plenty of baitfish” for sustaining muskies, but lacks habitat suitable for significant natural reproduction. That’s where the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) enters the equation. According to the charter captain, it’s been “doing a great job” stocking muskies into the Bay for the past quarter century.

He explained that after placing an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 fingerling-size muskies into the Bay annually, in recent years the size of those fish being stocked has been increased to 18 to 24 inches, resulting in “a super high success rate for the fish making it.”

In addition, according to Alexander, the WNDR for the past three years has been complementing its stocking efforts with efforts to create muskie-spawning habitat. The captain explained that agency programs to plant wild rice and spread sand and gravel in the Fox River, “are definitely improving the fishery and the chances for natural reproduction.”

Not that the local muskie fishery is hurting when it comes to big fish.

“How good is the muskie fishing in Green Bay?” Alexander echoes the question. “In Lake St. Clair you’re going to catch a lot of fish. You may have a 10 to 15 fish day, but out of those fish you’ll be lucky to have one over 45 inches. In Green Bay, instead of numbers, we have a lot of really big fish.

1. A 2021 Ranger 622 Pro powered by a 400hp Mercury Verado helps put Captain Alexander’s clients on big muskies atop the broad waters of Green Bay.
2. Great Lakes muskie anglers use a variety of lures to fool fish, including large bucktails that can be cast or trolled.
3. Large, hook-studded lures used by Great Lakes muskie anglers call for creative storage aboard.

“Last year, from July 10 through the end of November, I had 207 muskies in the boat and 29 of those were 50 inches plus,” he said. “We have a really high percentage of big fish. And we’re all about catching a big fish.” He adds that “we” includes “eight to nine” full-time muskie guides working the waters of the bay each season, and a dozen part-time captains who pursue Esox masquinongy on its fertile waters.

Green Bay’s summer muskie fishery gets going each season when water surface temperatures breach the 70-degree mark, according to Alexander, which typically takes place in July.

“You want to watch the cabbage weed on the bottom,” he advised. “When the cabbage weed in 8 to 12 feet of water reaches a foot in height, the baitfish, mostly gizzard shad, show up and so do the muskies.”

He’ll fish through autumn, interrupted only during periods when surface temperatures top the 80-degree mark.

“Warmer water than that stresses the fish out,” he explained. “You have to watch when and where you are fishing in the heat of summer and stay under that magic number of 80 degrees. When you bring them up to the surface and the water is 80 degrees plus, it shocks their system” and the result is a stressed fish that may not survive, despite attempts to revive it.

Casting double-bladed bucktails, such as Spanky models, in size 8, 9 and 10 is Alexander’s go-to method for hooking Green Bay muskies from July through September, although he’ll troll bucktail blades if a customer prefers that method. He directs his casting clients to throw magnum-size rubber baits as well, such as Bull Dawgs and Swimming Dawgs, “but we don’t go to the bigger sizes here like they do in St. Clair.”

Alexander supplies all the tackle for his clients, typically Abu-Garcia Revo reels spooled with 100-pound test super-line and 150-pound test fluorocarbon leaders. Casting rods are 9-foot, 9-inch, medium-heavy Thorne Brothers Predator models, with Fenwick Elite Tech 9-footers for trolling.

Alexander’s anglers pursue muskies day and night, and he pays a lot of attention to moon phases when determining the best time to be on the water—which he prefers to be calm to allow easier monitoring of his side-scanning fishfinder to find individual fish. This time of year, his customers catch an average of two fish a trip, and at least half, he says, are in the 47- to 55-inch class. That’s big.

When asked for advice to share with anglers who want to test Green Bay’s muskie waters on their own, Alexander advises the use of a fishing guide at least one day to shorten the learning curve. If you forego the guide, he said, just be prepared to spend a good amount of time seeking out the cabbage patches in 6 to 12 feet of water, graphing the areas and returning to fish those that appear productive.

That said, Alexander admits he’s still trying to figure out the Bay’s muskie fishery—into his 45th season of trying.