Sathre is a guide with First Choice Guide Service and said he always begins fishing for muskies along the reeds on the northwest corner adjacent to deep water.

"I love throwing bucktails up there, especially an orange and black one with a gold blade," he said. Once the summer heat is on, Sathre recommended fishing the midlake structure.

Additional information on the Bemidji area can be found at www.visitbemidji.com or at www.firstchoiceguide.com.

LAKE INDEPENDENCE
This is one of the Twin Cities metro's oldest and most well-known muskie lakes, but it still puts up plenty of numbers, as witnessed by coming in seventh on the list with 166 fish. The lake is heavily used in the summer, but it has a number of trophies that make battling the crowds worth it.

Al Pederson of Woods-N-Water Guide Service fishes the lake right after the muskie opener and said the shoreline south of the YMCA island is a great spot throughout the summer. Green and orange are his favorite colors, with Suicks and topwater presentations tending to yield the most fish.

For additional information, go to www.woodsnwaterguide.com or contact the West Hennepin Chamber of Commerce at www.whcc-mn.org.

LEECH LAKE
The waters of Leech Lake are famous for "toother" fishing. There are many strains of muskies in the world, but almost every Minnesota lake is stocked with the Leech Lake-strain because it is hearty and has a tremendous growth rate. Leech has "only" 162 fish on the list, but is still one of the premier lakes to fish for muskies in our state.

"There are some big muskies in the lake, and some really wide-open areas to fish for them," said Gary Trimble of the Leech Lake Guide Coalition.

Trimble has guided on Leech for 35 years and has a 55-inch fish to his credit. He caught that fish in 2000, and it's possibly still swimming today because he released it.

"There are some big areas on Leech where you can fish for several hours and have good luck, but still not totally know the area," he said.

The best spots to begin fishing are Walker Bay and the nearby Goose Flats. As long as the wind isn't blowing too hard, Trimble said Portage Bay is a great spot and there's a good chance the crowds won't be as thick.

"If you only fish a few spots and put in your time, you'll see something and probably catch something as well," Trimble said.

Additional information on Leech Lake can be found online at www.leechlakeguides.com or by calling 1-800-735-3297.

CASS LAKE
The toughest part about making this list is that there are too many great muskie lakes. It's hard to imagine that Cass just barely cracked the top 10 with 142 fish, but it is home to some tremendous muskies, and possibly Minnesota's next state record.

Brian Jones grew up walleye fishing on Cass. He became addic ted to muskies after his first catch.

"In the last five years, there have been two muskies caught on Cass over 58 inches, and I've personally seen some that big with tremendous girth to them," Jones said.

Jones is the owner of First Choice Guide Service of Cass Lake and said anglers inexperienced on Cass should begin in Allen's Bay, which is like a lake itself.