58.5 incher caught – Gear for Icy Cold Fall Weather – Cool Results of Stocking
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Yuge Musky!
The musky community doesn't hear about or get to see pics of every giant musky caught.... but this is 100% one of the biggest caught this year.
Feast your eyes on this 58.5-inch brute:
Huge congrats to Todd Yester on battling this beast and coming out on top! I'm guessing it wouldn't surprise any of you to find out this is Todd's new PB. #giant
This was truly a case of big baits catchin' big fish. This big gal fell for a Spanky Baits Meg Shocker, which has double 12 blades and 8 skirts 👈 That's a bulky bucktail.
Todd shared a bunch of details, so we'll pass 'em along:
She was caught at 10:45am on August 24th (first quarter moon).
Todd was throwing the bucktail on a 10' Chaos 20/20 Shock & Awe rod paired with a Daiwa Prorex 5.3:1 reel.
"It was our first spot of the day about 15 minutes in. The fish ate out on the cast about 2 cranks in. She was sitting on a cabbage point leading into deep water.
"I knew it was something longer than we have ever caught before, because she couldn't lay flat in the bottom of our Big Kahuna net."
Sounds like Todd and his boat partner Adam Andresky had to endure some powerful boatside runs before they eventually slipped her in the net.
I know many of you will want to know where this bruiser was caught. Todd is from Pittsburgh, Pa, but he caught this monster north-of-the-border 😉 That's all we got for ya! haha
Huge congrats to Todd, and we hope you put another giant in the net this fall. 💪
Late Fall Gear/Tips
The weather forecast says we're officially in the back-end of fall.... the time when cold temps can wreak havoc on your gear and your body if you aren't prepared!
In past writeups, we've talked about how a thermos of boiling water, a blow torch, WD-40, floor mats and hand warmers can come in handy this time of year.
We thought we'd expand on that list with a few more must-have cold weather fishin' essentials – we'll keep it short & snappy:
1. Fresh Line – Now's a great time to put on fresh line or reverse the line that's already on your spool. Remember a couple weeks back, John Bette talkin' about newer braided line having less water retention, which is HUGE when air temps are hovering around freezing.
2. Extra Gloves – Bring several pairs of extra gloves. We'd recommend keeping a pair dry and warm in your bibs/jacket, and you won't regret adding hand warmers to your system.
3. Toe Warmers – Try putting them on top of your feet instead of below – they will last longer. We'd definitely recommend grabbing the adhesive style to hold 'em in place. They work in your gloves, too!
4. Propane Heater – The old buddy heaters work great for reviving your frozen hands after handling a late fall 'skie.
5. Shake It Off – Consider shaking off a fish if it's not "the one". Less handling = warmer hands and more time with your bait in the water.
6. Bag of Sand or Kitty Litter – For added traction at the boat ramp if the launch is iced up, and it usually is....
7. Tow Strap – Pretty self explanatory.
8. Move Less – Running between spots is what freezes up all your shhtuff. Minimize runtime and you'll have less problems with ice.
9. Ice Chisel/Scraper – Great for breaking up ice buildup at the boat ramp.
10. Small Flathead Screwdriver – When you need to gently chisel ice build-up from your fishing reel.
11. Safety Equipment – Wear your lifejacket, bring rescue items (throw ropes, life rings, etc) and emergency blankets and towels. If someone falls in the water, having a ladder is ideal, otherwise you can stand on the motor and trim up if you're unable to climb back into the boat.
12. Extra Rods & Reels – Bring every functioning rod and reel you can fit in the boat. Stuff breaks this time of year, so it pays to have extras.
Neat Stocking Story
Cool stock-and-catch story some of you might enjoy from Josh Borovsky:
"Over the years I have donated over 10K in guide trips to various Muskies Inc Chapters. Earlier this season, I was guiding Grant Jerich and Mike Clancey on a donated trip they had won through Twin Cities Muskies, Inc.
"We moved well over a dozen fish and went 2 for 4 on bites and boated this 42.75 and 48.25 inch fish. The Angling Revolution “ones” and a prototype with bigger blades produced 3 of the 4 bites and the four footer gobbled a Red October Baits tube."
"When I scanned the fish, I discovered the 48.25” fish had a tag in it. Here is some of the info I got back from the DNR on the fish...
"The fish was purchased as a fingerling by the Twin Cities chapter of Muskies Inc, and we stocked it into a natural rearing pond in northern Hennepin County to raise to yearling. This one was stocked as a yearling in 2012 and was 18.1 inches at the time of stocking.
"Thought it was pretty cool to catch a fish purchased by the Twin Cities Chapter, on a trip with members of the chapter, on a trip I donated to the chapter. Who knows might even have been stocked with dollars I helped raise through a donation that year. Pretty cool either way!"
🔥🔥
This Week's Mashup:
Mashup time!
#1 – Huge congrats to Jessie Baker on poppin' this absolute porker (48.25 x 24.5") on a Red October tube. Make sure to check out the full reel for an even better look at this big fall beast of a 'skie!
#2 – Can't get over how cool this net shot is from Ben Knutson – that's what it looks like when a 55+ inch Minnesota super-tanker hits the hoop 💪
#3 – Enjoyed this one from @poorlymademuskymemes:
#4 – How sick is this shot via Jason Quintano?? You know she's a big one when she makes that t-boned 10" Jake look small! 🔥
Jason is one of the best musky anglers out there, period! And we're excited to have him on as an instructor for our PRO crew in a week and half!
QUICK HITTERS:
– 4 fish sucker day w/ Michael Hanson & Todays Angler (video)
– Hayward muskies w/ Michael Hanson & Smith's Fishing (video)
– Garmin released new Echomap Ultra units (link)
– MN Metro musky fishing w/ Ben Stone (video)
– Eagle Lake musky chasin' w/ AA (video)
THIS WEEK'S MONSTER MUSKIES:
Another GIANT 'skie! But this one from Mike Nemisz has the porky fall belly. 🐖
Props to Jakob Hals on catching his first-ever musky on purpose:
"Up until last night, I had never caught a muskie when targeting them. The only muskie I have ever caught was trolling walleye and it was a fairly small one.
"I made a goal this year to get a muskie casting. I had put in some time on the river casting, but never hooked up and never thought it would happen.
"Last night I was able to stick 2 giants within an hour of each other, casting."
Here's the bigger of the two – a big clean 52 incher:
Sweet after-hours musky from MN guide Lucas Swanson on a ZM Custom Bait:
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