A+ Jumpin' GIFS - Opening Day Tips - PMTT Goin' Down
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Musky Insider PRO Instructors Lead the Charge at Cave Run
The Professional Musky Tournament Trail is kicking off the 2025 season with its first qualifier at Cave Run Lake in Kentucky this weekend (April 26–27) — and several of our Musky Insider PRO instructors are in the mix and ready to make waves.
Insider PRO instructors Dan Wojtusik, Gus Mantey, and Ty Sennett will be the first three boats out of the gate, thanks to their 1st–3rd place finishes in last year’s Top Gun standings. Dan’s looking to defend his Top Gun title — but remember, all three of these anglers (and their partners) have taken home Top Gun honors in recent years.
But don’t get too comfortable . . . Let’s not forget the reigning PMTT World Champion — Ken Trail — another Musky Insider PRO instructor, who’s back this year and looking to defend the title.
Of course, plenty of other A+ musky sticks will be hitting the water at Cave Run, too. Best of luck to everyone competing!
BTW – We recently had a killer Live Q&A with Ken Trail. He shared some excellent tips on river boat control, and he and Josh Borovsky dove deep into glide baits — covering bait selection, cadence, belly roll, boatside triggering techniques, wide swingers vs. tight hoppers, and more.
If you’re a member and missed it live, the recording’s available in the member portal.
Not a PRO member yet? You’ll want in before we open the doors again soon. Join the waitlist now so you don’t miss your shot!
Reminder for PRO Members:
Monday, April 28th is the last day to preorder your custom-colored Musky Innovations baits.
It’s also your final chance to fill out the member survey — help shape our speaker lineup, class topics, and future custom baits.
Plus, we’re picking winners for a guide trip and bait giveaways based on survey entries.
Get your votes in, lock in your baits, and don’t miss out!
Tis the Season to be Launching
A pretty sweet highlight video from Todays Angler came up in our Facebook feed the other day. While they filmed the original YouTube video five years ago, this footage stands the test of time. Tons of cool footage of ‘skies tryin’ to jump the Wingra Dam in Madison, WI.
This video has got it all...
Sideways Swimmers 👀
Backwards Tailwalkers 🔥
How 'bout some acrobatic flips?!!
This one came pretty close to making it!
While some were in jumpin’ mode, there were also some pretty nice sized ones paired up doin’ the dance.
They even got an underwater drive-by. 🤿
Sounds like this year's wave of dam jumpers is just about wrapped up with a few stragglers makin' one last run with the recent rain.
Check out the full length video to learn more about the best times to witness this spectacle. 👀
Heiting’s Opening Day Tips
Opening Day is just around the corner for those fishin’ the Southern Zone in Cheeseville…
Steve Heiting just dropped a video on his YouTube channel sharing his go-to baits for early season muskies — and there’s plenty of good stuff in there.
Here’s a quick rundown:
Small Bucktails
Steve’s a Mepps guy, so it’s no surprise he likes the Musky Killer and Musky Marabou.
Minnow Baits
Twitching minnow baits in spring can really flip the switch. Heiting’s favorites include the Baby Shallow Raider, Slammers, and Grandmas.
Suicks
In early spring, Steve prefers the 7” Suick.
Swimbaits
He gave a shoutout to the Musky Innovations Swimmin’ Dawg as a solid choice this time of year.
Leaders
For these presentations, Steve recommends Stealth Twitch Bait Leaders or a Stealth 90 lb. test 7-strand leader.
If you’re planning to hit the Southern Sconnie opener, this is a solid lineup to consider.
You can watch the full video here.
This Week's Mashup:
Mashup time!
#1 – There’s nothing better than watchin’ a topwater get gobbled close to the boat. 👀 Gettin’ it on film makes it all the better! Nice footage JLyon Fishing Team! 👊🔥
#2 – Ezoko has quite the lineup of Blue Water Baits in the shop right now. Whether you’re lookin’ for small, large, or somewhere in between, they’ve got you covered with Blue Water’s full range of bucktails, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits.
#3 – Check out this really unique bottle cap musky by John Marcil! 👀 Who else wants one? 🙋♂️
#4 – Llungen Lures just restocked some of their hard to get square metal lip .22 longs in some classic colors. Get ‘em while you can! Clockwise from top left: Dusk Rider, Black Perch 2.0, Walleye 2.0, Lemonhead
QUICK HITTERS:
– MORE THAN A FISH, FAMILY MEMORIES… (video) w/ 54 or bust
– MN-FISH Launches Landmark Leech Lake Muskie Study (link)
– Chasing the fish of 10,000 Casts w/ MAV (video) w/ Wild Fly Productions
– Sales Event at Frankies Live Bait and Marine April 24th-26th (link)
– 8” vs 10” Poseidon (video) w/ Musky Hunter TV
This Week's Monster Muskies:
We see it every year, an inadvertent musky while fishing the walleye run. This one was caught and released by Aidan Roh on 8 lb. test line.
This prespawn Indiana porker caught by Mike Cieslik is burstin’ at the seams. Nice work Mike! 💪
What a beauty of a first musky! Livi Olson caught this fall fatty after grinding out two days with fiancé Ben Stone. Way to go Livi! 👊
An incidental ‘skie while fishin’ walleyes is one thing, but Nicole King managed to get this one while fishing for suckers. 🤷♂️ In Nicole’s words “I think the Muskies missed me too.”😂
Wanna be featured in Musky Insider? Send in your recent trophy musky photos by replying to this email. You might just see your pic in next week's newsletter. 🤙
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