A+ Musky Tips - Big Industry Shakeup

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River Musky Logic Tips

Last week’s River Musky Logic class with James Lindner was one of those sessions that makes you rethink how you fish rivers from the ground up.

James framed river musky fishing as a behavior and positioning game, where current, forage, and efficiency dictate almost everything a musky does.

Current Is a Conveyor Belt

One of the biggest themes James hammered home is that current is a conveyor belt delivering food.

Muskies don’t just roam aimlessly. They set up where food is delivered with the least amount of effort. That means:

✅ Front edges

✅ Seams

✅ Transitions where fast water meets slow

✅ Areas where fish can sit comfortably and let the river do the work

James came armed with awesome visual diagrams explaining how these areas are moving targets that change with water levels and current dynamics. When those variables shift, so does fish positioning.

In many river systems, this creates situations where multiple muskies stack in very small areas, sometimes literally within a few feet of each other.

Visualize and understand the conveyor belt, and you’re in the game.

Position First. Presentation Second.

Another big takeaway was that presentation is inseparable from position.

River ’Skies Are Loyal

James also shared insights from telemetry studies he was involved with that explain why certain river spots feel almost magical.

Individual muskies were shown to:

✅ Spawn in the same areas every year

✅ Summer in the same locations

✅ Winter in the same holes

✅ When and where they eat it

✅ What baits muskies were actually caught on during those same periods

Using real diet data alongside Muskies Inc Lunge Log catch data, Kamden breaks down how forage, season, lake type, and water temperature influence what works and when.

It’s science you can take straight to the water.

Not a member yet?

Registration is currently closed, but you can hop on the waitlist and be first in line the next time we open things up.

 

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A Different Way to Choose Baits

We were scrollin’ Facebook the other day and came across some juicy nuggets in a post from Musky Insider PRO instructor and fisheries biologist Jordan Weeks.

Jordan broke down how muskies actually sense what’s going on around them and why sound, vibration, and pressure deserve way more attention when we’re picking baits than just style and color.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doin’ everything “right” and still couldn’t buy a bite, this is a different lens that might open a few doors.

It’s Not About the Lure. It’s About the Fish.

Jordan kicks things off with a reminder most of us know, but don’t always fish like we do:

“Some lures surely catch fish and some catch fishermen, but one thing is certain, success depends on the fish and not the lure.”

Muskies aren’t just cruising around reacting to what they see. They’re constantly processing what’s happening around them through something called the octavolateral system, which handles hearing, balance, pressure, and vibration.

Plain and simple . . . Muskies often feel your bait before they ever see it.

Sound in Underwater Environments

Loud baits include prop topwaters, rattling baits, and anything that makes a bunch of commotion.

These shine:

Medium-noise baits include bucktails, side-to-side topwaters, spinnerbaits, gliders, jerkbaits, and crankbaits without rattles.

This is your bread-and-butter category and includes the ever-popular double 10 bucktail.

Jordan shared a Lake of the Woods story where his boat was getting humbled early in the trip, while friends throwing double 10s were piling them up. Once his group switched, things changed in a hurry.

The key wasn’t luck, color, or even a specific structure. It was sound and vibration.

Those bigger blades put out a signal the fish preferred . . . possibly one that more closely mimicked natural baitfish movement. Whatever the reason, the muskies noticed, and 10 blades were the common denominator.

Quiet baits are the category most soft plastics fall into.

These shine:

✅ During cold fronts
✅ In clear water
✅ On calm days
✅ When fish feel negative or lazy

Quiet baits don’t announce themselves from a mile away. They rely more on pressure waves and subtle movement, which can be money when conditions call for finesse instead of violence.

Bigger Fish Feel More

Here’s a sneaky-good nugget from Jordan that helps explain a whole lotta biggun heartbreak.

Bigger, older muskies actually have more sensory cells along their bodies. That means they’re better at detecting vibration and weird stuff that doesn’t feel right.
Which might explain why big fish follow more, spook easier, and are seemingly “smarter.” They kind of are . . . or at least more sensitive.

Jordan wrapped it up with this thought:

“Instead of looking for that special color, think of how the lures you already have ‘talk’ underwater.”

Sound, vibration, and pressure should be part of the decision-making process, right along with weather, water clarity, and fish mood.

The fish are still there, even in dirty water or tough conditions. Sometimes the fix isn’t the color or style, it’s choosing the right voice for the moment.

Jordan went pretty deep on the discussion. You can find his full write-up right here. 

 

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Big Musky Industry Shakeup

Three major brands, one new owner, and a whole lotta rumors flyin’ around.

If you were at the Chicago Musky Expo, you probably felt it.

There was a buzz floating around that was bigger than the weather, bigger than the drive home, and bigger than the usual show-season chatter.

Musky Mayhem Tackle, Chaos Tackle, and Musky Innovations have all been sold to one new owner.

So instead of letting Facebook comments, screenshots of screenshots, and “a guy who knows a guy” decide what’s real, the Back Lash Podcast did us all a favor.

They brought the new owner on and let him talk directly to anglers, shop owners, and the musky community.

The guy now holding the keys to all three brands is Paul Check. He’s not coming in blind either. He already owns Al’s Goldfish Lure Company, a brand that’s been around since the 1950s, and he’s been operating in the fishing industry for a few years now. That’s important context, because once the news broke, there were two rumors flying around louder than everything else.

Rumor #1: “They’re going big box only.”

Paul’s response was basically… nope.

He made it clear that the relationships built with independent retailers over the last couple decades are a huge part of what he acquired, and he plans to honor those relationships moving forward.

Translation . . . Your local musky shop is not getting kicked to the curb.

Rumor #2: “They’re moving production overseas.”

This one got shut down hard.

Paul talked about how Al’s Goldfish has been built around U.S. production, and he said he intends to keep the musky brands rooted the same way. He also pointed out that keeping production here helps keep supply chains dependable and orders flowing during what is already a hectic transition.

And let’s be honest . . . Musky anglers are weird in the best possible way

A lot of us care where stuff is made, and we’re usually willing to pay for quality when it shows up on the water.

So what does the transition actually look like?

This wasn’t a hostile takeover, and nobody got shoved out the door overnight. Right now, everyone is still involved.

Trevor and Vince are still running Chaos operations and will be at shows. Brad Rue is supporting the Musky Innovations side during the move. Brad and Carrie are supporting Musky Mayhem through the transition, and Paul will be bouncing around all three booths at upcoming expos.

If you’re heading to the Milwaukee Musky Expo (Feb 13–15), all three brands will be there, making it an easy stop to say hello and get caught up in person.

Behind the scenes, the plan is to consolidate inventory and operations to Green Bay while keeping show season and retailer stocking season moving as normally as possible.

The timeline they shared looked like this:

✅ Roughly 45 days of “business as normal”

#2 – Some scripture, from the readings of Musky Fool (12:30) “Thou shalt always figure 8.”

#3 – Ezoko just dropped an exclusive Sexy Shad color… and yep, it’s 🔥

Available across multiple Slammer models. Shown here are the 10” Shallow Shad and 10” Minnow. 

Clean look, proven profile, and you won’t find this color anywhere else but Ezoko. Tie one on and let it hunt.

#4 – Feast your eyes on this commissioned, handmade musky rug by Pluck Rug Co. out of Bend, Oregon

Hooked by hand, packed with detail, and straight-up wall (or floor) art for musky freaks. 🎣🔥

If this doesn’t make you want one in the cave, I don’t know what will.

Kickin’ it off strong. 💪 Andrew Walker with a late fall 55.25” that looks like it’s been eating everything with a pulse. What a tank!

Pink Day magic. ✨ Insider PRO instructor Ben Beattie shows off a true beauty with this stunner.

Pics really don’t do Nick Freeman’s new 51” personal best justice. Pulled off in the final days of December, what a way to close out 2025.

Joe Kass shows off the biggest fish to win last year’s Hayward Muskies Inc. Tournament. When it counted, nothin’ but rubber got them to eat.