August Musky Baits – Musky Fertilizer (?) – Underwater Pack Hunters
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Pack Huntin' Walleye Chompers
I thought it would be fun to kick off this newsletter with some extra-spicy underwater musky action 🔥
Daryl Gilbert was jiggin' up some Ontario walleyes when an angry, souped-up 'skie dropped in for an easy snack. Props to Daryl for capturing the moment on camera!
I love the way it slashes at the walleye on the surface, then turns around and gives the camera the staredown – you can almost feel the anger (hunger? 😂) in it's eyes:
The big musky stuck around long enough to find something to sink it's teeth into.... and it looks like he brought a buddy along for backup!
#Wolfpack 👊
We all know muskies don't prefer to snack on walleyes, but they will certainly indulge when the meal is THIS easy....
August Musky Baits
August is in full-swing and fish are hittin' the bag all across the musky belt.
This 51 incher was a little camera shy, but had no qualms about eating a Pounder Bull Dawg. Props to Paul Bushong on getting it done fishin' with guide Josh Borovsky!
If you're lookin' for some help with bait selection in the month of August, here's a few of Josh's go-to picks for the next few weeks:
SMALL BUCKTAILS
"Speed kills and small bucktails can be retrieved at higher speeds and are much better in the figure-8 than larger bucktails. A few good options include the Trigger 7/9, Shumway Screamer, and the Stagger 8/9"
BIG BUCKTAILS
"Larger blades catch muskies in the month of August, too. I lean on them a lot harder when I'm fishing after dark – bonus points if it's windy. The Super Model is certainly one of my top choices, and I'm also a fan of the Stagger 10/12."
TOPWATER
"I like the larger, noisier topwaters when I'm fishing through waves – the more chaotic the conditions, the better. On the flip side, I lean on slower moving topwaters when the lake is flat calm or when I'm going back on a fish we located earlier in the day. Some of my top picks include most Lake X baits, flaptails, and Nimmer Swimmer Poly Wogs and Creepers."
BIG RUBBER
"During the month of August, we are still catching some fish suspending in open water and in those situations, I like using Royal Orbas, Husky Medussas, and of course Pounder Bull Dawgs (which caught the big musky in the photo above)."
ERRATIC BAITS
"I like to have erratic triggering baits in the back of my boat, behind the higher hooking percentage lures. These baits seems to be great for generating follows and bites when conditions are tough and the fish aren't very active. A few examples include Beavers, glide baits (ie. Hell Hounds and Phantoms), Barfighters and other dive-and-rise baits like the Suick."
Wildlife Boat Tours
I've seen some crazy stuff over the years, but I gotta hand it to Bill Bonoffski.... this is the first time I've seen a mallard nesting in the back corner of a fishin' boat. 😂
Finding ducks in your boat is surprising, but definitely not terrifying.... like this not-so-pleasant snake sighting from Ken Schultz:
Turns out muskies aren't the only one's who like the Nimmer Swimmers 😂
Not sure how the musky/snake/crankbait connection works, but I think this snakey-lookin' Wolly Pog has some potential....
Definitely don't wanna tread on this bait.... especially barefoot! 😉 #sorry
This Week's Mashup
Mashup time!
Here's some cool/interesting stuff we dug up this week:
#1 – Musky anglers are a passionate group and we've seen tons of musky-themed tattoos, but this one from Jeb Hanson definitely takes the cheeseburger!
#2 – Anyone ever used "Muskie Fish Emulsion Fertilizer" in their gardens? 😂
From the description on the bottle:
"Muskie Fish Emulsion Fertilizer is a natural organic plant food made from byproducts of the fishing industry."
Haha, what???
#3 – Someone call the TIP hotline! Not only is this eagle utilizing some questionable fish handling tactics, but there's no way that musky is long enough to harvest!
Props to Jennifer Kind Reisch on documenting the crime scene! 😉
#4 – Not sure what kind of hatch we're matchin', but how cool is this custom paint job from the Supernatural Big Baits crew 🔥
QUICK HITTERS:
– You can’t enter Canada on a boat, only via plane & car (link)
– Sale on sunglasses & rain suits on Thorne's website (link)
– July topwater musky fishing w/ Todays Angler (video)
– Maina talkin’ musky lures at ICAST (video)
– "Lodges Hanging on By a Thin Fishing Line" (link)
THIS WEEK'S MONSTER MUSKIES:
I'm still trying to wrap my head around how crazy this shot is....
Jimmy Lacerte caught this enormous musky (56 inches - his 2nd biggest fish ever) fishin' some seriously skinny water in the Montreal area. 🤯
John Holmgren fooled this absolute whale of a musky into drillin' his Musky Mayhem 10-9 bucktail – huge congrats dude!
Big props to Kylie Luzaich on boating this 53 inch northern MN musky, fishin' after-hours with her husband Cody. Couples that catch GIANT muskies together stay together! #ItsScience
How gorgeous are the markings on this big Leech Lake strained musky from Caroline Stearns and her guide Kevin Cochran?!
She hit the net after munchin' a Red October Tube on the cast. 💪
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