Big fall bruisers – Trollin' Tips – GIF action
Be the FIRST to see Musky Insider every week by signing up for the email version of this newsletter. It's 100% free and we will never sell your email address! Click here to sign up and never miss another issue.
Tis the Season
....to eat turkey and complain about the snow/ice!
Hopefully you're wrapping up a successful Thanksgiving holiday with family/loved ones. This is the season of thankfulness, but it's also the season of eating way more than you should.
The whacky thing about this weekend is one day, you're givin' thanks, the next you're packing into stores to buy heavily discounted shhhtuff you don't even need...
The best is when you see one of your fishin' buddies bragging on social media about waking up early to stand in line for some Black Friday deals – yet a couple months earlier, he couldn't meet you at the ramp before sun-up for the first light bite. 🤷♂️
Seems like most folks are doing their deal hunting online nowadays. That said, here's a few of the best one's we could dig up this year:
- 20% off all Simms gear at Taps & Tackle (link)
- 20% off Musky Innovations customs & clothes (link)
- Big discounts on Chaos Tackle Assault Sticks (link)
- Thorne Bros 10-30% (link)
- Musky Mayhem 20% (link)
- MuskyFrenzy 15% (link)
- Beaver's Baits 15% (link)
- Lakewood 20% (link)
Obviously these are time-sensitive, so jump on 'em if you're interested.
Have you ever tried....
...keel weighted trolling leaders?
They're a staple for guys trollin' in and around weeds.
Here's a quick illustration:
Pretty simple, right?
That's the Stealth KP Keel Weighted Trolling Leader designed by Green Bay musky guide Kevin Pischke.
This kind of setup presents a few advantages:
1. Catching Weeds – The weight itself will catch weeds before they get back to the bait. Less time cleaning baits = more time in the strike zone!
2. On the Turn – Everything should be A-okay when you're trolling in a straight line, but things can get a bit wonky when you're making turns. The "outside" baits will speed up and sometime blow out of the water as a result. The 'inside" baits will slow down, floating up and out of the strike zone. Keel weights can help keep your baits positioned in both cases.
3. Bump & Go – How many times has your bait been CRUSHED after bumpin' a piece of cover? Well, you can simulate a similar effect knocking a keel weight off a rock or a patch of weeds. Your bait stops dead in it's tracks for a split-second, then rips ahead, triggering a vicious strike!
Kevin breaks down these three categories in this video – check it out:
Here's the skinny on when Kevin uses 1 oz vs. 2 oz vs. 3 oz weights:
"1 oz are my go to for 5’-10’ FOW with 5”-7” shallow running minnow style baits at 2.7-3.3 mph.
"2 oz for 5’-13’ FOW with 5”-9” deep diving shad-style baits at 2.5-3.2mph and 7”-10” minnow style baits 2.7-3.5 mph.
"3 oz for 10’-15’ FOW for both 10"+ shallow minnow and deep shad baits 2.5-3.5 mph.
"Using a 2 oz keel weight is a must fishing Green Bay in September when the sand grass is floating up off the bottom. It will grab a mess of weeds keeping baits cleaner and running true in the water longer."
Here's Kevin's four go-to setups for Green Bay in fall:
- 7” Slammer Minnow with 1 oz leader, 19’-26’ back
- Llungen Chad Shad with 2 oz leader, 8’-15’ back
- BWB ResX 6.5” Shad with 2 oz leader, 15’-20’ back
- Shallow Invader with 2 oz leader, 19’ back
Some Fancy GIF Action
Here's a few musky-related action GIFs we think you'll enjoy:
Let's kick things off with this super sweet underwater trollin' strike from Master Crow Outdoors #THWAP
How 'bout this acrobatic boatside display from Slime & Slay Outdoors:
Sometimes a backlash can be your best friend.... Cole Lauzon's lazer cranberry colored Double Cowgirl only got half-a-cast from the boat, putting it in perfect position to attract this plus-sized natural tiger:
Here's a closer look at Cole's 47.25 inch beauty in the GIF above:
Those patterns/colors = amazing 😍
This Week's Mashup:
Mashup time!
#1 – Diggin' this mean lookin' rubber eater from Josh DeSmit #MuskyArt
#2 – Cool double SI musky sighting sent in by Shawn Waidelich:
#3 – Check out these old school magazine covers shared by Jeremy Liebig on the MFT&T page:
#4 – Sorry, had to share.... 😂
QUICK HITTERS:
– Black Friday Deal: 20% off all Simms Gear at T&T (link)
– November musky challenge w/ Todays Angler (video)
– Late fall musky fishing w/ Pete Maina (video)
– Shallow water fall musky fishing w/ AA (video)
– Fall musky fishing w/ Smiths Fishing (video)
– Mercury announces new V10 Verados (video)
– Jason Oakes is new GM of Crestliner (link)
THIS WEEK'S MONSTER MUSKIES:
Lovin' the porky belly and big ole shovel head on this giant 'skie from John Riegel:
Absolutely ridiculous 55.75 inch north-of-the-border BEAST from Dominic Papineau:
Check out this 50+ inch late fall LOTW brute from Erik Jacobson:
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. 🤙
Want to see more from Musky Insider? Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for bonus content throughout the week!
Send all business inquiries to josh@muskyinsider.com