Dialing in a New Unit – Muskies are Frustrating ALL Year – MN Show Coming
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MN Show is BACK!
Hard to believe that it's been THIRTY-SIX months since the last musky fishing expo in the state of Minnesota....
If you can remember wayyy back to early 2020 when all the craziness started.... every musky show slipped in before the lockdowns, EXCEPT the last show of the year.... Minnesota.
Well, George's MN Muskie Expo is finally back and we're helping to spread the word! This show is special for us, as a Minnesota-based company, and we are pumped to see all our favorite fishin' buddies again at the big event!
Here's a quick look at the itinerary:
Seems like the seminar lineup is always extra-stacked at this event, and this year is no exception. Lots of A+ speakers, but it's tough to beat the MN Guide Panel and the Bait-Making Panel on Sunday.
Also, it's cool that the expo is happening "in conjunction" with a boat show – it's gonna be a HUGE event:
"The 29th annual George's Muskie Expo will be held in conjunction with the Minnesota Anglers Boat Show. This years show which is sponsored by Frankies Marine and Ranger boats will be the biggest Muskie Fishing Expo ever held anywhere. With 50,000 square feet of show, including 160 booths filled with "nothing but muskie" and the best fishing boats, electronics, and marine accessories and wait for it.... IN STOCK!"
March 4-6 is about a week-and-a-half away.... can't wait to see you there 👍
P.S. New location this year, so keep that in mind. Sounds like a much nicer set-up with 1,400 free parking spaces to boot.
Setting Up Your Fishfinder
The MN Show is kinda like "Groundhogs Day" for the musky industry.... We've survived the worst of the musky off-season, but the Fishing Opener is a still a LONG ways away. 🤮
That said, now's the time of year when most folks start the process of rigging their boats for the new season.
Everyone always talks about the basic hardware of boat rigging:
- Favorite electronics companies
- Transducer mounting
- Battery systems, etc.
.... but one thing you don't hear much about is how you setup your fishfinder once everything is rigged and ready to go.
We thought this video from Korey Sprengel had some cool insights, especially if you have Lowrance graphs on your boat:
There's lots to unpack here, but the key focus of the video is tweaking your settings/readouts to prioritize the things that are most important while you're hunting for fish.
Some of the shhhtuff Korey talked about are Lowrance-specific, but many of the tips are universal.... like making sure your Side Scan/Side Imaging screen is as large as possible, removing extra icons and menu buttons to get the most out of every inch of your screen, etc.
For all you Humminbird users, I'd recommend deleting all the screens you NEVER use.... and don't forget to take advantage of your screen shortcuts.
Nothing is worse than clicking the "View" button 15 times, scrolling through all the screens you've never actually used on the water.
Lots of stuff to play with.... Spend some time before the season starts dialing in your unit, and you'll be WAY more efficient during the first couple weeks of the season.
Hardwater Musky Views
Most folks don't target muskies through the ice – there are very few places where it's actually legal – but that doesn't stop them from showing up on an underwater camera from time-to-time.....
Seems like, more-often-than-not, they are checkin' out tip-ups (via @icefishpro):
Other times, they show up underneath spearfishin' holes (via @prairietrading):
....which isn't a great spot to be hangin' out when you kinda look like a giant pike 😬
Also, how awesome is this musky-sighting on Blake Tollefson UW cam, featuring a plus-sized Wisconsin porker??
Speaking of pork....
It still blows my mind that Esox are willing to investigate and EAT hot dogs 😂
Not gonna lie, that wouldn't be the craziest thing we've heard a musky/pike eat....
This Week's Mashup:
Mashup time!
#1 – Thorne Bros is running a giveaway on their Instagram page – here's a link. It's easy to signup and you could potentially snag some sweet baits:
#2 – How cool is this musky stockin' shot from John Fallon?? He even managed to snap the photo right as a fingerling was sneaking out of the stocking tube:
#3 – We can't be the only one's missin' musky season....
#4 – Check out the chompers on this hardwater 'skie from Matt Heppleston:
QUICK HITTERS:
– 50% off Striker, Clam and Strikemaster winter gear on Thornes site (link)
– MN Musky School happenin' at Agency Bay Lodge, Aug. 6-13 (link)
– New LiveScope Plus System Released (link)
– Dougie with some Lake of the Woods camping/fishing content (video)
– Green Bay Muskies w/ Keyes Outdoors (video)
– Ben Olson & Stuart Maes on Mayhem’s 10,000 Casts (video)
– Favorite Musky Baits w/ Smith's Fishing (video)
– “Wind, Waves and Musky Locations” w/ Joe Bucher (video)
THIS WEEK'S MONSTER MUSKIES:
Big props to Wilky on poppin' this 50-incher on the brand new "Grenade", fishing with Brad Hoppe this past summer.
Gorgeous, extra-clean fall musky from Ian Jones out on Lake St. Clair:
Bob Turgeon stuck this beautiful Cedar Lake 'skie fishing with Jim Saric on this week's episode of Musky Hunter TV.
Also, you can click here if you wanna watch the catch on YouTube 👍
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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