Dirty Water Musky Tips – New Tiger Musky Strain? – Big Fish Pics
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.
Housekeeping Notes
Okay, we have a few quick housekeeping things to knock out here first.
First of all, welcome to all the new Musky Insider PRO members. There was a mad rush of folks signing up in preparation for the 2024 musky season. We have a lot of good stuff in the works right now, including talks from Brian Clark (May 9th), Bret Alexander (May 23rd), and Dick Pearson (June 13th) 👀
It's gonna be a heck of a year!
Not sure when we're opening the the doors again, but we'll keep you posted here in the free newsletter, so stay tuned!
If you wanted in and missed the registration window, you can click here to hop on our waitlist. 👍
Another important item: Don't forget to fill out this survey from the MN DNR. They are still looking for feedback on their Long Range Muskie Management Plan.
We need to send a strong message to the DNR that we want musky stocking and production increased and our muskies populations managed more for numbers/action (because even when the populations were higher, it also meant more big fish!)
This video from Josh Borovsky adds a little context to the state of MN muskies right now – click here to watch:
The DNR is closing down the survey on Monday, May 6th, so don't wait! You do NOT need to be a MN resident to share your thoughts.
PMTT Results
The dust has settled after the first PMTT event of season on Cave Run Lake, and we have a very, very familiar face holding the first place trophy!
Big congrats to Nate Osfar and his partner Brian Krelle on taking home the top prize down in Kentucky with three fish that barely beat out Jason Summers & Dan Wojtusik who also caught three.
Not gonna lie, it's cool seeing Musky Insider PRO instructors Nate Osfar and Dan Wojtusik finishing #1 and #2 at the first PMTT event of the year.
Nate had a great Live Q&A session that you can find a recording of in our portal if your an Insider PRO member.
Dan Wojtusik (who was hot on Nate’s heels at the event) will have a Live Q&A coming up in the future as well.
Congrats to them and their partners as well!
Here's a quick look at the top 10 finishers last weekend:
Here's Nate's rundown on how they won it:
"We were working rock and wood. It seemed to be a certain type of rock that they wanted to sit on. Ryan was working a glide bait, slow and deep.
"I watched a bass guy catch a nice fish – he was pitchin' a jig. So I stopped at Crash's and grabbed a musky jig before the tournament. I'd never caught a musky on a jig before. I probably casted it 5 times when I caught my fish. Just pitching it up and walking it down the break.
"The fish we saw seemed pretty lethargic, and I thought something that stood in their face a little bit longer might get bit."
That seemed to be the recipe with Ryan catching two of the fish and Nate putting one in the bag on the jig.
Here's a closer look at that jig eatin' Cave Run 'skie:
🔥
Great tourney, guys! #OnEm
Dirty Water 'skie Tips
When conditions change, your tactics should, too.
It's not rocket science....
Your favorite clearwater tactics aren't likely to work in dirty water environments. Weather, water clarity, seasonality, etc. impact how you need to fish.
That's the topic of this Angling Edge video:
Here's a few of the key quotes:
"In dark water, fish tend to hold tight to the bottom or in and around cover. Speed is also critical – the darker the water, the slower you want your bait moving.
"Large profile baits allow fish to use their lateral line to feel the bait's presence beyond their line of site. Vibration and sound are also important. Wide wobbling crankbaits with rattles, double bladed spinnerbaits, or slow moving noisy topwaters are all great lure choices for muskies in dark water.
"In general, we like to use brilliant colored lures. High contrast baits with dark backs and lighter colored bellies can also be good choices for dirty or stained water conditions."
Lot's of useful info there from James and Jeremy. 🔥
This Week's Mashup:
Mashup time!
#1 – I can't believe we missed this April Fools post from Steve Heiting last month. Too dang funny! Check out his pic of the extremely elusive "Zebra Muskie" strain:
This is our favorite line from Steve's post:
"Named for its striped sides — similar to the horse-like zebra — researchers have found the muskie forages on invasive zebra mussels. It is seen as a potential combatant to control the spread of the troublesome mussel in the state’s inland waters."
🤣 🤣
#2 – Check out these spicy TRO KO custom colored .22 Shorts that were just stocked back up on their website:
#3 – This video was an interesting watch. They documented the stocking process for 'skies in northern WI. Lots of cool visuals and explanations:
#4 – Here's another good video, this one's from diehard cheesehead Bob Parteka. He covers a bunch of topics in this seminar, including some Green Bay 'skie info:
QUICK HITTERS:
– Southern WI musky opener this weekend!
– Luke Ronnestrand does a boat walkthrough (video)
– Indiana musky fishing action w/ AA (video)
– What's in Jim Saric's "Emergency Box"?? (video)
– Three big musky stories w/ Smith's Fishing (video)
– Green Bay musky fishing w/ Angling Sportfishing (video)
– Small river musky chasing w/ naspeltz (video)
THIS WEEK'S MONSTER MUSKIES:
Awesome 'skie caught by Matt Pigeon after ice-out in Quebec (zone 8) on the troll, fishing with his buddy Jason Michaud in some choppy conditions!
Sweet kayak 'skie from Nathan Speltz, one of 12 muskies fishin' with his buddy NDYakAngler:
Josh Holmgren wasn't going to wait until MN opener to start chasing 'skies! Check out this beauty he caught fishing with his wife and Ryan Becker in Iowa. Heckuva way to start the season!
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