Electronics Tips - Lure Mods - Monster Muskies
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Gettin’ “T’d” Up
It’s that time of year . . . The open water bite is kicking into gear, and like it or not, forward-facing sonar has increased the number of fish getting caught on this seasonal pattern at an exponential rate.
So we thought this would be a great time to share a sweet new Bondy Bait mod from Canadian guide Darcy Cox that not only keeps hooks out of gills, but also increases your hookup percentage… 👀
Here’s a quick equipment list for the bait mod:
☑️ #8/0 Mustad 3551 Treble Hooks
To start, Darcy adds magnet strips for the front bottom and top hooks, gluing them in place to keep the hooks secure at all times.
Next, swap out the standard front bottom hook for an 8/0 and start cuttin’ hooks and gettin’ T’d up!
“With the big hook on the bottom, we always cut the tine that’s welded on as well, and keep the flat side open. With this type of hook, you’re going to have to take that front hook hanger and turn it 90 degrees to make sure everything lines up so you can get the flat side of that hook against your magnet.”
Darcy also cuts and T’s the bottom rear hook, but prefers a 5/0 or 6/0 for that one and lets it hang without a magnet. He then adds a 4/0 to 5/0 auxiliary hook up top—right where you attach your leader…
“You can’t do that 90 degree turn with the leader hanger because it kind of screws things up with how things get pulled, so what you want to do is just use two split rings instead. What I do with this top hook as well, instead of ‘T-ing’ it, I go past the ‘T’ and actually run it so they’re facing upwards. That really seems to help with that hooking percentage on that top hook.”
Darcy adds:
“In my experience, this bait rigging setup has proven to be the most effective for optimizing hook-up rates with the T’d hook method, which safeguards against hooks entering gills when using plastics…”
This Bondy mod should definitely be a game-changer on the water this season! For a more in-depth explanation, you can watch the full video here.
Electronics Tips: Juice Up Your Units!
Your hooks are sharp, fresh line on the reels, batteries are charged, boat’s gassed up . . .
But are your electronics ready to help you find big ‘skies this season?
We all love pokin’ fun at the walleye crowd for bein’ soft — but every once in a while, we gotta give ‘em a respectful nod for droppin’ some actual intel that crosses into the musky world.
Case in point: We dug up some slick electronics tips while scrollin’ the socials… and yep, they all came from walleye dudes. Doesn’t matter if you’re rockin’ Humminbird, Lowrance, or Garmin — we’ve got something for ya. A lot of these tricks’ll help regardless of what unit you’re runnin’.
Here’s the deets 👇
Humminbird Tip
If you’re a Musky Insider PRO member or have taken our Cutting Edge Open Water Tactics course, you already know how deadly hard-to-soft bottom transitions can be when targeting suspended ‘skies.
Ross Robertson shared a slick Humminbird trick on the Target Walleye Facebook page to help find those spots faster and cut out dead water.
⸻
Lowrance Tips
Garmin Tip
Here’s a slick color hack from Duane Hjelm that makes fish and bait stand out like a sore thumb on Garmin units:
➡️ Hit Power
➡️ Select Color Mode
➡️ Choose Night
Boom — now you’ve got a black background that makes targets pop and you can use it with SideVü and ClearVü in addition to your live views.
Some easy things to tinker with before you hit the water this weekend. Sometimes a little work on land = big payoffs when you’re on the water.
This Ain’t the PB You Want…
Musky Insider PRO instructor Josh Borovsky scored a new personal best this week . . . But, not the kind you’re thinking. 😂
Here are a few deets from his Facebook post:
“New personal best: Four hooks in me at once! 🫣
Lessons Learned & Tips If It Happens to You:
Here’s a few takeaways from Josh in case you ever find yourself in a similar situation:
If you have to cut, try to leave as much of the hook sticking out as possible. It helps the ER staff figure out how the hook’s oriented and gives them more leverage for getting it out. Ideally, cut at the split ring or hook hanger leaving the hook eye attached. (Keeping the hook eye intact keeps the “string method” as an option for removal.) But when someone’s still connected to a fish… just cut where you can and fast.
This prevents even more damage to you and whoever’s helping you out.
Pack your Knipex hook cutters and maybe a set of channel locks or needle-nose pliers. Most hospitals don’t have the right tools for the gnarly hooks musky anglers use.
Having the same bait, or at least the same size/style hook, helps medical staff understand what’s buried in you and how to get it out cleanly.
This Week's Mashup:
Mashup time!
#1 – Muskellunge Brewing is a brewery and taproom located in Canton, OH. The brewery’s name comes from their fascination with one of nature's finest creatures, the muskellunge. We don’t blame 'em! All of their brews are named after fish, and we’re partial to the Tiger Musky Double IPA. Cheers!
#4 – Jet ‘skie? We’ve seen some tricked-out boats and kayaks… but jet skis? Aren’t they usually the enemy? 🤔 Check out this muskified Sea-Doo from Brian Wendt Outdoors. Looks like he’s ready to storm the Musky world in style!
QUICK HITTERS:
– 2025 7 FISH MUSKY OPENER (video) w/ Smith’s Fishing Outdoors
– We Caught A FREAK OF NATURE!!! (video) w/ Todays Angler
This Week's Monster Muskies:
This kid has been crushin’ it his whole life. Fischer Smith shows off this incredibly plump Wisco greenback!
After stopping to pick up a beer can he spotted on the way back to the launch, Sylvester Gray III saw a school of white bass all around the boat and started to cast. The school initially chased his bait until this 4-footer emerged and inhaled his jerkbait. #goodkarma
Jeremy Marquis started the 2025 season strong with a dose of adrenaline from this 50.5” beast. Congrats on the new PR! 👊
Jack Bollman got this big gal in the eight, while tossin’ “The One” by Angling Revolution in the 8/9 size. BTW - The Musky Shop just dropped a bunch of custom colored “Ones” on their site.
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