Euro Baits You've Never Seen – PMTT Recap – New Bucktail Coming
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PMTT on the Flowage
Going to a baseball game, building a model rocket, doing the Pinewood Derby deal – there's a bunch of different ways to practice father-son bonding.... but Dan and Mike Raczynski prefer catchin' muskies and taking home big bags of money ($11,000+)!
They were able to edge out Team Sennett by a handful of points, mostly thanks to a 44.5 incher – the biggest fish caught in the tourney.
Here's a quick look at the top 10 teams for those of you keepin' track at home:
Also, they have the up-to-date Top Gun standings posted up on the website with Rick & Sarah Hoover sittin' on top!
Gotta shoutout longtime PMTT pro Kevin Nash on turnin' in the best photo of the weekend with this 42.75 inch Chippewa Flowage tiger musky:
Next up, we have the championship on Cave Run Lake in Kentucky on October 23rd – should be a good one! 🔥
Sweet Euro Pike Stuff
We've seen a few European bait companies dabble in the US market over the years (Savage Gear, Westin, Svartzonker, etc.), but there's still a ton of cool stuff from across the pond that we haven't been able to get our hands on yet!
Here's a few cool big pike baits you've probably never seen:
Swimbaits are a big deal for those plus-sized European jumbo jacks. Check out these slick 10-inch paddle tails from Ulm Lures in Sweden:
The paint jobs are definitely on point! 👌
Gotta give "Gerka" from Russia bonus points for creativity with this underspin crank with a messy bouffant haircut:
Diggin' these Araspoons from South Stream Lures in Stockholm, Sweden.
Not sure how long these Slovakian glide baits are, but I bet you could fool a sucker-munchin' musky into taking a bite!
A+ Musky Quotes
Thumbing through the interwebz this week, we stumbled upon some great quotes that we had to share in the newsletter:
The first is a tribute to #TheGrind that is musky fishing:
"It’s neither hope nor optimism that keeps you casting — it’s more like martyrdom: pride at how much suffering without hope you can endure."
Isn't that the truth.....
Next is some extra-savage wordplay from an Idaho newspaper article:
"With the build of a freshwater barracuda and the hunting tactics of a crocodile, the tiger muskie can slice through smaller fish — or anything else that dares to enter its lair — like a hot knife through butter."
Don't show that one to the anti-musky crowd! 😉
The last one's from the Minot Daily newspaper....
"There just might be a lot of little ghosts and goblins doing their trick-or-treating near a boat ramp (this year)...."
That's because we'll have a blue moon (not the beverage) on Halloween night. All the musky fishin' dads need to plan accordingly. 😉 #priorities
Musky Care 101 (The Basics)
We've talked about handling, measuring, etc. this summer, but thought it would be a good idea to address some of the basics for all the super new musky anglers reading this email.
WI guide Todd Schulz recently shared his step-by-step fish handling process on FB, so we thought we'd piggyback off his post and add a few of our own thoughts....
Todd's quotes will be highlighted in yellow, everything else is our two cents.
Most of this isn't rocket science, especially if you're a veteran musky angler, but it's a good reminder for the novice crowd.
First things first....
1. THE FIGHT
"Do not over play the fish and wear them down getting them to the boat."
This is an underrated factor. Longer fights = more stress on the fish
2. NET PLACEMENT
"Once you get the fish in the net, leave the net in the water with the fish submerged in water. It is important to have a big enough net to hold and handle a musky."
One of the most common mistakes we see new anglers make is scooping the fish in the net, then flopping it onto the floor of the boat.
Also, make sure the musky's head is fully submerged underwater while she's chillin' in the net.
3. REMOVING HOOKS
"Use a long needle nose pliers to safely remove the hooks from the fish. If it’s hooked bad or in a tough spot, cut the hooks. Hooks are cheap and easy to replace, muskies are not!"
When in doubt, cut the hooks!
We're big fans of the Knipex Hook Cutters for easy, one-handed cuts. They're a little pricey, but worth the extra money....
4. PREPARATION
"Get all unnecessary equipment out of the way and get the camera ready."
Make sure EVERYTHING is ready before you pull the fish out of the water.
5. SUPPORT THE BELLY
"As you pick the musky out of the net and while you have one hand in the gill-plate, support the musky’s body as well. Straight vertical holds are not good for the fish and can be fatal...."
Can't blame grandpa for his vertical musky holds in 1963 – we know a LOT more today than they did back then.
6. MEASUREMENT TIPS
And if you choose to measure your fish.....
"....get the bump board wet. The Muskie Bumper boards float. By soaking it into the water not only cools the board but helps reduce removal of the fish’s protective slime.
"If it’s hot out, I will lay the board in the water and have one person hold the board as I remove the fish from the net and lay it on the board. This will be better and safer for the fish in warmer water conditions."
Water measurements are awesome, because you also avoid losing control of the fish on the bottom of your boat. Be extra careful during this step.
7. THE RELEASE
"Take a couple of quick pictures and get that fish back in the water with making sure the fish is in it’s upright position.
"DO NOT PULL THE FISH FORWARD AND BACKWARDS!!!!! Gently move the fishes tail side to side in their natural swimming motion. Once you see the fish getting ready to strongly kick your hand off, let them go and swim away."
Like we said at the top, this is going to be review for experienced musky sticks, but it's a good reminder for the newcomers!
QUICK HITTERS:
– MuskyFrenzy is teasing their new Stagger IC9 bucktail (video)
– Interviews with top 10 George Wahl tourney finishers (video)
– Fall trolling for muskies w/ Jeremy Smith (video)
– Maina & Kristine Fischer go musky fishing (video)
– Suick musky catch w/ Doug Wegner & Jessie (video)
– Northern WI chunker w/ Todays Angler (video)
– “Musky Battle” Recap w/ Ben Stone (video)
– Wyoming G&F encouraging musky harvest (link)
– Summer musky trolling w/ Master Crow (video)
THIS WEEK'S MONSTER MUSKIES:
This 54.5 x 24.5 Green Bay Goliath was one of three fish over 50 inches in Doug Wegner's boat on the day! Not sure I'd be able to sleep after an outing like that....
Check out the belly on this 50 inch shovel-head from Jake Tappe (Burnin' Eights). Best part is you can watch the entire cast-to-catch on their YT channel.
12 years old and already a member of the 50-incher club. 💪
Congrats to Ethan Ruland on popping this 51.5" beauty on a Stagger 8/9 bucktail – the smile says it all, man! #hooked
Dave D. finally broke the 50 inch mark with this Chautauqua bruiser he caught fishin' with out-east guide Vance Kaloz.
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