Lijewski Tips - Odyssey Goes Big - Fish Hop??
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Mark Lijewski Drops Heat
When a guy has stacked over 25 first-place finishes and is pushing another 50 top-10s over decades of musky tournament fishing, it’s probably worth leaning in when he starts talking.
That’s exactly what happened in our latest Musky Insider PRO Q&A with Mark Lijewski, who’s spent years cashing checks and cracking fish from Wisconsin to Minnesota, Canada, Kentucky, Iowa, and beyond.
And while the full session covered a ton of water, a few big-time nuggets really jumped off the screen.
The first one was Mark’s mindset on new water.
A lot of anglers pull up to a new lake and start poking around, idling, second-guessing, and spending a lot of time getting their bearings.
Mark’s approach is the opposite. He studies the map ahead of time, finds what he believes is the best-looking spot on the entire lake for that time frame, typically something that combines structure with the kind of area the primary forage is going to relate to.
When he arrives, he goes straight to that spot with a bait he has confidence in and starts fishing.
No hemming and hawing. No half-committing to junk water because it’s close to the launch. No sightseeing tour.
He wants to start on the juice.
His logic is simple and honestly pretty sharp . . . If you pop one early on a new lake, or even get a clue, your confidence goes through the roof and now you’ve got something to build from . . . and that confidence is a big part of the system. If you spend the first few hours grinding random dead water, all you really do is drain confidence and dig a mental hole.
That little nugget alone is a good kick in the pants for a lot of musky anglers. Too many of us start with the easiest spot, the nearest spot, or the safest spot. Mark wants the highest percentage spot first. Big difference.
Another really good takeaway was how much he keys on forage before getting too cute with bait selection or micro-patterns.
If he’s on a Wisconsin lake and seeing bait tight to bottom in 12 to 14 feet, that might scream perch and push him toward deeper weed edges and a more bottom-oriented deal. If he’s in Kentucky and the bait is balled up higher in the water column, now he’s thinking shad, which can shift everything upward. In parts of Canada, walleye pods become a major tell too, both in terms of where muskies might be loafing and how they’re set up to feed.
That’s what makes this such a good nugget. Mark isn’t just using electronics to say, “Yep, there’s bait.” He’s using them to help answer what kind of bait, where it’s positioned, and what that should mean for his starting zone.
That’s big-time stuff. A lot of anglers think “match the hatch” just means lure color. Mark is taking it a step further. He’s matching the hatch in terms of location, depth, and overall game plan.
He also had a really interesting take on fishing behind other boats.
If he sees a top-level crew that he believes absolutely picked the spot apart and covered it the way he would, sure, maybe he rolls. But if he thinks their angles were off, their bait choice was funky, or they simply didn’t fish it the way he would’ve, he has no issue sliding in behind them and making his “Lijewski style” run through it.
And if you see Mark Lijewski slide in behind you . . . you know exactly what that means.
And yes, he’s caught fish doing exactly that.
That’s a really good reminder that just because somebody fished a spot doesn’t mean they fished it right.
Same spot, different angle, different bait, different cadence, different result. Sometimes the fish that snubbed one presentation will be an absolute freight-train on another one five minutes later.
Mark also talked about familiar water, and this part should hit home for anybody who’s ever rolled into a lake thinking, “I know exactly where they’ll be.”
Maybe. Maybe not.
Mark starts with his milk run on lakes he knows well, but he was very clear that the same stuff does not automatically reload year after year. Weeds change. Bait shifts. Water levels move around. Fish get conditioned. Spots that were money last year can be flat-out dead now.
That’s why he still believes in pre-fishing, even on lakes he knows like the back of his hand.
That’s a sneaky-important tournament lesson right there. History matters. But history can also get you absolutely smoked if you treat old information like it’s still gospel.
And one more nugget worth stealing . . .
Mark’s approach to tough conditions really comes down to knowing when to grind and when to scout.
That’s a strong mindset. Even when the bite stinks, you can still move the ball down the field. A slow day doesn’t have to be a throwaway day if you use it to find something that pays off later.
Those nuggets are just the tip of the iceberg.
The full Q&A also covered tournament strategy, cast angles, musky behavior, rubber cadence, figure-eight technique, bait color philosophy, pre-fishing strategy, and a bunch more fishy goodness.
If you’re a PRO member and missed the live session, you can catch the full replay inside the member portal and learn from one of the best sticks in the tournament game.
And if you’re not a PRO member yet, now would be a pretty good time to fix that.
Because coming up next, we’ve got another absolute hammer stepping into the batter’s box.
Our next Musky Insider PRO Live Q&A with Mike Lazarus is happening this week on Thursday, March 26.
Mike is the big fish GOAT, with thousands of muskies over 50 inches and hundreds over 55 inches to his credit. And no, that is not a typo. The dude is straight-up ridiculous.
You are not going to want to miss this one.
If you’re not signed up for Insider PRO yet, this is your last shot to get in before our session with Mike. You can register right here.
Muskie Odyssey Goes Big
Canada’s biggest fishing show is about to go full send. The Muskie Odyssey is teaming up with CanCast this Sunday, March 29 in Peterborough, Ontario, and this thing is shaping up to be an absolute zoo.
We’re talking 200+ vendors, multiple buildings, a free shuttle running between venues, a massive tackle swap, boat yard, seminars, giveaways… the whole deal. One ticket gets you access to everything, and kids 12 and under get in free.
This isn’t just another show either. The Odyssey has always had a conservation backbone, and every dollar raised goes right back into protecting and researching muskie fisheries. So yeah… you can spend money on baits and feel good about it. 😏
And just like the Minnesota show… the seminar lineup is stacked. 👀👇
MUSKIE ODYSSEY SEMINAR SERIES 2026
It’s a mix of hardcore science and dialed-in anglers taking the stage.
That’s a sneaky loaded group. If you’re into the “why” behind what muskies do (and how to actually use it), there’s gonna be some gold nuggets shared.
Not gonna lie… between the vendor list, multiple buildings, and the Odyssey floor being packed tighter than ever, you might wanna have a game plan before you walk in.
The Kinsmen Civic Centre alone is loaded with custom bait makers, retailers, and some of the fishiest sticks in the game. Then you’ve got the rest of CanCast waiting across the shuttle route.
The show is a little unique in that it’s only one day, and the hours are tight with less than 8 hours total. It runs from 9AM–4PM across the Peterborough Memorial Centre, Morrow Building, and Kinsmen Civic Centre.
You can grab tickets and check out full show details here.
Freestyle Fisherman
Warning: This may be an acquired taste…
If you read this newsletter, we know you like fishing. If you also happen to like hip-hop, you may or may not be aware there’s a subgenre called fish hop… and yeah, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Hip-hop about fishing. 🎣
Enter the Freestyle Fisherman (aka Adam J). He popped up in our feed a while back, and after doing some digging, it turns out he’s been at this for a while.
And while he’s not a musky angler per se, some of his lyrics definitely jive with the musky vibe.
Here’s the chorus:
A few lines that stood out. 👀
✅ Rubber boots
✅ Catch and release
✅ Swagger
Yup… passes the musky test again. 😂
Last up… “Swimbait Pimpin”
Sound like musky talk to you?
“They want a fishing tip,
I’m a spit it in my verses.
Big baits get ate
So I’m a throw em’ till my arms hurt.
Holding up them hogs
Like your boy was doing farm work.
Sliding em’ a glide bait
That can’t be beat
Knock knockin’ like
Who is it??
It’s the K-G-B.
I’m invested in the best
Like I’m fluent in the stock trade.
Couldn’t keep my baits out the water
With a blockade.
Got baits that you goin’ to need
A tuna rod to cast that.
And if you break it off
You ain’t goin’ be getting your cash back.
Act that natural is what,
I need the bait to do.
Causing a commotion at the surface
When it’s waking through.
Making moves, tracking side to side,
Like a snake would do.
Drops selling out so fast
Will make you hate the new…Edition
I’m pitching her a ten inch and wishing
If I’m looking for a beast
I’m a need to get her attention.”
✅ Glide bait
✅ Invested in the best
✅ 10-inch baits
This Week's Mashup:
Mashup time!
#1 – Check out this bangin’ boatside eat from No Troll Cole. 👀
#2 – Most of us up north are about one more cold front away from losing it… but this clip from the Friends of Lake Wingra Facebook page is a good reminder the ’skies aren’t goin’ anywhere.
Just cruisin’, doin’ their thing, waitin’ for us to get back after ’em.
Couple months… and it’s game on. 💥
#3 – Swimbaits are all the rage right now, and Ezoko is loaded up with the new Livingston Lures Mustangs . 👀
From top left, clockwise: Sexiest Shad, Walleye, Disco Shad, and BB Perch.
#4 – Check out this LEGO set we found on the Wisco3 Ice Fishing Co Facebook page. They absolutely nailed the caption. 👇
“10,000+ pieces of pure pain and patience. Finally… a way to land a 55” musky without a figure-8, without a follow, and without telling your wife ‘just one more cast.’
Comes with:
🎣 A free musky lure
🧱 47 hours of back pain
😅 And zero heartbreak at boatside”
QUICK HITTERS:
– Thorne Brothers Spring Sale Happening April 10-12 (link)
– One and Done Small Rivers (video) w/ Keyes Outdoors Musky Hunting Adventures
– THE WEIGHT OF OCTOBER - A Fall Musky Hunt Film (video) w/ 54 or bust
– BIGGEST FISH OF THE YEAR!! - Chippewa Flowage Musky Fishing!! (video) w/ Todays Angler
– HOW-TO Pattern and Catch MUSKIES FAST!! (video) w/ Sportsman’s Journal TV
– Fall River Fishing Monster Musky (video) w/ Pete Maina Professional Muskie Angler
This Week's Monster Muskies:
Ten-year-old Luke shows how it’s done with this 48-incher while fishing with Blue Ridge Musky. Do yourself a favor and watch the full clip here… the kid’s got the juice.
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