MN Opener is HERE – Father's Day Special – Big Fish Pics
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It's the *Other* Most Wonderful Time of the Year
I've got spring fever and the only cure is a some Musky Madness!
The fishing seasons are kicking off all around the musky belt, folks are excited, and Father's Day is just around the corner.
It doesn't get any better than this!
Let's kick this newsletter off with a few Father's Day gift ideas:
The Perfect Rod
Want a Father's Day present that's impossible to mess up?
Let him build a totally customized rod over at Thorne Bros, either online or in-person at their shop.
Using premium blanks and components, he can customize EVERY aspect of the rod build, including the guides, wrap color, the length and action of the blank, handle material/length/thickness, etc.
If your dad is a musky-head, he might already have some nice rods. But as you probably already know, there's ALWAYS room for more!
Quality Musky Cranks
You can never-ever have too many inexpensive, versatile musky lures.
The Cranky Nitro now has a new 8-inch big brother.
This thru-wire plastic crank runs 3-to-6 feet on the cast, but can go even deeper on the troll with add-on weights.
What's cool about all these baits is they are extremely versatile - you have the ability to modify and run them at various depths. The construction is solid, with thru-wire systems, multiple coats of epoxy, tough lips, and stainless steel split rings.
These are excellent bang-for-your-buck musky crankin' baits.
Net Buddy: Double Puck
If you haven’t seen the Net Buddy yet it’s a super cool product that holds your net in place once you’ve netted a fish and have it in the bag.
It frees up your hands to work on unhooking the fish and also ensures your net doesn’t take a swim when you’re taking photos of the fish.
Well, they now have a new attachment option, the double puck!
When you're in the heat-of-the-moment and don't need one more thing to think about, you can grab the bag and know it'll always be right-side-up.
Don't worry dads.... if you already have a Musky Buddy you can buy just the double puck and not the entire kit and caboodle.
Toppers at Taps & Tackle
Taps and Tackle is locked, loaded, and ready for Fathers Day with the Northern Lights Edition Fat Bastards. 🔥
As I type this newsletter, a family of ducks is swimming across the harbor....
Take a guess which Fat Bastard color I'm throwing first:
The One-Eyed Willy
Looking for a solid walk-the-dog topwater bait for dad??
The One Eyed Willy rides low in the water and produces a nice, deep swooshing noise while walking side-to-side on the surface.
Check out this boatside strike from John Bette at Stealth Tackle:
☝️ Proof in the pudding right there!
They are one of the best hooking % walk-the-dog baits out there, and they are also one of the easiest to work. Gotta love that!
Bondy Royal Orbas
Once upon a time, the Bondy Royal Orba was one the best kept secrets of Minnesota musky guides for suspended muskies.
If dad doesn't have one yet, he needs one!
If he does have one, he needs more. 😉
The Orba combines the benefits of blades and soft plastic + it's blunt nose pushes a bunch of water to call in the 'skies. It also comes in Junior and King Daddy sizes.
Custom Colored Tubes
If dad likes tubin' for muskies, you'll definitely wanna take a peak at these fresh custom Red October colors that Team Rhino Outdoors just added to their site.👀
Lots of A+ color options, no matter where you're chasing 'skies. 🔥
Llungen Spinnerbait
If your dad is a magnet 🧲 for get getting hung up in weeds, rocks and timber, then he probably needs to add Llungen Nutbuster Spinnerbaits to his arsenal.
These baits run clean and are great tools for targeting 'skies when you're fishing in and around snaggy-lookin' stuff.
Also, make sure to checkout the Llungen Hybrid Series.
It combines the best of both worlds: Custom designed silicone & flashabou skirting
The Hybrids have been a favorite "custom" at the musky shows for years, but now they're available all year long!
Rip & Twitch Baits
It's no secret that twitching small minnow baits in the spring is super effective for catching early season musky.
But, when water temps get into the low 60-degree range, a larger 8-inch or 10-inch Slammer twitched or ripped hard can be a killer "shock" bait that can trigger negative post-spawn 'skies to snap!
And don't forget to add the "death pause"! Let the bait rise to the surface just before reaching boatside and twitching your eight! #RocketLaunchStrikes
These custom colored Slammers from TRO are sure to put a smile on any musky fishin' dad's face. 🔥
Angling Revolution: "The One"
Bucktails are a huge staple of any musky angler's arsenal for the majority of the season, and Father's Day is firmly within #BucktailSZN
You're gonna wanna get your hands on some of what Angling Revolution has up for grabs this year – here's a look:
Pictured above, clockwise from top-left: "The One" 8/8, "The One" 8/9, "The Heavy One" 9/10, and "The Big One" 10/10.
Their one-of-a-kind clevis system is what really brings home the bacon. It creates a unique growling noise that drives the muskies crazy, and it also allows for easy blade swapping when you want to experiment with a new combination.
Even better, they are running a 15% off sale now thru Father's Day for their email subscribers. All you gotta do is head over to the website and sign up for their mailing list.
Costa Sunglasses at Ezoko
There's nothing wrong with a good pair of cheap sunglasses.... but if you've never tried premium shades, you don't know what you're missing!
If you're ready to make the jump, our best recommendation would be picking up a pair of Costa Blackfin Pros from the Ezoko shop. They're low-profile and very popular in the fishing scene.
The price-point isn't cheap, but you won't regret going with the high-end premium glass lens option vs. the plastic alternative.
You can click here to check out Ezoko's entire Costa lineup.
Bonus: You can snag a free Ezoko hat when you buy a pair of Costas from them.
Just Encase.... On the go!
Just Encase dad already has a deck box to store his baits and gear.... He can pair it up with a versatile carry box, so he can load up his favorites and take 'em on the go!
These boxes are as durable as they come 💪
It's the perfect gift idea if you know your dad would appreciates something that's durable and stands the test of time.
The Gift of Knowledge
There's no better investment (or gift) than knowledge.... especially when you can learn from some of the best musky anglers on the planet.
Hundreds of our newsletter readers have signed up for Musky Insider PRO, and they are catching more and bigger fish because of it.
We're offering fresh video content every month, access to our catalog of highly in-depth musky classes, member exclusive discount codes, access to hard-to-find musky gear, and more!
It's a no-brainer for that musky fishin' dad in your life.
We just re-opened the doors, so NOW is the time to get in!
You can also purchase our classes individually, if that's more your style. Click here to see our full catalog of deep-dive musky classes.
This Week's Mashup:
Mashup time!
#1 – The wait is over for all the musky-heads in Minnesota! We know you've re-sharpened your hooks 5 times already. 😅 It's go-time!
#2 – We're ONE week away from the Metro Muskie Tournament! The event is next Saturday and registration is open all week (until June 7th). You can sign up online or in-person at Thorne Brothers.
#3 – Luke Ronnestrand has some fresh gear on his rig this year. Here's a full walkthrough of his boat and how he has it setup this season:
Also, here's another boat walkthrough video w/ Doug Wegner for the 2024 season.
#4 – Tyler watched his new PB musky cartwheel through the air before eventually hitting the net.... #stressful 😅
QUICK HITTERS:
– Recapping 2023's MN Opener w/ Devoted Outdoors (video)
– Iowa musky fishin' w/ Todays Angler (video)
– Spring musky fishing action w/ Ben Stone (video)
– Musky bait box runthrough w/ Smith's Fishing (video)
– MN musky opener chat w/ Road Rules Podcast (video)
– Cold front musky tactic w/ Joe Bucher (video)
THIS WEEK'S MONSTER MUSKIES:
Check out this absolute brute of a Tennessee 'skie sent in by Chris Ray:
Awesome Upper Potomac fly-eater from Brett Poffenberger. Stellar fish with some scenery that's equally as great. Thanks for sharing, Brett.
Huge congrats to 16 year old Nick Tande on boating his first-ever tiger musky with this 39-inch Hayward area beauty!
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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