Musky Brawl + Fall Mistakes + MN Alert

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Musky Brawl Madness

Buckle up, folks. The 2025 Musky Brawl wrapped up last weekend and it brought the full fall chaos package. Big winds, big rubber, big crowds, and a pile of muskies that kept everyone on their toes.

There were 57 muskies registered over the weekend. This was not a quiet fall outing. It felt more like a full contact late-season slugfest.

Leading the charge was Musky Insider PRO instructor Spencer Berman, who took home the title. Spencer is one of several PRO instructors who climbed to the top of a tournament leaderboard this year. When you learn from our instructors, you learn from people who consistently put up results when it matters.

Spencer summed it up well:

The turnout was solid. About 175 anglers and a surprisingly strong wave of shore anglers lined up across key spots like a fall-run firing squad.

And the bank crew was not just there for moral support. Max Guy stuck a gorgeous 45-incher on a Waterwolf Shadzilla from shore.

Through the wind, snow, broken gear, near-sinkers, and a whole lot of rubber flying through the air, the 2025 Musky Brawl delivered a full weekend of late-fall mayhem. Cool to see an event taking place this deep into the season.

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🎄 Want the Ultimate Musky Gift This Season?

Here’s your chance to learn directly from anglers like Spencer, plus a roster of elite guides, top tournament sticks, biologists, and pattern-crushing musky minds you will not find anywhere else.

Musky Insider PRO is officially open for holiday registration. 🎁

 

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Cold Weather Casting Mistakes

As the season winds down across the northern musky belt, there’s still time to sneak out and stick a late fall giant.

We checked in with Musky Insider PRO instructor and cold weather commando Josh Borovsky for his top overlooked mistakes that can shut down your late season casting outing way earlier than you want.

Mistake #1: Wrong Reels

When it’s below freezing, your reel choice might determine whether you fish effectively or fish at all. Shimano reels are incredibly durable, but most of them are notorious for locking up in the cold. The lone exception is the Trinidad series since it doesn’t have a level wind.

Once temps drop, the best reel is the one that still works. Low profile reels shine in warm weather, but their design gives ice plenty of places to build. If you insist on a low pro, bigger level wind guides help since small ones freeze fast. Older Abu Garcia Beast reels and the Daiwas with the T-Wing system hold up better than most low pros due to their larger level wind guides.

For true cold weather casting, round reels still dominate. Old tanks like the Daiwa Saltist or Abu Garcia 7000 series keep you fishing longer thanks to bigger guides and fewer ice-prone areas. And while most Shimanos tap out early in the cold, the Trinidads are often the last reels standing. No level wind means fewer ice headaches. It has drawbacks, but when it’s freezing, the right reel is simply the one that survives.

Mistake #2: Wrong Line and Wrong Amount of Line

Your reel won’t save you if your line soaks up water and turns into an ice rope. You want fresh line and a material that sheds water as much as possible. The easiest way to test this is to run identical setups next to a buddy and see who freezes first.

After a ton of testing, Josh has found Suffix 832 Advanced stays ice free better than most. He’s not a huge fan of it the rest of the year, but that doesn’t matter when it’s freezing. Below 32 degrees, the best line is whatever keeps you casting longer.

Line amount matters too. A full spool is great in summer, but in late fall you want your reel about seventy to seventy five percent full. That extra space between the line and frame makes it harder for ice to bridge over and a lot easier to clear.

Mistake #3: Wrong Rods and Guide Size

Many modern musky rods use small diameter, low sitting guides designed for low profile reels. Great in July. Terrible in November. Tiny guides freeze fast and put you on the bench even faster.

You can dip your rod to de-ice it, but icy guides super cool your line, which then accelerates freezing in your reel.

You’re sensing the theme. The best cold weather setup is whatever keeps ice from shutting you down.

Josh found a slick way to beat this. “I love Thorne Brothers custom rods, and think they have the best blanks in the business.” A few years ago he had them start building late season rods for him with oversized guides, and the difference is huge. Same reel, same line, same blank, but the oversize guides let him cast way longer before needing to knock off ice.

Some A+ tips for anyone planning to sling baits to the bitter end. And if you’re an Insider PRO member, none of this is new. These cold weather gems and lots of other overlooked tricks have been inside the PRO library since the beginning. If you want more muskies in 2026, hop on PRO right here. 

 

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Help Put More ‘Skies Back In MN Waters

Tis the season for stocking muskies. We spotted this little dude cruising the access on Lake Vermilion last week and we’re guessing he was just getting acclimated to his new home.

The MN DNR has been busy stocking more than 20,000 muskies across the state. Stocking efforts have seen big improvements recently thanks to a pile of people stepping up, but Minnesota’s musky fisheries still need your help.

The Twin Cities Chapter of Muskies Inc went big this year. Instead of saving their stocking fund for future seasons, they emptied the tank and teamed up with Thorne Brothers to buy $76,000 worth of privately raised muskies to help the DNR right now.

Big shout out to everyone teaming up on this push.

• Twin Cities Muskies Inc, who covered half the bill along with funds from the Hugh Becker Grant

• Thorne Brothers , who covered the other half

• MN guide and PRO instructor Ryan McMahon, whose raffles over the years generated $18,000 of Thorne’s contribution

• And yep, Musky Insider has contributed thousands using a portion of the proceeds from PRO memberships and we hope to have more on the way soon as more folks sign up.

We’re all rowing the same direction. These fish help every musky angler in MN, including folks who travel here from out of state.

That big swing comes with a price. Fingerlings are $20 each this year and yearlings are likely to come in around $32. The Chapter also used part of this year’s fund to stock about 1,400 tiger muskies in the metro. Stocking isn’t cheap and without fresh donations the fund won’t have enough juice for future seasons.

Here’s how you can help:

Kick in $20 or $32 (or more) to cover a fingerling or yearling right here. 

The Chapter is also holding its annual raffle on December 5, another huge driver of stocking dollars.

If you’ve fished Minnetonka or other metro lakes lately, you’ve felt the impact. The explosion of 24 to 35 inch muskies the past couple years is a direct result of coordinated stocking work. Vermilion is benefiting too. A total of 754 purchased fingerlings went in just last week and this little guy was likely one of them.

Now that musky stocking in MN finally has momentum, this is the time to push even harder. Every angler pitching in creates a multiplying effect. And remember, only a handful of MN lakes naturally reproduce muskies. Stocking is the lifeline that keeps your future fishing strong. Winning raffle prizes is cool, but replenishing the next generation of fish is the real reward.

Raffle Prizes Include:

• A week at Red Wing Lodge, Lake of the Woods
• Simms Challenger Bib/Jacket combo
• Daiwa TWS 400
• $300 gift card from Reed’s
• $300 gift card from Thorne Bros
• Custom baits from Barfighter, DK Lures, Supernatural, Apex Predator and more

MN gaming rules don’t allow online or credit card sales for raffles, so raffle tickets must be paid with cash or check. You can donate directly online though.

You can buy tickets by contacting Steve Agrimson at tcmi.treasurer@gmail.com or 612 991 6200. Tickets are $20 each and the full prize list is on their website right here. 

#2 – Ezoko just stocked the brand new Fat Joe Dual Pull from Sampson Baitworks. Tie to the nose for a deeper tighter action. Tie to the lip for a shallower wider kick. One bait, two personalities and pure versatility.

#3 – Chas Martin proving it’s never too late, too cold, or too windy to hunt down those late fall giants. 🥶

#4 – JayCay Handmade Signs got the musky memo and absolutely crushed it. 3D hand painted ‘skie, glossy white acrylic lettering, stained pine backer… classic materials, killer execution.

Mille Lacs magic! Erik Jacobson and his son Noah were sliding down a weed edge with bucktails when Noah said, “If we catch one right now, I can take the best picture.” Minutes later the rod loads and he proves it.

Halloween night was good to Jaden Arueya. A long patient figure-8 with a mini Medusa turned into a 48 inch chunkasaurus and a brand new PB. Treat wins.

Brent Lenke finally connected with this gorgeous September 51.5 incher he’d been hunting on LOTW for a couple weeks. She showed up out of nowhere on a long rock extension.

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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