Musky Opener Is Here - Early Season Intel
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Musky Season Is Here
The wait is over.
After six months of waiting (and “training” 😂), musky season has finally arrived for Minnesota and many other states across the northern musky belt.
For those of you who don’t follow along on our social media channels, we’ve been having some fun with GIFs and our followers lately, and this one we posted a few days ago definitely struck a nerve. 👇
In its first few days on our channels, the post racked up more than 275,000 views, thousands of likes, hundreds of shares, and at the time of this writing, 140 comments.
While the GIF was a hit, the comments section may have been even better.
Here’s a few of our favorites:
Let’s just say the GIF below probably sums things up. 👇
Yeah… a few people got busted by their significant others. 😂👇
We won’t identify the guilty parties, but let’s just say there were plenty of comments involving ex-spouses, divorce attorneys, and extended stays. 😬
And to be fair, we know plenty of musky fishin’ wives would cash in on the offer too if the roles were reversed. A few of them chimed in on the conversation as well. 😂👇
OK, enough with the shenanigans. Let’s get into some juicy tips to kick off the musky season!
Opener Intel with Chase Gibson
Chase Gibson joined us for a Live Q&A inside Musky Insider PRO last week after wrappin’ up another productive spring in West Virginia as he preps for the MN opener on Leech Lake.
A few things from the conversation stood out that are worth thinking about as Minnesota’s season gets underway.
One of the biggest lessons was that fish don’t always move and feed at the same pace.
This spring Chase found muskies relating to what he would normally consider late-spring and early-summer structure in West Virginia.
The fish had already moved away from spawning areas and were setting up around deeper timber.
The catch?
They weren’t responding to the presentations he would normally throw at fish and they were often holding deeper than usual in 8-12 feet of water instead of riding high
Instead of the usual diet of blades and faster-moving baits, getting down to their level with sinking/suspending twitch baits and crankbaits was the ticket.
It’s that the depth of the fish in the water column should dictate your bait selection.
If they’re holding deeper in the water column, getting a bait to spend time at their depth may matter more than throwing whatever bait the calendar says they should be eating.
Another thing that jumped out was how closely Chase’s observations lined up with Josh Borovsky’s traditional Northern Wisconsin opener trip.
Water temperatures on the system he was fishing ranged from roughly 52 to 60 degrees during the weekend, and while several fish were found relating to spawning areas, the biggest fish of the trip, a 52.5-incher, wasn’t caught in the spawning bay itself.
It was caught on what Josh described as an exit route leading away from a spawning area.
Several other bites and catches also came from fish using those same transition zones.
But some lakes further north still have a shot at having some fish in or near spawning locations.
Pay attention to the routes fish are likely using to move out of these areas into the deeper basins.
A Lesson that Extends Beyond Spring
One final nugget came when Chase was asked what lessons from his southern reservoir fisheries have carried over best to Minnesota.
His answer was water clarity.
Not muddy water.
Not crystal-clear water.
Just the right water clarity.
Chase said one of the biggest mistakes anglers make on large lakes is treating the entire lake like it’s the same body of water. Lakes like Leech, Vermilion, Minnetonka, and St. Clair can have dramatically different water clarities from one basin to another depending on wind, depth, bottom composition, and weed growth.
His observation was that water clarity doesn’t just influence where muskies position. It often influences how willing they are to bite.
In many cases, muskies in slightly dirty water were easier to trigger than fish living in ultra-clear conditions, especially when conditions were less than ideal.
So as you start chuckin’ baits this season, pay attention to the depth of water the ‘skies are positioned in, transition routes, and water clarity.
The muskies just might tell you what matters most that day. 😉
Luke Ronnestrand’s Early Season Musky Tips
With Minnesota’s musky opener finally here, Vermilion guide and Musky Insider PRO instructor Luke Ronnestrand recently appeared on the Muskies On Tap podcast, where he discussed everything from opener expectations to Vermilion, Mille Lacs, open-water fishing, tackle tweaks, and more.
The interview covered a lot of ground, but with Minnesota’s musky opener finally here, we pulled out a few early-season nuggets that stood out.
Most musky anglers associate topwater fishing with warm summer water, but Luke believes fish location matters much more than water temperature.
His point was simple… A musky sitting on the bottom in 15 feet of water probably isn’t going to rise up and eat a surface bait. But a fish sitting in 3-4 feet of water can absolutely be a topwater candidate, even early in the season.
Luke said some of his favorite opening-week ‘skies have come on walk-the-dog style topwaters, creepers, flap tails, and other slower-moving surface baits.
He also shared that many of the male muskies around spawning areas can be especially aggressive this time of year and often have no problem absolutely crushin’ a topwater bait.
Fish Don’t Always Stay Put
Another theme that came up repeatedly was how quickly Vermilion muskies can move during the early season.
Fish may spend a short period of time around spawning areas before sliding to nearby weed edges, shallow points, saddles, open water, or other transition areas. In some cases, Luke believes fish may only use certain locations for a matter of hours before moving again.
That’s a good thing to keep in mind if you struggle to relocate fish from one day to the next.
Just because fish were in a particular bay, weed edge, or shoreline stretch yesterday doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll still be there today.
When an area suddenly feels empty, it doesn’t always mean the fish aren’t active. Sometimes it means they’re gone.
Expect Fish In A Variety Of Places
Based on what he observed while bass fishing Vermilion recently, Luke expects anglers to contact muskies in a wide range of locations during the opener period.
Some fish will still be shallow.
Some will already be relating to deeper structure.
Others will likely be roaming open water.
One final takeaway from the interview had less to do with opener fishing and more to do with becoming a better angler overall.
Luke said bass fishing has helped make him a better musky fisherman because it taught him to pay closer attention to the small details within a spot.
Rather than simply fishing obvious points, reefs, weed edges, and shoreline stretches, bass fishing forced him to slow down and look for subtle differences that other anglers often overlook.
That includes everything from precise casting angles and retrieve speed to lure color, leader setup, and presentation adjustments.
It’s a lesson many musky anglers can probably benefit from. When a spot looks right but isn’t producing, the answer isn’t always to leave. Sometimes it’s taking a closer look at the finer details that may be separating active fish from inactive ones.
This Week's Mashup:
Mashup time!
#1 – We watched it, then had to put it in slow-mo. Scott Grassi captures a headshake that’ll make you appreciate just how much muscle these fish pack. 💪🐊
#2 – The Swimbait Republic Glideway 176 is a new one we stumbled across over at Ezoko. 👀
Judging by the way this pike absolutely freight-trained it, it’s probably safe to say the muskies will approve.
#3 – Check out this cloud formation captured by Legacy Lures.
They captioned it: “When the fishing gods tell you it’s time to go muskie fishing, but you’re stuck at work.” 🤣🎣
#4 – This week’s art piece comes from Shazana Amanda, who somehow turned a pile of hand-picked gemstones into a musky masterpiece. Every stone was individually selected, placed, and glued by hand. The patience level required for this thing is off the charts. 🤯
QUICK HITTERS:
– Metro Muskie Tournament Happening June 13th (link)
– Northern Wisconsin Musky Opener - Green Bay Fox River! (video) w/ Todays Angler
– SPRING MUSKY FISHING SOUTHERN WISCONSIN!! - Post-Spawn Muskies with Hardcore Hookin' Guide Service (video) w/ Angling Anarchy
– Back to Canada Musky Fishing (Part One) (video) w/ Pete Maina Professional Muskie Angler
– Wisconsin Musky Fishing Has a Serious Problem - EP 50 - The Spotburn Podcast (video) w/ Musky Fool Fly Fishing Co.
– WISCONSIN NORTHERN MUSKY OPENER (video) w/ Smith’s Fishing Outdoors
This Week's Monster Muskies:
Sylvester Gray kicked off his Wisconsin musky season the right way with this spring slob that topped 48”. She was cruising the shallow rocks looking for trouble… and found it.
This Colorado tiger is an absolute looker. Musky John got the bite on a bluegill-colored glide, and the markings on this fish are unreal.
Matthew Crawford crossed paths with this 51” Fox River tank hanging around a rocky buffet line loaded with oversized shad. Safe to say she picked the wrong meal.
Mason Paoli is rockin’ one of the all-time great fish holds here after fooling this Wisconsin musky on a glide bait. Bonus points for tossing a Shaka with the free hand like he’s done this a few times before. 🤙
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