New Musky Gear Unveiled - Custom Color Baits - Monster Muskies
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Expo Season Kickoff
It’s time! The Chicago Muskie Expo will kickoff the show season next weekend (Jan. 17-19).
We'll have boots on the ground all weekend. Josh Borovsky will be hangin’ out in the seminar hall before and after most of the presentations when he’s not holding down the fort at the Angling Revolution booth.
Here’s the seminar lineup for the show . . .
The expo is a great opportunity to meet some of our Musky Insider PRO instructors in person as well.
BTW - We are reopening Musky Insider PRO registration for a brief window of time to allow folks at the show an opportunity to get in.
Our next Insider PRO Live Q&A session with Dan Wojtusik is coming up on January 30th. Dan has won 29 musky tournaments in his career and that’s not including the 2024 PMTT Top Gun Team of the Year 🏆 title he won with his partner Jason Summers last season!
You're not going to want to miss this! If you’re not signed up for Insider PRO yet, you can register right here.
New Product Showcase
One of the best things about this time of year is all the new products get unveiled and it’s our first chance to get our hands on ‘em.
Here’s a sneak peek at some of the new products that will be up for grabs at the Chicago show.
New 9 inch Slammer Minnow Bait
Both the company and the bait are brand new this year, but there are some familiar names behind it. Lake St. Clair guide and Musky Insider PRO instructor Jason Quintano teamed up with his brother Matt to startup Fins and Grins Handcrafted Lures.
Jason racked up quite a body count of big fish while testing out their new bait, the Mad Tad, last season.
The Mad Tad is a 6 inch thru wire bait made out of mahogany and as you can see has a nice erratic action to it especially when trolled in the 3.2 mph to mid 4 mph range.
Angling Revolution Blade Kits
The makers of “The One” are rolling out customizable blade kits featuring their one-of-a-kind square clevis system which creates a unique "musky approved" growling noise in the water.
Their patent pending clevis is also designed for easy blade swapping when you want to experiment with a new combination.
The blade kits are available in two different sizes and can be purchased with or without blades. They are also offering a $10 off discount to the first 10 customers at the Angling Revolution booth each day of the show for purchases over $50.
Mega Musky Buddy Net
Net Buddy released the first Musky Buddy Net last March. But, this past October they unveiled its bigger cousin, the Mega Musky Buddy. Since then, they’ve had a heck of a time keeping ‘em in stock.
Sounds like they are gettin’ caught up just in time for the big show. Here’s the specs on the Mega . . .
- 40x44 Inch Hoop 7075 High Strength Aluminum
- Stainless Components
- 60 inch octagonal collapsible handle with rubber end grip
- Original or Double Puck Patent Pending MuskyBuddy Puck
- Coated 45 Inch Deep Net (to the seam, flat bottom will stretch to 49 inches)
Both models of net allow the user to secure the net after catching a musky by sliding the net bracket into the Musky Buddy and securing it with the included pin. (Keeping the fish secure in the water while you get your release tools and necessities ready.)
Stop by the Net Buddy booth and pick one up before they’re gone.
Thorne Bros New Custom Musky Fly Rod
Designed by hardened musky fly fishermen specifically to meet the demands of launching heavy grain lines and meaty flies, this rod excels at both one-handed casting with accurate bank presentation and being an absolute line-eating distance machine using the two-handed method.
The Thorne Bros Custom Musky Fly Rod - Heavy was rigorously tested over the course of a year in countless conditions and stood up to the most savage treatment, making it the ideal “boat” rod.
Hand-built in the USA, the Thorne Bros Heavy Fly Rod features an industry-first two-piece lower ferrule design, positioning the ferrule at the lower third of the rod to enhance ease of travel without sacrificing power. If you’re tired of checking your ferrule connection all day, this is the rod for you.
Here’s the rod in action gettin’ it done with a 53" boat side eat! You can watch the full video here.
Custom Show Colors
In addition to new products, the musky expos are a great place to stock up on custom colored baits that you can often only get at the show. Here are some cool custom colors expected to be at the Chicago show.
Llungen Lures Custom Colors
Every year Llungen Lures reaches out to the entire Llungen network to develop new deadly custom color combinations. In 2025, they left nothing on the table!
They make a ton of killer crankin' options. Here’s just a few of the colors that caught our attention. 👀
You can view all the 2025 Llungen Lures show colors right here, or better yet stop by their booth at the show.
Custom Red October Tubes
If you like tubin' for muskies, you'll definitely wanna take a peek at these fresh custom show colors from Red October.
Pictured above, clockwise from top left: Morning Moon, Devil’s Perch, and the 54 or Bust inspired Bloody Jailbird.
They will have plenty more A+ color options at the show, but you might want to stop by their booth early before the hoarders clean ‘em out. 😉
Thorne Brothers Custom Colors
Thorne Brothers is headin’ to Chi-town with a trailer full of custom colored baits. They have a crazy good selection of Musky Innovations custom colors you can view on their website including Pounders, Pounder Double Dawgs, Magnum Double Dawgs, Swimmin' Dawgs, Mag Dawgs, and their exclusive Ultra Dawgs.
Here’s a sample of some of the options . . .
And these look extra tasty! 👀
There's a ton more cool and new musky gear you can find at the show. Hopefully that’s enough to wet your whistle for now.
This Week's Mashup:
Mashup time!
#1 – This vid recently posted by MarCum Technologies might explain why the panfish bite on this crib shut off.
#2 – Check out these Strike Pro Guppie Glide Baits we found while scrolling around on the Ezoko’s website. These are really cool baits. They are great fish-catchers and have some wildly impressive paintwork. Here's a note from the product description:
"One of the first things people notice about the Strike Pro Guppie is the artwork. The paint schemes incorporate using paint or glitter on the INSIDE shell of the bait, in addition to painting on the outside.
"This mimics the technique Mr Joe Peterson uses on his wood baits, layering paint between topcoats for a 3-D effect. It also prolongs the color of the bait fish after fish. Strike Pro has even replicated the signature 3-D eyes that TrueGlide lures are famous for."
Here's a few choice colors they have in stock:
#3 – We all have different ways of celebrating our catches . . . Check out this tattoo Danny Reed shared in celebration of someone catching their first musky. Super cool! 😎
#4 – Really diggin’ this clear underwater release clip by Synergy FlyFishing.
QUICK HITTERS:
– The Best MUSKY FISHING Gear of 2024! (video) w/ 54 or bust
– Musky Hunting Adventures - Episode 1, 2025 - Wisconsin River Muskies (video) w/ Keyes Outdoors
– Post Frontal Grind (video) w/ MuskyHunterTV
– Celebrating 300 Episodes: The Evolution of Musky Baits (link) w/ Back Lash Musky Fishing Podcast
– Musky 360 PODCAST | Reels, Tactics & Southern Muskies (link) w/ Musky 360
This Week's Monster Muskies:
Corbin smashed this full moon monster fishing with his dad, Donnie Manz. Apparently, this is the smaller of the two he caught that night! Way to go Corbin! #KidCommando
Nothin’ like bagging’ a beast on Christmas Eve.🎅 Adam Listopad (center) scored this 50+ Virginia ‘skie while fishin’ with Blue Ridge Musky.
Nicole Kelly was slingin’ a Medussa right before the full moon when this 51” French River monster struck. Congrats on the new PB Nicole! 👊
Pascal Dumont got this north-of-da-border beaut’ targeting a current area of Lake of the Woods. Nice work Pascal!🤘
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