Overlooked Lures, Musky Memes & Art, Big Muskies that Look Tiny
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4 Lists of 4
We're going to do something a little bit different this week....
We put together 4 lists of 4 things we thought you might find helpful, interesting or entertaining. Here's what you can expect:
- Four overlooked baits to dig out of your grandpa's old tackle box
- Four ways to make big muskies look small
- Four musky memes to share with your buddies
- Four realllly cool pieces of musky art
Without further ado, let's get into the first list!
4 Overlooked Musky Baits
The In-Fish boys reached out recently, lookin' for some thoughts on an upcoming magazine article featuring some classic, "forgotten" baits that still catch a bunch of fish, but don't get much love from anglers anymore.
You can read the article by clicking here – now let's look at four of Josh Borovsky's top picks that didn't make the writeup:
SHUMWAY FUNKY CHICKEN
The Funky Chicken has been around for a long time, but it's still a great tool if you're on a hot "speed bite". They move through the water with very little resistance, allowing you to fish them fast all day without killing your arms.
Another overlooked advantage is with less drag at high speeds, you can figure-8 these baits wider and smoother without a loaded rod and have some juice left in the tank to accelerate and play keep away from the fish.
HUGHES RIVER GLIDER
The Hughes River Gliders have always been tough to come by, even when they were popular. This bait was WAY ahead of it's time with it's stellar design and a bomb-proof clear coat.
My small collection helped me win a World Championship on the PMTT and produced fish on camera during my very first filming sessions with both James Lindner and Pete Maina back in the day. I will always owe a debt of gratitude to these baits for producing in those high pressure situations.
Various models have different shapes and actions, but overall the Hughes River baits are known for having big, wide glides and an irresistible shimmy on the pause.
MEPPS MUSKY KILLER
The Mepps Musky Killer is one of those bucktails that's been around forever. The single French blade starts up well on it's thin wire, and this line of baits has always been known for their sticky hooks that need very little touching up out of the box. It's also one of the best performing and hooking percentage baits on the figure-8.
Don't get me wrong, I love my double bladed bucktails (Staggers, etc.).... but the Musky Killer is still a player in today's musky arsenal. This is especially true in 2020 when there are way more doubles being thrown than singles. Showing the fish something different from the masses can work in your favor, especially on pressured waters.
MUSKY BUSTER TOPWALKER
Over the years, the Topwalker has lost a lot of it's following to the more aerodynamic wood and plastic "plop plop" baits that make a similar sound, but can be casted further distances. That said, this bait still catches fish and it still has two primary advantages working in it's favor. First of all, it might be the best hooking percentage topwater out there. When fish blow up on the bait and make contact, they usually end up finding hooks.
Additionally, it's an excellent lure for fishing over emergent weed beds. Most similar topwaters have belly hooks that grab the weeds and foul up in these situations. It's treble hooks ride much higher in the water and is located directly behind the rotating head prop which runs interference and pushes weeds away from the hook, making this the cleanest, most efficient of the bunch when it comes to toppers.
Making Monsters Look Tiny
We recently stumbled upon a FB thread from Dan Joseph talkin' about monster musky photos that don't quite do the fish justice.
Naturally, a bunch of folks shared their best "worst" musky pics.
Here's four of our favorites:
Have a feeling most folks won't believe Tim Lautenslager when he tells 'em this skinny tail-curler went 51 inches long. #TrustMeGuys
Adam Jezni gets some bonus points for the sleeveless bald eagle shirt, but this long, lean 52 incher looks like she belongs in the daycare for whatever reason:
Dakota Conley did a stellar job catching this beautiful 50 incher from shore, but his cameraman must be afraid of the water because it looks like this photo was taken from an airplane!
Seems like one of the biggest problems is most of these fish are skinny.
Well, here's a 50 inch chunker from Robert G. Parteka that somehow managed to hide her monstrosity from the camera.
They say the camera adds 10 pounds..... Turns out, that's not always true!
These photos remind me of a rant from Pete Maina talkin' about bump board photos and providing "proof" to the social media masses that you caught a big fish:
4 Musky Memes
We've been a little light on the memes the last few weeks, so here's a few good ones you'll definitely enjoy:
This one's for all you walleye and bass anglers.... 😉
Is it just me or does it look like this gal lost a bet with her fishin' partner....
Or maybe this is just how the kids style-up nowadays?
Not sure what add more years to your life.... a rough season of musky fishing or a year in the White House.
I guess it depends on how many 50's you dump at the side of the boat!
Fishing for muskies is like becoming a parent, your priorities change and your "normal" buddies think you're crazy.
Unique Musky Art
Let's wrap up our 4 lists of 4 with some sweet musky artwork:
First up, check out this awesome piece by Alexandra in Barrie, Ontario:
Really diggin' this piece from Georgian Bay Driftwood Art, too!
Violetta Jackowski Talley did a killer job on this custom engraved cork handle:
I would 10-outta-10 hang this sweet fly 'skie painting in my office – Cory Streett did an excellent job 👌
QUICK HITTERS:
– PMTT Chippewa Flowage this weekend (link)
– Muskies Inc. George Wahl tourney on Saturday (link)
– Early September musky fishing w/ Burnin’ Eights (video)
– Boatside smack on Lake St. Clair (video)
– Small River musky fishing w/ Todays Angler (video)
– Waters & Woods in Minnesota in early fall (video)
– Northern WI jet boat musky fishing w/ Angling Anarchy (video)
– West Virginia musky fisheries & overview (link)
– Mike Keyes on “Professional Overrun” podcast (video)
THIS WEEK'S MONSTER MUSKIES:
Looks like catchin' big muskies runs in the family! Big props to Danny Herbeck (Herbie's son) on stickin' this 55.5 inch Eagle Lake mega-monster!
Congrats to Josh Rabska on putting his new PB 'skie in the boat with this healthy 53.5 inch sea serpent!
Benjamin Knutson boated this big bodied 55.5 x 24 inch cruise missile night fishin' in the Land of 11,842 Lakes! 💪
Gotta love it when a father-son canoe ride ends with a 50 inch musky in the boat – that's an experience James Friesen and his son Caleb won't soon forget!
Wanna be featured on 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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