PMTT Q1 Deets - Musky Deja Vu - 70% Stocking Cut
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PMTT Kick Off on Cave Run
The PMTT kicked off the 2026 season on Cave Run (April 26 to 27), and this ‘skie caught by Keith and Kevin Strasser was one of two 40.25” fish that tied for big fish of the event.
Their deal was adjusting on the fly.
They started out casting but kept seeing bait out deeper. Once they made the switch to trolling and started grinding smaller shad and crappie colored baits around bait and bottom, things clicked.
Their 39” was the difference-maker.
2nd Place – Lederer & Neko
Fred Lederer and Vlad Neko committed to trolling all week.
They were working about 10 feet down over 25 feet, bouncin’ baits through structure and bait balls using Ziggy crankbaits in a frog pattern with aggressive turns.
They felt confident in it prefishing and were in the lead with a double (37.5” and 34”) after Day 1… but they just could not get the same bites to go on Day 2.
3rd Place – Trail & Handlogten
Musky Insider PRO instructor Ken Trail and his partner Michael Handlogten moved a pile of fish on Day 1 but could not get them to eat.
They stayed on ‘em and capitalized on Day 2, putting two fish in the net on Hot Tail dive and rise baits worked aggressively and deeper.
Once they got the first one in, it settled things down and they were able to double up on Day 2 with 37.25” and 33.25” fish.
4th Place – Frautschi & Bayer
Keith and Kevin Strasser mixed it up but found their key fish trolling after noticing bait sliding deeper off flats and wood.
Their 40.25” was the big fish on Saturday and came after spotting it on electronics and running right over it.
Here’s how the rest of the top 10 shook out:
What Actually Worked:
Zoom out and a few things stand out.
Low and clear water pushed fish off the obvious shallow cover. A lot of them were set up deeper or just off structure instead of right on it.
This was not a dialed-in pattern and go kind of event. (Except for maybe one team… 👀)
It was a find the bait, move with it, adjust, and grind it out deal.
And the teams that committed to adapting were the ones standing on stage.
Next stop is Three Lakes and Eagle River, WI on June 27 and 28.That one could look a whole lot different.
50 Inch Déjà Vu
It’s not every day that a 50-inch class fish gets bested. Those big girls seem to have a knack for being wherever your lure isn’t. 😉
Safe to say they’re a little more educated than your average musky...
Or are they?
This story starts back in June of 2019, when Justin Zirbes and his buddy landed the beautiful 49.5” Northern Minnesota musky (pictured above) in some prime prefrontal conditions...
She chowed a pearl/orange Hooker Seducer in the figure-8 out of nowhere.
Morning storm movin’ in… and boom, boatside biggin’ in the bag. It doesn’t get much better than that!
Fast forward 2 years to July 10, 2021.
Justin was on a solo mission on a calm, glassy morning when he struck gold.
This 50.5” bruiser crushed a custom walleye color Chaos Tackle Mid Medussa way out on the cast.
Now jump ahead 4 more years to September 30th, 2025.
Justin was out with his dad on a windy fall day when his dad hooked into this 51.5” monster...
This brute hammered a perch colored Savage Gear 3D Sucker X-Tail way out on the cast, up shallow.
The fight came with its fair share of chaos.
Justin may have ended up takin’ a dip in the process... 😏
“I actually went head over heels into the lake trying to get her in the net. Swam back to the boat against the wind with the net in one hand, and still managed to get her in. Didn’t lose my sunglasses, hat, or net.”
Way to show some hustle Justin. 👏
Kinda reminds us of Matt Ross, who was featured in a 2019 newsletter while netting a fish after takin’ a dip in the drink...
After some soggy pics with the 51.5” giant, they sent her back where she came from.
Little did they know, there was something very familiar about this fish… 👀
If ya’ got a good sense of deductive reasoning, you may have already figured out where this is going…
Yep. It was all the same fish.
The fish knew the whole time… it just took Justin’s crew 6 years to figure it out. 😂
And one of the coolest things about this triple recapture?
She ate within 50 yards of the exact same location every time.
Safe to say Justin’s got a waypoint right in this big girl’s living room.
The similarities don’t stop there either.
They always say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and this fish definitely takes that to heart.
Natural colorways like walleye and perch, paired with baits that had a little hangtime, seemed to be the ticket for Justin.
Smartest fish in freshwater, they say.
Well here’s her report card: 🧠
✅ Hangs out in the same 50 yard stretch for 6 years: F in relocation
✅ Same 20 minute breakfast window year after year: F in switching up the schedule
✅ Can’t tell an artificial bait from live bait: F in bait recognition
✅ Been in the same boat three times and still doesn’t recognize it: F in pattern recognition
Maybe they aren’t as intelligent as we let on… 😉
Or maybe the real takeaway here is simple:
Find ‘em once… and you might just find ‘em again.
70% Cut in WI Musky Stocking
Yep… you read that right.
The Wisconsin DNR is cutting musky stocking by roughly 70 percent this year, which works out to around 40,000 fewer fish going into the water. And it’s not just muskies either… hatcheries are already shuttin’ down, and key fisheries work is getting scaled back right as we roll into the heart of spring.
Not exactly what you want to hear heading into the season…
So why is that even needed?
Because the system funding all of this has quietly fallen behind.
A Wisconsin resident fishing license costs 20 bucks, and that price has not meaningfully changed since 2005. Meanwhile, costs for labor, fuel, equipment, hatchery operations, and infrastructure have all climbed.
That same 20 bucks just does not carry the weight it used to.
Where does that money actually go?
Fishing license revenue flows into the state’s Fish and Wildlife Account. That account supports fisheries work like stocking and surveys, but it also funds wildlife programs, conservation law enforcement, and administrative costs tied to those efforts.
So it’s not a straight line from your fishing license to more fish in the lake.
From an angler’s perspective, you’re paying to fish and now seeing stocking cut by 70 percent. Easy to see why people are scratching their heads.
There has also been chatter about license money being used for unrelated programs. The reality is those dollars are required to stay within conservation programs. They are not being pulled out for roads or random state spending. But they are shared across multiple priorities, not just fisheries, which is where the disconnect comes from.
Now layer in the current problem...
The state has already moved money to help cover a larger funding gap, and there are millions of dollars sitting there.
The issue is that the DNR cannot access or spend it yet. It still has to go through the legislative approval process before that money can be used. And while that process plays out, the calendar keeps moving.
So instead of waiting around, cuts are already happening. Musky stocking is being reduced by about 70 percent, hatcheries like Brule and Osceola have already shut down, and other fisheries work is being scaled back.
That is not trimming around the edges... that is a pretty good shot to the gut.
Timing could not be worse
All of this is happening during the spring stocking window, during the spawn, and right as opener is knocking on the door. Even if funding gets approved soon, some of this is already locked in for 2026.
The bigger picture
Bottom line
This is already happening.
Not exactly the direction anyone wants to see things heading.
This is one of those times where speaking up actually matters. That $2.9 million funding request is still working its way through the legislature right now, and approval from the Joint Committee on Finance is what unlocks that money.
If you support funding for fisheries, hatcheries, and conservation work, now is the time to speak up.
Because once a season like this slips by… you do not get a do-over.
#1 – They finally hit the shelves at Ezoko. The Livingston Menace and Critter just dropped… built to trigger reaction bites from big pike and muskies. 🎯
#2 – This feisty fifty comes outta nowhere and absolutely lunches Dkam Fishing’s glide with zero hesitation.
#3 – KGWoodcraft Art (link) shows off this 48” barred musky, carved from butternut and cherry wood. Those grain lines are hittin’ like bars.
#4 – Ran across these sweet musky themed tees from Trueglide Small Batch Baits and these were the standouts. The kind you don’t mind reppin’ on or off the water.
QUICK HITTERS:
– MN High School Champ 2025 (video) w/ Keyes Outdoors Musky Hunting Adventures
– October Musky Fishing!! - 3 Musky DAY!! - 2025 (video) w/ Todays Angler
– BIG MUSKY STORIES - THAT WE HAVE NOT TALKED ABOUT (video) w/ Smith’s Fishing Outdoors
– As GOOD as it gets in Musky fishing!! (video) w/ Musky Guarantee Guide Service
– Wisconsin is home to one of the largest musky hatcheries in the world (video) w/ WCCO - CBS Minnesota
– They Couldn’t Resist This Bait… (Eagle Lake Muskies | VLOG 7) (video) w/ Beyond the 8
Green Bay kicked out a proper giant, and Karen McTavish was the one holding the proof. Sun rays, smiles, and one heck of a backdrop.
Sam Burke shows off a thick 47” that crushed a jointed crank and turned a beautiful morning into a perfect one.
Some days you grind… some days it only takes 10 minutes. Daniel Phillips pops a PB right outta the gate, and she’s built like she hasn’t missed a meal in months.
Noa Oliveira-Hill puts a stamp on things with this 53” giant that absolutely detonated a boatside topwater. If that doesn’t get you daydreamin’ about long summer evenings, nothing will
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