As Fisheries Evolve, So Should We
“If you ever think you know it all, you’re missing the boat.”
Coming from someone who has spent nearly two decades guiding Lake St. Clair and competing at the highest levels of musky tournament fishing, that’s a quote worth paying attention to.
During our latest Musky Insider PRO LIVE Q&A, accomplished tournament angler and longtime Lake St. Clair guide Spencer Berman shared several examples of how both the fishery and his approach to fishing it have continued to evolve over the past few seasons.
Case in point...
Smaller Baits Are Becoming Bigger Players
One thing that really caught our attention was that this wasn’t the first time we’d heard about this trend.
Last fall, during our LIVE Q&A with Jason Quintano, he told PRO members he was seeing a noticeable shift toward smaller trolling baits on Lake St. Clair.
Now Spencer is seeing many of those same trends from the casting side.
After years of relying heavily on Pounders, he says smaller rubber like Pit Bulls and smaller Medusas have become increasingly productive during much of the season. He also shared several newer swimbaits that have earned permanent spots on his deck.
Neither guide claims to know exactly why it’s happenin’.
They simply know the fish are telling ‘em something different than they were a few years ago.
Finding the Right Water Color
Another topic Spencer emphasized was water color.
Rather than simply fishing historically productive areas, Spencer pays close attention to how wind direction and intensity change water color across the lake. By combining satellite imagery with on-the-water observations, he can often predict where baitfish and active muskies are most likely to concentrate.
On St. Clair, findin’ the “right” green water can completely change the quality of an area, and some of his most productive locations are where those water color transitions intersect with good structure or weed growth.
Sometimes the Fish Rewrite the Rules
Perhaps Spencer’s biggest lesson came from last season.
Poor weed growth pushed fish into areas he normally wouldn’t have considered productive. That shift became impossible to ignore after one of the top finishing teams in a tournament found success by targeting gin-clear, 20-foot water that many experienced St. Clair anglers, including Spencer himself, had spent years avoiding.
It was another reminder that one of the biggest mistakes musky anglers can make is assuming the fish will always follow yesterday’s rules.
As Spencer put it...
“If you ever think you know it all, you’re missing the boat.”
It’s a good reminder that the best musky anglers aren’t the ones who think they’ve solved the puzzle.
They’re the ones who keep paying attention when the fish decide to shuffle the deck.
This Q&A was jam-packed with way more information than we could ever squeeze into one newsletter.
Josh and Spencer also discussed current conditions and seasonal patterns on their respective waters, new swimbaits, night fishing adjustments, channel strategies, triggering reluctant fish, and answered nearly an hour of live member questions.
If you’re already an Insider PRO member and missed the live session, you can find the full recording waiting for you inside the member portal.
If you’re not a member, registration closes July 7, making this your last chance to join before enrollment closes again. Along with Spencer’s full Q&A, you’ll also get immediate access to our growing library of Q&As and classes featuring many of the biggest names in musky fishing.
Our next LIVE Q&A takes place Tuesday, July 7 at 7:00 PM CST with MN guide Dan Craven. Get signed up here and join us live.
The Science Behind Better Muskie Releases
Nobody wants to watch a big girl kick away… only to wonder if she actually made it.
Fortunately, fisheries biologist and Musky Insider PRO instructor Dr. Sean Landsman has spent years researching exactly that.
Landsman recently discussed the science of catch-and-release with lure builder Mike Spratt for an excellent article published in the Muskies Canada Release Journal. While there are plenty of little things anglers debate, the research points to three big priorities every musky angler should keep in mind.
✅ Minimize Air Exposure
One of the biggest misconceptions in musky fishing is that the stressful part ends when the fish hits the net.
In reality, while you’re getting hooks out, measuring the fish, and snapping photos, that musky is still dealing with depleted energy reserves, disrupted oxygen exchange, and other physiological stresses.
One fascinating finding from research conducted through Carleton University’s Cooke Lab is that stress-related potassium buildup may even contribute to cardiac arrest in fish.
The takeaway? Every extra second out of the water matters.
⭐️ Bonus Tip
Musky Insider PRO instructor Josh Borovsky shared one additional tip that has sped up countless releases over the years.
“Obviously, the ideal scenario is to never remove the fish from the water at all, especially in warm water or anytime you’ve already seen red flags during the fight or hook removal.
But let’s be realistic. Many anglers are still going to take a quick photo and lay the fish on a bump board.
If you’re going to do that, here’s one simple change that can save valuable time:
Take your photos first. Measure the fish second.”
Here’s why:
1. Your photographer is already locked in and can start firing photos the instant the fish comes out of the water.
2. Once the photos are finished, the photographer is free to help stabilize the fish on the bump board if it starts to flop.
3. Fish also tend to be noticeably calmer on the bump board after photos than they are if you measure them first.
You might be surprised if you time yourself. This simple adjustment can shave valuable seconds off the release process.
✅ Avoid Dry Surfaces
A muskie’s slime coat isn’t just slime… it’s one of its first lines of defense against infection.
Laying a fish on dry carpet, the boat floor, or even a dry bump board can damage that protective coating.
Whenever possible, keep the fish in the water while removing hooks. If you’re using a bump board, dunk it first. Better yet, many floating bump boards can be used right alongside the boat without ever bringing the fish fully out of the water.
✅ Adapt to the Fish
This may be the biggest takeaway of all.
Not every musky should be handled the same way.
A fish that came in quickly and was hooked cleanly isn’t dealing with the same level of stress as one that battled for several minutes, inhaled a bait, got wrapped in the net, was caught in warm water, or required an extended hook removal.
Those fish have already burned through more energy and experienced more stress, so they deserve an even quicker, lower-impact release.
Think of every release as a game-time decision. The more stress the fish has already experienced, the more important it becomes to shorten photos, skip unnecessary handling, and get her back in the water.
At the end of the day, every musky we catch is a privilege. None of us can eliminate post-release mortality completely, but we can stack the odds in the fish’s favor by focusing on what matters most.
The next time you get one in the bag, remember these three takeaways:
✅ Minimize air exposure.
✅ Avoid dry surface contact.
✅ Adapt your handling to what that particular fish has been through.
Those few extra seconds of planning could help ensure someone else gets to experience that same heart-stopping eat years down the road.
Want to dive deeper?
This article highlights a few of the biggest takeaways, but Mike Spratt’s full write-up includes additional details, equipment recommendations, and release tips we simply didn’t have room to cover here.
You can read the complete article here or watch Mike’s original video here.
This Week's Mashup:
Mashup time!
#1 – How about getting your 7-year-old’s first musky on camera with a visual strike like this? 🤯 Safe to say this is one video that’ll be replayed for years to come. 🎣📹 (Video)
#2 – The BL8NKT Striker has officially landed at Ezoko. 🔥 Handmade, dialed in, and now available in four sizes so you can match the hatch or just feed your glide bait addiction. Which one are you tying on first?
#3 – This paint job by Mike Conklyn is absolutely bananas. 🍌 We’re not superstitious… just a little stitious. Lay your eyes on the Musquita sticker detail. 👀
#4 – Move over Dr. Frankenstein. David Bowman of Salvage Dolls is bringing muskies to life. The self-taught kinetic sculptor just unleashed Sherman the Muskellunge, powered by his custom-built android energy source, Orichalcum. Built from repurposed materials and a healthy dose of genius, this creation looks like it swam straight out of a steampunk fever dream.
QUICK HITTERS:
– Muskie Fishing Is Changing Fast | Pete Maina on Pressure, Tech & Conservation (video) w/ AnglingBuzz
– STUBBORN June MUSKIES!! (video) w/ Todays Angler
– MUSKIES ON BUCKTAILS IN SOUTHERN WISCONSIN!! - Musky Fishing Summer Conditions (video) w/ Angling Anarchy
– MUSKY TOPWATER - LOVE THE CHASE (video) w/ Smith’s Fishing Outdoors
– The SECRET to GIANT Muskies: Tracking Baitfish Movements! (video) w/ Musky Mastery
This Week's Monster Muskies:
Just another day in paradise for Cole Spiring. A little Lake of the Woods magic and a whole lotta musky to handle.
Lance made the most of opening weekend, putting this sunrise ‘skie in the bag with Cole Martin. Hard to script a better start.
With storms closing in on a Pink Day, Jordan Piper rolled the dice on “one last spot” and it delivered. This beast absolutely hammered her bucktail as the tornado warnings fired up. Talk about a wild ride to a new personal best!
Storm fronts and big muskies… name a more dangerous combo. Kris Alexander stuck this fifty, one of two giants that fired up as lightning flashed around them.
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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