Sand Secrets - Jungle Bite - Angles Matter

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Sand Spot Secrets

This week we had an A+ Insider PRO Live Q&A with Mike Kramer and Josh Borovsky. It was a finger-on-the-pulse, stream-of-consciousness look at the musky bite right now. With Mike spending time on both western MN lakes and Lake of the Woods, and Josh recently transitioning from Vermilion to the metro, they covered a ton of ground and dropped some sneaky good tips.

One member asked about how to find and fish sand areas, which sparked some killer advice:

Josh reminded everyone of a class in our Insider PRO library that walks step-by-step through researching and scouting new water, including how to zero in on inside weedlines and sand spots:

Step 1. Plug into Google Earth on your computer.

Step 2. If possible, connect to a big-screen TV for more detail and scale.

Step 3. Start with an area you know has sand (like a swimming beach).

Step 4. Use that visual as your reference, then scroll around and find more. 👀

Josh’s tip: “Sand areas are often at their best when it’s cloudy, windy, or dark. If you don’t map them out first, you’ll struggle with boat control and waste casts into weeds. Doing your homework is important. “

“You can drop waypoints on sand spots you find in Google Earth and then transfer them to your graph so you can run right to them on the water.”

Mike agreed and added his own go-to:

“I use the new LakeMaster Premium chip with VX technology. It gives you satellite imagery of the lakes. I’ll find a shallow area holding fish, then study the imagery for similar areas to run while I’m on the water.”

From there, Josh and Mike dove into boat positioning, casting angles, wind adjustments, and bait selection — plus some “crystal ball” predictions for what’s coming with the next cold front.

They even teased a new custom Kramer Bros bait that will be available exclusively for Insider PRO members.

👉 If you’re a PRO member and missed the live session, the replay is already in the portal. Stay tuned for more details on custom baits.

Not a member yet? This is your chance to join before doors close. Sign up here. 

⏰ Registration closes September 30 at 11:59 PM CST.

It’s also the last chance to lock in at the current price. Current members are safe from the increase, but new members will see higher pricing after this deadline.

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Welcome to the Jungle – Fishing the Slop with Aiden Johnson

Fall muskies love to keep you guessing. One minute they’re chewing, the next they ghost you harder than your buddy after “borrowing” your favorite bucktail.

Aiden Johnson recently shared a sneaky fall pattern on the Musky Road Rules podcast with Gregg Thomas for when fish are playing hide-and-seek. He calls it…

👉 The Jungle Bite 👀

Lost in the Weeds

“I was able to find a crazy weird and unique bite, where some of the fish were sitting in 3-5 feet of just some of the thickest weeds in the lake. I actually called it the Jungle Bite because they were buried so far back in these weeds.”

 

Topwater Still Plays

Topwater maniacs, don’t worry. You’re still invited. Prop baits, flap tails, walk-the-dogs… anything you trust to ride over or sneak through cabbage can pull fish out of the slop.

When’s the Jungle Open?

“When I first found the bite, the water temp was around 67°-68°, and it actually lasted until 59°-58°. So it went decently late in the year. Mid-October, they were still up there when traditionally I’d caught them on suckers at that point.”

👉 Translation: Even when everyone else is soaking suckers, you may still find fish shallow in the weeds.

Final Thought

The water is still a bit warm for this time of year. But as things cool down, don’t be afraid to send a bait deep into the jungle.

And if you stick one in the thick stuff, send us a pic. 😉

 

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Don’t Let Your Angles Steal Your ‘Skies

Been seeing a ton of vids lately where one simple mistake is costing people fish. Cast angles hardly get talked about. When they do, the conversation is usually about current, sun angle, or boat control. All important, but the way you angle your cast can make or break both your hookset and your figure-8.

Hooksets

Ever get smoked and feel like the rod almost got ripped out of your hands? That usually happens because the weak point of your grip, the seam between your thumb and fingertips, was facing the fish. 

Personal safety/self defense instructors will teach you to look for weak grip points when an assailant grabs your arm. It's fairly easy to rip your arm free if you pull in the direction of that weak point.

Anytime you hold something there is a strong side and a weak side to your grip. If the fish pulls into the weak seam, you lose leverage and the rod can actually get pulled from your hands if the angle is bad enough and the strike forceful enough. If the strong part is facing the fish, the strike drives the rod into your hand and the strong part of your grip.

Quick rule: If you reel with your right hand, fish off the port (passenger) side. If you reel lefty, fish starboard (driver) side. Cast perpendicular or slightly behind the boat and you are set up with the strong part of your grip facing the fish.

Casting a little ahead is usually fine because the boat’s forward motion changes the angle and brings your retrieve back into that stronger position. But cast too far forward and you expose that weak seam again. Now you are handcuffed on the hookset.

Figure-8s

Figure-8s usually work better on the port side for right-hand reels. Sweeping left to right along the port side keeps the strong part of your grip facing the bait. On top of that, the boat’s forward motion accelerates your bait as you sweep helping keep a fish engaged and helps prevent any hiccups or slowing down during this transition.

If you cast too far ahead of the boat, you can end up sweeping right to left (bow to stern) and the boat movement actually slows the bait down instead of speeding it up. That sudden loss of speed can make a hot fish lose interest real quick. Worse yet, it exposes the weak part of your grip when you need leverage the most.

Note: If you reel with your left-hand, flip everything. Cast on the starboard side and sweep right to left. 

Quick checklist before you cast

✅ Which hand do you reel with?

✅ Which side of the boat are you on?

✅ Is your cast slightly ahead (okay) or way too far ahead (bad)?

Exception: If you are fishing with a buddy who reels with the opposite hand. One of you may end up on the wrong side. The bad angles for the right handed person will be the good angles for the lefty and vice versa. But your 8’s will still get slowed down.

Rethink the angle before you fire. Not every missed opportunity is about lure choice.

Rex Kwon Do would be proud. Who knew those moves could land more ‘skies? 🤷

#2 – Wild to see a “basement bait” our Musky Insider PRO crew had a full year head start on finally spread its wings.

The Hybrid, now made by Boss Shad, just landed at Ezoko Tackle . Grab ‘em quick, these should be 🔥 this fall!

#3 – What started from humble beginnings in 15-gallon batches has grown into Rocky Reef Brewing’s flagship and best-selling beer: Musky Bite. Cheers to that! 🍺🐟

#4 – This 48” beauty from Sallenbach Fish Art is rockin’ a Copper/Green Patina suit - classy AND mean.

Joe Shay with a Northern Wisconsin beauty! His son Joey (also pictured) was on net duty and sealed the deal like a pro. Way to go Joe! 👊

Nothing like cashing in with a 51.5”! Jon Jacobson’s homemade bucktail fooled this LOTW giant at his Muskies Inc. Chapter Challenge, and it was big enough to take the big fish pot.

Fifty-inchers don’t come easy on the pressured metro waters, but Insider PRO member Nathan Hendrickson did his homework and bagged this one on a Pink Day. Nicely done, Nathan! 👊

Pink Days are when the biggest fish in the system are most vulnerable to being caught. As an Insider PRO member, you get all the Pink Day dates along with our Big Fish analytics that predict which waters are most likely to produce giants on those days.

⏰ Registration (link) closes September 30 at 11:59 PM CST. After that the price goes up. Current members are locked in, but if you’re not in yet, this is your last chance at the lower rate. 

 

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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