Supermoon Shhtuff – Musky Location Tips – Musky Surgery
Be the FIRST to see Musky Insider every week by signing up for the email version of this newsletter. It's 100% free and we will never sell your email address! Click here to sign up and never miss another issue.
Less Obvious = More Betterer??
One of the biggest benefits of being a fishin' guide is you get to spend time on the water almost every day. Usually, that's a recipe for finding shhtuff that most folks don't have time to track down.
This week, we reached out to MN musky guide Ryan McMahon and asked if he learned anything in 2019 that was worth sharing in the newsletter. So, without further ado.....
"My 2019 Musky season was very steady compared to past seasons.
"This meaning we were catching fish pretty consistently from day to day with very few banner days and shall we say... few (relatively speaking) skunk days. This steadiness was achieved by a combination of new and old tricks. At times I’d rely on some of my old knowledge or patterns of yesteryear, while other times I’d credit my success to a new spot or technique.
"One pattern that’s always been a great one for me, even long before I started guiding (which is 10 years now), is the shallow pattern we get in Minnesota in late summer/early fall. Fish push up shallow when the water temps start to cool with shorter days and drier nights. Bucktails and topwaters are some of the best options when fish are found in tight. This past season was no exception, however I was finding fish on some very peculiar small spots that could easily be overlooked.
"Large sand flats and main lake rock/gravel piles are always the first place I look for shallow muskies. This past year I seemed to find muskies holding to very small pieces of cover that would be hard to even call "spots". Sometimes it would be a dock, one boulder, or even a buoy mooring.
"These spots, or objects usually only take a couple of casts to find out if there are fish on them or not, and some can be checked with Side Imaging as well. If fish are holding to even the smallest bit of cover, I think they feel as though they are hiding. This puts them in ambush mode instinctually. When a bait comes by they are more apt to chase it down.
"Keep this in mind next year if your favorite shallow spots have run dry!"
We like to think of muskies as the masters of their domain (and they are), but like Ryan laid out, they aren't always on the biggest, most obvious spots. Keep an eye out for the smaller, less prominent stuff, especially if you're fishin' pressured fisheries.
Attn: Moon Watchers
Not THAT kind of "Moon Watcher" 😂
Since most musky fishermen like to feature themselves as part-time astrologists, lets take a moment to look at some moon related news for 2020.
Sounds like there's going to be 13 full moons this year, with TWO falling in October – that's good news for the northern boys chasin' fall 'skies. We'll also have two supermoons, both early in the year (March 9 and April 7) – good news for the southern sticks.
Here's a quick peek at this year's moons:
Now you can get those "sick days" scheduled in the calendar. haha
Weather always trumps moon when you're talkin' about the overall quality of a day on the water, but full moons (especially supermoons) can supercharge the key bite window, leading to more and bigger fish in the boat.
Supermoons are full moons that occur when the moon is closest to the earth. Closer = better, but that's a topic for a future newsletter....
Musky Surgery Vid
If you're stuck in the house this weekend with nothing to do, why not sit on the couch with your significant other and watch Jordan Weeks performing surgery on a musky:
It's nothing too crazy, but definitely not something you see everyday.
Musky science can be SUPER interesting and few can communicate it the way Jordan has been able to over the years.
Ohio Musky Show
Sounds like it's been a strong turnout this weekend at the first musky show of the year. We don't have boots on the ground, so no "inside" info to share with y'all, but we've been seeing some stuff on social media though. Nothing too crazy or we'd share it here.
Looks like Duff brought a few Liplocks, guessing those didn't last long....
If you've got any photos from the show, make sure to send 'em our way! Cool baits, colors, funny stuff, etc.
My truck won't start and there's snow to be shoveled, but everyone in Ohio gets to enjoy 60-degree temps and some good musky talk. I'm not salty....😉
QUICK HITTERS:
– Central WI Musky Opener w/ Keyes Outdoors (video)
– 5 musky day on LOTW w/ Doug Wegner (video)
– Chicago Muskie Expo, Jan 17-19 (link)
– St. Croix Rods adds Digital Marketing guy (link)
– Spring musky trolling w/ Slime Quest TV (video)
– 8 year old makes a Musky Lure (video)
THIS WEEK'S LUNAR TIMES:
(Times based on Minneapolis)
THIS WEEK'S MONSTER MUSKIES:
Doug Wegner caught this sweet LOTW 'skie throwing a Stagger bucktail. You can watch him stick it on the figure 8 on his YT video.
Not a monster, but we like to mix in a few hardwater muskies, since you don't see 'em too often.
What's better than catching your first-ever 50 inch musky? Landin' her during a tournament, of course! Props to Esox Evolution on a central Pennsylvania dandy.
Look at this hefty river runnin' beef cake from Tyrus Trampel in Illinois!
Want to see more from Musky Insider? Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for bonus content throughout the week!