Weirdest Musky Growth Ever? – Musky-Themed Christmas – Big Coldwater Bruisers
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Crankback Musky
Not gonna lie, this might be the weirdest musky injury we've seen yet....
Take a look:
This pic was sent in by Jimi Luketic – here's what he had to say about it:
"I caught this musky that must have swallowed a crankbait, and now the crankbait is growing out it's side!
"It was a very healthy fish. Struck my glide with great force and swam away fiercely!"
Apparently this musky has an affinity for hard baits....
Such a wild & unique injury. If someone recaptures this fish again, PLEASE send us a picture! Sure, you can ID a fish by it's markings or other features, but a chartreuse crankbait poking out of it's side is a dead giveaway.... 😅
Musky Spirit!
December is a time to get festive.... but of course, musky anglers have to do it a little differently than everyone else!
Here's a couple cool musky-themed Christmas-y shots we ran into this week:
First, we have a crazy snow'skie from Charles Weiss:
Chuck is an excellent artist who does a lot of neat musky art. Turns out "snow" is one of his many mediums! Having this sculpture in your driveway almost makes you hope the snow sticks around for a long time.... almost!
Next up, we have some tasty lookin' musky bait Christmas cookies courtesy of Mark Koopman in Ontario:
Last, but definitely not least, how cool are these yard lights from Nate Bud??
I officially NEED these lights in my yard.... 🔥🔥
(Send us any musky/holiday themed stuff you have cooked up this year!)
Btw, if you're still struggling to find a gift for that musky angler in your life that already has everything, give 'em a subscription to Musky Insider PRO.
You'll be gifting a wealth of knowledge from some of the top pros in the musky world + access to product discounts + we have plans to offer exclusive colors to members, something they for sure DON'T already have in their tackle boxes.
Check Rod Guides
There’s nothing worse than casting your favorite, expensive, custom musky bait and watching it go bye-bye FOREVER as your line breaks on a bomb-cast.
Even worse, what about breaking your line, fighting a huge musky. 🤮
Well, here's a quick tip that will help you avoid that 'oopsie'....
The vast majority of line breakage and failures happen due to cracked or chipped rod guides. Even a small micro-fracture inside the guide can do a surprising amount of damage to your line.
One of the best and most overlooked ways to identify nicks, cracks and fractures is with an X-Acto knife, slowly spin it inside each guide.
This tactic will find micro-fractures you might miss with your eyes or a Q-tip:
From MN guide Josh Borovsky:
"I learned this many years ago when bringing a rod into Thorne Brothers to have a chipped rod guide replaced. Before sending the rod back to the rod shop, they checked all my guides with an X-Acto knife and found another guide that had one of these micro-fractures. I have been checking them that way ever since."
Now's the time to knock this kinda stuff off your to-do list, before it totally slips your mind next spring....
This Week's Mashup:
Mashup time!
#1 – Some super-sweet musky ink from Sean Vanderburg, courtesy of the excellent artistic skills of Matt Grosso:
#2 – Looks like Lisa Marvin and the always impressive mustache of Joe Cooper in the reflection of this fishy sonar readout 👀
#3 – This hungry 'skie had no problem whackin' Donnie Manz' lure despite hunting at night with one eye gone!
#4 – Wanna talk about "natural" presentations?? Check out this sweet custom "spottail shiner" color (via Taps & Tackle) on a 10" Poseidon swimbait 🔥
QUICK HITTERS:
– 5 musky day on Vermilion w/ Luke Ronnestrand (video)
– New moon musky fishing w/ Todays Angler (video)
– Lost episode, new water muskies w/ Smiths Fishing (video)
– River muskies on sucker rigs w/ AA (video)
– Northwoods musky fishing w/ Matt Vavroch (video)
THIS WEEK'S MONSTER MUSKIES:
Feast your eyes on this absolute tank of a northern WI musky from John Brashler.
Congrats on the beauty 50+ inch bronzie! 💪
Big props to Nate Murphy on poppin' this seriously porky 52-inch Minnesota 'skie after dark! #nighthawk
Excellent Upper French River bruiser sent in by Scott Scarpelli:
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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