WILD Musky Vids – FRESH New Baits – Icy Coldwater Musky Tips
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Seriously Impressive Catches
Let's kick this week's newsletter off with a couple sweet GIFs....
First up, Matt McDonald figure 8's a portly Mille Lacs 'skie:
Fall musky fishing on the "Pond" is the grind of all grinds, but the dream is still alive for those fortunate enough to hookup. Sticking a fish like this at boatside is every musky commandos dream!
Click here to watch the FULL video from Matt.
Next up, Kristine Fischer wrangles up a big water musky from a tiny kayak:
Not the biggest fish you'll see this week, but insanely impressive fishin' a giant body of water like LSC from a stinkin' KAYAK!
Icy Cold Musky Tips
As Ben Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Truer words have never been spoken, especially if you're chasin' late fall muskies in frigid cold temps. Josh Borovsky shares a few precautions you should be taking over the next week or two of up-north musky season:
1. Make sure to pack a thermos of boiling water and a blow torch.
First, here's an important equation you need to familiarize yourself with:
Water + Sub-32° Temps = ICE
One of the most common problems you'll have this time of year is your trolling motor freezing to the bracket while you fish a spot. Waves and spray from the lake can freeze up the controls on your kicker motor and other random functions/buttons on your boat, as well.
The blowtorch can solve many of these problems, but if you’re working near flammable fuel lines, boiling water is a safer option. If you forget your thermos and don't have a torch, you might be able to use the warm water discharged from your outboard in a pinch.
2. Pack a few cans of WD-40 specialist formula with silicone
Before you drop your trolling motor into the water for the first time, remove all ice from the metal base and douse it with WD-40. Also, spray the shaft and various moving parts. This should solve many problems before they begin.
This works great for reels, too. Before you make your first cast, spray the level wind area and saturate your spools of line with WD-40 to help prevent freeze-ups. I like to remove quite a bit of line from the spool this time of year, too. It takes longer for your reels to freeze up and gives a lot more clearance for chiseling out ice. It also allows for extra room to deal with “line swell” throughout the day.
3. Avoid slippery floors
On days when temps are below freezing and you're dealing with big waves or precipitation, your boat deck will turn into an ice rink. Industrial restaurant floor mats with holes stay tacky and grippy, as snow and rain filters through the holes all day.
4. Keep your hands toasty
To keep my hands warm, I like to wear black latex gloves underneath a thinner pair of Ice Armor gloves. I'll stick an adhesive toe warmer to the inside of the glove so it warms the back of my hand where the blood vessels are. This keeps my hands warm without hindering dexterity.
Fresh New Stuff
There will be plenty of new products to talk about with show season just around the corner, but here's a couple early releases you'll wanna check out:
First up – Frenzy's new 10/12 Stagger (left) should be a popular pick next season for the big blade burners.
They also released an 8/9 Stagger Blade Attachment (right) that attaches to swimbaits, rubber, beavers, custom bucktail skirts, etc. Endless possibilities to pair up with the classic one-piece MuskyFrenzy clevis.
Maybe this pic will get your wheels turnin':
Now, something new for the "meatheads"....😉
A new quick strike rig from Stealth Tackle designed by Gregg Thomas.
A quick quote from Gregg:
"I have been making and using this rig for the last 5yrs and it has been the best rig I have used for suckers over 14 inches"
It's got a nose clip bridal system and T-shaped hooks with an extra prong that sticks into the side of the sucker. Check this video from Gregg for a quick demo.
Baitfish + Big Baits = Chunkos!
Just like teenagers hangin' outside a Taco Bell, big muskies like to loiter next to big schools of baitfish.
Here's a great example of what to look for on Lake St. Clair from local guide Jason Quintano:
This is what Jason found when he ripped through the school with his trollin' spread – his heaviest fish of 2019:
She fell victim to a big, beefy Mattlock – as did this double-up from two days ago:
Trollin' Tips
As you can see, trolling is a killer strategy for putting big muskies in the bag in fall. We've talked about trolling at length this season, but if you want to see it in action, check out this video from Tom Boley and Pete Rich fishin' the Chippewa Flowage:
Lots of good nuggets throughout the video, but a few key points that stuck out:
1. Zig-zag Trolling Patterns
Instead of picking a breakline and running it, they will zig-zag their way throughout a smaller isolated area of structure, thoroughly picking it apart. Multiple passes over the same areas coming from multiple angles.
2. Location
In late fall, they run their baits in deeper water, targeting river channel areas, looking for spots with lots of character and interconnected structure – for example:
If you're still hungry for s'more late fall trollin' tips, take a peek at this vid from TRO and Pete Rich: Late Fall Musky Trolling Tips 👍
QUICK HITTERS:
– Trolling board tips for fall muskies (video)
– 50+ incher from shore on LSC (video)
– Pyzer: Are muskies REALLY the fish of 10,000 casts? (link)
– Spinnerbait Halloween costume 😂 (photo)
– Backlash Podcast interview w/ Duff Thury (link)
– Larry Ramsell interview w/ Todays Angler (video)
THIS WEEK'S LUNAR TIMES:
(Times based on Minneapolis)
THIS WEEK'S MONSTER MUSKIES:
Kirby Budrow wrapped up the 2019 season with a jumbo chunky monkey that lunched his 14" Whale Tail on the figure 8!
Congrats to Travis DeWitt on banging his new PB musky on Lake of the Woods, 54.25 inches long and 24.5 inches around! #legal
How 'bout this Mille Lacs Lake bruiser from Sam Wright – she's ALLLL body.
This big ole pork nanny from Luke Swanson is coming to a TV screen near you in 2020 via In-Fisherman TV. #hefty
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