Wojtusik Tips - Musky Peeps in Need - Monster Muskies
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A Lake Is a River
Our last Musky Insider PRO live Q&A session with 29-time musky tournament winner Dan Wojtusik was a real gem! Dan was joined by surprise guest (and frequent tournament partner/fishing buddy) Jason Long.
Here’s a nice throwback photo from when this dynamic duo won $80K in the Simply Fishing Muskie Classic back in 2004.
It was definitely one of the deeper more cerebral Q&A sessions we've had. One of the recurring themes of this convo was “A lake is a river” . . . A concept Dan first learned from Great Lakes charter captain Chip Porter back in the day.
Here’s a few thoughts Dan shared:
“Wind induced current makes a lake a river. You need to find the preferred water where fish feel good enough bite. Current areas are feeding areas.
Muskies evolved from rivers and a lot can be learned about them by observing or fishing for trout in a stream. There’s a lot of parallels between a trout and a musky in terms of how they position in current as well as the optimal way to present a bait to fish based on their position.
I try to visualize the water in 3D looking through the water, seeing the structure, the way the water moves, and the fish swimming around and positioning.
I follow the water in my mind for at least a week ahead of an event even from hundreds of miles away. Locally, I stay in touch with the water even when not fishing. Then when I launch, I can often drive right to a biting fish.”
If you’re an Insider PRO member and missed the live version, you can log into the member portal to watch the full recording.
If you’re not a member yet, now’s the time to jump in! Our next Live Q&A session is this Thursday, February 20th with none other than Mike Lazarus—widely regarded as the GOAT of giant muskies, even among top guides. With thousands of trophy muskies to his credit, Mike is one of the most knowledgeable and respected figures in the game.
Want in? You need to act fast.
🚨 Registration for Musky Insider PRO closes Thursday, February 20th, at 5:00 PM CST. 🚨
Sign up now to secure your spot and get access before the session starts!
Musky Peeps in Need
This isn’t our typical newsletter format, but there’s a few good people in our musky community that could use a little help right now.
Since this newsletter reaches over 20,000 musky anglers each week, we’re hoping collectively our readers can help make a difference for them.
Jadyn Gohman
Jadyn Gohman is very involved in the musky fishing community. She along with her brother Jay and mom Jody run J3 Tackle. J3 works with various companies including Angling Revolution, Stealth Tackle and Musky Mayhem Tackle in producing their baits.
J3 Tackle has also been a consistent supporter of the Minnesota State High School Muskie Championship donating large batches of musky baits to be distributed as prizes.
Jody, Jay, Jadyn and her husband Kevin all serve on the board for the Brainerd Lakes Chapter of Muskies Inc. as well.
The rental house Jadyn and her husband Kevin have called home for the past 4 years burned down in a fire a few weeks ago. While they are both safe and unharmed, they lost most of their personal belongings to the damage as well as their two beloved cats, Carmella and Nugget.
They are great people, and they could use some help during this time. If you’re able and interested in donating, you can find a GoFundMe page set up for them here.
Hans the Carver
Anyone remember this absolutely gargantuan Buffalo Harbor brute? That’s musky guide Hans Mann on the left aka Hans the Carver.
Why do they call him Hans the Carver? Check out this amazing musky carving he made for Rena Goldberg. 👀
He also carves musky baits including the bait that caught that giant Buffalo Harbor fish. Hans has been a big part of the musky community for a long time.
Here’s his situation . . .
Hans is facing an urgent medical challenge. On December 19th, he was airlifted to the Cleveland Clinic via Mercy Flight, where he spent nine days undergoing extensive testing. It was during this time, spending Christmas in the hospital with his wife and children traveling back and forth from Buffalo to Cleveland, that Hans received difficult news: his heart isn’t strong enough for the serious vascular surgery he needs.
For the past couple months, the focus was on rest and recovery to strengthen his heart in preparation for his surgery. The most recent update is that Hans had the pacemaker surgery and it was strenuous but it's in and he's healing. The doctor has recommended that he heal completely from the numerous ablations, cardioversions, and now the pacemaker surgery before they tackle the massive surgery.
To ensure the best possible outcome, the doctors and Hans need time to prepare. This critical time requires minimal stress. As of right now, the doctors think Hans may be able to go back on light duty for the upcoming fishing season but he won't be able to push himself or do as many trips as he has for the past decade.
As a devoted husband, father of two, guide, and entrepreneur, the financial burden of his health journey is immense. To support Hans during this challenging time, his friends and family launched this fundraiser for him. If you would like to attend or donate to the Basket Raffle (donate a basket, custom baits, fishing gear, etc.) on March 29th, 2025, you can do so here.
Here’s what a couple of our Musky Insider PRO instructors had to say about Hans in recent Facebook posts.
“Many people on my friends list know Hans Mann thru fishing and the muskie community. Hans is a fulltime guide like myself. So this hits home a bit more being self employed myself and would be in the same predicament. Hans is a top notch guide, a phenomenal wood worker and a very big part of the muskie community.”
“We are a relatively small industry and Hans is, and has been an integral part of it for a long time, truly one of the Good Guys. Please help if you can and keep your eyes peeled for the Auction etc in March. I'm donating a full day guide trip in lowa or Northern Wisconsin and a Basket of baits from my personal collection. This needs to go big. Real big. Thanks all.”
In addition to the basket raffle, there’s a GoFundMe set up for Hans as well. If you’re able and interested in donating, you can do so right here.
This Week's Mashup:
Mashup time!
#1 – Anyone try to pull off this Valentine's Day surprise this week? 😂
#2 – Check out 👀 this 17” double jointed muskie crankbait made by Mike Spratt. He’ll have some available at the Odyssey in March.
#3 – Not only does artist Matthew Stockton catch big muskies, he also catches our eyes with some rad musky artwork. Check out 👀 this piece named “Predator.”
#4 – A lil’ prankin’ in the boat can break up a long day or night on the water. Check out the reaction of a buddy when he wakes up from the phantom hookset shared by Musky Guarantee Guide Service. 😂
QUICK HITTERS:
– EAGLE LAKE MUSKIES Love These Spots!! (Video) w/ Beyond the 8
– 54 minutes LIVE with Jim Saric (video) w/ 54 or Bust
– THE BEST TERMINAL TACKLE IN MUSKY FISHING (video) w/ Matt Vavroch Fishing
This Week's Monster Muskies:
Craig Larson smashed his personal best 🐅 with this tiger queen while sucker riggin’ with Glenn from 54 or Bust.
Dropping water temps, a September new moon, and a bucktail were the ingredients for Jeff Basso to catch this water wolf.
After years of piecing together a specific pattern, Dan Litwora and crew put a late-fall smackdown on the ‘skies to cap off the season. The highlight was this plump fall fatty.
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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