World Record Muskies – Using Musky Data – Boatside Smackdowns
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.
Wild Musky Action
Let's start this newsletter off on the right note....with some hot-and-heavy musky action GIFs!
First, check out this RED HOT musky Kris Alexander drilled with a black & green 8/9 Stagger at boatside on a recent Doug Wegner video.
One of TEN fish on the day.... 😳
Gotta love it when they blow up the topwater just a few feet from the boat. A+ hookset from Scott Gehrman, too.
This is what it looks like when a 50 inch Ontario 'skie launches herself completely out of the water – great clip from Marty Vlietstra! 🔥
This northern Wisconsin tanker took one look at Robbie Jarnigo's net and said "Ummm, no thanks!", then went completely airborne!
Don't worry – she eventually showed up for the photoshoot 😉
High School Musky Fishin'
Gotta give a big shoutout to all the high school fishin' programs out there!
They've brought more young kids into the sport of fishing than just about anything over the past few years. It's been a huge success.
Most high school tourneys and events focus on bass fishing, but there's a few musky derbies, too.
In fact, they just had the MN High School Musky Championship earlier this month out on Lake Vermilion – here's a quick look at the winning fish:
Charlie Weiss and and his partner Eric Panyan took home gold with this Medussa-munchin' 49.5 inch northern MN tanker. 🥇
Congrats, guys!
More tech = More muskies?
Data, algorithms, artificial intelligence – no we're not talking about Facebook or Tesla. We're talking about a musky fishin' app for your cell phone. 👀
It's well documented that capitalizing on peak feeding windows is one of the biggest keys to putting muskies in the boat. The problem is figuring out exactly when these primetime periods are going to happen.
There are many potential factors at play and constantly running the calculations in your head is faaaar from optimal. That's why Jim Saric and Blue Sky Invention Company teamed up to develop the "Biometrics" system and the Musky Hunter TV app.
Jim has been using it this summer to stay on the bite. He caught this Great Lakes beauty on a tough day during an extra-tight bite window:
In their words, the goal of the app is fairly simple:
"The Biometrics concept suggests that musky feeding instincts are triggered by sensations + experience + the collective influence of their environment. The algorithm calculates peak periods and is all about maximizing your day. It informs you when to be on a good spot at peak periods, as well as when to return to a spot where you raised a giant. Likewise, it informs you of when a feeding window might end and a change in presentation might be warranted."
Here's a couple quick screenshots from Vermilion back in July:
After auto-magically pulling in local NOAA weather info and combining 20+ factors, they predict the activity level for the day and give each hour a score. The higher the number, the more "snappy" the muskies should be.
There's 350,000+ potential scenarios, which makes our brain hurt just thinkin' about it....
Check it out and tell us what you think (you can grab it here: muskymetrics.com). Keep an eye on the Biometrics meter, especially when you're seeing/catching fish.
Let us know how the algorithm compares with real life on your favorite waters 👍
World Record Muskies
I recently stumbled on an article talkin' about world record muskies. One thing lead to another, and I ended up on the IGFA world record website, where I found some interesting stuff.
Cal Johnson's controversial 67.5lb Wisconsin musky is still #1 on their list:
You have a 0.00000001% chance of breaking that record, but there's actually a few musky "world records" that are totally achievable.
They have a bunch of line class records for both men and women to chase. Most of the women's records are actually vacant, and so is the 80lb men's record 🤔
I also noticed the catch-and-release length record is just 133 cm (52.36 inches).
Technically, the official MN catch-and-release record is about 5 inches bigger than that. I'm guessing most folks don't know about the IGFA length record.... 🤷♂️
Before we let you go, here's a few "world record musky" photos:
Gary Ishii (1981, Moon River, ON) – 55 pounds on 50-lb line:
George McQuillen (1994, St. Lawrence River) – 52.25 pounds on 20-lb line:
Lalie Tronel-Peyroz (2011, St. Lawrence River) – 41 pounds for a youth female:
Anyone recognize the guide who's helping Lalie hoist her trophy 'skie? 😉
QUICK HITTERS:
– Frank Schneider Tourney Signup Deadline, Aug 31st (link)
– Comparing sound & action of different topwaters (video)
– Wisconsin musky fishing w/ Burnin’ Eights (video)
– Green Bay musky fishing w/ justkeepcasting (video)
– Open water suspended musky tips w/ Maina (video)
– Boatside eat on a pull-pause bait (video)
THIS WEEK'S MONSTER MUSKIES:
With the border closed up for the summer, Doug Wegner put the kibosh on his annual Lake of the Woods trip and decided to torment some big ole Minnesota muskies instead! He caught this big spot-a-saurus fishin' solo. 🔥
Double up! Here's how you know the bite window is OPEN for business....
Props to Drew Bergman and Travis Pettitt on the hookin' up with a rare case of double-trouble. BTW, the big girl on the left hit 50.25 inches. 👀
Check out this Green Bay bruiser from Darren Horness – she fell for a Mag Dawg in the perchy-lookin' holo canary color.
Cha-ching! Lac Seul guide Ben Beattie and his client (pictured) scored BIG on this hefty 54.5+ inch Canadian mega monster.
Wanna be featured on 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. 🤙
Want to see more from Musky Insider? Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for bonus content throughout the week!
Send all business inquiries to josh@muskyinsider.com