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Welcome to The Musky Hunter Television Spring newsletter.  In this edition, we'll cover some tips and tricks for catching early-season muskies, and showcase some new products to help you boat more fish.  If you love muskies, please like and follow us on FacebookTwitter and Instagram to get in on all the action!  If you missed an episode of the TV show this winter, you can download them HERE. Please share this newsletter with your friends and encourage them to subscribe. Click HERE to subscribe to our You Tube Channel.

FOUR SUREFIRE SPRING MUSKY SOLUTIONS
By Jim Saric
 
Want a shot at some early season muskies?  Go south!  There are lots of great waters in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia.  The great thing about these waters, besides having open water and supporting lots of muskies, is that the fish are generally active in early spring. The fact that these fish tend to feed primarily on shad makes them more active, and fishing many traditional musky lures will produce action!  However, it is not the lure choice that is difficult for most northern musky anglers that venture to these southern waters -- it's where to find the fish!  Many of these reservoirs are huge and the individual coves or creek arms are larger than many northern waters.  Also, consider the fact that many of the reservoirs don’t have any weed growth, and those that do have very little at this time of year.  So where do you begin?  Here are four areas to check out, at least one of which is sure to hold muskies in any reservoir.

When looking at a map of the reservoir, one of the first areas to investigate is the headwaters of the reservoir where the river(s) enter the system.  It is not uncommon for there to be a resident musky population in these rivers and creeks, but there's often the added bonus of a migration of some muskies upriver.  Combine this with the headwaters often having the warmest water, and you have a recipe for success!  Fishing the headwaters is often quite visual as you are casting to timber or even shoreline cover.  Subtle points and small pockets is all it takes to hold muskies at this time.  Just be aware that local storm events can turn some creeks and smaller rivers into mud overnight, which can significantly ruin your fishing.  I do find that when the fish are in these creek arms that casting smaller musky lures seems to be most productive.

Another key area I have found muskies in early season in many reservoirs is along the rip-rap near the dam.   For some reason the muskies still use the rip-rap even though this is the opposite end of the reservoir and often the water is the coldest in these areas.  It must be a predator/prey thing as there usually are bass and walleye also using the rip-rap.  The muskies aren’t feeding on the bass or walleye , they are feeding on the shad and/or crayfish in these areas.  It is not uncommon to be catching muskies along the same rip-rap section while someone else is catching bass.   Believe me, if the muskies were actively feeding on the bass, the bass anglers wouldn’t be catching them at the same time.  Trolling 5-inch depthRaiders and shad-imitating crankbaits is a great way to cover large rip-rap areas.  However, casting crankbaits and glider jerkbaits is also effective.

While near the dam area another interesting phenomenon I have seen in many different reservoirs is that often the first major creek arm adjacent to the dam will hold a good population of muskies at any time.  The muskies that live near the main lake in summer do not all migrate upriver to the headwaters to spawn.  Instead, they will move into the first major creek arm.   These creek arms can be huge areas to fish, but focus on the larger concentration of shad in these creek arms, as well as the warmest water within this first major creek arm.  Once again, glider jerkbaits, minnowbaits such as Shallow Invaders and ShallowRaiders, and smaller Bulldawgs are most in early season.

Last, but certainly not least on the list of early season areas to explore are the marinas.  Unfortunately in some States fishing around the marina is not legal.  However, in most places you can join the bass and crappie anglers and fish in these areas.  As I have said before, I have never fished a reservoir that didn't have muskies near a marina.  These marina areas offer lots of shade and other man-made cover for the shad and are usually located adjacent to deep water areas of a cove.  In fact, the marina may serve as a conduit from the deep water to the shallow water in the back of the cove.  So it certainly makes sense why these areas can be so good and hold muskies.  If you launch your boat in the back of a cove, often times adjacent to a marina, make a habit of fishing your way out and around the marina to the main lake and you often won’t be disappointed.

I don’t know about you, but after a long winter and talking muskies with everyone at sportshows, I can’t wait to hit the water.  The warm days of March, April and May are a prime time to get a jump on your season.  Don’t let the size of a reservoir intimidate you this season.  You know how to catch them, just keep the location principles simple and go hunt them down. 

Lowrance's new HDS Live is incredible.  Check out the latest on Lowrance LiveSight real-time sonar.  It's a game-changer.



Get to the fish faster. Engineered to deliver a winning combination of power, durability, and tournament-grade speed and acceleration, the Mercury Pro XS was born to outrun everything.
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Mayhem Moon

A joint effort between Musky Moon Guide Service and Musky Mayhem Tackle brings a new Mayhem Moon product line.  This exciting new style bucktail features a jointed wire system that creates a unique tail wiggle. The front blades vacuum up the skirts while the rear blades cause additional tail wiggle and fish attracting vibration. The JR4 has 4 #9 magnum blades and 2-7/0 treble hooks it weighs 3.6 oz and is 13.75 inches long.  If you fish blades this new bucktail should trigger lots of strikes both mid-retrieve and in the figure 8.
       LUNGE GEAR         
 
Shimano Calcutta Conquest Reel  

Shimano upgraded its benchmark, round reel the Calcutta Conquest, highlighted by their HG gear ratio, synchronized levelwind and a wide range of brake adjustments for spool control with an eight-pin Variable Brake System (VBS). The new Conquest features Shimano’s ‘S Compact Body Design’ and MicroModule gear system with an increased the number of smaller gear teeth on the pinion and drive gear for added smoothness.  Both 300 and 400 size reels are offered in either right- and left-hand retrieve, and with 6.2:1 gear ratios, will reel in 33 inches of line crank.  Weighing only 12-ounces, the Calcutta Conquest 400 and 401 can handle 140-yards of 80-pound test PowerPro braid. If you prefer a round reel you need to check out the Calcutta Conquest.
       LUNGE GEAR         
 
YETI Tundra Haul  

YETI Nation spoke and we listened. Our first-ever YETI cooler on wheels is the answer to taking Tundra's® legendary toughness and unmatched insulation power the extra mile. Nothing was sacrificed in the making of this cold-holding powerhouse, ensuring the Haul™ lives up to the Tundra name.  Just like its predecessors, this Tundra is built with Rotomolded Construction and PermaFrost™ Insulation, so you can trust your contents will stay frosty, even in triple-digit temps. The Tundra® Haul™ is now the toughest cooler on two wheels.
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Ultra-Versatile & Ultra-Fun 

 

From big water trolling to a day of family fun, the all-new Ranger VX Series is engineered to excel. Each VX Series design packs hardcore fishing capability in a wide open layout with rich comfort that sacrifices nowhere. Spacious cockpits can be customized for any activity and a full roster of high-end features make these rigs stand out whether you’re pulling a tube – or flipping one. Built with legendary Ranger protocols and all-welded, wood-free construction, the all-new Ranger VX Series is Ultra-Versatile And Ultra-Fun.


 
We are looking for four more anglers to experience this great opportunity on Lake of the Woods.  CALL 715.358.0754 TO SIGN UP NOW!

Copyright © 2019 Jim Saric Outdoors, All rights reserved.


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