By Steve Heiting As I let my 8-inch Slammer rise to the surface between a patch of reeds and a large boulder, the water beneath it lightened as the image of a musky slowly materialized. The fish’s jaws flexed and its tail seemed to sink as it eyeballed the cisco-colored lure, and I wanted badly… Continue Reading
By Steve Heiting Canada. The name alone triggers memories for many of us. Besides the great fishing and sense of adventure, visiting the unspoiled beauty simply feels good from a spiritual sense. For those of us who have been there, a musky season wouldn’t seem right without at least one trip north of the border.… Continue Reading
By Steve Heiting Gulping a breath of crisp air, I stood and watched as the tail and dorsal fin of the big musky paddled into the tea-stained water. The setting sun shot streaks of purples and oranges and yellows beneath the edge of the low cloud layer, and I realized the snow had ceased and… Continue Reading
By Steve Heiting The musky moved quickly from the side but then slowed as it turned to follow the topwater toward the boat. Thick across the back, the fish appeared short but its great length became readily apparent as it sank beneath the lure, rather than engage the figure-8. “That fish looked like a railroad… Continue Reading
By Steve Heiting Fear stalks the night. For some, it takes the form of anxiety or claustrophobia and haunts their dreams. My sleep is disturbed by nightmares of giant muskies lost and the specter of muskies I may not catch. Last July, I was at a loss for sleep. A spot my friends and I… Continue Reading
By Steve Heiting, Managing Editor If I remember right, it was about my tenth cast on the first spot of the first full day of the University of Esox Musky School on Lake of the Woods last July when a musky charged out from the rock point behind my Double Cowgirl. I whipped the lure… Continue Reading
When Kevin Walsh first saw the musky, he didn’t want to say how big it was. But he had a strong feeling. “I said it was 55 inches but I felt it might be 60 inches. I didn’t want to say it. I kept asking myself ‘How many 60-inchers are there?’” Walsh said. About five… Continue Reading
The PMTT Ranger Boats World Championship on Lake Minnetonka outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota, opened with warm, mid 80-degree air temperatures and water warming back up into the 60s with high blue skies. To say this made the muskies a bit lethargic is an understatement, but even with a tough bite, you can’t put the PMTT’s… Continue Reading
By Ted Takasaki and Scott Richardson If you look in summer spots, your fall walleye fishing will be frustrating. But follow Hall of Famer Ted Takasaki’s transition formula and you just might score a monster like this! Though the calendar doesn’t say so yet, weather forecasters count the time around Labor Day as the start… Continue Reading
The Musky Hunter Magazine Fall Showdown Qualifier conducted by the PMTT at the Superior, Wisconsin, proved to be a great surprise. The St. Louis River showed its true colors in a very large fashion. Forty-nine muskies were registered by the anglers with at least 17 fish over 40 inches being caught and released. The field of… Continue Reading