Stay ConnectedWisconsin northwoods musky Guide, Gus Mantey, his brother Max Mantey and their childhood buddy, Brian Eckle chronicle each week of Gus’s journey as a Musky guide. Hear real time fishing reports, stories from the boat, guest interviews, tournament results, tactics, and the occasional beer recommendation. We hope you enjoy!
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Copyright: © Muskies On Tap 2023
This week the MOT crew is joined by special guests Alex McLean and Tyler Schlabsz from MN to recap the 2024 WI Musky Battle. We discuss how the battle went, the goal of the battle, and where it might take us in the years to come. Although the bite was tough for all, fish were still caught, some lost, friendships made, and good times had. It was an honor to be apart of this and look forward to the future of the battle!
Congrats to this years battle winning team: Kyle Weeks and Adam Stark!
Thank you to Kyle Friedges and Dan Scriver for putting on a great event hosted by Buckatabon Lodge in Conover, WI
This weeks intro comes from "Old School" as Frank the Tank takes a tranquilizing dart to the jugular. That was awesome!
This week we are joined by Kyle Friedges and Tyler Eggenberger to preview the 2024 Wisconsin Musky Battle taking place in Vilas County, WI. We discuss what the musky battle is and hear some stories from past events. We chat about how the bites been as of late in the Northwoods and what to expect for this upcoming weekend. Best of luck to all that are getting out on the water or in the woods this weekend. Cheers.
This week the fellas sit down and answer questions sent in by the listeners mostly on fall fishing. We break down the go-to lures, types of spots to fish in certain conditions, turnover, fall warm ups, and many more fall topics. Gus gives an update on the northwoods conditions including lake temps, turnover, size lakes to target, etc. Tap into this one and good luck to those on the water or in the woods this weekend. Cheers!
This week the MOT crew gets on special guest Nate Osfar to chat a bunch about his successes in musky tournament scene for almost 25 years. We start from the beginning with some of Nate's first tournaments and how that shaped him as a fisherman today. We barely scratch the surface on the countless stories he has from these events. We also get some of his expertise on fall fishing tactics. Brushing up on when to target certain systems and at what depth fish should be based upon the weather pattern. This pod is filled with tons of great nuggets to pick up on so tap in!
As the great Reese Bobby once said: "If you ain't first, you're last!"
The MOT crew hops on for a recap of the PMTT Championship that just went down on the Eagle River Chain of Lakes. Gus and Max along with the other 36 boats were put to the test of some of the hardest early fall conditions one could draw up. Massive heat wave reaching mid 80s air temp, zero wind, zero clouds, water temps changing 5-8 degrees per day. It was a battle. In here we chat about what went down from pre fishing up until the end of the tournament with tactics and timing being of the main discussion. When it was all said and done, Gus and Max were able to close out their 2024 PMTT season with a 2nd place finish for Top Gun Team of the Year. Another fantastic and fun season and look forward to seeing everyone again in the future! Thank you to all for listening/watching along this year. Tap in!
Another week of our favorite motivational speaker, Mr Matt Foley. Enjoy!
This week we have fellow northwoods musky guide Luke Bogdanovic out of the Price county region of Northern Wisconsin to chat on some river and lake muskies. Luke has an incredible passion for fishing and shows that with his down to earth nature and pursuit of the freshwater phantom beast that lives within our rivers and lakes. We chat from rivers of his area to lakes and the mighty Bay of Green. For those looking for river float trip for muskies or smallmouth please hit Luke up to get on some phenomenal fishing!
The MOT crew also talks on the recent local tournament Gus was in and the preview to the 2024 PMTT Championship on the Eagle River Chain of Lakes. Lots packed into this one so tap in!
Hope you enjoy another week of Matt Foley (Chris Farley SNL - and we ain't done yet) worlds worst/best motivational speaker
"Well ladee-fricken-da"
This week we bring back Taylor Flannery for a checkup on how his summer has been going and what's been working for him. We also dive into the current conditions we are dealt with and what to be looking for on the water during the incoming cooldowns we're getting in the northwoods of Wisconsin. Lots of bait talk in this one as the entire MOT crew + Taylor reflect on bait MVPs of the summer and the bait LVPs (Least Valuable Playa's). We also chat on some new videos Taylor has been putting out to the public on YouTube and socials on some great tactics for cast back baits as well as spot on musky safety/release tips to help keep the resource around to be shared by all. We hope y'all enjoy this chat as much as we did so tap in!
Matt Foley (Chris Farley) on the opener from the classic snl skit. It's only the beginning for this one... so many quotes to use yet...
This week we bring back a very special guest: Tyler Andrews aka the musky guru. He's one of our top reoccurring guests and always knows how to bring the heat. He's been up to a few new things this season that we all break down in the podcast. His new podcast that he hosts himself called "Not A Musky Podcast" podcast is a well put together show that includes guests from fishing to hunting and everything that bridges these sports together. We also chat on some Canadian adventures Tyler has been on this year. This podcast is jam packed with lots of great stories, fishing tactics, and deep dives into thought provoking topics of the fishing industry like fishing pressure and its effects. We hope you enjoy our fixins and tap in!
https://open.spotify.com/show/4KAOPkMBIEPsf1ISSjX5sw?si=7776bdb6b7034688
This week the MOT crew gets together to chat with MN guide and bait maker Mike Kramer. We discuss the early days of bait making and how the revolution blades came about along with the ever so popular woodtick. We also have a discussion on more hay day of MN musky fishing back in the early to late 2000's. There's lots of great stories in here so you don't want to miss out!
The MOT crew also talks about local reports of current conditions, a recent BIG catch and some fresh news in the fishing industry. This is another jam packed pod with lots of great info so kick back and tap in!
"My back's broke.... spinal" - Brian, probably
This week we feature our most recent guests back because they just took home the dub at the PMTT Late Summer Showdown on Lake Minnetonka!!!! Congrats to Clayton Spiess and Nick Amorose for bring home the big check by boating 3 beautiful muskies on Tonka. We discuss the entire story behind how Clayton and Nick got it done from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs. You won't want to miss this one!
The MOT crew then chops it up on the experience Gus and Max had at Tonka and how they managed to capitalize on some bites to secure another top 5 finish in a PMTT qualifier. This long format podcast is jam packed with stories, catches, tips, tactics, pre fishing talk, and tourney fishing strategy of everything that went right and wrong. We hope everyone enjoys this one and have a great Labor Day weekend!!!
Tap in!
Clayton Spiess - Thistle Dew Outdoor Adventures
Nick Amorose - Hammer Customs lures
"In the ghetto, in the ghettoooooo" - Cartman
The MOT crew hops on to chop it up about a stellar weekend of musky fishing together in the northwoods. Combo of pre August full super moon + great weather systems rolling through made for action packed fishing. All the details are spilled out in this one as well as talking through Tonka PMTT and the recent National Championship Musky Open held in Eagle River. Special guest appearances from Clayton & Nick so grab a cold one and tap in!
The fellas are all up in the northwoods together to kick off a good ole fashion musky hunt. We talk about current conditions and how the bites been. Our candle lit interview this week with Gregg Thomas covered a variety of topics from his season in Canada to the origin story of the Dyin' Dawg. We want to wish everyone the best of luck who is fishing in the National Musky Championship and MMT this weekend. Hope to see some big fish pictures by the end of the weekend. Tap in and tight lines.
The MOT crew is back together for another mid summer chop sesh. August update for northwoods of Wisconsin is discussed along with some cold snap tactics for the rest of the month. The crew also talks on some recent large fish shown on social media that's been circling around. On top of all this a little bit of Green Bay muskies is discussed as well. Tap in!
This week we have a good ole fashion chop shesh about Summer Muskies. Our good friend Clayton was nice enough to sit in as a co host for Brian this week and he fills us in on his latest trip to Vermilion. We talk on a few of Gus’s recent trips including a big Wisco greenie that hit the bag and how he’s holding up during the thick of guide season. Tight lines everyone and tap in!
The MOT crew gets on a full line of guests to go around the horn and highlight a fishing trip that Phil Stodola, Kyle Hunsader and their good friend Jamie went on with Michael Hanson up in NW Wisconsin. Although this was the main objective, as you may have guessed this podcast goes derails all over the place and includes a "would you rather" segment that had some HOT n spicy takes. Muskies were totally talked about here.
Tap in and crack a cold one because it's going to be a hot one this weekend!
This week for a quick Northwoods update we bring on our good friend Clayton Spiess with Thistle Dew Outdoor Adventures to talk about a recent giant musky landed in his boat. Listen in as Clayton talks through what all went down to secure this huge musky! Got to catch up a little as well and see how Clayton's season has been going and chatting on possible reasons to why lots of big fish are showing up this year. Gus also gives an update on how the bite has been going and an update on how league has been going. Although short this pod is jam packed with goodies so tap in!
We're gonna need a bigger boat
This week the MOT crew sits down together and chats with Aiden Johnson owner of Aiden's Angling Guide Service out of the MN metro area. First, apologies on mic quality - MOT crew recorded together on the laptop and the good mic was not working properly. Although we had a lower quality sound from our end, the guest this week was quite the opposite. Aiden is a young angler that just flat out catches tons of muskies and will get you on 'em in the metro. He did a great job giving the run down on metro water along with giving out some great local knowledge to help you boat very pressured fish. Lots of talk on triggering fish in the cast and the figure 8. This one is full of high quality knowledge so tap in!
Fishing in the Northwoods of WI has been fantastic. Tightlines and good luck to everyone able to make it out!
For the 4th of July episode we bring on Fischer and Jason Smith from Smith's Fishing Outdoors on YouTube. Jason is a veteran of the sport of musky fishing while his son Fischer is on his way to become one himself. We chat on many subjects from topwater tips, big fish stories, adventures their channel has brought them to, musky stocking, and many more. Gus also chats on the current bite happening in the northwoods of Wisconsin. This podcast is full of knowledge so tap in! Have a safe and happy 4th of July everyone - tightlines!
https://www.youtube.com/@smithsfishingoutdoors
Chris Stapleton on the National Anthem
This week the MOT crew talks with Jody Marler from Fishcamp Creative. Jody is extremely passionate about the outdoors whether it's musky fishing, hunting, or building custom log homes & cabinetry. He's well traveled and brings us many great stories of all the places he's been chasing these toothy critters. From his original roots of going to northern Wisconsin and the UP to the giant muskies that roam the big waters of Minnesota and Canada. Fishcamp YouTube channel is where you will find all of this incredible work talked abut in this weeks pod. Don't want to miss this one so tap in!
https://www.fishcampcreative.com/
Where's the muskie, Lebowski?
This week the fellas get on their buddy from Madison, Will Zeichert, to chat about Madison Chain musky fishing. Will and his tournament partner Aaron took home a 6th place finish at the 2024 Madison PMTT event earlier in June. We talk about what they did get get their fish during some less than ideal conditions. Be sure to give a follow to Will's Instagram account @second_win_willy to see some big fish pictures and chat more on Mad town muskies!
Gus gives his report on the northwoods bite during this crazy weather changing month. This June isn't handing out any freebies and needing to grind extra for each and every bite. Tap in!
This week Gus and Max breakdown everything that went down on the Madison chain from the first day of pre fishing right to the very end of Sunday. This one isn't filled with sunshine and rainbows but we hope you can still learn with us and have some takeaways. On the other hand, northwoods fishing once Gus got back up north has been outstanding providing many bites each day. Weather has been shifty so be sure to play your cards right because those bite windows close as fast as they open still with the relatively cold water surface temps for mid June. Tap in!
This week it's just Gus and Max with a quick hitter on an early June update on how the bite has been since opener plus preview of Madison PMTT this weekend. Gus discusses current conditions like water temps, weed growth, where the muskies are, baits that have been working and then what this weather will do for the weekend. Goodluck to those in the Madison PMTT qualifier, Spring Classic in Eagle River, or just out chasing these phantoms on their own! Tap in!
This week the MOT crew gets together with their good friend Jack and chat about Northern Wisconsin musky opener 2024. Lots of highs this low but we touch on the lows as well. The entire gameplan and step-by-step walkthrough of how we got it done is all in this pod so don't skip out!
After the recap you will find another segment dedicated to talking about the MN musky opener this weekend with reoccurring guest Alex Mclean along with his good friend and boat partner Tyler Schlabsz. These are two insanely good sticks in MN and bring some serious knowledge to the table. We discuss opener strategies, insane big fish stories, baits, night fishing, etc.. These guys always have a finger on the pulse of what the bite will be in MN so tap in!
Northern WI musky opener is upon us! We gathered two guests this week to talk about the other ends of the state that are opening for muskies: GB and Hayward/NW Wisconsin. Phil Stodola of the GB area joins us for the first time and gives the run down on temps and where the muskies should be for the bay itself and the tributaries. If you're fishing GB you won't want to miss this part! Phil also guides for Angler Sportfishing and has a YouTube/Facebook with the ever so popular "Pond Bait Demos" that you don't want to miss!
Next up we have Michael Hanson on to talk about the northwestern section of Wisconsin and what those anglers should be looking for this weekend. Michael gives up some juicy tips on crankbaits and gliders that are sure to put more muskies in your net all parts of the year.
Lastly, by now you have for sure realized one member was missing... Max's first pod missed! Oofda. That's okay. Gus and Brian held down the fort and chopped it up about their own tactics and thoughts on opener for more of the Eagle River/Minocqua area this weekend. Nuggets are dropped all throughout this one so be sure to tune in on your way up north and tap in!
Goodluck to everyone on the water and we wish you a successful season!
We hope you enjoy the Caddyshack cold open referring to Phil's pond bait demos!
On this week of Muskies On Tap we bring to you a local legend and guide Todd "Tadpole" Powell. Todd grew up in Eagle River, WI and cut his teeth guiding at a very young age. Fishing has been a huge part of his life and he shares some of his fondest memories. Todd's stories are second to none so you don't want to miss out on this one! He also runs a local shop called Tadpole's Sports in downtown Eagle River. We also take a look at old school vs. new school techniques along with advancements in electronics. We at MOT enjoyed this one and hope y'all do as well. Tap in!
Tadpole... a master he is... listen you will... force is strong with this one
This week we have Austin Wiggerman on to take us to school on some pre, during, and post spawn muskies. He has been on the water keeping tabs on these northern Illinois muskies since ice off and soon southern Wisconsin muskies. The tips he gives span from fish movements, staging locations before & after the spawn, and incredibly useful lure techniques to trigger more fish. Meanwhile, the MOT crew came off a difficult southern opener and break down the conditions faced on the mighty Wisco river. Stick around after our recap in the beginning of the pod because you do not want to miss Austin's segment! Tap in!
The start of the PMTT season has begun. Join us this week on a full rundown of how Gus and Max squeaked out a top 10 finish for the first leg of the PMTT at Cave Run Lake down in Kentucky. Lot's of ups and downs during pre fishing through the end of the tourney so join in to hear how it all went down. The fellas also talk a quick preview on heading to Southern Wisconsin to chase muskies during the opener south of highway 10. Goodluck to all of the anglers headed out on the water this weekend and have fun! Tap in!
This week we sit down in person with two other PMTT trail teams; Clayton Spiess/Nice Amorose and Jeremy and Trevor Barber to preview the upcoming PMTT event at Cave Run, KY. We touch on past tournaments, lessons learned, and some fun tournament stories. We are even joined by special guest Gregg Thomas who gives us an update on water conditions heading into the tournament. Tap in for this mega pod and as always, thanks for listening!
This week it's the 3 original MOT crew members chopping it up with some Q&A that the listeners sent in from Instagram. This one is entirely off the cuff, and if you can get through the first 10 minutes or so there's some good fishing tips mixed with a lot of fun questions. Next week will be a MEGA pod on all things PMTT with the upcoming Cave Run being the highlight. We will be joined by 2 other trail teams: the Barber father/son duo Jeremy & Trevor and team Clayton Spiess & Nick Amorose. Tap in!
Hope you enjoy this weeks intro quote... Celebrity Jeopardy! and all jokes aside from the quote punchline, I love my job! The SNL segment was just too fitting for this weeks pod featuring the fellas just buzzing back and forth on the Q&A. New intro quotes each and every week!
Taylor, from Musky Guarantee Guide Service, was kind enough to hop on with us and chat Wisconsin northwoods fishing. Taylor talks about his ascension to guiding, multiple fish days, lures, colors, best time to catch a northwoods giant and more. Stick around as we announce the March Madness bracket challenge winner. We had a blast chatting with Taylor and we want to thank everyone who participated in our March Madness group. Tap in!
This week we are joined by David Dykowski from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to talk muskies. David is an avid fisherman of many species but especially has a magnet for huge muskies and pike. We talk about some of his go to patterns to catch these phantom beasts along with some really cool fishing stories he has to offer. He's a wealth of knowledge so get the notepad ready! Also be sure to listen in as Gus talks about his short trip down to Iowa for the first musky trip of the year. Tap in!
Hope you enjoy the Caddyshack quote to start off this weeks episode!
This week we bring to you a re-run episode of an early guest we had on in our first year of the podcast. Jeff Widmann, owner of Team Rhino Outdoors, shares the story on what it took to take a few cool custom colored baits and turn it into what TRO is today. He also is a very avid musky angler and shares some great stories and tips to put more muskies in the boat. Tap in!
We threw it back this week to an old fashion Muskies On Tap episode with just the fellas chopping it up about the Wisconsin Musky expo last weekend in Wausau (Rothschild), WI. Lot of hot takes this week that you won't want to miss regarding baits we love and maybe not so much. We kept the episode rolling with some q&a towards the end regarding reading water and crazy stories. We hope you have fun listening to this one because we had a great time recording it. Tap in!
On this weeks episode we welcome Kyle Hunsader, Green Bay local, w/ Hunseytails and Nick Amorose, Northern WI, w/ Hammer Customs to talk about their baits that you can find at the Wisconsin Musky Expo this weekend (March 15-17)! Kyle makes a series of bucktails called "Bangers" that puts a unique twist to modern bucktails and comes in various sizes. Nick hand carves a various array of wooden baits like gliders, twitch baits, dive-n-rise, and trolling crankbaits. This will be a first expo debut for both bait builders so let's give them a warm welcome! The booth will be under the name "Hunseytails" and Gus will also be joining Kyle and Nick in the booth with some MOT gear. This pod has some more Green Bay info along with the bait talk so you won't want to miss this one! Tap in!
Wisconsin Musky Expo - Rothschild, WI @Central Wisconsin Convention & Expo Center - March 15-17
This week we are joined with special guest Rich Reinert, a legend of all things musky fishing. Listen along as we dive into more than just the upcoming Wisconsin Musky Expo in Wausau March 15-17th. Rich covers some old school fishing stories involving Tony Rizzo, topwater tricks, sleeper baits, the musky industry, where the musky world is at today and many more. You won't want to miss this one so tap in!
This week Matt and Jozef from Taps and Tackle Co joined us from their bait shop bar in Stevens Point, WI. We had a great conversation regarding a lot of different aspects of the musky world, from owning a business, being a guide, to chasing river muskies. Tap in this week!
We put a bookmark on the q&a questions for now as we spotlight the Taps and Tackle crew this week. Questions will be answered in a later podcast. Sorry for the delay!
This week we got the privilege to chat with Bryan Schaeffer about all things musky. Bryan has had quite the career as a guide, tournament angler, and seen regularly on Keyes Outdoors. We cover certain times of his guiding career, ffs, tournament fishing, traveling/filming, and much more. Long one this week, but we think you'll enjoy it. Kick back and tap in!
Hope you enjoy Bob the Garbage Man's wise words for this weeks cold opening quote! A classic
Brady Martz with BAM BAM Bait Co and Brett Wingfield with WF Custom Lures hop on with the fellas to discuss their bait making careers and gave us the full run down on Brady's new "Bowfin" rubber bait. We chat about the origin of their baits, how these two got linked up, and plenty more. These two are making some incredible baits and you won't want to miss this episode! Tap in!
The MOT fellas are joined this week with special guest Owen Seman from over in the eastern state of Pennsylvania. He is one of the hosts of The Muskie Hunks podcast which is one of the MOT crews favorite musky pods to listen to. He also makes bucktails and spinnerbaits by the name of Big O's Bucktails that are responsible for Gus's PB northern pike. We also get into the origins of the Hunks along with Canadian adventures and some good ol' fashioned musky talk. Tap in!
This week Michael joins our short list of reoccurring guests as he chats with us about his late fall/early winter marathon. We talk about nice fish he stuck and how he did it. We also chatted a lot of baits as we tend to do this time of year. Some unique mods, choices, etc.. Gus and Michael will be at the Musky Road Rules event this Saturday, February 3rd, to present their seminars at Sportsmans Repair Shop in Mosinee, WI. Tap in!
While Brian was off celebrating his b-day, the fellas had a blast sitting down with Austin Wiggerman for a long chat. We caught up on his time at the Chicago show and heard about his successful season guiding in Northern IL, Southern WI, and Western MN. We even had a surprise guest drop by. Tap in!
This week the MOT boys had the pleasure of talking to an extremely talented videographer in the musky industry and that is none other than Kyle Friedges. Kyle runs a YouTube channel by the name of Cabbage Dragon Media. In his short few years of doing it he's put out some incredible content. In this pod we touch on Kyle's travels in his home state of Minnesota and out to Wisconsin & Canadian shield waters while telling us his full camera setup. He also touches on the previous Musky Battles he's been to and what's to expect on that front. The MOT fellas then touch on the upcoming musky expos this winter as well as a new merch drop. Tap in!
This week we were joined by Capt. Curtis Cecchi, a multi species guide in Presque Isle WI that has the musky bug. Curtis has an extensive fishing background as a biologist & full time guide. We get into life as a younger guide, bar stories from the resort he guides out of, and a lot of conservation talk. We found it enlightening and hope you all do as well. Tap in!
The fellas get their NYE hangover cure from endless laughs while talking to musky fishing legend Gregg Thomas. Gregg has been doing the PMTT events since the beginning, guiding all over the musky range, and has his name well established within the musky fishing community. So with his background we barely breach the surface of musky tales and tips n tricks that Gregg can provide.
We hope everyone had a tremendous welcoming of the New Year and will be blessed with musky riches in the 2024 season. Tap in!
This week the fellas chop it up with Glenn McDonald from 54 or Bust YouTube channel making it the crews first ever Canadian guest on the pod. During this special interview Glenn speaks on multiple Canadian musky fishing tips that the listeners can use up in the north or anywhere in the musky range. He also touched on some prominent baits in his boat plus the past, present, and future of his YouTube channel. Tap in!
Join the fellas this week as they have a chat with the Musky Metrics man, Jeff Lang. Make sure to get out your pen and paper for this one because it is full of crazy good musky catching knowledge and patterning. Jeff has created an incredible app (Musky Hunter TV app) that puts moon and weather all in one. Knowing the best feeding times for musky on a daily basis has never been easier. This has been a game changer in my boat for this season, past seasons, and will be again for the seasons to come. Tap in!
If you want to learn more about Musky Metrics be sure to visit www.MuskyMetrics.com
This week the MOT crew is joined by a fellow young angler and guide, Rowan Stamm. Rowan brings to the table a wealth of knowledge on rivers and fly fishing along with some great nuggets on conventional gear and fisheries all over the midwest. The fellas listen in as Gus breaks down a very memorable catch to cap the season off in a BIG way. Thank you to all of our listeners on helping make 2023 one helluva season! Tap in!
We can't thank Brian Skaife enough for coming on this week to chat all things musky fishing. From his travels, to YouTube channel (Angling Anarchy), to being part owner of Chaos Tackle. It was a blast hearing his story and how he continues to make an impact on the musky world. The fellas catch up on their Thanksgiving weekends and chat about what's left this season. Tap in!
Unfortunately no guest and no Brian this week as Max & Gus sit down and have a good ole fashioned late night musky chat. We recapped how end of November fishing has been going. Frustrations and wins. We also chatted some PMTT schedule now that it's been released and our opinions on the destinations for next year. We wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and are appreciative of all the support this year for the new guys. Tap in!
On this weeks podcast we bring on our household co-host, Clayton Spiess, to check in on how his season went and help answer questions sent in by the listeners. On top of Clayton's very successful musky season, we chit chat about some late fall fishing nuggets that can still be used on the water for those who can get out. We hope everyone has had a great fall and good luck to those still hitting the water until the lakes freeze. We also would like to wish all of the Wisconsin deer hunters on a safe and successful opening weekend. Tap in!
This week we were lucky to have Matt Vavroch join us to chat all things muskie. We discussed his travels, YouTube channel, favorite niche muskie baits, and some great stories. Matt makes some awesome YouTube videos and we encourage everyone to check him out. Gus gives us a quick update on the status of northwoods fishing for those of you that are still out on the water or plan to be. Tap in!
This week Gus and the Guru recap their first time sharing the rig together and all the fellas expand on some of their boat banter. We chat social media, the state of the podcast, and the occasional tip on the fall fishing. As the season winds down we wish everyone safety on their trips whether it's in the woods or on the water. Tap in!
We are very grateful that JVR came on to chop it up about all things musky fishing, from his tournament history, big catches, and a few extremely helpful tips. Gus dives into the latest on what's been happening in the northwoods. Tap in!
The fellas recap their Musky Bender weekend that included 7 dudes, 2 boats, old fashions, potential ghosts, hot takes, and luckily a pile of Muskies. Tap in to hear about how we battled weather conditions, turnover, and at times, stubborn muskies. The conversation turned into a broader discussion regarding the pros and cons of fall fishing and what to do when things seem tough. Tight bite windows, tough weather, but truly no better time to be on the water amongst good pals. Grab a maple bourbon on ice or a pumpkin spice latte if you're driving and tune in to this weeks episode. Cheers.
We were lucky enough to be joined by Ben Stone who created quite a successful YouTube channel - Ben Stone Fishing. He gave a full rundown of filming musky fishing adventures and all that goes into it. Plus he gave some great insights on equipment and certain tactics he uses that anyone who's thought about filming their musky outings should tune in to hear. Gus dives into the current conditions facing us in northern WI and we have a BIG MERCH announcement. Tap in!
We are joined by Clayton Spiess and Nick Amorose to do some more debriefing on our time at the Chippewa Flowage for the 2023 PMTT Championship. These guys found fish and we figured it would be interesting to hear how they did it. Gus gives a brief report on this upcoming cold snap + some more updates. BTW: We recorded this ep with Clayton & Nick the same evening as the pod last week, so it's essentially part dos of our PMTT Recap. Tap in to hear about what it was like for these guys as they were sitting nearly in first place heading into the final day.
Tune in this week to get a full rundown on Gus and Max’s time fishing the PMTT Championship at the mighty Chippewa Flowage in Hayward, WI. Going into the tournament Gus and Max we’re leading the running for top gun team of the year and were in desperate need of a fish. Tune in to hear about how their trip went from pre fishing all the way to the end. It was a very exciting year and are deeply thankful we got to share it with others. All the messages received during the tournaments throughout the season meant a lot and we were grateful things shook out the way they did. You’ll want to grab a cold one for this episode, things got pretty nerve-racking up until the finish. Tap in!
PMTT CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK WE RIDE!!! Fellas hopped on to preview the PMTT Championship at the historic Chippewa Flowage. We were also fortunate enough to bring on Michael Hanson this week from Namekagon Area Guide Service to chop it up. He's an expert on all things musky in northern wisco and shared some awesome stories and a few tips & tricks along the way. We really enjoyed this one and hope you do too. Tap in!
The crew had some energy tonight coming off a big Packers win (apologies for the expletives). We unfortunately had a guest fall through so thanks to all the listeners who sent in a variety of Q&A that we got to tackle along with some common man musky stories. Gus gave a brief northwoods report and by the sounds of it, the great early fall migration has begun. Kick your feet up, grab a beer, and tune in as this episode goes a little off the rails from our traditional musky talk. Skeeyeee!
Muskies On Tap welcomed back the Musky Guru himself, Tyler Andrews, for another great conversation. We tackle all the fall goods and some tips & tricks to catch those fall fatties. On top of chatting about what makes fall fishing so great, we cover some Canadian muskies, Carbon (Guru's new pup), and some funny stories. Tap in for Guru 2.0 and hopefully learn a thing or three!
This weeks episode the fellas get together to answer some questions sent in by the listeners. Gus gives a report on fishing in the northwoods + cool down strategy. And lastly, the common man musky segment is filled with some great stories from all you guys and gals out there. I know we're all sad to see the summer slip away, but as you can tell we're ready for some cooler temps and big fish. Tap in!
Gus & Max recap their entire week from arriving at Lake Vermilion to the closing ceremony. The fellas were able to put together another good tournament finish thanks to one big bite. We spend a lot of time talking about exploring this big brand new body of water and the ups and downs we encountered during our time there. We can't thank the PMTT enough for putting on another great event and are excited for the championship at the Chippewa Flowage in a few weeks! Also, we cover a few housekeeping items such as merch, and of course... the common man musky segment. Tap IN.
Alex McLean joined the fellas this week to take us to school on some Minnesota Muskies just in time for Gus & Max’s trip to Vermilion for the 3rd leg of the PMTT. Alex McLean with McLean Muskies touched on a wide variety of topics including the state of Minnesota fisheries, seasonal movements, differences between Minnesota/Wisconsin and sharp shootin’. Gus and Max preview the upcoming PMTT where they hope to keep their hot streak going. Tap in!
Gus & Max go over some mid summer musky patterns that are developing here in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. In a very welcomed turn of events, the bite windows have started to increase throughout the day which has made fishing great as of late. We also ramble on some Q&A. Hopefully there's some nuggets in this episode that will help you put some mid summer muskies in your boat! Also, we missed Brian on this Ep. He will be back next week. Enjoy!
Don't let Jeff's self deprecating humor fool you, he is a titan in the musky industry and a pioneer for custom color baits. Not to mention, quite the stick back in his heyday. We were fortunate to get the opportunity to chat about how Team Rhino Outdoors started, some stories from back in the day, and the state of the musky industry as a whole. We hope you enjoy this information packed episode. Tap in!
The Muskies on Tap crew get together this week to chat about musky heartbreak and how to deal with it. Big fish have been on the move lately, which is great to see, but also the reality is they're difficult to catch. Gus brings back the fundamentals of rod positioning, fighting big fish, lure selection, patterning, and many other tips and tricks to put more fish in your net. We polish this one off with some Q&A from the listeners. Tap in!
This week the fellas linked up with buddies, Mitch Lund and Parker Knapp for a tried and true musky bender. We covered a lot of known and new water over the weekend with two boats. We also worked the night shift during the new moon this weekend, which was a learning curve. Overall, fish hit the bag, some big ones were lost, but a lot of great times were had. Tune in to hear about how it all went down.
Namaste! Guru says... On this weeks episode the boys sit down for a little chat with the infamous musky cowboy, Tyler Andrews, commonly referred to as "the musky guru." We get a chance to talk all things Northern Wisconsin musky fishing, his progression as an angler, and how he's adjusting to big city life. We really appreciated him spending some time and getting the chance to pick from his wealth of musky knowledge and wisdom. Give this one a listen!
Gus & Max give a quick recap on last weeks fishing in Vilas/Oneida County on the times they were able to get out between 4th of July festivities. All the fellas will be back next week with a full pod. We hope everyone had a great time celebrating America's birthday!
Well... Max and Brian debrief/vent after a tough weekend fishing the 1st Annual PMCC. Clayton Spiess from Thistle Dew Outdoor Adventures joined the show to talk about his PMCC tournament plus a few great musky stories from triumph to heartbreak. Gus also found a pile of fish and it seems the big fish are up and moving around. Tune in!
Brian is fully recovered from his long weekend of golfing and is back to bring the heat this week. Max & Brian preview their game plan for the upcoming PMCC tournament where you can tell they're actually quite lost. Gus gives an updated Northern WI fishing report on hot baits, and what to expect for the upcoming week. Plus a great bag of listener Q&A where all the secrets are revealed... kind of.
Gus & Max ventured down to Wisconsin's capitol to try their hand at the second leg of this years PMTT circuit. Tune in to hear about how the fellas got a few big bites and earned another top 5 finish. No Brian this week as he needed his beauty sleep after golfing all weekend. We got real mics finally!!!!!
Join us this week on a mash up of Gus and his dad's first outing of Monday Night Musky League, some Q&A, and how excited Max and Gus are for the PMTT in Madison this weekend. Some good tactics on fishing open water, bugs, mud, and wind are all in here so don’t miss this one!
Recapping the northern Wisconsin musky opener this past weekend. We discuss what worked and what didn’t, along with our competition results
The fellas are gearing up for the musky opener in northern Wisconsin. They’ll be accompanied by their friend Jack for opening weekend. Brian and Max team up to take on Gus and Jack in a 2v2 showdown. What could go wrong. Plus some Q & A from our listeners
This week we welcome our first ever guest Justin, owner of R&M Musky and Tackle, a bait shop located in Eagle River, WI. We have Justin on to chat about owning a bait shop and an exciting tournament they are putting on this summer, the PMCC in late June. Gus gives a northwoods fishing report and the boys ramble on over some great questions. Tune in!
Repeatable? Or dumb luck? The fellas found some open water this spring and swung for the fences hoping to land a pre spawn giant in the UP. Tune in to find out what happens. Also, some Q & A
The Maiden Voyage for Muskies on Tap. Gus, Max, & Brian talk about why they wanted to start a podcast about a fish that's tough to catch. Gus recaps his week down in Kentucky taking 4th place at the first leg of the 2023 PMTT. Be sure to tune in each week for up to date fishing reports, tournament fishing, Monday Night Musky League outings, stories from the boat, and the occasional beer recommendation!
The Muskies On Tap crew were lucky enough recently to be on The Muskie Hunks Podcast. This is the audio that they posted and they were gracious enough to allow us to post it on our podcast as well. It would be much appreciated if everyone gave their podcast a listen and follow. They are on all forms of podcast media as well as on Instagram @themuskiehunks. We had a ton of fun chatting with the PA boys and will have them on our podcast down the way. Tons of great stories in this one so don't miss out!
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