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!
Muskies on Tap – a division of Sug’s Fishing LLC
Copyright: © Muskies On Tap 2023
This week we get on the man behind the infamous Glitch and Pedigree glidebaits, Mike Conklyn. Mike crafts each and every bait he makes by hand, balancing and testing them to give you the best possible custom glide bait. He also will be showcasing at this years WI Musky Expo a new lure: the Pacifier. This is a sweet take on a dive n rise bait we advise to check out! On top of Mike getting into all the specifics about how Conklyn Lures started and got to where it is now, special guest Rich Reinert is also on the call. He discusses all to be offered this year at the WI Musky Expo in Wausau (Rothschild) March 14-16th. Some exciting booths and speakers this year to look forward to so tap in!
An absolute classic of a cold opener from Chris Tucker in Rush Hour 3. Who are you? I am Yu
This week we have Jordan Weeks on from the WI DNR who has been a part of the musky program (musky team leader) in the state for around 25 years and has the title Mississippi River supervisor as well. Not only does Jordan provide the science but also is an avid musky angler in the sport for over 30 years. With his passion for muskies we dive into may topics tonight which include stocking, musky spawning, musky mortality, handling, hot water studies, barotrauma, and many more. This was quite possibly the most educational podcast we have put together and that was all thanks to Jordan. Tap in!
"We gotta get off this rock Chuck, get back to the mainland"
This weeks cold open comes from the famous ending dialogue between Chuck and Teddy in the movie Shutter Island. Absolute classic
This week the MOT crew gets on Ayden Froeschle, a young musky angler with some fresh takes in this episode! Ayden grew up in the Hudson area fishing the St. Croix and Western Wisconsin. His musky bug started in Canada and now has taken him to many different big fish waters in MN like Leech Lake. Ayden's tournament career, although short (so far), is highly impressive breaking out multiple wins in the last few years. Tap in!
New merch incoming!!!!!
Lots of fresh things on the MOT agenda this week including a fresh intro. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Workaholics intro "Ya gotta be fresh", and So Fresh, So Clean by Outkast. What a lineup!
This week we have a chat with West Virginia native, Chase Gibson. He is now a very well traveled guide that is also making a mark in the TV side of musky fishing. Himself and Brad Hoppe host the show Mayhem's 10,000 Casts that airs weekly on KOTV and YouTube this winter. As we dive into that we also look at how Chase found himself in MN and now specifically Leech Lake. Lots of great tips, thoughts on electronics and bait suggestions in this episode as well as so many stories & tournament talk. We fit in as much as we could here and can't wait to get Chase back on in the future. Tap in!
This weeks intro features the infamous scene from Jaws where Mr. Brody takes down jaws himself. "Smile you son of a b-POW"
We welcome everyone to the new year with this fantastic chat we had with Steve Genson who is celebrating his 25th season of guiding! Not only that but we dive deep into some certified classic stories on the early days of Keyes Outdoors, guiding and tournament fishing. Steve guides primarily the greater Hayward area of WI nowadays, but has acquired extensive knowledge from all over the musky range from filming and tournament fishing. From start to finish you can hear the passion Steve still holds for the sport. Don't want to miss out on this one so tap in!
Merch update is in the outro so stick around to hear the news on that! Show season is nearing and the MOT crew is brewing some great stuff up!
This weeks intro comes from a classic TV show and favorite of the MOT crew - It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Mac and Dennis come up with the great idea of Paddy's Dollars but at the same time do not know how this idea works. It keeps the money moving. In a circle.
The MOT crew thanks The Musky Hunks podcast for inviting us to join their secret santa gift exchange over the holidays. Huuuuge shooouuut ooouuuttt to them as well as Kyle Friedges (Beyond The 8 on YT), Matt Vavroch (Matt Vavroch Fishing on YT), and Tyler Andrews aka the Musky Guru (Not A Musky Podcast on all podcasting platforms). Had a great time and be sure to check out all of their content!
Gus and Brian talk over some end of the year updates prior to the gift exchange so listen in to get the scoop! Gus has a few upcoming events he will be attending:
January 7th - speaking at the C&R Musky Club Meeting @7pm at the Old 41 Saloon in Neenah, WI
January 18th-19th - Gus will be attending the Chicago Musky Expo!
Book now as Gus's 2025 calendar is filling up!
SANTA!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know him. I know him
- Buddy the Elf
Welcome to the 2024 season wrap up of Muskies On Tap along with special guest Rowan Stamm out of Southern Wisconsin. Rowan is a river specialist who is also well equipped to take on any lake from the deep south to the north like Northern Wisco and MN. We had Rowan on last year in December and continued our chat on late season muskies and rivers. We share a lot of insightful tips along with some 2024 woes and struggles. There was plenty to take away with this past season and I hope everyone is prepared to take on 2025! Tap in for a great end of season podcast and we will see ya next year!
Gus has opened his 2025 calendar and is now taking trips for smallmouth (April - June) and muskies (June - November). Get the hot dates around the good moon phases while you can!
Also, if you get where this weeks quote is from you get bonus points! Thank you all for making 2024 truly a season to remember. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year!!!
This week we bring back Rich Reinert to talk about musky strategy, specifically in the fall timeframe. There were some trends statewide that Gus and Rich connected on to scheme up a different way looking at fall fishing. Along with more of the philosophy side of fishing, Rich sprinkles in a couple bait mods and nuggets. After catching up about recent fishing events we move onto expo talk and braided fishing line - specifically FINS. Rich keeps everyone in the loop with the news there that you don't want to miss out on. Many new baits to look forward to at the WI Musky Expo in Wausau this coming year!
Merchandise and Gus's guide info link:
This weeks intro comes from an early seen in the first Anchorman movie where Ron Burgundy has some very, very important news to tell you...
No introduction needed here as we bring back Gregg Thomas after our Thanksgiving break. Gregg gives his run down on how his fall went and quickly turns into a mega deep dive into fall fishing entirely. We know it's all over for us in the north as seasons end and ice forms, but don't let that deter the fact Gregg drops some incredible knowledge bombs for you to jot some notes to. Sit back, unwind, and tap in to hear the wizard himself
This weeks intro comes from the ever famous Harry Potter series. Right from the beginning of the Sorcerer's Stone (or Philosopher's Stone) when Hagrid breaks the ever so quotable phrase: "Yer a wizard Harry"
Then we end it with Hedwig's Theme to get everyone in the Holiday mood
This week the fellas get on Minnesota musky guide Ryan McMahon to discuss late fall tactics, progression of musky fishing, MN metro fishing, and sucker fishing. Ryan has a lot of passion for the sport and you can really tell from listening to his stories and fishing tactics. Tap in to hear Ryan's story and pick up on some great sucker fishing tips!
MOT hats are in stock! Link below
Another Happy Gilmore quote today: Happy and Bob Barker get in a fist fight after being in dead last at the Pro-Am
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