TWO BIG MUSKY from the Kayak! Southern Musky Fishing!

Today we’re fishing a small river for BIG musky! Muskie live in many of the lakes and streams in Eastern Tennessee and are far less pressured than their Northern cousins. They’ve been on Matt’s radar since his first trip to the region and today he’s on a mission to finally catch one (or two) from the kayak!

Known as the fish of 10,000 casts, the musky can be a very frustrating adversary. However, we know from years of trophy bass fishing with swimbaits that numbers like “10,000 casts” often represent a misunderstanding of the fish. With both bass and musky, once an angler understands their habits and feeding windows the time required to catch a trophy fish can be cut dramatically. They may never become “easy” to catch, but they’ll become much more predictable. 

Matt focused his efforts on 3 presentations. He fished a Savage Gear 4-play (swimbait), A R2S Whopper Plopper 190 (Topwater) and a Blue Fox Spinner (Bucktail). He really wanted to catch his first musky on a swimbait after getting short struck on the last river drift with Tim but in the end, all 3 bites came on the bucktail.

Below you’ll find links to all of the available baits and gear Matt was using throughout the day. If you want to catch a musky of your own, some of the items, like the 30" custom 135 lb Leader, were hand tied by Matt and would need to be fabricated on your own to be replicated. For the rest of the gear, the links go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions of each item. 

The Baits… 

-Savage Gear 4 Play 200 (Hitch): https://bit.ly/3j97oWc

-River2Sea Whopper Plopper 190 (Perch): http://bit.ly/2a7ipHL

-Blue Fox Vibrax Super Boy (Black/Silver): Source Locally

Hook and Hardware Upgrades… 

Hooks- Owner 4X ST-66 Trebles (1/0 and 2/0): http://bit.ly/2JHo3z3

Split RIngs- Owner ULTRA Wire (Size 6): http://bit.ly/3bQgswL

Swivels- Spro Power Size 2: http://bit.ly/2ay0p7d

Kayak… 

-Old Town Sportsman AutoPilot 136: https://bit.ly/3h9ngaS

Matt’s Rod/Reel Combo… 

Rod- G Loomis IMX Pro 966C Swimbait: http://bit.ly/2x9kxuS

Reel- Shimano Tranx 300 HG: http://bit.ly/2kYsvRw

Line- Power Pro Maxcuatro 80 lb Braid: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Budget Musky Combo... 

Rod- Dobyns Fury 806H: http://bit.ly/2bGvlVV

Reel- Shimano Curado 300 HGK (Available to PRE-ORDER): https://bit.ly/2HbZ3E4

Line- Power Pro Braided 80 lb: http://bit.ly/2aFg46b

Related Kayak Videos... 

-10 lb Bass From The Kayak: https://youtu.be/bNTZvcyep-0

-Bank Fishing and Kayaking Small River For Bass and Musky: https://youtu.be/u1Dy0xSYyfs

-Epic Golf Course Pond Fishing!: https://youtu.be/8NoDLM2fpyE

-Backwater Bass Fishing- Kayaks and Flippin Sticks: https://youtu.be/1toqR0P0Azw

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TacticalBassin Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/2TvFMBD

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Bank Fishing and Kayaking Small River For Bass and Musky!

This creek is FULL of bass and musky! Come along as we drift a new river in search of anything that will bite! We find smallmouth, largemouth, and GIANT muskie as we kayak through deep pools and shallow riffles. With no expectations and no information we adapt to the changing conditions, catching fish on everything from topwater to crankbaits. We even get the opportunity to throw big baits at some fired up musky!

Today’s video is all about relaxing and having a good time. When we arrived in East Tennessee we knew that river drifting in the kayaks was going to be a great opportunity for all sorts of species and this is our first chance to get out and try it. We anticipated big smallmouth in this stream but we had no idea that 4’ long predators would be lurking in every pool! Thankfully Matt had packed a travel rod and a couple big baits just in case… while he never connected on a musky, he had multiple opportunities throughout the day as fish chased and reacted to his glide bait. 

If you’ve never considered travel rods they’re a great option for bringing rods along in tight spaces like the kayak. We use travel rods when traveling out of the country but they’ve proven to be invaluable for last second trips. Because they pack down  so small they’re great for keeping in the car, truck, or kayak “just in case”.  

Below you’ll find a breakdown of the gear we were using throughout the day including the rods, travel rods, and kayaks. The bait and equipment links go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions of each item. The kayak link goes directly to the manufacturer's website where you can get more information on the Sportsman Series kayak. 

Topwater... 

-Megabass Pop X Popper: https://bit.ly/3i9T3sg

-River2Sea Whopper Plopper 75 (Phantom Shad): http://bit.ly/2bsPbQV

Ned Rig... 

Bait- Roboworm 3" (Black Blue Pumpkin): http://bit.ly/2j9F0Xy

Hook- Swagger Tungsten 1/8 oz Ned Head: http://bit.ly/2KcIB6M

Stick Bait... 

Bait- Yamamoto 4" Senko (Watermelon): http://bit.ly/2axAmNS

Hook- Gamakatsu Weedless Finesse Wide Gap Size 1: http://bit.ly/2aKGmHM

Finesse Swimbait... 

Bait- Keitech 4" Easy Shiner: http://bit.ly/2bxJK6H

Hook- Dirty Jigs 1/8 oz Guppy Head 1/0: http://bit.ly/2nyUJRS

Crankbait... 

Bait- Megabass Super-Z Z1 Squarebill: https://bit.ly/2Y9dkHB

Colors: Mat Craw 2, Wild Craw

Glidebait... 

Bait- River2Sea S-Waver 200: http://bit.ly/2aiu8Sh

Color: Bone

Kayak...

Old Town Sportsman Autopilot 136: https://bit.ly/3h9ngaS

Finesse Crankbait Combo... 

Rod- G Loomis IMX Pro 7'2" Deep Flex 864 CBR: http://bit.ly/2og0BmK

Reel- Shimano Aldebaran MGL 50 HG: http://bit.ly/2uQ4oH8

Line- Sunline Assassin 10 lb Fluorocarbon: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

Finesse Spinning Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Expride 6'10" Medium Light: http://bit.ly/2osaj3q

Reel- Shimano Ultegra 1000: http://bit.ly/2nfApml

Line- Power Pro 15 lb Braid: http://bit.ly/2aFg46b

Leader- Sunline Sniper 6 lb Fluorocarbon: http://bit.ly/2p7fxju

Budget Finesse Spinning Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Intenza 7' Medium Light: http://bit.ly/2s7kaQn

Reel- Shimano NASCI 2500: http://bit.ly/2g278cC

Line- Power Pro Maxcuatro 20 lb: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Leader- Maxima Ultragreen 8 lb Mono: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

Travel Rods are an amazing option when space and storage are an issue. Today Matt was using an older version of an F5 Swimbait travel rod paired with a Tranx 300 casting reel. There are a variety of widely available travel rods at various budgets to meet the needs of every angler. If you're interested in giving them a try here are some of our favorites. 

Travels Rods... 

High End Casting- Megabass Triza Series: https://bit.ly/2Glg3au

Budget Casting- Daiwa Ardito TR Travel: https://bit.ly/36f22pT

Budget Spinning- Daiwa Ardito TR Travel: https://bit.ly/3n3MIT2

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• TacticalBassin Hooded Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/38cVi9G

Bass Fishing For GIANT Smallmouth | Swimbaits, Crankbaits and 100 Mile Runs!

100 miles through floating debris fields, 44 degree temps, but the Smallmouth were chewing! Tim caught his 7 lber the evening before so no matter what was in front of us we were going to make it back for more!

The smallmouth were sitting on current seams and ledges in 5 to 18 feet of water. We used a combination of swimbaits and crankbaits to trigger the schools into feeding and then the slugfest began! This was one of the most viscious feeding sessions we've ever seen with smallmouth bass.

What were we using?

Matt Allen Swimbait Head: http://bit.ly/29RrTYN

Keitech 4.8” Swimbait: http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

6” Basstrix Paddletail Swimbait: http://bit.ly/2aiy7SR

Megabass Deep X 300 Crankbait: http://bit.ly/2sSQHpt

Strike King 6 XD Crankbait: http://bit.ly/2ery44M

Matt's Crankbait Setup...

Rod- Shimano Zodias 7'6” Glass: http://bit.ly/2cgmMAe

Reel- Shimano Aldebaran 50: http://bit.ly/2fdX1Uy

Line- 12 lb Sunline Assassin: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

Hooks- Megabass Katsuage: http://bit.ly/2r9lUmI

Tim's Swimbait Setup...

Rod- G Loomis NRX 7'5" XH: http://bit.ly/2hedqsq

Reel- Shimano Antares: http://bit.ly/2ha2zNI

Line- 50 lb Sufix 832 Braid: http://bit.ly/2ae93Ji

Leader- 15 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

Reasonably Priced Swimbait combo for the average angler...

Rod- Shimano Zodias 7'2" Heavy: http://bit.ly/2cgmMAe

Reel- Shimano Curado 70: http://bit.ly/2apmDJt

Line- 50 lb Sufix 832 Braid: http://bit.ly/2ae93Ji

Leader- 15 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

Tacticalbassin Apparel: Email

Music Credit - Pete Wilson @ www.northcoastsoundsystem.com 

River Fishing Trophy Smallmouth On Crankbaits | How To Catch Bass In Current

Big bass are stacked up in moving water, how would you catch them? We decided on a crankbait and it was a blast! We started a feeding frenzy and the fish were lining up for their turn at the deep diving crankbait!

We were positioning our boat downstream and working the crankbaits with the current along the edges of current breaks and seams. Most of the fish ate the crankbait on the pause, resulting in hard hooksets to catch up to them on the slack line that was drifting in the current. The current was fast but the smallmouth were even faster!

There is something special about getting away from the lakes and bass fishing in creeks, streams, and rivers. Its a peaceful change of pace from our typical fishing experience. If you get a chance to get out and catch smallmouth in current be sure and do it, you won't regret it!

What were we using?

Megabass Deep X 150 Crankbait: http://bit.ly/2rWA1zt

Megabass Deep X 300 Crankbait: http://bit.ly/2sSQHpt

Strike King 6 XD Crankbait: http://bit.ly/2ery44M

Matt's Crankbait rod is a 7'6” custom model by Curt Demerath Fishing (facebook or instagram) but if you want a very similar production rod, the following is an awesome setup...

Rod- St. Croix Big Cranker (7'8” Medium Moderate): http://bit.ly/2bPOSpx

Reel- Shimano Aldebaran 50: http://bit.ly/2fdX1Uy

Line- 12 lb Sunline Assassin: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

Hooks- Megabass Katsuage: http://bit.ly/2r9lUmI

Tim's Crankbait Setup...

Rod- Megabass Flat Side Special: http://bit.ly/2sssatO

Reel- Shimano Chronarch MGL 150: http://bit.ly/2n8DghB

Line- 12 lb Sunline Assassin: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

Hooks- Megabass Katsuage: http://bit.ly/2r9lUmI

Camera Used: http://bit.ly/2iwZqqU

Sunglasses Used: http://bit.ly/2glE3eN

Tacticalbassin Apparel: Email tacticalbassinapparel@gmail.com