Pete Maina is North America's #1 authority on Muskie and Pike fishing, as an angler at the top of his species, he is also an entrepreneur, an accomplished author, a professional photographer, TV show host, professional speaker and entertainer.
Grew up fishing with my dad and uncle being HUGE fans of yours…I can remember being “dragged” to a seminar when I was young, and a couple random Halloweens where my dad and/or uncle would throw together their best PETE costume 😂 Now that I am older (30) and have gotten the itch back after MANY years away, I knew just where to turn!
Excellent video here! It is a touchy subject walking a super fine wire in my opinion. I don’t believe it belongs in tournaments at all. I don’t think people should be using it to specifically “snipe” and target fish all day… but I do know people who genuinely use it to find vegetation, break lines, bait schools, etc. Like mentioned, you do need to practice and understand the graphs - not everyone can just turn it on and go. However, I agree with both sides and it has its uses IN THE PROPER HANDS. My biggest concern is conservation of the fish and am ultimately going to work towards that, regardless of how difficult or disadvantaged.
Its not just muskys... it's everything the michigan dnr waste so much time and money every year... killing lakes to plant fish that can't reproduce naturally year after year.... it's a horrible stupid shame ... every lake has an ideal habitat for different fish to thrive... even worse natural good reproduceing genetics... say for example... Sunday lake in Wakefield in the UP... small lil mud hole that has stupid jumbo perch... like lake gogebic iykyk.... but the dnr continues to plant 3in walleye every year knowing well the lake dos not have the habitat to support a spawning population..... wtf is the point of planting a fish that has to continuously be restocked.... if your going to stock a lake the whole point should be to build the best fishery the lake can support so it no longer needs to be stocked than move on to the one.... i could go on for days just one example.... it's truly a horrible shame.... it almost seems like they purposely waste money and avoid doing what's best for the lakes.....
EXCELLENT video Pete! Me being a newer Musky angle myself - I feel solid know I’ve soaked up all of the knowledge from the beginning. Thank you for the tips and explanations!
So true. If you don't have a pair of Knipex bolt cutters and a GIANT net (Frabill folding ) or similar don't even leave the house...hooks are cheap, Muskies are such a precious resource. Ohhh...and if you are choosing a boat choose one with a giant LiveWell...I've only used mine once for a muskie but it saved the day.
For hook cutters, there are no better ones than Knipex. They are German made and expensive, but they will cut even the heaviest gauge hooks like a hot knife through butter! There's a reason they are the best cutters in the world. Because they cut so easily, it lowers the stress that much more because they cut easily and quickly, lowering the handling time.
I did a lot of thinking this past winter after watching one of your video conversation with another guide. The bump board is gone from my boat. I just boated a 50” class fish. We unhooked her in the net, measured her in the water, then took a quick photo. We estimated her to be around 50”. That is good enough. We didn’t even take photos of fish under 36”. I feel better about it. WHY are we so obsessed about 50”? A 49.5” fish is just as beautiful.
Beautiful truth there.... if your chances of catching a large muskie in the future will be much better (and they will); it's the only way to go. For those unsure of this, simply try both methods and compare results. anyone truthful who has tried this can see the fish that stay in the water (or not measured at all - release much better
I had a nice one from the wisconsin river the other day around 40". I had it in the net next to the boat went to get my camera for a quick picture. I heard a few splashes looked and it blew a hole in the bottom of the net and escaped 🤣 I need a bigger net like that.
@@frozenfishermen2363 Yeah has happened to me a few times without the muskie net; this time of year I keep both in boat - as do a lot of bass n stuff too when temps get hot
I was going to say the same thing. When you watch a lot of musky fishing content online via RU-vid and other social media, there's usually lacking discussion of taking care of the fish. Many content creators just want to show off their exploits and not really educate anglers, discuss conservation, etc. Even good content creators make that mistake. They're not really caretakers of the sport.
Pete you’re a true classic and this knowledge is more important now than ever! I’m sick of all these new guys over handling fish for social media!! Really grinds my gears!!! They need to take a page out of your book! Ok rant complete but I’ve been a fan since muskies suck and a subscriber of Esox angler btw I really wish I had my old t-shirt with the Muskie guy chucking a lure at the jet ski 😂
😂 That truly was a classic shirt. Thx for the kind words ... and agree - sadly the trend is somewhat towards pictures, exact lengths and likes ... at the end of the day what is everyone trying to find - to spend their time?: the healthiest fisheries
I guess you're right ... just keep in mind they are the lowest density fish in the system. If everyone keeps their one - the population depletes quickly
I'm not sure if you're trolling or not, but even if you do only catch one a year, why purposley mishandle it "doing whatever you want" and potentially kill it? Not just muskies but any fish. Maybe consider respecting the fragility of the resource
Unfortunately all the musky that I have caught was when I was bass fishing without a net except once when I had a guide. We got the fish out of the net, snapped a picture, and it went right back in the water in thirty seconds to a minute later. The last musky I had actually swallowed a bass that was on and it got hooked barely from the lure that the bass was hooked on.
I just recently discovered this channel. Pete seems to explain more then the other channels that just have a quick “used this buck-tail and caught this musky.”
You should come down to metro in the fall and watch what happens to those fish there! Surprised there are not dead ones floating around there every day😑
man i always feel like im gonna hurt them grabbing in the gills, i try to stay along the gill plate but i just feel its so much more gentle to grab their tail and belly and act rest their body on my forearm too. Great Vid!
All musky fishermen should share this video with every musky fishermen they know. I intend to. Again, guy thank you and keep up the work. Musky inc. should be sent this video and encouraged to send it to all members.
This video should be a prerequisite for all beginner musky anglers. As a matter of fact, all musky anglers should be required to watch it. I have been musky fishing for over 20 years and I learned a lot from it. Thank you gentlemen, great job!
