Tennessee Musky Map Tennessee musky fishing is not one lake, one river, or one simple story. It is a full map of connected reservoirs, tailwaters, mountain rivers, highland lakes, current seams, baitfish movements, overlooked backwaters, and southern musky history. Over my decades of living, guiding, and fishing for muskies in Tennessee, I have always enjoyed exploring new water. I have spent thousands of days, year round, chasing trophy class muskies across this state, but t

Musky IQ: Analyze & Execute by Steven Paul I am excited to announce the release of my latest book, Musky IQ: Analyze & Execute. Building on the foundation of my first book, Next Level Musky Fishing, this new release takes a deeper, more system-driven approach to helping musky anglers elevate their game on the water. It is designed to move beyond theory and into execution—giving anglers the tools to read conditions, make better decisions, and ultimately put more muskies in the

I am proud to announce the release of "Next Level Musky Fishing". You can purchase Next Level here at The Musky Shop. This book covers...

King of the Hill: Steven Paul lands state record musky on Melton Hill Lake ​ WhenSteven Paul set out on Melton Hill Lake last Thursday,...

I am proud to be featured in the current issue of In-Fisherman Magazine discussing late-fall muskie fishing and how I approach trophy fish in Southern reservoirs. The article gets into some of the things that shape my fall strategy, including water temperature, light conditions, forage movement, shrinking strike zones, and why precision becomes more important than simply covering water as temperatures drop. I also talk about the importance of identifying the specific edges m

Featured in Field & Stream: Why Fall Is Prime Time for Giant Muskies I recently had the opportunity to be interviewed by Field & Stream Executive Editor Dave Hurteau for the Fall 2026 Field & Stream Journal and a discussion about one of my favorite subjects: fall muskie fishing. The premise of the article is simple. Fall is hunting season for much of the country, so why should an outdoorsman leave a deer stand or duck blind and spend a day chasing muskies instead? My answer t

I wanted to take a moment to share an excerpt from my latest article with Field & Stream, “How to Fish Live Bait for Muskies—Responsibly.” Be sure to check out the full article here: Field and Stream Magazine In the article, I break down how to use live suckers effectively while putting muskie safety first. I cover the equipment, rigging, bait placement, strike detection, and my immediate hookset techniques that make live bait fishing both effective and responsible. Live bai

September in Tennessee normally brings the first real signs of fall musky fishing, but this year summer is refusing to leave quietly. Steven Paul Tennessee Musky Fishing A strengthening El Niño pattern continues to influence weather across North America, and Tennessee musky fishing remains more dependent on finding safe water temperatures than simply following the calendar. July and August were far too hot across much of the state for me to responsibly target Tennessee’s nati

By Steven Paul Author Steven Paul with a big Melton Hill Musky In the early fall, big rubber presentations shine for Melton Hill musky fishing. As water temperatures begin to cool and forage behavior shifts, Tennessee muskies often become increasingly responsive to large-profile baits that create displacement, hang time, and vulnerability within the retrieve. On fisheries like Melton Hill Lake, where suspended fish, current influence, and changing forage positioning dominate

Musky Fishing on Wabigoon by: Steven Paul Author Steven Paul with a Wabigoon Muskie As summer takes hold in Tennessee each year, I begin looking north. The trip has become something of an annual pilgrimage. I make a quick stop at the Musky Shop for its yearly Musky Shop Bash, and the next day I am back on the road, crossing the border and heading toward what has become my summer home on Wabigoon Lake. Each summer I spend more than a month there hunting trophy-class muskies. M

Tennessee Musky Fly Fishing A Realistic Look at Fly Fishing for Muskies in Tennessee By Steven Paul A Tennessee Musky Fishing guide client with nice one on a Game Changer Fly. Fly fishing for muskies occupies a strange place in modern fishing culture. It is often romanticized beyond reality, framed as some pure or elevated form of predator fishing where elegance and artistry somehow outweigh efficiency. In truth, musky fly fishing is one of the most physically demanding and m

Musky Trolling Concepts and Tactics Steven Paul Musky Trolling Over the years, countless prospective clients have asked if I planned to troll during their guided trips. I can usually tell by the tone of the conversation that tactical musky strategy isn’t what they’re thinking about. They’re wondering if the trip will be boring. I’ve also overheard fellow guides and anglers discuss trolling with such unbridled disdain you’d think musky trolling stole their wife and killed thei

Collins River Muskie Fishing: Tennessee Offers Trophy Class Musky Fishing, but the Collins River Offers Numbers, Action, and a True Small Water Musky Experience Collins River muskie fishing is one of the most unique muskie fishing experiences in Tennessee. Located in Middle Tennessee near McMinnville, the Collins River is a shallow, clear, moving water fishery where anglers can target muskies in a way that feels completely different from reservoir fishing on places like Melt

A highly deformed muskie caught by Steven Paul Weird and Odd Looking Muskies: A Rare Deformed Musky Catch Over my decades of guiding for muskies, I have run into a few, shall we say, characters that stand out. These muskies are unforgettable, not because of their enormous length, massive weight, or stamina during a fight, but because they simply look so odd. On a recent trip to a rather secluded cold-water musky fishery, well off the radar for most southern musky anglers, I

June in Tennessee marks the beginning of summer, but for muskies it remains a month of transition. Tennessee Muskie Fishing Many anglers assume fish immediately settle into predictable summer patterns and move offshore. While some do, the reality is far more complex. June is defined by movement. Baitfish are spreading out, water temperatures continue to climb, vegetation is expanding rapidly, and current generation schedules become increasingly important. The fishery is shift

I am proud to announce that my newest lure design, the Brute from Livingston Lures, earned First Place in the Soft Lure Category at the 2026 EFTTEX European Tackle Trade Exhibition in Barcelona, Spain. EFTTEX is one of the most respected fishing tackle trade shows in the world, bringing together manufacturers, retailers, and media from across Europe and beyond to showcase the latest innovations in fishing tackle. Each year, brands from around the globe debut their newest prod

Forward facing sonar, led by systems like Garmin LiveScope and Lowrance ActiveTarget, remains one of the most divisive topics in musky fishing. It has already reshaped professional bass fishing, influencing tournament strategies, viewership of events like the Bassmaster Classic, and overall fan engagement. The fact that the bass community still has not reached consensus after years of debate tells us musky fishing is nowhere close to common ground. As a guide who was on the w

Author Steven Paul (left) and friend Ronald with a massive Northern Pike in the Netherlands How to Catch Big Suspended Pike in Open Water By Steven Paul My travels as a professional angler have put me in position to target predator fish in some truly unique places. From the massive reservoirs of the Netherlands to the rivers of Sweden and the backcountry waters of Canada, there are countless fisheries that hold giant northern pike. While there are no northern pike in Tennesse

TENNESSEE MUSKY FISHING REPORT MAY 2026 May in Tennessee signals a shift that every serious musky angler waits for. The chaos of the spawn is over. The fish are no longer scattered across multiple biological phases. They are recovering, repositioning, and beginning to settle into more defined, fishable patterns. This is the start of stability. After an April marked by inconsistency and fragmented spawning activity, May brings a more unified fishery. Muskies have wrapped up th

Fishing Musky Tubes with the Kraken Fishing Musky Tubes and Vertical Jerk-Baits Musky-sized tubes are undeniably one of the most effective presentations for muskies staged on the outside edges of cover and structure. Their ability to probe depths of twenty feet or more with little effort, while still holding their own in shallow water, makes tube-style presentations exceptionally versatile. While tubes are not guaranteed to put muskies in the net, when used properly they do g