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,...

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

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

TENNESSEE MUSKY FISHING REPORT APRIL 2026 Tennessee Musky Fishing Report April 2026 This Tennessee Musky devoured a Mustang in Sexist Shad Color April in Tennessee is no longer a transition. It is a collision. Winter is gone, but spring has not fully stabilized. Instead, what defines this month is inconsistency at a level that directly impacts the fishery. Rapid temperature swings, cold fronts, and warming trends have not just influenced behavior. They have disrupted the spaw

Glide Baits for Muskie: Theory, Selection, and Advanced Application I make the best attempt to not let personal preference influence my lure selection on any given daily basis, but I must admit if there is even the smallest bit of viability for glide baits, I’m jumping at the opportunity. For several years I threw glide baits far, far, far too much. While clients were engaging actively feeding muskies with blades, topwaters, and other presentations, I was more than content co

MARCH TENNESSEE MUSKY FISHING REPORT March in Tennessee is a contradiction. It is not spring. It is not winter. And on some days, it will feel like the line between the two is blurred within the same 24-hour window. This is a month defined by instability. Air temperatures swing wildly. Water temperatures creep, stall, and sometimes fall backward. Cold fronts roll through with authority, only to be followed by warm rains that push systems forward again. The result is a true ro

How Muskies Hunt: The Science Behind Target Acquisition, Strike Angles, and Triggering More Follows How do Muskie Hunt One of the most fascinating parts of muskie fishing is watching an apex predator do what it was built to do. Few freshwater experiences compare to seeing a big fish materialize behind your lure, track it through a wide turn, and either commit or fade away. Muskie fishing is a visual sport because we often get a front-row seat to the hunt itself. But how exact

Magnus Swimbait: Design, Depth Control, and Advanced Musky Applications A monster in the net on the Livingston Lures Magnus Musky Swimbait In the first installment of Next Level Musky Fishing , many of the tactics and concepts surrounding swimbaits were covered with a focus on the lures widely available at the time of writing. For most of my musky fishing career, I adopted a European approach by self-rigging loose swimbait bodies. Due to a lack of versatility, I avoided most

Musky Figure 8 Boatside Strikes and Converting Follows into Trophy Muskies Most muskies are lost at boatside. The figure eight decides everything. Few aspects of musky fishing have talked about more than figure eights, yet few have been explained in any meaningful way. Most discussions stop at the familiar advice to “do a good figure eight,” which, while technically correct, is functionally useless. It is no different than ending an article on batting by telling a hitter to h

Live Bait for Muskies Live Bait Tactics for Muskies Fishing live bait for muskies has been part of the sport from its earliest days. Using live suckers, chubs, and panfish was the most effective way to catch muskies in the 1930s and 40s, because the lures of that era would, let’s just say, leave a modern-day musky angler in a state of wanting. I have always enjoyed hearing stories from the bygone days of musky fishing, and most of them involve live bait in some form. One of m

February Musky Fishing in Tennessee Deep Water Giants and Cold Water Patterns on Tennessee Reservoirs February musky fishing in Tennessee is true cold water fishing. Snow squalls, harsh winds, and frozen equipment are often the price of admission to tangle with the biggest muskies the state has to offer. As winter progresses, muskies continue building weight in anticipation of the spawn. February is when the largest fish fully commit to deep water hunting grounds to secure th