2024 Tennessee Musky Fishing Report. Tennessee Musky Guide Steven Paul.
Tennessee Musky Fishing Report January 2024
Tennessee Musky Fishing Report January 2024
January in Tennessee is often a mixed bag of weather. Wild swings in air and water surface temperatures are not uncommon and this year has been no exception thus far. Water temps are hovering somewhere around 48 or 53 during the early half of the month. With such mild water temps Melton Hill muskies are still very active. Food sources such as shad, pan fish and perch have taken deep water refuge for the winter and Melton Hill muskies have followed suite. Musky staging on Great Falls and Rock Island has adhered to the same general range as Melton hill with muskies holding in the six-to-twelve-foot zone. It should be noted that quick unseasonable warm ups will pull forage and subsequently muskies in to shallower zones.
Top Casting Presentations: Tennessee Musky Fishing January 2024
Livingston Lures Kraken
This hybrid hard / soft jerk bait is designed to target mid depth areas and is perfect when muskies are staged on mid depth breaks and cover.
Chaos Medusa
The mid-size Medusa is a staple during winter months as its running depth is perfect for contouring breaks.
Joe Bucher Depth Raider
You can’t go wrong with this classic. Throw it out turn the handle, its as simple as that. This mid depth running musky crankbait easily hits six feet on a moderate length cast.
Top Trolling Presentations: Melton Hill Musky Fishing January 2024
Supernatural Big Baits: Lip Lock
The Lip Lock is a monster lure with an intense wandering action. This lure does not play well with other lures in a trolling spread but is deadly over break lines for trophy class Tennessee muskies.
13” Grandma
This magnum trolling musky crank bait has a tighter wobble compared to other oversized trolling lures and is perfect for pulling up sluggish Tennessee muskies.
Tennessee Musky Fishing Report February 2024
Tennessee musky fishing in February is an exciting and interesting month. Each year February is a coin toss of conditions. Some years are bitter cold, while other are mild and some a rain-soaked messes. This year has been combination of all the above elements and some odd twists and turns of air temperatures and frontal movements. Regardless of conditions Tennessee muskies are active and looking for larger than life presentations. From shallow shorelines to deep holes and structural elements of all kinds Tennessee musky can be found scattered before the spawn brings them together. One this that is notable about Tennessee musky fishing in February is the amount of trophy class bass that we catch. The majority of the year a by catch is rare here in Tennessee when targeting muskies but during February big bass can picked up in the pursuit of muskies.
Top casting presentations
Livingston Lures Kraken
This hybrid hard body / soft plastic lure gets down and dirty to pull muskies from mid and deep water.
Joe Bucher Depth Raider
Regardless of you twitch reel of rip it muskies in colder temperatures respond to this timeless
classic.
Top Tennessee Musky Fishing Trolling Lures
13” Grandma
Big trolling baits produce big bites in open water and over cover and structure.
February Tennessee Musky Fishing Bonus Bass
Tennessee Musky Fishing Report March 2024
Tennessee Musky Fishing in March is a time of change. Tennessee muskies start making moves towards shallow waters as the spawn approaches. Warmer weather stars pulling forage fish into shallow zones and muskies follow suit. It should be noted that cold fronts can push Tennessee muskies back into deeper water depending on their severity. A keen eye should be paid to weather and water conditions to pinpoint where active Tennessee muskies will be found.
Top Tennessee Musky Casting presentations March 2024
Livingston Lures Kraken
The Kraken can be worked mid, shallow and deep and is an excellent seek and destroy musky lure for tough days on the water.
Livingston Lures Titan
Dive and rise presentations excel in the early spring to pull Tennessee muskies off step edges.
Tennessee Musky Fishing March Fishing Report Top Trolling Presentations
Joe Bucher Depth Raider
The Depth Raider is perfect for mid depth edges when spring muskies drop back out of shallow zones. With a bit of bottom contact and some ticking and clicking Tennessee muskies can be landed during spring cold fronts.
Tennessee Musky Fishing Report April 2024
Tennessee Musky Fishing in April is generally solid year to year. Regardless of the warming trends of the early spring cold fronts can still have negative impacts so adjustments to your game plan must be made. Generally most Tennessee musky action in April takes place in shallow zones however muskies will quickly fall back to deeper refugee with the slightest drop in water temperatures.
Presentations during this early spring period should be in of the smaller variety. Down sized crank baits and gliders are productive. When conditions skew towards negative and neutral small rubber lures can be useful. At time turning to soft bass plastics like spring lizards and other creature baits is effective as a down sized musky pull pause presentation.
Top casting Lures Tennessee Musky Fishing April 2024
Titan Junior
Color Black
The Titan Junior is a down sized dive and rise lure that is perfect for working shallow edges and old vegetation in the early season. It is also a useful lure to have around as a cast back for follow all year long.
Joe Bucher Shallow Raider
Color Blue Back Shad
The Shallow Raider has been a staple musky lure for decades and it still producing strikes.
Using the Shallow Raider as a shallow water twitch bait has and will always be the ticket for early season and finicky muskies.
Livingston Lures Kraken
When Tennessee muskies pull off of the shallows during spring cold fronts the Kraken gets down anywhere you need to be. Used as a slow mid depth jerk bait during cold fronts the Kraken is highly effective.
Tennessee Musky Fishing April 2024 Top Trolling Lures
Short line trolling can be good to pick up fish outside of majors and weather events. Small crank baits at mini inline spinners like Mepps Giants Killers at slow speeds can pick up muskies. Some muskies can be found shallow yet suspended over substantial depths.
Tennessee Musky Fishing Report May 2024
Tennessee Musky Fishing in May can be highly productive if weather patterns are stable. As post spawn muskies make moves to recuperate from the spawn they will often eat multiple times per day opening numerous opportunities for anglers. A savvy Tennessee musky angler should keep in mind that smaller presentations are often the key for post spawn muskies.
While most anglers think of this early season period as solely a casting scenario those wanting to tangle with multiple trophy class Tennessee muskies should consider trolling.
It should be noted that May weather patterns are generally stable with only minor fluctuations in air and water temperatures. This stability makes patterning Tennessee muskies slightly easier but keep that dam releases also have a dramatic effect on musky staging.
Top Casting Presentations :
Mepps Giant Killer : White
This classic willow leaf spinner will get the job done anywhere muskies swim.
Slammer 7" Minnow
The Slammer 7" inch minnow is the perfect presentation for shallow zones and in and around rocky and wood cover.
Steve's Meat Grinder from the Figure 8 Lure Co.
This safety pin spinner goes where no other lure dares and can be crawled through and over some of the nastiest places muskies inhabit and come out clean.
Top Tennessee Musky Trolling Baits May 2024
Tuff Shad 5" :
This is a smaller presentation that excels in the low speed range for finicky post spawn muskies.
Joe Bucher Baby Depth Raider :
The baby depth raider is perfect for clicking and ticking shallow cover.
Supernatural Big Baits Headlock :
This magnum trolling lure can and will pull up big muskies under difficult conditions.
Tennessee Musky Fishing June 2024
Tennessee Musky Fishing Report June 2024
June has been an odd month due to conditions that are far less stable than other years. Dialing in on serious trophy class muskies however can be done. While baot fish patterns are in shambles from various climactic factors muskies still have to feed at some point and knowing what structures will hold apex predators and when they will be there has never been more important that this year.
Top casting lures Tennessee Musky Report 2024
Steve's Tailegater Figure 8 Lure Company
This signature spinner bait is built for big Tennessee Muskies and is dialed in for tough conditions.
Livingston Lures Kraken
The Kraken is a highly versatile jerk-bait and excels for sluggish muskies
Top Tennessee Musky Trolling Lures June 2024
Joe Bucher Magnum Shallow Raider
This big flat sided crank bait fits the bill for shallow aggressive Tennessee muskies.
Big Fork Avatar
This custom made wooden crank has a wobble that is made to pull up even the most sluggish muskies. Ticking and clicking deep cover is the ticket for post frontal Tennessee musky.
Tennessee Musky Fishing Report July 2024
Musky fishing in July is best categorized as Hot, Hot, Hot. While the first week of July is still somewhat fish-able for muskies in Tennessee things start getting dicey as we creep further and further into the month. Out of respect to the fish and fishery I make my way North to Wisconsin and Canada and give Tennessee muskies a break for the months of July and August where they are most vulnerable to not only water temps but ambient air temps when landed. However a few nice Tennessee muskies hit the net in July just before things really started to heat up. I will catch up with you in August with a report on muskies else where and be dialed back in on Tennessee muskies the second September brings fish-able conditions back to the Volunteer state.
Tennessee Musky Fishing Report August 2024
August in the South is what any sane person would articulate as miserable. If the mere thought of standing on a boat in the sweltering heat isn't off putting enough the damage that can be done through muskie mortality is more than enough to send me seeking cooler temps until the fall. Each year I venture to Canada and spend the majority of July August there before dialing back in on Tennessee Musky in early September. Below are a few pics from this years Canada trip.
Tennessee Musky Fishing September 2024 Musky Fishing Report
As temperatures begin cooling off the Tennessee Musky Fishing bite gets hot. Tennessee muskies that spent the last few months as bottom dwellers avoiding the heat of summer begin to move shallow in the pursuit of bait fish. While the date on the calendar might lead one to believe that September in Tennessee is the Fall, it is far from reality. Water temps are just hitting safe metrics in the upper seventies and muskies are moving accordingly.
Top Casting Lures fro Tennessee Muskies September
Livingston Lures Kraken
This hybrid tube pulls muskies in from deep and shallow structures.
Slammer Fatty Minnow
This mid sized crank bait excels around weeds and rocky cover.
Tennessee Musky Fishing October 2024
Tennessee Musky Fishing October 2024 Fishing Report
East Tennessee and North Carolina where hit by the remnants of a hurricane causing damage on a scale that is nearly unfathomable. The extreme weather and flooding caused me to head north and target muskies in Wisconsin until things even out. With the rivers and lakes in Tennessee being flooded and over capacity it will be a few weeks before musky fishing is viable.
Muskies have been dialed in on a shallow weeds and cover in the North. Bucktails and swim baits like the Livingston Lures Magnus have excelled in these shallow water scenarios.
Tennessee Musky Fishing Report November 2024
Tennessee Musky Report November 2024
November like much of 2024 has been warmer than usual. Conditions are very mild with day time air temps in the 70's and even low 80's. Things should cool off by the end of the month, but that is yet to been seen. With odd weather being the main factor Tennessee muskies are still in a semi-summer mood but a few fish can be found at deeper depths.
Tennessee Musky Lures November 2024
Livingston Lures Magnus :
The Magnus is a custom swim-bait with variable weighting. The Magnus has been phenomenal in and around timber and rocks this fall.
Tennessee Musky Fishing. Tennessee Musky Fishing Guide. Melton Hill Musky. Melton Hill Musky Guide. Great Falls Musky. Collins River Musky Fishing. Melton Hill Musky Report. Musky Guide Tennessee. Clinch River Musky. Emory River Musky. Musky Fishing Tennessee. Middle Tennessee Musky Fishing. Musky Guide. Musky Charter. Tennessee Musky Charter.
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