Tennessee Musky Fishing Report 2025
- Steven Paul
- Jan 1
- 7 min read
Updated: Oct 1
Tennessee Musky Fishing Report 2025
Tennessee Musky Fishing Report January 2025
Tennessee Musky Fishing Report January 2025
With winter finally setting in Tennessee Musky Fishing is finally fired up for a strong winter bite. Tennessee musky have made moves for winter and are feeding with the impending spawn ever present in their minds. January is a time of tight truncated bite windows and musky fishing success demands that we know when these windows will take place and where we need to be when they do. Tennessee musky fishing in the winter months is all about action packed windows of opportunity that can put multiple fish in the boat before they slam shut.
Top Tennessee Musky Fishing Lures January 2025:
Livingston Lures Magnus
The Magnus Swimbait from Livingston Lures has a ton of belly roll and head swinging action that pulls muskies in without hesitation.
Livingston Lures Kraken
This hybrid tube style bait is perfect for working deep cover and structure.
Top Trolling Lures Tennessee Musky Fishing January 2025:
Supernatural Headlocks
Headlocks have a wide wander that will illicit strikes even at slow trolling speeds.
Jake
The classic Jake crankbait is a staple for open water trolling and pelagic muskies.
Tennessee Musky Fishing Report February 2025
Tennessee Musky Fishing Report February 2025
February Tennessee Musky Fishing is a often a month of cold temperatures with the opportunity at big bites. Braving the cold and a bit of frost can pay off with trophy class Tennessee Musky Fishing action. Muskies are often found bottom tight in February and success demands that anglers slow down their retrieves and select lures that have enticing action at this slower pace.
Top Tennessee Musky Fishing Casting Lures February 2025
Magnus Livingston Lures
The Magnus used with its heavy weight option can be worked low and slow and has a wide tail swing and side to side wobble.
Kraken
Using the Kraken as a deep jerk-bait can pull up bottom tight muskies. Using a fast but deep retrieve is the key for capitalizing on the tight winter feeding windows.
Top Trolling Lures February 2025 Tennessee Musky Fishing
14" Jake
This mega sized musky crank-bait is deadly when water temperatures drop into the forties.
Headlock
The Headlock has a wide wobble and a wandering action that works wonders around deep cover and structure.
Tennessee Musky Fishing Report March 2025
Tennessee Musky Fishing in March is always a roller coaster. Wild weather fluctuations that leave you confronted with all four seasons in a single day are nothing out of the ordinary. This coupled with the potential for spring flooding means that you better be on your toes when it comes to patterning and making adjustments to your musky game plan.
Tennessee Musky in March can be just about anywhere from mere inches to the deepest depths as they make moves closer and closer to the spawn. Reading the weather and water conditions are the absolute keys to consistent success.
Top Casting Presentaitons Tennessee Musky Fishing March 2025
Livingston Lures Magnus : Using the Magnus with the small 7 gram weight is perfect for working shallow flats and mid depth drop offs. Slow cranking and intermittent stutters are the keys to successful retrieves.
Livingston Lures Titan : Dive and rise presentations are deadly when Tennessee Musky are sluggish, worked in pockets pools and eddies the Titan consistently produces.
While casting for Tennessee Musky is the standard some trolling bites can happen over open water. Jerk trolling Titans, pulling Jakes and some swim-baits can be effective when cold fronts occur.
Tennessee Musky Fishing Report April 2025
Tennessee Musky Guides
Tennessee Musky Fishing Report April 2025
April is a time of change for Tennessee muskies as they move into shallower waters. With the unusual weather we've experienced so far this year, it's still uncertain whether the muskies have spawned. Cold and warm fronts colliding during key periods have led to varied behavior: some Tennessee muskies have moved in and spawned, while others remain hesitant. If you encounter muskies spawning, please leave them alone.
Top Casting Presentations Tennessee Musky Guide 2025:
Livingston Lures Mustang this action packed swim-bait that is perfect shallow spring time applications.
Steve's Meat Grinder: This spinner bait is perfect for crawling over sand flats and emerging vegetation.
Tennessee Musky Report May 2025
Tennessee Musky Fishing Report May 2025
Tennessee musky fishing in May is an exciting time. Muskies seemingly can be found under just about any rock you turn over. While these fish are accessible to the most anglers via casting the difference between failure and success is proper lure selection and timing.
I use the moon phase on the Musky 360 app heavily in the spring ans early summer to observe the solar lunar majors and minors as Tennessee muskies and their activity levels seemingly correlate to these celestial events.
While I could prattle on endlessly regarding the "why" of this matter, it would simply be far too long winded and a conversation better had a later time. With that said if you are looking to dive deep into the subject of muskies and the moon I peel back this enigma in the first installment of Next Level Musky Fishing.
Best Musky Lures Tennessee Musky Fishing May2025
Livingston Lures Titan
The Titian was my first commercially available lure and when it is all said and done will likely be the most endearing of my lure designing career. The Livingston Lures Titan is simple and easy to use, any reel or rod action will cause the Titan to dive, plunge and dart with an erratic action that is irresistible to muskies.
In Tennessee during the spring my preference is to use the Titan unweighted or with just the optional 7 gram weight. Short pulls and taps is usually all it takes to get strikes when accurate casts are made to cover ad structure.
The other star of this early season has been the Magnus musky swimbait. It doesn't get much easier to use than a swim-bait. The Magnus elevates musky swimbaits to new heights with an extreme side to side and wandering head action.
During May in Tennessee I like to use the Magnus near and on food shelves with adjacent deep water. The Magnus easily allows myself and guide clients to cover not only the shallow sections of a food shelf but also quickly probe the breaks and drop offs of these areas.
Tennessee Musky Fishing Report June 2025
Often June is marked with high air and water temps, however June 2025 is shaping up to be something different. Spring like weather has continued keeping water temps low and Tennessee muskies active. This has lead to some nice open water action.
While temps are low one should keep an eye out for warm water as we ease closer towards July.
Tennessee Muskies have been dialed in on:
The Big Makk: Topwater action can be far and few between but the Big Makk is super loud and can coax muskies into biting.
The Mustang from Livingston Lures: The Mustang is a new lure I have in the works with Livingston Lures, so far it has been unbelievably effective.
Steve's Meat Grinder from the Figure 8 Lure Company: This spinner bait was designed for Tennessee musky fishing and the results in the net prove it.
Tennessee Musky Fishing Report July 2025
Tennessee Musky Fishing Report – July 2025
By July, musky fishing in Tennessee has largely come to a halt as both air and water temperatures soar. With most, if not all, Tennessee musky waters exceeding ethical catch-and-release temperature thresholds, anglers are strongly advised to pursue other fishing opportunities during the peak of summer.
Even in the rare case where water temperatures appear marginally safe, high air temps can still cause severe stress to muskies—potentially leading to delayed mortality. Many of Tennessee’s musky fisheries rely heavily on natural reproduction, so erring on the side of caution isn’t just recommended—it’s essential for protecting the long-term health of these fisheries.
During the summer heat, I typically shift north to Wisconsin and Canada, where cooler waters offer better conditions for testing prototype Livingston Lures and enjoying a change of scenery. I’ll be back on Tennessee waters when the first signs of fall return and the musky fishing truly comes back into focus.
Tennessee Musky Fishing Report August 2025
August in Tennessee brings hot weather and water conditions that are unsafe for muskie fishing. Each year, I travel to Canada to fish the shield lakes of Northwestern Ontario. As September arrives, Tennessee's musky waters begin to cool, and we’re back in action for muskie fishing in the Volunteer State.
Tennessee Musky Fishing Report September 2025
Tennessee Musky Fishing in September
September usually marks the first real transition of the year for Tennessee muskies. However, in 2025 the change came slowly, as both air and water temperatures remained high, making much of the month feel like an extension of summer. Normally, as temperatures begin to fall, muskies push shallow, but this year they often slid back to deeper haunts whenever things warmed again.
I took the opportunity to travel to Europe and tangle with some trophy-sized pike in the Netherlands. By late September, cooling weather back home finally brought Tennessee muskies into more seasonal patterns, and I was able to get back into the swing of things.
Best Tennessee Musky Fishing Lures for September
The Livingston Lures Mustang has quickly become a key lure choice for Tennessee musky anglers because it blends power, versatility, and durability in a compact package. At roughly 7 inches and about 3.5 ounces, it’s sized right to draw strikes from trophy fish without being overly cumbersome on long casts. Its oversized paddle tail kicks up a deep belly roll and aggressive head shake that muskies can see and feel even in stained or turbulent water.
