New Year….New Gear for the 2025 Season
Prep now for the party coming next season because Musky Shop will have you covered with hot new gear and baits that deserve a test run on every angler’s vessel. Let’s get started with some new gear that has already arrived at the tail end of this year's season.
First, we have CC Lures with their 3 types of Dive ‘n’ Rise collection. These lures come in a 7.5” body, a 7.5” body with a tail, and a 9” body. All three look great in the water with a slow, lumbering dive and rise and accompanying body roll. These baits are made by an up-and-coming young designer, constructed out of cedar with unmatched beautiful paint jobs that really stand out. Don’t miss this opportunity to get behind a young local company getting its feet wet in the musky industry.
Next, just in at Musky Shop the Red October Boo Tubes. Boo Tubes are an interesting rubber, tinsel, and blade mash-up that will surely create, given the opportunity. These tubes can be worked in a pull-pause or a lumbering retrieve, and they are great for catching muskies with their hanging drop. These baits have a little bit of everything going on for a radically new presentation. They come in both a 9” and an 11” variety, so check them out if you’re looking for something new.
Not only do we have a new style of lure from Red October, but they have also introduced a great line-up of custom-painted 10” tubes that are sure to get smacked this season. These custom tubes feature some of Musky Shop’s most popular paint jobs, including Eelpout, Ice Perch, Cisco, and more. We can’t wait for anglers to get their hands on these awesome patterns.
We are also welcoming to the shop a great collection of St. Croix Legend and Mojo rods for those who like a rod that’s built to last. This company has been around long enough to know exactly what its customers need when building these dynamite musky casters. The new Mojo rods come with optional grip modifications that are perfect for the dynamic lure changes taking place on any musky vessel. The new Legend models bring an adaptable reel seat, allowing anglers to switch between trigger and handle style, a very cool addition to a very popular rod series.
Figure 8 baits has added 4 new bucktails to give a whirl next spring. These lures, Sting, Anduril, Orcrist, and Glamdring, feature 4 different single in-line blade combinations with great color options and size profiles. All are available at the Musky Shop and are a great addition to the fluted bucktail market.
Speaking of bucktails, Spanky Baits has also added a great oversized 10” marabou bucktail with an easy-to-work set of 8/0 blades called Raven. This double-bladed lure creates a fantastic natural pulsing movement underwater and a great thump that will surely catch the eye of a passing musky. It’s a great-sized offering and is exclusive only at Musky Shop.
Five more great additions to the blade category from our friends at Musky Mayhem and Ruff Tackle. Musky Mayhem is adding some bladebaits to the fray with the 8” Single Girl Flash and the 10” Mini Hurricane Spinnerbait. Both of these lures will be perfect for late spring and early summer fishing. You can’t go wrong with close-pin or in-line blade baits in any part of the musky habitat.
Another great set of blade baits for the upcoming season will be those from Ruff Tackle. Ruff Tackle is a great product, and anyone from young to old will be able to work these spinnerbaits into the mouth of a musky. Ruff Tackle introduces one downsized option with the Lil’ Dog and two multi-blade options with the Triple Dog Dare and Bent Dog. All of these spinnerbaits definitely bring different profiles and highlights to the blade selections at the Musky Shop, so be sure to check them out.
New in the crankbait category from H2O Tackle, a shallow and deep version of their new 8” Cranky Nitro. If you’ve fished H2O lures already, then you know that this upsized snack will be just as good as its 7” predecessor. H2O lures are built like a tank, so they will last you a million seasons and keep catching fish all the way. Not only can you cast these new Cranky Nitros, but they also give you an extra bit of length, making them a great downsized profile for trolling. They arrived a little late this season, so when thinking of your next trolling adventure, you should make sure you grab a couple of options for your trip.
A new offer from Slammer Tackle comes the 9” Shallow Crankbait. This casting or trolling crankbait comes in all of Slammer’s wide variety of colors to match your local baitfish offering. This new 9” model does run shallower than other models when casting, but trolls down to a perfect 10-15 feet. It will be great for trolling passes on the outside weed edges or a throwback for casting when a musky just wants a bigger bite. And if you know Slammer, you know these baits are well-made and built tough.
Lastly, there are two new products from Livingston Lures. Next spring from Livingston comes the Magnus, a combination hard head, soft body jerkbait. This lure, like some others in the Predator Series from Livingston, has an optional weighting system designed to increase your chances of boating a musky no matter where they are in the water column. The Magnus has a wide, wagging, replaceable paddle tail to save your pocketbook when you catch a monster.
Also, from Livingston Lures comes their updated version of the Blade Planer Boards. Although many have already signed up for their previous small batch incarnation, which hasn’t been available for a while, they’ll now be produced on a larger scale by Livingston so everyone can get their hands on a pair. Both of these pieces of gear, designed by Steven Paul, will be coming to the Musky Shop early next year, so don’t hesitate to sign up now. If you’ve signed up for the previous “Blade” alert, don’t worry; you’ll still be alerted when the new model arrives.
Now that we’re all on the same page for 2025 take a look at this list, and hopefully, you will find something exciting to add to your tackle box for the upcoming season. From all of us at the Musky Shop, we are grateful for our customers and are happy to take care of any of your angling needs for the upcoming season. Tight Lines.