Classic musky patterns become that way by producing fish consistently on many waters for a long period of time. They become even better when they are refined by expert anglers to the point where they can almost be referred to as “can’t-miss.” Musky Hunter Publications has collected 25 such patterns in the new book 25 Can’t-Miss Musky Patterns, which is now available from Musky Hunter magazine. 

Twenty-one fishermen — some of whom built their reputations on the featured patterns — collaborated on the book. “Our intent was to provide the book’s readers with patterns they can apply throughout the heart of the musky’s range,” said Musky Hunter Editor Jim Saric. “We have chapters written by anglers who specialize in waters from Ontario south to Kentucky, and from Minnesota east to the St. Lawrence River.

“We also made sure the entire season, from spring through fall, is represented.”

Each pattern is revealed in extreme detail, with the conditions and structure/cover clearly outlined. Illustrations by noted wildlife artist (and musky angler) Rodd Umlauf further explain each pattern. Lures and tackle specific to the pattern are discussed, and each chapter is replete with photos of the anglers in action.

“One thing that proved to be a lot of fun as we worked on the book was the constant flow of new fish photos from the guys involved,” said Saric. “The relevance of the patterns was clearly evident as everybody was catching muskies exactly as they described in their chapters.”

The fishermen involved are no strangers to the readers of Musky Hunter magazine: Spencer Berman, Jon Bondy, Joe Bucher, Joel DeBoer, Steve Genson, Tony Grant, Jason Hamernick, Jeff Hanson, Steve Heiting, Mike Hulbert, Mike Lazarus, Mark Lijewski, John Mich, Jim Murphy, Spence Petros, Luke Ronnestrand, Bill Sandy, Jim Saric, Doug Smith, Gregg Thomas and Bob Turgeon.

25 Can’t-Miss Musky Patterns is available in softcover format and contains 33 illustrations, 85 photos, and 200 pages. For ordering information, click here or call Musky Hunter @ 1-800-23-MUSKY (236-8759).