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cory allen
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2025, Tiny Lures for Pre-Spawn Muskie Fishing
Pre-spawn muskie enter selective feeding phases ignoring large profiles they'd typically attack, requiring downsized 2 to 4 inch bass-style presentations triggering strikes from lethargic fish. Cory Allen's approach reveals how slow retrieval with subtle action outperforms aggressive presentations when fish conserve energy during late winter through early spring transitions, with leader adjustments maintaining natural lure action in shallow staging areas.
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2024, Berkley CullShad: Great for Cold Weather Musky Fishing
Berkley CullShad bridges the gap between large and mid-range musky presentations during cold weather when selective fish refuse oversized offerings. Cory Allen's endorsement highlights internal harness construction, unique tail design creating enticing action at varied speeds, and lateral eyelet placement producing improved swimming characteristics in 6-inch and 8-inch sizes that dominate winter conditions.
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2024, Vexan 10' 6” Tackle Industries Telescopic Big Game Rod Review
Telescopic design transforms muskie rod portability without sacrificing performance needed for trophy fish. Vexan 10'6" extra heavy construction provides casting distance, hookset power, and fighting leverage while collapsing for efficient transport by air or vehicle, addressing travel logistics that dedicated muskie anglers face when fishing multiple waters requiring equipment that maintains durability through collapse and extension cycles.
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2024, Vexan 8'6" Spinning Rod for Musky: Game Changer
The Vexan 8'6" medium heavy spinning rod revolutionizes muskie fishing by addressing finesse presentation needs, particularly effective during spring when fish respond to smaller offerings. Cory Allen's review reveals how this length and action balance casting distance with lighter 1 to 4 oz lures on 50 lb line, plus smooth drag and line pickup supporting techniques with 6" Jakes, Rattl Traps, and swimbaits.
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2023, Vexan 7'6" Inshore Rod for Musky: Cory Allen Review
Inshore saltwater rod design translates to musky fishing when construction quality and balanced specifications address freshwater predator demands. Cory Allen's Vexan 7'6" MH review reveals how Titan Technology and Fuji components create soft tip and solid backbone combination handling light lure casting and big fish battles, proving marketing categories matter less than versatile performance supporting musky, bass, and walleye techniques.
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2020, Vexan Muskie Fishing Rod Review with Cory Allen
Medium action muskie rods balance power with flexibility, but the Vexan Tackle Industries 9-foot design creates consistent load distribution throughout the blank rather than hinge points concentrating stress. Cory Allen's analytical review examines how backbone strength comparable to diplodocus femur structure combines with progressive flex patterns and integrated revolution reel seats to improve casting, lure control, and fish-fighting performance.
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2020, Muskie Fishing with Bass Crank Baits
Bass crank baits dive steeply to depth faster than musky-specific cranks, creating advantages in structure transitions and depth changes where quick descent matters. Understanding these dive curve differences and cost benefits allows anglers to expand muskie arsenals with affordable models like Strike King 10XD and Berkley Dredger 25.5 that produce strikes when applied to appropriate terrain and conditions.
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2020, Muskie Jigging Lures with Cory Allen
Muskie jigging lures rarely perform as packaging suggests, demanding understanding of actual in-water characteristics that trigger neutral or inactive fish. Success with vertical presentations requires reading how line tie points affect descent and swimming action, then matching lure properties to fish mood rather than assuming aggressive presentations always produce when musky hold but won't commit to standard approaches.
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2019, Trolling Topwater Muskie Lures with Cory Allen
When casting coverage falls short and big muskies track but won't commit, slow trolling topwater lures sustains presentations through productive zones. The technique demands precise speed control and turn execution to trigger strikes from fish that refuse conventional approaches.
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2019, Slow Topwater Muskie Lures with Cory Allen
Aggressive topwater disturbance dominates muskie fishing, but natural prey creates less commotion than most surface baits. Cory Allen explains why slow-worked minimal action lures trigger larger fish through lateral line and electrical sensing beyond visual cues, when subtle presentations outperform loud approaches, and what nuanced rod controls create vulnerable rather than fleeing prey appearance.
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2019, Small Lake Techniques for Northern Pike
Most small ponds contain abundant small pike but rarely produce quality fish because stagnant water can't support larger predators. Cory Allen and Steve Mortenson explain why current flow from springs or creeks transforms similar-sized waters, how confined spaces concentrate predictable ambush points, and what systematic coverage patterns improve efficiency over random casting.
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Featured
2019, Winter Muskie Fishing Techniques with Cory Allen
Summer muskie anglers struggle in winter because they maintain aggressive presentations fish no longer chase. Cory Allen explains why vertical jigging accommodates reduced metabolism by keeping lures in strike zones longer, how Biwaa Divinator, Rattletrap, and Echo Tail vibration profiles trigger increasingly subtle bites, and when creative variations outperform methodical standard approaches.
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2019, Muskie Fishing Using Live Bait with Cory Allen
Controversy surrounds live bait muskie fishing, but cold water results speak louder than technique preferences. Cory Allen explains why 4 to 5 inch shiners versus 12 to 18 inch rainbow trout target different feeding behaviors, how Joe Murphy's STFF rigs maintain natural presentation, and when combining live bait with artificial methods improves overall success rates.
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Featured
2019, Muskie Fishing Deep Rivers in the Winter
Most muskie anglers struggle in uniformly deep rivers because they rely on obvious structure transitions absent in these systems. Cory Allen and Scott Lewis explain how depth changes of just 2 to 3 feet become significant during winter, why upstream versus cross stream versus downstream presentation angles cover different strike zones, and what pre-spawn staging areas look like in featureless water.
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Featured
2018, Muskie Lures from H2O Tackle
Muskie lure collections grow randomly for most anglers, mixing brands without understanding design philosophies. Cory Allen explains why Roger Watters' H2O Tackle complete line from surface to bottom creates learning advantages, how observing natural lure behavior reveals subtle differences affecting applications, and when unified design principles improve strategic selection.
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2018, Bottom Fishing for Muskie with Live Suckers
Casting dominates modern muskie fishing, but traditional live sucker methods your grandfather used still produce trophy fish. Joe Murphy explains why stationary ambush tactics along traverse lines intercept fall muskies moving predictably between zones, when patient hunting outperforms aggressive casting, and what bottom topography positions baits where fish travel.
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Featured
2018, Muskie Fishing Channel Flats and Feeder Streams
Channel flats and feeder stream cuts concentrate reservoir muskies through depth transitions and current flow, but locating these features requires reading subtle topographical cues. Cory Allen explains identifying channel flat edges and feeder stream entries using electronics, what mapping reveals about productive structure, and tackle selections for these specific reservoir features.
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2018, Jigging Spinner Baits for Muskie with Cory Allen
Vertical jigging spinnerbaits triggers neutral muskies suspended at depth that ignore traditional presentations. Cory Allen explains why yo-yo action creates distressed prey appearance exploiting instinctive strikes, how vertical versus lateral jigging techniques differ, and when this underutilized approach outperforms casting to lethargic or deep-holding fish.
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2018, Muskie Fishing Lake Coves and Cuts with Cory Allen
Not every cove off the main lake channel holds muskies worth targeting, yet anglers explore unproductive cuts hoping for random encounters. Cory Allen's interstate theorem applies highway exit logic to cove selection, explaining what topographical features and forage characteristics separate high-yield cuts from time-wasting detours in southern reservoir systems.
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2018, Best Big Muskie Fishing Lures with Cory Allen
Oversized muskie lures produce trophy fish when matched to conditions and feeding behavior, but size alone doesn't ensure effectiveness. Cory Allen analyzes big bait nuances across glide baits, twitch baits, crankbaits, and rubber presentations, explaining when massive profiles provide tactical advantages versus when they become liabilities that tire anglers without strategic benefit.
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