Chris and Frank take a look back at the 2025 year on and off the water, reviewing memorable events, interviews, and lessons learned

In this second part of our interview with Kory, the focus shifts to the fine details of fishing both conventional and unconventional water systems.  Kory drills down on his approach to the various environments that we all love to tackle and provides essential details that will aid the listener to become a more diverse and adaptive angler.  Topics include:

• Fishing shallow water River systems
• How seasonal water temperatures change your approach 
• Winter "holes"
• Fishing Northwest Ontario shield waters
• Adjustment lessons learned from Jim Saric

Kory Maxfield is a genuine outdoorsman.  In this episode, we sit with Kory and talk about the rituals that crafted his childhood as he grew up in a family that put the outdoors first.  On his page, Slump Bust Outdoors, Kory displays his life lessons as they relate to muskie fishing and in this episode, we tie it all together.  Points of discussion include: 

• Growing up in an outdoor family
• Generational Commercial fishing and the wisdom passed down
• Fishing multimedia in 2025
• Backwater fishing lessons learned

In this second part of our discussion with Zach, we get into the details on how to catch fish.  Zach breaks out tournament fishing tactics, as well as how to select and work baits. Zach gives tremendous detail in this second part and winds it up with a truly special fishing story.  This was truly an amazing chat for us.  Points include:

• Muskie tournament strategy vs casual angling 
• Lure selection for tournaments
• How work baits to provoke a strike 
• Are all muskies the same?

Zach Baker has been fishing muskies for decades.  He is a unique person and angler that provided not only detailed information on targeting muskies in this part one of our interview, but wonderful stories.  This interview exemplifies why muskie fishing, and the people we do it with, is so special.  A truly remarkable interview.  In this first part, we drill down on:  

• Zach's origin story 
• The evolution of muskie fishing 
• Targeting strategies for inland lake fisheries 
• When to target shorelines vs open water
• Depth vs speed vs colour
• Fishing your past

In this Full Moon Friday episode, the guys take a call from Kyle Carruthers, organizer of the juggernaut CANCAST fishing show.  Kyle talks about the recent decision to merge with the Musky Odyssey and why he feels this will be a big positive for the muskie anglers in attendance.  A great talk ensued about the origins of CANCAST and how his never-quit entrepreneurial spirit helped Kyle transform the show over the years.  Following this, Chris and Frank discuss Frank's recent adversity on the water as he was challenged by horrific weather while in pursuit of a winter giant!  

In this second part of our episode with Pete and Cody, Pete lends more incredible insights into the behaviour of these amazing fish.  Cody, who is coming to the dark side as he fishes more and more for muskies, talks about how what it takes for serious MMA training is not all that dissimilar to pursuing the queen of queens!  To top off the discussion, the guys tell a story about what happened a few weeks ago when Frank, Pete, and Cody took to the great Georgian Bay for a muskie hunt that was like no other!  Topics include:

• Identifying whether a fish has come out of dangerously deep water
• High-pressure systems 
• The guys' fish catch story from their recent GBay trip
• Parallels between muskie fishing and MMA
• The Queen

This episode is a banger!  Newly signed UFC fighter Cody Chovancek comes onto the podcast with friend of the show Pete Bostelmann to talk about hunting muskies.  Cody is an amazing multi-species angler who is introduced as the Best Fisherman in MMA for all his bouts!  Pete needs no introduction and is widely known for producing some of the very best and most insightful Ugly Pike Podcast content in the show's history.  In this episode, the guys chat about:

• Cody's entry into the UFC and fishing life 
• How conditions affect spot selection/targeting 
• 2 rules for success on Georgian Bay
• Identifying seasonal change 
• How muskies hunt bait fish on windswept locations 

In this second part of our interview with muskie guide Cooper Edwards, we get into the red-hot issue of live scope usage before shifting focus to talk about how to hone the right skills for a successful trip on a great Ontario muskie lake and what new anglers should know and be aware of before heading out on the water.  Cooper closes the show with a hilarious and epic story of a big fish adventure!  Topics include:

• The question of Livescope
• Boat-side skills 
• How to educate novice anglers

Cooper Edwards has had the privilege of fishing and guiding some of the very best muskie lakes in Canada and the US.  We wanted to sit with Cooper and talk about his experiences on these incredible bodies of water.  Cooper recalls some of the laughs, the highs, and the lows of working as a guide on places like Lac Seul, Eagle Lake, and Lake St. Clair.  In this part one, we discuss: 

• Fishing during covid
• How water levels change the game 
• Shoreline fishing for muskie 
• Eagle Lake Island lodge 
• Changing game plan when looking for a giant vs numbers