The state record is slightly smaller - 56 7/8 inches - … *An important thing to keep in mind is that these standard length-weight formulas describe fish in "above-average" condition. Send in your recent trophy musky photos by replying to this email. Have a look at temps and weed growth while slinging some search baits. On Sunday the first spot we fished was a big reef structure adjacent to 80 feet of water. In fact, the weights in the tables represent the 75th-percentile in the samples for that particular length, and are not average weights. When I come across a fish still set up in deeper water, dropping a Red October Tube straight down on top of them almost always gets a bite.“Overall, my early season lure selection is fairly simple, featuring small bucktails, small crankbaits, topwaters and dive-and-rise baits.”Thank to Joe for the top-notch breakdown – now let’s head over to Eagle Lake!Here’s an earful of excellent info from legendary Eagle Lake guide “Water temperatures one week prior to opener on Eagle are running between 60-64 degrees on the larger clear sections and 64-68 in the shallower, darker sections – same with similar area lakes like the Indian Chain, Canyon, Cedar, Cliff, Wabigoon, LOTW, etc.“If you are looking for action and consistency, search out the shallower or smaller, darker waters in the area. From bugs in the mud, minnows, perch, walleyes, suckers, and even whitefish, just about everything will make shallow movements into these areas. The 56-pound fish hangs on … ... Calculator: Length (inches) Girth (inches-optional) Your fish weighs approximately 0 pounds. The muskies will be there, too.”Herbie gave us way, way too much good info to fit into the newsletter, so make sure to check out his full writeup on our website: Herbie’s Eagle Lake Opener Tips“With the excitement of opener, comes the uncertainty of opener. Enjoy!In other words, it’s lookin’ like the Canucks will have their muskies to themselves this weekend. Safe to say this would be a good time to retire, cuz it’s all downhill from here…. Just make an adjustment. Typically, females grow faster than males. Northern bays with southern exposure and sandy beaches, shorelines with fallen timber, shallow rock bars and points (especially on warm sunny days with a bit of wind), and any amount of early weeds will suck fish in like a magnet in these types of lakes. This open water double-nickel couldn’t resist Alex McLean’s “grey ghost” colored XL Beaver. Where there are lots of walleyes heavily feeding, especially on flats with emerging grass and weeds, you’ll find the entire food chain. If only length is available, the most accurate weights often are estimated from length-weight relationships for specific waters or regions.