Raley & Osfar Win Mercury Qualifier At Eagle River

There are so many different ways to approach a water that it could simply be overwhelming before you even launch the boat. Do you rely on past hotspots, baits, colors, current weather conditions, try something different, or all of the above?

- Tim Widlacki

Past knowledge is the most valuable tool, but it is what you do with it along with current conditions that will determine your current success. This is key to the start of every day of musky fishing.

On June 22-23, the PMTT hit the Eagle River Chain of Lakes in Eagle River, Wisconsin, for the Mercury Marine Summer Challenge with almost a full field of 118 teams registered to compete. The team of Nate Osfar Marathon City, Wisconsin, and Matt Raley of Minocqua, Wisconsin, were already thinking different.

“We decided not to get stuck with one pattern. Whether it’s the bait, color, size, area, structure, speed or whatever, we wanted to keep hitting as many spots with as many lures as possible,” said Raley.