Mighty Shad Muskie Baits

05/30/2026

Did you ever notice how life throws you curves when you least expect it? Just after I stopped making baits, John Ferrante goes on a tear catching muskies on a Rippin' Shad, from shore no less. This morning I get a message from Mick in Australia along with pictures of a Murray Cod he just caught on the same bait. What a beast of a fish!

I still have a few pieces of Western Red Cedar. Maybe I will fire up the table saw and start making a few more...

05/25/2026

I posted previously that I would be leaving Facebook but I had no idea how long it would take me to go through years of messages and copy any pictures that had been exchanged.
In the interim, John Ferrante has been sending me pictures of muskies he has been catching from the bank on my Rippin' Shads nearly every day for over a week now.

This is part of his initial post and pictures of his fish:

"Big shout out to Merle at Mighty Shad Muskie Baits. There is something about his cranks, they just work. After throwing top water for an hour, I tied on this 5" custom crank and BAM three or four casts later. Merle Schmierbach recently repaired this bait for me. I banged it off a concrete structure, and a big chunk came off. I sent it back to Merle over the winter, he repaired it, even swapped out the hooks for me."

Very gratifying, John. Thank you for having the confidence to fish my baits!!

03/26/2026

Sometime next week I will be deactivating my social media accounts. If you need to get in contact with me in the future I will still check email at [email protected]

03/15/2026

I have been working on this new bait concept that I call the Wonky Donkey. It is a strangely shaped hybrid between a crankbait and a jerk bait. The very first attempt, in the middle of the image, was a sinking model. The surrounding 6 are slow rise versions, each with slightly different dimensions and weighting. I am still refining the concept but think whichever version I settle on will perform well during the post-spawn phase at Kinkaid.

03/13/2026

Today I spent my birthday at Kinkaid Lake doing one of the things I love most in a place that has captured as part of my spirit. After the storms of yesterday it was good to see the sun again. Fishing was tough, however but after missing 4 fish I finally managed to hook this one. I suspect she was really old and had been tagged at some time during her life but the tag was deteriorated and no longer readable.
Two years ago on my birthday a fellow muskie hunter by the name of Erik took pictures of the fish I caught that day. I have not seen him since until today... Once again, Erik happened to be nearby and took these pictures of the fish I caught today. What are the odds?? Many thanks buddy!

02/28/2026

Took my neighbor to Kinkaid yesterday. He was new to muskies and new to the lake. We got a late start but really enjoyed the warm sunshine. He liked the lake though we didn't get to see much of it. We tried several spots without any success when lightning struck and he caught his first, a mid-30s fish that was very fat. He was elated and so was I. His impression of the lake was, "It's so quiet." I have to agree.
Downright peaceful at times...

Send a message to learn more

12/28/2025

Tested baits today. Three baits with a bill the same width as the body and three with a bill wider than the body. Same diameter hole drilled in the bill of all baits. All 3 baits with the smaller bills exhibited hunting behavior. The baits with the larger bills did not. There appears to be a direct relationship between bill area and the size of the hole needed to achieve a bait that hunts.

12/09/2025

Since I caught my first muskie in 2012, I have been struggling with the importance of color in lure selection. My thoughts tend to go with the wet lure gets bit. Do you think bait color makes a difference? Any input would be appreciated!

11/22/2025

Working on some trolling baits but trying to get a bead on the hunting phenomenon. On the left are 6 baits with bills about the same width as the body while on the right are 6 with bills wider than the body. All bills are the same length. 3 baits from each group with be randomly selected as experimental subjects and 3 will serve as the control group. All baits will be weighted with the same configuration. A ways to go yet before they are ready for their water debuts but still hopeful that this will give me more insight into an elusive crankbait behavior that I have been trying to replicate for years.

11/10/2025

I once heard someone say that if you live long enough, everything you love will pass before your eyes. After catching my first muskie in 2012 I instantly became obsessed with them. They haunted my waking hours and lurked in my dreams. However, too many years of carving baits and aging in general has taken a toll. After my recent trip to Kinkaid it has become apparent to me that I am no longer physically able to pursue muskies. I am not sure what that means moving forward but I suppose time will tell. I knew this day was coming, I just didn't think it would arrive so soon...

Send a message to learn more