Attend A University of Esox Musky School This Year!
Are you looking to catch your first or biggest musky? Have you ever wondered what separates those who occasionally catch muskies from those who consistently boat this elusive fish? If so, the University of Esox is for you.
The University of Esox is the pre-eminent musky fishing educational program and has been in business since 1996. The University of Esox conducts weekend and week-long musky fishing schools in the Midwest and Canada each season.
WHAT IS THE UNIVERSITY OF ESOX?
The University of Esox is designed to help people become better musky anglers. University of Esox Musky Schools combine peak musky fishing times with great musky locations. Schools involve classroom instruction and fishing, and are held at first rate resorts throughout the Midwest and Canada. Seminars feature PowerPoint, video, and hands-on instruction.
University of Esox Musky Schools are intensive but informal. The schools are designed for your education and enjoyment. More than 3,000 muskies, including hundreds of trophy fish, have been boated by students at University of Esox events. The schools promote catch and release — no musky has ever been kept at a University of Esox event.
Your instructors for the musky schools are Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Famers Jim Saric and Steve Heiting. Jim is host of “The Musky Hunter” YouTube series and former publisher of Musky Hunter magazine. Steve is a northwoods Wisconsin guide and was the longtime managing editor of Musky Hunter. Jim and Steve have hundreds of giant musky catches to their credit. Jim has taught musky fishing schools since the mid 1980s, Steve since the early 1990s. Jim and Steve are joined by top guides such as Bill Sandy, Kevin Schmidt, Rob Manthei and others in teaching these schools.
Schools are held at outstanding resorts and lodges that cater to musky fishermen. Schools are non-competitive, and students are encouraged to share information to help everyone catch and learn more about muskies. A low student/instructor ratio is maintained, and class size is limited to no more than 24 students at any school.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
• Latest information
• Marked maps
• Seminars
• Class materials
• All meals
• Lodging
• Welcome bag containing musky lures, leaders, etc.
• A chance at hundreds of dollars worth of door prizes
2026 SCHEDULE
SUMMER MUSKY TACTICS
When: June 5-7, 2026
Where: Vilas County, Wisconsin
Hosted by St. Germain Lodge and Fibber’s Restaurant, www.stgermainlodge.com
Base Package (bring your own boat and tackle): $900
Guided package (fish with an instructor in his boat): $1,450
Learn summer musky tactics during the pre-summer peak in the famed waters of northern Wisconsin. This is a Friday through Sunday event, and the University of Esox staff will be joined by top guides including Rob Manthei and Kevin Schmidt. Students annually enjoy a success rate of around 50 percent at this school. Attendees receive about eight hours of seminars, which discuss all “typical” summer musky fishing tactics. As many as a dozen different area waters may be fished during this school.
The school package includes seminars, three nights lodging (Thursday-Friday-Saturday nights), all meals, and a chance at many door prizes. Enrollment is limited to 23 students. This popular school is always a quick sell-out! Don’t have a partner? We can pair you up with another student.
GUIDED PACKAGES
Fish with the instructors! Guided packages are available for the Summer Musky Tactics school. Students who choose the guided option may bring their own tackle or use the guide’s tackle. It’s your choice. You will fish out of the guide’s boat. If you’re traveling for a considerable distance to attend one of these schools and sign up for guided option, all you need to do is show up with clothing appropriate for the weather and a fishing license, and you’re good to go.
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO SIGN UP
Call Steve Heiting at 715-358-0754 or click here to e-mail.
Call 1-715-358-0754 to sign up or receive more info!
Hurry! Enrollment is limited. Don’t miss your chance!
Big Fish Highlights
2026 Summer Musky School
One of the tenets of fishing for big muskies is that no matter how difficult fishing may seem, a prime moon event may trigger a bite that results in a giant fish. Such was the case for Corey Tedesco.
The angler from Barrington, Illinois, was fishing with guide Bryan Schaeffer in the University of Esox Summer Musky Tactics school on June 8 when a large fish bore down on his bucktail and ate in the figure-8. The musky, which later measured 48-3⁄4 inches long, was Tedesco’s personal best fish. The time? Precisely 10:52 a.m., the exact moment of moon underfoot that morning.
“It was a wild figure-8 and fight,” said Schaeffer afterward. “The fish came charging in, and Corey did everything right and we got it.”
Tedesco’s musky was the largest of six caught during the weekend school, which saw anglers from six states converge on St. Germain Lodge and the adjoining Fibber’s Restaurant.
“We had a fantastic school this year,” said Jim Saric, host of the Musky Hunter TV show and emcee of the school. “The guys were really into it and asked a lot of great questions. They fished hard.”
Jamie Penkava of Cary, Illinois, caught two muskies during the weekend. Other students catching muskies included Scott Naylor of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin; Dylan Milis of Kaukauna, Wisconsin; and Kyle Feiner of Madison, Wisconsin.
Instructor Steve Heiting, who along with Saric started the University of Esox 30 years ago in 1996, reflected on the school’s history. “Jim and I have met and fished with a bunch of great people during over the years in our schools. In doing so, we have had a lot of fun and have made many longtime friends.” 
More than 3,000 muskies have been caught at University of Esox events.
The University of Esox will return to St. Germain Lodge and Fibber’s Restaurant June 5-7, 2026. Details will be announced this fall on this and other social media sites.
“Rob and Kaye Manthei run a great resort and restaurant, and offer a perfect location for fishing or family vacations,” Saric said. “Their lodge rooms and cabins are modern, clean and comfortable, and the food at Fibber’s is terrific.”
