I've fished with a few. Being one of the fortunate, and being able to hire guides at will, I've had the opportunity to fish with 20 or so accomplished guides over the years, some as many as a dozen times.
The names that come up when one thinks of someone who is an "expert"? Not so expert in my opinion. The "experts" as I see them? Well, they're not out promoting their guide business, or their products, or themselves. They will be the first to tell you that there is no such THING as an "expert" when it comes to muskie fisherman, and they certainly don't compare themselves to others, or try to find some sort of ruler to measure their abilities. What they have is something that few of us ever will.
1. A lifetime of chasing these fish, with an amount of time and energy and effort dedicated to finding and figuring out and catching them.
2. A true desire to ALWAYS be learning, ALWAYS be experimenting, ALWAYS be working to become better at catching muskies, for NO OTHER REASON than the sheer fact that they have a passion for these fish
The "experts" I know don't care what anyone else thinks. The "experts" I know have spent their lives in relentless pursuit of their craft, and were muskie fishing before I was born.
I know a few. And I have had the pleasure and the honor of spending many days on the water with them learning whatever they are willing to share. You won't find them here. Thye don't talk about themselves. They don't talk about what they know or what they have done, or how many fish they have caught or how big they were. They may talk about what they have learned on the boat, or after a few drinks at the bar, but it's only because they truly enjoy sharing that knowledge with the people they choose to, because they actually like those people. And one thing that they all share, other than decades of hard core muskie fishing and learning? They have no deaire, and no need to prove anything to anyone.