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January 2007.....MUSKIE 1www.muskiesinc.org

Departments2 President’s Message,

David Cates

3 Magazine Notes, Staff

4 International News, Staff

7 ALD Election Ballot

13 Lunge Log, Jim Bunch

17 Photo Contest,Gordon Campbell

25 As I See It, Jim Smith

25 Index of Advertisers

33 Chapter News and Views

37 Advertising Update

40 Muskie Tales, Bob Jennings

44 Member Photos,Gordon Campbell

Features9 Bob Ellis Row Trolling Classic (Collage)

Juris Ozols with photos provided by Patricia Strutz

10 The Muskie Train: Part 1 of 2, Doug Stamm

18 Searching for Suspenders, Brett Jolly

22 Vertical Jigging Cold Water Muskies,

Colby Simms

29 97 Muskies in Two Weeks, Patricia Strutz

31 The Power of Puny, Justin Gaiche

39 A Minnesota Sports Show A Few Years Ago,

Juris Ozols

42 A Dream Season: Part 1 of 2, Erik Jacobson

Name _______________________________ Phone ________________

Address____________________________________________________

City & State_____________________________ Zip_________________

Chapter Affiliation Choice Number _______________________________

Old Address (for address change only) ___________________________

City & State ____________________________ Zip_________

My Membership # ______________ Expiration Date _______

Check One: ❑ New Member ❑ Renewal ❑ Address Change ❑ Gift

Email ________________________

Name of Spouse_____________________________________________


Junior Member(s) Date of Birth (DOB)

Name ___________________________________ DOB ___________

Name ___________________________________ DOB ___________

Name ___________________________________ DOB ___________


MAIL TO MUSKIES, INC. 14257 Waters Edge Trail,New Berlin, WI, 53151

1-888-710-8286

Regular Membership: ❑ 1 Year-$35.00 ❑ 2 Years-$65.00 ❑ 3 Years- $95.00

Family Membership: ❑ 1 Year-$47.50 ❑ 2 Years-$90.00 ❑ 3 Years-$132.50

Junior Membership (Under 18): ❑ $20.00

❑ For Muskie Research $________

Payment: ❑ Check or ❑ Credit Card:

Card # __ __ __ __- __ __ __ __- __ __ __ __- __ __ __ __ Exp. Date ____ /____ Signature ____________________________________________

(to find the number of the Chapter you wish to join, see the Chapter News & Views section)

(to find the number of the Chapter you wish to join, see the Chapter News & Views section)

ContentsMUSKIE • VOL. 41, NO. 1

Join Muskies, Inc. ...or give a membershipas a gift.

❑ VISA ❑ Discover❑ AmEx ❑ MasterCard

MUSKIE is published monthly and is the OfficialPublication of Muskies, Inc. International Office: RonGroeschl, International Sec., 14257 Waters EdgeTrail, New Berlin, WI 53151. Ph: 888-710-8286.© Copyright 2007 by Muskies, Inc. All rights reserved.

InternationalOfficers

President, David CatesPhone: 574-457-3222Email: [email protected]

Vice President/Finances, Jim BeatyPhone: 618-235-6370Email: [email protected]

Vice President/Research, Ken KarbonPhone: 303-688-4954Email: [email protected]

Vice President/Internal Affairs, Dick McPikePhone: 816-436-4909Email: [email protected]

Vice President/Membership, Bob TimmePhone: 715-462-3053Email: [email protected]

Vice President/Communications, Jack MogaPhone: 440-886-3926 Email: [email protected]

Treasurer, Pete BarberPhone: 847-726-7267Email: [email protected]

Members Only Fishing Contest, Jim BunchPhone: 715-723-8343 • Fax: 715-723-8354Email: [email protected]

Web Master, Ron GroeschlPhone: 262-271-1002Email: [email protected]

Int. Administrative Secretary, Ron Groeschl14257 Waters Edge Trail, New Berlin, WI 53151Phone: 888-710-8286 or 262-271-1002Email: [email protected]

At Large Directors Term Expires

Ken Karbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2007

Jim Shannon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2007

Bob Timme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2007

Jim Beaty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2007

Bob Osborne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2007

David Rautmann . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008

Don Jahnke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008

David Cates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008

Patricia Strutz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008

Karl Scherer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008

Dick McPike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009

Dan Narsete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009

Diana Mindar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009

Jack Moga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009

Brad Waldera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009

2 MUSKIE.....January 2007

HAPPY NEW YEARWith sport show season and another new year upon us, I have the opportunity to

reflect upon the recent holiday season. The New Year, especially, is a traditional time ofreflection on the past and planning on the future.

As anyone who knows me is aware, I am always thankful for opportunity to spend timewith my sons. I am thankful for the love of a good woman and the opportunity she pro-vides me to pursue my passions. I am thankful for the support of the many members, offi-cers, and directors of Muskies, Inc. during this past year and am especially thankful that Iwill be able to count on them for their continued contributions to MI in the future.

The giving season of Christmas offered me the opportunity to appreciate those whogive of themselves for our organization. Where would we be without the numerous hours,dollars, and sweat of MI members, chapter officers, and international officers in workingto improve the muskie fishery? Beyond that, our goals of serving youth, improving waterquality, providing for conservation, and expanding fishing opportunities provide much forall to do. On a more personal note, I know my eldest son enjoys his annual Christmas giftof an MI commemorative lure (and the additional fishing equipment heaped upon him).As stated earlier, I appreciate my sons giving up their time to me to spend time with meduring the holidays.

With the New Year, it is traditional to make resolutions. While I doubt I will exercisemore or eat less, I resolve to do the following:

• To do my best to focus MI energies on preservation and expansion of the fishery.• To continue to put the service of youth as a priority for MI.• To fish my hind end off every chance I get (maybe I do have a weight loss plan

after all).I hope each of you take the time to reflect upon for what you can give thanks, for what

you can give, and for what you suggest be the future for Muskies, Inc. Happy New Year,and enjoy the sport shows.

THE FORM OF MII requested and received placement on our website of the Strategic Planning

Committee’s recommendations for modifications of the form and structure of Muskies,Inc. Some of you have taken the opportunity to review that proposal, but many have not.I view the modification of our structure as a critical goal for the upcoming year, and a topicthat will be on the agenda in April in Columbus, Ohio at the Spring Board Meeting. Logonto the website (www.muskiesinc.org) and enter into the “Member Forum” area.Participate in the discussion. We need your input.

SPORT SHOWSPage 5 of this issue contains a sport show locator. Although no one can make each of

the shows, I find new and exciting items at each, and strongly suggest you attend wherev-er and whenever you can. I personally will be at as many as 8 shows beginning with theChicago Muskie Show. Find me at the show and say “Hello.” I look forward to meetingas many of you as I can. I’m always ready to talk fishing and Muskies, Inc.

See you at the shows (and on the water once it thaws). ❖

ABOUT THE COVER & CENTERFOLDSo you live up north and want a winter-time Muskie? Well, go ice fishing or go toa Sportshow. Not that you’ll get a Muskieeither place. But then how often do youget a Muskie on the water in the summer-time? Right now, barring long trips toKentucky, it’s the best you can do.

This month’s cover and centerfold featureSportshows, one of the best “WintertimeEscapes” for Muskie fishermen. We give you some photos from lastyear including the Minnesota Muskie Expo (Mike McGrath), ChicagoTri-Esox (Lynn Shuster), and some shots from the “Brainerd Gals”from Patricia Strutz. They look mighty familiar, don’t they?

When the snow flies and temperature plummets, do you hunker downin front of the TV watching Bassin’ boys catching 10” bass in tourna-ments, or reruns of “Thunder on the Water.” Don’t do that. It isn’tgood for you. A Sportshow is balm for the Muskie fisherman’s soul.Visit them as often as you can.

And incidentally, the backgrounds for both the cover and centerfoldare ice-fishing scenes from Lake Waconia near the Twin Cities. It’s adifferent kind of thing from a Sportshow. But getting out on the ice inmidwinter has its own charm and beauty. Do that, too. ❖

MUSKIE Magazine StaffRod Ramsell, Editor EmeritusKeith Ogden, Editor Emeritus

MANAGING EDITORJim SmithPhone: (623) 388-3225Email: [email protected]

ASSISTANT EDITORJuris OzolsPhone: (952) 956-5793Email: [email protected]

PHOTO EDITORGordon CampbellPhone: (973) 208-8297Email: [email protected]

ADVERTISING MANAGERJim Smith15045 W. Double Tree WaySurprise, AZ 85374-8568Phone: (623) 388-3225Email: [email protected]

PUBLICATIONS TECHNICAL MANAGERSunray Printing Solutions, Inc. - Brenda Kirchner25123 22nd Ave. S. • St. Cloud, MN 56301-9189Phone: 888-253-8808, ext. 133

MAGAZINE DESIGNSunray Printing Solutions, Inc. - John Windschitl

ILLUSTRATORS/CARTOONISTSRichard Gross

FIELD EDITORSBob Chochola, James W. Colgan,Elizabeth Cratty, Adam Glickman, RobertJennings, Mike Kanaval, Colby Simms,Patricia Strutz, Vincent P. Trotta

CONTRIBUTING EDITORSDoug Stamm, Brett Jolly, Colby Simms, PatriciaStrutz, Justin Gaiche, Juris Ozols, Erik Jacobson

MUSKIE is published exclusively for the mem-bership of Muskies, Inc. and subscriptionscome with a paid membership. Muskies, Inc. isa non-profit organization. Membership classesand associated annual dues are listed on theform at the bottom of page one. Single copiesof MUSKIE magazine are available at $3.00each from the Muskies, Inc. InternationalOffice.

Contributors grant rights for M.I. to publishonce in MUSKIE Magazine, both the print andon-line versions, including archives and on theM.I. Web site.

Submissions toMUSKIE Magazine

Persons interested in submitting articles forpublication are directed to our websitewww.muskiesinc.org. There they will find alink to MUSKIE Magazine. From there youwill find links on the left side of the page pro-viding information necessary for submissionsto MUSKIE Magazine. Further questions willbe answered by Jim Smith, Managing Editor.Submissions may be sent to: 15045 W.Double Tree Way • Surprise, AZ 85374-8568.Phone: (623) 388-3225 or you may

Email: [email protected].

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Coming Next Month:✒ Our Special Ladies Edition

✒ Liz Cratty-story about Muskies in Maine

✒ Barb Chapman-Stories of she and Dick (M.I. Founder)

✒ Patricia Strutz-Fashion in Fishing and Women on the Water

✒ Melody Swenson

✒ Doug Stamm-Muskie Train 06 Part II

✒ Erik Jacobson-Dream Season Part II


Muskies, Inc. Past PresidentsGil Hamm

Edward T. PeterkaRobert Hill

Robert ShoopFrank Schneider

Peter HadleyDuWayne Bakke

Lou Cook

Peter HadleyBob Schmidt

Larry RamsellLou Cook

Keith OgdenBill Davis

Steve StatlandJohn Hotle

Jim BlaubachSteve Budnik

Jim SmithPaul Framsted

Perry SmithGreg Wells

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

36th Annual Fishing and Outdoors ExpoContact: Andrea Nichols-Costello

Showtime Productions (815) 877-8043

SHOW: 36th Annual Fishing and Outdoor ExpoDATES: March 2-3-4, 2007SITE: Indoor Sports Center/ Expo Complex

HOURS: Friday March 2 4 :00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Saturday March 3 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.Sunday March 4 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Northern Illinois Explodes with Fishing Excitement,March 2-3-4, as the Rockford, Illinois

“Fishing and Outdoors Expo” debuts at the giganticIndoor Sports Center/Expo Complex (ISC).

The Fishing and Outdoor Expo debuts March 2-3-4 at theIndoor Sports Center/Expo Complex, located off the I-90/39 tollway(Riverside Blvd. Exit). Fishermen from Chicago and SouthernWisconsin will find access to the Fishing Expo about as easy as it gets.

The Expo features FISHING- how, what and where along withlure demos in the Hawg Trough, the Next Bite/ESOX AnglerMagazine personalities and lots of tackle with one of the largestmusky lure displays of the show season. There will also be many freeseminars by the best musky pros in the business (many topics exclu-sive to the show).

You’ll also find a large display of fishing boats at rock bottomend of show season prices plus book your next trip with fishing andhunting camps, resorts, guides, fishing charters and more.

Weekend passes are available. Visit the website for more infor-mation, www.showtimeproduction.net or call 815-877-8043. ❖

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Jim SmithMUSKIE Magazine Managing Editor/Advertising manager

Will be attending the Tri-Esox Muskie ShowAnd the All Canada Show

For the purpose of meeting advertisers and scheduling your 2007 needs.MUSKIE Magazine Advertising Media Kits will be available.

Tri-Esox Show-Jim will be located at the M.I. Merchandise booth

All Canada Show-Jim will be located at the S.O.B. Chapter booth

See You there!

BBUUYY--SSEELLLL--TTRRAADDEEMUSKIE Magazine is looking to start a Muskies, Inc. ResourceSection (Classified ads) each month. We would like you tosend in your ads. We will also include them on our website ina special section for no additional charge. Cost will be $50.00for a fifty-word ad. Plus 10¢ per word over the minimum. (2column inches maximum) Photos will be included for an addition-al $35.00.

For information contact James T. Smith at

[email protected]

Don’t miss fishing hall of famer, Spence Petros, at theRockford, IL Fishing & outdoor Expo, March 2-4.Always entertaining, Petros’ presentations will beexclusive to the Rockford Fishing Expo and filled

with big muskie tips and breakthrough information.Don’t miss Spence onstage.

Autographed photos will also be available.


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Sport Show LocatorCalendar of upcoming events

All Canada Minneapolis January 5-7 2007Chicago January 11-14Indianapolis January 15-17Milwaukee January 19-21Madison January 22-24Green Bay January 25-28Des Moines February 2-4Omaha February 5-7St. Louis February 9-11

Tri-Esox Palatine, IL January 12-14

Extreme Muskie Expo Minneapolis January 26-28Chicago March 2-4

International Sportsmen’sExpositions Denver, CO January 25-28

God’s Country West Salem, WI February 2-3

Milwaukee Muskie Expo Milwaukee February 9-11

4th Annual Ohio Muskie Show Columbus February 23-25

Rockford Fishing Expo Rockford, Ill March 2-4

Minnesota Muskie Expo Blaine, MN March 9-11

International Sportsmen’sExpositions Phoenix, AZ March 9-11

International Sportsmen’sExpositions Salt Lake, UT March 15-18

Odyssey 2007 St. Catharines,Ontario Canada April 14

PRESS RELEASE

2007 Chicago Muskie ShowIt’s TRI-ESOXucational

If you have ever dreamed about catching the king of fresh waterfish, then come to the Chicago Muskie Show and take that first giantstep toward attaining your goal. Over the three days of the show, vet-eran muskie hunters, including many of the superstars of the muskiefishing world, will be manning their booths. You will find that theseexperts are very approachable for one-on-one chats.

Attendees will also see several muskie clubs vying for new mem-bers. Joining one and attending meetings and club outings will putyou on the ‘fast track’ to muskie fishing success.

A number of exhibitors offer on the water, professionally run,muskie fishing schools. These take place on trophy muskie waters,have nightly seminars, and provide comprehensive learning materials.Participating in one of these schools is an excellent way to be intro-duced to, or improve your muskie catching.

Free seminars by some of muskie fishing’s greatest anglers arecontinuous either in the seminar hall or the olympic sized pool.These programs provide a wealth of muskie catching information.They can demonstrate a myriad of retrieval and strike triggering tech-niques, explain muskie hunting tactics, dissect specific bodies ofwater, and display spectacular muskie action on a huge video screen.

On Friday, Joe Bucher will be giving a “Crash Course onCrankbaits” and on Saturday, Joe will discuss “Lure Choice MadeEasy”. Larry Ramsell, also on Friday, will be explaining how to catchtrophy muskies in the spring. Spence Petros, on Saturday, will be shar-ing secrets on “Catching Muskies on Pressured Waters”. Also Saturday,Jim Saric will be talking about the hottest baits for fooling those “fishwith big teeth” — Plastics. Two of Sunday’s seminars are by GordPyzer, who reveals “How to achieve Muskie Fishing Perfection” andDennis Radloff, detailing the explosion of huge muskies in GreenBay. This is just a sampling of the many great speakers and their top-ics, so please come and bring your pens and notebooks.

The many manufacturers and retailers that populate the expohall will be happy to discuss all your tackle needs and explain whichof their products can help you catch those elusive muskies.

Tri-Esox Productions produces the show in conjunction with theChicagoland Muskie Hunters and South Side Muskie Hawks chaptersof Muskies, Inc. The Chicago Muskie Show will be held January 12-14, 2007 at Harper College which is located at the northeast cornerof Roselle Rd. and Algonquin Rd. just off Interstate 90 in Palatine, IL.Show hours are Friday, January 12, Noon to 9 PM, Saturday, January13, 9 AM to 7:30 PM, and Sunday, January 14, 9 AM to 5 PM.Daily admission is $10.00; a three day pass is $20.00, and childrenunder 13 are admitted free. There are thousands of FREE PARKINGspaces. For more information, see www.chicagomuskieshow.com, orcall 847-328-6200. ❖


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DONATIONSNOVEMBER

On behalf of Muskies, Inc., thank you for adding a bit extra when yourenewed your membership.

– Pete Barber, Treasurer

William GerndtFred BecchettiGeorge Wright

A. Hempe

Edward MingeJon Olstadt

Chuck SpletterJames Kwapil Sr.

Frank LucidoJames Fedeske


ELECTION OF AT-LARGE DIRECTORS – 2007

OOFFFFIICCIIAALL BBAALLLLOOTTThe following individuals have asked to have their names submitted to the general membership of Muskies, Inc. for consideration as can-didates for the position of At-Large Director. The International Board of Directors of Muskies, Inc. affirms that each of the following can-didates is a current member in good standing of an affiliated chapter or a non-affiliated member of Muskies, Inc., and has been for atleast three (3) years. The five elected to be At Large Directors will be sworn in at the Spring International Board Meeting in Columbus,Ohio and will serve a 3-year term.

IMPORTANT: IF YOU HAVE ACCESS TO A COMPUTER AND TO THE INTERNET, PLEASE VOTE BY ELECTRONIC BALLOT. LINKSTO THE OFFICIAL ONLINE BALLOT CAN BE FOUND BY LOGGING ON TO www.muskiesinc.org AND GOING TO THE ‘MEMBERSONLY’ PAGE.

VOTE ONLY ONCE! IF YOU VOTE BY ELECTRONIC BALLOTAND THEN ALSO BY MAILING IN THIS BALLOT, YOUR VOTEWILL NOT BE COUNTED. THE VOTE OF ANY MEMBER WHOCASTS MORE THAN ONE BALLOT IS INVALID AND WILL NOTBE COUNTED.

Member’s Name _________________________

Membership # ___________ Chapter # _____

PLEASE VOTE FOR FIVE (5).TO VOTE FOR A CANDIDATE, PLACE AN “X” INTHE BOX IMMEDIATELY TO THE LEFT OF THECANDIDATES NAME.

■■ VINCE WEIRICKI am submitting my resume for the position of At Large Director.

I have been an active member since 2000. Perry Smith and DavidCates have both encouraged me to apply for this position. I nowfeel I am ready to take on this position. I currently hold such posi-tions for the Webster Lake Musky Club, Chapter #49 as RegionalVice President, Tournament Director, and Youth Director. I havebrought many great fundraisers to our local chapter that havehelped us grow into a membership of over 150 individuals. I wasalso the chairperson for the MOFC motion at the 2006 InternationalFall Board Meeting. I would encourage you to ask a few fellow clubmembers about who I am. Here is a short list:

DavidCates [email protected] International President ChaeDolsen [email protected], President Chapter #49KentonSmith [email protected] President Chapter #42WillSchultz [email protected] President Chapter #47.

I want to thank you in advance for your consideration of theposition At Large Director. If you have any questions you canreach me by email at [email protected] or [email protected]. I can also be reached by phone at 574/551-0214. ThankYou, Vince Weirick RVP Chapter #49 http://www.vinceweirick.com

■■ ROBERT TIMME [[email protected]]My name is Robert Timme, I am 68 years old and live in

Hayward, WI on beautiful Lost Land Lake.I have resided here forthe last 27 years. Before that I spent 23 years with Uncle Sam’smilitary.I retired from the USAF in 1979 and moved to Wisconsinwhere my wife, Barbara and I started our own business, manufac-

turing and selling tropical fish aquarium decorations for the last 27years.We have since retired from that endeavor and now my son,wife and I own a tavern called Dows Corner Bar on the corner ofHwy77 and Co. Road Upper A. I have been fishing for theelusivelunge since about 1966. It was love at first bite.I joined theHayward Lakes chapter #13 in 1980. I have been on the board ofdirectors ever since.I have also been president of the chapter forfive terms and vice president for eight. I’ve held theposition of sec-retary three times. I have worked on various committees, helpinghost an international spring board meeting, our fall fishing contestsand our kids day outings. I was my chapters RVP forALD I am theVP of the membership committee, a member of the finance commit-tee and the executive board of directors. I would like to continueat the international level so I am asking for your vote for this posi-tion in 2007.

(More on Reverse Side)

TO USE THIS BALLOT...This printed ballot has been provided for those who areunable or do not wish to vote online. To use this ballot to castyour vote, follow these instructions:1) Read the entire ballot before making any marks on it.2) Place a mark or ‘X’ in the box immediately to the left of

each candidate for whom you want to vote. You may votefor up to five (5) candidates, but no more than five.

3) Print your Name, Membership Number and ChapterNumber in the space(s) provided.

4) Fold the ballot and put it in an envelope addressed to:Paul Framsted20676 E. Eastman Ave.Aurora, CO 80013

5) Affix correct postage to the outside of the envelope anddrop it in the mail.

Mailed ballots must be postmarked no later than midnighton Wednesday, February 14, 2007.

NOTE: Our Bylaws state that in a family membershipthe main member (head of the household) has a vote,as does his/her spouse or significant other who alsohas a membership number. Junior members whohave their own membership, may vote. Questions?Call Paul Framsted (303) 638-8375

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■■ JAMES P. SHANNONI am seeking re-election for the At Large Director position I cur-

rently hold. I have been a member of Muskies, Inc. since the mid-eighties, first with the Twin Cities Chapter and then as one of thefounding members of the North Metro Chapter. I have worked onseveral committees on both the Chapter and International level. Iam chair of the Kermit Benson Memorial Scholarship Committeeand the Grant Committee as well as a member of the Finance com-mittee. I feel I have been the voice of all members and look at allsides of any issue that comes to the board meetings. I would appre-ciate your continued support to help build and grow “A BetterMuskies Inc.”

■■ MARK A. JOHNSONI believe I have a life-long history of working in organizations

improving lives of youth within our community. I have three sonsand nine grandkids that helps me continue my quest to give backmore to my community than I have taken.

I am currently Vice-president of Chapter 17 of MI and want tosee MI move ahead toward their goals and mission statement. Mylife-long emphasis has been to youth and youth-related activities.Our chapter has a solid team working at Kid’s Day activities and wereleased 125 Muskies 12” to 14” long in our local Shabbona Lake in2006.

I believe I could be an asset to MI in the ALD position but willwork hard to move up in the organization over the next few years. Ibelieve MI must get back to its basics and work hard on supportingMuskie releases where already done as well as look to future areaswhere Muskies could be released and welcomed. I believe ouryouth have fewer and fewer parental influences to guide them to theoutdoors and fishing. I believe we have an obligation to help changethat which will help conservation efforts in the future. Finally, Ibelieve that a growing, vibrant MI is the only way to develop newleaders in all of the cities and states MI is part of. I believe the MIInternational should help give guidance to the chapters but allowthem to run unhindered by our strategies.

I hope that the committee looking at the ALD candidates qual-ifications will see that I have a desire to be a builder and communi-cator for the betterment of MI.

Thank you! Sincerely,Mark A Johnson,Chapter 17 Vice-presidentPlano, IL.

■■ KEN KARBONTo all members of Muskie’s Inc. My name is Ken Karbon a life

member of Muskies Inc, severed as one of your ALD for the last 4years and again ask for your vote in this 2007 ALD election. I havebeen a very active ALD appointed by Perry Smith to chair your FundRaising Committee, given the calendar project by him. Teamed upwith Jim Beaty and with a great committee and the support of chap-ters and members made this annual calendar project a great fundraising event.

I was also very involved in holding four of our spring boardmeeting fund raising banquets and one fall banquet at the sympo-sium, 2005. This year I and host chapter Titletown have taken onthe task of organizing our first attempt at holding our Best of theBest International Muskie’s Inc. Muskie fishing tournament... It isheld for the sole purpose of supporting the fisheries and ourGilHamm, Kermit Benson, Perry Smith Memorial Fund.

I was elected by your board to VP of Fisheries and Researchat this spring board meeting, 2006; I am a member of your FinanceCommittee, for three years and now on the Executive BoardCommittee. My record shows I attended all board meetings andfished in seven Chapter Challenges. I enjoy working for you andwith you to make this A Better Muskie’s Inc. I think a lot of thisorganization .I am retired now and with your vote I will continue tolisten and work for you.

We work to improve fishing. Thanks Ken Karbon VP of Fisheries and Research

■■ RORY POTTERI have been a member of Muskies, Inc., off and on for over 20

years. I became an active member 2 years ago when we movedto northern Minnesota.

I am the secretary here in Chapter 46, as well as fund raisingchair.

I’ve been an active member in the Minnesota Muskie Alliancefor the past year.

While growing up and spending my summers on Cass Lake,I’ve seen first hand what M.I. has done here (i.e. Catch andRelease) as well as the benefits of stocking.

I want to see M.I. continue to do great things. Please consid-er me for the position of At-Large-Director.

Rory Potter 16256 Andrusia Rd. NECass Lake, MN 56633218-335-8597

IMPORTANT!PLEASE READ!

This ballot and the online ballotare provided as alternatives forthe convenience of our mem-bers. Please use one or theother, not both! Receiving morethan one ballot from any memberwill result in all ballots from thatmember being disallowed, andthe member’s vote will not becounted in the election.

Third Annual Bob Ellis Classic Row Trolling ClassicThe Third Annual Bob Ellis Classic Row Trolling Tournament on October

14th will go down in history as the Diehard Edition. Rowers were welcomed withthe first arctic blast of the season...20-30 mph winds, heavy snowfall, cold tem-peratures...this kept all but the most hearty (or fanatical) musky fisherman off thewater. While the rowers all shuddered, Juris was giddy with the photographicopportunities offered by the backdrop of white snow!

A good time was had by all who did participate. Lakes fished includedPresque Isle, Crab, and Papoose and dinner and awards were held at the SkyviewRestaurant in Presque Isle, Wisconsin. New this year was the addition of a “revolv-ing trophy.” Ellis’ brother, Stan, placed one of Bob’s handcrafted lures on aplaque. Tournament champions names will be inscribed; and the trophy willremain with the current champion until next year’s outing. Saturday, October 6th,2007 marks the date for next year’s event. Visit organizer Patricia Strutz’s website (www.ablondandherboat.com) under therow trolling page for specific details.

As I was unloading rods, reels and camera gear into our WitchBay cabin one of the camp staff came up to me and askedrespectfully if I was in the muskie train. I knew then the

reputation of the guys I was with had preceded our arrival in campand that fishing with these notorious muskie hunters would makefor an interesting week.

Some of you who have fished famous muskie waters may haveencountered these guys and heard the train whistles they blow whencelebrating a catch. They’re a group of 10 guys with five boats who

every other year for thepast 12 years travel muskiecountry looking for big fishon big water. Their nameevolved from their habit ofrunning together in a linefor mutual protection fromshallow rocks and to keeptheir bearings on islandfilled lakes. These guyscome from all walks of lifein the Madison, Wisconsinarea and share a seriouspassion for muskie fishing.Some are Muskie Inc.members, some are not,but they are an all for one,one for all group of hard-cores who fish like dogs formuskies and who let a pil-grim like me tell the storyof the 2006 muskie train.

The hunt beginsSaturday evening after set-

tling in our cabin where we gather around a table with camp guide,ex professor and fishing author Russ Warye, who marks each spot ona lake map with the comment of academic certainty that “this areadeserves your attention.” Russ had just worked with BobMehsikomer at the lodge filming a muskie show for Bob’s “SimplyFishing” television program and has some fresh information. Russ’sknowledge and guide service is part of the package at Witch BayLodge and will prove to be important to more than a few membersof the muskie train

Sunday, mid August 06, first fishing day at Witch Bay camp onthe northeastern Canadian shore of Lake of the Woods. Sunny,warm, winds light and variable.


Gary Nksi guides Wally Banfi’s run throughthe islands while the train follows in single file.

The first day at Witch Bay, camp guide Russ Warye, left, shows train mem-ber Marc McDowell, right, some hot spot locations around north east Lakeof the Woods.

After a huge breakfast served by the easy on the eye camp staffthe train heads west out of Witch Bay. Westerly winds for a weekhave blown an algae bloom into the bay and Russ says find clearwater outside Witch Bay and you’ll find muskies. This week I’ll bejoining Wally Banfi and Gary Nski in their boat, two good friends aswell as two serious fishermen who know how to catch fish.

This part of Lake of the Woods is a huge patchwork of islandsoffering an abundance of good muskie water. What makes this areaespecially attractive is that these are truly wild fish we are after. Nostocking, no importing of new strains. These are native fish with agenetic line 10,000 years long that goes back to the retreat of the lastglacier. When we catch a fish, it will be a real Esox masquinonge.

We start throwing an assortment of hardware at rocky pointsand weed bed edges in bays as Russ suggested. Wally and Gary arethrowing noisy topwaters on the glass smooth water. I opted for asmall crankbait, a chartruse #9 Rapala Shad Rap, that fooled a 48incher a few weeks before. Within the first hour a green shadowdarts from a weed bed and smacks my shad rap at the boat’s edge.Muskie #1 is in the boat, a small 32 incher, but a muskie neverthe-less.

Wally in past years and past places has had above average successwith a Lee Lures Water Chopper and praises its merits as he fires itagain and again across rocky points and quiet bays. It’s almost noonand another musky whacks my Shad Rap, this one around 30”.That’s two for the morning and sets a personal best for me for num-bers per day and I’m only a half day into the trip.

At 1:00 the train meets for lunch on the water and everybodytrades stories and strategy. So far I’m the only one with a muskie,and the train thinks I know what I’m doing. Beginner’s luck I assurethem and we set off for the afternoon hunt.

The wind was picking up now and glass smooth water hasturned to a chop. Wally really wants me to get a big fish and insistsI start throwing the “chopper”. Wally knows a lot more than meabout muskies and so I start throwing a chopper in 30-yard flings.After a few minutes of pulling it over points I get the right retrievespeed down to make it bubble and pop along the surface per Wally’sliking. Near a large rock my chopper suddenly rises in the air about2 feet, falls back to the surface connected to a big fish and then dis-appears underwater as line screams off my reel. A few moments laterGary nets a 36, and my personal best for a day goes up to three.Never did that before, but I’m with the train. Wally cuts the hookends off with his cutters, and we set her free.

Dinner at the lodge is at 5 and becomes a welcome respite aftera long day of throwing hardware. It offers the train another oppor-tunity to share sightings and strategies and to take a short breakbefore the evening hunt. We learn Winston Hopkins of the CapitalCity Chapter of Muskies Inc, caught a 38 ? on a buck tail spinnerand takes the lead for big fish of the week.

The evening hunt produces no fish for the train and after all theboats are tied up and gear put away it’s time for the train’s eveningmeeting. Anyone who catches a muskie will tell the group the storyof how, when and where the fish were caught and others can sharetheir tales of near misses and mistakes. I told the story of a 3 fish per-sonal best day and Winston told how fast retrieving his buck tailafter a follow triggered his strike. Total for our 5 boats on day 1 – 22muskie follows, 4 boated, 4 released.

Monday, day 2, sunny, cool, northwest winds 5-10. Classic coldfront day. I’ll bow out of the morning hunt to photograph grouse

www.muskiesinc.org January 2007.....MUSKIE 11

(Continued on page 12)


and let Wally and Gary fish hard, just the two of them. Gary has notboated a muskie for more than two years and he wants one bad.

Gary’s skills and knowledge are good but he’s just been unlucky.Two years ago the train fished out of this same camp and everybodybut Gary boated a fish. You can just tell by watching him fish thathe doesn’t want that to happen again.

Wally and Gary return to camp for lunch today and to pick meup and the news is not unexpected. The cold front has slowed thingsdown. No fish boated, no fish seen.

In the afternoon we go we hit more areas Russ marked on ourmap, and things start to pick up but get frustrating for Gary. He’sgetting follows but no hits. He’s been at the very edge of breakinghis slump a couple times already, but the fish don’t cooperate. Wallyand I throw a variety of baits but Gary stays with the chopper. Afterdinner we go out again and the chopper raises a couple more big fishfor Gary. He seems about ready to jump out of the boat and fightthem hand to hand.

At the evening meeting we learn Winston Hopkins boatedanother fish, a 34 and Chris Klar boated a 35. Total for the day – 11follows, 2 boated, 2 released.

Tuesday, day 3. Sunny, warm, light winds. Each day our campguide Russ Warye takes a group from the train out for the day, andtoday it’s our turn. Just spending time with Russ on the water is aneducation. His knowledge of the area and of fishing in general makeshim a storehouse of information, and you can tell he really enjoyswhat he does.

He’s been coming to Witch Bay Camp for 15 years and nowspends 8 – 9 weeks per summer at the camp guiding guests towalleyes, smallmouth and big muskies.

Russ takes us to a small island surrounded by submerged boulders,a spot he had marked the first day on our map and where I got my 36.“We’ve seen fish here,” Russ says, “and some nice ones over 40.”

Russ advises first off that one of us use a top water bait. “Theyare great location revealers”, he explains, “and if they don’t hit thebait at least you know where they are and you can come back laterand try them again.”

Gary and Wally start flinging baits toward the island. Gary stayswith the chopper and Wally is following up with a big spinnerbait.“There’s one ! There’s one !,” Gary hollers, as a green log follows hischopper. Gary figure 8s but the fish moves off. Then Wally fires outhis spinner bait and the fish follows that in too, but moves off again.

“Change up, change up!” Russ says, “here, put this on,” and hehands Wally a beat up old Reef Hawg. Wally throws it out towardthe island, and it isn’t in the water 3 seconds when the water boilsaround the bait and Wally starts hollering, “He’s on, he’s on!” as hisspool starts spilling line.

It’s a madhouse on board with people running around, stuffingthings, making room, getting gear out of the way, finding the net, allthe while watching the big fish rise near the boat and take off again.

Finally Russ nets the fish and everybody is hooting and holler-ing about how big it is. It measures 47” and ties Wally’s personalbest. Russ’s idea to change up with the Reef Hawg did the trick andRuss explains that’s the 11th fish between 37 & 49 so far this sum-mer that’s hit that Reef Hawg.

With the big fish released we break for lunch and bask for awhilein the warm sun and retell the story over and over about how thechange up did the trick. But you can tell by Gary’s demeanor thathe’s more resolute than ever now to catch a muskie and when we startfishing again Gary starts fishing hard.

Happy for Wally but wishing that fish would’ve hit his chopperin the first place, Gary continues firing the chopper at rocks andpoints. His relentless pursuit becomes both exciting and frustratingas the chopper brings in several more follows by big fish. Big fishafter big fish comes in behind the chopper. Two of them swirl on thebait. Then much to Gary’s frustration another one hits it and knocksit aside with no hook up, and we wonder if the fish hit Gary’s baitwith its mouth closed just to see what it was.

This one island spot holds a bunch of big fish and Gary’s chop-per is showing us where they are, but even another Reef Hawgchange up doesn’t work. By dinner time Gary is exhausted physical-ly and mentally from being so close with 11 follows on his choppertoday. But there’s still the evening to fish and Gary slumps in his seatas we run back to camp.

For the evening hunt Gary has decided to join his two friendsand fellow co founders of the muskie train, John and Joe Klinzing.They’ve been seeing some big fish near the deepest and clearest waterin the lake and they want Gary to join them. John boated two todayin the mid 30s but he and Joe had 10 other follows and some werebig, real big.

Wally and I hit several points and islands we’ve wanted to whackbut nothing happened, not even a follow. At dusk we make the runhome and waited for the train to gather and tell their stories of theday. The Klinzing boys are late and it’s well after dark before theyarrive, but they arrive with big smiles and Gary is laughing and hol-lering and dancing all the way to the cabin. It would appear Garyfound his fish.

To be continued...

THE MUSKIE TRAIN (Continued from page 11)

Gary Nski lands a 49” slump breaking personal best near Witch Bay. PHOTO BY JOHN KLINZING

www.muskiesinc.org

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Father and Son First Fifties –20 Minutes!

Jeff Blanck and his son Dan madethe front cover of MUSKIE back inApril of 1997 (center is Jeff Blanck,right is his son Danny Blanck age 7,left is his nephew Mike Pete). Dan wasa little smaller then as he was only 7years old. Now he is 17 and the bondbetween father and son over the yearshas been developed centered aroundMuskies, Inc. and muskie fishing.Something very special happened onNovember 5, 2006. They both gottheir first 50 inch muskies together inthe same boat, on the same lake innorthern Wisconsin just 20 minutes apart. This was twin 50 incherson, get this, North Twin in Vilas County, Wisconsin. I asked Jeff towrite me a few notes and email it to me. We can not run the entirenotes he sent me as it would be the longest Lunge Log article in ourhistory. However it is special and the next few paragraphs are direct-ly from Jeff.

My son Dan has become a great partner to me as well as a closefriend. As you all know, compatible long term boat partners are raresince many of our idiosyncrasies are hard to share without partnerburnout. I’ve come to cherish his companionship as we always havememories to laugh about and moments to remember, with new andexciting things happening to us on every trip. During my time asPresident of the Flatlanders Chapter, he has been there to share in theexcitement and make suggestions that show he cares about the club.He has even become a board member and is currently the newslettereditor for the Flatlanders, attending Executive Committee meetingswhen I have not been able to. He’ll call me with the meeting’s detailsto keep me up to speed while I’m working outof town. I look forward to those calls.

Well, we had one dandy of a trip duringthe November full moon that created a memo-ry for me that will last until I go to the big lakein the sky. A few guys had a trip planned toVilas County for a season ending try for a pig,the kind of fish we have heard about since westarted fishing for muskies more than 25 yearsago. The weather was cooperating with cooltemperatures, overcast skies and calm winds.Water temps were 36-37 degrees on the small-er lake we targeted, with skim ice here andthere. Friday we boated a couple mid to upper

30 inch fish on baits which kept us pumped up but the sucker bite forthe big fish seemed to be slow to non-existent. There was discussion ofmoving to another lake. We discussed with Dave Jack that morningthat if we hadn’t seen anything by 2:00 PM, we would make the jumpto the bigger lake. At 1:00 PM we drifted close enough to be able toyell to the other boat and we agreed that enough was enough. “We’reouta’ here”. We trailered up and headed to the other lake.

We proceeded to set up the sucker rigs and start casting. THEFIRST CAST! I twitched my Shallow Bulldog slowly and bamm! Fishon. I boated a nice 37 incher. We laughed and said that the move paidoff even if we didn’t see another fish. We slowly worked down thedrift when we noticed the guy behind us was fighting a fish. Theyland it and announce it was a nice 42 inch musky. We exchanged con-gratulations on his success and his decision to lake-jump, too. Whenwe got back to the place where we started fishing, we figured wemight as well hit it again and maybe get the 4 footer to hit that we

has seen earlier. Wemake another U-turn and start backdown the bar. Wehad gotten with-in50 yards or so fromthe spot where thebigger fish hadshowed itself whenmy Shallow Dogstopped dead from ascrappy 34 incher.After a few crazyruns the fish was in

the net, photos taken and back in the water. Now we were reallyhappy we changed lakes.

We make our first cast with the crank baits and realize we areright where the bigger fish showed itself about an hour earlier. A sec-ond cast… nothing. The third cast…nothing behind it that I couldsee through the figure 8. Immediately after I lift my bait out of thewater, my sucker steadily starts to move away. I say to Dan “that’s afish” since we are still sitting in 18 feet of water outside of any weedsand the sucker is moving forward and deeper anyway. It doesn’t makea long run or a fast run, just steady. I turned the boat 180 degrees notreally having to chase the fish but just to keep the other rods awayfrom the hook set. I reel down to the water and set the hook veryhard. The fish made one short run to the left and then surfaced about25 feet or so from the boat. With the moon at our back and the waterdead calm…this fish surfaces and we see the distance between thehead and tail fin…WE FREAK! It’s huge! It’s not going nuts so I startto walk backwards and reeling slowly, bring the fish to the boat whereDan scoops it up. The entire lake had to have heard us when that hap-

pened. It’s a sow!!! It’s now 5:30 PM and I’vejust boated my first 50 inch fish and it’sbeautiful. The boat we had been talkingback and forth to was very near and I askthem if they want to check it out. The saythey’ll be right over. We have the fish sittingin the net upright and comfortable and theyget there within a minute or so. I give themmy camera and they get a shot of me hold-ing a fish of a lifetime with my son at myside. A couple of release photos and we arestanding up, hands on hips in shock of whatjust happened.

the Lunge Log

by Jim Bunch

January 2007.....MUSKIE 13



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Grinning, we proceed to pick up ourrods and start casting again. We look aroundand the moon is huge and the night is per-fect. We moved about 100 feet or so whenDan hurls a cast back towards the small 12’flat that we just gave up my first 50 incher.He starts working his Depth Raider,twitch…twitch…twitch twitch…BANG! Igot one!!! He sets the hook hard and highand the water BOILS! I start clearing theother lines, pretty much speed cranking thesuckers up and tossing the rods into a heapon the outside front of the boat. I grab thenet and head for the back of the boat whenmy headlamp shines on the water at thesame time as the fish rolls on the surfaceabout 30 feet from the boat…”OH MYGOD!...IT’S ANOTHER PIG!” This fishwasn’t as calm as my fish but Dan is workingthe fish nice and steady towards the boat. Iget to the back and Dan brings the fish tothe boat and I scoop it up…but not before italmost backs itself out of the net. Dan’stelling me to get it, get it! It’s in the net andhe drops his rod and we get our first look atthis fish in the net. I yell, “It’s bigger thanmine!... It’s another 50!” It’s 5:50 PM, only20 minutes since the first 50 incher and myson has his first 50 incher in the net. Ourbuddies that came with us were working theother side of the bar are now right near usand they come over with their Q-beam lightand camera/camcorder. Brock gets somevideo of Dan lifting the fish from the net andmeasuring it. 50 ON THE NOSE! A fewphotos and back in the water it goes.

WE ARE STUNNED! The water tem-peratures are 39-40 degrees, the moon is up,the sun is down, and its dead calm and thestars are aligned. I get a big hug from my sonand we pick up our rods. We don’t knowwhy, though. How could we ever do any-thing to top what has just happened? We justkind of go through the motions as we followour buddy’s boat for a short while, until weannounce we’re done for the night.

We get back to the cabin where we plugin the digital camera to the T.V. and sharethe photos with everyone, still floating on airfrom the night’s events. When I went to bed,I just laid there, grinning, thinking of howproud I was of Dan and how far he’s comesince that first “Musky Day” in 1997. He’s17 now and will be graduating high schoolnext spring. I can’t think of any other way Icould have asked for to finish this seasonthan what happened to us Up North. He’slearned so much. (Thank you Jeff Blanck)

LUNGE LOG (Cont’d from page 13)


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MEMBERSNOTICE

Members can change theirpersonal information on thewebsite

www.muskiesinc.org

After logon to the "Member OnlySection" take menu item"My Member Info"You can change your address oremail address and see whenyour Membership expires.

Dembiec Team!Each and every year as I watch the entries come in, I am amazed

at the success of some of our husband and wife teams. These teams arevery special; I watch them as they send in entries. The husband andthe wife teams do very little muskie fishing without the other. That isso neat. Jim and Lynne Dembiec are from the Milwaukee Chapterand live in Hartland, Wisconsin. This past October they made theirnormal visit to Lake of the Woods. I saw a large number of entries soI asked Jim Dembiec to send me some notes on the trip. He states thefollowing.

Yes, we had a fantastic trip for numbers, no real tankers, 49.5 wasthe biggest. The last 2 falls, 2004, 2005, we were treated to fortypounders...But this year it was like rapid fire, lots of drag screaming.On Sunday Oct. 22nd. we trolled a spot about two hundred yardslong and had 9 strikes, boating 5 in one hour. The stretch had abouteight inside turns and the fish were there in force. The fish seemed likethey were in a frenzy, with only boating one out of the first fourstrikes. They were picking up the lure and just stripped line, seemedlike they just wanted to get the bait and run from other musky. Wetook some video and Lynne described the experience as musky heav-en.....fish after fish, on every pass. We were laughing so hard, Sundaywas the highlight of the trip. We boated 40 musky in eight days offishing, 35 over 35 inches, 22 over 40 inches. We had about 85 strikesfor the trip, 40 musky, 30 pike, and some lost fish.

We started fishing musky after we were married, 23 yrs ago thisNovember. We joined Muskies, Inc. in 1984. The best thing with theclub was listening to seminars and people’s views on fishing these crit-ters, and just going out and leaning on our own. We have hired threeor four guides over the years to learn about different waters. We havealso developed many great friendships through the club. Lynne and Iboat about 120-185 musky per year over 30inches. I have boatedover 1,100 on Pewaukee alone and about 1,900 overall. I don’t reallyregister many fish anymore, just the ones over 45 inches. We both arejust not interested in any more awards, wish the money was spent onputting back into the resource. We build a lotof our own baits, topwater, spinner, jigs andcreatures. The other baits we use, we don’tmake, we just modify. Thank you for all thework you do on the lunge log! Jim and LynneDembiec.

Some Big Ones!Jacob Benson of Chetek, Wisconsin was

only 11 years old when he caught this muskie.He is 12 now. It is obvious that he is not verybig and could not stand up to hold thismuskie. You can see also that his lap is a little

small and the muskies tail just kind of falls over onto the deck of theboat. This muskie checked in briefly to the Benson boat at 54 inchesand a shocking girth of 28 inches. Your calculator will show 52.92pounds. (Length X Girth X Girth / 800). Let us face reality here; yesthere is a man behind this accomplishment and that is Bob Benson,Jacob’s father. Bob is a very humble man. He prefers to have wife Pam,daughter Kaitlin, and son Jacob get credit for these monsters helocates. If Bob Benson was interested in winning a contest, he wouldwear out the carpet on our stage.

Richard Wren of Warrensville, Illinois and the Fox River ValleyChapter has struck again with a dandy out of Mille Lacs in Minnesotaon November 8th. Itchecked in at 54 incheswith a 25.5 inch girth,meaning 43.89 pounds.This was Rich’s 11th 50incher in the Lunge Log. Itwas not his longest thoughas you remember a 56.5inch back in June of 2004and another 54 inch 12years ago. Rich is a travel-ing man. If a body of waterholds big muskies, he willeventually be there. Thatmeans any place in North America. If you ever have a chance to talkto him, you will be humbled by his experiences and knowledge.

You cannot talk about really big muskies in November each yearwith out ending up out in Fombell, Pennsylvania where HowardWagner lives. This is his 10th 50 inch in the Lunge Log. This muskieis not in the Lunge Log yet. I got in between an email betweenHoward Wagner and LarryRamsell and Howard sentme this picture. Howardsays she was 52.5 X 28.5(53.30 lbs) He says she wasa suspended eastern basinLake Erie muskie with athick body through to thetail, not just a pot belly. Shewas 25 feet down over 35feet of water in 2 to 3 footrollers. He says his friendKevin Wipdki did a helluvajob netting the brute. Wecould just barely see FortErie and the taller buildings of Buffalo. She had no choice than to hita Legend Plow as we were pulling 4 of them. He is going to send mea picture of the lure as it has deep grooves in the hard plastic from the

battle. He says we run with the drags tightenedall the way down for a good hook set, thenback off on the way in. No less than 80 poundtiger braid on my reels. Howard is 6 foot and250 lbs. it is power versus power and he usual-ly wins. This would only be his 5th longest andprobably only his third heaviest. We stand byonce again in respect of the man.

Keep a tight line,Jim Bunch

LUNGE LOG (Cont’d from page 14)

Lynne Dembiec

Howard Wagner


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Jim Dembiec

Jacob Benson

Rich Wren

Tip of the Month –Cold WeatherPhotography

Your camera and its batteries react to the coldmuch like molasses. Battery life will be dramatical-ly reduced both in terms of time and the number ofexposures you'll be able to take. Even your camera'sability to function can be impaired. The simplesolution is to carry a spare battery if possible andcarry that spare or even your camera safely within aninside garment. If you're "shooting" with snow inthe background, your photos will tend to underexpose so learn to how to adjust your settings toallow for more light and try using your flash . Lastly,when you arrive home remember that extreme antemperature change from cold to warm can causedamaging condensation- another reason to toteyour camera snugly in that inside pocket.

Gordon CampbellPhoto EditorJanuary 2007

Photo Contest – January Winnersby Gordon Campbell

Winner #1: Chapter 50's Tom Long portrayed with a colorful and sharplydetailed Tiger. Taken by Archie Roche this interesting shot took place on MarshCreek Lake - a particularly important and upcoming lake on which Chapter 50

(Penn - NJ) works very hard for through chapter stocking efforts. The color andrich facial details of the Tiger portrait make this one a winner.

Winner #2: Sent in by Pete Olson, he's shown with Bob Mehsikomer and an unidentifiedcameraman looking dressed up for Halloween. Actually they'd just finished a numbing 60

mph, 30 mile evening ride across LOTW for a Simply Fishing episode marked by success.The masks turned an otherwise mundane scene into a real conversation piece.

www.muskiesinc.org January 2007.....MUSKIE 17www.muskiesinc.org


It was a balmy mid-August afternoon about tenyears ago, my old high school buddy KirkeUtecht and I were doing our usual weed line

trolling on a Northern Wisconsin flowage. Withthe exception of a few small pike, we were havingno success. As boredom and heat exhaustionbegan to set in, I decided to troll across the mainbasin of the flowage to get to the deep weed edgeon the opposite shoreline. Just as we began cross-ing the deepest part of the flowage one of the propwash rods began screaming! My initial reaction was it must have beena snag; then I realized I only had fifteen feet of line out on a JointedDepthRaider and we were now over thirty feet of water! I reached forthe rod just as the giant muskie rolled behind the boat. After the fishmade several deep power dives, I slid the beast into the Frabill BigKahuna net. That fish stretched the tape to fifty-one inches. Thisexperience was just the beginning of my addiction to suspendedmuskies.

There are two reasons I fish suspenders; the first is they are usu-ally bigger than structure- related fish. Although I have caught a fewsmall fish in deep water, typically the suspended muskies are some ofthe largest fish in a particular body of water. The second reason I fishthem is they are usually more apt to bite than their weed relatedbrothers and sisters. These fish see very few baits thrown their way,compared to the constant pounding weed bed fish receive.

It has been my experience that nearly every fishery has suspendedmuskies at one time or another. The key to finding them is forage.Whether you are on a lake, flowage, river, or one of the Great Lakes, atsome time there are bait fish suspended high in the water column overthe main basin. The forage could be ciscoes on a deep, clear NorthernWisconsin lake, shad on the Great Lakes, or crappies on a flowage; thespecies of forage is relative to the body of water you are fishing.

LakesNatural inland lakes are by far the easiest bodies of water in

which to find suspended muskies. When searching for a good sus-pender lake, do a little research and try to find a lake that containscisco or whitefish. If you find one, you are most likely onto a goldmine! Cisco prefer deep, cold, highly oxygenated water, so the bestplace to start looking for them is somewhere over the main lake basin.The best way to find ciscos and muskies is to just drive around and

look. Often, I will drive around for an hour ortwo, staring at my locator just trying to findschools of bait high in the water column. It hasbeen my experience that when schools of cisco arein the top twenty feet of water I will have my bestchance of hooking up with a muskie. When I finda good school, I fish it as though it were a piece ofstructure, casting above, below and on the edges. Iftrolling is legal, I will troll around the edges andthen through the school of bait from every direc-tion with multiple baits set at various depths.

Recently this pattern led to my tournamentpartner Lucas Molepske and me winning our firstmajor muskie tournament. The Wisconsin MuskyTour event was held on the Manitowish Chain oflakes in Northern Wisconsin. The chain contains

several deep clear lakes with large populations of cisco. Throughoutthe two day event we searched for schools of suspended ciscos, con-centrating on schools in the top fifteen feet. It was a very difficult bitewith the majority of fish in a negative mood. The key to triggering themuskies to bite was working crankbaits with a slow, pause and twitchretrieve. The pattern was good enough to land us a check for nearly$14,000!

When it comes to lure selection for cisco related suspenders, Itypically use either soft plastics or crankbaits. The Musky InnovationsBulldawg has been one of the best producers in my boat over the lastseveral seasons; also the new Realfish Cisco boated a couple of giantsthis past season. Crankbaits can also be extremely productive, I uselures including the Musky Mania Ernie and Jake, BucherDepthraider, Cisco Kid, and my personal favorite the Esox ResearchCompany’s Triple D. As far as lure color goes, I prefer anything in acisco pattern, baits containing shades of blue, purple, black, gray orwhite, and sometimes on tough days I’ll try something bright. In fact,I’ve caught fish on a blaze orange crankbait several times when noth-ing else works.

Flowages and Shallow LakesSuspended muskies on flowages and shallow lakes are an

extremely underrated pattern that can really be hot under certain con-ditions! After I caught the fish I talked about at the beginning of thisarticle, I wanted to know why that fish was out there. Over the nextseveral evenings I noticed huge mayfly hatches over deep mud flats.As I observed what was going on I also saw large numbers of crappies,bluegills and shiners gorging themselves on the tasty little bugs. Theentire food chain was at work, as the panfish were eating the mayflies,the muskies, walleyes, and pike were devouring the panfish and mycrankbaits! This has become one of my favorite patterns, and has

SEARCHING FORSUSPENDERS:

How to find suspended muskiesin nearly any fishery

by Brett Jolly

It was a very difficult bitewith the majority of fishin a negative mood.The key to triggering themuskies to bite wasworking crankbaits witha slow, pause and twitchretrieve. The pattern wasgood enough to land us acheck for nearly $14,000!


accounted for numerous fishover the four foot mark. Anytimethere is a mayfly hatch, you canbet I’ll be casting or trolling overa deep mud flat!

My favorite flowage baits arenoisy, rattling crankbaits; I likesomething that will make somenoise and vibration to help fishfind the lures, especially instained water. Jointed BucherDepthRaiders andShallowRaiders, Musky Mania10” Jakes, and Drifter Believersare just a couple of examples.When it comes to lure color, Ilike natural panfish colors as well as bright patterns such as fire tigerand orange tiger.

RiversAn even more overlooked pattern is suspended fish in rivers. Big

slow moving rivers with forage such as shad, crappies, or white bass, canprovide some of the best suspended fishing there is! I have had numer-ous multiple fish days trolling crankbaits upstream or casting as I driftdownstream. Like any other body of water the key is locating schoolsof forage, and once they are found work them over from every angle.

When trolling for suspended muskies in rivers, I vary the depthsof my baits anywhere from the top couple feet of water to about halfway down to the bottom, depending on the depth of the baitfish.Once a productive depth is found, I like to place a few more baits atthe same level, plus at least one about five feet higher and anotherabout five feet lower.

I usually prefer to troll upstream in rivers as it gives the baits thebest action. Trolling downstream can work also, but you will need totroll faster downstream to produce the correct action on your lures.Depending on current speed I usually troll anywhere from .5 mph to1 mph faster when going downstream, the key is to watch your rodtips to verify that the crankbaits are wobbling.

Great LakesBig water means big fish; it also means a lot of water to cover. In

the muskie world, there are few bodies of water that cancompare to the size and complexity of waters such asGeorgian Bay, Green Bay or Lake Erie. It has been myexperience that the best way to tackle these huge waters isto focus on the seasonal migrations of baitfish such asalewives, whitefish, yellow perch, and especially gizzardshad.

In the fall, large schools of gizzard shad will suspendnear river mouths. I have found giant schools anywherefrom right inside of the mouth to a couple of miles outdepending on wind currents and water temperatures. Ihave seen schools of shad gathered in small scattered podsor tightly balled schools that can be several hundred feetlong.

The best tactic to finding and staying on top of thesehuge schools is trolling with multiple lines and planerboards. Check your local regulations on the number oflines allowed per angler, and use as many as legally possi-ble! Use planer boards to spread your lines and coverwater. I have found Offshore Tackle’s OR-12 Side-Planersto be the best, although they need a minor modification

to handle muskie size lures.Remove the clips on the Offshoreboards and replace them with apair of the Offshore OR-16 snapweight clips.

When trolling aroundschools of shad, I have had thebest luck by trying to keep theboat on the outside edges of theschool. Staying on the edgeaccomplishes two very importantthings; first of all it helps to pre-vent spooking the school andscattering the shad. Secondly Ibelieve the majority of themuskies will be prowling the

edges waiting for a stray shad to pick off. I have boated very few fishdirectly inside of the schools, it seems the majority of the fish willcome anywhere from five to fifty feet away from the baitfish.

As far as lure choice goes on the Great Lakes, I bring everything!I have found these fish to be extremely finicky and lure choice canchange throughout the day. I have had some very good luck on hugebaits such as Legend Plows, Legend Perch Baits, 13” Grandmas and14” Jakes. However, my best action when fishing shad schools hascome on smaller six to nine inch baits, which closely resemble the sizeand profile of the shad. Baits such as Jakes, Slammers, Super ShadRaps, and Shallow Raiders will all take fish. Color can be an even big-ger question mark than lure choice; at times they may want brightgaudy colors or they may want natural shad imitations. The key is touse multiple baits until you establish a pattern.

Don’t let the old belief that muskies only relate to shallow struc-ture dictate the way you fish. The biggest thing to remember from thisarticle is that muskies can be found suspended nearly anywhere.Lakes, flowages, rivers, and the Great Lakes all have suspended fish atsome time of the year. The key is to pay attention to every detailwhen you are on the water; watch your locator for baitfish, keep andeye out for bugs, diving birds, or anything else that could possiblyindicate the location of bait and feeding muskies. Also be creative bytrying different lures, retrieves, trolling speeds, etc. Give suspendedmuskies a try on your favorite body of water next season, and I guar-antee you will put even more and bigger fish in your boat! ❖

A big river musky caught trolling upstream, this fish was guest CraigPeterson's first muskie!


Vertical jigging is a tactic that muskie anglers seldom employ,but one that can be highly effective for taking our favoritefish when they are holding in deep, cold water. In the south-

ern range of the muskie fishing world, we can often target theseincredible predators during most if not all of the winter season andinto early spring on waters without natural repro-duction. When our lakes do get ice, we can oftentimes break through to get to open water and hun-gry fish. These vertical jigging tactics are not simplya set of southern techniques for winter fishing, butcan be used in the cold waters of late fall in thenorth as well, right up to freeze up. These tech-niques can produce muskies at any time when watertemperatures are cold and the fish are hanging outin the depths.

*Structure:Certain areas seem to produce muskies better

with this technique than others. Prime structuralelements hold more muskies willing to attack a ver-tical jigging technique in cold water. A lot of folksget structure and cover mixed up. Cover is some-thing that fish use to conceal themselves, such as weeds, wood, rocks,or man made cover like boat docks. Structure is a measurable changein the bottom of a lake. This measurable change could be in 2 feet ofwater near the shoreline, or it could be in 200 feet of water at the floorof a deep lake. Structure could be a shallow saddle in between islandson the basin of a lake, or it could be a hole on the bottom of a river,any measurable change.

Prime structural elements to look for in cold waters include deepbreaklines, creek or river channels, primary points, secondary pointsand sunken humps. Employ the use a lake map to find and studythese areas before hitting the water. Maps are invaluable tools fordeveloping a battle plan of attacking a muskie lake. By studying a mapprior to a trip, especially to a body of water that you seldom fish or

have never fished before, you havea mental picture of the lake in yourmind and a route of places tocheck out when you get there. Pickout several different structures to

fish in severaldifferent areas ofa lake or river toformulate yourbattle plan. Once in the area, scan the structure andthe open water around it with your sonar unit.

The best structures are complex, those withirregular features and additional elements.Typically, the more structure there is in a confinedarea, the better the spot will be. Classic cold waterplaces to locate feeding muskies are often placeswhere structural elements meet, such as where apoint meets a breakline, where two creek or riverchannels intersect, or where a hump rises up on theedge of a flat not far from a break to deeper water.

*Cover:Cover in these areas makes the spot even more attractive to

muskies. In the early portion of the cold water period in late fall upnorth or early winter in the south, some muskies can still be foundnear aquatic vegetation. They’re not likely to locate up in the thickstuff or even over the top of weed beds that grow out of deeper water.The best place to locate muskies that are relating to weeds at this timeis at the base of the deep weed edge. Still, at this time, other coveroptions may be more attractive to the fish than the weeds are, and asthe water temperatures continue to fall, rock and wood usuallybecome the most used cover option, often holding many moremuskies and their prey.

Rock cover is highly attractive to muskies in the cold water peri-od. Boulders, rock ledges, chunk rock and rip rap are all excellent

Prime structuralelements to look for incold waters include deepbreaklines, creek orriver channels, primarypoints, secondary pointsand sunken humps.Employ the use a lakemap to find and studythese areas beforehitting the water

A classic example of an area to target cold water Muskies with jiggingtactics. This spot has a primary and secondary point, and a verticalbluff wall that tapers to a steep sloping shoreline bank. This spot fea-tures an irregular underwater breakline with both rock and woodcover, that falls off into deep open water on the main lake basin.


cover options to target for muskies at this time. Wood is also great forholding these fish. Deep stumps, brush piles, logs and standing tim-ber hold baitfish and muskies. The best structures to fish have morethan one type of cover on them. It could be two or more differentforms of rock, such as large boulders and small chunk rock. It couldbe a sunken brush pile in the midst of a stump field. The best placeshave both rock and wood cover. The more types of cover options in agiven area, the more attractive it is to cold water muskies.

*Open Water:While we do find lots of muskies positioning directly on the

structures themselves, there will almost always be some fish that spendsome time in open water as well. Certain bodies of water seem to havemore open water muskies than others, but most of the time, openwater muskies are relating to prime structural elements with cover onthem. While muskies that cruise through openwater may not seem to be tied to anything at all,the concentrations of them are most oftenfound in open water that is near the complexstructural elements and diverse cover optionsthat hold most of the muskies that relate closelyto these areas. So, the search for open watermuskies also begins in the areas that hold somany fish that are not suspending in openwater.

*Baitfish:Baitfish is the last key to cold water muskie

location, but a critical one for catching themwith vertical jigging tactics. After motoring tothe right areas, cruise around and search forbaitfish with a sonar unit. While individualbaitfish will appear as dots or small arcs, schoolsof bait will appear as clouds on the screen. If youlocate multiple large schools of baitfish in anarea with prime structural elements and coveroptions nearby, it’s a good bet that numbers ofactive muskies will be in the area, and this is thetime to start fishing. Often, game fish can alsobe marked with the sonar unit, typically appear-ing as large arcs or fish symbols on the screen.Game fish are usually found below or to the sideof the baitfish school. They’ll stay near but notright on the school, and then they’ll quicklyshoot in to pick off stragglers that stray awayfrom the pack.

*Lures:Spoons are often the best lures for vertical jigging for muskies and

other big game fish. My guides and I use the hot new Rattlin’ ScaleSpoons from Simms Sport Fishing Tackle for this task. The 1 ounceand 2 ounce models arebest for muskies. Theseunique spoons featureloud metal rattles builtright into the blank,which call fish in and trig-ger vicious strikes. Theselures also feature a realisticdiamond scale pattern(Continued on page 24)

Vertical jigging tactics catch big cold water Muskies

The Rattlin’ Scale Spoon.

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and highly reflective finishes that mimic baitfish. The jig and plasticcombo is another good lure choice for this method of fishing. Anopen hook saltwater style jig head is great for open water fishing whenpaired with a large soft plastic bait like a paddle tail shad.

Weedless jigs are better for fishing in heavy cover. Big curly tailgrubs are good soft plastic lure choices too. Lures like the 11 inch BigBone Grub from Boneyard Baits are good choices for vertical fishing.Safety pin style spinnerbaits can also be highly effective lures for ver-tical jigging, with the right blade. The Thump N Shad and Thump NSpin Spinnerbaits from Simms Sport Fishing Tackle are great for jig-ging up cold water muskies. The Thump N Spin features a single deepcup colorado blade. The Thump N Shad features tandem deep cupcolorado blades and a paddle tail shad trailer. Deep cup colorados pro-duce tremendous vibration that muskies home in on and strike. Theseblades spin at slower speeds than any other blades on the market andallow for a slower fall in the vertical presentation. This gives themuskie a longer look at the bait as it passes by and triggers morestrikes.

*Equipment:Cold weather fishing requires especially tough gear. Rods are

more easily broken during the extremely cold periods than at anyother time, as anglers set hooks deeply into trophy class fish and tro-phy class timber attached firmly to the bottom. I prefer the glassgraphite composite rods for muskie fishing in truly frigid tempera-tures. The Ugly Stik Lite Graphite Muskie Rods from ShakespeareFishing Tackle are glass graphite composite rods that are incrediblystrong and tough as nails, even in the cold temperatures of winter.

I match the legendary strength and durability of the time honoredUgly Stik with a Pflueger President WLP Baitcast Reel for this duty.When vertically jigging for muskies, a high speed gear ratio is veryimportant, as it allows anglers to take up line quickly when working aheavy bait up and down in the water column, as well as for hook set-ting. Many strikes or takes that occur with this presentation require theangler to quickly reel down on a fish and take up slack line beforesweeping the rod up for the set. The president features a 6.3:1 highspeed ratio that’s great for this purpose. The WLP model is a wide spoollow profile bait caster. I prefer a low profile reel for muskie fishing, andthe President WLP holds enough heavy line for muskie fishing.

*Technique:Get right over the top of baitfish schools or the cover on the

structure and then drop the bait straight down below the boat onsemi-slack line. Pay careful attention, as a muskie could pick up thebait on the initial drop. Watch the line for any ticks or movement andfeel the bait with the rod as it falls down through the water column.Watch the sonar and lift and drop the rod tip to jig the lure at, orlightly above the level of the baitfish and muskies. If anything feelsdifferent at all, set the hook very hard. A very powerful hook set witha long upward sweep of the rod is often required with this type ofpresentation, especially when fishing very deep. Take line in as soon aspossible and get the fish moving upward quickly. This is especiallyimportant when fishing around abrasive rocks, when line can be mosteasily cut, or around thick wood cover, especially standing timber,where muskies can easily wrap the line up.

Don’t let cold weather get you down. Get out on some openwater and give vertical jigging a try for the kings of freshwater. Goodluck! ❖

VERTICAL JIGGING (Continued from page 23)

You’ll notice a few changes this month. First of all, ChapterNews & Views is back and I will wait and see where it goes fromhere. Please understand I have no dog in this fight. I was justresponding to your vote as board members. However, allow me toexplain a couple of things from my prospective. I am seriouslyattempting to make this magazine a profitable, stand-alone part ofMuskies, Inc. I have sold around to $8,000.00 worth of advertisingin November and again in December. Generally, we were billingaround $3,500.00 per month. My minimum goal is to be billing$12,500.00 per month in 2007. I am going back to the Tri-Esox andAll Canada shows in order to generate ad sales, meet potential adver-tisers and review new products. In addition, I have hired Rory Potterfrom Cass Lake MN and Ross Wagner from Cincinnati, OH. toassist me with sales in parts of the country I won’t get to. M.I. folkslike Frank Walter, Jack Moga, and others have asked if they couldassist with selling ads. I am so pleased that members are beginningto realize that this is more than a one-man effort. I truly believe thatthere is interest and a sense of purpose that is going to prevail in thiseffort to be successful.

My hat’s off to you guys. Thanks for sharing the load.

Let’s talk about 44 pages for a moment. This issue may end upbeing 52 pages. That is for the most part new advertisers paying forour magazine. I absolutely will provide space for any of our adver-tisers, first. Then build articles around those advertisers. You maynotice that there was an article about a trip to Witch Bay Resort andWitch Bay ran an ad that month too.

I can cut out this As I See It article, if you want I can drop JimBunch’s charts and leave his articles in. Some of you on the websitecommented on the Book Reviews and New Products. I can tell youthat the other side of that coin is folks are suggesting New Products.Most of the time when I do a New Product Review that companyhas become an advertiser. So I feel like it is good for the magazineand I would like to continue it.

Let me get on with this issue and some of the up-comingmonths. In the past I have made the February issue the ladies issue.June was the juniors issue. This December became the Anniversaryissue. These special issues have driven advertisers to my doorrequesting to have a presence in a particular issue. This issue hasbecome the Sport Show Issue. I chose March as ourConservation/Research Issue. The scientific community has jumpedon that issue and I am going to have some swell articles from manyof our state DNR’s. In April, I am hoping to highlight our Chaptersand what I would call their “Hallmark” projects. I can tell you is thatthat effort has created a lot of interest and I am expecting some goodcompetition within our chapters. I promise you it will be worthyour time to enter the competition.

This month, I made a listing of all the Sport Shows of which Iam aware. I believe I have twelve listed. In addition to our regulardepartments, I have seven feature articles. Brett Jolly a new writerhas a great article on suspended muskies. In the last couple of issuesKen Jackson has written about his trip to Eagle Lake. This monthDoug Stamm writes about hit trip to Witch Bay on Lake of theWoods. I hope you enjoy his fantastic photography. Not only do Ienjoy his writing, his photography is making MUSKIE Magazinelook great. Justin Gaiche from Green Bay writes about small baits.Our old friend Colby Simms gives us a look at cold water jigging.Erik Jacobson discusses his dream season. Then out pops PatriciaStrutz and her interview with Ed Spoerl of our Headwaters Chapterand his story of boating 97 muskies in two weeks. I know you willall be reading that article. Patricia also fills us in on the 3rd AnnualBob Ellis Row Trolling event. Finally, Juris gives us a perspective ofA Minnesota Sport Show.

I hope to see a lot of you at Tri-Esox and the All Canada Shows.Look me up and say HI!

JimJim Smith, Managing EditorMUSKIE Magazine – The Official

Publication of Muskies, Inc.Email: [email protected]

We work to improve fishing!


As I See Itby Jim Smith

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INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

FITTANTE REPLICAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

FRABILL NETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii

JIM SMITH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

JUST BIG MUSKIES DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

LAX REPRODUCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

MINNESOTA MUSKIE EXPO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

MUSKIE ODYSSEY 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

MUSKY HUNTER TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv

MUSKY MADNESS EXPO - #30 GOD’S COUNTRY . . v

PASTIKA’S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

RED WING LODGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

ROLLIE & HELEN'S MUSKY SHOP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

SIMPLY FISHING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

ST. CROIX RODS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

TAYLOR COUNTY TOURIST COMMISSION . . . . . . . 36

TRI-ESOX PRODUCTIONS - CHICAGO SHOW . . . 26-27

TUFFY BOATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii

WHITECAPS TACKLE CO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

WITCH BAY CAMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

YOUNG'S WILDERNESS CAMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19


Purposes ofMuskies, Inc.

• To promote a high qualitymuskellunge sport fishery;

• To support selected conservationpractices based on scientific meritand carried out by authorized federaland state agencies;

• To promote muskellunge research;• To establish hatcheries and rearing

ponds and introduce the species intosuitable waters;

• To support the abatement of waterpollution;

• To maintain records of habits,growth, and range of species;

• To disseminate muskellungeinformation;

• To promote goodfellowship andsportsmanship amongmen, women andchildren.

This past summer Ed Spoerl, Headwaters Chapter member,must have been pinching himself. On his annual Lake of theWoods (LOTW) musky fishing trip, his boat caught and

released 97 muskies in two weeks. The largest fish was 52”. All werecaught casting, and Spoerl remarks that they lost numerous fish, too.What an unbelievable trip! I interviewed Ed and will share his incred-ible story.

Q: How many years have you been fishing for muskies? A: 20.

Q: How many years have you fished LOTW?A: We’ve been going there for eight years now. My buddies and I usedto go to Lac Seul every year but decided to try LOTW. This is anamazing fishery, and we now return there each year. We stay at theAngle Outpost in the Northwest Angle section of the lake. OwnersDave and Jessica Fandrich are great hosts. The cabins are clean andmodern and there is ample docking, gas, and electrical hook ups. Ilike that you can drive right up to the camp (you don’t have to haulyour gear in your boat to an island.) Legendary musky guide DougJohnson lives in one of the cabins and guides there. It’s just an amaz-ing part of the lake; some of my favorite musky spots are within ashort boat ride from camp.

Q: Do you fish any other areas of the lake?A: From the Angle Outpost there are hundreds of good spots withina 20 minute boat ride. But with that said, I have been known to run22 miles just to fish one spot! I concentrate my efforts mainly withinthe NW Angle (the middle part of LOTW.) I fish from the outer areasof Sabaskong to north of the Big Narrows. Of course, you learn morespots every year.

Q: Do you visit the Angle at a certain time each year?A: I always plan my annual trip between the first and third weeks ofJuly. This is a great time to fish on LOTW. For the most part themuskies have recovered from the spawn and have begun actively feed-ing and chasing baits. The bloom is almost never a factor and theweather is pleasant. The fish are also a bit more concentrated and pre-dictable in their location. I would like to make it up there for the falltrolling bite sometime…that is a great time of year for catching thosebig fat girls!

Q: Let’s talk about your amazing trip up there this year…Give us asynopsis of the numbers…

A: The first week I was there, for the most part, I was by myself andmanaged to boat 42 muskies. My friend Phil Gutman fished with mefor two days. The first day we fished out of Phil’s boat, I boated 7 fishwhile Phil put in 3 more. The second day Phil turned the tables onme and caught 4 out of my boat and I chipped in 2 more. In justthose two days we boated 16 fish. The guy in the back of the boat hasan advantage because the guy running the trolling motor is constant-ly working to stay off the rocks.

The second week I was fishing with my tournament partner,Greg Majka. By week’s end Greg had caught 23 muskies and I had 25more…97 muskies in two weeks…just unbelievable. And, besidesquantity, they were quality fish. Of my personal 67 fish, twenty werebetween 40 and 52 inches.

The other amazing thing is the number of fish we lost. I wouldestimate that we had a good shot (hooked up) at another 20 fish thatwe lost. On average, I would raise 15-20 fish a day—some days asmany as 40.

Q: What type of locations were you finding all of these fish?A: Normally in early July the fish relate primarily to weeds androck/weed areas. They move to the rock reefs by mid July. This yearthe water level on LOTW was lower than normal. That resulted invery poor weed growth. The sandy west facing bays and large greencabbage beds (the prime early season spots) were virtually non-exis-tent. The low water levels did not seem to affect the broad leaf tobac-co cabbage, though, and I found some fish relating to rock/tobaccocabbage areas. But, we encountered most of our fish on all rock struc-tures—points, reefs, mid-lake islands. With the lack of good greencabbage to relate to, I think they transitioned to the rock much earli-er than normal this year. The early spring warm up probably alsocontributed to this pattern. On normal years some of the best fishholding areas have been the small stretches of shoreline that have athin band of green or tobacco cabbage. The thin band creates an out-side and inside weed edge and the muskies utilize both sides of theweed band. These areas were sparse this year, but we still took a num-ber of fish from those spots, too.

Q: All the fish were taken in shallow water?A: I would say 90% of them were found in 5 feet or less. I rarely fishwater deeper than 10 feet up there and have found that if your lure isnot reaching the 1-2 foot depth range of the structure that you aremissing fish! If you are too far out from the structure your lure neverreaches the strike zone.


97 MUSKIESIN TWO WEEKSA Dream Trip to the

Northwest Angle of LOTW

by Patricia Strutz



Q: What were the “hot baits”?A: We caught many of the fish on Mepps Musky marabous andMepps Magnum bucktails. Both are great for solid hook ups. Themarabou is the perfect tool for covering shallow structures. I use quitea fast retrieve, in fact, one of my favorite things to do on a calm dayis to bulge the marabou over shallow weed beds and saddles. The largeColorado blade creates so much lift that it takes very little effort tokeep the bait on the surface. This is key when working over rocks (toprevent snag ups). I’ve had great success throwing the magnum buck-tail after LOTW has a rapid rise in water temps from consecutive blis-tering hot days. The fish seem to slide out a bit deeper, perhaps seek-ing cooler water. The Magnum runs 3-5 deep down so it is a great lurein these situations. My number one color pattern is white blade, black & white maraboutail. It is highly visible in those stained waters. My second choicewould be the copper/red pattern. This combo is effective for fishingthe clearer water areas during bright sunny days. In low light condi-tions I like the gold/yellow marabou.

Besides the bucktails, we also caught fish on topwater lures (partic-ularly Top Raiders, Weagles, and Jackpots) and on 8” Crane baits. Iuse a slow, more methodical retrieve with the walk-the-dog lures, butI generally give the Cranes a sharp rip and pause to trigger the bite.

Q: Did you find wind strength or direction important?A: Wind is always good! When the muskies are on a mid-lake rockbite the wind really seems to get them going. It makes no differencewhat direction it is blowing. The fish will set up accordingly to feedon the baitfish being pushed into the shallows by the wave action.Typically we find the muskies setting up on either side of a windblown point or island. This year, on the really windy days we foundthem sliding off into the less turbid areas. The islands and reefs ofLOTW are really nothing more than large boulders that stick outabove the surface of a giant river. Wind and wave action create cur-rent. This current slams into the leading edge of the island. It hasbeen our experience that the muskies use the current breaks (edges)on rivers to ambush their prey. So, when the wind got too crazy onLOTW, we used this river mentality…we slid off the wind blown sideof the reefs and worked the side current areas—such as the eddies thatform when current wraps around a rock or underwater bar. We sal-vaged the day (and probably my boat!) using this philosophy. Weended up catching numerous fish, including the biggest one (a 52”)of the entire trip. I always take advantage of what the wind givesme…you just have to use your judgment as to what structures youcan fish in a safe and effective manner.

Q: Have you ever had this type of success up at the Angle before?A: In previous years, a typical week of fishing would be boatingaround 17 fish and losing 10-15 others. Sometimes we have “no fishdays” and other days they are practically jumping in the boat. Coldfronts, of course, always shut them down. However, I’ve encounteredmore BIG FISH on the first day of a cold front than under any otherweather condition. I just try to find spots with less pressured fish.That way the fish decide to eat instead of just following the lure.

Q: Any other pointers you can give us?A: I think it takes several years to learn valuable lessons on LOTW.Each year that body of water throws something different your way.High water levels, lower water levels, good weed growth, poor weedgrowth, early spring, late spring, heavy bloom…you name it, there’salways something happening that you have to adjust to. These chang-ing conditions have a direct effect on what structure is holding fish.So, it’s important to record the water conditions each year and makenotes as to what spots were productive.The best tip I can offer is to treat this body of water with a great deal

of respect. There are two types of people on LOTW: those who havehit rocks and those who will. A GPS and good hydrographic map isa must to safely navigate the endless islands and reefs.

Q: Were you absolutely exhausted after these twoincredible weeks of fishing?A: I can honestly say that after two weeks, fishing12-14 hours a day in the hot sun…fighting offblack flies and man eating mosquitoes…I was readyfor another week! Seriously, I can think of no otherplace I have fished that is as beautiful as LOTW.There is something very special about musky fish-ing there—it’s the total package: quantity and qual-ity fish, wildlife, serenity, and beauty. ❖

Author Patricia Strutz echoes Spoerl’s sentiments…sheloves Lake of the Woods. She would like to invite morewomen (and couples) up to enjoy this pristine countryand fantastic fishery. Visit her website at: www.ablon-dandherboat.com to find out information on the cus-tomized trips she offers.

FOR SALESpecial Edition Muskies, Inc. – 1996 Warrior V177 side console 17'6"w/115 Mercury ELPTO, approx 275 hrs, 67# Motor Guide 24V, 50" shaft trollingmotor, Purchased new,garaged continuous, 2-LMS350 Lowrance GPS, customtrailer, custom boat cover, allthe toys for muskie fishing,Asking $12,000, Phone (623)388-3225. or Email: [email protected] will sendphotos and detaileddescription of all acces-sories and inclusions.

97 MUSKIES (Continued from page 29)

World records and exciting big fish stories, these are thethings that drive us. Our constant battle for big fish is adaunting task. My driving crave for such things has led

to ruined relationships, poor spending habits and a few trips to thehospital.

As Americans we believe the solution is simple. Go big. Ourboats are bigger, are line is stronger, our rods are longer and are luresare bigger. Of these things, the lure may be the single most impor-tant. The biggest boat, the nicest truck, none of it matters to a fish.All they care about is eating.

Our constant desire for big has been fueled by many, includingme. Big fish eat big baits. Like a broken record, fish biologists, guidesand tournament pros preach it. Sure, the Magnum Bulldawg is themost successful lure on the tournament trail, the 10” Suick has beenthe staple for fall fishing and suckers...well, let’s just say I need a biglivewell. With all of these facts, statistics and experiences, we shouldcontinue to believe these monsters with hooks will be the ticket.However true this may be, we may want to think aboutsomething...smaller.

Each year our egos are damaged beyond repair as we fishmuskies. Nine thousand and two casts into your week without a fishand what happens? A nine year old catches a 54”on a snoopy pole and a 5” bluegill! This is com-mon even into the record books as well look at theGeorgian Bay giant from the 1980’s. We all knowit wouldn’t be a summer without a bass angler onthe St. Lawrence catching a 50 pounder. Evenmore recently the walleye anglers on Green Bayhave to bring a few extra crawler harness’ thanks toour toothy friends. What’s going on???

Well, the idea of this all hadn’t really sunk intomy head until a few years ago. Guiding on theWisconsin River our day went uneventful. Myclient, worn from the 95 degree temps, decides tosit down with a walleye pole for a few moments. “Igot one”, he exclaims. Obviously a bluegill, I paylittle attention until bang, a dandy musky eats his bluegill and weamazingly land it. At the time, little sunk into my pea brain. Thenext day however in the same location, I enter the same scenario. Hotas the dickens and no muskies. In good humor, I tell my client thestory from the day before. I jokingly catch a bluegill, toss it on a big

hook and...wham-o! With true enthusiasm, I take off all of my giantcrankbaits, plastics and jerkbaits and switch to the smallest lures Ihad. One of them greatly resembled a bluegill. What followed wasone of the most amazing displays of musky fishing I’d ever seen. Fishafter fish, we felt as though we were walleye fishing until the muskytally totaled six. We never moved the boat.

Over the course of the next couple of years, I tampered withsmall lures in specific situations when fishing was tough. What I dis-covered with the assistance of friends John Sparbel and Phil Schweikwas astounding. Let’s discuss some of these lures and situations wherethey shine.

Number One: DeLong Kilr Eel 6”On a weekly basis customers come to me at Gander Mountain

and ask “what’s this thing all about?”. “It’s the Kilr Eel!” I shout withenthusiasm! This dual, single hook lure is made from soft plastic andwith it’s long slender silhouette, it does a great job of matching juve-nile perch. While the anise scent might not be the enticing trigger,the action of this lure is. I began using the Eel as a spring bait, specif-ically for sight fishing as I could dart and pause the bait along thebottom. It’s erratic actions cause some of the most explosive strikes

I’ve seen from cold water muskies. It quickly roseto the top of my spring list and got stuffed backinto the box after the water temperatures rose.

As usual, the arsenal of crankbaits, jerkbaitsand bucktails came out for summer. The summerwent by, fish cooperated and my Kilr Eels contin-ued to collect dust. Then without notice a massivecold front came through. The ciscoes changedtheir pattern and my suspended bite died. The log-ical idea was to move shallow and look for fish onthe weed edges. This pattern was unproductive aswell and I made the assumption that the fish haddug deep into the weeds where the mid day sunwould warm surface temperatures quickly. As my

trolling motor ate up weeds and my Tuffy drug over mats of coon-tail, I couldn’t help but notice perch everywhere.

Being it was a cold front and the fishing was tough, I thought Iwould make an attempt to “match the hatch”. As I dug through theodds and ends, I run across a Kilr Eel with teeth marks all over it.

What followed was oneof the most amazingdisplays of musky fishingI’d ever seen. Fish afterfish, we felt as thoughwe were walleye fishinguntil the musky tallytotaled six. We nevermoved the boat.



THE POWEROF PUNY

by Justin Gaiche

It's been a pretty quiet summer for me as far as big fish go, but this48.5" performed. It was the day after the new moon and a storm wascoming in. We had moved a 47ish" about 45 mins earlier when myclient yells "got one". Her big old head came out of the water and"she's 50!" is being screamed by my clients. After a whirlwind aroundthe Tuffy, we stuffed her in my net. She was pretty thin, had a big headand was quite mangled so I'm assuming she's past her prime. After afew photos she released very well and am hoping to see her again. Ididn't want to quit fishing, but the lightning got to be a bit too much.


Lightbulb! I pull the perch colored eel out of it’s tube and tie it on. Iquickly get a swat from a fish and not long afterwards I stick one. Iinstantly became a fan of this lure. As I had mentioned before, thelure dances and darts with the effectiveness that bass anglers found inYamamoto Senkos. Secondly, with two single hooks, the Eel worksthrough weeds with ease. This means I now have a lure I can rely onfrom May through October!

As I mentioned earlier, I love using the lure in the spring timewhile sight-fishing. The method I use is to face a musky with myboat, cast the lure past the musky and aggressively rip the lure pasther head. If she doesn’t eat it on the first rip, but I can get herengaged in a follow, I then like to let the lure drop to the bottom.Much like a smallmouth bass, the musky will swim down withininches of the lure. When this happens, it’s time to really pop andtwitch this lure which will often result in a strike.

In the summertime, I change my technique to covering water.Cast out the lure and engage the reel instantly and begin reeling.Without stopping your reeling motion I quickly pump my rod tipdownwards. When fishing in the weeds, this allows the Kilr Eel tostay high and weed free. Once the lure hits the open water I willpause, let the lure sink and continue the rapid retrieve.

Number Two: Musky Innovations Spring DawgWhen Musky Innovations introduced the Bulldawg, the musky

industry forever changed. What was once a relic in the ways of lures,musky fishing catapulted to the forefront of lure technology, similarto bass fishing. After the introduction of the Bulldawg, larger ver-sions filled tackle boxes everywhere. I am quite certain that northernWisconsin tournament waters now identify Magnum Bulldawgs aspart of the forage basin.

With the push for bigger than Magnums, they introduce thePounders...what next? With all the thought of bigger and bigger,many overlook the little brother, the Spring Dawg.

This lure has quickly become a favorite of mine when times aretough, especially in spring. When sight fishing on clear water in thespring, the water temperatures are cool. The fish are lethargic and onmany lakes have a surprising diet of crayfish according to manynorthern Wisconsin taxidermists. With this thought in mind, I pre-fer a lure that can sit on the bottom. Once a muskie is located, leadcast this lure 10 - 20 feet ahead of the musky. I like to rip the rod tipupwards a few times to get his attention. If the musky takes noticeand swims over to investigate I leave the spring dawg motionless onthe bottom. In many cases the lure laying on the bottom is enough

to entice the strike. If not, I wait for the musky to get his nose veryclose and then I “pop” the lure up a couple of feet. This suddenaction is usually creates a reaction strike as commonly found inspring smallmouth bass fishing.

Number Three: Baby DepthraiderAs far as “catching a musky”, a person could put on a straight-

model Baby Depthraider in the perch pattern, get on an 8’ weed edgeand catch muskies all year long in northern Wisconsin. The “Baby”, asmaller version of the famous Depthraider, is ideal for matching thehatch. It’s smaller, slender form matches a young perch or sucker great-ly. Though it is small in size, it bites back! Constructed of heavy ABSPlastic, super strong split rings and 4X Heavy hooks, this bait can takea beating from the largest musky swimming. In addition, it’s lip is builtto take the abuse of rocks that many crankbaits fall short on.

My favorite place to fish this lure however is not on the rocks,rather in the weeds. The Baby Depthraider has a “diamond” shapedlip on it not found in many common crankbaits. This lip provides atight and aggressive wiggle that makes a great noise with its largeinternal rattles. Some of the great weed fishing qualities of this baitare that it dives nose down. This, along with a tight action allow thelure to be vary weed resistant. When cranking the Raider down intothe weeds, simply raise your rod tip and give the lure a “pop” fol-lowed by slack line. This allows the lure to float tail up and awayfrom the weeds it has become tangled in. This rip, pop and pauseaction not only keeps this 3-trebled lure clean, it is deadly for strikes.

This lure is a must have for beginning musky anglers. I love thislure as a guide because it is light weight and it’s easy retrieval is idealfor a beginning musky hunter. This makes it a great choice for mewhen guiding youth and novices. Cast, reel, repeat! Small crankbaitslike this are also very easy figure-8 lures which rounds out its perfec-tion in small lures.

Number 4: 7” Suick ThrillerI saved this lure for last because it was my first. On my 10th

birthday, I unwrapped a perch patterned 7” Suick Thriller and thiswould be the beginning of my musky disease. My grandfather toldme stories of Frank Suick and the heritage of this lure. Growing upin Rhinelander, just minutes from Pelican Lake, the lure was notmajestic, it was a part of life.

While I walked the shores of the Wisconsin River dreaming ofgiant muskies, I learned about all of the different actions I couldmake this lure do. I caught pike, smallmouth bass and even walleyeson this lure. Then one day it would happen, I would hook my firstmusky (and lose it) on this lure. I have since caught several muskies

on it but still know which ones are from thefirst. These are great lures. They are erratic,can be fished with light tackle, and fish of allsizes during all times of the year eat them. Ineed not go into detail about it, it’s justsomething you have to experience for your-self! ❖

Justin GaicheGander Mtn - Fig Rig Rods -Hooksetters Fishing Services

2616 West Eight StreetAppleton, Wisconsin 54914

(920) 858-7453 cell(920) 739-1309 officewww.hooksetters.biz

THE POWER OF PUNY (Continued from page 31)

Buy your tackle on the net and spend more time putting fish in the net

Musky Fishing Online Catalogwww.whitecapstackleco.com

Easy & SecureOnline Ordering

E-mail: [email protected] FAX (248) 471-6212 phone(248) 471-6211 address: PO Box 530714, Livonia MI 48153

Huge Selection:Lure sizes & colors Fishfinders & GPSFishing Line Rods, Reels, & Tackle Boxes

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Special Events

2007April 14

M.I. International Spring Board Meetingat The Buckeye Hall of Fame CaféHost: Columbus, Ohio ChapterContact: Ross [email protected]: 513-615-7586(The Varsity Inn Hotel is next door.)

April 19,20,21Cabin Fever ChallungeGreen River Lake, Campbellsville, KY

June 12,13,14,152007 Chapter ChallungeJune 12th (Tuesday) RegistrationJune 13th,14th,15th fishing on LakeHolcombe, Dairyland Flowage, Old AbeFlowage, Cornell Flowage.Headquarters: East Bay RestaurantContact: Jason Smith, (715) 726-9912or email: [email protected]

September 21 (Friday)M.I. International Fall Board Meetingat Lake of the Woods in the Morson,

Ontario areaHosted by the International Contact Paul Framsted

[email protected]: Sept 21st is the correct date.

(The 2007 MI Calendar incorrectlyshows Sept. 14th).

2008April 3, 4, 5

2008 Spring board meeting, Hosted byTitletown Muskies, Inc., Chapter #4

Radisson Hotel & Conference Center,2040 Airport Drive, Green Bay, WITelephone: 800-333-3333

Contact Jay [email protected]

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Special events listings are provided atno charge to Muskies, Inc chapters.To list your chapter's event, email to:

[email protected]

or by ground mail: Jim Smith,15045 W. Double Tree Way,Surprise, AZ 85374-8568.

Please send announcementsat least 2 months in advance.

Chapter News and ViewsChapter News and Views

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No. Chapter, Address Phone #01 ........Twin Cities, 414 Division St., Excelsior, MN 55331 ......................................952-380-121802 ........Fargo-Moorhead, Box 2021, Fargo ND, 58107 ............................................701-298-903203 ........Chicagoland Muskie Hunters, 7600 Kilbourn Ave, Skokie, IL 60076............847-677-001704 ........Titletown Muskies, Inc., 3097 Inverness Lane, New Franken, WI 54229 ....920-866-970505 ........Pomme De Terre, PO Box 5, Hermitage, MO 65668....................................417-745-238106 ........First Wisconsin, PO Box 122, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729............................715-726-889607 ........South Side Muskie Hawks, 5211 S. Narragansett Ave., Chicago, IL 60638 ..773-581-865008 ........Capital City, PO Box 8862, Madison, WI 53708 ...........................................608-669-504609 ........West Virginia, 1270 Federal Road, Little Hocking, OH 45742......................740-667-357110 ........Heartland, 239 8th St SE, Mason City IA 50401 ..........................................641-424-082711 ........Mississippi Valley, 5301 11th Ave “C”, Moline, IL 61265...............................309-797-180312 ........Headwaters, PO Box 652, Eagle River, WI 54521 .......................................715-477-291313 ........Hayward Lakes, PO Box 609, Hayward, WI 54843......................................715-634-454314 ........South of the Border, 28926 W. Big Hollow Rd, McHenry, IL 60050 .............815-385-902615 ........Star of the North, 29957 La Plant Rd., Grand Rapids, MN 55744 ...............218-326-495816 ........Three Rivers, 119 Bus Lane, Renfrew, PA15136 .........................................724-789-786617 ........Quad County, PO Box 185, Plano, IL 60545 ................................................815-695-149418 ........Hopedale, 15 Township Rd 125, Dillonvale, OH 43917................................740-769-726919 ........Akron-Canton Muskie Maniacs, 1503 S Main St, Akron, OH 44301 ............330-724-759220 ........Between the Lakes, PO Box 61, Sheboygan, WI 53085-0061.....................920-564-322621 ........North Metro, PO Box 41216, Plymouth, MN 55441......................................952-469-215522 ........New Jersey, http://www.mi22.com/...............................................................................TBD23 ........Cleveland, 5007 Starr St., Newton Falls, OH 44444-9409...........................330-872-024424 ........Brainerd Lakes, 9143 Lone Pine Road, Brainerd, MN 56401 ......................218-821-366926 ........Central Wisconsin, PO Box 263, Medford, WI 54451...................................715-748-263027 ........Central Illinois, 1191 Sandra Lane, Monticello, IL 61856..............................309-264-373028 ........Shawnee Muskie Hunters, PO Box 602, DeKalb, IL 60115..........................815-756-323129 ........Upper Great Plains, 1788 Hwy 4, Estherville, IA 51334 ...............................712-362-250130 ........God’s Country, PO Box 1461, LaCrosse, WI 54601.....................................608-786-406231 ........Penn-Ohio, 309 Spring St, Jamestown, PA 16134 .......................................724-932-581532 ........Flatlanders, 5776 Vesper Drive, South Beloit, IL 61080...............................815-389-462233 ........Lake Superior, 2031 Hwy. 33 S., Cloquet, MN 55720 ..................................218-879-271235 ........Milwaukee, PO Box 28842, Greenfield, WI 53220 .......................................262-442-626037 ........St. Cloud, 312 18th Avenue N., Sartell, MN 56377.......................................320-656-116038 ........Vikingland, 609 S. Otter Ave., Parkers Prairie, MN 56361 ...........................218-338-544139 ........Fox River Valley, 1253 Cobblers Crossing, Elgin, IL 60123 .........................847-741-977141 ........Central Ohio, 603 Bennettwoods Ct., Cincinnati, OH 45320........................513-231-196142 ........Hoosier Muskie Hunters, PO Box 501371, Indianapolis, IN 46250..............317-577-805044 ........Colorado, 3739 Sawgrass Trail, Castle Rock, CO 80109.............................303-668-408945 ........Kentucky, 212 Linden Ave., Southgate, KY 41071 .......................................859-441-166646 ........Bemidji/Cass Lake, 11551 Misty Meadows Rd, Bemidji, MN 56601 ............218-759-009847 ........Michigan Muskie Alliance, PO Box 512, Caledonia, MI 49316.....................616-447-168848 ........Arrowhead, PO Box 82, Virginia, MN 55792 ................................................218-482-521749 ........Webster Lake Musky Club, PO Box 670, No. Webster, IN 46555................574-834-166950 ........Penn-Jersey, 372 Kingwood Rd., King of Prussia, PA 19406.......................610-962-063251 ........Ohio Valley Muskie Hunters, 211 Mann St., Bowerstown, OH 44695 ..........740-269-121652 ........Daniel Boone, 813 US 62, Maysville, KY 41056 ..........................................606-759-761053 ........Huskerland Muskie Hunters, PO Box 394, Valentine, NE 69201 .................402-376-274354 ........Southern Crossroads, 1524 Country Club Rd, Albert Lea MN 56007..........507-373-181855 ........Mid Iowa Muskies, 2940 SW Meadow Ridge, Ankeny IA 50023..................515-289-1583

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Titletown Chapter #4 will host the 2008 Springboard meeting of Muskies, Inc. The meeting willbe held April 3rd, 4th, and 5th, 2008 at theRadisson Hotel & Conference Center, 2040Airport Drive, Green Bay, 800-333-3333. Contactperson is Jay Zahn. His e-mail address:[email protected]

The monthly membership meeting was heldon Monday November 13th the Park Ponderosaballroom in McFarland Wisconsin. The featurespeaker was Scott Kieper who is a professionalguide in the Hayward Wisconsin area. Hispresentation was titled “biology” covering bothfish genetics and the biology of the entire muskyecosystem(forage, water quality, lake structure,etc). Scot is very successful on small gin clearlakes and offered some tips on fishing in suchwater. He was very supportive of the WI DNRcomparison fish (MN vs WI) study that willinclude several lakes in the Hayward area.Scott also felt the keys to improving muskie fish-ing in northern Wisconsin include increasing sizelimits, a possible muskie stamp, and a keep limitof one muskie per year. The membership alsoelected new officers for upcoming year. Thecurrent president (Steve Reinstra) and treasure(Dan Riem) were re-elected. New officers wereelected for secretary (Dawn Szyryj), RVP (RickHefner), and vice-president (Gary Hoffman).The club thanks Cory Painter (ex-VP), CraigEversoll (ex-RVP) and Tom Penniston (ex-secre-tary) for their contribution to the capital city chap-ter. We are all very disappointed that our stock-ing activities are on hold for this year. The USDAorder halting the transport of fish across statelines due to Viral Hemoragic Septicemia wasissued just before our shipment of Leach lakefingerlings from Minnesota. Also, the WisconsinDNR couldn’t provide enough Leach lake finger-lings raised in the WI hatchery for Madison’s lakeMonona this year. The club membership willcontinue its fundraising activities for the pur-chase of fish and tags for next year. As the sea-son comes to a close, we are anxiously waitingfor those late season monster fish reports tocome in.

Reporting: Gary Hoffman

A total of 1,614 Advanced Muskie Fingerlingswere stocked by DNR into WV waters during2006. This is the most stocked in any year sincethe advanced fingerling program began in 2001.Fish stocked ranged in size from 5.8 to a whop-ping 19.7 inches with an average of about 10.5inches. The following WV streams and impound-ments received these fish:

Stonewall Jackson 779Woodrum Lake 150Coal River 160North Bend Lake 225Upper Mud Lake 150Fishing Creek 150

These fish were in addition to the normal fin-gerling stockings which occurred in July.

Advanced Fingerlings were raised at Bowden,Palestine and Apple Grove Hatcheries as well asBee Run Ponds near Sutton Lake. Chapter vol-unteers assisted WV DNR personnel in therecovery and stocking process at each of thesesites. In fact, our guys helped on two differentoccasions at Palestine.

Included among our volunteers were DickHaney, Jim Marsh, Ken Squires, Elbert Robinsonand Tim McCauley at Bowden; Bill Parsons andMarty Perri at Bee Run; Lewis and KarenShepherd, Edgar Rexroad, Ken Mikes and JohnKaltenecker at Apple Grove; Bill and SharonCrane, Larry Robinson, Eric Moore, Ken andNick Squires, Dave Powell and Chuck Braniff atPalestine. President Jim Moore who recruitedthe volunteers and coordinated the effort waspresent at each session. We hope that ourmembers gain a better understanding andappreciation of WV DNR’s advanced fingerlingprogram thru their involvement.

You will notice that Fishing Creek in WetzelCounty received advanced fingerlings this year.A fishable population here would provide a WVmuskie stream opportunity for NorthernPanhandle fishermen. It could also become aviable resource within reasonable driving dis-tance for some Hopedale, Ohio Valley MuskieHunters and Three Rivers Muskie Inc. Chaptermembers.

Most WV and Ohio streams were not fishablefor our Fall Mail-In Tournament on October 21and 22. And, apparently the fish weren’t biting inthe lakes since no qualifying fish were regis-tered. We thank Darlene Kelley for serving asChairperson.

Please mark your calendar now to remindyourself of our Annual Awards Dinner andBusiness Meeting scheduled for SaturdayFebruary 10, 2007 at the Jackson ParkCommunity Building in Vienna, WV. See youthere.

John Kaltenecker, SecretaryWV Chapter 09 Muskies, Inc.

Our meetings start at 7:00 pm and are held atthe Eagle River Inn, Eagle River, WI.

On September 23rd -24th HeadwatersChapter, as a fundraiser, ran the food and con-cession stand for the Wisconsin Musky TourInvitational Tournament. Our club president BillJacobs chaired this event and was staffed bymany directors and officiers. Thanks to DickHeckel of Heckels Marine for allowingHeadwaters to earn some revenue to help ourclubearn some revenue for future communityactivities.

At our October meeting we received our pay-ment from the Alliance boat raffle ticket sales.Congratulations to Jim Chamberlain for chairingthis event and ensuring our club had one of thebest years ever in ticket sales and receipts. Athanks goes out to all the members that soldthere share.

Headwaters Chapter will be having two eventsin October. On the 21st at 8:00 AM at the coun-ty forest office we will have a concrete form andpad outing to make several concrete pads toimprove the boat launches in our area. On the28th we will have our last member’s only outingknown as the “Enduro”. This is our only outingon the Eagle River Chain where members areallowed to live bait. Last year was a phenome-nal outing with 19 fish caught among approxi-mately 65 fishermen. Hope all members showup for this event.

Our magazine head up by Paul Hansen is get-ting better with each issue. Please be sure toeither email or mail any pictures or interestingstories for printing in future issues. Our address-es are listed above header for Chapter 12.

As put favorite season ends, please be sure toregister your muskies that are over 30 inches ormore four our Headwaters Chapter contest for aquality road and reel.

As a reminder, as we approach DecemberMuskie Inc. membership makes a greatChristmas present. Please view our website @www.headwatersmusjies.com for an application.

RegardsGlenn Matula

Chapter 12 Secretary

#12 Headwaters –Part BHeadwaters Chapter 12 of Muskies Inc. is

winding down toward the end of our season.October was a busy month trying to squeeze inour favorite sport as well as club projects andoutings. On October 21st Jeff Miller led a crewconsisting of club members John Schmidt, LouisDreger, Bill Jacobs, Kip Cramer, Jim Chamberlin,Jim Rechilz and Glenn Matula in making sevenconcrete pads to be used a various boat land-ings in the area. Headwaters Chapter 12 work-ing along with the Forestry Division who willassist in placing the boat launch pads. OnOctober 28th Headwaters Chapter 12 held our“Enduro” outing which is our clubs biggest out-ing. This event takes place on the Eagle Riverchain and we had 58 contestants fishing in galeforce winds, cold temperatures and just planmiserable weather. There were 13 fish regis-tered, with Paul Hanson boating a triple (41 1/4,37 and 30 1/4) Kay Sullivan had a double (36and 30 1/4), Bill Kirby doubled (32 and 37) GaryJacobs doubled (33 and 41), Linda Jacobs dou-bled (45 and 41 1/3), Louis Dreger 34, MartyHermes 31, for a total of 13 fish, Congratulationsto all. Our dinner for that evening was done toperfection with great hospitality at Eagle RiverInn with a total of 84 members present. Thanksto Paul Hansen and Bill Jacobs for a great event.As our days get shorter and the season is nearan end, please be sure to mark your calendarsfor our Christmas Party to be held Jan 6th, 2007at Eagle Waters Resort.On behalf of headwaterschapter 12 a very happy ,healthy and productivenew year.

Our January meeting will be on Tuesday the9th, at Dow’s Corner Bar, 15 miles northeast ofHayward at highway 77 east and county A, at7p.m. This will be our planning and budget meet-ing for 2007. All board members are asked toattend and all interested members are welcome.The calendar of events for 2007 will be mailed in


West Virginia1270 Federal Road

Little Hocking, OH 45742740-667-3571

http://westvirginiamuskiesinc.orgMeets: No definite schedule-call

09 Hayward LakesP.O. Box 609

Hayward, WI 54843715-634-4543

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Capital CityP.O. Box 8862, Madison, WI 53708608-274-3479 – Gerard Hellenbrand

www.capitalcitymuskiesinc.orgMeets: 2nd Monday 7:00 PM Park PonderosaMcFarlan, WI

08

Titletown3097 Inverness Lane

New Franken, WI 54229920-866-9705

04

HeadwatersP.O. Box 652

Eagle River, WI 54521715-477-2913 – Paul Hansenwww.headwatersmuskies.com

Meets 1st Wednesday 7:00 PM

12

late January. No meeting is currently planned forFebruary but our annual awards banquet will bethe first Saturday in March, the 3rd.

Election of officers for 2007 was held at theNovember meeting, President will again be MikePersson, Vice President will be Emmett Brown,Treasurer will again be Vickie Palya, Ivan Uttechwill be secretary, Barb Timme will again beRegional Vice President and Bob Timme willcontinue as an International Director at Large.

The current standings in our “members con-test” ar as follows:Women – Brenda Detloff, 6 fish, 99pts., includes

a 48” from the Chip.Tera Neibauer, 2 fish, 15pts.

Men – Larry Ramsell, 29 fish, 510pts., includesa 56, 54, 53, 52.5, and 2-50’s !!!

Mike Persson, 25 fish, 306pts, includes a 48.5from Mille Lacs.

Fred Hirsch, 8 fish, 113pts., Includes a 51”from the Chip.

Roger Williamson, 5 fish, 62pts., Eric Shymansky, 5 fish, 59pts., Wayne Gutsch, 1 fish, 25pts., a 51” from the

ChipJohnny Carona, 2 fish, 9pts.Rodney Lee, 1 fish, 16pts.Jim Breen, 1 fish, 9pts.Jim O’Leary, 1 fish, 6pts.

Masters – Ted Muntz, 11 fish, 101pts.Senior Masters – Tom Muntz, 111 fish, 898pts.

Dick Minnick, 6 fish, 52pts.Junior – no entries in 2007, lets take some kids

fishing !Send your release forms to Bob Timme,

12677 Neumaier Road, Hayward WI, 54843,715-462-3053.

Good Fishing,Mike Persson

Our meeting was held 11-1-06 and was attend-ed by only 10 people. We discussed a numberof issues including the fact that many people stillneed to complete the boater’s safety course plusthe fact that in January we’ll vote for club officersand our Chapter 22 Hall of Fame candidates.Regarding the vote at the upcoming 1-30-07meeting, everyone is encouraged to attend -however if that’s not possible, absentee ballotsare acceptable but you must contact a currentclub officer in advance. As usual, Craig gave astocking report that broke down as follows:Greenwood Lake- 3100 total fish including 1000Tigers, Echo- 450 Leech Lakers, Monksville- 250Trues of 8”-10” plus 250 holdovers up to 16”,Hopatcong- !300 each Trues and Tigers,Mountain- 50 16” fish plus 289 8” - 10” speci-mens. Craig indicated he’s holding several hun-dred over for next year too. Statewide includ-ing the Delaware plus our Southern waters, 8000Muskies were stocked and Craig and all of thehatchery people knocked themselves out again.As a reminder we’re hosting the Coolwater FishCulture Workshop along with NJDFW which willbe held 1/7-9/2007 and we’ve a $1000.00 grantfrom Muskies Inc. International to help finance abook or video depicting the presentations.Chapter 50 also donated $200.00 and that’s wellappreciated. Future meeting schedule is as fol-lows: 1/30/07, 2/27/07, 3/27/07 all 8 pm at LakeArrowhead in Denville. Submitted by

Gordon Campbell - VP Chapter 22.

On behalf of the UGP board we wish all mem-bers and their families Happy Holidays and agreat New Year! The board met on November16 to vote for the 2007 chapter officers and todesignate dates for this years events. The samededicated officers that served in 06 agreed tostay on board for 07. The love and passion theyall have for the sport of muskie fishing reallycomes out in the time and sacrifices each ofthem make for the chapter. We are blessed tohave officers and board members that are deter-mined to bring about the mission statement ofMuskies Inc to the state of Iowa. I have seenfirst hand that every officer and board member iscommitted to do everything they can to improvethe status of muskie fishing in our state. Thanksfor all you do! Here is a list of our officers andboard members:

President Tim RobertsVice President Carl WaddellSecretary Skip FrakesTreasurer Mark and Aryls MitchellRegional Vice President Leo KofootGeneral Board of Directors Virg Harrison,

Randy Meyer, Dale Witt, Shannon Green,Dianne Roberts, Scott Larson, Ryan Troug,Ryan Blau, Rod Blau, Scott Bringle, PeteHildreth

Once officers were selected we worked onsetting the upcoming events for the 2007 sea-son. On February 24 the chapter will celebrateaccomplishments for some of the chapter mem-bers at the annual awards banquet. The ban-

quet will be held at the Prime Rib restaurant inSpencer. Social hour will begin at 6 pm, dinnerat 7 pm, and the awards ceremony will concludethe evening. The chapter will not be holding amuskie seminar this year. We try to do a semi-nar every other year. The chapter SummerOuting is on Spirit Lake June 23rd. The 27th

annual Fall Muskie Tournament will beSeptember 14th-16th. The 20th annual IDSO-October Muskiefest is October 6th. The biggestchange this year is the cancellation of MoonlightMadness. Board members have agreed thatwater temperatures get dangerously high duringthe summer months for the successful release ofthe fish and we don’t feel that having the event isworth losing any fish. We are sorry to all thosethat enjoy fishing in this event but we all knowthe resource comes first. Visit us at our website:http://muskieclub.com

Sincerely, Pete Hildreth Chapter [email protected]

Hi this is Big man reporting for the flatlander’schapter, we are sitting here with just 3 days leftin the season for muskies in Wisconsin. Sincemost of us fish Wisconsin waters it’s sad to wrapup another great season. It looks like Jeff Blankwill be taking the pie in the men’s division; hehad an incredible fall this year and caught wellover 30 fish just in the fall. Jeff Blank did a greatpresentation about sucker fishing at our last


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New Jerseyhttp://www.mi22.com/22

Upper Great Plains1788 Hwy 4

Estherville, IA 51334712-362-2501

Meets 3rd Thursday , Legion Club, 1709 OkobojiAve., Milford, IA.

29


Flatlanders5776 Vesper Drive,

South Beloit, IL 61080815-389-4622 Steve Ruhmann, Pres

www.flatlanderschapter.comMeets 4th Thursday, 7:00 PM, Loves Park VFW.

32

meeting and also had some great stories toshare about twin 50”ers in his boat. Jeff and hisson both got 50” muskies within 10 minutes ofeach other, all I can say is to hand over thathorseshoe Jeff. I am sitting at 16 fish for theyear which is my best year ever so I can’t com-plain. Steve Ruhman is in second place in themen’s and he is also having a great year but it isnot over yet and things can change quickly.

In other news we will be having a lure swap atour December meeting so make sure to bringyour brand new lure and creatively wrap it so youcan hide its identity. We will be having our annu-al elections soon for the club so watch for moreinformation.

Junior’s member Andrew Mills caught avery fat 46” musky from Illinois waters just a fewdays ago, good job Andrew. I caught a nice fat43” on Twin Valley a few weeks ago that mademe smile. Many fish are still being caught so it’shard to say how the contest will turn out, I knowI can’t complain. Our annual kid’s day is alreadybeing planned and will take place sometime inthe summer of 2007. We had a great turnout forthe last one and Amy did a great job along withall the other volunteers. I would like to wisheveryone a happy holiday season and a happynew year. Sin yours Big man

Brian Wienski

Happy New Year all! Ice fishing and MuskieShows! Now we start counting the days until theice is off the water and we can start another sea-son. The clock is ticking.

This month we are happy to bring you RichardCollin for the evening. Richard guides on the

Ottawa River. If you are looking to get hooks intoa “Super Tanker” you wan to listen to this manand perhaps plan a trip with him. Remember, theJanuary meeting will be Thursday the 11 insteadof the usual Wednesday. Next month our speak-er/s will be “Crash” and/or Justin Mullins. Be sureto stop by for this one as these guys are in thetop five of people who know Cave Run.

Be sure and join us the 17th. of February forour annual Awards Banquet from noon till five.This is a great winter day out with the family.Beverages and a terrific buffet meal at the PoplarCreek Country Club. Members of the Club arerecognized for their fishing achievements fromthe past season. To top off the day we havetables full of raffle and silent auction items.Anyone who has registered a fish this seasonwill be eligible for a chance at a custom maderod by “Franks Custom Rods.” These are beau-tiful “sticks.” The only thing that can make thembetter is going home with one for Free.

One other item we would like to bring to yourattention is our “Gotta Have Electronics” raffle.Check this out folks; we will be selling chancesfor three really great prizes. In Third place will bea 30 GB iPod with a retail value of $240.00. InSecond place will be an Xbox 360 with a retailvalue of $499.00. And the First place prize wewould all like to see in our den is a 42” DaewoodPlasma TV! Model number DTS 42 with a retailvalue of $2000.00. Ladies, think how good “TheView” will look on this set! The tickets will be fivedollars each or a book of six for twenty dollars.We will be selling them from now until the draw-ing on May 1, 2007. The other good news is youDO NOT have to be present to win. How goodwould that look in your den?

Our regular club meeting dates are the sec-ond Wednesday of the month. The Poplar CreekCountry Club is most gracious in providing uswith great accommodations. They also provideus with a great Buffet style dinner starting at sixp.m. before the 7:30 p.m. meeting. Check the

website the week before the meeting for info onwhat the meal will be.

Until Later,Return ‘em to the water Healthy and

Remember Our Troops. JT

I hope everyone had a safe and happy holi-day season. For those of us in Indiana, it won’tbe long before the musky season is upon us.Check out the Chicago Musky Show January12,13 &14(http://www.chicagomuskieshow.com).to clear out the winter cobwebs and gear up forSpring. Anyone planning to visit the NorthWebster area should check out our website forinformation on lodging and bait shops.

Greg Dini [email protected]

Chapter 50 has had an extremely busy fall!We float stocked about 20,000 of the PFBC’s

fish, with many members spending time on thewater to give the fingerlings a better shot at mak-ing it to adulthood. Stocking Czar Tom Sabiamade sure that our club was represented at all ofthe stocking sites. Member Tom Long made itout a number of times along with several othermembers.

Total membership of our 3 year old club hasincreased to 63 members. We continue to seekdedicated anglers from our area to share ourpassion for Muskie fishing.

We will have a booth at the Sportsman’s Showin Valley Forge, PA from Jan. 18th through the24th, and will be giving Muskie seminars againthis year at Cabela’s in Hamburg, PA on Feb. 3rd& 4th.

Our new Ebay fundraiser is off to a fantasticstart thanks to Eric Ravikio. He is selling donat-ed items under the seller name of MI50PANJand thanks to Eric’s generosity we have alreadyraised over $1,500. in the first month. Thismoney will go directly into our stocking and edu-cation programs.

The most important news was our decision tostock Marsh Creek Lake. As a club we havegiven a 5 year commitment to the state biologistto stock 500 12-16” pure Muskies into the lake,beginning with our first shipment on October 18.Thanks go out to the many members who partic-ipated and especially to Tom Long, who draggedmany doubters along with him to make this hap-pen.

Location of our next monthly meeting isalways posted on the front page atwww.mi50.com.


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39Fox River Valley

1253 Cobblers Crossing, Elgin, IL 601230847-741-9771 – Rich Gallagher

www.frvmuskie.com

Meets: 2nd Wed (Exc June/July) Poplar Creek CountryClub, 1400 Poplar Creek Drive, Hoffman Estates, IL.

Webster LakeP.O. Box 670

No. Webster, IN 46555574-834-1669

49

Penn JerseyMatt Lysek, President

215-822-2472Website: www.mi50.com

Meets at 7pm on 1st Wed. at Casey’s Bar on Corner ofCherry and California Rds, Quakerstown, PA.

50


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Advertising UpdateA service to our advertisers

Advertising Update #3 – January 2007

Things about MUSKIE MagazineAdvantages to advertising in MUSKIE Magazine.

Technical aspects• 60# coated paper-holds ink for clearer, sharper color separation.• Each issue has 2-signatures (16 full pages) of 4-color space avail-

able for our advertisers.• 12 issues per year vs. 4 issue and 6 issues• Minimum of 48 pages each issue• Priced as much as one-half less than other muskie magazines for

similar ad space.

Circulation• Delivers 6,000 paid circulation copies to each household per

month, with a 2.5 pass along. This offers a readership of 15,000per month x 12 issues equaling 180,000 readers annually.

• In addition:– Complimentary copies are mailed monthly to each advertiser.– Complimentary copies are mailed to all state Fisheries

Managers with muskie programs and/or a muskie fishery intheir state. 39 of the lower 48 states.

– Complimentary copies are being sent to all top muskellungeresearchers and scientists both here in the United States andto Canada.

– A 40 year history of proven success in managing and assis-tance with protecting and enhancing muskellunge watersacross two borders.

Services provided for our advertisers• MUSKIE Magazine provides Free ad design services• Each month lists advertisers in a special Index of Advertisers• Offers tackle testing services with complete reports from leading

guides, outdoor writers, specific muskie fishermen from a crosssection of the country

• Offers links to your website for a minimal charge• Provides periodic Product Reviews at no charge to the advertiser• Keeps our advertisers up to date with types of communications

such as this update• Reasonability available 24/7 to answer your questions

Comparison of rate structure 1/3 page B/WMonthly or yearly – we’re hard to beat!

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NOTE: Circulation figures are paid subscribers. Information obtained frommost recent published Statement of Ownership

M A G A Z I N E

ADVERTISERS-

Please send all payments to:

James T. Smith,MUSKIE Magazine15045 W. Double Tree WaySurprise AZ 85374-8568


Advertising in MUSKIE Magazineis a great way to reach the men

and women who take Muskie sportfishing and conservation seriously.Just read what some of our regular

advertisers have written...

It’s a shock to the winter-weary system, dangerous at times. Thereare known cases of crappie fishermen keeling over at the doorway;the wonders of the show are apparently too much for them. This

hasn’t been publicized, of course, for legal reasons. However, Muskie fisherman don’t seem to have that reaction.

Clearly, they can withstand “Sportshow Shock” better than other fish-ermen. I suspect it has to do with the calming effect of Budweiser onthe nerves.

I’ve noticed that most Muskie fishermen at the show, and otherplaces for that matter, invariably seem to come equipped with a beerpermanently attached to their right hand. In contrast, crappie fisher-men rattle around with Diet Cokes (and packets of “Quiver Jigs” andreels of 2-LB Trilene, for heaven’s sake!) in their possession. It’s nowonder they go belly up.

But that’s their concern, not mine. I can take it....

It is a cold March evening,some years ago. Peters, Kelly,Boettcher, Julik, Zieman and Iarrive at the ConventionCenter. We pay the six buckadmission charge and enter theshowroom.

“Hold it guys, I’ve got towipe off my glasses.” I’m theonly one in the crowd whowears them. The snow on myhead is melting, dripping downthe glasses and onto my nose.

“Holy Cow!” Zieman isstanding there, looking around,gaping. It’s his first sportshow,the fourth annual trip for therest of us.

My glasses dry, I look around to see what has startled Zieman. Itlooks normal to me: Mounted Muskies, stringers of mounted wall-eye, fishing resort booths, pictures of fishermen, pictures of boats,cabins, lakes, beaches, pine trees, clouds, pictures of giant walleyes,northerns, and Muskies, fishing gear, rods, reels, boats, lures wigglingaround behind mechanical arms in water tanks, displays of multi-dimensional depth finders, miscellaneous other stuff......

I’m not sure what the thing is with Zieman, but we need to dosomething.

“We better get you a beer,” I tell him. Rick doesn’t normally par-take a whole lot, this time he joins us. I think it’s good for him.

While I’m attending to my vision and Zieman, Julik has stoppedby a nearby resort booth. “Can you believe that fish?” he asks. He’slooking at a picture, blown up to life size, of a huge Muskie beingreleased at the side of a boat. “That must be the biggest Muskiecaught in years.”

Boettcher, at a booth twodown from this one, beckons tous. “Come over here, Mike.You better take a look at thisone,” he says.

We join him to stare at thepicture this booth has postedon its wall. “I’d guess thisMuskie must be the other guy’smother,” observes Bruce. Ibelieve he’s right. The size ofthe Muskie dwarfs the first one.

Well, we have things to do.Reluctantly, we turn away. Thepictures must have dazed MikeJulik. He doesn’t pay attentionto where he’s going...


Entering the 2002 Muskie Expo in Blaine. A pretty normal day“Up North” in the wintertime. This is why you go to Sportshows.

Inside the Sportshow. Can’t you just sense the excitement?



The three days following Keg and Kodie’s Wedding were spent byeveryone visiting and Muskie Fishing. The third day went somethinglike this:

Art and Sir John fly fished for Muskie and Rod was their Guide.Rod furnished Art a Heddon Power Plus 9 Footer with a PfluegerMedalist Reel. Sir John had brought his Fly Outfit, “It’s just like Jo”Sir John said, “I wouldn’t be without her or my Fly Outfit!” Alberthad furnished them with small suckers in case their Streamers would-n’t raise any Muskie—which was the case, so they rigged the suckersand trailed them behind the boat. Rod row trolled to Charlies’ Point.Art and Sir John each boated two Muskies; not very big, but, on theFly Rod—nice battles.

Otis and Kerm took a boat and worked the shorelines withGlobes while Maynard and Mr. K set off in another direction doingthe same.

Louie and Cal row trolled off to their secret spot. GrandfatherBob guided Rog and me. He tried to follow Louie and Cal but theydisappeared around a point, “Must be this 16 footer—hard to keepup with them in that 14 footer they got.”

“We could have used the Evinrude.” I mentioned.“And scare the Muskies?!” There was a slight pause and

Grandfather Bob continued, “I’ve never been able to keep up withthem two guys—they give me the slip every time—they just seem tovanish around a point.”

“Well,” Rog said, “Then let’s just find our own spot.”“Yeh!” I said. “Then we’ll have something on them.”“Dream on boys….but….good idea!”Grandfather Bob kept rowing while Rog and I trailed suckers.

Suddenly, Grandfather Bob put one oar straight down in the waterand rowed like crazy to turn the boat into what looked liked like atributary—it was wide enough for our boat to get thru—“Pull themsuckers in,” Grandfather Bob instructed, “We’ll find out where thisgoes.”

This tributary did get a little narrower but we made it OK.Then, after about a couple hundred yards, it made a slow turn andanother hundred yards, we came out to a small lake—looked likeabout 300 acres and somewhat round surrounded by poplar trees andevergreens. “Lookit that cabbage bed over there….Muskie structurefor sure.” Grandfather Bob announced.

“That looks like a point a little past that cabbage bed.” Rog said.“Put on Globes boys, and do some casting. We’re rowing past

that cabbage bed and around that point.”

I’ll leave it to your imagination as to how Rog and I did….yousee, both of us are keeping our Muskie catches asecret…..Grandfather Bob? Of course he will exaggerate somewhatin talking of this hunt….….

As we got to the other side of the point, there was more of thislittle lake; and what did we find…..a 14 footer with a beat up littleJohnson on the back and, two Muskie Hunters---Cal and Louie.

“How’d you find us?” Asked Louie.“My keen sense of tracking!” Answered Grandfather Bob.“We thought we’d never be found here. We discovered this little

lake quite by accident last fall. In fact, it’s only accessibility is in thefall—by mid-September. We couldn’t find it this past spring, all over-grown. We would laugh when we’d slip into here and get past thatturn; we could see you row by. You were always too far out to see theopening. But, your perseverance paid off.” Louie continued, “We’llsee next spring at openers if your keen sense of tracking will find it.Ought to be some big hungry Muskies waiting for us!”

“In the meantime, can we keep this secret lake a secret?” I asked.“YEP!” Replied Cal, “Along with you and Rog’s secret Muskie

catches!”“HEAR! HEAR!”And with that, we all headed back to Lonesome Lodge, where

Albert was waiting to moor us in. “Dey found ‘ur secret spot…vell..itvas oney a matter uf time. Vid Grandfadder Bob’s keen sense atrackin’.”

“But I thought that little lake was secret!” Rog said.“Dat it ‘tis,” said Albert, “Yust like youse guyzes secret Muskie

catches, Hee, Hee, Hee”……..“HEAR! HEAR!” We could see Rod, Art and Sir John motoring in….Albert got the

boats moored while we started wandering up to the lodge and DiningRoom. “Da rest a dem guyz ‘re already dere. I’ll yoin all youse guysfer supper.”

“We’ll be waiting!”We were all seated at the big round table when Jo and Budding

Rose came in followed by Albert. Supper was served, devoured andfollowed by the after dinner cordials.

“To the Newlyweds!” I toasted.“HEAR! HEAR!” Everyone shouted.And just then, in walked said Newlyweds.“Back so soon?” I asked, “You’ve been gone barely three days.”“You won’t believe this,” Kodie answered.“Try me!” Replied my wife.“Well, by the time we got to Gatlinburg, the weather changed

dramatically…for the worst. Rain and cold and I mean cold…freez-ing! We had a meal at a restaurant, and got to our cabin which waslike an ice box. We turned on the heater, but it didn’t help….Kegwent out and gathered wood for the fireplace. After several attemptsto get the water soaked logs going, we gave up and filled the hottub…Hot Tub—Ha! By the time the tub was half full, thehot…er..warm water was getting cool. We got in but only spentabout ten minutes as the water was getting cold.”

“Ahem!” My wife interrupted, “How did you find the bath-room?”

“About like an out house and I mean ‘OUT HOUSE!’ Therewas frozen water in the sink.” Kodie said.

“Just as I thought!” My wife answered.“How’s that?” Kodie asked.“You must have got the same cabin that we had on our

Honeymoon!” ❖

THE HONEYMOONERS RETURN


“Watch out, Mike!” But it’s too late. He’s alreadytripping over the body on the floor in front of the nextbooth. The body, that of an elderly man, lies on its backin a pool of liquid. The man’s outstretched hand restsagainst picture of a Muskie bigger than either of the twowe’ve just seen.

Mike stumbles only slightly, recovers. We standthere with him, looking down. No one else aroundseems to be paying the slightest attention. In an act ofkindness Mike picks up the packet of Quiver Jigs fromthe floor next to the body and places it on the man’schest. He also throws away the spilled Diet Coke cup.We notify the guards and move on to the “HawgTrough.”

The “Trough” is that 10,000 gallon aquarium they haul aroundto the various spring sports shows. It features a collection of fungusinfested bass, walleyes, crappies, and northerns comatose in the water.It also comes complete with an assortment of hotshot fishing pros sell-ing their wares from the platform above it.

Most of us experienced showgoers are ready to pass, but this isRick Zieman’s first Sportshow. He wants to check it out. We stay towatch the demo in progress.

This particular pro is pushing hard for his latest all-species lure,one frequently advertised on TV. His line of patter makes the luresound good. His technique - flicking it into the tank and reeling itback with all kinds of enticing action - makes the lure look evenbetter. The fish in the tank display total apathy and disinterest. Thecrowd doesn’t seem to be much moved, either.

This year even a small Muskie has been dumped in the tank. Byaccident the hotshot puts the lure close to it. I sincerely wish hewould hit it on the head, because that would make for a good story.But he doesn’t. The Muskie also remains immobile.

You can see the resemblance to real life. However, in real Muskiefishing I’m convinced you sometimes actually do hit them on thehead, and they ignore your lure anyway.

This is our fourth year at the Sportshow, we have yet to see a fishcaught in the Hawg Trough. Maybe this is the way the lure manufac-turers eliminate their dud designs. I don’t know, but I sure feel sorryfor the Muskie - it doesn’t belong in the Hawg Trough. Of course, Ieven have sympathy for the crappies in that thing.

Zieman says he’s learned something. “I see now why you don’tcatch fish, if that’s the way they act out at the lake.”

My reaction is different. “Yeah, well I tell you I know about fish-ing and catching. I know the difference. What’s going on here at thisovergrown bathtub isn’t either.”

But we are here to select a Canadian muskie lake and a resort. Wekeep moving… ❖

A MINNESOTA SPORTS SHOW(Continued from page 39)

Muskie Lures – an explosion of colors at the Sportshow. Forget the grayand gloom outside, you’re in a rainbow world.

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organization with the single focus of improving the sport ofmuskie fishing for men, women, and children.

Our mission is to unite all muskie fishing interests for thepromotion and protection of a high quality muskellungesport fishery in the United States and Canada.

We will accomplish this by supporting conservation prac-tices and research based on sound scientific merit, and carriedout by authorized federal or state agencies, appropriate aca-demic institutions, Muskies, Inc chapters, and their members.

We are committed to the abatement of water pollution;maintenance of records for muskie habits, growth, and range;and the dissemination of muskie information to everyone.”

Adopted, April 2002

It all started July 30th 2004, I had no idea at the time what “it”was, but that’s when “it” definitely started. “It” turned out to bethe start of a dream season, the kind of season we normally only

hear about, and sometimes not even then. The dream season broughttwenty muskies into my boat with thirteen between 49” and 53”. Asthe cold winds of November slowly brought the 2004 season to afrozen halt, I decided to reflect back and document the biggest fish ofthe season. This is my account of “a dream season”.

July 30th I was fishing with one of my favorite fishing partnersBrian Hanson. We always seem to be on thesame page, which I think is extremely importantwhen it comes to sharing a boat with someone.I’ve always thought of fishing as a team effort,no matter who caught the fish, it was a success-ful outing. Sure, it’s always great when you catchthe fish, but I have just as much fun watchingsomeone else get one to, as long as it’s not threein a row or something! This particular outing wewere using topwater lures. We didn’t even hearthe strike it took the lure so softly, but once itwas hooked it battled like no other fish I’d everfought. It reminded me a little of salmon fishingthe way it stripped line off the reel at will, on afairly snug drag. After a battle that seemed like itlasted forever, Brian finally got the net under-neath her. But the battle wasn’t over! This fishswam so hard in the net, he finally had to sit andstraddle the net handle to maintain control! To this day you can seethe dents in the aluminum handle from the impact on the gunwale ofthe boat. As I pulled it from the net it just kept coming and coming,that fish was an incredible 53 inches. It was the first muskie of the yearfor me on this particular body of water, and a VERY satisfying one atthat! I had no idea what was in store for me the rest of the season.

Fast forward to 10:45 a.m. August 8th, while fishing in theMinnesota muskie tournament on Mille Lacs lake. With three hoursto go on the last day, spirits were dampening. The day before, my dadand I and a lot of other contestants battled fierce winds and rainthrough out the day that made fishing that much more difficult, andresulted in a big goose egg for us. This day was different, and broughta nice light breeze, perfect for good boat control. We were fishing arock reef in the south end of the lake. It was actually our second passthru the same area, there was no one else around, which pleasantlysurprised me, and so I thought we’d milk it for a while. Then came abone jarring topwater strike! It was the perfect strike, the kind I likethe best, there was no stalking, no wake, although that’s cool in itself,but nothing to make you nervous or think too much. BAM! Hold on,you got a fish. Right away I knew it was a big big fish and yelled thatto my dad. After a short battle and an unbelievable short line jump atthe boat that seemed like it came eye to eye with me, my dad got it inthe net. On the board with the judge present she went 53 inches! Icouldn’t believe it, not only had I caught two 53 inchers in ten days,

but this one was in a tournament! That made it extra special.Obviously, everybody has an opinion on tournaments. To me, it’s achance to fish an entire weekend with no interruptions!

At this point in the season, I was feeling REALLY good. I hadn’tcaught a lot of fish, but I had the two big ones. Normally the innercircle of guys I fish with (and I don’t want to sound like I/we are brag-ging here) think if you can catch one 50”er a year, that’s a great sea-son. Please take into consideration the lakes we fish, Mille Lacs,Leech, Cass, Bemidji, and Lake of the Woods. That is the main rea-

son for that expectation. If you fish these lakeslong enough your chances are very good of con-tacting a big fish. How many times have youheard of “Joe Somebody’s” first fish out of thesewaters being in the 50 inch class? A lot! Chancesare they were probably fishing with somebodywho knew that particular water quite well. Bigmuskies are never easy. As far as I was concerned,I was way ahead for the season and as we used tocall it in the early days, playing with housemoney. When you’re playing with house money,you can fish outside the box and take a lot morechances. I was going to keep throwing andtrolling big baits the rest of the season.

August 14th, my sister Debby, her son, and afriend came up to visit. They wanted to gomuskie fishing, and I was more then happy totake them! We went to a “community spot” on a

Saturday evening just hoping to see a couple of fish. I thought I gavethem the money lures…… I threw out a secondary lure, but pro-duced a strike that turned out to be 49 inches long! We released thefish, stayed for about 30 more minutes and headed home. The nextday I talked to a friend that was fishing the same area and he told mehe thought he’d heard a gal hollering…….Yep that was my sister! It’salways fun to show someone a big muskie that has never seen one upclose and personal.

August 17th, after an evening of action, a number of follows, twoblow ups with one hooked and lost, I was feeling a little anxious astime was running out. I continued casting diligently with no responsefor what seemed like a long time. I was nearing the end of the run forthe spot thinking that was going to be it, I’d lost the only fish Ihooked.

With my last cast looming, Fish! I couldn’t believe it, possibleredemption if I could land it. It had gotten rougher as the eveningprogressed, and I knew it was going to be trick to net this fish. Thiswas my first attempt of the year netting a fish by myself, and I stilldidn’t know how big it was. By the headshakes I was feeling, I knewthis was another big one. As I got the fish near the boat, I was drag-ging it down wind, never a good situation, especially for netting. Ikept gaining a little more line, and decided to make my attempt withthe net. WRONG! I ended up reaching with the net and getting thefish half way in, only to get the lure stuck in the bag, and in a nanosec-

A DreamSeasonPart 1 of 2by Erik Jacobson


As I pulled it from the netit just kept coming andcoming, that fish was anincredible 53 inches. It wasthe first muskie of the yearfor me on this particularbody of water, and a VERYsatisfying one at that! I hadno idea what was in storefor me the rest of the season.

ond the fish was waving good bye! Lesson learned. There’s been a lotof talk about what not to do when netting a fish, but in my opinion,the number one thing NOT to do is reach. It sounds simple, but inthe heat of the moment it’s hard to wait just a few more seconds forthe fish to get right at boat side. When the fish is at the boat you havea lot more control over the situation. If you’re reaching from the get-go, you’re odds of successfully landing that fish are diminished sub-stantially. The fish I lost that night was definitely in the 50 inch class.

August 20th, fishing with Brian again, we decided to fish the areawhere we caught the 53 incher July 30th trying to see if lightningwould strike twice. Same topwater lures, just as the moon was setting,Brian got a very subtle strike but definitely had a fish on. It hit withquite a bit of line out so it was hard to tell how big it was. As it gotcloser to the boat it jumped and completely cleared the water! At thatpoint we knew it was a big fish. By the time the fish came to the boat,there were cabbage strands all over the surface of the water from theline cutting it like a weed whipper, and the line also had a big wad onit. As we got the fish in the net, we still didn’t have a very good ideaof exactly how big it was. But as Brian began to pull it out of the net,it quickly became apparent we were dealing with a large fish! The taperevealed 51 inches, his largest for the season so far.

August 24th, fishing with Jim Hammarstedt. We were fishing arock spot under absolutely perfect conditions, a light chop from thesouth, sun sinking behind the trees, topwater lures in August, it does-n’t get a whole lot better then that! I was throwing a walk the dog styletop water when the water erupted and there was suddenly a veryheavy thrashing fish attached to the end of my line! At first I thoughtthe fish was snagged because it seemed to be able to pull line off thereel at will, but as it got closer I saw the lure was solidly in the cornerof her mouth. Jim did a great job with the net, and as I pulled it out,I knew it was a long fish with a big head. It’s funny, you can go ahead

and make all the guesses you want as to a fish’s length when it’s in thewater, but when you reach in to the net and begin to lift the fish out,that’s when you can really tell the size of the fish. When your hand isengulfed in the gill cover, you know you’re dealing with a good fish.In this case the fish measured exactly 50 inches! Another trophy, whatan amazing season.

August 26th brought a solo night fishing trip. I fished through themoon rise with little action and was rather surprised there wasn’t moregoing on. The wind was still in the south, and the weather had been



☞Proper Muskie

Holding Techniquesfor MUSKIE Magazine Photos includ-

ing Covers, Article Support, PhotoContest Entries

& Member Photos

Sent in by Jack Posewitz of his "team"-Katy, Brandon and Nathan out on

Wisconsin's Randon Lake. They all got ahand in on the netting, handling and

release. The family are members of theBetween the Lakes Chapter and enjoy lots

of quality time together.

Scott Kietzmann submitted a nice collection of sunrisesand sunsets over Wisconsin's Lake Okauchee and this

inviting scene looks perfect for top water casting.

Robert Domachowski sent in a series of photosdepicting fellow 3 Rivers Chapter members. Here ahappy Tom Simon shows off one of 2 real whopperscaught and released in Ontario., September 2006.

Frank Urzetta under a full moon with his personal besta whopping 51"x 24" caught on a Hayward Wisconsin

Lake on his birthday back in September. HappyBirthday indeed!

Dave Ledman with a memorable 53", a fishthat highlighted a fantastic season. Great jobDave and thanks for the photo submissions!

Young Charlie Claudon of Chapter 16with his personal best a 42" specimen.

Charlie fishes with his Dad plus sib-lings Henri and Michele and is reputed

to be able to "cast with the best ofthem". Congratulations Charlie!

Also by Robert Domachowski, Bob Hatfield attired herein fine safari garb and ready to release a

40" True Strain.

Taken by Mike Scholler this shot portrays Greg Wells'boat and marks the end of the season for the Between

the Lakes Chapter

Chapter 48's Rob Nopola photographed this soaring Eagle.Even where they're common, Eagles are a captivating sight

and add to the ambience of being on the water.

Glenn Matula, secretary of The Headwaterschapter with a Fall beauty taken while bat-tling 30 mph winds. This Muskie sported a

22" girth and was a "real battler".


consistent for the past couple of days. The higher themoon got, the more anxious I became in hopes of get-ting something going. I tried not to let the moon posi-tion bother me, but I’ve had a lot more consistentaction when the moon is down. Once again I was near-ing the end of a run and knew it was going to be deci-sion time as to stay or go. With only a few casts leftbefore I passed the prime spot, BAM, fish on. I imme-diately got really pumped and my heart started beatingfaster. I got my head light turned on as soon as therewas a little lull in the action, but the fish was still to farout to see. As I strained my eyes to get a peek at the fishin the darkness, it finally came to the surface like a sub-marine. WOW, the fish had the lure like a dog with abone. It was completely sideways in her mouth, andthe tail treble was dangling precariously free. As soonas I saw that, I got a flash back to losing the big one onthe 17th because the lure got stuck in the net. I knewthis time, I needed to be more careful concerning mynetting technique. I ended up in the same dragging sit-uation as before, with the fish upwind of the boat.With about 20 feet of line to the fish, I decided to fireup the big motor and get the boat upwind of the fish.Now I could drift down on the fish and have a goodshot of netting her close to the boat. BINGO, this timethe whole fish slid deep in the bag, just the way it’s sup-pose to go! After cutting some hooks, I was ready for ameasurement. Measuring a big fish by your self can bevery difficult especially if it’s a little rough. As I lookedat the business end of the tape, it was just over 50 inch-es. As I released the fish, I savored the feeling.

To be continued next month...


A DREAM SEASON (Continued from page 43)

©2006 ST. CROIX ROD

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