Muskies Inc. 2010 Fall Special

Transcription

Photo Contest – Fall
by Brad Waldera, Photo Editor • [email protected]
*
Photo #1
Like me, most of you have probably seen quite a few
pictures of muskies that had scars from being bitten by
other, much larger muskies. Some of you may even
remember the picture in this very column a few months
back of former Muskies Inc. President Steve Statland
holding a fish he caught with bite marks on it. Well
Three Rivers Chapter member Rich Sandig recently
caught a 38 inch muskie that DID NOT have bite marks
on it UNTIL it was halfway to the boat! Rich was fishing
Pigeon Lake on June 13th during the 2010 Muskies
Canada Toronto Blowout Outing when the 38-inch fish
he caught was attacked by a huge muskie with, according to Rich, a bite span of approximately 6.5-8.0
inches. The link below will take you to a short video of
Rich filmed just after this happened that shows some
pretty serious bite marks and an impressive width
between them. One can only imagine the true size of
the muskie that chose Rich’s fish as bait – those monsters are out there. The photo of Rich is nice and clear,
although he could have removed his sunglasses. In
all the excitement of that moment, I’ll forgive him this
time. Great story Rich. Hope you “get the one that got
away” next time out.
See the video “Attacked !! Rich Sandig” on the Web:
http://www.muskiescanada.ca/whats_new/video_gallery.php
Photo #2
*
Now how cool is this picture? Kevin Greene
of Chapter 58 took this great photo of
fellow chapter members Mark Kornosky
(right) and Scott Robertson (left) releasing
a couple of Lake St. Clair beauties. The
fish on the right measured just under 50
inches and the one on the left was a
51-inch fish. The fish were caught while
trolling the Canadian side of Lake St. Clair
on a calm day in June of 2009. Over a
couple days of fishing numerous fish were
caught but none of significant size, then
came this double. Nice way to end the day
and a good reminder to keep at it and not
let your guard down until you’re off the
water. Mark says there was nothing more
rewarding than watching those 2 monsters
swim off into the dark. I’m sure he’s right. I
really like the look of this shot and you can
see these were 2 quality fish. I also like the
use of the Boga grip in this manner. Please
remember not to hoist fish out of the water
or ever let them hang vertically with this
tool, as that could potentially be quite harmful to the fish. Great shot Kevin and awesome fish as well. Thanks to all who
have submitted pictures this past year. We really appreciate it.
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Lakewood Tackle Boxes
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GBYC
Mills Fleet Farm
Musky Buster
Zip Lure
Bay Coin
Tilky Tails
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www.muskiesinc.org
Fall 2010.....MUSKIE 1
M.I. will focus new energy
on Youth Programs!
Please welcome Kevin Bushnick as the new M.I. Youth Programs
Director at the national level. Kevin has served as Youth Director for
the Fox River Valley Chapter of Muskies, Inc. since 1977 where he
built many innovative youth programs within the Chicago-land
muskie fishing community. He will continue leading that program
for FRV Chapter 39.
Kevin is known for taking extensive videos and photos of events
throughout the fishing season and then combining them with music
and special laser effects to create a spectacular year-end multimedia
program that draws people in from all over northern Illinois.
Kevin’s focus in his new role within M.I. will be to assist other
chapters and youth directors in creating their own youth programs,
or to help build upon what they already have in place. Kevin will
report directly to V.P. Greg Wells.
Kevin is a licensed captain with the U.S. Coast Guard and provides boating and fishing safety instruction for Cabela’s, the Boy
Scouts and the McGraw Wildlife Foundation.
Kevin is also the founder of an organization called the Youth
Conservation Alliance which works closely with other not-for-profits
like McGraw Wildlife and the Northern Illinois Special Recreation
Association to provide further outreach to parents and their children
who want to learn more about fishing and the great outdoors.
You can contact Kevin at:
[email protected]
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D EAD LY FALL MUSKY TACTICS
#1
Casting crankbaits and drifting
livebait rigs excel in the fall. When
fished in tandem, it can be a deadly
combination. Position the boat near a
breakline and drift along it with a trailing
a sucker rig or two behind the boat
while casting ahead of the drift with a
DepthRaider. A 2nd angler should cast
over the flat with a ShallowRaider.
#2
Trolling crankbaits over flats
and deep breaklines is my favorite
way to attack fall muskies. When the
fish are high, a ShallowRaider is
tough to beat. When muskies are
holding deeper, nothing beats a
DepthRaider. Remember, line size
and length of line from rod tip to lure
determines running depth.
Replace older trebles with our new factory sharp short
shank replacement black nickel hooks for best hook up %.
2 MUSKIE.....Fall 2010
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Contents
MUSKIE magazine is published monthly and is the
Official Publication of Muskies, Inc.
Ellen Wells, Administrative Secretary, 1509 Stahl
Road, Sheboygan, WI 53081. Ph: 1-888-710-8286.
© Copyright 2010 by Muskies, Inc. All rights reserved.
MUSKIE • Vol. 44, No. 10
Departments
Features
IFC Photo Contest, Brad Waldera
22Life on Lac Seul - Late Fall, Erik Jacobson
4 President’s Message,
Dan Narsete
25Welcome Aboard The Muskallunge, Tony Welch
5 About the Cover, Juris Ozols
26Gil Hamm Challunge Week Catches [Collage]
5 Index of Advertisers
27Thank You! Gil Hamm Tournament Sponsors
6 Lunge Log, Jim Bunch
28Gil Hamm Chapter Challunge 2010 [Centerspread]
10 MUSKIE News
30Eagle River, Wisconsin, Patricia Strutz
13 Figure 8, Kevin Richards
34Eagle Lake, Ontario, Canada, Patricia Strutz
14 ***Special Section***
Fisheries & Research Report
33 The Importance & Fun of
M.I. Membership, Greg Wells
37Lower Manitou Muskie & Pike Fishing, Kris Esselink
38Manitou Weather Station Fishing Lodge, Juris Ozols
45 Chapter News and Views
40Bill & Alice of the Manitou Legendary Characters, Juris Ozols
56 Member Photos
42The Magical Mysterious Manitou, Tom Stark
Join Muskies, Inc. ...
or give a membership
as a gift.
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Junior Membership (Under 18): ❑ $20.00
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Check One: ❑ New Member ❑ Renewal ❑ Address Change ❑ Gift
MAIL TO MUSKIES, INC. 1509 Stahl Road
Sheboygan, WI 53081
(to find the number of the Chapter you wish to join, see the Chapter News & Views section)
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www.muskiesinc.org
Board of
Directors
Executive Committee
President, Dan Narsete
Email: [email protected]
Vice President/Finance, Jim Shannon
Phone: 612-670-8943
Vice President/Fisheries, Research & Youth,
Tom Penniston
Phone: 608-558-9657
Vice President/Internal Affairs,
Perry Peterson
Phone: 253-850-5889
The President’s Message
Vice President/Membership & Marketing,
Greg Wells
Phone: 920-457-3720
Muskies, Inc. President
Vice President/Communications,
Rich Gallagher
Phone: 847-341-1723
Treasurer, Kathy Goon
Phone: 419-945-2940
Web Master, Ron Groeschl
Phone: 262-271-1002
Administrative Secretary, Ellen Wells
1509 Stahl Road, Sheboygan, WI 53081
Phone: 888-710-8286
Past-President, David Cates
Regional Directors
Region 1
Term Expires
Rory Potter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2010
Ron Teschner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2011
Carl Phillips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2012
Region 2
Fred Brogle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2011
Robert Benson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2012
Leo Kofoot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2013
Region 3
Joel Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2010
Chad Theesfeld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2011
Doug Dible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2012
Region 4
Kimberly Cates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2011
Earle Hammond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2012
(Vacant) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2013
by Dan Narsete
S
ocial construction is essentially defined as the concept where society thrusts its own
ideals, beliefs and values upon us and out of this we develop our perspective. Simply
put it is the notion that we are a product of our environment. When we are brought
into this world we are essentially a blank disc, a clean slate and have no preconceptions of
the world around us. Over a period of time we develop our own perspective on the world
that surrounds us. From Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech and subsequent civil rights movements various historical figures have demonstrated this idea. MLK actually changed how
we look at each other. In fact the civil rights movements of the 1960s and 1970s mirror
our own development of catch and release. Muskies, Inc. filed its own articles of incorporation in February of 1967; the following year MLK was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. As
we labored to teach conservation in the 1970s matters such as the Equal Credit Opportunity
Act passed into what we now rely on as common knowledge. As we have developed as a society and broadened our horizons we have also done so
on the fishing note. Given my own upbringing I tend to be middle of the road (pragmatic), but believe that muskie fishing with catch and release is a form of social construction.
Before MI was around it was perfectly normal to shoot a muskie, and then eat it after hanging it by a rope on a tree. Over Labor Day weekend I was fishing and met an elderly man
who said, “We used to carry a .22 and shoot them before pulling them into the boat,”
which by today’s standards is pretty extreme, arguably crazy. Thanks to our own mantra of
youth development, fisheries research and public education we are well on our way to
developing the golden age of fishing, which extends beyond that of muskie fishing. Now that you’ve been through your collegiate level introduction lets move onto the
lighter side of things. I’m proud to announce that Muskies, Inc. will be the title sponsor
for the second day (Saturday) of the 2011 Tri-Esox Chicago Muskie Show. We are very
excited and should have a great opportunity to market and expand our fine organization.
If you have a chance please come and introduce yourself as I will be in attendance and will
be working the booth to help promote our own form of dogma. 
Back in August I traveled to Eagle Lake Ontario and muskie fished instead of just
writing about it. I heard AML guide Scott Yager coin a new term. The new and improved
version of a figure of eight will now be known as the “figure of egg,” a superior technique
to help you land more of those monsters . . . more to follow. For now, good luck out there. Be safe, practice CPR, send me secret spots, and come
join us in Chicago. Until we meet again. . .
Tight lines, Dan “Camaraderie!” Our editor asked me to come up
with a magazine cover that illustrated that concept
for Muskies, Inc. people. He suggested some
pictures to use from the just-completed Chapter
Challunge or said I could use others that I might
have. But the theme was to be “Camaraderie.”
Tough assignment. I pulled out a dozen or so 2010
Challunge pictures and scoured my own voluminous
photo data base. Lots of photos of people together
on boats, serving meals at the Challunge, helping
out on the dock or boat, netting fish, holding fish,
doing something for a kid, arms around the buddy,
etc. All kinds of shots like that; some very nice
ones. Lots of people being friendly and helpful as they should be, and in all in the
context of our fishing environment, but it just didn’t seem to click for me.
Then this thought came to me about something that’s unique to muskie fishing and I’d
claim is the height of Camaraderie: anglers sharing their very special knowledge about
fishing spots. That’s what we have on the cover – people together bent over maps, fingers pointing out where fish have been caught and lost, where to fish, where not to fish.
There are some famous fishermen in there – MI founding member Dick Chapman
pointing out places on Lake Minnetonka; MI Hall of Fame member Ken Karbon
annotating a Sabaskong Map; author Bill Gardner talking about Crab Lake, one of his
favorite places to put in “Time on the Water.” And there are a number of just plain
muskie folks. But all of these are people being truly generous in sharing things.
I think that kind of thing shows the best in Muskies, Inc. members. It’s not being secretive and self-centered. It’s not hiding things or being deceptive. It’s helping out your
fellow “Muskies Inc.-er” as best you can in a way that’s truly unselfish and important to
them. I’ve been on both ends of those kinds of activities, and I think it’s wonderful.
One more thing – the fish picture. That’s Doug Wood from Chapter 60, our newest
chapter, holding his personal best 44 inch Tiger. Those folks are off to a great start
with their chapter and the sun is shining on them. I’m looking forward to meeting
Doug and his buddies at a future Challunge. You can bet I’ll tell him everything I know
about whatever lake we’re fishing. And if I ever get up to Washington, I’m sure he
– Juris ❖
would do the same for me. That’s what Muskies, Inc. is all about.
INDEX OF ADVERTISERS
BEST OF THE BEST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BIG WOOD MUSKY LURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHARLES WEISS 2011 MUSKIE CALENDAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FITTANTE REPLICAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JOE BUCHER OUTDOORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LAC SEUL FLOATING LODGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LURE PARTS ONLINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
M.I. MEMBERSHIP CHALLENGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MANITOU WEATHER STATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MOOSEHORN LODGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MOREHEAD TOURISM COMMISSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MUSKIE MAGAZINE - CATCH THE FEVER! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NAZE BAITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . POPLAR RIDGE OUTFITTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RED WING LODGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SOUTH SHORE LODGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SPRING BAY RESORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TAYLOR COUNTY TOURISM COMMISSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WILD EAGLE LODGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . YOUNG’S WILDERNESS CAMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.muskiesinc.org
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MUSKIE Magazine Staff
Editor
Kevin Richards
7618 Sunrise Ridge Road
Henley, MO 65040
Phone: (573) 280-2300
ASSISTANT Editor
Juris Ozols
Phone: (612) 747-0178
PHOTO CONTEST EDITOR
Brad Waldera
Phone: (701) 642-1952
LUNGE LOG EDITOR
Members Only Fishing Contest
Jim Bunch
Phone: (715) 226-0295
ADVERTISING SALES TEAM
Kevin Richards, Editor / Ad Manager
Phone: (573) 280-2300
Terri Fierstine, Advertising Sales Representative
Phone: (218) 252-0947
PRINTING Account Manager
Sunray Printing Solutions, Inc. - Stacey Thielen
Magazine Design
Sunray Printing Solutions, Inc. - John Windschitl
IllustratorS/CartoonistS
Richard Gross, Charles Weiss
FIELD EDITORS
Patricia Strutz, Colby Simms, Sean Landsman,
Adam Glickman, Bob Chochola,Steve Budnik
EMERITUS Editors
Rod Ramsell, Keith Ogden, Jim Smith
MUSKIE is published exclusively for the membership of Muskies, Inc. and subscriptions come with
a paid membership. Muskies, Inc. is a non-profit
organization. Membership classes and associated
annual dues are listed on the form at the bottom
of page one. Copies of MUSKIE magazine are
available at $3.00 each from the Muskies, Inc.
Administrative Secretary.
Contributors grant rights for M.I. to publish once in
MUSKIE Magazine, both the print and on-line versions, including archives and on the M.I. Web site.
Submissions to
MUSKIE Magazine
Persons interested in submitting articles for
publication are directed to our website www.
muskiesinc.org for a link to MUSKIE Magazine,
where you will find links on the left side of the
page providing information necessary for
submissions to MUSKIE Magazine. Further
questions will be answered by Kevin Richards,
Editor. Submissions may be sent to: 7618 Sunrise
Ridge Road, Henley, MO 65040 or by email:
[email protected]. Phone: (573) 2802300.
A B O U T T H E C OV E R ◆ A B O U T T H E C OV E R ◆ I N D E X O F A DV E R T I S E R S ◆ I N D E X O F A DV E R T I S E R S
About the COVER
Lu ng e Lo g ◆ Lun ge Lo g ◆ Lunge L og ◆ Lunge L og ◆ Lunge Log ◆ Lun g e Log ◆ Lun g e Log
g
nge L
u
L
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o
h
t
by
Ji m b u n c h
First Year, First Strike,
First Muskie - 54 Inches!
People join Muskies, Inc. because somebody took interest in
them and touched their desire to catch a muskie. Tom Ardolf is from
Waite Park, MN and a brand new member of the St. Cloud Chapter.
He joined last January. Tom tells us about his whirlwind tour leading
up to his first muskie.
“A year ago, a very good friend, Jim Kath (Youth Chair for
Brainerd) took me musky fishing in my new Warrior boat. I knew
right away I needed to catch one. We went a number of times last
year and I had a few follows, no strikes. I stocked up on equipment
over the winter, joined St. Cloud Muskies, Inc. in time to hear Dick
Pearson’s talk and I even won his book! Then, our Program Chair
Aaron Meyer had Kevin Cochran come and make a presentation at
our meeting a couple of months ago. Kevin is co-chair of the Muskie
Alliance and VP of the Bemidji Chapter. This good man donated a
full guided day to the meeting as a door prize and I won it!”
“We met Kevin on Wed, June 23rd at about 5 AM. The day
started with me being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and my
toes on my left foot ended up under his Ranger 620 trailer tire while
filling up with gas. Heck of a way to start the day! Never-the-less we
were on the water at 6 AM on Bemidji and fished all morning. I had
no follows; Jim Kath and Kevin did have a couple. We got back out
again about 6 PM. I had a follow around sunset; Kevin and Jim had
some too.”
“Then it really changes. In my 73rd hour of musky fishing,
about 20 feet from the boat, I get a huge strike, actually, my very first
Tom Ardolf, Chapter 37. 54 inches, June 23, 2010, Bemidji, MN.
Bucktail, Fish I.D. 289834.
strike by a muskie ever. We see it is a good sized fish, but when I get
it close we see it is a 50 inch class fish. What a fight, back and forth
on both sides of the boat. Finally, the fish tires enough and we get it
into the net, my first musky! When we get it on the board, it is 54
inches with a 24-inch girth. Kevin, concerned about the fish, has Jim
snap a couple quick pictures and back in the water it goes. What a
deal, watching that supertanker slowly swim away. Jim Kath says not
bad for your first muskie, you might just quit now, it’s all downhill
from here.”
“So I end up with a life-changing experience! What a bunch of
good guys in this organization. I’m surrounded by the best of the best
of the Muskies, Inc. guys. There was just mention of Jim Kath in the
Twin Cities Chapter’s report; about his work with youth with multiple chapters. You’d find that Aaron Meyer is the activist in our
chapter and involved in the Cass Lake issue. He was the key speaker
for the “pro” side of stocking the Sauk River Chain of Lakes annual
meeting a couple months ago. He’s the organizer for the clean-up
work on the lakes in May. Kevin Cochran is obviously a passionate
member with his work both in our local chapter as well as in the MN
Muskie Alliance. All you need is a little bit of these guys to rub off
on you and you’re infected!”
Brent Hirsch 55˝ Vermilion in July!
Brent is a member of the Twin Cities Chapter and lives in
Minnetonka, MN. The last week of July they were ending a visit to
Vermilion and decided a couple more hours might be good. Brent
sent us a note with a picture and shared the following.
“My friend Dave Beck and I were leaving around noon on
Wednesday and we decided to go out for a few hours before we left. On the first spot at 8:30 am, the fish hit a Double 10 bladed Ghost
Tail, black hair with chartreuse flame blades. As soon as I set, I knew
I had a big fish. Then about 20 seconds later, I really knew I had a
big fish when it completely cleared the water shaking its head. That
was a truly amazing sight. She made a few more runs, and my friend
Dave scooped her up in the net. He popped the hook out of her
because I was so excited. We laid her down and she was 55 on the
nose. She was out of water for 30-45 seconds and once she got back
in, she swam away in a matter of a minute or less. For the trip, we
fished 56 hours in 4 days and I caught a 40, 44, 46, and this 55. A
good trip turned into the trip of a lifetime.”
Brent Hirsch, Chapter 1. 55 inches, July 28, 2010,
Vermilion, MN. Ghosttail, Fish I.D. 291269
Lun g e Log ◆ Lun g e Log ◆ Lun ge L og ◆ Lunge L og ◆ Lunge L og ◆ Lun ge Lo g ◆ Lu ng e Lo g
Bryan Foerst, Chapter 8. 50.75 inches, July 11, 2010,
Madison Chain, WI. Crank Bait, Fish I.D. 290162
Foerst Update!
In November 2009 Bryan Foerst caught the heaviest
four-footer I have seen in the Lunge Log. We shared that
picture with you this last April. In the article Bryan stated
that his next goal was to catch a 50 incher from the
Madison Chain before his 50th birthday. His wish came
true on Sunday July 11, 2010 on Lake Monona just 11
days before his 50th birthday. It was 50.75 inches without
a mark on it. He did not state his next goal but we will
keep watch on him. That’s Foerst pronounced first.
Ken Worel the
Big Fish Master!
Way back in time in the Lunge Log some how it was
perceived that the ultimate thing was to catch a 50 inch
muskie. That was never stated so by me or Bill Davis or
the other people who ran the Lunge Log in the early days.
It just kind of evolved into the macho thing. Consequently
we list the fifties a lot. We show their pictures a lot. We
talk about them a lot. It is what you want. So who has the
most fifties all time in Muskies, Inc.? If you are a member
with access to the web site you know it is Ken Worel.
Ken is from Grand Rapids, MN and a member of the
Star of the North Chapter. He has 1021 entries in the
Lunge Log. His first entry is dated 7/10/93. So he has
averaged just over 60 entries per year. The most amazing
thing however is that nearly 8% of his catches are 50
inches or longer. That’s right; he has 81 fifties in the
Lunge Log. He has 20 at 53 inches or longer. So how is
this possible?
He lives in northern Minnesota. That in itself
explains most of it. He lives less than 90 miles from
Vermilion. He spends a large portion of the season on
Vermilion as I believe he has a camper there. Vermilion is
42,000 acres of the finest muskie fishing in the United
States. The other factor is he is a student of the game. We
don’t know him deep and personal however over the last
17 years his name keeps coming up and we talk a fair
amount. This past July, Ken released a muskie that is tied
for 4th place longest muskie in our 40 year history of the
Lunge Log. One above him in the list is one that has Not
(Continued on page 8)
www.muskiesinc.org
Lu ng e Lo g ◆ Lun ge Lo g ◆ Lunge L og ◆ Lunge L og ◆ Lunge Log ◆ Lun g e Log ◆ Lun g e Log
Lunge Log (Continued from page 7)
Specified for the water 14 years ago. Another above him is a Not
Specified angler 31 years ago. Verification of Ken’s 58.5 inch muskie
was quite simple. I am in possession of a video tape of this very long
muskie. Keep in mind, this video and picture thing is a major hint
to you if you ever get to that level. When I run the tape in slow
motion, this muskie just keeps coming and coming out of the net.
There is no doubt in my mind and I am as critical as they get.
I sat down and visited with Ken at the recent Gil Hamm
Chapter Challenge on Vermilion in late August. Sure enough he was
the same old humble Ken that I have known for a long time. On July
21st they went out in the morning and not much was going on. They
had only one follow. By them, we mean his partner of
course, his 19 year old son Wesley. At the last spot just
before lunch Wesley caught a 54 incher at a buoy that
everybody fishes, it is a very common spot. They went to
lunch and then wanted to try it again but it had other
anglers using it. So they went about 500 yards away to a
spot that nobody fishes; they had not been there in 10
years. Actually they were just waiting for the buoy where
Wesley got the 54 to open up. So they are fishing this
unused drift and are nearly done when Ken hooks a rock.
Then the rock shook its head violently 3 times. Game on!
After the initial battle the muskie came to the boat and
dove under the motor. When it surfaced at the side of the
boat Wesley was right there and scooped it. Game over.
They knew it was good sized but had no idea it would
turn out that long. When they pulled it out of the net it
just kept coming. Ken had his new personal best and
moved way up the line of the longest to 4th. Up to that
time his longest was 56.25. That muskie was caught by
Ken after it followed Wesley’s surface bait. So this was a
little bit the same as Ken sits in the back of the boat in a
chair. He was using a bucktail called Zippity-Do-Dah. It
is a little buck tail, very little by today’s standards.
A few years ago Ken called me and wanted me to
enter some new lure names that he had designed for
Inhaler. One was called a Holy Moly, one Zippity-DoDah, I think there was a Ken’s Special and a couple of
others. At that time he explained that he was not going
into the lure business, he was not going to make a dime
on it. He just wanted a well-built bucktail that would hold
up to abuse. So as time goes by, this Zippity-Do-Dah
keeps showing up on his catches. The Zippity’s muskies
are getting bigger and bigger. Sure enough when the data
came in on his 58.5, it was caught on a Zippity-Do-Dah.
I had to see one and of course was going to meet with him
at the Gil Hamm.
I met with Ken, along with editor Kevin Richards as
we needed to get a picture of this big one off of the video
for the magazine. Kevin and Juris Ozols did this in a matter of minutes. We were huddled around Kevin’s lap top
looking at this muskie under a tent out in front of
Vermilion Dam Lodge. This of course drew a crowd.
Word spread that the guy I was talking to was Ken Worel.
The “Man” was here. I asked Ken if I could see a ZippityDo-Dah. He turned to his son Wes and asked him if they
had any in the boat that were not cut? Wesley did not
think so and off he went to get one. I asked Ken what he
meant by not cut. He said, oh we cut most of the hair off
the ones we use.
Ken Worel, Chapter 15. 58.5 inches, July 21, 2010,
Vermilion, MN. Zippity-Do-Dah. Fish I.D. 290949
ever, most of the time all they want is a little snack. It is like after
Thanksgiving dinner. People are stuffed, but they mill around and
pick up a small piece of cheese or a small snack cracker. They do this
because they are just available. So there stood Ken with his little
snack lure, it was a priceless moment. Ken says it is too small to
market these days. Inhaler has not put them on shelves as they would
be buried by all the big colorful monsters that are selling today. This
was very neat, if you learn something new everyday, life will be
grand. No, I did not get a freebee and I hope this doesn’t sound like
a commercial.
By the way, Ken and his chapter won the Chapter
Challunge again this year. Ken took big fish honors with
a Zippity 54.25 incher!
Lunge Log Update!
At this point in time there are 291,668 all-time
entries in the Lunge Log. Please don’t check these numbers as it changes hourly. Out of that 288,566 were
released for a release percentage of 98.9. Most of the kept
muskies (3,102) came from the early days of the Lunge
Log.
There have now been 5,388 fifty inchers reported.
That would be about 1.8%. The list shows 49 entries are
56 inches or longer. It shows 364 are 54 inches or longer.
The top lake for 50 inch muskies is still Lake of the
Woods with 842, followed by Lake St. Clair ON/ MI
463, Vermilion, MN 451, Big Detroit/Detroit Lakes MN
233. In acres, compared to LOTW and LSC, Vermilion is
a pond and Detroit Lakes is a puddle.
The lures used to land 50 inch muskies have changed
considerably over the last few years. Now in first is:
Cowgirl/Double Cowgirl 314, Eagle Tail 173, Wiley
Crank 171, and Jake 161.
The most entries by angler or the Century Club leaders are: Joe Hardy 2681, Will Hardy 2302, Richard
Minnick 1970, Charles Schauer 1952, Tom Muntz 1832,
and Jeff Hanson 1760. All of these statistics will be
updated and posted at the end of this season. If you are a
member and have access to our website you already have
access to most of these facts and figures. Enjoy!
www.muskiesinc.org
Jim Bunch
The Lunge Log
715 226-0295
[email protected]
Lun g e Log ◆ Lun g e Log ◆ Lunge L og ◆ Lunge L og ◆ Lunge L og ◆ Lun ge Lo g ◆ Lung e Lo g
Today the bucktails on the market are huge
and getting bigger by the month. At this time I
did not know he had gone the other direction. I
saw Wesley return from the boat and hand something to his dad. Ken is standing there with his
fist closed as Kevin Richards and I leaned in for
a peek. Ken held out his fist and before opening
it he asked us to promise not to laugh. When he
opened his fist, there laid a little bitty almost
hairless bucktail. In his hand it was folded in half
making it even smaller to the eye. I for one went
into shock. The blade is not very big; however it is the thickest blade
I have ever touched. The shaft is solid and very heavy; you could tow
a truck with it. It has one treble hook on it, a 5/0. The hair is
trimmed or cut so it barely hides the treble hook. Two feathers do
extend back a ways much like a rubber tail would. I pulled out a dollar bill to measure this lure. A dollar bill of course is 6 inches long.
The Zippity and the dollar were the same length. I could see Ken
laughing on the inside as he knew it is not what I expected.
Ken says big bucktails are good when muskies are hungry, how-
MUSKIE NEWS ◆ MUSKIE NEWS ◆ MUSKIE NEWS ◆ MUSKIE NEWS ◆ MUSKIE NEWS
that club at the Wisconsin Musky Clubs Alliance. In 1991 I became
involved with the local DNR in the reintroduction of the Great
Lakes Spotted Musky. I travelled to Indian River Michigan with the
local DNR to collect eggs; the result of this is the great fishery that
we enjoy today in Green Bay.
Representing MI
Muskies, Inc. 2010 Presidential Election
On Monday, November 15, 2010 all Chapter RVPs, all Regional
Directors and all voting members of the Executive Committee will
participate in an electronic vote for our next President. Voting will
occur from 6 to 8p.m. CST. Those participating in the vote will
receive instructions via email. President Dan Narsete indicated that
each chapter should also expect a phone call about the process.
Administrative Secretary Ellen Wells and Parliamentarian Henry
Hempe will monitor the voting, logging and results of the vote; both
are non-voting advisors to the Executive Committee.
There is one candidate for the position of President.
Jay Zahn - Candidate for MI President - Resume
My name is Jay Zahn and I reside in New Franken Wisconsin.
Most summers you can find me in the Wisconsin Northwoods fishing Lac Vieux Desert. I am interested in becoming the next President
of M.I. When I was asked to run for the position I hesitated and
stated there had to be a better candidate than me, after some consideration I realized that my passion for the sport makes me a perfect
candidate.
My Background
I have been married for 33 years to my wife Jean. I have three
children Jolene, Jackie and Jim. They have all been bitten by the
Muskie bug to varying degrees but one thing is for sure, when I or
our chapter has needed help over the years they have always been
there. I worked at the Fort Howard Paper Company leaving after 31
years in 2005. Currently I manage the Green Bay Yachting Club. I
am also co-owner of Tyrant Tackle Inc.
I was one of the founders of the Titletown Chapter serving as
Titletown’s President the first five years. I am currently the Best of the
Best Tournament director for the chapter. In 2007 I became the
merchandise chair for Muskies, Inc. representing MI at the sport
shows in Chicago and Milwaukee. I served as an At Large Director
(ALD) for 13 months from 2-4-08 until the new Regional Directors
came on-board the following year. I also served as VP of Communica
tions for over a year, from the Spring Board Meeting in 2008 until
the Spring Board Meeting in 2009.
Prior to this I served as President and also Secretary and
Treasurer for a local musky club in the Green Bay area. I represented
D o n at i o n S
Special thanks to these members and supporters
for their recent donations to Muskies, Inc:
Marvin Eisenbraun
Daniel Weslo
Gary McCamant Robert Christensen
Steve Weyers
Diana Worline
Jim Donelson
James Galati
Adam Salo
Harrison Bowes
Dan Moats
Kent Magnuson
Lawrence Dermott
Don Rieks
Kevin Richards
Robert Crossley
Dean Rosset
Robert Cernick
Chad Sandy
Rock Ripley
Allen Foss
If elected President I would work hard to be the face of MI
representing the organization in all matters pertaining to the muskie.
The organization has great members on the executive committee and
I would hope they will continue to serve. The organization is having
some growing pains with the implementation of the regional system.
We need to give it time. Attending the board meeting in Minnesota
I heard the regional directors ask the tough questions and receive the
answers to take back to the chapters in their regions. The system will
work; we just have to keep working at it. We have to look forward
not backwards. The system has been implemented lets work with it
and give it some time.
I believe the decision to have an executive director is a good one
and will make our organization stronger. I will work with the search
committee to find the right person. The challenge will be to find the
correct compensation package and how to fund it. It will be mine
and the executive committee’s job to make sure this happens.
Membership
Muskies, Inc. continues to grow in chapters but is losing ground
on the membership end of things. I believe we have to come up with
ideas to help the chapters recruit new members and more importantly to keep current members. We have a membership of about
6000. MI needs to start listening to the great ideas of our members.
We have young members that are well known in the muskie world;
we need to start getting them involved by soliciting their ideas.
Membership is the way we fund our projects. If we don’t increase
membership there is not much we can do as an organization.
Vision
I believe that Muskies, Inc. has to increase its involvement in
research projects. Currently we are helping with the Project Noble
Beast (Carleton Study) that is taking place in Canada. This is a study
that is studying the delayed mortality of muskies that were caught
and released successfully. The results of this could possibly change
the way we fish. These are the kind of things that I believe we have
to be more involved with. I have heard it asked are we a muskie club
or a conservation organization. The answer in my opinion is we are
both. The average member wants his organization to be fun - fishing
outings, meetings, seminars, etc. On the other hand we have to get
involved with our state agencies by taking a stand when we need to
and being a voice for the muskie world. Catch and release, the ethic
that started with this organization, is an example of what we can do
when we stick together. What’s next? The muskie range is increasing.
We have muskie fisheries in states that only a few years ago would
have been unheard of. It is going to bring challenges to our chapters
around the country and only an organization that is willing to work
with them is going to succeed. We have a great research committee,
let’s use it and move forward.
In Closing
If your chapter chooses to vote for me I will be honored to work
for your chapter and for Muskies, Inc. I am a blue collar guy and
what you will get is a blue collar work ethic. I will make mistakes
along the way but I have a way of learning from them. I would be
honored to be the next M.I. President.
Region 1 by Regional Director Ron Teschner
Region 1 consists of 14 chapters in 5 states: Washington, New
Mexico, Nebraska, North Dakota and Minnesota. This is a mix of
the oldest and newest chapters in MI. Minnesota has many classic
muskie destinations, while adding new lakes all the time. Our newer
chapters across the west have some of the newest waters and are adding new muskie opportunities and chapters all the time.
The 2010 Fall Regional meeting will again be held by teleconference during the first week of October. The agenda will include the
election of a Regional Director and other discussion items for the
betterment of MI.
The Brainerd Lakes Chapter hosted this year’s Chapter Challunge
(for the Star of the North Chapter) on Lake Vermilion, MN. They
did a great job, with 173 M.I. members attending; making it one of
the largest Challunge events ever. Star of the North were the stars
again and put on a clinic under very tough conditions. Rumor has it
that next year’s Challunge may be returning to Lake of the Woods.
Great fall fishing is going strong and Region 1 wishes all of
Muskies, Inc. Good luck!
Region 2 by Regional Director Fred E. Brogle
The 2010 Fall Region 2 meeting will be held in Clinton
Township, MI on Friday October 8th. We will entertain an agenda for a new President for Muskies, Inc., an election for a Regional
Director, and host of many topics on the building of Region 2 and
the re-introduction of some special committee work. In addition a
fisheries report will be given from each of our state representatives.
The meeting will be hosted by Chapter 58. RVP Mark
Kornosky, the officers and board members are working diligently on
the meeting preparation. The meeting will be held at the Concorde
Inn & Conference Center. Also planned by the Chapter will be a
two day fishing outing/tournament held on Lake St. Clair; we have
been promised to see some BIG muskies. At the completion of the
meeting the minutes will be posted.
Region 3 by Regional Directors Joel Johnson,
Doug Dible, and Chad Theesfeld
Region 3 consists of 12 MI chapters across 5 states: New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky. While those
from outside Region 3 might initially overlook these “Eastern” states
as prime muskie fishing destinations, they are encouraged to take a
closer look the MI Lunge Log…especially for late winter and spring
opportunities, since many Region 3 seasons are open year round. As
renewed interest in the amazing fisheries of upstate New York continues to grow, anyone interested in forming a new chapter or two
Region 2 consists of 13 MI chapters in 3 states: Michigan, Iowa,
and Wisconsin. This fall will mark the first completed year under
the Regional structure. Last October Region 2 held its first
Regional Meeting in Eagle River,
Wisconsin; it was hosted at the Eagle
River Inn. In a good showing, 11 of our
13 chapters sent their RVPs to this historical event. The meeting was highly
acclaimed by those who attended. It was
our first meeting under the new Roberts
Rules of Order.
Our board consisted of Scott Samuels
(Recording Secretary), Jim Hefner
(Sergeant at Arms), Lorin Nevling (Acting
Parliamentarian), Bob Timme (Regional
LAKE
Director), Fred Brogle (Regional Director
& Chairman), and several special guests.
It all came together as a good “first”
regional business meeting.
Spring & Fall
Discounts
Satellite TV
Wireless Internet
New Cabins
Boat & Pontoon
Rentals
VERMILION, MN
[email protected] • 1-800-847-5253
www.muskiesinc.org
Regional Updates – Fall 2010
MUSKIE NEWS (Continued from page 11)
from the Niagara or St. Lawrence River areas are encouraged to contact the Region 3 Directors or MI President for assistance.
The 2009 Fall Region 3 meeting was held last October 24th at
the Ohio Division of Wildlife District 1 Headquarters in Columbus,
OH with 7 of the 12 Chapters in attendance. Elmer Heyob, the
Assistant Administrator of Fisheries Management & Research gave
an informative overview of the Ohio Muskie program with Q&A
session following. An election was held to determine the initial
Regional Director positions, and a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT) analysis was performed to help guide future
regional actions.
One of the best practices identified was for Chapters to work
with their state Departments of Natural Resources to become both
active partners and resources for muskie program activities. A shining
example is the Ohio “Minnow Fund”, which involves various muskie organizations providing zero-overhead direct support to the Ohio
muskie program through purchase of supplies and equipment coordinated through an annual
DNR ‘wish list.’ The 2010
‘wish list’ items included an
aluminum truck-mounted
minnow tank, two fish weighing scales, 2” pump, and 3000
PSI pressure washer for the
Kincaid State Fish Hatchery. A
Hugh C. Becker Grant was
awarded to Central Ohio Chapter 41 in the amount of $7,675,
which purchased the minnow hauling tank. Additionally, a pump
and two scales have been purchased and delivered through club
donations this year. Since inception, the clubs are up to $28,951 in
total support for the Ohio muskie program!
The 2010 Fall Region 3 meeting will be held on Saturday
October 16th. Due to the wide geographical distribution of Chapters
within the Region, there will again be a call-in teleconference option
this year for all RVPs. This meeting will include election of one
Regional Director position. Anybody interested in running for this
position is encouraged to contact their RVP to get their name
included on the ballot. A complete agenda and meeting location
details will be distributed to Chapters in early September.
Region 4 by Regional Director Earle Hammond
Region 4 has established a Regional Directors Fund. All the
chapters in the region are contributing $100 per chapter to help
cover the cost of the fall meeting. All chapters send their checks to
the Pomme de Terre Chapter which has opened a special savings
account to handle this. Any money left over during the year will help
pay for the rent of a room or other expenses associated with the fall
meeting. The Regional Directors Fund was set up so three chapters
(number of regional directors) would not have to bear the cost of
sending a RD to the regional meeting. We could have the meeting
by phone but the general agreement was you get more done by meeting in person. Besides, it is nice to get together with old/new friends
and discuss matters and fishing.
This year’s meeting will be held November 13, 2010 in
Springfield, IL. It will probably be held at the same location as last
year as this location is just about the center of our region and is easily located and inexpensive.
Many of the chapters are gearing up for their fall tournaments.
LET’S FISH! v
Muskies, Inc. Hall of Fame Announces
2010 Selection: Lynn Frazier
Lynn Frazier of Manchester, Kentucky and the Daniel Boone
Chapter #52 has been elected posthumously to the M.I. Hall of
Fame. Lynn was born and raised in the hill country of southeastern
Kentucky. As an avid angler his entire life, he frequented tributary
streams of the Kentucky River such as the Red Bird, Goose Creek,
and South Fork. He also spent countless hours over the years washing
baits on the Buckhorn Lake, Cave Run, and Green River fisheries.
Lynn was a very early supporter of the catch and release concept. During the 1980s and 1990s in southeastern Kentucky, if you
caught a nice river muskie, you most likely kept it. Catch and
release, while not completely unheard of, was not practiced to any
great extent. Through the sheer force of his personality Lynn helped
the release philosophy catch on much quicker than it would have
happened otherwise.
His all consuming love of everything muskie, led Lynn to
establish the South Fork Muskie Club. Their primary purpose at
that point was the protection and conservation of the muskie fishery
in the rural hill country of that part of the state. He realized, better
than many, that the trophy fisheries enjoyed today could not be
established and maintained without a strongly entrenched release
ethic. When Lynn heard about Muskies, Inc., he immediately
joined and encouraged his many fishing friends to do the same.
Lynn personally led many jon boat outings to the various
stream-based muskie fisheries located both close to his home and
some distance away. They all had the same primary purposes: sportsmanship, fellowship, and respect for the resource. Many muskie
anglers over the years, both young and old, were introduced to
muskie fishing through Lynn’s untiring efforts to promote the sport.
His consistent ability to catch large river muskies became a
regular topic of conversation at social gatherings. In spite of his
personal success, Lynn gained more satisfaction in seeing others succeed at the sport. His enthusiasm, good nature, and desire to help
others, made him a positive impact on all who knew him. He gave
much more than he got.
Lynn Frazier died on August 7, 2009, at 46 years of age, after a
valiant fight against cancer. As an avid outdoorsman, he touched
many lives. He was and remains today, a major influence on muskie
fishing and the muskie fishery in southeastern Kentucky. It has been
said, “If Lynn Frazier was your friend, he was probably your best
friend.” His character on and off the water, and his commitment to
doing things the “right way” made him a very effective and respected
ambassador of Muskies, Inc.
Muskies, Inc. and the M.I. Hall of Fame Committee are proud
to announce the election of Lynn Frazier to the Muskies, Inc. Hall
of Fame, class of 2010. v
Figure 8
by Kevin Richards
[email protected]
8
Our First Expanded Fall Showcase Issue!
www.muskiesinc.org
Committee, and especially to me and our magazine team.
Finally, as I start my fourth year as editor I must say a very special thanks to everyone who contributes to the success of MUSKIE
Magazine. This includes all of our readers, our officers, our advertisers, our chapter reporters, our authors, our illustrators, our field
editors, and many folks at Sunray Printing. However, I must give full
credit where credit is due. It would be impossible to produce any
issue of MUSKIE Magazine without the contributions and dedication of Juris Ozols, Jim Bunch, Brad Waldera, Terri Fierstine, David
Cates, Rick Helm, and John Windschitl. What a team!
After the thrill of catching your next muskie do your best to
carefully release it to fight another day; the future of our muskie
resource will literally be in your hands!
- Kevin
◆ FIGURE 8 ◆ FIGURE 8 ◆ FIGURE 8
I hope you enjoy this first Fall showcase issue of MUSKIE as
much as I have enjoyed working on it. This issue marks the start of
my fourth year as your editor. Thank you for your support and for
all the fun I have had in this endeavor!
As you may recall this is the first of three expanded issues during
a 2010-2011 pilot program. Remember, there will be no November
2010 issue of MUSKIE.
The plan for the pilot is to try three different seasons. The 2011
showcase issues will be March 2011 (we will skip the February 2011
issue) and July 2011 (we will skip the August 2011 issue). If the pilot
is a success we will ask our Board of Directors for permission to print
additional showcase issues in 2012 and beyond. As I’ve said before,
we never would have received approval to try this pilot program if it
hadn’t been for the support many of you expressed to our Board and
to your chapter representatives earlier this year. Thanks for that too!
So, during this pilot program, how will we measure success?
Since recommending this idea I have mentioned four goals which we
need to evaluate. Here are those goals and my preliminary assessment of each relative only to this first showcase issue:
1. Give our MUSKIE editorial and production team more flexibility so we can better
manage magazine content and use the showcase issues to highlight some special Fisheries,
Research, and/or Youth topics. Goal met. This
issue has more coverage of muskie fisheries and of
research topics and activities than any other issue
I have been involved with over the past three
years. It also includes special, larger-than-normal
coverage of the annual Gil Hamm Chapter
Challunge.
2. Attract more advertisers because of the
improved focus and content of the showcase
issues. Goal met. I was pleasantly pleased with
advertiser support of this issue. This issue includes
more paid advertising than the October and
November issues combined for either of the past
two years. I hope the trend continues!
3. Keep the cost of each showcase issue at
or below the cost of the two standard issues it
will replace. The final numbers were not in
when I wrote this column, but I think we will
meet this goal, especially considering the increase
in advertising revenue mentioned under goal 2.
4. Continue the showcase concept if it
receives generally positive support from our
members. Too early to tell. Please provide
feedback to you Chapter Reporters, Presidents,
RVPs, Regional Directors, our Executive
FIGURE 8 ◆ FIGURE 8◆ FIGURE 8 ◆ FIGURE 8 ◆
8
research
&
fisheries
◆
research
&
From Tom Penniston, Vice President
for Fisheries, Research & Youth
I would like to introduce myself as the new VP for Fisheries,
Research and Youth. My name is Tom Penniston; I am a long time
MI member and have been fishing almost exclusively for muskies for
over 30 years. In my first career, I was the State Hatchery Biologist
and Fish Health Specialist for the Arkansas Game and Fish
Commission. My Fisheries career spanned 12 years. Upon moving
back to Wisconsin, I changed careers and am currently a Systems
Administrator for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
So far in 2010, the Fisheries, Research & Youth committee has
approved allocation of Muskies, Inc. funds for the following projects:
Project Noble Beast,
Carleton University,
Researcher
Sean Landsman
Muskies, Inc. has provided
substantial funding to this study
on the effects of current catchand-release practices versus an
even more conservative style of
releasing muskies. The study is
already providing excellent preliminary data as presented in the
April 2010 issue of MUSKIE
Magazine.
Some additional
funds will be provided to this
research project to assist in the
finalization of the study.
&
research
◆
fisheries
Muskies Inc.
Fisheries, Research & Youth
Committee Report
Matching funds for
Chapter #57 Youth Fishing Derby
This was an open-to- the-public event for children 14 years old
and younger. The event was held in coordination with the State of
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Everyone is feeling the difficulties of the current economic climate, including our committee. In the past, Muskies, Inc. has been
able to assist in funding minnow purchases, net purchases and
numerous other items related to the day-to-day needs of raising and
managing muskies, as well as funding research projects conducted by
Universities and natural resource agencies. All were very worthwhile
endeavors. But, given budget constraints, we may have to engage in
more prioritization of our FRY funds to meet the goals of Muskies,
Inc. in the most financially efficient manner.
As I have become more comfortable with seeing where we are, I
have determined some goals and have some changes in mind for the
future, these include:
1. Separation of Youth funds from Fisheries and Research Funds
in the budget. Youth is a completely different activity from
the latter and it makes sense to fund it separately, and doing so
falls within current bylaws. This will also allow those donating
to Muskies, Inc. to specifically direct funds to Youth OR to
Fisheries and Research activities.
2. I would like to see greater coordination with and utilization of
other potential funding sources, such as the Hugh C. Becker
Foundation, to obtain funds for specific larger research
projects.
3. The identification of a research source, and funding for, a
project to assess the economic impact of creating a trophy
musky fishery on the locale where the fishery has been created.
There have been economic impact studies done all other
species, and all species together, but
nothing specifically on the funds generate
by a trophy muskie fishery. If we could
show on paper how much money a
trophy muskie fishery brings into a local
or regional economy, it would give us
considerably more leverage with
politicians and natural resources agencies
in promoting and creating trophy muskie
fisheries. I believe it would also aid in
giving greater protection to naturally
reproducing populations through length
and bag limit regulation changes.
fisheries
I would like to thank ALL Muskies,
Inc. members for their tremendous grassroots effort in helping to keep the Cass
Lake, MN spearing ban in place. It was a
great victory for that fishery and all our
members.
◆
fisheries
All requests are to be received between
November 1, 2010 and January 31, 2011.
Address all requests to Hugh C. Becker
Committee of Twin Cities Chapter of
Muskies, Inc., c/o George Selcke, 13004
Shady Dale Road, Minnetonka, MN 553434904.
&
Requests are not to be more than five (5) legibly typed pages; send an original and five (5)
copies, to include all the following criteria:
1) Name and address of the group, and a history of the group’s accomplished projects
to date, if applicable.
Demonstrate need - how will this project
benefit the Muskellunge program(s) in
area, region, or range in the U.S. or
Canada?
2) What is the project and what is purpose of
project?
3) Where is this project taking place?
4) What is the duration of this project?
Include start and finish dates.
5) What are the costs? Itemize equipment
and labor, and provide quotes.
6) Who will be involved? Provide names and
contact information (addresses, phone
numbers, email) for the project team and
project manager/coordinator.
7) Submit “milestone” dates for progress
reports and accountability.
8) Can the requesting group match funds
from another source? Please list.
research
◆
fisheries
&
research
Other Considerations:
- Cap on any individual grant/fund will
be $10,000; incrementally within year
or over the course of years.
- Credit to the Hugh C. Becker Trust
Foundation will be incurred in funding.
www.muskiesinc.org
research
Addendum:
Like projects/activities that may qualify per the wishes and conditions of Hugh C. Becker include, but are not limited to:
• Muskie propagation by chapters, similar to what the Twin Cities
Chapter #1 has done in the past.
• Stocking, by either raising muskie fingerlings or purchasing
fingerlings, yearlings, or adults for public use in designated
waters.
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Many MI members remember Hugh C. Becker. Before his
death, Mr. Becker worked with fellow MI member George Selcke to
establish the Hugh C. Becker Foundation. Sixty-five percent of the
dividends from this multi-million dollar foundation go to Muskies,
Inc. each year! The funds are channeled by the foundation board and
through the Twin Cities Chapter. Many worthwhile projects have
been funded in 2008 and 2009, the first two years of the grants.
The annual grant application process is open to chapters and
conservation agencies throughout the North American muskie range!
The grants can be used for projects such as muskie propagation,
stocking, habitat, water quality, and professional research. The 2011
grant application period will open on
November 1st.
What an amazing legacy Hugh Becker
has left for the benefit of muskies and muskie anglers! Here are the details.
- The Hugh C. Becker has priority rights to all press releases and
publications.
- If this project fails to reach its purpose, through false reporting,
deceit, and/or other unprofessional acts, the requesting group
may be responsible for restitution (committee determination).
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Hugh C. Becker Foundation
Awards for 2011
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• Habitat protection and improvement.
• Clean water (quality) protection and improvement.
• Professional research by qualified personnel (not limited to
Minnesota, but must include accountable data).
• Expansion of the present muskellunge range (special consideration for the Missouri river system in North/South Dakota).
The Twin Cities Chapter #1 Committee will consider projects based
on their respective merits per criteria above; awards will be published
in Muskie Magazine.
Summary of Hugh C. Becker
Foundation Projects Funded
2009-2010 – WOW!!!
Purchase of “PIT tags” to be used primarily in Elk Lake, MN, for
tagging fingerlings and adult muskies. Southern Crossroads
Chapter, #54. $9,000
Continued evaluation of the different strains of muskies that have
been stocked in the Madison, WI, area lakes; Capital City
Chapter, #8. $9,000
Assist with genetic broodstock diversity study by Loren Miller,
University of Minnesota; Twin Cities Chapter, #1. $6,900
Assist with genetic structure study of Minnesota and Wisconsin
muskellunge by Loren Miller, University of Minnesota; to the
Twin Cities Chapter, #1. $1,000
Funds for University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point angler opinion
survey to determine the quality of muskie-fishing and management; Dr. Dan Isermann and Dr. Kristen Floress. $8,500
Supplies for dam escapement study, University of Illinois/IL Natural
History Survey; $2,000
*** 2010 Grants ***
Funds for on-going study to identify spawning habitat, home ranges,
diets, and seasonal movements of Great Lakes muskellunge in
Antrium County Chain of Lakes, Michigan; Dr. James Diana
and John Molenhouse. $6,300
Fish Tank for St. Mary’s Fish Hatchery, St. Mary’s, OH; Central
Ohio Chapter , #41. $7,600
Support the Between the Lakes Chapter, #20, youth Turning Leaf
Challenge in Northern Wisconsin. $2,800
Additional feeding troughs for production of muskies at the
Waterville, MN, Hatchery; Twin Cities Chapter, #1. $1,500
Assist New Mexico Muskies, Inc., Chapter, #59, to procure minnow
feed at Rock Lake Hatchery, Santa Rosa, NM. $5,400
Trap nets for Minnesota DNR Fisheries for muskie spawning and
surveys; North Metro Chapter, # 21. $6,300
West Virginia Chapter, #09, for assisting the West Virginia DNR in
upgrading and renovating the Snyders Run Rearing Pond in
Lewis County, WV. $10,000
Netting to reduce predation on muskie rearing ponds at Lost Valley
Hatchery, Warsaw, MO; Pomme de Terre Chapter, #05. 1,400
Leech Lake Watershed Foundation for the habitat protection project for Lantern Bay of
Woman Lake, MN. $5,000
Leech Lake Watershed Foundation funding to
acquire shoreline land adjacent to the current DNR AMA land at Five Mile Point on
Leech Lake, MN. $10,000
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The Twin Cities Chapter of Muskies, Inc., Hugh C. Becker
Grant Committee was pleased to award nearly $200,000 in grants
during 2009 and 2010 for dozens of projects throughout North
America which will benefit youth, education, research, habitat, fisheries equipment, stocking, and, ultimately, the world’s muskie
resources!
Ray L. Rector of Bridgeport, WV, member of West Virginia Chapter,
#09, to complete his Eagle Scout project of stocking muskies in
Deegan Lake with the cooperation of the West Virginia DNR.
$1,000
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HUGH C. BECKER AWARDS (Continued from page 15)
Pit tags for the next phase of growth and survival study of fingerling and yearling muskies stocked in Minnetonka, White Bear, and
Bald Eagle Lakes in the Twin Cities metro
area; Twin Cities Chapter, #01. $4,600
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Twin Cities Chapter, #01, for stocking muskie
yearlings in conjunction with the Minnesota
DNR in White Bear Lake, MN. $4,200
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Muskies Canada for the Lake Simco
Muskellunge Restoration Project. $10,000
Fox River Valley Chapter, #39, in conjunction
with the Illinois Musky Alliance and the
Illinois DNR for stocking efforts in Illinois,
Indiana, and Wisconsin. $5,000
Fargo Morehead Chapter, #02, for stocking of
muskies in Many Point Lake, MN. $5,000
*** 2009 Grants ***
Identification and Protection of Critical Muskellunge Spawning and
Nursery Habitat in 6 Northern Wisconsin lakes by Wisconsin
DNR. $7,000
www.LurePartsOnline.com
The Lure Parts Online Catalog has
everything you need to build your
own muskie lures.
Leech Lake, MN Population Assessment project conducted by MN
DNR for quantifying the adult Muskellunge population using a
mark–recapture approach. Supported by the Brainerd Lakes
Chapter. $1,300
Brainerd Lakes Chapter endowment/scholarship fund at Central
Lakes College for two scholarships for second year students in
Natural Resource and Natural Resource Law Enforcement.
$1,000
Request your free copy at LurePartsOnline.com
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Twin Cities Chapter; for procuring and maintaining equipment for
raising and stocking muskies in MN. $2,000
Fargo-Moorhead Chapter Many Point, MN stocking program; assist
the chapter’s funding to MN DNR for the continuation of a
five-year stocking program. $5,000
Call or write for data on musky catches:
1 (888) 488-5601 or (807) 488-5601
Red Wing Lodge, Box 1008, Baudette, MN 56623
The convenience of a drive-in camp with the privacy you would expect on an island.
www.redwinglodge.net
Family owned and operated for 40 years
CHECK OUR WEB SITE FOR THE FIRST LIVE CAM IN MORSON!
www.muskiesinc.org
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Twin Cities Chapter in cooperation with MN DNR for purchasing
and stocking tagging fingerlings and yearling muskies in White
Bear Lake to determine angler recapture rates in highly pressured waters. This tagging program will be named the George
Wahl Memorial Program. $7,200 v
•Ultra-modern one, two, three, or four bedroom cabins
•Housekeeping or camping
•Floating docks, electricity for charging batteries, Lund Boats with swivel
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Twin Cities Chapter Lake Minnetonka stocking program. To assist
the chapter, with the cooperation of MN DNR, in purchasing,
stocking, and tagging fingerlings and yearling muskies in Lake
Minnetonka to determine angler recapture rates in highly pressured waters. $5,000
On Sabaskong Bay
Six-time Muskies, Inc.,
Chapter Challunge Headquarters
1983, 1986, 1993, 1997, 2003, 2004
fisheries
Southern Crossroads Chapter French Lake stocking program; to
assist the chapter, with the cooperation of the MN DNR, in
purchasing and stocking adult muskellunge. $3,400
Over
ies
10,000 Musk
d
se
a
le
e
R
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First Wisconsin Chapter; to assist the chapter in their continued
efforts to stock the Leech Lake strain of muskellunge in Lake
Wissota. $4,000
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Carlton University (Ontario) Project on Muskellunge Catch and
Release; a joint project with the University of Illinois and with
additional funding from Muskies, Inc. and Muskies Canada.
$10,000
fisheries
Leech Lake Area Watershed Foundation funding for the acquisition
of the Lantern Bay shoreline/land area of Woman Lake - critical
habitat identified by MN DNR. $5,000
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◆
North Metro Chapter to provide updated microscopes to MN Area
Fisheries offices. $2,200
84 Page - Full Color
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FREE
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Mille Lacs, MN Muskellunge Tagging program; MN DNR, supported by the Brainerd Lakes Chapter. $3,500
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Fishing for Life Youth Fishing Program; Twin Cities Chapter, #01,
for conducting four events targeted at promoting fishing among
Minnesota youth. $3,500
MUSKIE LURE
BUILDING SUPPLIES
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First Wisconsin Chapter, #06 for stocking of muskies in Lake
Wissota, WI. $2,500
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by Dr. Hal Schramm
he average temperature for Planet Earth increased 1.5 oF during
the 20th Century. Some say that is just random variations, others attribute the increase to the predominantly urban sites where
temperatures are measured. Maybe so, believe what you want. But
glaciers are melting at a phenomenal rate and ocean temperatures are
rising.
T
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Global Climate Change –
Fisheries Impacts
From 1901 to 2008, each year’s temperature departure from the
long-term average is one bar, with blue bars representing years
cooler than the long-term average and red bars representing years
warmer than the average. National temperatures vary much more
than global temperatures, in part because of the moderating
influence of the oceans on global temperatures.
The primary cause of increasing temperature and the sundry
side effects that together constitute global climate change is increasing amounts of carbon dioxide in the environment that traps shortwave (heat) radiation bouncing off our increasingly treeless planet.
The source of the carbon dioxide? Burning fossil fuels. Who is
burning it? Man.
An unfortunate compound effect occurs when man enters the
carbon cycle. More people burn more fossil fuel, so carbon dioxide
emissions are positively related to the size of Earth’s population, and
it is growing. More people need more houses, more pavement, more
malls, and more crops. Forested area is dwindling, and nature is
sponging less carbon dioxide from the environment. The result carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing at an unprecedented
rate, and Nature’s ability to restore balance is diminishing.
Peer-scrutinized forecasts predict average global temperature
rises of 2 to 11.5 oF by the end of this century. The high-end prediction is an estimate for status quo carbon emissions and deforestation;
the low-end prediction is what could be achieved if emissions are cut
substantially. Yes, some sources disagree with these predictions.
Some even claim the earth is cooling.
I am a fisheries biologist and an angler. I am pretty good at
forecasting the weather one day at a time and getting off the water
before the weather gets nasty, but I am not a climatologist. My purpose is not to convince you that global climate change is occurring
and is a significant threat. I will make no predictions. But I will
share known and potential consequences of a warmer climate on the
fishery resources and the game fishes that are central to our souls and
lifestyles. I will focus on muskie and where they live, but the results
apply to many of our valuable sport fishes.
My purpose is not to convince you that global
climate change is occurring and is a significant
threat. I will make no predictions. But I will
share known and potential consequences of a
warmer climate on the fishery resources and the
game fishes that are central to our souls and
lifestyles.
Direct Effects
You’ve read the claims of global climate change for North
America. Common to all is elevated temperatures, particularly winter temperatures. But then consistency wanes. Some reports predict
less precipitation, others predict floods. Let’s zero in on the musky
zone, the upper Midwest and the Northeast of the United States and
several hundred miles into southern Ontario and Quebec in Canada.
According to a 2009 report from the United States Global Change
Research Program, the Midwest and Northeast can expect to see
warmer temperatures, particularly in winter, decreased ice cover,
increased frequency and intensity of summer heat waves, and
increased precipitation in the winter and spring. What are the direct
effects on muskie?
The warmer temperature, by itself, is not bad news for muskies.
The range of E. masquinongy will shift north. This shift may open
up new muskie opportunities, but at the expense of decline and
potentially the demise of Ohio River basin fisheries.
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Water level changes may have very different effects on muskie
reproduction in different lakes. Biologists have found that shallow,
organic-bottom bays with abundant woody materials appear essential
for good spawning and survival of young muskie. This spawning and
nursery habitat may become unavailable in lakes suffering long-term
declines in water level. However, the large fluctuation that results
from winter and spring flooding and summer drawdown driven by
drought and high evaporation will benefit muskie in lakes that do
not endure long-term declines in water level. The summer drawdown will aid oxygenation and consolidation of the organic bottom
and provide better habitat when the winter and spring precipitation
refills the lake.
Water level declines in the Great Lakes
likely will have little effect on muskies.
Muskies spawn in deep-water weed beds in
Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River according to Michigan DNRE fishery research
biologist Mike Thomas. Thomas, however,
is suspicious that low water levels may force
northern pike to spawn in deeper water
with the muskie. Although results are preliminary, Thomas has seen higher incidence
of hybrid pike and muskie in year classes
that coincided with low-water events.
Muskies in small rivers may be more
vulnerable that those in lakes. The predicted floods in the late winter and spring
may benefit some populations by ensuring
The same shifts in temperature regimes that will alter the range
of muskie will affect all components of their ecosystems from the
planktonic algae and rooted aquatic plants up the food web to muskies’ preferred forage fishes. Expect habitats to change, including the
composition and location of some of those weedbeds that have been
so productive for so many years.
What difference can a few degrees make? The temperature
change is important, but so is the thermograph - the time of different
temperatures. I have fished a fairly large lake in north-central
Minnesota for many years. The lake has two basins - a moderately
deep 1,500 acre eastern basin, and a 5,700 acre main-lake basin.
Both basins support extensive weed beds, many with nice stands of
cabbage. The cabbage grows down to 14 feet in the main basin but
only down to 11-12 feet in the eastern basin. It appears that the
eastern basin warmed more quickly in the spring and supported an
early algae bloom that suppressed the deeper cabbage.
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Ecosystem Changes
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access to backwaters for reproduction, but summer heat will eliminate muskie from streams lacking adequate baseflow to provide both
depth and cool temperatures. Baseflow is groundwater flowing into
the stream that provides a minimum amount of flow in the absence
of precipitation and surface runoff. Groundwater is approximately
the average annual temperature in a region, so baseflow provides cool
water during the heat of the summer.
The resurgence of quality muskie angling is closely tied to the
fervent catch-and-release ethic of most muskie anglers, but increasing
water temperatures may affect the presently high post-release survival rates. The summer of 2010 was exceptionally hot, and water
temperatures in Lake St. Clair topped 80oF. While it’s not unusual
for Michigan DNRE crews to encounter one or two dead muskies
after a mid-summer weekend, Thomas counted eight dead muskies
floating in the southwest region of the lake after a mid-summer
weekend of heavy muskie fishing activity which included a large
tournament. The high mortality at 80oF seems surprising for a fish
with an optimum temperature of 78oF, but maybe it isn’t. I worked
with colleagues at University of Minnesota on a comprehensive,
multi-state study of mortality of walleye in top-tier live-release tournaments. We found that mortality rate increased rapidly beginning
at about 60 oF degrees, 10-12 degrees below the walleye’s thermal
optimum of 70-72 oF. While much remains to be learned, it appears
that capture and handling stress can cause high mortality at or even
below the optimum temperature for some fish.
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Although the winter and spring precipitation is expected to
cause more frequent local flooding, water levels in the Great Lakes
are forecast to fall due to higher evaporation during hotter summers
(graph). By the middle of this century, Lake Erie is predicted to fall
more than one foot, and Lakes Michigan and Huron are predicted to
be almost 2 feet lower. St. Clair will probably be somewhere in
between. Even greater declines in water levels may occur in inland
lakes, particularly lakes with relatively low watershed-to-lake surface
area ratios.
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GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE
The news media that buzzes about Asian carp in the Great Lakes
suffers severe myopia, and Asian carp entering Lake Michigan is just
one of many straws on the camel’s back. The Mississippi River basin
Heat + Drought = Fire
includes 35 states and two Canadian provinces. Anything that
Managers have succeeded in creating muskie fisheries in some
escapes into the Mississippi River or its tributaries can settle in an
pretty unlikely places, but self-sustaining muskie populations are
aquatic mega-system that extends from Montana to Ontario to West
typically found in lakes with heavily forested and undeveloped waterVirginia and funneling south to Louisiana. Warmwater aquaculture
sheds and riparian zones. Forest fires were ramis largely centered in the Mississippi River allupant during the drought that plagued much of
vial valley and in several major tributaries to the
st
the United States at the beginning of the 21
Mississippi because of the flat lands, fertile soils,
Whether you believe in
Century. The hot and dry summers forecast for
global climate change or and abundant ground water needed for aquaculthe Midwest and Northeast are conducive to
ture as currently practiced. Thus, much of the
forest fires. Fires don’t affect fish until the fires
not, the potential conse- northward expansion of aquaculture can be
are out and the rains flush the ash, nutrients,
quences should dictate a expected to trace the Mississippi River valley.
and sediments from the now-barren watershed
precautionary approach. Hopefully, recognition of a future filled with
into the lake. Even then, fires rarely have a
silver and bighead carp will stimulate tighter
direct effect on fish. The nutrients cause algae
control of the culture of non-native fish and
blooms; the ash and sediment smother bottomother aquatic species; but, lacking sufficient
dwelling invertebrates. The predicted winter and spring flooding
control, escapement from fish farms in the Mississippi River basin
precipitation will aggravate the after-effect of fires on water quality.
can contaminate a vast geographic range of aquatic ecosystems.
We can also credit international shipping and insufficient fedThe Worst is Yet to Come
eral and state regulations for more than 70 non-native species,
Many fisheries managers and biologists I know consider global including round goby, European ruffe, and zebra and quagga mussels
climate change a significant threat to the future of our fisheries, but that are now established in the Great Lakes. Many of these species
many others consider aquatic invasive species (AIS) a greater and can alter ecosystems, others can be predators or competitors with
more imminent threat to our native fisheries and the habitats that native game fish and all are potential reservoirs for new fish pathosupport them. Non-native species can invade and alter aquatic eco- gens.
The Great Lakes have been connected to the rest of the world
systems without climate change, but global warming and the changsince
the Welland Canal provided a navigation route around Niagara
es that accompany it are like to advance AIS problems. In a 2008
Falls, and it may seem that any aquatic
article in the Journal of Conservation Biology,
critter that could colonize the Great Lakes
Dr. Frank Rahel of the University of Wyoming
would have done so. Most of the invaders
and Dr. Julian Olden of the University of
that have established in the Great Lakes are
Washington provide a detailed account of
native to temperate and cold-temperate
how global climate change will facilitate
climates similar to the conditions offered
range expansion of non-native aquatic speby the Great Lakes. However, as the Great
cies. Here are some of their high points,
Lakes warm, conditions will become more
along with a few of my own thoughts.
favorable for invaders from warm-temperThe warmer water will allow alreadyate climates. Keep in mind that the same
established non-native fish restricted to more
northward shift in distribution of North
temperate and subtropical climates to expand
American fishes and other aquatic species
north. Cold-water intolerant species like
will be occurring in Eurasia, so ships from
tilapia, red bellied piranha, and walking catthe same European ports that brought the
fish may not make it into muskie waters, but
present colonizers may be transporting a
they will be able to expand into the Midwest.
new menu of unwanted guests.
However, non-natives that tolerate temperate
The Great Lakes are not only home to
climates, like the common carp, will move
a
myriad
of AIS but have also proven to be
further north with muskie.
a
source
for
the inland expansion of invadExpect new invaders as pathways for
ers
that
can
be
moved by anglers and boatintroduction expand. Almost all aquatic
ers.
Witness
the
recent spread of VHS
invasive species arrived in their new North
(viral
hemorrhagic
septicemia) and zebra
American homes via escapement from aquamussels
from
the
Great
Lakes throughout
culture or hitchhiking aboard international
the
Midwest
and
Northeast
and, for zebra
ships. Aquaculture will expand northward as
mussels,
even
across
the Rocky
growing seasons for warmwater species
Mountains.
lengthen. We can thank aquaculture and
Water gardens will move north as
insufficient federal and state regulations for
summers
become longer and winters
Asian carp that escaped aquaculture facilities,
become
milder.
These attractive novelties
spread throughout the Mississippi River
can
be
the
Johnny
Appleseed of unwanted
basin, and are now poised to enter the Great
aquatic
biota.
Commonly
used plants
Lakes.
(Continued from page 19)
High
Water temperature
Hal Schramm is a life-long angler and Professor of Fisheries at Mississippi
State University with interests in river fisheries ecology and recreational
fisheries management. He contributes to a number of popular fishing
magazines; in doing so he is a leader in bridging the communication gap
which sometimes exists between fisheries scientists and anglers.
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Global climate change. Likely? Imminent? The effects of climate change on the recreational fisheries resources we all enjoy and
the habitats are far greater than moving a few degrees on the thermometer and a few degrees north in latitude. Whether you believe
in global climate change or not, the potential consequences should
dictate a precautionary approach. While global climate change
remains a prediction, the changes to our aquatic ecosystems I’ve
highlighted are well established responses to environmental alteration. Sadly those who fail to address climate change today will not
be around to witness the outcome. v
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During the past two decades, the United States, through
the USGCRP, has made the world’s largest scientific
investment in the areas of climate change and global
change research. Since its inception, the USGCRP has
supported research and observational activities in collaboration with several other national and international
science programs.
fisheries
Time
Thirteen departments and agencies participate in the
USGCRP. The program is steered by the Subcommittee
on Global Change Research under the Committee on
Environment and Natural Resources, overseen by the
Executive Office of the President, and facilitated by an
Integration and Coordination Office.
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Native species
Ecological meltdown
The Mission of the USGCRP: To build a knowledge base
that informs human responses to climate and global
change through coordinated and integrated federal programs of research, education, communication, and decision support.
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Ecosystems are resilient. When they are healthy, they can resist
invaders. But when stressed by global climate change, aquatic systems could lose that resiliency. The simplest example of resilience is
predation on would-be colonizers. Muskie and many other sport fish
are formidable predators that can suppress (and probably have suppressed) colonizing invaders, but that predatory effect diminishes as
behavior changes or populations decline, responses expected with
climate change.
The environment, itself, can also block establishment of alien
species; but climate change can remove some of these barriers. For
example, warmer winters and less ice cover can reduce oxygen depletions in shallow backwaters and open up a niche for an invader;
alternatively, increased amounts of light that result from less snow
and ice cover can create conditions that allow establishment of nonnative aquatic plants. What lives and flourishes in rivers and streams
is determined by the hydrograph - the seasonal changes in flow.
Reduced summer flow may favor non-native species formerly inhibited by current. Predicted changes in precipitation patterns will
result in earlier spring floods in Midwestern and Northeastern
streams. Native species whose life cycle is keyed to the natural hydrograph may be disadvantaged while invaders able to benefit from the
earlier flood pulse will gain competitive advantage.
The alterations triggered by climate change reach meltdown
when the new environmental conditions suppress the native species
and give competitive advantage to the invaders. Beyond this point,
there is no restoring the system to its native state.
The Vision of the USGCRP: A nation globally engaged
and guided by science, meeting the challenges of climate and global change.
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Ecosystem Meltdown
All graphics in this article are courtesy of the U.S. Global
Change Research Program. USGCRP coordinates and
integrates federal research on changes in the global environment and their implications for society. The USGCRP
began as a presidential initiative in 1989 and was mandated by Congress in the Global Change Research Act of
1990 which called for “a comprehensive and integrated
United States research program which will assist the
Nation and the world to understand, assess, predict,
and respond to human-induced and natural processes
of global change.”
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include water hyacinth, which gets my vote for the most invasive and
injurious non-native aquatic plant in the U.S., and fishes that
include goldfish and koi. Sold, installed, and maintained by the
unaware, many water gardens are halfway houses for these and other
aquatic invaders. When the water gardens flood or the novelty wears
off, the non-natives often end up in surface waters. If you think this
is just a prediction, think again. Mike Thomas has collected water
hyacinth from the St. Clair River, the Clinton River, and the Detroit
River at various times during the past eight years. Fortunately, the
cold winters appear to have prevented overwinter survival of this
plant in the St. Clair system so far. Global climate change predicts
the surface waters will be warmer than in the past and more likely to
allow the escapees to survive and flourish.
Life on
Lac Seul
Late Fall
by Erik Jacobson
The author with a hefty 54-incher on
Halloween – trick or treat!
I
n the first installment of the story of my visit to Lac Seul with Sure enough, no problem, and off we went with a full load up the
Moosehorn Lodge’s Linda Rice and Lac Seul Guide Greg lake. Seeing the lake at this time of year was very interesting, instead
Marino, I shared some details of our summer trip and some of the lush green shores, it had the classic desolate look of fall. With
insights I learned from them about fishing that legendary water in snow on the banks it was obvious the end of the open water season
the warm water period. This installment will focus on my second was near, and with it, hopefully come the big muskies of late fall.
With the rifle near, Linda and Greg hoped to spot a Moose on
visit during the late fall cold water period.
I left Garrison, MN on October 30th in a steady rain. I was the way to add to our load. As we traveled a keen eye was necessary
being optimistic and hoping I would drive out of it. Not to be the to differentiate the stumps in back of the bays from an actual Moose.
case, it rained the entire way to Sioux Lookout. The forecast was I was anticipating the whole scenario, hoping it was going to actually happen when we came by a deep bay,
calling for a cooling trend, rain turning to
and in the back was a bull moose belly deep
snow, but after driving that far into Canada
I’ve had some of my best
and still facing rain I was a bit skeptical. Sure
in the water. As we throttled back, he reacted
and headed for the bank and in a flash was
enough, shortly after arriving the rain turned
fall fishing when there’s
gone in the woods!
to a wet snow . . . and then began accumulatsnow on the ground and
We arrived at the houseboat with the
ing. By morning there were a few inches on
joyous sound of the generator still running.
the ground and I loved it!
you get that funny look
Unloading our gear and packing a quick
I’ve had some of my best fall fishing when
from people when you’re
cooler we were psyched to get started fishthere’s snow on the ground and you get that
still towing a boat.
ing. To my amazement, the first trolling run
funny look from people when you’re still towwas within view of camp! I broke out a
ing a boat. They usually ask, “Puttin’ her away
bright colored Jake, asked for approval, got
for the winter?” Nope, we’re goin’ fishing!
After loading all the gear in to the boat, I was wondering if it it, and snapped it on. We’d barely got started and Greg said, “Come
would even go on plane or “on step” as they call it in the Northwoods. on, right here,” and I got a rip straight away! I jumped up and
grabbed the rod and barely got a hold of it, and
the fish was gone. I reeled in and checked the bait,
including smelling it, to see if I could tell what had
hit it (Greg said they had caught a lot of nice pike
along with the muskies). But, with no sign, I put
it back in with forty feet of line out.
No sooner did I get the rod in the holder the
clicker screamed again! I hadn’t even sat down.
This time it stuck and turned out to be a nice midforty inch muskie - my first Lac Seul muskie. It
was Halloween, trick or treat . . . and it turned out
to be a treat. As a result of that action, Greg
decided it would be prudent to make a third pass.
We turned around, reloaded, and set up for a
return pass.
We got about half way back thru the pass
when my clicker screamed again! As I jumped up
to grab the rod, the fish
The high fives concame to the surface and
tinued as this was
did the big circus act –
quickly turning into the
that got our attention
slugfest we had all
and we all knew it was a
hoped for. We decided
big one, I got the rod
to go further up the
out of the holder and it
lake to some fresh water
did some more surface
but it turned out little
antics before turning in
results. After re-thinkto a towing match. She
ing the spots that had
had spent a lot of enerproduced for us so far,
gy doing the wash
we decided to do a remachine after the strike
run of all them. Later
and was content for the
that afternoon it didn’t
Linda with a 50.5 inch muskie caught on the morning of November 2nd.
moment with me pulltake long to connect
ing her in our direction. Slowing she kept coming closer, I thought with another fish on the spot where we had previously caught two
for sure she was going to get her strength back and start thrashing others. The drag screamed and I would have sworn it was a big fish.
again so I played it cool and slowly eased her toward the net. It wasn’t With the amount of line it was taking, it was either another giant or
until she felt the net surround her that she started in again. But by a foul hooked smaller one. Sure enough as I finally got it within sight
that time it was too late.
it was a low forty inch fish with the Jake in the back of its head.
Looking in the net the celebration began. This fish was huge! I
What probably happened is the fish went for the lure, and after
pulled it out and it kept comin’. When the dust settled, I was releas- getting hooked began the usual rolling and the lure came out of its
ing a fat fifty four inch muskie with a twenty four inch girth within mouth and lodged in the back of its head. Needless to say it was quite
a half an hour of the start of our trip! I sat back, basking in the feel- a battle! With that we decided to go back to the area where we caught
ing only a big fish can give you. The day had started out with a bang, the 54-incher. Just as the sun was coming out for the first time since
but ended quietly with no more fish caught. I joked with Greg and we got there, Greg’s rod went off like a starter’s gun. It was almost
Linda that I might as well just pack it up and head for home, my trip surreal with the sun rays coming down and the rod bucking in the
and my year were was made. But in reality, you couldn’t have pried holder. Greg was literally basking in the new sunshine, and had just
me off that lake.
The area where we caught the fish was a small island off the
main channel that had character – steep breaking in some areas, yet
feeding shelves in others. It was near the mouth of a neck down area
of the lake that had current, a classic spot, summer to fall. We concentrated our efforts on the main lake side.
The next morning started out with a bang again as both Linda
and Greg caught nice mid-forty inch fish in about a half an hour.
Both fish were caught on tulibee imitating crankbaits while fishing
- DELUXE CABINS
- SMALLMOUTH BASS
an underwater extension from shore with a sweet high spot on the
- AMERICAN PLANS
- NORTHERN PIKE
end of it. The depths ranged from eight to fifteen feet of water. We
- FINE DINING
- LAKE TROUT
rounded out the day with a spastic mid-thirty inch fish that was
- 18’ AND 21’ BOATS
- WALLEYE
doing it’s best to get bigger.
- GUIDED PACKAGES
- MUSKIE
The general set-up we used was three rods. Forty feet back on
the inside line, sixty feet back on the outside line, and twenty five feet
back on the down rod in the prop wash. The down rod generally had
a little deeper diving bait on it than the other two rods. Colors didn’t
seem to matter much. We caught fish on colors ranging from the
natural tulibee or walleye patterns, to the loud and gaudy fire tiger
perch pattern. Also, the hot pattern Jake did catch a lot of the fish
including two of the bigger ones.
There was definitely something about the mornings as we
started out day three with another bang. We were trolling a narrowed area with current and steep breaking shorelines and it didn’t
For reservations call:
take long before Linda got a big rip! With the battle in full swing it
Toll free: 1-800-682-6123
quickly became apparent this was another big fish. It came to the
Or e-mail: [email protected]
surface to show off, twisting and rolling, trying to throw the lure to
P.O. Box 579
no avail. As Greg readied the net, Linda slowly eased the fish in that
Sioux Lookout, ON P8T 1A8
direction until she hit pay dirt. With the fish securely in the net it
www.canadafish.com
was time to survey the situation. The tale of the tape read fifty and
a half inches with another solid girth. Over the side she went to fight
Owned and Operated by: Carter and Linda Rice
another day.
www.muskiesinc.org
LIFE ON LAC SEUL
said, “Energize me,” leaning back taking in the rays when the rod
went off.
Pandemonium ensued as we once again began readying to
land another fish. Greg had been the patient and consummate
guide as Linda and I had both caught big ones. Now it was his
turn. With another giant on the line, it was up to Linda to get it
in the net. The fish went from one side to the other trying it’s best
to free itself from the big Jake. But it was useless, that fish was soon
in the net. A quick glance revealed another big muskie. Shortly
thereafter, Greg was releasing another fifty and a half incher. We
When Greg also caught a 50.5 inch
muskie, November 2nd turned out to be
our second three fish day. This time
two of them were over fifty inches!
had just had our second three fish day, but this
time two of them were over fifty inches!
The next day brought more snow and some
heartbreak. We lost at least three fish and one
seemed to be another good one. The day came to
an end with the muskies on the winning team. It
hurt a little to lose the fish, but looking back it
shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise as we
had quite a streak going prior to that day; as
everyone knows with fishing, all streaks will
come to an end.
On our final day we battled more snow and
wind but managed another mid-forty inch fish
and lost another in the same size class to round
out our trip. The entire time the water temperature seemed to hover around forty degrees. Even
with a decent amount of snow fall during the trip
the water temperature didn’t budge that much. It
really shows you how radical the weather has to
get to drop the water temperature in a short
period of time. Another interesting observation
was that we covered a lot of water – and a lot of
fresh water – but almost all the fish came from
three general areas. So it really goes to show you
that once you’ve found some areas that are producing fish, it’s really important to stay on them
and check them frequently as new fish may move
in at any time.
When we got back to Sioux Lookout there
was a considerable accumulation of snow on the
ground, and it suddenly looked like winter. As I
drove south back toward Minnesota it didn’t take
long for the snow to disappear and it looked like
a normal fall again. Thoughts of Lac Seul are still
fresh in my mind as I write this, and I’m already
looking forward to my next visit. I’d like to thank
Greg and Linda for their hospitality and new
found friendship. v
It might be supposed that Leland D. White is more
than vaguely interested in muskies. For more than
two years he ate, slept and worked in the belly of
one - all the while fighting to stay alive.
“J
ust received a couple of Muskies, Inc. calendars,” Lee informed us last January. “Great
job in putting that together. I started to leaf
through the pages, and then saw there’s so much info
for each month that I decided to take it one month at
a time. That way I can savor it for the whole year.”
Now chasing his 92nd birthday, Lee has intimate
knowledge of the largest Esox of them all, the fleet
submarine USS Muskallunge. And that’s why we
asked him to share his own trophy photos. In this issue you’ll find
images of the all-time record musky: 3,052,000 pounds with a length
of 3,744 inches. Some fish. Some tape measure!
Muskallunge (SS-262) was hatched
at Groton, CT (Electric Boat Co.) and
released at nearby New London on
December 13, 1942. Following commissioning, she arrived at Pearl Harbor
in August, 1943. During the next two
years, Musky made seven war patrols
and earned five battle stars while steaming more than 100,000 miles. Leland
White served aboard as motor machinist from launch to layup, 40 months in
all, and retired in 1961 as a chief petty officer – 24 years a submariner.
As of this writing, White is one of four known
Musky survivors from the original crew of 65.
In defiance of the actuary tables, Lee stands out
as a triple dipper: Navy retirement pay (half a
century’s worth), Ford Aerospace corporate
retirement pay, and Social Security. Widowed
in 2008, his ties to the Navy are irrepressible
and consume much of his time and attention.
Lee’s taken V.I.P. trips aboard two nuclear submarines and is actively involved in the San
Diego Chapter of the WWII SubVets CPO Leland White,
circa 1948.
Association. A close camaraderie not much different, we venture to opine, than that of Muskies, Inc.
As for war stories, Lee has a number of them, but just one will
suffice. Imagine for the moment you’re a crew member aboard
Muskallunge. Explosive depth charges, more than 50 before it’s over,
come raining down on your head. Three Japanese anti-submarine
escort vessels are hopping mad because Musky has just torpedoed and
sunk Durban Maru, a 7,163-ton transport loaded with a regiment of
Imperial troops. Now the escorts have Musky zeroed in on their sonar
screen at a depth of 300 feet. Despite frantic maneuvers, the sub can’t
break contact. Her demise, and yours, seem certain.
Musky’s stern, and therefore her props, are soon driven into the
www.muskiesinc.org
muddy bottom of the South China Sea due to a half-dozen serious
leaks in the boat’s hull. Desperate after an eight hour pounding, and
with oxygen so depleted that a struck match won’t light, the captain
orders every available crew member to cram into the forward torpedo
room. Musky, like an obedient teeter-totter, responds to the sudden
weight shift and her stern breaks free. Muskallunge limps off to
Fremantle, Australia, spared to fight another day.
But wait – there’s more! And no, this isn’t a
TV infomercial. Lee White and a fellow shipmate
(both long retired) answer a classified ad in a Navy
publication that seeks contact with former
Muskallunge crew members. The year is 1991.
Who pops to the surface but a Japanese citizen
named Ujihito Kimoto. Mr. Kimoto, it turns out,
is one of the surviving solders aboard Durban
Maru, and now the owner and CEO of an international company with
a branch office in the U.S. Kimoto is on a mission to heal his own
wounds and those of his former enemies.
Lee, his shipmate and their wives are put up in the Ritz Carleton
Hotel in Marina Del Ray, CA and treated like royalty, as Lee remembers. The three couples are driven that evening to Hollywood in a
stretch limo and attend a live stage show. Further social gatherings
follow, including a reunion with Muskallunge’s second commanding
officer, Mike Rusillo, the man directly responsible for putting Kimoto
and his fellow soldiers adrift on life rafts when he ordered: “Fire one!
– fire two! – fire three!”
No other branch of the U.S. military suffered as great a casualty
rate as the submarine force (3,502 crewmen and 52 boats lost). More
than a quarter-million applicants volunteered for the Silent Service by
war’s end, but only 16,000 served aboard subs. Among an estimated
2,750 still alive, none are younger than 82. WWII sub vets refer to
themselves as “smokeboaters,” in contrast to today’s nuclear-powered
sub sailors. Lee and his crew mates still joke about the fragrant and
irresistible men’s cologne they wore when ashore - diesel engine fumes.
And now, your undivided attention, please.
Time out for a
musky anatomy course.
Examine a musky’s four pectoral fins.
Located fore and aft in pairs, they almost perfectly match the diving
planes (hydroplanes) on a fleet submarine. And they serve the selfsame purpose, allowing both fish and boat to angle bow-upward when
surfacing, and bow-downward when submerging. Technology mimicking nature. And again like its namesake, Muskallunge could, and
did, put up a good fight on the surface as well as beneath it.
Her ultimate fate? Not exactly catch and release, but close. She
was used as a practice target off Long Island, NY in July 1968. One
of Lee White’s former Muskallunge shipmates broke her back with a
single torpedo fired from another submarine. No scrap pile for this
battered but unbeaten prowler. Muskallunge now rests in home waters,
half-a-world away from where she earned her laurels, but within fifty
miles of her Connecticut birthplace. v
Wisconsin native Tony Welch pursues tiger muskies in Washington State
and, wherever he finds them, WWII veterans with a tale to tell (for a
sample, Google up “God, My Dog and I”). Welch is himself a greybeard
US Navy vet – going back 55 years. Splice the mainbrace!
Keith Hammerbeck
Some of the
great fish
caught during
Challunge
Week…
Rob Yure
Lynn Shuster
Wes Worel
Nate Hutchison
Gordie Shaw
Cliff Arola
Mike Phelps
Joe Mustar
Cliff Arola
Jeff Isom
Joe Mustar
Brian
Johnson
Thank You!
2010 Gil Hamm Chapter Challunge - Thank You!
A
big Thank You goes out to all 173 people from 15 Chapters
that participated in this year’s Gil Hamm Chapter Challunge!
Fishing was tough but we all
had a great time. Everything from
the awesome meals to the camaraderie of muskie fishing made this year’s
event a blast! Oh… and who can
forget Dusty in the pink grass skirt
and shell bra presenting Fargo/
Moorhead with 2 bottles of Crown
Royal due from last year’s bet between
Fargo and the Brainerd Lakes Chapter. Absolutely
priceless! (use >> embedded pic or crop #22 from
FTP collage photos)
Another big Thanks goes out to Ed and his
crew at Vermilion Dam Lodge for going out of
their way many times to make sure that we had
everything that we needed. They are a top notch
resort with a top notch staff! (insert #35 from
FTP collage photos)
Also, a HUGE Thanks
goes to Steve and Lynn at TriEsox Productions for sponsoring the Gil Hamm! Without their sponsorship
every year the Gil Hamm wouldn’t be as successful
as it has been. When you support and attend their
Chicago Muskie Show you support the Gil Hamm.
Thanks Tri-Esox! It was great to meet and have
you attend this year’s Hamm!
Thank You to everyone in the Brainerd Lakes
crew that helped make this the best event that it
www.muskiesinc.org
could be. When the BLC received word from the 2009 Champs, Star
of the North, that we were a go to host this year’s event we were
thrilled! It took a lot of hard work and dedication but it was also a
ton of fun. Thank you Star of the North for letting us host this year.
We’d do it again in a heartbeat!
Last but not least a BIG Thanks goes to all of our sponsors this
year. Your sponsorship is truly appreciated! Muskie fishermen and
women around the country use your products and it’s great to see
that you all support Muskies, Inc.
One more thing…. the Hamm website, www.vermilionchallunge.com, was an absolute smash hit! As of this writing, since June
20th when it became live, there have been
over 250,000 hits on the site. The site has
been updated one last time before it will be
shut down the end of October. The update
includes a Challunge slideshow of over 130
pictures for everyone to enjoy. Please check
it out before it’s gone. Depending on what
the 2010 Champs, Star of the North, have
planned there just may be a 2011 Hamm
website to enjoy. Stay tuned.
Thanks again everyone. My
wife Jody and I along with the
entire BLC crew had a great time
this year and look forward to seeing you all next year!
Jeff Young, President
Brainerd Lakes Chapter #24
www.muskiesinc.org
Eagle River,
Wisconsin
by Patricia Strutz
A map of the Eagle River Chain courtesy of the Eagle River Chamber of
Commerce. The lakes west to east on the Chain are: Watersmeet (with
Wisconsin River flowing in from north and Eagle River flowing in from
east), to Yellow Birch, Duck, Lynx, and Eagle. Eagle flows into both
Scattering Rice and Voyageur which flows into Catfish. Catfish goes into
Cranberry and then the Eagle River again. Then there is a boat hoist to
Long Lake which is the start of the upper part of the Three Lakes Chain.
O
ne of Eagle River’s claims to fame is that it offers the world’s
largest chain of inland freshwater lakes. The Eagle River, a
tributary of the Wisconsin River, flows through a series of
28 lakes. The entire chain is accessible to boaters. Numerous boat
landings are scattered along the way and a boat hoist (between
Cranberry Lake and Long Lake) attaches the lower section of the
Eagle River Chain to the upper part of the Three Lakes Chain.
This is a fantastic place to visit. The lakes hold a variety of lodgings - Northwoods resorts, campgrounds, and chain hotels. Tie up to
one of the many restaurant docks to enjoy a Friday night fish fry or
a juicy hamburger. There are four tackle shops in town and a short
side trip west takes you to Minocqua - home of The Musky Shop.
Non-anglers will enjoy great shopping, a children’s museum, and
fantastic bike and hiking trails.
Muskie anglers are starting to realize the incredible number of
muskies that call the Eagle River Chain home. Many folks feel that
this water holds the best opportunity for anglers to tie into a legal
sized fish. The 2010 Professional Musky Tournament Trail participants witnessed this first hand as the June event posted a record
number of 71 muskies caught and released.
Springtime on the Chain
Longtime Muskies, Inc. member Tom Stark has participated in the
Headwater’s Chapter Spring Classic Tournament for many years. He
and partner Jack Smith won the tourney recently and placed several
other times. Held in early June, Stark relays some early season tips:
Do your homework prior to the tournament. Spend a
day before scouting potential areas to fish. Don’t overlook areas like the inlets between Cranberry and Catfish.
Look for concentrations of baitfish and weed development that would be
sufficient enough to
hold fish. Weeds
were always key in
the past, however, in
recent years we are
seeing more muskies
related to suspended
forage.
Locate
the reddish color broadleaf
cabbage. It is more
MI member Tom Stark and his fishing partner difficult to find now
have placed in the Spring Classic several because of the invatimes and won it a few years ago. The tournament is hosted by the Headwaters Chapter and sion of Eurasian mil
held on the Eagle River Chain each June.
foil. In these dark waters, you’ll find it early season in two to four feet
of water, particularly near the dam.
Small lures work best, such as a Mepps #5. I attach a
weighted swivel/snap and count it down to a certain
depth. Small cranks and rubber, using slow presentations, work well
too. The water is clear in early season so we generally choose more
natural colors.
Fishing guide Bill Jacobs adds:
During early season, poke around in some of the smaller lakes like Otter, Duck, and Voyageur. The latter is a
glorified river channel. In spring you’ll find the muskies really shallow there, near lily pads and bulrushes. As the season progresses
they’ll move adjacent to or in the deep river channel.
In Scattering
Rice, the fish
relate to the channel into
Deerskin River, especially
if there is current. In
years when there is current that area holds fish
all season. Same goes
with the other river
inlets, but, there must be
current. The Three Lakes
Chain has to be full (after
most normal rain seasons) to open the Otter Bill Jacobs showcases a nice tiger
dam to create current. muskie he caught on the chain and he
When that happens, fish- has his MUSKIE hat on! Bill is very
ing those neckdown areas active in the Headwaters chapter.
is always productive.
Small bucktails shine in spring, topwaters in summer,
and glide baits or suckers in the fall. I feel the brighter
color the better!
Good Old Summertime
Fishing guide Jim Rechlitz has fished Catfish Lake for 50 years.
He shares:
Muskie fishing seems especially good during years of
early ice off. The spawning season is over before the
opener (last full weekend of May) and water temperatures rise to
promote weed growth.
Best summertime action is found over weedbeds (6-10
feet of water) and on weed edges. Small black bucktails
with bronze, silver, orange, or lime green blades work well. I like to
add a white twister tail to one hook.
We have high recreational traffic on the Chain but the
muskies seem quite conditioned to it. However, for a
more peaceful outing, avoid the traffic by fishing from 6-10AM.
Evenings are also nice, with prop style topwaters being most effective.
Some of Catfish Lake’s milfoil is treated with 2-4-D
chemical in late May.This allows the good weeds (coontail, cabbage) to grow. This is a continuing maintenance program as
new beds of milfoil are found. Be sure to drain and clean your
livewells and take weeds off your boat trailer.
Muskie anglers are starting to realize the
incredible number of muskies that call the
Eagle River Chain home.
totally different from the rest of the chain. It is basically the
Wisconsin River. It has current and picks up feeder streams from Lac
Vieux Desert. Look for deep holes, quite often found in sharp bends
in 12-14 feet. But, don’t neglect the shallows, either. Muskies are
found in both these areas. Grinding spinnerbaits through the weeds
works well here all summer long.
Guide Fred Brogle notes that
on windy days the Eagle River
main channel is a good place to
target; small jerkbaits work well
Muskie-Friendly Lodgings
there. He adds:
Seven years ago Derek Burzinski learned to cast for muskies.
By mid-August the
He’s now a Headwaters Chapter member, owns eight rod and reel
Chain
develops
combos and over 300 muskie plugs. He’s caught the fever. As the
quite an algae bloom. The lakes
General Manager of Wild Eagle Lodge, he helps create a fisherman
do not bloom at the same time
friendly atmosphere:
or hold the same discoloration
We are located on the peninsula that connects Duck
so I move around to find the
and Lynx Lakes and have great access to fish the entire
cleanest water.
Chain. All lakeside condos overlook the water and provide compliRegular
size
mentary dockage and electric hook up. We also have a private boat
Bulldawgs are my
launch and a lounge, Boondockers, to relax and tell fish stories. We
go-to bait all summer long.
enjoy customizing trips for groups such as Muskie, Inc. clubs.
Fred Brogle, MI Region 2
There is small forage on this
Director, guided Doug Mulford
We have hooked up with resident guides to offer fishing
to this Fall muskie caught on chain so you don’t have to kill
packages (special prices on lodging/guided trips)
yourself throwing big baits. I’m
the Eagle River Chain.
throughout the season. Regular Fishing for Regular Guys (RFRG)
a firm believer in the dark days/
guides Matt Buettell and Peter Stoltman provide the guide services
dark baits, bright days/bright baits motto. The color chartreuse is
and offer fishing schools. They’ll host a muskie school again this
always a top producer.
month (October 2010).
During late summer the muskies are found in both shalRFRG broadcast live from our lodge stage every Sunday
low and deep water. The most consistent patterns seem
evening on an Internet radio show. You can listen and
to be soft plastics on deep weedlines and spinners or topwaters over
interact in person, by phone, or email. They share fishing tips, curthe weeds in the evening.
rent reports, and often have guests stop by. You’ll find the live link
Muskie Matt adds that Watersmeet, the
on Buettell’s site: www.muskiematt.com.
last lake on the chain, is not fished as hard
For more info, please visit www.wildeaas the rest of the chain and there is also less
glelodge.com or call (877) 945-3965
recreational traffic; this makes for great fishConscientious anglers have moved away
ing. He adds:
Fall Fishing
Look for the weed and river
from single hooks (“death rigs”) to
For many, fall fishing on the Chain
channel edges. This area is
the use of quick-strike sucker harmeans soaking live bait. Rechlitz remarks:
nesses. These quick-strike rigs allow
I use a quick strike rig with a
for an immediate hook set. Different
spinner ahead of a 9-12 inch
sucker.
Suspend
the sucker on a float bobtypes are available. This particular
ber
about
three
feet down. I’ll work a
style comes equipped with a long
weedline with a jerk bait and position the
leader (90#, seven strand wire), the
sucker right at the edge. There’s generally
hooks, and a ball barrel swivel on
open water through November, however,
the end to eliminate line twist. A
some of the boat landings ice up earlier.
dipsy sinker weight is added above
Brogle adds:
The best landings for fall
the leader. One hook is placed
fishing are T-Docks on
through the cheek of the sucker and
Yellow
Birch
and
the Eagle Lake Landing.
up through the nostril. A small piece
We’ll slowly throw glide baits
of rubber anchors the hook so it
(mantas and hellhounds)
“Muskie Matt” Buettel, a Headwaters
doesn’t work its way back out. The
while
presenting
live bait. In Wisconsin,
Chapter member, guides out of Wild
treble hook is placed in front of the
we
can
fish
with
three
lines per angler. So,
Eagle Lodge. One of Matt’s shows off a
dorsal
fin.
when
the
water
temps
fall
below 55 degrees
muskie caught on Watersmeet Lake at
the far end of Eagle River Chain.
Quick Strike Rigs
www.muskiesinc.org
EAGLE RIVER, WI
I put out two suckers. Look for the quickest drop areas. I’ll weight
one sucker and put it on a float 15-20 feet behind the boat. This rig
will be almost on bottom, where the baitfish are stacking up. The
other sucker is also placed on a quick strike rig but alot closer to the
boat, only three feet down. Quite often a muskie will follow a lure in
but not eat it; he’ll see the sucker and take it. Be sure to be in free
spool with your clicker on and brakes set. As soon as he nails the
sucker and moves away you can engage the spool and set the hook.
Author/guide Patricia Strutz chooses to stick with artificial lures.
Casting or row trolling the deep areas of Eagle and
Catfish Lake have always produced fish for me when the
water temperatures are between 48-60 degrees. Smaller, straight (not
jointed) crankbaits in a variety of colors work best. Some of the big- Casting or row trolling artificial lures (particularly crankbaits
gest walleyes on the Chain also hit these same lures during this time. and soft plastics) along Eagle Lake’s deep edges and basin is
Motor trolling is illegal on Class A musky waters in northern effective all season long. Here, Maggie, a client of Patricia
Wisconsin. You might want to check with your local DNR Warden Strutz, sows a nice musky caught while casting a rubber bait.
regarding the interpretation of this rule relative to
the use of electric trolling motors for boat control
while dragging a sucker.
(all are members of the Muskies, Inc. Headwaters Chapter):
No matter when you fish the Eagle River Chain
Bill Jacobs
Matt Buettell
you will find plenty of fishing opportunity, good
(715) 891.5574
(715) 891.5980
guides, fine lodging and a healthy population of
www.muskiematt.com
muskies! v
Guides
Patricia Strutz is a fishing guide, outdoor writer, and
Field Editor for MUSKIE Magazine. For information,
visit her website at: www.ablondandherboat.com
Fred Brogle
(715) 479.5873
www.haverodwilltravel.com
Jim Rechlitz
(715) 479.6113
email: [email protected]
The Importance & Fun
of M.I. Membership
by Greg Wells, Vice-President of Membership
O
ur editor asked if I would like to write
an article about the importance and
benefits of M.I. membership. At first I
was a bit apprehensive (because I am not a
writer by a long shot) but here goes.
Let me start by giving a short history of how and why Ellen and
I became involved in Muskies, Inc. Relatively new to muskie fishing,
we were invited by a friend, with free tickets I might add, to attend
the Banquet/Fund Raiser of the local Chapter - Between the Lakes,
Chapter 20.
The Banquet turned out to be a blast - good food, raffles, door
prizes and over 300 attendees. What caught our attention was that in
their Banquet Book they
advertised where the proceeds had been spent. We
were impressed. The majority of the money was invested
locally on muskie stocking,
youth programs, habitat and
lake improvements and other
conservation projects. We
had to become part of this
great chapter of Muskies,
Inc. The rest is history. We each have a story of how and why we
became members and I hope that they are memorable experiences.
What is the importance of being a
member of Muskies, Inc? One of the very
basic things which is quite important to me
is helping our organization grow in number.
Muskies, Inc. has been recognized as representing the largest collective group of muskie fishing men and women in the world for
the last 44 years. Just as NRA is the voice for
the right to bear arms, Muskies, Inc. is the
national voice for muskie fishing and conservation. The Muskie World throughout
the U.S. A. and Canada respects what M.I. has done and what we
have to say. Our membership numbers and longevity contribute
immensely to this recognition. I can’t say enough of how important
it is to just be a member supporting the M.I. mission. It is cheap
insurance to assure that your muskie fishing opportunities continue
to be the best that they have ever been.
Another extremely important element of membership occurs in
the trenches, pursuing the mission at the local and chapter level.
Those members willing to accept leadership rolls, participate in fund
raising, get involved in youth programs, or help with stocking, habitat improvements and
research programs are
critical.
These individuals are
the blood
and sweat
www.muskiesinc.org
that drives our organization. I
don’t mean to scare you off,
perhaps you just want to be a
member and nothing more, that’s
okay. We need you and I sincerely
thank you for being a member.
However, I would encourage
everyone to try and participate in
at least one event or project each
year - you may find it fulfilling
and fun. Without belaboring the point (well maybe I am) just
having you as a member is so important to the strength and success
of Muskies, Inc.
What do I get for being a member or what are the benefits?
They are many. There are the obvious such as the top notch magazine
and the searchable database we call The Lunge Log.
My favorite is the
opportunity to meet people
who share similar interests.
I have literally hundreds of
friends across the country
who have met through M.I.
outings or good fellowship
tournaments like the
Chapter Challunge, Cabin
Fever, the Frank Schneider,
the FRV’s circuit and many
more. The pictures on pages 26 thru 29 highlight some of the fun,
fishing and camaraderie of our 2010 Gil Hamm Chapter Challunge.
What a blast!
Heck you might not even have
the winter muskie shows so many of us
enjoy if there wasn’t a Muskies, Inc. the major shows were developed by
M.I. members or chapters. In turn,
the shows give back to Muskies, Inc. in
many ways.
Education about fishing and conservation is another major benefit of
membership. There are countless seminars held at the chapter level in addition to the Fisheries, Research and Youth stories which are featured
in MUSKIE Magazine.
I could list many more benefits, but
just one more should be enough for every
member. The great state that muskie fishing enjoys today is due in large part to
what we all, as Muskies, Inc. members,
have done and continue to do to promote wise muskie management, sound
conservation practices, and successful
catch and release of this fish we treasure!
There are about 350,000 muskie
anglers in the world - they should all be
members of Muskies, Inc. I challenge each
and every member to bring one new
member into our organization each year.
Can you imagine what we can become?
Be a proud and passionate member. I am. v
All photos on this page are from the 2010 Chapter Challunge.
Eagle Lake, Ontario, Canada
by Patricia Strutz
O
h, Canada...thoughts of rugged islands with pine
trees seemingly jutting out of rock come to mind.
Miles of shoreline, soaring eagles, expansive sunsets...and, of course, fishy looking spots everywhere. I’ve had
the pleasure to fish many lakes in Canada but this year I
headed up to new waters: Eagle Lake.
Eagle Lake is located in Northwestern Ontario - east of
Lake of the Woods, southwest of Lac Seul. With over 68,000
acres, it’s an amazing piece of water. In fact, it’s almost several
lakes wrapped up into one. In the western arm one finds
extremely clear water - practically aquamarine. Vermilion Bay
has a few more weeds and more color. Take a boat ride south
through the channel and back northeast to the mid-lake. The
water is still clear, but slightly more green. Head further east
and the soil and sediment from the weeds starts staining the
water - more green than brown at first. The further east you
traverse, the darker brown the water becomes.
As a novice in these waters, I looked for some insight
from the guys who have been fishing it for years. Here’s what
they shared.
Mid-Lake
A rocky shoreline gave up this monster muskie. (Photo courtesy of
South Shore Lodge).
My week on Eagle found me at South Shore Lodge. Owner
Gord Makara hosted an all-women’s trip. We fished for a variety of
species, ate exceedingly well (too well!), and enjoyed the remote surroundings. Makara notes, “Yes, our camp is remote, but, some of the
lake’s very best fishing is in our backyard. Water up to 90 feet is a
short boat ride away. This deep, cooler water is full of ciscoe, whitefish, and walleye.”
As musky fishermen know, access to deep water means big fish
potential. Big predators roam the abyss and adjacent island and reef
structures. “During the summer pattern you can jig up a tasty shorelunch off the deeper underwater structure, then bang crankbaits over
the nearby slightly shallower underwater humps in search of pike or
muskies.”
The first few days of our mid-summer trip were met with bluebird skies. The surface temperatures rose eight degrees. Muskies were
fickle. We moved a couple on weed edges but could not find a distinct pattern. Camp guide Jason Campbell provided some pointers,
“With our early spring this year, we are several weeks ahead of schedule. Our weedbeds are already starting to deteriorate. The healthiest
weeds are now found in deeper and cooler water. During late summer we generally fish those areas in the evening and concentrate on
the deeper structure and rock piles during the day. From this position
on the lake, we have easy access to clear water and darker water. On
cloudy days, I prefer to fish the clear water. Conversely,
head east to the stained water on sunny days. You’ll
notice the water color deepening as you fish North
and South Twin Islands and even more past the East
Three Sisters.”
Campbell brought us east and yes, we saw some
tankers. In a few short hours we had six fish up, four
were over 48 inches. Unbelievable. But, alas, we
couldn’t get them to eat. The following day we lost a
supertanker. We fan casted a submerged mid lake
reef.
On our last cast when we were now on top of the
reef she exploded out of nowhere. Flying out of the
water with the bucktail in her mouth, she was inches
from landing in the bow of the boat. Then, a quick
dive under the boat, and gone. Those are the
moments a musky fisherman remembers . . . and
mumbles about.
Campbell fishes “traditional” musky structure
(weeds, channels, island points) but concentrates on
No Fishing at Night
Eagle Lake regulations prohibit fishing at night.
Makara explains, “The law states that your lines must be
pulled at sunset. This restriction was enacted primarily to
limit the harvest of larger walleyes but it encompasses all
species. Fish hard from sunrise to sunset and then head
in to relax, celebrate, or drown your sorrows.”
underwater humps and submerged rocks during the summer. He
brought us to quite a few that don’t show up on the map. “The
maps available for this lake aren’t great,” he notes, “there are
many humps and reefs that aren’t shown. The area around the During bluebird skies in summertime, target deeper structure such
lodge is relatively safe but the further east you head, the more as the mid-lake’s humps and underwater reefs. (Photo courtesy of
hazards you’ll encounter. But, hazards can hold some of the big- South Shore Lodge).
gest fish in the lake. Time on the water will introduce you to
target. Most of our guests prefer to cast over troll, but, trolling can
many of these unmarked structures, or hire a guide
be especially productive in the fall. We are one of the few resorts open
to cut back on your learning curve.”
until mid-October. Fall fishing means fishing rock - rocky shorelines,
The South Shore crew fishes with similar lures as Herbeck does. rock bars, rock points, rock walls, and over the top of deeper humps.
Since it was summer, steady
We also look at transition areas; for
retrieve prop style topwaters proexample, the narrow areas between
duced evening action (over the
Eagle Lake continues to hold up to its
basins, especially with wind.”
cabbage) and accounted for the
“If we are enjoying Indian
reputation
as
a
trophy
fishery.
Year
after
week’s largest fish. Campbell
summer conditions (sunny, warm
year anglers on this pristine Canadian
recently caught his largest muskie
stretches) fish will start using the
on a Creeper. This area of the lake
shield lake catch big muskies and wallweeds that are left again. But overreally offers diversity, from shallow
all, I’d say fall means rock. Big
eye. With an abundant forage base,
back bays to deep basins, broadprofile baits work the best. High
leaf cabbage to rock rubble, clear
predators are heavy and the fishery
silhouette blade baits (Cowgirls,
water to stained water. It is all
Flashers, Spankys), deep diving
remains
healthy.
Grab
your
passport,
here, including a 58-incher spot;
cranks and minnow baits (Jakes
obtain an outdoors card and Canadian
ask Makara where it was caught
and Grandmas), and rubber
and released two years ago.
fishing license, and book a trip!
(Bulldawgs) are always the go-to
An interesting note - in this
clear water the cabbage grows out
to around 12-14 feet. You will not see the tassles in
water this deep. During the daytime do some reconnaissance. Locate these deep weeds and mark them down so
you can fish the area effectively later without ending up
right on top of it.
I found South Shore Lodge extremely accommodating and innovative. Next year they’ll host both a
couples trip and another all-women’s trip.
The Western Portion
Long time musky angler and Capital City Muskies,
Inc. member Steve Herbeck owns Andy Myers Lodge.
The lodge caters to all levels of fishermen but according
to Herbeck, “While Eagle is noted for a multi-dimensional fishery, we live and breathe muskie fishing. Our
guides are specialized. The muskie guides fish only for
muskies every day so they keep track of the pulse of the
lake and the daily patterns. The key to fishing Eagle is
using its versatility with different basins, depths, habitats, and water color according to time of season,
weather conditions, and current fishing pattern.”
“As is common in Canada, most of our fishing in
summer through fall is done in 4-18 foot breaks. Fish
will use deeper areas, but 4-18 is a good depth range to
www.muskiesinc.org
In addition to big muskies, the lake offers an awesome walleye fishery.
Author Patricia Strutz jigged up several dandies.
EAGLE LAKE
advertising his guide business in MUSKIE about 6 months ago. He’s
a very interesting fellow and makes many of his muskie lures. Fisher
lures. We use alot of natural and dark patterns changing blade, tail, has one cabin available for folks fishing with him.
Fisher offers these tips for fishing Osbourne, “In this darker and
or contrast colors on hard baits according to darker days verses
brighter days. As you move into the greener water, brighter colors shallower portion of Eagle I like bright baits. For casting I use
work well. I personally like a natural perch, sucker, or black pattern mostly bucktails and topwaters with lots of red, orange and charwith hard baits and combining the same color schemes for blade treuse. Osbourne Bay is very good for fall trolling with baits like the
baits with nickel blades in clearer water and orange blade in darker Grandmas or Believers. Bright colors remain good in the fall; my
best producer is a 10-inch orange Believer with black spots.”
water or on darker days regardless of water color.”
Eagle Lake continues to hold up to its reputation as a trophy
“The lake is changing. Fifteen years ago we used to see very few
fish under 40 inches. In the past six to eight years the population is fishery. Year after year anglers on this pristine Canadian shield lake
exploding. We still have as many big fish but we are also seeing num- catch big muskies and walleye. With an abundant forage base,
predators are heavy and the fishery remains
bers of 36 to 45 inch fish. I attribute this to
healthy.
the fact that the lake is becoming more ferAn Insider Tip
Grab your passport, obtain an outtile coupled with the 54-inch size limit and
Herbeck relays, “There are a a lot of
doors card and Canadian fishing license,
a high percentage of voluntary release. We
big fish, 48 to 54 inches, percentage wise
and book a trip!
implementated a camp policy of 100%
in the population. There’s also an incredirelease unless it is a potential world record
ble forage base which means a lot of
South Shore Lodge
16 years ago; most other resorts have folcompetition. On fisheries with big fish
www.southshorelodge.com
lowed. More fish are spawning and more
and deep forage you’ll often see follows;
800-324-5352
fishermen are releasing these spawners. We
it’s the nature of the beast on these deep,
now have quality and quantity.”
Poplar Ridge Outfitters
clear water systems. You’ll need to trigger
Lewis Fisher
these fish as they aren’t always feeding in
807-937-2249
Osbourne Bay
contact spots. You will locate more fish
Located in the far eastern part of Eagle
working slow and steady but you’ll catch
Andy Myers Lodge
Lake, the waters are root beer brown. I did
more working aggressively, even in the
www.andymyerslodge.com
not venture into this area but MUSKIE
fall. Provide triggers within retrieves,
888-727-5865
Magazine’s Juris Ozols fished these waters
bouncing rocks, ripping baits, twitching
Patricia Strutz is a fishing guide, outdoor
for quite a few summers. Ozols notes,
the lure immediately after it hits the water.
writer, and Field Editor for MUSKIE
“Summer fishing in this area means fishing
Boatside manuevers are important: big
Magazine. For information, visit her website
the slop. Muskies are found in shallow bays
turns and wide, deep figure 8s. Make sure
at: www.ablondandherboat.com
full of cabbage, coontail, rice, and bulrushyour equipment is in top condition. That
es. You may even find them in lily pads with
means long, forgiving rods, sharp hooks,
bass buzz baits.”
and drags set correctly. We tear off alot of
I recently fished the dark waters of
fish at the boat because we hook alot of
southern Lac Seul and found the summer
‘em at the boat. Don’t look for magic, take
muskies in similar habitat there. Just for
care of your gear because big fish invarikicks and grins we did throw into some slop
ably have a way of finding the weak link.
in the mid-section portion of Eagle, but to
Finally, take a piece of the lake and learn it.
no avail. Big fish in those clearer waters
Learn how its structures lay out and are
seem to relate to deeper structure.
most efficiently fished. You don’t have to
Osbourne Bay is one of the primary
run all over, there are fish from one end to
muskie fishing spots for guide Lewis Fisher
the other.”
of Poplar Ridge Outfitters. Fisher started
Muskie Guide Service
Dryden, Ontario
on Wabigoon, Eagle, Thaddeus & Ord lakes
Backwater Adventures for
Pike, Bass & Walleye
Fall Trolling Specials
Guide Service or Full Packages Available 807/937-2249
A fine muskie caught by a guest out of
Andy Meyers Lodge on Eagle Lake
(Photo by Steve Herbeck).
Lower Manitou
Muskie and Pike
Fishing
by Kris Esselink
Kris Esselink (right) with client Mike; photo by Mike’s nephew
Mitch. Mike was fishing for a mid-fifty inch muskie that had
followed earlier when this big pike hit his phantom.
A
s he came back to the dock to pick me up our guest yelled,
“It was one of the biggest muskies I’ve everseen!” I’d had to
take care of a couple tasks early in the morning so I’d sent
him out for an hour around the corner from the Manitou Weather
Station where we had been catching some big northern all week. As
we pulled away from the dock, we decided to give the Big One an
hour or so of rest and then go back and hit her again.
The lake has a strong population of pike into the 30 to 40 inch
range, with some over 40 inches. There are always fish in the weeds,
but with the lake being deeper and colder than most lakes, the weed
beds are not as numerous as in some other waters. This makes finding the weed beds important. The big pike can be caught throughout
the summer in the weed beds, but in greater numbers in the early
part of the season. Some lures to use while pike fishing are Vibrax
#6, X-raps, and Phantoms. When in doubt there is always the
Mepp’s #5.
The muskies of the Manitou can get big and fat. They are not
as numerous as in some other lakes, but they make up for it in their
girth and size. After the spawn the muskies can be located onthe
reefs, weed beds, and points around the lake. My favorite spots are
mostly reefs. Some of the lures of choice up here for muskies are
Phantoms, Suicks, Eagletails, Believers, and King Kongs.
Come visit. I’d love to serve as your host and guide! v
Kristie’s biggest fish to date; photo by her husband Wyatt.
Once back at the spot, his second cast had a 38 inch muskie nail
his lure. Not the big one. While he continued to throw for the big
one, his nephew was casting out of the back of the boat. He caught
about a dozen or so nice pike with half of them in the mid-thirties.
Finally something big nailed his lure and headed for deep water. This
is it, we thought. We were surprised to see a 44 inch pike come up.
We were disappointed and excited. It was the nephew’s biggest pike,
but we were looking for the 50-plus inch muskie that was lurking
around here. Maybe next time.
The clear blue waters and the rugged shorelines of the Lower
Manitou make for some fantastic muskie and pike fishing. The lake
has some very deep areas, up to 300 feet. The lake’s many bays and
reefs hold plenty of fish. The lake is remote enough not to have a lot
of fishing pressure but is easily accessible by boat or floatplane.
www.muskiesinc.org
Jake’s personal best was the 9th muskie to be caught off this
same reef by anglers from MWS this year.
O
n our July 2010 muskie trip to Lake Manitou
we stayed at the Manitou Weather Station
Fishing Lodge on one of the best muskie
waters in Ontario. It has a uniquely cryptic name and
all kinds of gold mining history, including wonderful
tales of Bill and Alice Watson. MWS is at the northern end of Lower Manitou Lake and at the southern
entrance to the Manitou Straits which leads to Upper
Manitou Lake. On the way is the Watson house and
the ghost town of Gold Rock is on the upper lake.
Manitou is a clear water lake with a typical tannic
colored stain. The Ontario government is maintaining it as a pristine wilderness lake with no new development or logging on its shores. There is only one
access by road to the Esox Landing boat launch at the
south end.
Our group gathered in International Falls, picked
up groceries across the border in Fort Frances, and
then headed north on highways 11 and 502. That’s
The wooded interior of the Point Cabin.
It has three bedrooms, a screened
porch with a lake view to three sides,
and its own dock.
Manitou is a clear water
lake with a typical
tannic colored stain.
The Ontario government
is maintaining it as a
pristine wilderness lake
with no new development or logging on its
shores.
Manitou Weather Stations has four modern cabins sleeping six or more people each.
the paved part of the trip. Off 502 we took Cedar Road
and then Esox Landing Road which are both gravel but
kept in very decent shape. It’s about 50 miles by road to
the boat launch at Esox landing. From there it’s some
25 miles north to Manitou Weather Station by boat
across both small and big water. It’s also about 50 miles
by air from Fort Frances and the resort has fly-in services available.
We were met at the dock by our host Kris Esselink,
a fine young man who guides, cooks, fixes up things,
and even flies an airplane for the lodge. We were put up
in the “Point” cabin, one of four cabins at MWS. Our
cabin, which sleeps six or even more, is surrounded by
water on three sides and has a beautiful view across the
big water to the south.
All the cabins have full kitchens, refrigerators, grills,
etc., or you can eat at the lodge. MWS offers all the
Host Kris Esselink and his dogs on the main dock with the lodge
standard plans and has very flexible arrangements for
behind him.
lodging. They have boats available for rent or you can
Their season runs from ice out in early May until the last party
bring your own.
The lodge building itself was put up around1980 and a couple departs usually at the end of September, but they’ll stay open into
lived there year round. They sent in daily weather reports and thus October if needed.
While muskie fishing is a primary attraction,
the lodge got its name. It was purchased by
all the usual fish species are present. Smallmouth
Kris’ father and uncle 5 years ago and is now
bass 4 pounds or more can be caught throughout
run as a fishing resort. Its clientele comes from
the lakes; Kris says that autumn is his favorite
a number of Midwest states and has repeat busitime for them. Northerns abound, and we
ness from as far away as Tennessee and Texas.
caught them in substantial numbers on our trip.
An interesting feature of MWS is their
A lot of them were upwards of 30 inches; we
solar power system. They have 16 panels that
didn’t get many small ones. This promises some
charge a large bank of batteries, with diesel
superb fishing for large pike in a few years.
generators that are used mostly for backup.
The big, open water of Lower Manitou Lake
During our stay the lodge operated entirely from solar and the gento the south goes down to 300 feet and has lake trout which can be
erators were not turned on.
caught with downriggers or just plain trolling. Most are found anyJerry Bucholtz
where from 40 to 120 feet. They average 4 to 8 pounds – great
releasing a 42 inch
eating – but fish up to 30 pounds have been caught. Big walleyes are
muskie caught on
also present but you have to work for them.
a shallow weed
bed on the first day
Despite the non-cooperation of muskies during our trip, I thorof fishing.
oughly enjoyed our week and recommend it highly. v
www.muskiesinc.org
Bill and Alice of The Manitou –
Legendary Characters
W
by Juris Ozols
e’ve enjoyed many interesting characters in muskie fishing over the decades. As just one example, Louie Spray is
a true gem. But he doesn’t hold a candle to the characters
we meet in the early days of gold mining in North America.
I’m very fond of the stories of Mark Twain and Jack London and
the poems of Robert Service. If you don’t know what happened
when Sam McGee was cremated, well, find out.
However, much as I like all that, it happened in the 19th century
and unfortunately well before my time. So you can imagine my
delight when I stumbled across “Bill and Alice” on last summer’s
muskie trip to Manitou Lake. Here were two legendary characters
just as sparkling as any of Robert Service’s, but they were real! Let
me tell you about them. Here’s a very brief glimpse into the lives of
these two charming folks.
*******
Northern Ontario’s Cambrian Shield, some 2 billion years old,
contains a variety of ores and minerals. In the early days people
trapped and hunted the region but greater riches awaited. In
the1890s discovery of gold in the lands around Lake Manitou kicked
off a classic gold rush. By 1895 the new boomtown of Gold Rock
was home to some 200 families and numerous prospectors.
Among their number was one William Watson, known at times
as “Rattlesnake Bill.” He was headstrong, a pioneer, a prospector,
and, well, a spell binding story teller who belonged to the liar’s club.
It seems his prospecting served primarily to establish claims that he
could sell to make a living, not only in Gold Rock but also in other
parts of Canada. That any of the claims he sold ever made a profit
is uncertain, but perhaps unlikely.
As it happened, 50 year-old Bill met 31 year-old Alice Peacock
on a Great Lakes steamer trip. She was a schoolteacher raised on a
farm by Methodist parents and he was one of a group of miners
cruising the lake. At first Alice considered him and his friends to be
The house that Bill built for Alice, under construction in the
1900’s. This was a fine frame house, much better than most
houses of the time.
Alice and Bill Watson in the later years of their life together.
Bill is already growing his beard, but look at Alice – take away
a few decades and imagine what a beauty she was when Bill
met her.
ruffians. But Bill, although 20 years older than she, was tall and
dashing with his handlebar moustache and city clothes. In fact, he
was something of a lady killer. It was widely believed that he was
looking for a companion who could cook. Alice had learned all the
housewifely skills on her family farm. He told her sob stories of his
youth and, yes, he claimed to have money and more to come, and
referred to his home as an estate. Before the trip was over, he gained
her interest. They married in December 1903.
Bill brought her back to the Manitou. She brought along her
nice clothes, engraved calling cards, and fine china ready to jump
into the social life she had been promised.
Alice discovered that his “estate” was an eight by ten foot shack
with a dirt floor sitting in isolation on “Watson’s Point” some ten
miles by water from the town of Gold Rock. But it did have an “out
house.” You can imagine how much “social life” went on. It certainly was not what Alice had been told about or imagined herself.
Alice could have exploded, but she didn’t. As befitted women
in those days, she resigned herself to being a good wife to Bill. She
learned to garden, hunt, fish, and use her housewifely skills to sew
and make clothes. She became a resourceful pioneer woman.
That lasted two years, and then Alice became desperate. In their
third spring together she told Bill she had to visit her niece near Port
Hope in Ontario. Bill reluctantly agreed. Alice packed up some of
her fine clothes, and Bill rowed her the ten miles to Gold Rock where
she took the steamboat to Wabigoon and the train station. She
bought a one-way ticket and told the station agent she wasn’t coming
back.
She had a wonderful time with her niece, for three months.
Then one night came a knock on the door…
When Bill got her back to the Manitou, he lived up to one of
his promises. He started building a big, two-story frame house on
Watson’s Point. The white house with red trim had two bedrooms,
lots of windows, and sat a hundred feet from the bay with a beautiful
view down the lake to the south. For the times, it was a truly fine, a
“standout’ house when most buildings were of log construction.
They moved in and Alice went back to her duties.
A couple of years later in the spring, Alice made another bid for
freedom. She took the canoe one morning and headed for Fort
Frances. She camped for the night on an island, sleeping under the
stars, and woke up to see Bill standing there.
Alice didn’t do that anymore. She spent the rest of their days
together being a faithful, obedient wife. Bill tried various ventures,
including raising a dairy herd. He continued to prospect too, but
very little came of any of that. His hair and beard turned white, and
he turned into an old man.
The first Manitou gold boom had fizzled in the 1900s and a
second smaller one took place in the Manitou in the 1930s. But it
too amounted to very little, and by that time Bill was in his 80s and
couldn’t do much with it.
Bill died on a winter’s night in 1938 while Alice watched over
him. She snowshoed ten miles in the middle of the night to Gold
Rock, arriving at daybreak, and enlisted the aid of a group of miners.
They knocked together a coffin and took Alice back to her home.
They brought along dynamite and blasted through solid rock to
make a grave for Bill.
Alice buried him on the hillside behind their house.
When Bill died, Alice was 66 and in good health. She was now
free to do as she wished, to go back to “civilization.” So did she
leave? No. Alice lived there in her two-story house for 17 more
years. We can speculate that over the decades she had fallen in love
with the magnificent lakes and forests of the Manitou. She didn’t
want to leave anymore. She lived off the land and a small government
pension, raising her garden and continuing to hunt and fish. The
reluctant, unwilling wife had become a mature, self-reliant woman of
the wilderness.
But she was not alone.
Watson’s Point is in the middle of the Manitou Straits, a
major north-south waterway
to Gold Rock. Her house
became a well-known stopping point for Gold Rock
people, trappers, tourists,
and anyone traveling the
lake. She welcomed visitors
with open arms, gave them
a place to stay for the night,
and they brought her food
and other necessities.
One of her guests was
young Pete Peterson, 18
years old in 1941. He and
a friend stopped by on a
canoe trip and stayed with
Alice for a few days. They
shot a deer and caught
some fish for her before
Alice by herself in the years after
Bill died. The look on her face – this moving on.
Alice taught them a
is a content, self-confident woman.
www.muskiesinc.org
The Watson house today, some 100 years old. It still stands
on Watson’s Point with a grand view down Manitou Lake to
the south.
lot about the lake and wilderness life. By his own words, she changed
his life. Alice could see his fascination with the Manitou and offered
to be a grandmother to Pete if he came back, which he did until late
fall when the war intervened. Pete wrote her several
letters from overseas and went
back up there after discharge.
Pete became a regular visitor
to Alice over the years. Alice
died in 1955, and Pete has
visited her gravesite many
times and remembers her
fondly.
When Alice died 17 years
after Bill she was buried next Bill and Alice’s final resting
to him on the hillside behind place, just a short distance up
their house where they both the hill from their house.
now rest together.
*******
What I’ve written here is just a small glimpse of the stories of
these two fascinating characters. There’s far more to be told.
I first found out about them when Jerry Bucholtz, my boat
partner on our summer Manitou trip, told me a bit about “George
and Alice.” He had been there on previous trips and knew about
their house and some other things. Although as it turned out he had
Bill’s name wrong, what he told me whetted my interest greatly. I
talked to Kris Esselink, our host at the Manitou Weather Station,
who knew a lot more. We stopped by the house, still there on
Watson’s point, to take photos and pay our respects to Bill and Alice
at their gravesite.
Kris also showed me the book “Yellow Brick Roads to Gold
Rock” by Hazel Fulford who has written extensively about Bill and
Alice and the history of the Manitou. I got in contact with Hazel
who was gracious enough to respond and review the drafts of this
article. She also sent me the early pictures of Bill and Alice and their
house that you see here and gave us permission to print them. I
believe they have not been published before.
Hazel also put me in contact with Pete Peterson who provided
the information on his early acquaintance with Alice.
I truly appreciate the material from both Hazel and Pete.
Hazel’s books on the Manitou are fascinating and well worth reading.
You’ll get to know Bill and Alice much better in her writings.
Finally, my thanks to Bill and Alice Watson for having entered
my life; I am much richer for it. v
The Magical Mysterious Manitou
by Tom Stark
M
The next day was a beautiful warm summer day with a slight
y first contact with the magic and mystique of Lake
Manitou occurred in 1985 after hearing about the 59 wind. My guide was Tom Nickels who spent all of his summers on the
pound muskie caught by Gene Borucki in 1984. This was Manitou. After the introductions, Tom told us, “to be ready and
the recorded weight after the gigantic fish regurgitated several fish expect that any fish could be over 50 inches.” In less than 30 minutes
while on a stringer tied to the boat and was then weighed over 24 I saw my first muskie near Powder Island that Tom said was over 50.
As it followed the lure I went into a deep wide figure 8 trying to get
hours after being caught.
In late July of 1985, four of us flew into the Upper Manitou the lure to pass in front of the muskie’s mouth. In doing so, I slapped
from Dryden, Ontario as the only access by water is from Esox Lake, the side of the muskiewith my rod and it immediately darted away. I
really thought I blew my chance for a 50
over 60 miles away. We arrived just before dinincher. Tom reminded me it was only 8:45
ner and from the air it was easy to see beauty of
and we had many other good places to
this large remote lake system with its many bays
Consider the Manitou for AM
fish. A short time later we were fishing
and islands.
one of your future trips
Watson’s Bay in 14 to 16 feet of water with
Scheduled to fish with a guide the next four
numerous patches of cabbage being about 2
days, we were eager to get on the water right
and you might fall in
feet below the surface. After a few casts in
after dinner without a guide. The camp owner
love with the Manitou’s
this bay I noticed a large swirl stirring the
told us to try Half Moon Bay about a half mile
water about four feet from where my lure
to the south. Even in the early evening it was
Magic, Mystique and
landed and then this huge muskie was folapparent how clear the water was, we could see
Muskies. Good luck!
lowing my Bango lure. As I frantically
the rocks, boulders, weeds and bottom in over
twitched my Bango faster and faster the
15 feet of water. I was fishing with my favorite
muskie nailed my Bango then went down
Bagley Bango lure in a crawdad color pattern. In
less than a dozen casts and after a couple of 28 to 30 inch northern, into the cabbage. For several minutes I did not see the muskie and
I hooked into a nice 46 inch muskie, my largest muskie at that time. when I did, it was a big ball of weeds. Mumbling something like, “we
After releasing it, we saw several other muskies that looked larger will never land this muskie wrapped in weeds”, Tom reminded me to
following our lures back to the boat but they were only “lookers”. keep a tight line and when the muskie is ready to net, it will have very
few weeds. Sure enough, in another couple of minutes the huge
Needless to say we were really pumped for the next four days.
muskie emerged from the weeds nearly weed free and Tom
netted it on the first pass. Needless to say I was elated when
Tom said the fish was 52 inches! Tom said the fish was an
older male with a very large head and probably had a
heavier body a few years ago. At shore lunch everyone rigged
up their rods with crawdad colored Bagley Bangos. After
lunch we fished around several of the small islands on the
east side of Doyle Bay. At the north end of the second
island we fished I hooked another heavy muskie on my
Bango lure. After a good fight, Tom netted the fish and
measured it at 54 inches; we released the fish after several
photos. To finish my first day of “magic” on the Manitou I
caught a 48 inch muskie on the same crawdad Bango before
we headed in for dinner. Four muskies in less than 24
hours, all being larger than my personal best, was my first
experience with the “Magic of the Manitou”. The “Mystique
of the Manitou” also began that very first day with none of
my three partners catching a muskie that day and no one
caught a muskie for the last three days, even though many
casts were made with the crawdad Bango lure by everyone.
However, everybody saw several large muskies which Bob
Roloff called “Fence Post Muskies” because of their size.
Since that first Manitou trip, I have experienced the
magic and mystique of the Manitou many times, with the
magic usually being at least triple the mystique. I have
Kris Esselink, manager of Manitou Weather Station, guided Charles
enjoyed the magic and the mystique of the Manitou every
Weiss to this muskie in 2010. Charles contributes cartoons and illustrations to MUSKIE Magazine and to the Muskies Canada Release month from June to November. One year I made 5 trips.
Most of the trips were 4 days, but one year I stayed fifteen
Journal.
days straight to catch the magic and trying to solve the mystique of ately exclaimed, “I’m hung up on the bottom.” After the depth
the Manitou.
finder affirmed that we were still in 24 feet of water, I said her lure
The mystique of the Manitou can be intriguing and in a way, couldn’t be on the bottom. She replied, “Then it’s on a weed.” I told
magical. For example, my wife Mary finally joined me for her first her to crank the line up tight and really jerk hard as she probably had
Manitou trip after many invitations, just to see the beauty and a fish on as there are no weeds at 24 feet. The rod came alive with a
remoteness of the Manitou. I even promised to fish only after dinner nice muskie thumping to get free. Soon a stocky 47 inch muskie was
or when she was sleeping. The very first day, while enjoying lunch in the net and I was shaking my head thinking about the Magic and
under a big pine on an island with a beautiful lookout bluff, she Mystique of the Manitou.
asked me if there were any good fishing spots nearby. I nodded yes,
The Manitou Magic and Mystique usually involve big muskies.
pointed to Frenchman’s Island about a quarter mile away and said, In one area near Doyle Bay I saw a very large muskie following my
“local guides call that place the home of a 100 pound muskie.” When yellow and brown Suick right by the boat where I had a muskie
she asked me if I was going to fish it, I replied, “Yes, when you are in cradle at my feet. With the muskie about 2 feet below the surface and
bed.”
the cradle with measurements to 56 inches and handles on one end
She replied, “I won’t mind if you fish it for 15to 20 minutes” - it 8 inches long, it was easy to see the big muskie was longer than 64
was the first stop after we were back in the boat. After fishing for inches. Ironically, this muskie was within 50 feet of where Kathy
about 10 minutes, I hooked a nice solid 46 inch muskie and asked Augustine claimed to have seen a huge muskie about a month earlier.
her to net it for me. She was ready to net it until she saw the fish Her husband John and I turned only to see a large swirl after she
fighting in the clear water. She dropped the net and said, “I do not exclaimed, “Look at the size of that muskie!” When I asked her about
want anything to do with that fish!”
how the big muskie compared to a 49.75 inch muskie John caught
We spent the second day picking blueberries, observing a sow and released about three hours earlier, Kathy said it made John’s
bear and two cubs, a cow moose with two calves, several deer, a flock muskie look like a minnow.
of over 85 loons, and many seagulls and terns feasting on ciscoes and
Those two sightings were the beginning of a seven year love
seldom seeing another boat. I never fished until after 5 PM, when I affair with the magic of seeing and the mystique of not catching this
dropped her back at the cabin, to get ready for dinner.
huge muskie for several friends and me. My good friend Ed Lamb
The third day we visited the deserted Watson’s house and the had this fish up to the boat three times while fishing with his wife
ruins of an old gold mine in a soft misty rain. On the walk back to Bonnie. Bonnie reported that Ed was so shook up after seeing that
the boat, with the water spraying off every leaf and branch as we muskie he could not talk for a half hour. I have not seen that fish for
made our way through the bush Mary said, “I think it would be bet- the last three years but it helped verify the true size of some really big
ter if we stayed in the boat”. So I asked what she would like to do in muskies present in the Manitou. I firmly believe they do have the
the boat. She replied, “I suppose fish”.
length and stature to be potential world records.
Since she did not know how to cast, we immediately headed for
How about some more Manitou Magic and Mystique? While
a good spot to jig for lake trout. In less than 15 minutes she was bat- fishing the Manitou the past 25 years, I or others in the boat have
tling a 29 inch, 14 pound lake trout on 6 pound test line. It took her caught a 29 inch lake trout, a 35 inch muskie and a 36 inch northern
over 30 minutes and many reminders to keep the rod off the boat pike that an enormous muskie tried to eat while we were fighting to
gunnels; to bring the fish up from 85 foot of water on my ultra-light land the smaller fish. Each of these fish, which we eventually caught,
spooled with 6 pound mono. After landing the fish I asked her to
hold the fish for a photo. Even with gloves on,
she was grimacing as she held the fish. It took
four photos to finally coax a slight smile while
holding the fish. Since then, Mary and I have
made many memorable trips to the Manitou;
she started casting for muskies the second year.
She caught her first muskie, a 42 incher, the
third year on a perch colored Bagley DB-6
crankbait after jerking her lure away from several following muskiesthat surprised her.
Another example of the Manitou mystique occurred a few years later while muskie
fishing with five other experienced Muskies,
Inc. fishing couples. In four days of fishing,
Mary caught the only muskie, a 34 incher on
a #5 Mepps near Powder Island.
Magic and Mystique were involved with
MUSKIE Magazine appreciates the cartoons and illustrations donated by Canadian
Mary’s largest muskie. While fishing Mosher
artist Charles Weiss. Charles puts together an annual muskie calendar featurBay, I stopped the boat about 30 yards up
ing 12 of his full color drawings plus moon phases (www.charlesweissart.com).
wind from a large weed bed to look for susHere’s a shot of the cover of his 2011 Classic Muskie Calendar. It is available for
pended muskies and use the wind to approach
$20, including shipping. If you want one you can contact:
the weeds quietly. As I set up the trolling
Charles Weiss, 34 Hughey Crescent, Toronto, ON M1K 2V4 Canada
motor, Mary made the first cast with a ciscoe
colored medium sized Grandma and immedi-
Charles Weiss 2011 Muskie Calendar
www.muskiesinc.org
magical…MANITOU (Continued from page 43)
If you consider going there, here are a few tips to help make
you more enjoyable.
had a bite mark on its side, 11 inches or wider. Another good friend, 1. For your first trip to the Manitou, consider flying in from Fort
Tom Verkuilen has a video of a big muskie swimming around the
Francis with Rusty Myers to one of the camps like Manitou
boat holding a 29 inch lake trout in its mouth like a dog holding a
Weather Station, instead of boating in from Esox Lake. Hire a
bone, near Green Island. After several attempts to net this monster
guide; your trip will be more relaxing, enjoyable and successful.
muskie, it let go of the lake trout. Think about the size of fish these
Even with the best electronics (GPS, Sonar and navigational
giant muskies are capable of eating; it certainly supports the trend to
maps) the Manitou has many areas with rock shoals and reefs
use larger baits.
which rapidly come up from depths of over 100 feet and are not
For magic, my best muskie day on the Manitou was with now
always accurately represented even on the latest maps. Also staydeparted friend, John Streicher. On a warm misty day in August,
ing at a resort close to the Manitou Straights, which separate the
1995, John caught eight muskies and I caught six ranging from 42
Lower Manitou and the Upper Manitou, gives you the option
to 48 inches long. Most of this action was captured on video by
of easily enjoying good fishing even on very windy days. The
another friend, George Hess, who followed us in another boat to film
waters on both the Upper and Lower can be really rough on
the action until the video camera shut down from moisture. We lost
windy days.
several other muskies and incidentally, all were caught on a crawdad 2. I prefer to arrange trips near the full or new moon. For best
colored Bango. More mystique - I have not caught a muskie on the
results, plan to be on the water mostly when the moon is below
Manitou with a Bango since 2002.
the horizon. On many of my trips when the moon was up durI believe the Mystique of the Manitou has kept me from catching
ing the day or came up during the evening, the fishing was not
a 50 incher since 1996. Prior to that year, I was fortunate to catch 13
as good as when the moon is below the horizon. Many friends,
fifty inch or larger muskies in 11 years. The largest was the 54 incher
like John Augustine, have witnessed the effects of the moon
in 1985, but the heaviest came in late October of 1996. It was only
being up.
50 inches long but it had a girth of 26.5 inches. In the last 14 years, 3. Use solunar tables or Joe Bucher’s Moon Secrets to plan your
I have caught and released many high 40 inch muskies. Four years
fishing schedule. Be on the best spot you can find during these
ago, I had three 49 inch plus muskies, with the largest at 49.75; see
times.
the picture of a 49.5 incher I caught with my wife Mary. Why not a 4. Natural color lures imitating ciscoes, whitefish, lake trout, suck50 or bigger? Part of the Manitou Mystique? I think so. (Editor’s Note:
ers and perch are the most effective along with basic black in any
apparently just writing this article put Tom back on the 50-inch track; he
type lure.
released a 53.25 incher right before this issue went to print!)
5. Bring some lures that go deep, (10 to 16 feet)
because sometimes the muskies will not come up on
shallow running baits.
6. Bring at least two soft plastic lures (BullDawg, Big
Joe etc.) Use them as a throw-back lures or to get
deep. Tan is my favorite color
7. Be prepared to fish rocky shoals, points and saddles
between islands as weedbeds are few and far
between as in most lake trout lakes.
8. Areas with large boulders in 15 to 30 feet of water
are good.
9. Look for areas with deep grass beds at 15 feet or
deeper if the muskies are not shallow.
10. Fish with a buddy and another boat. The Manitou
is a large, remote lake system without many boats
on the water after mid-September.
11. Make sure your tackle is ready, especially the line,
knots and the reel. I have witnessed the loss of many
big muskies because of bad line, poor knots, and
Tom Stark and wife Mary with a 49.5 inch Manitou muskie.
drags set too tight or that lock up.
I have had chances at several huge muskies, actually hooking one
One last story for those of you who enjoy all Mother Nature has
in Mosher Bay on surface bait (Ciscoe colored Giant Jack Pot) in
2004. About 15 feet from the boat, that fish launched itself 3 feet in to offer. About six years ago while fishing with Bob Frish we encounthe air, while violently thrashing its head back and forth. As the huge tered some weird looking floating objects in the water near Glass Bay.
muskie hit the water, John and Pat Serra and my wife Mary watched Bob took many photos of them and when he got back home he
found out they were freshwater jellyfish. Apparently they are not real
in awe as the Giant Jack Pot floated on the surface.
In late October of 2005 near Green Island, another huge musk- common and only appear in certain waters at certain times of the
ie inhaled my BullDawg Pounder completely. Not an inch of the bait year. I have not seen them since, but they were neat
was visible as I fought the fish to within a few feet of the boat, only
Consider the Manitou for one of your future trips and you
to have the fish sever my 100 pound fluorocarbonleader.
might
fall in love with the Manitou’s Magic, Mystique and Muskies.
The Manitou with its magic and mystique and remoteness is
Good
luck!
v
one of my favorite places to fish for big muskies in Canada.
ATTENTION
CHAPTER
CONTACTS:
Please make sure
your chapter address
and phone number
is correct on this page
AND on the M.I. website.
Whenever you update
chapter information on
the website, please send an
email to the Editor so we can
keep this page current. Thanks!
Special Events
2010-2011
October 1-3, 2010
Hayward Lakes Chapter 33rd Annual
Fall Tournament. For information call
715-634-2921 or on the web visit
www.muskiesinc-hayward.org
October 8-10, 2010
Region #2 Fall Board Meeting and
2nd Annual Muskie Mayhem Fishing Derby.
Contact Mark Kornosky for details,
586-596-4481 or [email protected]
October 15-17, 2010
Best of the Best Tournament hosted by
the Titletown Chapter on Green Bay.
See ad on inside front cover.
October 22-23, 2010
Daniel Boone Chapter Cave Run Outing &
** M.I. Hall of Fame Ceremony **
Friday (10/22) and Saturday (10/23)
Contact Scott Smalley: 606-584-0046
([email protected]) or Scott
Salchli: 859-585-4202
October 23-24, 2010
Shawnee Muskie Hunters Fall Brawl
Tournament on Lake Kinkaid.
August 24-26, 2011
2011 Gill Hamm Chapter Challunge
Lake of the Woods, ON
***details pending***
Special events listings are provided at no
charge to Muskies, Inc chapters.
To list your chapter's event, email to:
[email protected]
or by ground mail:
Kevin Richards,
7618 Sunrise Ridge Road,
Henley, MO 65040
Please send announcements
at least 2 months in advance.
www.muskiesinc.org
No. Chapter, Address
Phone #
01.....Twin Cities, 6311 Steller Circle, Excelsior, MN 55331.......................................952-474-5967
02.....Fargo-Moorhead, Box 2021, Fargo ND, 58107.................................................701-298-9032
03.....Chicagoland Muskie Hunters, 7600 Kilbourn Ave, Skokie, IL 60076.................847-677-0017
04.....Titletown Muskies, Inc., 3097 Inverness Lane, New Franken, WI 54229 . .......920-866-9705
05.....Pomme De Terre, PO Box 5, Hermitage, MO 65668.........................................417-993-0035
06.....First Wisconsin, PO Box 122, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729.................................715-864-2269
07.....South Side Muskie Hawks, 5211 S. Narragansett Ave., Chicago, IL 60638.......773-581-8650
08.....Capital City, PO Box 8862, Madison, WI 53708................................................608-669-5046
09.....West Virginia, 1270 Federal Road, Little Hocking, OH 45742...........................740-667-3571
10.....Heartland, 239 8th St SE, Mason City IA 50401................................................641-424-0827
11......Mississippi Valley, 5301 11th Ave “C”, Moline, IL 61265....................................309-797-1803
12.....Headwaters, PO Box 652, Eagle River, WI 54521............................................715-891-5574
13.....Hayward Lakes, PO Box 609, Hayward, WI 54843...........................................715-634-4543
14.....South of the Border, 28926 W. Big Hollow Rd, McHenry, IL 60050..................815-385-9026
15.....Star of the North, 16774 West Bay Drive, Pengilly, MN 55775.........................218-885-1677
16.....Three Rivers, 119 Bus Lane, Renfrew, PA15136..............................................724-789-7866
17.....Quad County, PO Box 185, Plano, IL 60545.....................................................815-695-1494
18.....Hopedale, 15 Township Rd 125, Dillonvale, OH 43917.....................................740-769-7269
19.....Akron-Canton Muskie Maniacs, 10957 Northwood Ave NE, Bolivar OH 44612..330-874-2773
20.....Between the Lakes, PO Box 61, Sheboygan Falls, WI 53085-0061.................920-564-3226
21.....North Metro, PO Box 41216, Plymouth, MN 55441...........................................952-469-2155
22.....New Jersey, http://www.mi22.com/...................................................................................TBD
23.....Cleveland, 5007 Starr St., Newton Falls, OH 44444.........................................330-219-7964
24.....Brainerd Lakes, 18031 Heritage Road, Brainerd, MN 56401............................218-838-5509
26.....Central Wisconsin, PO Box 263, Medford, WI 54451........................................715-748-4874
28.....Shawnee Muskie Hunters, 61 W. Jennings, Wood River, IL 62095..................618-610-5003
29.....Upper Great Plains, 1788 Hwy 4, Estherville, IA 51334....................................712-362-2501
30.....God’s Country, PO Box 1461, LaCrosse, WI 54602..........................................608-792-7722
31.....Penn-Ohio, 309 Spring St, Jamestown, PA 16134............................................724-932-5815
32.....Flatlanders, 5776 Vesper Drive, South Beloit, IL 61080....................................815-389-4622
33.....Lake Superior, 2031 Hwy. 33 S., Cloquet, MN 55720.......................................218-879-2712
35.....Milwaukee, PO Box 28842, Greenfield, WI 53228............................................262-442-6260
37.....St. Cloud, 312 18th Avenue N., Sartell, MN 56377...........................................320-656-1160
38.....Vikingland, 2909 Wicken Lane NW, Alexandria, MN 56308..............................320-846-7975
39.....Fox River Valley, 1253 Cobblers Crossing, Elgin, IL 60123..............................847-741-9771
41.....Central Ohio, 870 County Road 9, Fremont OH 43420.....................................419-992-4504
42.....Hoosier Muskie Hunters, PO Box 501371, Indianapolis, IN 46250...................317-577-8050
45.....Kentucky, 212 Linden Ave., Southgate, KY 41071............................................859-441-1666
46.....Bemidji/Cass Lake, 16256 Andrusia Rd NE, Cass Lake, MN 56633................218-335-8597
47.....Michigan Muskie Alliance, PO Box 512, Caledonia, MI 49316..........................616-447-1688
49.....Webster Lake Musky Club, PO Box 670, No. Webster, IN 46555.....................574-834-1669
50.....Penn-Jersey, 510 Bryton Ave., Pottstown PA 19465..........................................484-459-5940
52.....Daniel Boone, 813 US 62, Maysville, KY 41056...............................................606-759-7610
53.....Huskerland Muskie Hunters, 15706 Hamilton St, Omaha, NE 68118................ 402-498-8959
54.....Southern Crossroads, 1524 Country Club Rd, Albert Lea MN 56007...............507-373-1818
56.....SW Ohio Muskie Assoc., 524 Sterling Meadows Place, Brookville, OH 45309.. 937-833-1833
57.....NW Tiger Pac, P.O. Box 5515, Kent, WA 98064............................................253-850-5889
58.....Lake St. Clair Muskies, Inc., P.O. Box 805915, St. Clair Shores, MI 48080.....734-968-3752
59.....New Mexico Muskies, Inc., P.O. Box 65575, Albuquerque, NM 87193.............505-264-2999
60.....Mountain Muskies, 37720 N. Sheets Road, Elk, WA. 99009............................509-999-0717
CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS ◆ CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS ◆ CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS
Chapter News and Views
C H A P T E R N E WS & V I E WS ◆ C H A P T E R N E WS & V I E WS ◆ C H A P T E R N E WS & V I E WS
01
Twin Cities
6311 StellerCircle • Excelsior, MN 55331
952-474-5967
www.twincitiesmuskiesinc.org
Meets 2nd Tuesday 7:00 PM, Knights of Columbus, 1114 W79th St Bloomington,
MN, near the SE corner of the intersection of I-494 and I-35W.
Last winter I spoke to MMA (Minnesota Muskie Alliance) about
developing a state-wide muskie tournament for high school students
to be run by the MI Chapters in Minnesota. I feel very strongly that
we need to expand the base of our organization if we expect quality
muskie fishing to continue. Each state is feeling political and economic pressures that will only be offset by a strong, effective grassroots effort such as Muskies Inc. The Board of Directors of the Twin
Cities Chapter said they would support this effort and cover expenses for plaques and awards for a pilot project.
Each chapter in Minnesota was contacted about this pilot project and MASSP (Minnesota Association of Secondary School
Principals) sent an email to all high school principals in the State.
Each principal had the opportunity to select (by whatever means
they chose) a two-student team to represent their school in a
regional contest, with the winner advancing to the first ever State
Tournament. As someone said, how often do you have the chance
to be a State Champion? Beyond that was the great opportunity
this presented to students to have this experience and represent
their schools. Each chapter was given great latitude on how they
ran their regional tournament. Ultimately two chapters ran a tournament this pilot year and it turns out that both chapters gave the two
students in the winning team a year’s membership in Muskies Inc.
Those winning teams competed in the State Tournament this past
Monday. They represented themselves, their families, their communities,
and
muskie fishing at
the highest level.
Both teams are
hoping to be able
to do this again in
an expanded format next year. A
special thanks to
Jim Kroupa, pastpresident of the
Twin
Cities
Chapter, for his
help as a judge
and for putting
together a gift bag
for each team.
Congratulations
to the winning
team from St.
Anthony Village
High School (Matt
Green
and
Andrew Barkley)
and the runner up
team from Little Falls High School (Nick Retka and Lee Skajewski).
If you have any questions, you can contact me at: [email protected]
Respectfully submitted, Tom Keith
03
Meets 2nd
Ridge, IL.
Chicagoland Muskie Hunters
7600 Kilbourn Ave. • Skokie, IL 60076
847-677-0017 – Dean Rosset
[email protected]
Tuesday 7:30 PM, Park Ridge VFW 10 West Higgins Ave., Park
Greetings Thrillseekers,
Summer is over but members from Chicagoland Muskie
Hunters chapter of Muskie Inc. remain as busy as ever. Throughout
this summer and going into this fall, members have been pounding
lakes all over the Midwest and Canada and the results are amazing.
Seems the warmer waters this year have really turned the fishing
on. Just a reminder, if you have any questions about any particular
lake or lakes, bring a lake chart to the next meeting and there will
be at least a couple of folks that can not only mark the charts with
hot spots but they can probably give you some quality insight as to
how to increase your chances of landing a fish of a lifetime.
This year we have had some great “on the water” meetings
with members sharing their favorite tips and techniques. All of these
meetings have been in perfect weather. Going into the fall we have
all upcoming meetings at the usual place, Park Ridge VFW on the
second Tuesday of each month. This fall we will once again have
a Green Bay, Wisconsin trip that has had a history of successful
fishing. It’s not too late to consider joining us for this trip. Outings
Director Joe Pavilonis not only has done an outstanding job with
outings in 2010 but has fished Green Bay and the river many, many
times and is always willing to share his knowledge. Depending on
where the muskies are, river or Green Bay, they will be targeted and
caught. You can bet your favorite lure on that.
When you have a moment, go to muskieinc.org and bang
around on the website. See the results our Chapter 3, Chicagoland
Muskie Hunter have had this year and consider joining us. I have
heard rumor that a couple of our members will be guiding in
Canadian water next year assuming the permitting process is completed. Pretty cool.
Program Director Frank Loye has arranged great speakers for
the coming months including Kevin Moore, Sean Birmingham,
Doug Welch and the special December presentation. As usual,
President Zach Arnold will be working the room and coordinating
the evenings.
You are encouraged to come to any of the next Chicagoland
Muskie Huntersmeetings. Everybody shares their knowledge and
experience. Chicagoland Muskie Huntermeetings are the second
Tuesday of the month at the Park Ridge VFW located at 10 W.
Higgins Road, Park Ridge, Illinois at 7:30pm. Keep the calls coming
with questions about joining Chicagoland Muskie Hunters. As
always, feel free to call Dean Rosset at 847-677-0017 or dlrosset@
sbcglobal.net or myself at 847-434-1400 or [email protected]
Take care, Kevin M. Lynch
04
Titletown
3097 Inverness Lane
New Franken, WI 54229
920-866-9705
Greetings to our fellow Muskie’s Inc. Brothers and Sisters!
It has been an eventful summer in Green Bay weather wise.
As with much of the Midwest we have experienced one of the wettest summers in decades. At least one major storm a week has
05
Pomme de Terre
P.O. Box 5 • Hermitage, MO 65668
314-878-7732 – Wayne Humphrey
www.missourimuskies.org
Meets: Various days-Call for schedule
Pomme de Tour
The Pomme de Tour on August 14thheaded up the Pomme
arm of the lake with Jim (Coach) Wilson and Earle (Earle) Hammond
piloting the pontoon boats and leading the discussion of fishing on
the lake. Eight people took advantage of the outing to learn a lot
about the lake and where tofish for muskies.
This is a great event for the new or the experienced musky
angler. I have fished the lake for 10+ years and learned a couple
of things that I didn’t know. I now have an appreciation of why I see
boats fishing in “the middle of the lake” in a couple of places. Turns
out there is structure that I knew nothing about.
The chapter runs two “Tours” each year, one up the Pomme
arm of the lake and the other up the Lindley arm.
Election of Officers
Election of officers will be this fall. Roger Reetz has announced
that he will not be seeking re-election and we will be looking for a
new President. We need some new blood to step forward to provide leadership for the chapter in the next year.
www.muskiesinc.org
Denis Ledgerwood will not be running the Fall Tournament in
2011. We also need someone to step forward to assume that
responsibility.
Fall Fishing and Pomme Drawdown
As I write this, the temperatures are just breaking from the very
high summer temperatures that have raised water temperatures in
Missouri lakes to almost 90 degrees. In another three weeks the
cool nights will drop the temperatures into the high 80s and fishing
for muskies will begin again.
The Corps of Engineers started a drawdown to work on the
dam outlet structure on September 7th. They plan to drop it slowly
to elevation 834 by October 1st. This will be a 5-foot drawdown. The stilling basin dewatering is planned for the week of Oct 11,
including installing a 4-foot diameter bypass pipe to maintain at
least a minimum flow of 50 cfs in the river below. Stilling basin
concrete construction will take anywhere from 3 to 6 months to
complete. With the dropping water levels in Pomme you may want
to think about fishing some of the other muskie lakes in Missouri.
Fellows, Hazel Creek, Busch and Sever are all viable fisheries that
are underutilized for muskie fishing. Try something different this fall
and fish one or more of these lakes. Make sure you fill out your
Show-Me Muskie Project forms recording the time spent on the lake
and the results you have.
The chapter had two teams participate in the Chapter Challunge
in August. I am glad to see this kind of enthusiasm for an event held
about 700 miles from “home.” It would be great to get this type of
response for all the events that we hold in Missouri too. The more
who participate in an event, the more fun it is, and the easier it is to
get members to chair these events.
If you would like to run for office, contact Wayne Humphrey at
314-440-2173 or [email protected]
Wayne Humphrey
06
First Wisconsin
P.O. Box 122, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729
Jason Smith - 715-726-9912 • 1-888-726-6733
www.firstwi.muskiesinc.org
Meetings 1st Monday, 5:30 PM, at Rod and Gun Club, Lake Wissota from May to
September and at the Fill Inn Station, 104 W. Columbia St., Chippewa Falls from
October to April.
Dates to Remember
Oct 4th - General Meeting at Fill Inn 7:00 PM, speaker is Rich
Ward
Oct 16th - Fall Meltdown fishing on Lake Holcombe
Oct. 18th - Board Meeting at VFW Starr Ave. Eau Claire 6:30 PM
Nov. 1st – General Meeting at Fill Inn 7:00 PM, speaker is Jim
Korducki
Nov. 15th - Board Meeting at VFW Starr Ave. Eau Claire 6:30 PM
Outings
Outings for the year are winding down, our tournament is done,
Wednesday night is done, and the Gil Hamm is history. However,
remember our Fall Meltdown is not far away. It is October 16 on
Lake Holcombe. This is a very neat one day outing. It can be very
cold or everybody wore shorts last year.
Regional Vice President Report
New membership program starting September 2010 and will
end March 31. 2011. Sign up a new member, and for each member
you sign up will get you a chance to win one of three prize packages for signing a member. Check the ad in MUSKIE magazine for
all the information. Also a reminder that under the new pilot program
you will not receive MUSKIE Magazine in November 2010, February
2011, or August 2011. Again, check MUSKIE for more details
regarding the pilot program.
Region 2 Fall Board Meeting coming up in October 8th-10th,
hosted by Chapter 58 Lake St. Clair MI. RVP Joe Heil 715-8397089, 715-559-2945 or [email protected] to contact me.
been the norm this summer. Severe thunderstorms along with torrential down pours have wreaked havocon much of our area.
Downed trees, major flooding and damaged buildings have made it
a tough summer for many people. This weather has also made for
some hard fishing. One positive to all the rain is the fact that water
levels have been on the rise. My family just returned from a week’s
vacation in the Hayward area, I noticed many of the water front
property owners have had to raise their decks to accommodate the
rapidly rising waters. This rise in water levels is much needed, just
not in such a short period of time. This past Friday, (August 20th)
areas of East Green Bay received nearly 3 inches of rain in less
than 2 hours.
Some of our Officers and members recently traveled to
Shawano to present the Figure-8 Musky Club with an $850 donation for their musky stocking efforts on Shawano Lake. These funds
were raised by the sale of fishing gear at our ‘swap meet’ earlier this
summer.
Our Wednesday night league kicks off on September 8ththis
year. One major change we made this year is opening up the fishing hours include the morning and early afternoon hours. This
change was made to accommodate the shift workers in the club
who were unable to fish the 2-8 pm hours of the past. We will end
the league on Tuesday November 30th, with a get together at the
yacht club.
Our Best of the Best Tournament is set for October 15th, 16th
& 17th. The 60 boat field is expected to be extremely competitive
this year. Keep track of tournament information and results on our
website.
As fall fishing picks up on Green Bay I hope to see and meet
many other chapter members fishing our trophy waters. If anyone
has any Green Bay Musky questions whether fishing, lodging or
stay related feel free to contact me through the TitletownM.I. website. I will do my best to answer your questions or point you in the
right direction.
For our August meeting Juris Ozols made the trip over for
the Twin Cities and presented his fishing photography class. It was
a very interesting and informative presentation. Juris emphasized
his 3 most important rules; never center someone’s head in the
picture, look at the corners and add interesting visual elements to
the picture. I’ve since added a fourth; watch out for the Hopasaurus
Rex, you never know when he’s going to get you!
Have a safe fall and good fishing!
Kevin R. Pischke, Secretary
chapter news & views (Continued from page 47)
First Wis. Members Only Fishing Contest
As of September 1st we have 209 muskies entered in our
chapter contest. I have been sending the standings to those with
email. Those standings will also be on our new and improved chapter web site shortly. Cortland Spletter leads the Juniors with 5 rel-75
pts. Denise Shervey leads the Women’s with 1 rel-15 points. Nancy
Scharhag leads the Women Masters with 3 rel-43 pts. Dr. Michael
Milz leads the Men’s with 14 rel-242 pts. Jim Coffin leads the Men’s
Masters with 11 rel-145 pts. The chapter’s longest entry to date is a
50 inch out of Mille Lacs by Greg Hassmann.
Youth Report
Youth Director Tom
Smetana has been busy. Alex
Webber a 12 year old student
at Rice Lake Middle School
has been in the woods with
Tom. Alex shot his first mallard and his first whitetail with
Tom last fall. This spring Alex
got a nice 20 pound gobbler
that Tom called in. Tom is
going for the grand slam and
will let us know when Alex
gets his first muskie. Tom is 12 year old Alex Webber with dad,
working on some other youth Dan Webber (right) and Tom
activities in the near future.
Smetana, Youth Director (left).
Fisheries
We have the option to purchase 20-25 inch yearlings versus
fingerlings of the Leech Lake strain. Jason Smith is negotiating the
purchase price. The benefit is a much better survival rate. We will be
tagging them with a different color floy tag similar to our regular tagging program. $12,000 was approved at the August 2nd board meeting for this program. Amount depends on the ending price per unit.
Thanks, Jim Bunch
07
South Side Muskie Hawks
5211 S. Narragansett Ave. • Chicago, IL 60638
773-581-8650
Our meetings are held every third Wednesday of the month at Vince’s
Restaurant and Pizzeria, 6217 West 63rd Street, Chicago, starting at 7:00 pm.
The August meeting of the South Side Muskie Hawks was
called to order by John Daley at our new meeting location of Vince’s
Restaurant and Pizzeria, located at 6217 West 63rd Street in
Chicago. One perk of the new location is that we now can offer a
buffet at our meetings, and the buffet
served tonight was
excellent. Our host,
Johnny Parmigiani,
really outdid himself by offering
everything
from
soups, salads, and
main entrees to
pizza and desserts.
Many of the members came early to
partake of the food,
and meeting atten- Ladi Lapin (wood-burning artist, on left) presenting
dance was up by appreciation plaque to our new host, restaurateur
John Parmigiani.
over 50%.
While the members and guests finished eating, a number of
fishing reports were given by the members. Tony Dyrkacz reported
that while fishing on Lake Michigan on July 17th, he caught a 25 ½
inch Coho, and a 15 lb. King salmon. The next day he caught three
more King salmon,
the largest of which
was another 15 lb.
fish. All of these were
caught on a black
with
blue
tape
Slammer spoon. On
July 31st he again
went fishing on Lake
Michigan, but the fish
weren’t really biting.
However, while trolling using a green
bubble spoon, someone did manage to Sean Kays with a 48 inch St. Croix River
tie into one really muskie caught with guide Tony Grant.
angry seagull with a
hook through his beak. Release details were not immediately available. However, this being Chicago, I would not be surprised to find
a seagull wearing cement shoes at the bottom of Lake Michigan. I
am not saying that this is the case, only that it would not surprise
me.
Larry Konieczka also went fishing on Lake Michigan, but he
went with five others on the charter boat Confusion out of Winthrop
Harbor on August 15th. He reported that their group caught a total
of 25 fish which consisted of a mixture of steelhead, rainbow, and
Coho. Larry got a nice 10 lb. steelhead.
Ian Niemiec reported that his daughter Chloe caught a 19 inch
largemouth and a 17 inch largemouth; both caught using a bobber
and a minnow. Chloe’s older brother Alex also a 16 inch largemouth
using a bobber and minnow. All of the fish were caught in a lake at
a private fishing club. Chloe and Alex are still quite young, but they
are already hooked on fishing. We look forward to them becoming
quite active in muskie fishing as they get older.
Our speakers at the meeting were Bob Jeffries and Paul
Miletich. Bob spoke about the Illinois Muskie Tournament Trail lakes
and fishing the tournaments. He explained that tournament fishing
requires attention to detail, and he showed us that he has maps of
each lake and has marked the spots of known muskie catches. He
also stressed the use of every electronic gizmo that can improve
your chances of catching fish, including GPS, sonar units, and
walkie-talkies with a good range.
Paul gave a slide presentation about walleye fishing on Lake
Erie. He showed the many different clones of Erie Dearies, explaining that some are better than others and why. He also mentioned
that while the Aberdeen hooks found on some of them are larger,
they are also more flimsy, so he chooses to replace them with
Gamakatsu or Daiichi hooks, which are much stronger and more
dependable.
Our speaker for the September meeting will be Jim Kopjo, “The
Crappie Professor”, who will speak on “Fall Patterns for Bass and
Crappie”. Jim speaks at our meetings every year, and we welcome
him back. We hope to see you at the meeting!
Respectfully submitted, Lynn Polyak, RVP
08
Capital City
P.O. Box 8862, Madison, WI 53708
608-669-5046 – Gerard Hellenbrand
www.capitalcitymuskiesinc.org
Meets 2nd Monday at The East Side Club, 3735 Monona Dr. Madison, WI.
The sustained period of hot weather in the Madison area this
past summer caused the lake water temperatures to be too high for
muskie fishing for weeks. Long-time CCMI members could not
recall a period of 80+ degree surface water on the Madison chain
of lakes lasting so long. The lakes reached 80° in Mid-July and
stayed that way until the end of August. The high water temperatures even caused the club to cancel the August on-the-water meet-
09
West Virginia
1270 Federal Road • Little Hocking, OH 45742
740-667-3571
http://westvirginiamuskiesinc.org
Meets: No definite schedule-call
Will 2010 go down as the year of the Juniors for Chapter 09?
Without a doubt, it already is! At this point in the season we have
had six (6) Junior Members register fish, the most ever. Kimberly
Brown caught and released her first fish ever, a nice 34” from the
Buckhannon River. Sisters Allison and Lydia Klug also registered
their first fish ever in our Jr. Division but they haven’t stopped there.
Allison has recorded 18 catches including a 50” and a huge 53”.
Lydia has at this point 20 fish with four being 40” or better. The
Winger brothers, Josh and Nathan, are up to their usual ways
recording solid seasons. Both have released nine fish each. Derek
Wenzel, besides starring in sports, catches fish also. He has
reported six fish in our contest which include winning our Chapter
Spring Outing. Congratulations to all these young people and we
look forward to other Junior Members getting into the mix. Thanks
also to those parents who undoubtedly are active in seeing that
their kid’s get out onto the water.
It’s been a great year for others in various ways also. There
have been several “special days” for numerous members. George
Coleman reported a five fish day on Stonewall Jackson in addition
www.muskiesinc.org
to a 50” put in the boat by his fellow boater. Josh and Nathan
Winger have three days with 5 or more fish in the boat as a team.
Lydia and Allison Klug have recorded a six fish day combined, in
addition to a three day stretch when they boated 15 fish between
them. Robin Clegg has six and four fish days; Chuck Braniff has a
five fish day and John Kaltenecker got 15 one day in Canada. John
Cade is having an outstanding year with 50 catches reported to
date including 17 over a two day stretch. One of our top fishermen,
Dave Wenzel is again having a super year. He has reported 109
fish, already one of the top seasons ever by a Chapter 09 member
with plenty of season left. He’s had eight days with five or more fish
caught including a 14 fish day that had fish of 53”, 48” and 46” in
the mix.
Nancy Amick, a relative newcomer to our Women’s Division,
recorded her first ever; a very nice 45 incher. All in all, a great year
so far; not only in fish reports but also in our outings, activities and
projects. We’re looking forward to the next few months.
Jim Moore, President
12
Headwaters
P.O. Box 652 • Eagle River, WI 54521
715-891-5574 – Bill Jacobs
www.headwatersmuskies.com
Meets 1st Wednesday 7:00 PM, Eagle River Inn, Eagle River, WI.
The Headwaters Chapter 12 held our August business meeting on August 4th. At this meeting, final plans were made by Bob
Jacobs to get a crew together to fabricate 5 concrete boat pads on
September 1st. Several of these pads will be place at the “T’ docks
on Yellow Birch Lake. The remaining pads will be used at other
boat ladings in Oneida and Vilas counties. On Wednesday August 18th Headwaters held there fish any
lake outing. All members gathered at Twelve Pines after a great
day of fishing. There were 41 members present to share great
pizza and fish stories of the day. Congratulations goes to Kip
Cramer 37, Mike Wix 36, Bob Jacobs 32 and Fred Brogle 40 for
registering fish for the day. A big Thanks to our outing committee
Jim Reiclitz, Roger Sabota and Kip Cramer.
On August 25-27th Headwaters was represented by three
teams, they consisted of the following members: Gordie Shaw,
Dale Peterson, Bob Weeks, Dan Lambretch, Leroy Kibbel, Terry
Burns, Marge and Jerry Hollnagel, youth member Zachery Schuers,
Joe Koschnik, Rick Janick, Bill Jacobs, Jason Jacobs and Glenn
Matula. Zachery being our only youth did a great job keeping up
with the adults, nice going Zachery. There were 183 fishermen
fighting extremely high winds and blue bird skies. Congratulations
to Gordie Shaw for registering a 38 inch musky and putting his
Headwater Team in 6th place. The Gil Hamm tournament is a tremendous outing and provides great camaraderie among many
chapters. This is an annual event and our members should mark
their calendars to attend this event next year.
Glenn Matula, Secretary
13
Hayward Lakes
P.O. Box 609
Hayward, WI 54843
715-634-4543
The Hayward Lakes Chapter’s 33RD Annual Fall Tournament
is the weekend of October 1,2 & 3 this year so depending on when
the magazine is received there may still be time to enter. For information call Hayward Bait and Tackle at 715-634-2921. When the
tournament has concluded the standings and complete fish catch
list will be posted on the Hayward Bait website, www.haywardbait.
com and also on the club website, www.muskiesinc-hayward.org.
We will no longer be mailing the results.
The first Sunday of August we held our Annual Kids Fishing
Day. Fifteen guides took thirty one youngsters fishing in the morning
ing. Needless to say, members are glad to be back on the water
close to home. Whether this will affect the total number of muskies
caught by CCMI members this year is still to be determined, but
plenty of us were anxious to get back to muskie fishing in Madison.
Nevertheless, we believe our voluntary efforts to avoid the risk of
killing local muskies was worth the wait.
The hot weather “break” gave members a good reason to pursue muskies in northern Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Canada.
Reports of good numbers of muskies being caught and numbers of
good-sized fish being caught were frequent. Club members, nevertheless, are looking forward to catching some trophy sized fish the
rest of this month and during November and December. We are
hopeful that the lakes remain ice free during most of December,
unlike last year when they became covered with ice very early during the month.
Thanks to our panel members who gave an informational and
inspirational presentation at our September membership meeting.
This is the second year CCMI has used a panel of committed
anglers from the ranks of its membership to share insights and
knowledge about how to find and catch muskies during the fall fishing season. Thank you Troy Schoonover, Matt Hill, Bryan Foerst,
and Shane West for a great job.
Scot Stewart, CCMI member and Regional Program Manager
for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, will provide an
update on the status of muskies in Wisconsin at our October
11thmembership meeting. This presentation has become an annual
event and is very much welcomed. This meeting provides members
with an opportunity to speak directly to a representative from the
DNR and to ask questions and get answers from an individual who
knows what is actually happening in the Wisconsin muskie world. It
is expected that an update on the CCMI/DNR study of muskie stocking in Lake Monona will be included in the presentation. More will
be reported on the data from this study later.
Members are also looking forward to hearing from Muskies,
Inc. President Dan Narsete and Ian Young, President of Muskies,
Canada at our November 8thmembership meeting. Captain Tanner
Wildes, professional fishing guide, will be the featured speaker at
the December 13th meeting.
Results of the annual Vilas County Outing, scheduled for
October 15 and 16, and will be reported in future columns. In the
meantime, we look forward to great muskie fishing this fall. Good
Luck to all of you.
Lee Bartolini, VP
and then at noon the club prepared a bar-b-que lunch for everyone.
Each youngster got a bag of fishing goodies and there was a raffle
for larger prizes like rods , reels and tackle boxes. There are some
great pictures of the event on our website.
The club’s November meeting will be Tuesday the second at
7pm. The meeting will be held at Dow’s Corner Bar, 13 miles east
of Hayward on highway 77 east and county road A. This is primarily a business meeting to review the tournament and begin to start
planning for 2011. There will also be a “Lure Swap” so bring lures
or other fishing equipment you might like to trade. In December we
will have our annual Christmas party. This is usually on a Sunday
evening early in the month, everyone including spouses and friends
are welcome. For information call Al Hoeft 715-865-2232. The
January meeting is Tuesday the fourth at 7pm. at Dow’s. This is a
business meeting to plan for 2011. All board members are asked to
attend and all interested members are welcome.
The current standings in our members contest as of 8/25:
Women-Rachel Sennett 7 fish-104 pts. Includes a 51.5” from
LOTW. Tera Neibauer 2 fish-17 pts. Men: Tom Kersten 9 fish-118
pts. Includes a 51” from LOTW. John Corona 3 fish-41 pts. Steve
Truver 1 fish-26 pts. a 52” from Lake Vermillion Kris Gottwald 3 fish25 pts. Kim Hackbarth 1 fish-11 pts. Emmett Brown 1 fish-9 pts.
Men’s Masters: Tom Muntz 80 fish-693 pts, Larry Ramsell 14 fish258 pts. includes a 50” from the St. Lawrence and a 52” from the
Ottawa. Adam Glickman 12 fish-146 pts. includes a 46” from
Waconia Mike Persson 7 fish-107 pts. includes a 50” from LOTW.
As we go into the future we plan on posting the standings on the
club’s website so the information will be available there also. We
also would like to post pictures of fish caught by our club members,
these can be e-mailed to [email protected].
Good Fishing, Mike Persson
16
Three Rivers
119 Bus Lane, Renfrew, PA 15136
724-789-7866 – James P. Buss
http://threerivers.muskiesinc.org
Meets 2nd Monday 7:30 PM, Northside Sportsmans Club, Wexford, PA.
Mark your calendars for the upcoming fishing event and meetings. October 16th & 17th - Again as a reminder we will be hosting
the Lake Arthur Charity Challenge. The club will be having a Cash
Tournament during this event. Entry fee will be $25 per club member, and $35 for non-club members. Optional $5 dollars for the 50”
pot. Only Three Rivers members are eligible, the pot is currently
worth $500. Details will be provided upon paying your entry fee for
the tournament. Also, after the tournament each day, there will be
an $8 buffet to be held across from the Butler Fair Grounds.
Here are the release winners so far for 2010. Jan and Feb: No
releases/no winners; Mar: Sam Butler 43” from Piedmont Lake
Ohio; Apr: Joel Morrow 49” from Pymatuning; May: Kevin Whipkey
51” from Lake Arthur; Jun: John Ryhal, 52.25” from Lake Arthur.
NOTE: “It is not necessary to mail completed Lunge Log
release forms to Fred Francese anymore, He can pull the data
anytime from the Muskies, Inc. web site. He will still need to continue receive the release forms from our members that need to be
entered into the M.I. database.
Let us remember it is important to our sport and our Three Rivers
Chapter that we support those who so diligently support us. We want
to take a moment to thank our sponsors who are: CUCU Lures,
Gander Mountain, Green Acres, Legend Lures, Leo Lures, MTailz
Lures, Muddy Creek Fishing Guides, Muskie Train, Newman Lures,
Rollie and Helen’s Bait Shop, Wal-Mart, and Wiley Lures.
For now, travel safe and be well, hope to see you at our club
meetings, which are held the 2nd Monday of each month. Our
next meeting will be held on October 11th, look forward to seeing
you there.
Jim Patterson
19
Akron-Canton
10957 Northwood Ave. NE • Bolivar, OH 44612
Gordon Selden - 330-874-2773
http://[email protected]
Meets 3rd Tuesday at 7:00 PM, North Canton FOE, 6979 Sunset Strip NW,
Canton, OH.
EVENTS FOR 2011
MARCH 5 - ANNUAL AWARDS BANQUET/FUNDRAISER
NORTH CANTON EAGLES
APRIL 16 & 17 - TOURNAMENT SALT FORK
MAY 14 & 15 - CHAPTER CHALLUNGE SALT FORK
JUNE 11 & 12 - TOURNAMENT LEESVILLE LAKE
JULY 16 & 17 - MEMORIAL TOURN. WESTBRANCH
AUGUST 13 - NITE BITE TOURNAMENT LEESVILLE
SEPTEMBER 10 & 11 - TOURN. SALT FORK LAKE
OCTOBER 8 - TOURNAMENT LEESVILLE LAKE
NOVEMBER 5 - OUTING LEESVILLE LAKE
On August 7th, our club had its 4thtournament of the season
with our Nite Bite at Leesville Lake. There were 31 anglers that
fished the event with only two legal fish being caught. Jeff Ferjutz
took first place with his 38”fish and John Dennis took second with his
32” fish. Jeff also won the big fish pool and received $110. We want
to congratulate Jeff for winning the tournament and thank him for his
generosity in giving back $40 of his winnings back to the club!
Our next event will be our 5th tournament of the season at
Westbranch on Sept. 11th. We had scheduled to have it at
Pymatuning but there have been some concerns of the water conditions that have made us to change the location to Westbranch.
We are going to have a youth outing on Sept. 18that Petro’s
Park. We’re excited to host this event and want to thank Trent and
all of the volunteers for their time to make this event a success!
Our last tournament of the season will be on Oct 9that Leesville
Lake. This should be a great time to catch a nice fall fish and start
to see the leaves changing. A lot of our club members will continue
to catch as many fish as they can up to the end of November and
possibly the first part of December as far as the weather hold out.
Well, with this season coming to a close, we are already looking at our tentative dates for our schedule for next year and are
currently having a tie and camera raffle that will be given at our
March 5thAwards Banquet. I will give you all of the results of our
September and October events in our next issue. Until then, you
can check out our message board on our web site and get the latest
info on what our club members are doing.
Kevin Proffitt
23
Cleveland
5007 Starr St. • Newton Falls, OH 44444
330-219-7964 • [email protected]
Meets 2nd Monday of each month, 7:30 PM
at RC Sports Lounge, 2422 South Canal St., Newton Falls, OH, except June-August
when meetings are at the East Boat Ramp Pavilion in West Branch.
We were back at Pymatuning Lake for our summer tournament
hoping that the Muskies were looking for our lures to eat. Much to
our misfortune they had other things on their minds. We had 17
people fishing and only put two fish in the net. Jarry Fisher won first
place with a 36” fish he caught in the deep water Saturday just as
the rain started. Jarry also won the big fish pool. John Savu took
second with a 31.5” fish early Saturday. Good job to both Jarry and
John. We had a lot of rain Saturday evening and through the night. Sunday was over cast and windy. We had a few brave fishermen
who stuck it out to the end. I would like to thank the Duck & Drake
for letting us do our sign in at their bait shop.
We had our last meeting at the East boat ramp at West Branch. Our next meeting will be at RC’s in Newton Falls the second
Monday of the month at 7:30. Everyone is welcome to come and
hear some great fish stories and find out what the club is doing for
26
Central Wisconsin
P.O. Box 263 • Medford, WI 54451
715-748-4874 – Art Klimpke
www.centralwis.co.nr
Meets 2nd Thursday of the month at Happy Joe’s on Hwy. 13 in Medford, WI
- 7:00 PM.
Art and Jerry sold out the Muskies Alliance boat raffle tickets
twice at the Medford Car Show. We need to decide how to spend
all that money in the treasury. Any suggestions? Come to the next
meeting and put in a request. Marty is having a great year in
Canada by the looks of the pictures in his e-mails. How is the
Octapod coming Marty? As of the end of July Jason is at the top of
the Masters has the largest fish at 48.5 inches but I won’t be surprised if he tops it. Scott Estlund is leading the Men’s Division and
at this pace is destined to be in the Masters Division next year.
Gerald Bucholtz
28
Shawnee Muskie Hunters
61 W. Jennings • Wood River, IL 62095
618-610-5003 – Manuel Santa Cruz
[email protected]
www.shawneemuskiehunters.org
Check out our website (shawneemuskiehunters.org) for lots of
good information. Thanks to Jerry and Cheryl Ford for taking over
our website and adding new items such as: Hot News, Members
looking for fishing partners, and much much more.
The year is coming to a close. Ice will soon start to limit the
waters to fish for muskies. We have an advantage here in the
Southern waters where we can usually fish all the way to the end of
December. Our summer was brutal. Air temperatures were at or
near 100 degrees with heat index reaching 121 degrees for most of
the summer. We were really looking forward to the challenge this
year.
I think our officers came up with a lot of good activities for 2010.
As with every year, chapters have a hard time getting members to
participate in their chapters. A chapter is only as good as the members make it. We at the Shawnee Muskie Hunters have always
asked members if they would like to see any particular activity to
present it to our officers. We are always looking for ways to make
our chapter family friendly. We need your help to make it better in
2011.
Our programs are coming to a close for this year. We will be
electing our officers for 2011. We are always looking for new faces
with new ideas to make our chapter even better. If you think you
would like to hold a certain position or on a certain committee, let
the officers know. All offices are up for reelection. A list of offices and
who is in them can be found on our website. I hope to hear from
you.
You can see the activities for the rest of the year. I hope to see
you at all or some of these activities:
October 16th Fall Guide for the Day and Member Outing. A
steak dinner will be served at the end of the day.
October 23rd and 24th Fall Brawl tournament on Lake Kinkaid
November 6th and 7th IMTT Championship on Kinkaid Lake
November 13 Veterans Day fishing event on Kinkaid
www.muskiesinc.org
December 5th Meeting at 7 pm. Place to be named latter
December 11th and 12th Trolling Outing on Kinkaid (weather
permitting)
Remember I’m in the other Lund,
Walt Krause
29
Upper Great Plains
1788 Hwy 4
Estherville, IA 51334
712-362-2501
Meets 3rd Thursday , Legion Club, 1709 Okoboji Ave., Milford, IA.
On August 29thour chapter wrapped up the 2010 Iowa Muskie
Team Trail. This is the second year we have run four 1 day tournaments on lakes throughout the state of Iowa. There has been great
interest from muskie anglers throughout the state and because of
everyone’s support this year was a great success. We had 28
teams in all participate during the 2010 season. The team trail
wrapped up on West and East Okoboji . We had 17 teams participate with 7 muskies being caught and released by 5 of the teams.
Here is a list of the Okoboji tournament results:
1st Andrew Scholten and Travis Young worth 3 muskies 40,39,36
inches for 47 pts.
2nd Kyle and Bob Doonan 1 muskie 49 inches for 33 pts.
3rd Tracy and Dick Crail 1 muskie 47 inches for 31 pts.
4th Ethan Johnson and Ryan Hoffmeyer 1 muskie 41 inches for
25 pts.
5th Pete Hildreth and Kevin Rolfe 1 muskie 37 inches for 21
pts.
The team trail combines the points for each of the 4 events for
the Team of the Year Contest. Congratulations to Scott Larson and
Leo Kofoot, your 2010 Iowa Muskie Team Trail Team of the Year!
Here is a list of the top ten Team of the Year results:
1st Leo Kofoot and Scott Larson 100 pts; 2nd Tracy and Dick
Crail 94 pts; 3rd Tom and Jess Crawford 93 pts; 4th Matt
Williams and Paul Bushong 90 pts; 5th Pete Hildreth and
Dick Manske 76.5 pts; 6th Kyle and Bob Doonan 76 pts; 7th
AJ Simpson and Nick Bass 72 pts; 8th Shawn Haley and
Michael Grudgings 69.5 pts; 9th Brian Buehler and Nico
Kotopaulos 64 pts; 10th Travis Youngworth and Chris Wulf
61.5 pts.
It has been an honor to run the tournament trail and I have
enjoyed every opportunity meeting and visiting with people that
share the same love and passion for muskie fishing. I look forward
to visiting with everyone in working out details for next year’s team
trail. Any input from our chapter members to make this or any other
chapter event better is also welcome. Thanks again to IMTT participants.
I would like to close the Ch. 29 report with an important message on how you can help pass the most important piece of legislation to help protect Iowa’s water, fish, and wildlife. Vote “Yes” on
Question 1 on the November 2ndballot to protect our land and
water for future generations. The 1st question on your November
2nd ballot asks if you want to adopt Iowa’s Water and Land Legacy
Amendment which creates a dedicated trust fund for the purposes
of protecting and enhancing water quality and natural areas in the
State including parks, trails, and fish and wildlife habitat and conserving agricultural soils in the State. Our chapter supports this
Amendment and we encourage all members to vote “Yes” on
November 2nd. Vote “Yes” to preserve our Quality of Life in Iowa.
We also encourage you to get the word out in regards to this important conservation Amendment. We all ask “how can I make a difference”? As individuals who love and appreciate natural resources
this is your chance to really make a difference. We must act now
to protect Iowa’s wetlands, rivers, lakes, and streams for future
generations. There are accountability measures to ensure funding
is properly spent. For example; oversight by a citizens’ committee,
Muskie fishing in Ohio. Our chili outing will be November 6 from
8:00am to 3:00pm. Then we will all have some great chili and corn
bread.
This year Jarry Fisher won the tournament champion jacket for
the most points during our tournaments. Great job Jarry.
Thank you all for fishing our tournaments this year. I know I
had fun and I hope everyone else did!
Tom Morris, Tournament Director
detailed spending plan that tell Iowans exactly how the money is
being spent, and State politicians will not be able to divert this funding to any other purpose. On November 2ndget out and Vote “Yes”
on Question 1 for the Water and Land Legacy Amendment.
Sincerely, Pete Hildreth, President
www.muskieclub.com
35
Milwaukee
P.O. Box 28842 • Greenfield, WI 53228
262-442-6260
www.milwaukeemuskiesinc.com
Meets 4 Tuesday Jan. thru May, Sept. & Oct. Meets 3rd Tuesday in Nov. only: 6:00PM Board,
7:30 PM General, Waukesha Elks Lodge #400, 2301 Springdale Rd, Waukesha, WI 53186.
th
A board meeting was held at Smokey’s Muskie Shop on August
18th. Meeting minutes will be published on the web.
Thanks to Nancy and Roy Hinkforth for coordinating the member outings on Pewaukee Lake and to those who assisted. We also
thank our friends at Smokey’s Muskie Shop for allowing us to use
their site for base camp and for their assistance.
For the Members Only Fishing Contest as reported August
18th, there have been 286 registrations. Jim Dembiec has the
longest release registered for June. Jim’s registration was on the
4th of the month releasing a 48” muskie from Pewaukee Lake.
Subsequent longest release of the month will be announced after
the registration grace periods expire.
Thanks to Pat Kilps, Roy and Nancy Hinkforth, Craig Ader, Tom
Arvoy, and Mike Phelps for working the Daniel Boone Conservation
League youth outing. Pat coordinated the event at the DBCL pond
during the DBCL picnic. We provided free fishing for upwards of 40
kids. The weather and the fish cooperated. Each boy and girl with
the most catches received a fishing reel and rod. DBCL supplied
picture frames with a fish motif for the runner-ups.
Jim Gallion has made arrangements for the following speakers
for our general meetings that start at 7:30PM: Sept 28, Darrell
Tolliver, Mepps and Navonics, color, sound and mapping aids; Oct.
26, Gary Engberg, Wisconsin River Muskies; Nov 16, Jim Gallion,
Crankbaits: modifications, tips & secrets; Jan 25, Mark Anderson,
Shimano Pro-Staffer – Reel Repair; Feb 22, Kevin Wagner,
Systematically Attacking Locations.
In cooperation with the WI DNR, adult minnows have been
added to the Amron Pond, 100 Wisconsin strain muskies have been
stocked with an average length about 11 inches into the pond, and
we await our order to be delivered from Rob Jost of Trophy Game
Fish. TGF is expected to deliver 100 Leech Lake strain muskies to
the pond in October. Thanks to Dave Dawson, Mark Mickelson,
James Kwapil, Bill Weyers, Craig Ader, Mike Phelps, Larry Price,
and Tom Arvoy for their help in planning this effort. James, Dave,
and Bill helped Mike whip the pond into shape. Ben Heussner is our
Waukesha County Fisheries Biologist we’re working with studying
the survival rates of extended growth stocking of Leech Lake and
Wisconsin strain muskies. The target is to raise the muskies to
about twenty inches in length by the time we collect around the
beginning of May. We’ll need assistance for collection so please
mark your calendar and let Mike Phelps know you can help. The
more help we can get, the better and easier the collection will be.
Joel Michel mentioned the potential for hosting another Big
Brothers Big Sisters youth outing. Joel stated the ‘Bigs’ provided
positive feedback to an ice fishing outing. Stay tuned for more information.
Mike Phelps
39
Fox River Valley
1253 Cobblers Crossing, Elgin, IL 601230
847-741-9771 – Rich Gallagher
www.frvmuskie.com
Meetings and banquets: Chandlers Chop House at the Schaumburg Golf Club, 401
N. Roselle Rd. Schaumburg, IL 60194. Dinner will be available starting at 6PM.
All Fox River Valley Chapter monthly meetings and banquets
will be held at: Chandlers Chop House at the Schaumburg Golf
Club located at 401 N. Roselle Rd. Schaumburg, IL 60194 | (847)
885-9009 www.chandlerschophouse.com
After a long, hot summer we’ve finally got cooler weather,
water, and color in the trees… which means Fox River Valley members will be turning up the heat on their fishing hotspots! October/
November is primetime for most of us, so Chapter 39 is taking
advantage of the peak with some great events in the coming weeks.
To kick off the month of October, we’re bringing local expert Russ
“Musky Russ” Schaller to the microphone at our October 13
General Chapter Meeting. Russ spoke to us last fall and gave away
the farm on tips/tactics on the Fox Chain. Now he’s returning this
fall to give us “The Rest of the Story” regarding other muskie fishing
opportunities in northern Illinois. A week and a half later on
Saturday, October 23rd, FRV will follow up with a one day youth
muskie fishing clinic at Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation. Volunteers
from our club will be there to teach the kids the ins and outs of
muskie fishing on the lakes at McGraw. The kids will have a chance
to test their new skills on the local Tiger Muskies!
And just before we turn the calendar to November, FRV will be
conducting our 8th annual Challunge on the Chain tournament on
Saturday, October 30that the Fox Chain O’Lakes. This will be our
second event headquartered at Famous Freddie’son Pistakee
Lake. We’re very excited to be back there this fall, as the venue
and staff at Freddie’s was first class this past spring. If you didn’t
fish the spring event, you need to check this place out. If you did,
spread the word! As a special treat, FRV… with the generous help
of the Hugh Becker Foundation and a new IDNR research initiative,
will be releasing 340 Kentucky strain muskie fingerlings (11-14
inches) into the Fox Chain after all the tournament boats have been
trailered. What a great way to end the day on the water.
Our November general meeting will see the return of FRV
Family Night! This presentation format was really successful and
well attended last year (despite the nasty weather). So we’re doing
it again on Wednesday night, November 10th. Kevin Bushnick will
guide attendees thru a whole year of FRV Youth Events with a presentation that includes pictures, video, and some great music and
effects.
As always, please visit our website at www.frvmuskie.com for
more information about Chapter 39, newsletters, member forums,
and all of our events/activities for the rest of 2010 and beyond!
Regards, Mark Lamont
52
Daniel Boone
813 US 62, Maysville, KY 41056
Phone: 606.759-7610 • e-mail: [email protected]
President: Larry X. Besant
Meets on Fridays-call or email.
October 22-23, 2010, Daniel Boone Chapter Cave Run Outing &
*** M.I. Hall of Fame Ceremony ***, Friday (10/22) and
Saturday (10/23). Contact Scott Smalley: 606-584-0046 ([email protected]); or Scott Salchli: 859-585-4202
We are planning a weekend of fun and a memorable ceremony
for the induction of Lynn Frazier into the M.I. Hall of fame. We
would like to get as many members from our chapter and from other
chapters to join us!
Thanks, Scott Smalley, President
Chapter 57 sent its best wishes and a BIG thank you with
Buddy Hartman , our club president, as he and his family moved to
Colorado in August. He was willing to become our president during
a rough period in the club and he helped transition it back into a
vibrant and growing club. We wish you luck in your new job and
have fun being closer to all the grandparents with that new little one
of yours.
Brett Olson, VP, took over as president and presided at the
August meeting. We had Bruce Bolding, the head guy of the
WDFW warm water program, as a guest speaker. He gave an
informative talk about the pike problem occurring in the Pend Oreille
River system in our state. Thank you for taking time from your busy
schedule to keep us informed with what is happening in the WDFW
Bruce. Doug Porter also volunteered to be on the Tournament committee since Buddy was also on that when he left. Thank you for
stepping up to help Doug, volunteers are what make the club go.
We had two women club members represent Chapter 57 at
Chapter 60’s first tournament this August. The jet setters flew over,
borrowed a boat and gear and had a great time with all the Chapter
60 folks even though they didn’t catch any Tiger Muskies. Thank
you to Chapter 60 for showing Tammy Baldwin and Jani Kuper such
a good time.
As I am writing this some of our members are headed to Lake
Merwin for a members only tournament this weekend. It has been
a busy tournament summer and we have 2 more to go. Upland bird
and waterfowl season will be taking over for some of our members
along with small and big game hunting but others continue fishing
throughout the year. Good luck to all of you in your pursuits.
Everyone start thinking about what day/evening that you can
volunteer to help man the booth at the Sportsman Show in January. It is great fun talking to people about the Tiger Muskies in our state
and an easy way to get in free to the show.
Happy Halloween and Thanksgiving. Rosann Green
Lake St. Clair Muskies, Inc.
P.O. Box 850915
St. Clair Shores, MI 48080
734-968-3752 - Scott Robertson, President
www.lscmi.com
Meets 3rd Thursday 7:00pm at Gino’s Surf Restaurant, 37400 Jefferson Ave.,
Harrison Twp, MI.
58
Oct. 8-10, 2010 – Region #2 Fall Board Meeting and 2nd Annual
Muskie Mayhem Fishing Derby. Contact Mark Kornosky for
details, 586-596-4481 or [email protected]
Lake St. Clair Muskies, Inc.has had an exceptional fishing
season so far and lots of fun filled events. Since our last update we
have had several events and many big fish being caught and
released. Congratulations to Larry Miller and his crew who caught
and released a 55” hog and took First Place honors in the 2ndAnnual Muskie Bash. Way to go Team Secret Squirrel on a great win.
On June 27, 2010 LSCMI hosted its 3rdAnnual Kids Fishing Day at
Metro Beach in Harrison Township. This event is one of our chapter’s favorite events as it allows us to give back to our family, friends
and the community. We take this opportunity to get children of all
ages away from the PlayStationsand out on the water fishing. We
have many donated fishing related prizes for every child that participates and even a “fishing Derby” in the marina. This year’s event
we are proud to have 40 children participate. Not all children were
able to get out on the lake fishing but several directors were on
hand at the park to help teach and catch fish. Unfortunately, we
had some late day thunderstorms work their way in on our fun and
we were forced to move things along quicker than we planned, but
www.muskiesinc.org
57
NW TigeR Pac
P.O. Box 5515, Kent, WA 98064
www.nwtigermuskies.org
email: [email protected]
Hot line: (253) 850-5889 • Buddy Hartman, President
we all had a great time and look forward to next season’s event.
LSCMI wants to give a huge thanks to everyone that helps donate
or support this event for these kids. A special thanks to Scott &
Debbie Beyer for donating their time helping out in this event and to
Autometric Collision for donating money toward t-shirts for all the
kids. Thanksalso goes out to Donato Lures and LSC Bait Co for
donating the handmade custom lures for all the children. These
lures guys went out of their way to make one of a kind, custom color
lures for each child that attended the event. If you read the August
edition of Muskie Magazine, these are the (2) guys who made that
awesome one of a kind traveling trophy. So you can only imagine
what these lures look like. From all of us at LSCMI thanks to you
both for all your hard work and dedication to making this club what
it is today!
On July 16, 2010 we held our monthly general membership
meeting at Michigan Harbor Marina, where we grilled up some food
and headed out on the water for an a great night of muskie fishing.
Many boats caught fish and some nice ones too. Jim Broadwater
fishing on Team Treblemaker was able to catch and release his first
muskie ever and it was a beauty at 51.5 inches - congrats Jim. I
think Jim now understands the muskie illness that many of us suffer
from. Fishing near the Treblemaker crew was the Dreamline Crew
Captained by Scott and Debbie Beyer. If anyone knows Scott and
Debbie, muskie fishing is always fun. Scott was lucky to have the
muskie girls on board with him and they were having fun. Fishing
with Scott and Debbie were Greg and Tina Ellison, Nikki Robertson
and Chrissy Marchel. Before Scott could get all the lines set, rods
were going off and everyone was reeling in muskies. When we got
back to the marina and shared our stories, team Dreamline was still
laughing and having a great time. I believe Scott also managed a
couple of first-timer muskies as well. Way to go Scott….!
As we quickly got into August, the preparations were being
made for the 2ndAnnual Big Show Shootout Muskie Tournament.
This year’s event was hosted by Dockside Jacks Tikki Bar and
Restaurant. Thanks to Dockside Jacks for a great Captains Meeting
on Friday night. We had 20 boats participate into what turned out to
be a great weekend of fishing. Saturday morning at the start of the
derby proved to be lots of fun as anglers battled big waves and lots
of weeds. Despite the tough conditions the Contender Crew was
quickly on the board with multiple fish. It was not long before the first
50 incherwas called in by new member Dave Proudfoot and the bar
only went up from there. Captain Mike Pittiglio and the Muskie
Mania crew set a good mark with a 52.75fish Saturday morning.
Mikes fish was long enough to hold 2ndplace the rest of the tournament. It wasn’t long after Mikes Fish was called in, Team
Treblemaker cashed in and broke the bank registering in a 55.3 inch
monster. (Thanks Captain Mike for the tip) Shortly after the
Treblemaker crew released their fish, Team Reel Escape came to
the party with a 52.25 inchfish that put them in the number three
position. Team Reel Escape Captained by new member Greg Virga
was also the winner in our opening derby with Ron Sieverson and
lucky to have his name on the traveling trophy. By Saturday afternoon the standings were set and remained untouched throughout
the rest of the tournament. Many other fish were called in and several more over 50, but just not long enough to get into the top three
(3) places. There were over 35 fish called in with 7 breaking the 50
inchmark. Every fish registered in this event went back to swim
another day thanks to “Object Scoring” Good job guys…
As many boaters and fisherman start to wind down from the
summer fun many of us muskie nuts start to get excited. Why do we
get excited you may ask? Because with fall brings big baits and big
muskies to Lake St. Clair. Nothing is more exciting than catching a
big muskie in the fall with a 12-inch plus piece of lumber in its
mouth. With all the excitement of fall and Big Baits, LSCMI is taking
things to the next level and dedicating our September General
Membership to Big Baits. We have invited all our local lure makers
plus many manufactures from out of town to come in and show off
their Big Baits. This meeting is shaping up to be an awesome night.
Since some of the lure makers are traveling as far as 13 hours away
to be here for this event, some of the board members are making
sure they get out fishing the following day. We also have scheduled
Will Schultz as a guest speaker for the evening. Many of you may
know Will as he is the President of Michigan Muskie Alliance
Chapter #47. LSCMI is very excited to have Will at our meeting to
share his vast knowledge and expertise. Since this chapter update
is being written before this meeting we will be sure to fill you in with
all the details next month, so stay tuned. Don’t forget to check out
www.lscmi.com for all the updates.
Also this fall, LSCMI is proud to announce that we are hosting
the Region 2 Fall Board meeting and what an exciting time we have
planned for our guests. The board meeting is scheduled for Friday
October 8, 2010 at 1:00pm. Many of the Region 2 Chapters will
have to travel some distance to attend, but Region 2 is dedicated to
making these meetings happen. Typically the meetings are on
Saturday with time in the afternoon to travel home. LSCMI changed
it up a bit. With a Friday afternoon meeting RVPs can travel in the
morning before the meeting and have more time to fish after business is complete. We look forward to sitting down and handling our
regional business, but also providing an excellent outing for our
guests who have made the long trip.
Chapter 58 is also hosting its 2nd Annual Muskie Mayhem Fall
Tournament the same weekend and looking forward to showing off
our “Object Scoring” system to the chapters who are staying to fish.
Friday evening after the board meeting we have scheduled a
Captains Meeting for the fishing outing and looking forward to meeting all the RVPs and pairing people to head out fishing the next day.
We realize that with today’s technology actual sit down meetings
are no longer mandatory, but LSCMI and Region 2 want to keep this
tradition alive. Muskies, Inc.is a great organization and without a
meeting to bring us together we are only as strong as our local
voice. These meetings are a great opportunity to meet many people with in MI and make new friends, hopefully a friendship that will
last a life time. I know on my few trips that I have attended as
Chapter 58 RVP, I have not only met some awesome people, but
learned a lot of valuable information along the way. Our chapter is
looking forward to meeting all of our Region 2 brothers (and sisters)
in October. Many have sent in your RSVP already, if your chapter
has not taken the opportunity to do so, please do not wait until the
last minute, we need an adequate head count so everyone can
enjoy the fun.
As the leaves start to change color and the air becomes crisp
that only means one thing, the pond will soon be freezing over. Try
and take the time to reflect on the past season and think about your
fishing club and see if there is more that you want from your chapter? or is there more that you can give back to your chapter? The
close of a fishing season is a great time to look back and make
changes for the upcoming season, it is also a good time to become
more active in your club. Chapter 58 looks forward to any and all
suggestions you may have for next season. Good luck fishing this
fall and stayed tuned for all the information on the 1st Annual
Michigan Muskie Show in February 2011, we look forward to seeing
you there.
Mark Kornosky, VP/RVP
59
New Mexico Muskies, Inc.
P.O. Box 65575, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87193
(505) 264-2999 • Matt Pelletier
[email protected]
www.newmexicomuskiesinc.org
As of now, the weather is just starting to cool down a little bit.....
any by little I mean only a few degrees. The tiger fishing here in the
Land of Enchantment is still a bit hit and miss, but seems to be best
during the week when there is less boating activity and less fishing
pressure. We would like to congratulate one of our newest members, Scott Pirtle, for catching a beast of a fish at Quemado recently. The fished measured 41.5 inches and was released back to the
water quickly and healthy!! Great job Scott!!! We recently had a booth at the New Mexico Game and Fish
Expo and it was a great success! We would like to express our
great gratitude to all our members who donated their time and
efforts in helping out with set-up and manning the booth! Also, a
HUGE thank you to Albuquerque’s Sportsman’s Warehouse for
donating a generous $300.00 gift certificate for us to raffle off!!! This
was a great opportunity for our chapter to educate the public on all
aspects of fishing for and handling these fish! We were also able
to display an amazing muskie duplicate compliments of Dave’s
Wildlife Studio! Dave does some awesome work, and it was a treat
to be able to show off his talent!! Thanks Dave!!!
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish is the sole reason
we have this EPIC fishery in the first place, and we would like to
thank them for bringing it to our state!! NMDGF has been a huge
help for us to accomplish our goals, and we have been able to play
a huge role in the future of this fisher thanks to them!!! Thank you
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish for all you do and letting
New Mexico Muskies, Inc. be a part of it!!!
If you’re planning a trip to New Mexico, don’t forget to check
out our website at www.newmexicomuskiesinc.org for all up to date
information and fishing reports!!! We hope everybody is enjoying
the rest of the “fishable” weather and be safe out there!! Tight
Lines!!
Regards, Jared Blaschke, VP
60
Mountain Muskies
Website: http://mountainmuskies.com
509-999-0717
Meets 4th Tuesday at 6:30pm @ Round Table Pizza, 1908 W. Francis,
Spokane, WA.
Our Mountain Muskies Chapter has been busy in its first two
months of activity. Fourteen attended our first official monthly meeting on July 27. President Craig Dowdy, RVP Doug Wood, Secretary
Melodie Dowdy, Treasurer Scott Imholt were well organized to present a good meeting before members and guests. VP Chuck Gades
presented a “how to” lesson on 4 ways to avoid killing a muskie.
First things first before catching! Avoiding Stress, Suffocation,
Dropping, and Hanging was the primary object lesson for our members and the fishing public we plan to educate.
Craig led the charge to organize our first muskie tournament at
a nearby mountain muskie lake Newman on August 14. The tournament came off splendidly as if our hard-working Pres, RVP, Secr,
Treas and tournament chairman Don Grove had been doing these
for years. A field of 11 boats took to the waters. Alisha Garrison
and Mark Kendall humbled us regulars by Alisha boating a 46 inch
Tiger beauty to win the big fish option. Herb Zielke and Don Grove
took first place with 75 inches total including Herb’s 45 inch dandy.
A total of five fish were caught. Melodie tried to slip in a 26 inch pike
but was caught red-handed. No, not really, she used pliers! See
our website above for pics!
At the time of this writing we were lookingforward to the invitation by our sponsoring and sister chapter, NW Tiger Pac # 57, to the
Curlew Lake Classic on Sept 24-25. The chapter winner will take
home the first annual “Golden Bucket” traveling trophy. It is sure to
be dubbed the “honey bucket award” by the losing chapter.
Mountain Muskies members are prepared to accept that kind of guff
from our “wetside” companions. Stay tuned for the exciting results.
Our chapter is emphasizing HAVING FUN muskie fishing and you
can probably tell we are off to a good start doing just that. To date
our chapter members have caught a total of 20 Tigers from 31 to 44
inches long and totaling 720 inches.
A fish story from Chapter 60 President Craig Dowdy!
I am the Chapter 60 President and my wife Melodie is our
Secretary. I have a little story to tell you that goes with the pictures.
The pictures aren’t of monster fish but the story tells it all. It was July
17th and we decided to go fishing on Newman Lake here in
Spokane Washington. We started out fishing about 11:30 a.m. We
fished the west side of the lake for about 4 hours without even a hit
or a follow. So we decided to move down lake to where there were
some docks where we had seen fish in the past. We both cast
our lures at the new spot, Melodie was fishing a swim bait and I was
fishing a spinner bait. She cast on the left side of the dock and I
www.muskiesinc.org
happened to hit the right side. When all of a sudden I got a hit and
had a fish on. As I was starting to fight the fish my wife Melodie said,
“I think I have weeds, nope I have a fish too.”
We had 2 fish on at the same time. So when I got my fish close
to the boat I reached over and grabbed the net so I could net hers.
Melodie had never caught a Tiger Muskie before so I wanted to
make sure she got her fish in the boat first. After netting hers, she
grabbed the net and netted mine. So now we had 2 Tigers in the net
at the same time. After getting the hooks out of the fish and doing
the measurements we found out that the fish were both 32x12
inches. That’s right we caught 2 Tigers on the same casts that were
the same exact size and girth caught about 15 feet apart. What are
the chances of that ever happening again? Thanks for everything
you guys do at Muskies, Inc. Without you, muskies wouldn’t have
the great following that they do today.
A big thank you to our sponsors for getting us off to a very good
start: AX Tackle, Blade Runner Tackle, Cabela’s, C.S. Lures, LAX
Productions, Newman Lake Resort, Norisada Tackle, Roundtable
Pizza, Tackle Industries, and Wholesale Sports. Until next time its,
Tiger Time all the time, Chuck Gades, VP
Raymond Nespeca of
Chapter 23 caught this
beauty from West
Branch Lake by trolling a
Monster Shad at 11pm.
It measured 40 inches,
and was his first 40-inch
fish. Congratulations
Raymond!
Chapter 60 member Alishia Garrison landed the largest fish caught in the
first Mountain Muskies Tournament, this 46 x 20 Tiger. It was her 1st
tournament and she and her partner took 2nd place. Nice job and nice
fish Alishia.
Three Rivers Chapter member Rich Sandig caught this
39-inch muskie while fishing the Muskies Canada Toronto
Blowout outing on Pigeon Lake June 12, 2010.
Here’s Chapter 23
Junior members
Raymond and
Angelina Nespeca
with Raymond’s
31-inch fish. It was
caught during their
family’s first trip of the
year to West Branch
Lake. Their parents
are Chapter 23 members Terry and Angela
Nespeca. Nice job!
Here is Craig Dowdy, President of Chapter 60, the newest
Muskies Inc. chapter. He caught this 38-inch fish from
Newman Lake on a Blade Runner spinnerbait.
Bernie Barringer of Chapter 24 Brainerd
Lakes caught this nice 45-inch fish using a
Perch/Tiger colored Muskie Maverick while
fishing Minnesota’s Lake of the Woods.
Chapter 21 member John Morris was fishing Lake
of the Woods July 15th when he caught this nice
47-inch fish. He caught a 42 incher 10 minutes
later. Nicely done John.
Chapter 33’s Bob Busche says his wife’s dog “Z” just
loves to go muskie fishing and enjoys sitting and/or
sleeping in the net. He took this shot on July 4th of
this year.
Check out this beautiful 49-inch Tiger caught by Jeff
Mathwig of the Headwaters Chapter. He released it in
August and plans on getting a reproduction by Rick
Lax. Good idea Jeff, awesome fish.
Frequent photo
submitter Dave
Ledman of
Chapter 21
caught this thick
41-inch fish
while fishing
Minnesota’s
Lake Vermilion
in July.
Chapter 16 member Susan Marfin caught this beautiful 47-inch Tiger while fishing in Captain Larry
Jones’ Tournament on June 19th. Proceeds went towards the purchase of minnows for a muskie
hatchery. Great fish and a good cause Susan.
Justin Ledman of Chapter 21 caught his first
50-inch class fish this year on Lake Vermilion, this
51-incher. Congratulations Justin.
Star of the North Chapter member Dan Marking
caught this pretty Tiger muskie while fishing Deer
Lake north of Grand Rapids, MN. It measured 42
inches and had a 21-inch girth. Nice Tiger Dan.
Central Ohio
Chapter member
Orville Bantz of
Farmersville,
Ohio, released a
43-incher while
fishing
the Kawartha
Chain, Lower
Buckhorn, Ontario
on June 22, 2010.
8-year-old
Amelia Williams
of Chapter 24
caught her first
muskie while
trolling with a
Grandma bait.
She cranked it
in all by herself.
Great job
Amelia hope
you catch many
more.
www.muskiesinc.org
Here’s another “First Fish” for a North Metro MI
member. Arturo Barcenas caught this 46.5-inch
Kinkaid muskie plus 2 others on a trip earlier this
year. Congratulations!
After 5 long
years of trying,
Chapter 21
member Jim
Lindberg finally
put this 32-inch
Lake Kinkaid
fish in the boat.
Congratulations
Jim.
North Metro
member
Grant Lindberg
was fishing
with his father &
brother-in-law
on Lake Kinkaid
when he caught
this beautiful
44.75-inch fish.
Muskies, Inc.
1509 Stahl Road
Sheboygan, WI 53081
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Thinking of Advertising
in MU SKIE Magazine?
Reach over 6,000 muskie enthusiasts with each ad.
Your ad will have HIGH visibility in MUSKIE!
Your ad will support the goals of Muskies, Inc. Please contact a member of
Fisheries, Research & Youth
our Advertising Sales Team:
Kevin Richards, Editor / Ad Manager
Phone: (573) 280-2300
Terri Fierstine, Advertising Sales Representative
Phone: (218) 252-0947
☞
Proper Muskie
Holding Techniques
for MUSKIE Magazine
Photos including Covers, Article
Support, Photo Contest Entries
& Member Photos
MUSKIE Magazine –
Catch the Fever!!

Muskies Inc. 2010 Fall Special

Transcription

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