MUSKIE Magazine

Transcription

MUSKIE Magazine

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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.
Contents
MUSKIE • VOL. 44, NO. 8
Departments
2 President’s Message,
Dan Narsete
Features
4 MUSKIE News
12 Figure 8 Exploration - Let’s Talk 8s, Gregg Thomas
11 Cindy’s Muskie, Henry Hempe
3 About the Cover, Juris Ozols
15 Muskie Spawning on Minnesota’s Leech Lake
6 Lunge Log, Jim Bunch
8 Index of Advertisers
16 Educating Non-Muskie Anglers, Colby Simms
9 Figure 8, Kevin Richards
19 Mayfly Life Cycle [Photo Journal], Juris Ozols
10 Photo Contest, Brad Waldera
20 Teaching Kids About Fishing Can Change Lives,
Shane Eakle
24 Chapter News and Views
22 Is This a Muskie?, Mary Mallott
34 Member Photos
Join Muskies, Inc. ...
or give a membership
as a gift.
Regular Membership: ❑ 1 Year-$35.00 ❑ 2 Years-$65.00 ❑ 3 Years- $95.00
Family Membership: ❑ 1 Year-$47.50 ❑ 2 Years-$90.00 ❑ 3 Years-$132.50
Junior Membership (Under 18): ❑ $20.00
❑ For Muskie Research $________
❑ Automatic Renewal
Name _______________________________ Phone ________________
Name of Sponsor (if applicable) __________________________________
Address____________________________________________________
Sponsor’s Membership ID # ___________________________________
City & State_____________________________ Zip_________________
Name of Spouse _____________________________________________
Chapter Affiliation Choice Number _______________________________
(to find the number of the Chapter you wish to join, see the Chapter News & Views section)
Old Address (for address change only) ___________________________
Junior Member(s)
Date of Birth (DOB)
Name ___________________________________ DOB ___________
City & State ____________________________ Zip_________
Name ___________________________________ DOB ___________
My Membership # ______________ Expiration Date _______
Name ___________________________________ DOB ___________
Check One: ❑ New Member ❑ Renewal ❑ Address Change ❑ Gift
Email ________________________
MAIL TO MUSKIES, INC. 1509 Stahl Road
Sheboygan, WI 53081
1-888-710-8286
Payment: ❑ Check or ❑ Credit Card:
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Card # __ __ __ __- __ __ __ __- __ __ __ __- __ __ __ __ Exp. Date ____ /____ Signature ____________________________________________
www.muskiesinc.org
August 2010.....MUSKIE 1
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
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
2 MUSKIE.....August 2010
by Dan Narsete
Muskies, Inc. President
A
few months ago I was speaking to my friend and colleague Jim Shannon about
muskie anglers. Jim said, “You know muskie anglers are a funny breed, they will
think nothing of dropping $20,000-30,000 on a boat, but will be up in arms over
paying $35 for membership to an organization and will use the rationale that $35 is worth
two baits.”
Upon hearing this I responded that it is kind of like the U.S. Congress which will
spend $30 billion on some big ticket item, but will fight tooth and nail against allocating
a couple of million dollars for education. This conversation underlined the rationale that
you and I often deal with in regard to recruiting more muskie anglers into Muskies, Inc.
I am well aware that anglers could buy one or two Bulldawgs, bucktails, or the latest
and greatest glide bait for the cost of an MI membership. But think about what they would
gain by joining MI. Our members are supporting an organization that has donated millions of dollars back to the lakes and rivers we all love to fish. The stocking programs, catchand-release awareness, education, and research we support contribute to better fishing for
all of us. The data supplied by Jim Bunch and our Lunge Log proves that what we are doing
is working and that our $35 annual membership is a good investment. By supporting
Muskies, Inc. anglers support our sport and the fisheries we all love. We are helping to
make more and bigger muskies – this means greater fishing opportunities for all. We appreciate YOUR membership! Please help us increase OUR membership!
That being said, I would like to formally welcome our newest chapter - Chapter 60
from Spokane, Washington. Thanks largely to the efforts of Perry Peterson (VP-Internal
Affairs) and his lovely wife Jani Kuper we now have a greater presence in the northwest. It
is this level of dedication and hard work that should be an example for all chapters, members and officers to follow. These two have cultivated members for a number of years, traveled on their own dime, and spent many hours in developing relationships with our newest
members in Eastern Washington.
The last item I want to mention (if you can believe it) is that at the end of this month
I will actually be fishing and not just talking about it. Like many of you reading this article, my father and I will be taking our annual pilgrimage to the north; our destination will
be Eagle Lake, ON. Trips like these help foster the lasting relationships which we all treasure. My hope is that each of you gets to go muskie fishing this year with someone important to you.
Tight lines, Dan
Muskies, Inc. is now up to the
eighth annual Commemorative Lure.
The program began in 2003 with
the classic Hawg Wobbler, and
since then our August magazine
covers have featured the Crane
Bait, Grandma, Suick, Phantom,
DepthRaider, and Jones Special.
Our 2010 Muskies, Inc.
Commemorative Lure is the
“Dictator” from Tyrant Tackle, a
creeper-style topwater lure in their
Baby Loon pattern as shown on this
month’s cover. The Dictator is 6
inches long and weighs 2.75 ounces. It’s made of high pressure polystyrene which has the density and buoyancy characteristics of more
expensive balsa lures.
These 300 signed and numbered baits will come in a jewelry-style
presentation box. They will be available for shipment in September.
Watch for your order form in the mail this month! The cost of the lures
will be $45 each. Funds raised will be used to support our Fisheries,
Research and Youth programs. If you need additional information you
can contact Jim Shannon at: [email protected]
The Dictator comes in six finishes: Baby Loon, Bullfrog, Firetiger,
Orange/Black, Black/Orange, and Clown. The Tyrant Tackle guys have
over 10 years experience in the tackle industry and they have been very
active with Muskies, Inc. You can learn more about Tyrant Tackle at:
www.tyranttackleinc.com
– Juris ❖
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.
www.muskiesinc.org
A B O U T T H E C OV E R ◆ A B O U T T H E C OV E R ◆ A B O U T T H E C OV E R ◆ A B O U T T H E C OV E R
MUSKIE Magazine Staff
ABOUT
THE COVER
M U S K I E N E WS ◆ M U S K I E N E WS ◆ M U S K I E N E WS ◆ M U S K I E N E WS ◆ M U S K I E N E WS
MISSION
Changes to MUSKIE Photo Guidelines
Effective immediately all photos submitted for our Photo
Contest and Member Photos pages must be submitted in digital format via email to Photo Contest editor Brad Waldera at:
[email protected]
In addition, MUSKIE Magazine will not consider publishing
any photos of fish which show significant bleeding. The only exception would be in conjunction with a scientific or educational article
for which such a photo would be appropriate to the story line; this
would be very rare.
Montana Tiger Muskie Record
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) announced that a 30pound, 48.38-inch tiger muskie caught by Jesse Sanchez of Billings
has been certified as a new state record.
Sanchez caught the big fish May 15, 2010, while fishing from a
boat in Deadman’s Basin Reservoir west of Ryegate. He said he caught
the fish on a four-inch-long Daredevle spoon using a light rod, spinning reel and 10-pound line.
Montana FWP certified the fish as a state record after verifying
that it was legally caught, that the angler was properly licensed, and
that the scale where it was weighed was certified.
The tiger muskie was more than two inches longer and two
pounds heavier than the previous record (46 inches and 27.87
pounds) which also was pulled from Deadman’s Basin Reservoir.
FWP planted tiger muskies in several Montana lakes in the 1990s
and the early part of this decade in an attempt to control a prolifera-
S TAT E M E N T
“Muskies, Inc. is an active, service-oriented, non-profit
organization with the single focus of improving the sport of
muskie fishing for men, women, and children.
Our mission is to unite all muskie fishing interests for the
promotion and protection of a high quality muskellunge sport
fishery in the United States and Canada.
We will accomplish this by supporting conservation practices and research based on sound scientific merit, and carried
out by authorized federal or state agencies, appropriate academic institutions, Muskies, Inc chapters, and their members.
We are committed to the abatement of water pollution;
maintenance of records for muskie habits, growth, and range;
and the dissemination of muskie information to everyone.”
Adopted, April 2002
tion of white suckers. White suckers compete for food with more
desirable species, such as trout and kokanee salmon. Biologists credit
tiger muskies for a downward trend in white sucker populations at
Deadman’s Basin and other lakes where they were planted.
(Editor’s note: the paragraph above certainly adds more support to the
information presented in Colby Simms’ article that starts on page 16.
A Very Costly Fishing License!
A story from Yahoo Sports by Pete Thomas of GrindTV.com
reported that the anglers aboard the fishing boat Citation had been
participating in the annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Fishing
Tournament off North Carolina when one of the anglers landed what
was by far the biggest fish: an 883-pound marlin, a tournament
record.
The team was declared winner of the prestigious competition
and there was plenty of celebration. A post-event lie-detector test
revealed that one of the hired crew did not possess a valid fishing
license, available to North Carolina residents for only $15, or $30 for
non-residents.
That was a violation of tournament rules and after lengthy
deliberation tournament officials
apparently disqualified the catch
and denied the Citation team the
winning purse.
The new winners were those
who fished aboard the vessel
Carnivore and caught the second-largest marlin, weighing
528.3 pounds. They got a grand
total of $999,453.
According to the state’s fisheries division, the crew member
without the license went out and
bought a license after the catch of
the monster marlin, bringing
more shame to his team. He’ll be
fined $35 and ordered to pay
court costs totaling $125. That
brings the real cost for NOT buying a $15 fishing license to just
about one million dollars! ❖
43rd ANNUAL FRANK SCHNEIDER, JR. MEMORIAL
Muskie Tournament
,
SEPTEMBER 10-11-12 2010
LONGEST-RUNNING MUSKIES INC. TOURNAMENT
FISH 21 LAKES IN
NORTHERN MN
PRIZES AWARDED THROUGH 10th PLACE
• LEECH LAKE • BABY LAKE
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CANADIAN & US RESORT STAYS – FIRST PLACE WINS
TRIP TO RED WING LODGE, LAKE OF THE WOODS
MUSKIE RODS & REELS • MUSKIE TACKLE • GUIDE TRIPS • DOOR PRIZES
PLUS PRIZES FOR TOP JUNIOR ANGLERS & NORTHERN PIKE
$95 ADULTS • $30 JUNIORS • $175 FAMILY
INCLUDES FRIDAY & SATURDAY FEEDS
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REGISTER ONLINE THROUGH LABOR DAY AT:
www.twincitiesmuskiesinc.org
OR REGISTER THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 AT:
REED’S FAMILY OUTDOOR OUTFITTERS • Walker
ONE STOP • Longville
www.muskiesinc.org
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Lu n g e L o g ◆ Lu n g e L o g ◆ Lu n g e L o g ◆ Lu n g e L o g ◆ Lu n g e L o g ◆ Lu n g e L o g ◆ Lu n g e L o g
g
nge L
u
L
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o
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t
by
Ji m B u n c h
First Five Months of 2010!
Some newspaper guy called last week. He wanted to get a handle
on how the muskie season was going in 2010. I took some time and
explained that the season never closes in most of the east and south.
He was from a small town in Wisconsin and I am not sure how he
was going to compare any numbers I came up with. Never the less all
he wanted was numbers. I called him back with the following. This
year for reported entries from January 1 through June 10 there were
2347 of which 28 were 50 inches. For the last five years it compares
to 2009 – 2570 (17 fifties), 2008 – 2187 (12), 2007 – 2697 (13), and
2006 – 2888 (17). These are stats for the first 5 months of each year.
He hung up and went off to do his thing. What does this mean?
Probably nothing, however I like the 50 inch thing. As I told him, as
of June 10th, probably 80% of Muskies, Inc. members who will fish
this year have not been out yet. He thought he had a scoop. Oh
brother! Now you have the scoop.
May Lunker of the Month!
Nick Tanner is from Sheldon, Iowa and a member of the Upper
Great Plains Chapter. Nick is not a long time veteran of muskie battles over a long period of time. As a matter of fact he has only reported muskie entries to us in 2009 and 2010. On May 25th he had a real-
Nick Tanner, Chapter 29
52 inches, May 25, 2010
May Lunker
West Okoboji, Iowa
Surface Bait
Fish I.D 286085
Dennis Marienfeld, Chapter 05, 50 inches, June 4, 2010.
Lac Court Orielles, WI. Homemade Buck Tail
Fish I.D. 287048
ly neat day with surface bait on West Okoboji. This lake has some
serious history in the Lunge Log. It’s all right there on your computer. Nick’s comments on that day follow:
The 52-incher was a personal best and completely unexpected. The
season had only been open for about a week in Iowa and we were just out
taking care of that itch. She hit hard on a topwater. It was definitely the
strongest fish I have ever caught. The crazy part of the whole deal is once
we got that fish released I re-tied my line and about a half an hour later
we saw a nice fish swim right past our boat. So I, a little jokingly, tossed
that topwater over its head in the direction it was going. I brought the
bait over where I thought she was and as my partner chuckled, that
muskie came flying out of the water, mouth wide open, and changed those
chuckles to disbelief. That one was 48.5. So I get a 52 and a 48.5 in
one day in Iowa making this even more unreal. Thanks, Nick Tanner.
Lac Courte Oreilles! Couderay!
On June 4th this year Dennis Marienfeld of Columbia, MO
caught a 50 inch muskie at night with his son on Couderay. Just the
name Marienfeld means history. I called Dennis and caught him
home in his cabin on Couderay and got an updated history of him
and the lake. Lac Courte Oreilles is the French version of the lake.
That appears on the maps. But the easier name is simply Couderay.
It is in Sawyer County Wisconsin just south of Hayward and just west
of the famous Chippewa Flowage. It connects to Grindstone, and
Whitefish. It is deep, clear and just over 5000 acres. It was the home
of the Cal Johnson 67 pounder way back in 1949.
Dennis Marienfeld has been on that body of water since a child,
actually since age 7 to be precise. His grandfather Fritz bought the
Alpine Lodge there back in the late 1940s. So Dennis has been going
there ever since. The place is no longer a lodge and Dennis has a lake
home there. Dennis is a life member of Muskies, Inc. He joined back
in 1981. He talked about the old days when the Indian guides used
wooden boats with 3.5 HP Johnson motors. He said those guides
were tough people. They would go out and row (no motor trolling)
for 4 hours, have lunch and then row another 4 hours. Then they
would do it again the next day.
Lu n g e L o g ◆ Lu n g e L o g ◆ Lu n g e L o g ◆ Lu n g e L o g ◆ Lu n g e L o g ◆ Lu n g e L o g ◆ Lu n g e L o g
Dennis is a retired physician and taught at the
University of Missouri. His time on the water at Couderay
has been limited due to the miles involved. This muskie on
June 4th was caught on a homemade bucktail. It is double
bladed with only one treble hook and Couderay silver and
black of course. He calls it his workshop version of the
Cowgirl. We wonder how many of those exist across the
country. This is another example of the desire to catch a
muskie on your own production. It’s not about the money;
it’s just the idea that we can do it ourselves.
This muskie was very special to Dennis as he usually
fishes alone but on this night his 26 year old son Brian was
with him. This eliminated the need for the timer on the camera and reduced the hazards of being alone after dark. It came
from a deep mid lake hump with weeds on it. Dennis had
been thinking a surface bait after dark is not the only answer,
he was right. In the excitement they did not use the girth tape
that was lying on top of the tackle box. He says in the picture
he shares with us the muskie is laying on his lap. We note his
blue coat appears to be quite wet. The muskie was actually
quite heavy for this time of year. In the dark he says it was a
least 50, but probably a touch longer. One reason for the single treble is the hook removal. He explains that cutting just
one hook and you are free from net, fish, and yourself. So a
long time Missouri muskie veteran gets his longest of his life
on his lake on his lure with his son. This was a great event for
Dennis. What more could be right? Life is grand!
West Battle, MN!
Chris Swanson is from Blaine, MN and the North
Metro Chapter. His June 5th muskie was long and lean.
However the length was 55 inches which gives him a strangle
hold on the June Lunker of the Month. There are many days
left in the reporting period for June Lunker so it is not concrete yet. However at 55 inches it will take a super muskie to
top it and the cement is drying. His lure is called a Trolldevle.
It is a spoon but he was casting it. More on that next month.
Jim Bunch
The Lunge Log
[email protected]
715 226-0295
(more Lunge Log on page 8)
Chris Swanson, Chapter 21, 55 inches, June 5, 2010.
West Battle, MN.,Trolldevle. Fish I.D. 286992
www.muskiesinc.org
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 ◆ L u n g e L o g ◆ L u n g e L o g ◆ L u n g e L o g
INDEX OF
ADVERTISERS
BOAT FOR SALE (A BLOND AND HER BOAT) . . . . 4
CHAPTER 01 - FRANK SCHNEIDER, JR.
MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
CHAPTER 05 - LAKE POMME DE TERRE
36TH ANNUAL TEAM TOURNAMENT . . . . . . . . . 31
JOE BUCHER OUTDOORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
LAC SEUL FLOATING LODGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
M.I. 2010 COMMEMORATIVE LURE . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
M.I. MEMBERSHIP CHALLENGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
MOREHEAD TOURISM COMMISSION . . . . . . . . . . 23
MUSKIE MAGAZINE - CATCH THE FEVER . . . . . . 14
MUSKIE MAVERICK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
POPLAR RIDGE OUTFITTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
ST. CROIX RODS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC
USDA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
YOUNG'S WILDERNESS CAMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
FIGURE
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Figure 8
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by Kevin Richards
[email protected]
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www.muskiesinc.org
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Commemorative Lure
8
This issue of MUSKIE brings together an interesting collection
of features from a wide range of authors, but the central theme is certainly education. The authors include two professional muskie
guides, one “rookie guide”, a school teacher, the executive director of
Scientists try to convince a largely unaware public that our ocean
a watershed foundation, and an angler who just caught her first
fisheries and habitats are also quite fragile. Sadly the recent BP oil
muskie.
As I said, the central theme of this issue is education. Educating spill has heightened awareness, but at a great environmental cost. But
our readers on many things – how to catch more muskies, how to pro- how long will most folks really care about the environmental recovery
tect their habitat, and especially how to communicate our love of in the Gulf once the headlines have switch to something else? We
muskies and their role in the aquatic world to others. For Muskies, must not be so short-sighted. As a society we need to keep our eyes
Inc. to be successful this communication must not only continue, it on the big environmental picture.
In my opinion, anglers are one of the most powerful and effecmust increase.
I recently talked with the new Deputy Director of my old agency, tive groups of environmental conservationists, but we need many
the Missouri Department of Conservation. We acknowledged that more members to join our ranks and become active. Be an educator
the world is changing and a smaller percentage of our population is and a recruiter, help our numbers grow!
really tuned-in and turned-on by fish, fishing, hunting, and resource
So remember Carpe Diem from last month – seize the day – seize
conservation in general. This is serious. Every angler, every hunter,
ever conservation-aware person needs to actively share the message the opportunity to make a difference.
After the thrill of catching your next muskie do your best to carewith friends, family and potential supporters of wise resource use. I
hope you have noticed that this is the fourth issue in a row where this fully release it to fight another day; the future of our muskie resource
will literally be in your hands!
theme has been an important part of the MUSKIE message.
Most of us realize that our freshwater lakes and rivers are fragile
- Kevin ❖
and many of our members are not shy about standing up to protect
the fisheries we love. The challenges
which face our muskie fisheries are
not unlike the challenges which
Announcing the 2010 Muskies, Inc.
impact many other fisheries. In June
I attended an International Catfish
Symposium. There are some strong
similarities between managing and
Our 2010 Muskies, Inc. Commemorative Lure is the Dictator
protecting trophy catfish and trophy
from Tyrant Tackle (www.tyranttackleinc.com) in their
Baby Loon pattern as shown here and on the
muskies. Some of the largest and
cover of the August 2010 issue of MUSKIE.
most unique catfish on our planet
are facing serious threats due to habiThese 300 signed and numbered baits will come in a
tat alteration, dam building, overjewelry-style presentation box. They will be available for
harvest, and pollution. At this time
shipment in September. Watch for your order form in the
in our world I would say the outlook
mail this month! The cost of the lures will be $45 each.
Funds raised will be used to support our Fisheries, Research
is much brighter for muskies than it
and Youth programs. If you need additional information you
is for many rare species of catfish.
can contact Jim Shannon at: [email protected]
Many of the world’s best fisheries scientists are working on catfish; at that
The Dictator is a creeper-style topwater lure. It never leaks and never
symposium I was pleased to talk
loses its buoyancy because it is made of high pressure polystyrene which
with fisheries biologists who interact
has the density and buoyancy characteristics of more expensive balsa
with at least four of our chapters (5,
lures. The Dictator is 6 inches long and weighs 2.75 ounces.
9, 16, and 57); it IS a small and
inter-connected world.
FIGURE
This is what we’re all about . . .
Photo Contest – August
by Brad Waldera, Photo Editor • [email protected]
Photo Tip
I decided to use a couple of black and white photos this month;
one on this page and the other on our Member Photos page. Black
and white photo conversions are very easy to do with digital camera
photos. Many of today’s digital cameras also allow you to take your
photos in black and white by simply switching one of the settings on
the camera. You can convert your color shots to black and white with
photo editing programs, such as Picasa 3, which is a free program
you can download from Google (picasa.google.com). In some programs you can change a photo from color to black and white with
just a single mouse click. In other editing programs you can fine tune
the effect you want by adjusting slider bars. Each program is slightly
different, so it depends on which one you’re using.
One thing to remember about taking a picture in black and white instead
of in color and converting it is that you
will not have a color version of that
shot. On the other hand if you take the
shot in color and convert it to black
and white you can save both versions.
Keep that in mind.
At times it can be handy to convert
photos from color to black and white in
cases where the camera’s white balance
was mistakenly set to the wrong tone.
Maybe your pictures turned out too
green or possibly had a bluish tint.
Converting them could make them
“keepers” instead of throwaways.
Sometimes black and white shots can
show more detail or enable you to get a
“dated” look to your pictures, as was
the case with the shots sent in by
Chapter 04 member Kevin Pischke.
The example shots here show how
he made a recently taken photo look
like an older photo by converting the
shot to black and white. He went one
step further to pull of the look by as he
put it, “pulling out my classic Eagle
Claw 5’9” Granger Muskie Rod
topped with a period correct Diawa
Millionaire”. The boat is a borrowed
1977 Forester bass boat that pulls the
shot off nicely. Without knowing, it
would be hard to say when the black
and white shot was actually taken.
Thanks for submitting these,
Kevin; I’m sure our readers enjoy seeing what can be done with a little extra
effort. Maybe some of our members
will follow your lead and we’ll see more
black and white shots in future issues
of MUSKIE. Learning how to do this
might be a good way to pass the time
over the winter or during bad weather
when you can’t get out on the lake.
Good fishing all! ❖
Cindy’s
Muskie
by Henry Hempe
teve Reinstra, former Capital City
Chapter President and Hank Hempe,
MI Parliamentarian, donated their
“guide services” to a silent auction fund-raiser
last year for a large Madison, WI non-profit
organization. Cindy Klein, an MI member, is
from Brodhead, WI. Her husband, Randy, was
the successful bidder on the trip, which he
purchased for her.
Here’s a photo of Cindy right before she
called her husband - Cindy’s second words
to him on her cell phone call from the boat
following the successful release of her 43-inch
muskie were, “No, I’m not kidding, I really
did!.” She did, indeed. ❖
S
www.muskiesinc.org
know what you are probably thinking . . . another Figure 8 arti- enough power to throw baits twice the size they were 10 years ago.
cle. What could he possibly tell me, that I don’t already know? Take the St. Croix 8’6” Extra Heavy Legend Tournament rod; it is
You take the rod and draw an eight in the water beside the boat. rated for lures up to 10 ounces! This is a rod that has the length to do
Unless he tells me to do a pair of 4s instead of an 8, I am going on to big 8s and the backbone to heave huge baits. The length of the rod is
the next article. Hold on - I do have something to say. Being a fish- key to doing a good figure 8.
As for reels, this is a personal preference. To me it is easier to
ing guide for a living I get a ton of people in my boat, and I am witengage the reel (which is important
ness to some pretty bad figure 8s. I
when starting the figure 8) when
am not picking on anyone. I am
there is a thumb bar. Reels like St.
The
first
part
of
the
figure
8
is
the
most
just commenting on one of the
Avid 300 have the thumb bar
biggest keys in musky fishing. This
important. In most circumstances this is Croix’s
and make it easy to depress the butis not going to be a long essay. I
the first time the lure makes any kind of
ton prior to starting the 8. Like I said
want to make this short, sweet and
it is personal preference, as long as
to the point. That said, let’s talk 8s.
major change. Think about it, a fish is
you can engage the reel it doesn’t
First, let’s discuss set up.
following a lure that no matter how
matter.
When it comes to rods, PLEASE
wildly the lure is being worked is not
Leader length is another issue
start using longer rods. With the
that I have seen guys run into.
advances that have been made in
going to take off to one side and start
Personally, I think anything over 12
equipment over last few years, you
doing
some
crazy
circles
in
the
water.
inches is too long for casting. Unless
no longer need to use a short rod.
you are using direct tie with a Uni
These days 7’6” to 8’6” rods have
Knot to connect the leader directly to
the main line, the leader does not need to be
longer then 12 inches. The closer you get the lure
to your rod tip the more control you will have over
the lure’s action. This is very important, because
when at close quarters with a fish you must have
control of the entire situation which includes lure
depth, speed and action. All of these things are
impacted by rod length and the amount of line
you have out from your rod tip to the lure, including the length of the leader. That’s it for set up;
remember longer rod plus shorter leader equals
more control. Now let’s look at technique.
The first part of the figure 8 is the most
important. In most circumstances this is the first
time the lure makes any kind of major change.
Think about it, a fish is following a lure that no
I
matter how wildly the lure is being
worked is not going to take off to one
side and start doing some crazy circles
in the water. Therefore the first part
of the figure 8 is crucial. Making the
transition from the retrieve to the 8
has to be smooth and the lure’s action
can not be altered in any major way.
This means the blades must not stop
spinning on a bucktail, the lure should
not pop out of the water, and the lure
should not sink while the rod tip is
doing the figure 8 (which often happens if you have too much line out).
You must be paying attention, make
the transition smooth, think about
what you are doing and practice, practice, practice.
Once your lure gets to the boat
and the transition is smooth you must
remember to make your first turn
away from the boat. Meaning bring
your bait to the boat and your first
turn should be going away from you.
This is very important; if you turn the
bait toward you the benefit of the
longer rod is lost. By turning the lure
away from you, you can reach out
with the rod and make huge turns
www.muskiesinc.org
which are important in allowing the
fish to follow the bait. Making the
turns wide on the 8 is crucial.
This brings me to my next point.
The main reason people don’t get figure 8 fish is because they cut the turns
too tight. If the fish loses sight of the
lure, it will generally lose interest.
Only extremely aggressive fish will
chase a lure once they lose sight of it.
Wide turns are only one point of a
good 8, putting the “moves” on the
fish is what separates the men from
the boys.
Knowing how to control the
lure’s speed and depth is my next
topic. At the beginning of your 8 try
to speed up the lure. Most fish seem
to react to the speed of the lure. If the
fish speeds up there is a good chance
it will try to strike. If it stays the same
speed or slows, this usually means a
less aggressive fish. The only hope is
to drag the lure quickly by the fish’s
face causing a reaction strike.
Speed is the key and controlling
it is crucial. A good rule of thumb for
This muskie hit at boat side on the figure 8.
(Continued on page 14)
FIGURE 8 EXPLORATION
(Continued from page 13)
speed is slow on the turns and fast in the straights. What
this means is when you are coming into a turn slow the
lure slightly. It is like a point guard bringing the ball
full speed down the court doing a quick stutter step
and blowing by his defender. This slight stutter and
then blowing the lure out of the turns is deadly on an
active fish, but you have to be ready; most fish will hit
the lure just as you stutter or right after. Being prepared is the key.
As for depth, remember high on the turns, deep in
the middle, meaning not only are you reaching out for
wide turns with the rod, you are also changing the
depth of the lure. Making the lure rush up on the
turns and then down in the middle is an amazing trigger. By changing the depth and incorporating the
speed change, you are adding two new dimensions to
the lure’s action. These little depth and speed changes
are the triggers that most people don’t talk about for
figure 8s.
The figure 8 is not an end-all to catching fish, but it is something
that should be practiced and mastered. Unfortunately you will not
catch every fish, you will probably pull the lure away from a number
of fish, but you will get better with practice and time. Musky fishing
is not a science, it is a skill that has to be learned and applied. The
figure 8 is just one small part of the big picture.
The author with an awesome muskie.
Gregg Thomas owns and operates Battle the Beast Guide Service in
Kentucky and Minnesota. He and the guides who work with him service
about 400 clients each season. You can contact Gregg via his website:
www.battlethebeast.com
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
MUSKIE Magazine –
Catch the Fever!!
HELP PROTECT MUSKIE SPAWNING
ON MINNESOTA’S LEECH LAKE
F
aced with the threat of a large boat harbor on Five
Mile Point, the Leech Lake Area Watershed
Foundation (LLAWF) joined forces in 2003 with
Muskies, Inc. and the MN DNR Section of Fisheries to
complete a major conservation project to protect one of
the seven known muskie spawning areas on Leech Lake.
Muskies, Inc. chapters across the Midwest raised
over $25,000 which triggaered an equal match from the
Reinvest In Minnesota (RIM) Program. LLAWF contributed over $150,000 in shoreland parcels on other
lakes to trigger a RIM match towards the $900,000
acquisition of 1,150 feet of privately owned wild shoreline and 30+ acres on Five Mile Point, now known as the
Five Mile Point Aquatic Management Area (AMA).
The AMA is owned and managed by the DNR to permanently protect critical muskie spawning on Leech
Lake.
The Leech Lake Area Watershed Foundation
Needs the Help of Muskie Fisherman Again!
An additional 200 feet of shoreline and 6.5 acres
adjacent to the Five Mile Point AMA and offshore from
the spawning area is threatened by development.
Please help raise $50,000 to purchase this property
and protect the entire muskie spawning area from possible degradation that could occur with lakeshore development.
The Hugh C. Becker Foundation of the Twin Cities Chapter
of Muskies Inc. has already pledged $10,000.
www.muskiesinc.org
S
ome anglers who pursue other species such as crappie, walleye many times I’ve been fighting a saltwater fish when it was attacked
and bass have had negative feelings about muskies and muskie by a larger, or even a smaller, predator. The fact is that it is a result of
fishing for many years. Many of them believe that muskies eat the fish being fought by the angler and the struggling that it prothe fish that they target and damage the fishery by doing so. While duces. I’ve even seen big largemouth bass attack small muskie being
it is true that a muskie may eat the occasional game fish, these fish played to the boat, but it doesn’t mean that they prey on them on a
species are not typically the muskie’s preferred prey and are not used regular basis, and it certainly does not mean that they negatively
as often as many baitfish species are. One of the likely reasons that impact the muskie fishery, just as muskies do not negatively impact
many anglers have held onto the belief that muskies damage the fish- the bass fishing.
Studies have shown that baitfish species such as shad, ciscoes,
ing for other game fish species is because they’ve probably had a
muskie follow or even attack a smaller game fish that is on the end suckers and other similar prey items are used heavily by muskie
where they are available. In fact,
of their line. The common school
muskies typically prefer not to eat
of thought is that if this occurs
The bottom line is that when other
fish species with sharp spines in
once in a while when they happen
their fins. These fish simply do not
to be on the water fishing, that it
anglers’ attitudes are changed they’ll
down well. Soft rayed baitfish
must happen all of the time. What
shed a more positive light on muskies to go
are much easier to swallow and a
many fail to take into consideraothers in the sport fishing community.
much better food source. In their
tion is the fact that this fish is
aquatic world muskies are similar to
being fought by an angler. The fish
The end result will be additional care
humans; they are at the top of the
is struggling and making itself
in the handling and release of these
food chain. Because of this, they
appear injured. This preys on a
can pretty much pick and choose
muskie’s instincts, just as it would
wonderful fish and a better overall
what they want to eat in a given
any other predator. It is because
fishing experience for all of us.
body of water, so it just stands to
the fish is being played to the boat
reason that they will select their prethat the muskie comes in to investigate or attack. How many times though, have we seen a bass attack ferred forage where it is available. Just as most of us would pick a
a hooked bluegill or crappie that’s being fought? Bass sometimes steak and lobster dinner over a sandwich and cold fries if given the
attack other bass on the line, pike and walleyes attack other pike and option, muskies will hunt and target their preferred food sources
walleyes, and catfish attack crappie and so on. I can’t tell you how when they are readily available.
Mark Boone is a Fisheries
Biologist with the Missouri
Department of Conservation and former coordinator of Missouri’s Muskie
Program. Mark advises, “I’m not
aware of any muskie population that
has adversely affected other fisheries.
Muskies have prey preferences just
like people. In the Midwest, muskies
prefer gizzard shad”. They also eat
suckers that are often common in
reservoirs. Muskies have a tendency to
eat fusiform (long and slender) fish
rather than game fish species such as
crappie and sunfish. As muskie
anglers, we often find ourselves in a
position to use this type of information to try to help change negative
attitudes that other anglers possess.
Thankfully, as time continues,
more and more negative attitudes
toward muskies and muskie fishing
fade. Today’s anglers are better educated and less apt to hold strong negative feelings toward fish species that
do not adversely affect other game
fish populations. Many of today’s
anglers are open-minded and willing to listen to a case that is well
presented. As muskie anglers we should be willing to try to change
the minds of folks who may have negative attitudes, especially if they
are open-minded and willing to listen to what we have to say. In the
North Country it’s easy to show that muskies do not hurt the fishing
for other game fish species by looking at the health of the fisheries.
Many of the very best walleye, trout, panfish, and bass fisheries in the
north also contain muskies. In fact, some of the best places to target
one or more of these species are also some of the best places to target
muskies. This is proof that muskies co-exist well with other game fish
and do not hurt the fishing for these species. In the south, there’s a
similar but also different school of thought. Impoundments where
muskies have been stocked are prime places for the birth of negative
attitudes toward these fish, as they would not likely exist in these
waters without stocking efforts. What many fail to realize is that
other species, even bass, were once stocked into many of these
impoundments as well. It’s just that they typically existed in these
waters for a longer period of time and may reproduce on their own.
These fish populations might not require regular stocking to maintain their numbers.
Anglers have pursued bass, catfish, bluegills and other species on
many of these waters for years before the introduction of muskie into
the system. In the past, it seemed that every time a cold front shut
the action down, someone would blame the muskies. We’ve all heard
it at one time or another. “The muskie are eating all of our fish” is
the common statement when poor weather conditions are actually
the culprit and anglers refuse to change their tactics and adjust to get
back on the fish. Again, thankfully, these attitudes are changing, with
thanks in large part to our fisheries biologists and other experts who
spread the truth about muskies, but also thanks to knowledgeable
muskie anglers who work to change negative attitudes. Many anglers
in the south are also beginning to realize that good places to fish for
other species also contain muskies. In fact, just like in the North
www.muskiesinc.org
Country, some of the best southern
muskie waters are also excellent bass,
catfish, panfish and walleye fisheries.
Shawn Hirst is a Fisheries Biologist
with the Illinois Department of
Natural Resources. Shawn has data
showing that muskie stocking does
not have a detrimental effect on other
fish species in a lake. In fact, he offers
the following, “During my spring
2005 survey on Kinkaid Lake I
recorded the second highest largemouth bass catch rate (bass/minute)
on record and the highest crappie
catch rate (crappie/minute) on
record. Also, the bass population has
increased since the muskie stocking
program was initiated in 1985”.
Again, this type of information can
be extremely beneficial to muskie
anglers who work to change negative
attitudes. A good idea is to suggest
that anglers concerned with the presence of muskies in their favorite
waters contact the state fisheries biologist in their area, as this will likely
put all of their fears to rest.
Another point is that just like
stripers and other large predators,
muskies utilize large populations of
big baitfish like gizzard shad that
can grow to a size unusable by most
other fish. When large gizzard shad
and similar baitfish species grow
very large, few predators can prey
on them, and they can compete
with game fish for food. Muskies
control these large baitfish. Ray
Simms and I guide on Kinkaid
Lake in southern Illinois and have
both fished its waters for more
than 20 years. As regulations
have changed, we’ve seen the
entire fishery improve first hand.
The muskie fishery at Kinkaid is
excellent and has been getting
better and better for many years.
At the same time, the bass fishing, crappie fishing and catfish
fishing has continued to
improve as well. The largemouth bass fishing has really
boomed, and we’re catching
more and bigger bass each year
on the water. It certainly
seems that the muskie have
co-existed quite well with bass
and other species in Kinkaid.
EDUCATING NON-MUSKIE
ANGLERS (Continued from page 17)
Kevin and Brian Duffey have been fishing Missouri’s Pomme De
Terre Lake for many years for both muskie and bass and have had
great success with both species. Kevin offers, “The fishing for each
species at Pomme is rivaled only by the other. The muskies seem to
eat mostly shad and we catch most of our fish on shad imitating
lures”. The fishing guides on my team and I have had good bass fishing success on other popular muskie waters like Kentucky’s Cave Run
Lake, The Chippewa Flowage in Wisconsin and Pipestone Lake in
Ontario, to name just a few. It certainly seems that good muskie fishing and good bass fishing go hand
in hand, and the same is true for
many other species as well, from
north to south.
We should all try our best to
educate non-muskie anglers about
our favorite fish and help dispel
the myths that muskies damage
the fishing for other species. One
of the best places to do this is at
the boat ramp. Strike up a conversation with a bass, crappie or
walleye angler. Ask them how
they did that day and show
interest in their favorite fish, as
this will help them relate well to
you. I’ve been able to change
negative attitudes that other
anglers on my home waters
have had toward muskies over
the years, and I’ve even seen
some of them take up our
sport as well. The bottom line
is that when other anglers’
attitudes are changed they’ll
shed a more positive light on
muskies to others in the
sport fishing community.
The end result will be additional care in the handling
Poplar Ridge Outfitters
MUSKIE GUIDE SERVICE
Dryden, Ontario
on Wabigoon, Eagle, Thaddeus & Ord lakes
Backwater Adventures for
Pike, Bass & Walleye
Guide Service or Full Packages Available
807/937-2249
and release of these wonderful fish and a
better overall fishing experience for all of
us. This is just another one of the many
ways that we can all work together to better the entire sport of fishing. Thanks and
good luck! ❖
Thanks to Colby Simms from Simms
Outdoors (www.SimmsOutdoors.com) for
allowing us to use this article in MUSKIE. It
was adapted from an article he previously
published in Esox Angler. Muskies, Inc.
members can have a big impact on angler perceptions. For a great example, check out the
story by Mary Mallott which starts on page
22 of this issue!
Waters throughout the U.S. and Canada are host to some 630
species of mayflies which typically hatch actively in June and July.
Mayfly Life Cycle
by Juris Ozols
Hexagenia (“Hex”) is one
of the most widespread
mayflies
in
North
America. During their
hatch they will collect on
any available vertical or
horizontal surface.
Within minutes of mating, the female settles down to the lake
surface, lays up to 8,000 eggs, and dies. Dead and dying
mayflies blown into the back of a bay can form a thick blanket,
but a change in wind can clear them out.
Although
unattractive, a
surface sheet of
dead mayflies is safe
to motor through, but
you might want to
check your water
pump every once in
a while to make sure
it is not clogged.
Sometimes
fishing
picks up as many
species feast on the
mayflies, also called
fish flies. These pelicans are coming to
feast on fish entrails
left after filleting pike
and walleye for shore
lunch during the
mayfly hatch. ❖
Winged adult
Hexagenia are the
only stage in the insect’s
life cycle that most
people ever see.
The adults live only
one to two days.
At dusk or at night,
females fly into a
large swarm of males.
They mate in flight.
www.muskiesinc.org
TEACHING KIDS ABOUT FISHING
CAN CHANGE LIVES
by Shane Eakle
Jim Moore, Chapter 09 President, submitted
this article written by Shane Eakle. Jim shared
that Shane is a long-time member of Chapter 09
who grew up in the chapter as a junior member
and now teaches and coaches at the high school
level. He and his grandfather, Robert “Pap”
Eddy, have always mentored young people and
encouraged them to fish and enjoy the outdoors.
I
n today’s world, it is very difficult to get
our youth to slow down enough to even
eat dinner at the table let alone take a few
hours out of their lives to go fishing. If there
is one thing I have learned as a coach and
chemistry teacher, it is that the more we can
keep our youth involved, the less trouble they
seem to get into and the better off they seem
to turn out. With these thoughts in mind, I
attempted to pass on my love for fishing and
the outdoors to each of my football and
wrestling teams. I set up summer fishing
trips for all of my student athletes who showed commitment to excellence by attending 85% of scheduled summer workouts. Usually
about 20 to 25 kids would qualify for these three day float and camping trips. The students were allowed to bring their dads along and
we usually had about nine to ten fathers attend as well. Many of
these student athletes incorporated fishing into their lives on a daily
basis afterwards. Since these trips turned out so well over the past
5-6 years, I thought why not incorporate this type of trip into my
classroom?
Using West Virginia Teaching Standards along with the help of
the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, a trip was planned
to incorporate one of my favorite hobbies into my classroom. I
approached my principal to see if he would give approval for me and
one other science teacher (Ryan Stocking) to take seventy-eight of
my Science 10 Honors Students on a fishing trip on a local river, the
Tygart River. For added help I called my grandfather, Robert “Pap”
Eddy and my brother Zac Eakle; both are also members of WV
Chapter 09 of Muskies, Inc. They gave up time to come and help
these kids on our fishing trip.
I showed the principal that the students had to research species
of fish in West Virginia and construct a fish identification booklet
which included a color picture with basic information on the back.
Some of the information included state record citation size, any special regulations, how they came to WV and what they ate, and other
things. The principal asked if I was crazy, but said if two of us wanted to take that many kids fishing, go for it and be careful.
Even though WV is known to some degree for fishing and hunting, almost 40% of my students had never fished before this planned
trip. After the students each presented their species to the rest of
their classmates, we had one day designated as “Fishing 101” show-
Students had a good time
and most hated to leave
and head back to school.
Many said they were going
to have to start fishing
some on their own, which
was part of the original
goal of this trip.
ing students how to tie basic knots, how to handle various species of
fish, and to explain our fish logging protocol, including measuring
and releasing them. We covered one of the most important safety
procedures - don’t hook anybody! Needless to say, Wal-Mart’s fishing department loved this project as there was a mad rush on fishing
gear as kids all wanted their own gear. We had students bring extra
fishing gear so those who didn’t have rods didn’t have to buy them,
but lots of students still wanted to go get their own.
The day came and we took roll and headed about one mile
down over the hill to the banks of the Tygart River. We spread out
along a hike-in only park so that the students could fish without
being right on top of each other. The fishing was slow as only seven
fish were caught, plus some trees and rocks. Three different species
were caught: smallmouth bass, rock bass and sauger. The sauger was
the largest fish of the day at 16 inches long. With Ryan and Pap’s
help we were able to avoid any hooking of students and quickly
untangle knots and lines that got crossed. All fish were successfully
released back into the water.
Many students were around when fish were caught so they could
all help ID the fish and record the data so we could quickly get them
back into the water. Students had a good time and most hated to
leave and head back to school. Many said they were going to have to
start fishing some on their own, which was part of the original goal
of this trip. I never realized how big an impact taking just one kid
fishing can make, let alone taking a large group. I am asking all of
us in the fishing world to try to take a kid fishing. If you do take
your kids fishing, thank you and now see if they have any friends that
would like to go with you. I was blessed to have Pap, Dad and Mom
to take me hunting and fishing and I have memories that no one can
take from me. Go make some memories of your own. ❖
Don’t forget, it’s
time for the…
Gil Hamm
Chapter
Challunge
August 25-27, 2010 on
Lake Vermilion, MN
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www.muskiesinc.org
Is this a Muskie?
Muskies, Inc. members help land a whopper!
by Mary Mallott
“Is this a muskie?”
reeling in. I stopped reeling about halfway back to the boat to push
That’s what I asked the man and woman fishing in a nearby boat my glasses up. When I started to reel again, I thought my lure had
sunk to the bottom and was caught on a limb or something. I jerked
when a really big fish surfaced with my lure.
My husband, Lew, and I were bass fishing at Lake Kincaid in to see if I could pull it free. It didn’t feel like it moved, then I saw this
southern Illinois the first weekend in May 2010. We arrived around huge fish come to the surface for a couple of seconds, and then it took
2PM Friday afternoon and put the boat in. We saw several boats fish- off with my line.
I had noticed a woman and man in a boat nearby that were
ing with huge lures (by our standards) and discovered there was a
muskie tournament going on or getting ready to start the next day. muskie fishing with those huge lures. I called over to them, “Is this a
We didn’t even get a bite that afternoon and took the boat out of the muskie?”
They asked if we wanted them to come
water around 6PM since a heavy storm was
over and help land it. We didn’t have a clue
predicted. There was a huge thunderstorm
While waiting to net the
how to do it so we said, “Please help!”
that night. Lightning struck by the cabin next
The woman picked up the biggest net
to ours and took out the electronics on the car
big muskie there was lots
I’ve ever seen and they came over. They introand the boat that was parked there.
of time for talk; Jenny
duced themselves as Jenny and Denis. At
It was overcast Saturday morning and
first, Jenny was going to net the fish from
looked like it might rain some more, but we
told us a little about
their boat, but quickly saw that wasn’t practiput the boat in and set out.
muskie fishing and about
cal. Denis and Lew got the boats together and
We’d been fishing for an hour or so. It
the muskie club she and
then Jenny and her really big net came aboard.
was about 10AM. I was fishing with a
All the while, I was just trying to keep the line
Shakespeare Ugly Stick, and a little Zebco 33
Denis belong to.
tight, reeling, and letting the drag work as the
reel that my husband laughs at. Fresh out of
big fish made its runs.
the box it is wound with 10 pound test line
The first time Jenny actually saw the fish,
and that’s probably what was still on it. My lure was a white 1/4
ounce Johnson Beetle Spin about two inches long. I like to leave my she got at as excited as I was. It came up several times and gave us all
options open to catching a crappie or bluegill. I’m happy to catch a good look, but it was always either too far from the boat or was
anything! We still hadn’t had a strike. I cast toward shore and was headed away so she couldn’t get it in the net. Then it would dive
again; we were in well over 30 feet of water. Jenny said it
was a female because it had marks on its head and also
because of the size. She said the marks were from the
male trying to get the female to go where he wanted for
spawning. While waiting to net the big muskie there was
lots of time for talk; Jenny told us a little about muskie
fishing and about the muskie club she and Denis belong
to. You could tell she was into this muskie fishing big
time! She was working as hard running around our boat
with that heavy net as I was fighting the fish.
I was getting tired. Several times I sat down for a
couple of minutes, but I really needed to stand to be able
to follow the fish around and handle the rod and reel
well. I didn’t know how long this had been going on, but
my arms were beginning to shake. At one point I told
Jenny that she could take the rod and fight the fish, but
she declined. She said that this was my fish, and that we
were going to land it, and I would have a photo of the fish
of a lifetime to show to my children and grandchildren!
She said that I was going to have to be more patient than
the fish to be able to catch it. A couple of times, Jenny
said she thought the fish was getting tired, but when it
came up near the boat, as soon as she moved the net, it
The author fighting the muskie with a trusty Zebco 33 while Jenny stands took off again. Lew was working the trolling motor and
ready with the net.
Lew, Jenny (holding the muskie), and the author,
Mary, still taking pictures with Jenny’s iPhone!
Jenny was telling him when to go toward my line and when
to stop, trying to make sure the fish would come up near the
boat so she could net it. Jenny said “Mary, there are a few
things in life that you cannot control, and this fish is one of
them!”
Finally, after over an hour, it came up close enough and
headed in the right direction so Jenny could net it. She got
the net crosswise on the boat and straddled it and Lew keep
his foot on the end of the handle flat and parallel on the boat
floor to make sure the fish didn’t swim back out of the net
into the lake. Jenny called out for Denis to
bring over her muskie gloves and the “bumpboard” to measure it. She cut the line and got
the lure out of its mouth, not an easy task.
Apparently that fish still wasn’t as tired as I was!
Sometime during all this, Jenny gave me
her iPhone to take pictures. Dennis had a camera as well and both of us were taking pictures
while Jenny, with a little help from Lew, wrestled
the fish onto the boat and onto the bumpboard.
Forty-nine and a half inches! Wow! Jenny wanted to get her back into the lake pretty quickly, so
we couldn’t weigh her, but Jenny said the biggest
muskie she ever caught was 35 pounds, and that
she thought that this one was even heavier!
Jenny got the fish back into the water
quickly and held the base of its tail until it slowly swam away, straight down into the depths. I
collapsed onto the seat. I was exhausted! Jenny
had to be tired too. She did a lot of hard work,
handling that heavy net for an hour or so, and
then wrestling the huge muskie. She said she
had intended to get a picture of me holding it,
but once she got it out of the water, she didn’t
think I’d be able to handle it. I’m sure she was
right, especially as tired as my arms were by
then. And she didn’t want to keep it out of the
water any longer.
I gave Jenny my email address so she could
send me the pictures. Lew and I thanked them
again. We never would have landed it without
them. We didn’t have either the equipment or
And they obviously truly
the knowledge.
enjoyed the whole process. Jenny said several
times how lucky she felt to be a part of it. They
gave us an experience to remember forever!
How fortuitous that they happened to be fishing
nearby when I hooked that muskie. ❖
Mary and Lew Mallott live in Collinsville, Illinois,
near St. Louis. Jenny Reisch lives in Springfield,
MO and Denis Ledgerwood lives in Ballwin, MO;
both are members of the Pomme de Terre Chapter
of Muskies, Inc.
www.muskiesinc.org
CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS ◆ CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS ◆ CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS
Chapter News and Views
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!
No. Chapter, Address
Special Events
2010
Aug. 25-27, 2010
2010 Gil Hamm Chapter Challunge
at Lake Vermilion, MN. Sponsored by
Tri-Esox Productions - Chicago Muskie
Show.
Contact: Jeff Young:
[email protected]
or (218) 821-3669
September 10-12, 2010
Pomme de Terre Chapter Annual Muskie
Tournament
Lake Pomme de Terre, MO
www.missourimuskies.org
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
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.
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....586-873-5781
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
Meets 2nd
Ridge, IL.
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 here and the Chicagoland Muskie Hunters chapter
of Muskie Inc. is as busy as ever. Members have been 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
Our latest meeting had Phil Guttman (www.muske62.com),
professional angler as our guest speaker. Excellent presentation
related to lure sounds and colors. We learned a great deal as Phil
brought audio on the sounds various bucktails produced.
Additionally, Phil was able to clearly present the visual difference
lure colors have depending upon depth and water clarity. As Phil
said, “fish see contrast, not color”.
Phil spends a fair amount of time on the Chain ‘O Lakes in
Northern Illinois and Lake of the Woods in Ontario, Canada. He
was able to share some of his knowledge on those bodies of water
as well. Thank you Phil as we all learned a great deal.
A number of our members were at Gompers Park in Chicago
for this year’s “Get Hooked on Fishing, Not Drugs”. Yes it was raining at times but spirits were high and many fish were caught by the
kids attending. Simultaneous to this event there was an outing on
the Chain ‘O Lakes which was well attended.
Chapter finances are looking good and we seem to have an
excellent guest speaker schedule for the remainder of the year
thanks to Frank Loye. While July and August will be “on the water”
meetings, we look forward to speakers Kevin Moore, Sean
Bermingham, Doug Welch and the special December presentation.
You are encouraged to come to any of the next Chicagoland
Muskie Hunters meetings. Everybody shares their knowledge and
experience. Chicagoland Muskie Hunter meetings are now the
second Tuesday of the month at the Park Ridge VFW located at 10
W. Higgins Road, Park Ridge, Illinois at 7:30pm with free pizza
being served about 8:00pm. Keep the calls coming with questions
about joining Chicagoland Muskie Hunters. As always, feel free
to call Dean Rosset at 847-677-0017 or [email protected]
or myself at 847-434-1400 or [email protected]
Take care, Kevin M. Lynch
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
Minutes June 5, 2010 Meeting: The meeting was called to
order at 11:30AM by President. The Financial report was given by
the Treasurer. Earle Hammond gave the Regional Director’s report
and current information from Muskies, Inc. The contribution by Mrs.
Jon Kirby was discussed and the award will be made at the tournament dinner by a drawing, and the winners name will be re-deposit-
www.muskiesinc.org
ed into the drawing box for further awards. Mrs. Jon Kirby has
agreed to provide a self-inflatable life vest in honor of her late husband, Jon. A discussion of Kids Day was conducted and all plans
seemed to be in order for that event. It was brought to the club’s
attention that there will be a new head of the fisheries department
in the Missouri Conservation Department as the present chief. No
name has been given for his replacement as of this time. A motion
was made & 2nd made and a unanimous vote made to provide a
complimentary membership to MI along with the magazine to the
lake biologist. An invitation to attend a sports show in Iowa was
received and rejected because of the demands made by those
shows already committed for in 2011. A discussion was held regarding the proposed Executive Director for MI and the general members are still against this proposal. The meeting was suspended for
lunch and resumed as soon a lunch was finished. It was voted on
by the Board of Directors that were present directing Fred Wehrli to
open a checking account at Bank of Urbana, to be titled “Regional
Directors Expense Account”. Fred Wehrli, Earle Hammond and
Wayne Humphrey will be the authorized signers on this account,
and only one signature will be required for a check. No further business, the meeting was closed at 12:55PM.
Thanks Fred Wehrli - for a wonderful meal at the Prime Time
Outing!
Please participate in MDC’s Show-Me Muskie Program by
turning in your muskie fishing and catch reports! MDC recently eliminated Henry Sever Lake from the list of lakes where muskies
will be planted in the future. There will be muskies there for a few
years to come, but they will eventually die out and there will be one
less lake for muskie anglers to fish in Missouri. Why did this happen you ask? Well, the answer is simple – there is very low fishing
pressure for muskies on this lake. If you don’t think so just check
the release records for this lake and you will find that hardly anyone
fishes for muskie there. So there a message here for those of us
who pursue these elusive fish in Missouri. We really need to fill
out the Show-Me Muskie forms and submit them to MDC and
we need to fill out our MI release forms and submit them to our
catch & release chairman. If we don’t, maybe we will be reading
about other lakes in Missouri that are being dropped from the list of
muskie fisheries. Could it even happen on Pomme de Terre?
Probably not, but the state has a limited budget for planting these
elusive fish and if there is not much interest in fishing for them why
would they continue? So the message is loud and clear - fill out
those reports requested by the state telling them how many hours
we fish, on which lakes, for which species, even if we don’t catch
our favorite fish. We use the facility, so why not let them know just
how much this means to us, lest we want to lose the privilege altogether. Illinois stocks over 100 lakes with muskies and seem to be
adding more each year while Missouri keeps reducing the number
of lakes which have support muskies. Are there simply more
muskie fishermen in Illinois vs. Missouri? More interest? Or simply
better reporting? The choice is pretty clear and it’s your choice!
Remember, Bill Edgar is our release Chairman; you can contact Bill
at: [email protected]
Last minute update on MDC retirements and new
Fisheries Chief (from Kevin Richards). Just before our magazine
deadline I found out that Chris Vitello took over as MDC Fisheries
Chief as of July 1, 2010. Chris is a long-time employee of MDC and
a superb choice. I’m happy to say that Chris has even caught and
netted muskies out of my fishing boat! I should also report that
CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS ◆ CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS ◆ CHAPTER NEWS
03
Chicagoland Muskie Hunters
CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS (Continued from page 25)
there were 5 very significant retirements at MDC as of June 30th.
They included Fisheries Chief Bill Turner; Resource Science Chief
Ron Dent (who was one of the early leaders of Missouri’s Muskie
Program); Fisheries Asst. Chief Rich Wehnes; Blind Pony Hatchery
Manager Gary Heidrich (who raised many muskies for us all); and
former Pomme de
Fisheries
Terre
Biologist
Dale
Cornelius. Dale held
his retirement/fishing
party at Pomme in
early June when
several muskies and
walleye were being
caught.
Special
thanks to each of
these men for all
they
have
contributed to our fisheries and aquatic
Former Pomme de Terre Fisheries Biologist Dale resources
in
Cornelius received his retirement plaque from Missouri.
new Fisheries Chief Chris Vitello during a BBQ
dinner at Pomme de Terre Lake.
06
Wayne Humphrey
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.
2010 Calendar of events:
Aug 2 - General Meeting at Chippewa Rod & Gun Club 5:30 PM
Aug 16 - Chapter Board Meeting, 6:00 PM Chippewa Rod & Gun
Aug 21-27 – Gil Hamm Chapter Challenge, Lake Vermilion, MN
Sept - No General Meeting scheduled
Sept 17, 18, 19 – 34th Annual Chapter Tournament
Our Topwater Challenge was held at Holcombe on June 12th.
There were 22 people at the cookout at noon and everything was
cooked from burgers, brats, hotdogs and even fresh walleye on the
grill. Other clubs that were represented were the God’s Country
chapter, Titletown and North Metro chapters of MI. There were 7 fish
caught in the event, which is really good. Last year this event was
one by Tim Sheppard from the Titletown chapter of MI and he fished
his heart out to keep the traveling trophy in Titletown’s hands and
he succeeded again. God’s country came in 2nd with the biggest
fish, a 46” from Anthony Wiltinger. Here are the results:
1st. Tim Sheppard (41.5 and 34.5”) 24pts (Titletown)
2nd Anthony Wiltinger (46”) 20pts (God’s Country)
3rd Jason Smith (37.5” and 33.5”) 19 pts
4th Paul Riedel (43.75) 17.75pts.
5th Jim Bunch 37.25 (11.25pts)
The Kleeba Challenge was held June 19 and 20 at Lake
Holcombe. This is the state chapters of Muskies, Inc. There were 70
people attending from 7 different chapters. There was a get together Saturday at noon at Big Swedes in their pavilion. God’s County
chapter (the event host) provided a meal, there were some raffles
and a good time was had by all. There was 17 total muskies
caught, with the biggest 44in. God’s Country Team #1 came in 1st
with 4 fish, 44 pts. God’s Country Team #2 came in 2nd with 3 fish,
35 pts. 3rd place went to 1st Wisc #1 team of Paul Michels, Len
Rubesch, Jason Smith, Jess Hanvold, Chuck and Cortland Spletter.
For those who went all had a good time. The Central Wisconsin
chapter will host the event next year and they are thinking it will be
back on Lake Holcombe.
Our Wednesday night league has completed 4 nights of fishing
through late June.
There has been 15 to
20 people fishing each
Wednesday and 11
muskies have been
caught. Scott Schreiber
is the current leader
with 4 muskies. This
includes a 46 inch and
a 40.5 inch tiger. Jason
Smith was the net man
for the tiger and got a
super picture. The picture is so neat that we
share it with you.
Cortland Spletter (age
12) also got a 41 inch
on Old Abe on June
23rd.
Our annual fall tournament is September 17, 18, 19. The tournament headquarters has been East Bay on Lake Holcombe for a
number of years. There is an issue there as it is only open for
scheduled events due to financial issues. We have been told it will
be open for our tournament. However the board is working on a
back up plan just in case something happens at the last minute. In
other words stay in touch with our chapter’s web site as time gets
close. 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 Mama
Luigi's located at 7500 S. Harlem in Bridgeview, IL starting at 7:00 pm.
The June meeting was
called to order by President
John Daley, and The first item
on the agenda was to hear
the fishing reports from the
club trip to Lac Vieux Desert.
Jack Frost reported that he
had caught the first legal
muskie of the year from the
lake, a beautifully-marked 42
inch tiger muskie. Others,
including Bob Jeffries, reported great smallmouth, crappie, and walleye fishing
Attending the outing were
Bob, Jeffries, Les Feher, Tom
Pavlowski, Steve Schmidt,
Jack Frost with Sammy Allard of John McNicholas, the Jack
Frankfort, IL, and the third place prize Frost group which included
that Sammy won in our mini-fundraiser. Jack, Kathy Frost, Len Frost,
Geri Frost, grandson Asher,
granddaughter Eva, son Chuck, daughter-in-law January, brother
Mark, friend Dave Luecht, Dave’s daughter Lauren, Lauren’s friend
Tim Helenhouse, and Dave’s grandson Jacob. Also attending the
outing was the Mike Blazek group which included Mike, his brother
Bill Blazek, nephew Bill Blazek, Jr., brother-in-law Mike O’Meara,
friend Tom O’Neil, friend Mike O’Neil, friend Brandon O’Neil, and
friend Sergio. In addition, Ian Niemiec, his father-in-law Ray Ulbert,
and Sean Kays rounded out the group. Everyone reported having a
great time, and that the food and accommodations provided by
Sunrise Lodge were excellent. This is a yearly event for us which
just seems to get bigger every year, with many of the attendees
being repeats from previous years.
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.
Club members are reporting regularly on muskies being
caught. There seems to be an unusually high number of muskies
in the upper 40”s being landed this year, and a high proportion of
those have been caught by trollers on the Madison Chain of lakes.
One notable exception was a beautiful 48.25” muskie caught by
Dan Okray while casting a Double 10 Spanky Bait on Lake
Waubesa. Congratulations to Dan and to all the other anglers who
have netted big fish.
Information on the annual Lake Winter Outing on June 25 and
26, 2010 were not available for this report. More information will be
forthcoming next month. The second On-the-Water meeting this
summer is on August 9th at Lake Waubesa, and the line-up for guest
speakers at our fall meetings is complete. Here is the schedule:
September 13, 2010 - The general meeting of the Capital City
Chapter of Muskies, Inc. will again feature a panel of expert anglers
from the ranks of the club’s members. This was done last year in
September to help prepare and motivate members for late season
monsters. The topic for the evening will be “Fall Fishing.” Panel
members, recommended because of the large number of fish they
caught last year, include Kevin Pamulak, Troy Schoonover, Bryan
Foerst, and Matt Hill. All panel members have extensive experience fishing the Madison Chain lakes, and each will share his
thoughts and insights on best strategies, tactics, and presentations
for putting muskies in the net on local waters.
October 11, 2010 – We are very happy to have Scot Stewart,
Regional Program Manager for the Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources and longtime CCMI member, back as a featured speaker. Scot will provide an update on muskies in the South
Central Region (SCR) of Wisconsin and more generally, statewide.
This annual presentation provides current news on regulations,
stocking efforts, as well as WDNR plans for muskies in the future.
November 8, 2010 – Special guests will be featured speakers
at the November meeting. Dan Narsete, President of Muskies, Inc.
www.muskiesinc.org
and Ian Young, President of Muskies Canada, will be present to
share information and insights on the current and future status of
muskie fishing and the respective organizations they represent. We
look forward to hearing from them.
December 13, 2010 – Captain Tanner Wildes, professional
fishing guide and operator of Tanner Guide Service, will be the featured speaker at the December membership meeting of the Capital
City Chapter of Muskies, Inc. Wildes specializes in muskie and
walleye fishing on northern Wisconsin’s Chippewa Flowage and the
St. Louis River along with a number of different lakes in the
Hayward Wisconsin area.
As reported last month, several scheduled CCMI outings are
still to come. The 2010 Eagle Lake Outing, scheduled from
September 4th through September 11th, at Andy Myers Lodge on
Eagle Lake in Canada is a big fish event. Contact Cory Painter at
608-213-7747 or by email at [email protected]. A Vilas County
Outing is scheduled for October 15 and 16 and will be headquartered out of Fibber’s Inn and Resort on Big St. Germain. Go to
www.capitalcitymuskiesinc.org for more information.
Good Luck on the water this coming fall.
Lee Bartolini, VP
09
West Virginia
1270 Federal Road • Little Hocking, OH 45742
740-667-3571
http://westvirginiamuskiesinc.org
Meets: No definite schedule-call
Chuck Braniff and I spent the opening week of muskie season
on the smaller waters of Peterborough County in Ontario. With a
combined total of 44 fish more than 30”, we each established a new
personal best for muskies caught and released during a one week
period. Admittedly this is not trophy water. Our largest fish was 38”
and most were between 30” and 34”.
Meanwhile on the home front, WV Chapter Members were
involved with the Wayne National Forest Kid’s Fishing and Fun Day
and our Ohio Lakes Tournament.
Jim Moore, Bill Looney and Robin Clegg volunteered at Leith
Run Campground on the Ohio River where this youth event is held.
The evening before the fishing was to begin, Jim Moore chummed
the shoreline with fish food provided by Chris O’Bara, WV DNR
Ohio River Biologist. Apparently this helped since lots of fish were
caught by the more than 70 youth participating. Included in their
catch were several 3lb. to 5lb. carp and catfish.
Despite high but quickly falling water, four nice fish were caught
during our Ohio Lakes Tournament. On Saturday, Harry Haddox
caught a 37” twitching a 10” Jake over the weeds at Salt Fork.
Even though Piedmont Lake was up about 5 feet, 3 qualifying
fish were caught on Sunday. Kevin Custer boated a 42” trolling a
Bulldog. Tim McCauley won with two muskies of 36” each during a
brief flurry of activity while running spinnerbaits in shallow bays at
the upper end of the lake.
Congratulations to Tim for his tournament victory. Also, many
thanks to Kevin Woolard who served as chairperson.
John Kaltenecker, Secretary
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.
After a very long winter Headwaters Chapter 12 welcomed the
season opener here in the Northwoods. Jim Rechlitz, Roger Sabota
and Kip Cramer co-chaired our season opener and wow what an
outing.
One of the warmest Memorial weekends in years here in the
Eagle River area of Wisconsin, with air temp in low 80s and the sur(Continued on page 28)
John then gave a short talk on perch and salmon fishing in
Lake Michigan. He went into detail on some of the rigs he uses and
why he uses them. He also had examples with him to show how
each set-up is rigged, and had a brief question and answer session
afterward for those interested in learning more about the set-ups.
Following a short intermission, Ian Niemiec gave directions to
our club picnic which was to be held on the Saturday after the meeting at a private fishing club, of which Ian is a member. He stressed
again that all children under 12 years of age who are on the pier,
must be wearing life preservers, and that the speed limit on the
grounds is a strictly-enforced 5mph. We agreed to meet at the facility at 9AM.
The picnic turned out to be a great success with beautiful
weather (though a little on the hot side), great food, and great camaraderie. We had a nice shady pavilion in which to stay cool, fishing
was available, and everyone had a great time. Those in attendance
included Ian Niemiec, Deb Niemiec, their children Alex and Chloe,
Grant McCahill, Les Feher, Tom Pavlowski, Duke O’Malley, John
Daley, Mike Blazek, Tony Dyrkacz, Warren Thompson, Lynn Polyak,
Jack Frost, Kathy Frost, Patrick Henry, Chris Higgins, Jake Higgins,
Sean Kays, Carrie Kotara, Tyler Kotara, Alyssa Kotara, and Kaylie
Kotara. Those in attendance feasted on half-pound burgers, hot
dogs, cole slaw, potato salad, baked beans, and roasted sweet
corn. Deb Niemiec also made a cake for the occasion which was
decorated to look like a fishing pond. Needless to say, but we all ate
too much. However, we managed to work off the excess calories by
fishing for the rest of the day.
Until next time, let’s all go fishing, have fun, and stay safe.
Respectfully submitted, Lynn Polyak, RVP
face water temp in the low 70s and light winds, boating, skiing,
swimming and yes fishing all took place.......It was opening day for
musky fishing north of Hwy 10 here in Wisconsin.... Headwaters
Chapter 12 of Musky Inc. had their first outing yesterday host site
Oneida Village and with 36 people attending a new record of 12
Muskies were CPR . The fish range from 34 inches to 42 inches and
were caught on different area lakes..........They were caught on
bucktails, crank baits, surface lures and bull dogs indicating a feed
was on.......The success has to do with the warm water temps and
feeding binge as everyone saw other fish follows and teasers as
they say..... Catching fish were Harvey Sadler 39.5 inches, Jim
Heffner 37 and 38 inches, Joe Koscnik 32.5 , Bob Jacobs, 35, Tom
Stark 34 inches, Louie Dreager 34 and 34.5 Jay Hollnagel 34
inches, Fred Brogle 36.5 inches and Scott Samuels 39 and 42
inches......Hats off to these fishermen.
The 30th Anniversary Headwaters Chapter of Muskies, Inc.
Spring Classic of Champions was held on June 12th and 13th. There
were 92 teams with 184 people fishing the tournament. The headquarters for the tournament was Wild Eagle Lodge with fishing limited to the Lower Eagle River Chain. The results of the tournament
are as follows:
1st Place Team #32
Jason McCrea - Phelps, WI 4 Fish 34, 36, 40, 40 inches
Marti Primich - Phelps, WI $10,000
2nd Place Team # 78
Brian Krelle - Eagle River, WI 3 Fish 37, 38, 43 inches
Tim Miller - Rhinelander, WI $2,800
3rd Place Team # 24
Bob Jacobs - Eagle River, WI 3 Fish 36, 39, 39 inches
Steve Bassler, Jr. - Madison, WI $1,800
4th Place Team #33
Dan Wojtusik - Eagle River, WI 3 Fish 36, 37, 39 inches
John Meyer - Louisville, CO $600
5th Place Team #38
Jared Adamovich - Eagle River, WI 3 Fish 36, 36, 38 inches
Curt Priefer - Eagle River, WI $500
6th Place Team #92
Steve Ingram- St. Germain, WI 2 Fish 37, 43 inches
Jim Kortens - Mosinee, WI $475
7th Place Team #46
Mark Lijewski - Minocqua, WI 2 Fish 35, 41 inches
Clay Schroeder - Hazelhurst, WI $450
8th Place Team #88
Dewey Stewart - Pawnee, IL 2 Fish 36, 38 inches
Forest Kay - St. Charles, IL $400
9th Place Team #65
Paul Hansen - Eagle River, WI 2 Fish 34, 38 inches
Louis Dreger - Eagle River, WI $350
10th Place Team #15
Brian Verkuilen - Neenah, WI 1 Fish 43 inches
Darrelle Verkuilen, Jr. - Wittenberg, WI $325
Big Fish Saturday Team #15
Brian & Darrelle Verkuilen 43 inches Fish $695
Big Fish Sunday Team #32
Jason McCrea & Marti Primich 40 inches Fish $695
Winner of the Manufacturers Mini Tournament Team #15
Brian & Darrelle Verkuilen 43 inches Fish; $560 plus Rod and
Reel
Fish Caught and Released: Saturday 31 Sunday 15 Total of 46
fish
Lakes fish were caught in: Catfish 20, Cranberry 14, Eagle 4,
Yellow Birch 2, Scattering Rice 2, Duck 2, Watersmeet 1, and
Voyageur 1.
A special thank you to Carol and Rick Janick, Micki and Joe
Koschnik, John Schmidt, Elmer Jensen, Courtney Froemming,
Sandy and Bill Jacobs, Bob Jacobs, Rick Pahl, and Art Anderson for
helping with the tournament. Thank you to the judges in the judge
boats: Jim Chamberlin, Jay Hollnagel, Joe Koschnik, Glenn Matula,
Tim Muench, Dale Petersen - Chairman, Bob Weeks, and Todd
Wiese.
We want to thank Wild Eagle Lodge and their staff for allowing
us to use their facilities as our tournament headquarters and for the
coffee and donuts on Saturday and Sunday morning. Oneida
Village provided the noon meal on Sunday which was served by the
Eagle River Masonic Lodge members. A special thanks to Margie
and Jerry Hollnagel, Hessenjaeger Wirehairs, LLC, for our tournament flags and for the wonderful job on our website. If you have not
checked out our website, please do so. It is located at www.headwatersmuskies.com Thank you to Eagle River Distributing II and
Miller Brewing Co. for our tournament trophies, Wireless Advantage
Alltel, Garth & Lisa Darton for providing our starting position numbers, Vilas County News-Review for tournament publicity, Jim
Korducki for our tournament Ducktail lures, and the following sponsors for their support: Beast Teaser Tackle, Boat Sport Marina,
Braywood Resort, Eagle River Inn, Moore¡¯s Tackle, Musky Hunter
Magazine, Musky Magic Tackle, Lakewood Tackle Boxes, Rizzo
Tackle, Shimano, Smity Baits, Suick Lures Manufacturing, Trophy
Technologies, and St. Croix.
Thank you to each and every one of you for helping us make
our tournament a success. Next year is the 31st Anniversary of the
Spring Classic which will be held June 11th and 12th, 2011. - Jim &
Carol Heffner, Tournament Directors
Congratulations to Jim and Carol and there team for a very well
run tournament.
Glenn Matula, Secretary
13
Hayward Lakes
P.O. Box 609
Hayward, WI 54843
715-634-4543
The guest speaker for our June meeting was one of our local
guides Bill Shumway. Bill’s presentation was very interesting and
filled with ideas and techniques and details that were new to many
of us. Bill did this as a volunteer so we thank him for donating his
time. If you’re looking for a good experienced guide Bill’s number is
715-634-3204.
Our club’s August event is our kids fishing day which is always
the first Sunday, this year it’s the first. We meet at The Dick-Sy
Roadhouse on highway 77, 10 miles east of Hayward on Upper
Twin Lake. We ask the guides to get there at 8:30am and the kids
at 9:00am. We fish from 9-12 and then meet back at Dick-Sy for
lunch, supplied by the club. Each youngster gets a bag of fishing
goodies and we have a raffle for some bigger prizes. If you know
some kids 10 to 16 years old who would like to join us they need to
sign up at Hayward Bait and Tackle in advance. We also can use
more guides, so if you’d like to join us call Mike at 715-634-4543. To
guide you do not need to be a professional you simply need enthusiasm, so join us!
The first club fishing outing in August will be at Big
Sissabagama on Wednesday the11th. We will meet afterwards at
The Black Bear Pub in Stone Lake. On Wednesday the 25th we’ll
fish Sand Lake and go to Angler’s Haven on LCO afterwards. We
fish from 5pm until dark but start and stop when ever you want.
In September we will have a meeting on Tuesday the 7th. There
will be a business meeting at 6pm and the general meeting starts at
7pm. The guest speaker will be local guide Jim Stroede who will talk
about using live bait and casting for fall muskies.
Our 33RD Annual Fall Tournament will again be the first weekend in October, this year, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Our top prize will again
be a Lund 1725 Explorer with a Mercury 50 four stroke. This is given
away at our Sunday awards ceremony by drawing from the names
of everyone who has entered the tournament. The top fish catcher
gets a Mercury 25, and second place prize is a Mercury 15. All top
ten finishers get a trophy and merchandise prizes. The person
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.
At our June meeting, 20 members were in attendance.
Discussion points were as follows:
Jerry and Joe Marinzel demonstrated construction of their
MTailz Spinner lures. The presentation was well received by the
members and very informative. We would like to thank both Jerry
and Joe for the time and support to our club.
Mark your calendars for the upcoming meetings and fishing events:
August 14th is our Kids outing at Lake Arthur
October 16th & 17th at 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.
Joe Houck of the club reported that the PA Fish Commission
will be releasing a report regarding the recent fish kill at
Pymatuning. Joe stated that 98% of the kill was Crappies, and this
was a result of the fish going into the shallow areas, where the
water temperature was up to 82 degrees. Joe also informed the
membership that the fish commission put out nets in Bay 41, and
had substantial muskies caught, which they milked 3 for future
musky production.
The release winners so far for 2010 are: Jan & Feb, no releases, no winners;
March, Sam Butler 43-inch from Piedmont Lake, Ohio; April,
Joel Morrow had a 49-inch from Pymatuning
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 Muskies, Inc. 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 Musky Shop, Wal-Mart, Wiley Lures.
For now, travel safe and be well, hope to see you at the club
meetings, which are held the 2nd Monday of each month. Our next
meeting will be held on July 12th.
Jim Patterson
19
Akron-Canton
10957 Northwood Ave. NE • Bolivar, OH 44612
Gordon Selden - 330-874-2773
http://[email protected]
Meets 3rd Monday 7:00 PM, Belgrade Gardens, 3476 Massillon Road, Akron,
OH.
The Muskie Maniacs participated in the Chapter Challenge at
Saltfork on May 15th and 16th. There were 64 people that signed
up for the tournament. Cliff Honeycutt from Central Ohio won the
www.muskiesinc.org
tournament with his two fish of 39” and 37.5” fish. Way to go Cliff!
That makes Central Ohio winning it the last two years. Mike Money
caught the biggest fish for them last year. Gordon Selden won the
big fish pool with his 39” fish. We all had a great time fishing and
camping together and had a shore lunch on Saturday. We also had
a chance to win some lures with the door prize tickets. A special
drawing was held to raise money for a previous club member with
two lure boards to help him with his medical expenses. We want to
thank everyone for their support!
Our next tournament will be our Leesville Memorial tournament
June 26th and 27th. Our tournament had to be rescheduled because
the lake was flooded and the Marina’s were closed. I will give the
results of the tournament in our next issue.
At our June 20th meeting, we held our drawing for our 32” flat
screen TV. Congratulations go out to Cliff Jones for winning with his
lucky ticket!
Our next tournament will be our combined tournament with
Chapter 23 on July 17th and 18th. We have the chance to fish either
Lake Milton or West Branch. It should be a lot of fun and hope that
the weather will hold out for it.
On Aug. 7th, we are going to have our Leesville Lake Nite Bite
tournament. This event is a lot of fun and look forward to it.
I will give all the highlights of these tournaments in my next
issue. Until then, hit the water hard and catch some fish!
Kevin Proffitt
24
Brainerd Lakes
18031 Heritage Road • Brainerd, MN 56401
218-838-5509 – Donny Hines
www.brainerdmuskies.com
Meets 2nd Tuesday 7:00 PM, Water Fall Inn, Hwy 371 north of Brainerd by
Brainerd International Raceway.
During our June monthly member meeting, we made custom
bucktails with Breakline Tackle Company. First we kicked off the
meeting with some fish stories from opening weekend.
Chapter member Steve Earhart shared that he netted a nice 44”
muskie for guide and chapter member Tim Anderson. Marilyn
Derosier shared her recent catch of a 39” muskie she caught
while fishing walleyes. It sounded like her fish put up quite a fight.
Jeff Young shared that the following chapter members volunteered at the Kids Fishing Clinic at Lum Park on May 29th: Jeff,
Jody, and Jayden Young; Donny and Dawn Marie Hines; Derek
“Duck” Johnson, and Jim Kath. About 180 kids took part in the
event and every kid left with a prize. Thanks to all who volunteered and help represent the chapter at this event!
Next, Jeff reminded us that the Youth Outdoor Festival was
scheduled for Saturday at the Lakeshore Conservation Club; The
retirement party for DNR Fisheries Manager Tim Brastrup this
Saturday (The BLC will be giving Tim a Framed Muskie Print thanking him for his efforts and support); and the first BLC outing, The
June Clash on June 27th on Lake Alexander and Lake Shamineau.
Jeff gave a quick update on the Gil Hamm, discussed how
many teams will be attending, and soon that we will have a website
up and running solely for the Gil Hamm.
Greg Kvale and Jeff Young concluded business with
discussing how the meetings went with Upper and Lower South
Long Lake Associations. They felt the meetings went very well,
they put together a very informative presentation and the attendees
were all very appreciative for this. But Jeff and Greg noted that
there are some people still on the fence. Both Greg and Jeff agree
that we will need to have strong presence at the public meetings
held on September 2nd to uphold our position, more to come.
Once business was completed, the attendees began making
their new custom bucktail lures. The meeting concluded with raffles and prizes. Upcoming events include the Big Dawg Challunge
Chapter Outing on Mille Lacs on August 3rd, Youth Night on August
10th, the Memorial Chapter Challunge on August 21st and 22nd,
catching the largest fish gets a Ron Lax replica. Our major prizes
come from Hayward Power Sports so stop and see them for boats,
motors, ATV’s or snowmobiles. They are on Highway 77 east 11
miles east of Hayward. Don’t forget you can visit our website for
more club or tournament information: www.muskiesinc-hayward.org
Good Fishing, Mike Persson
and the Gil Hamm on Lake Vermillion on August 25th, 26th, and
27th. Please visit our website for more information: www.brainerdmuskies.com
Damien Williams
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.
The Spirit Lake channel has been opened which was noted by
the increased traffic on Big Spirit Lake opening day. Marty had a fish
eat his cowgirl without getting hooked at the Spirit Lake outing. He
did take a picture of a non-member’s fish. Jerry didn’t see anything.
The Kleeba had a great turn out. Team CW managed to get on
the board with one fish despite the tragic loss of two boats the night
before in the Klempke garage fire. Next year is our turn to host the
Kleeba. We are looking for suggestions for date and lake. The next
outing is scheduled for Aug 12 on the Alexander Flowage.
Jerry 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.
August is a very slow time for us muskie fisherman in southern
waters. Right now we are looking forward in fishing the chapter
challenge later this month. We should have 2 full teams competing
this year. We are looking forward in meeting other members on Mi
and if you are there, stop in and say hi to the Shawnee Muskie
hunters. I hope to remember to bring our banner this year to hang
out side our cabin.
We had a club outing on Prairie Lake. Only seven members
attended this event this year but they caught four good quality
muskies and a ton of big bass. Jim Beaty caught 3 of the 4 muskies
with a beautiful 48 incher to top it off. . This event is really a cheep
week end. The cost for the whole week end is around $20 dollars
per person. Jim Beaty is thinking of having another one sometime
in September. More information on this and other events can be
found on our web sight and monthly newsletter.
Upcoming Events
Aug. 27-28: Gil Hamm Chapter Challunge at Lake Vermilion. MN.
Sept. 4-11: Shawnee Muskie Hunters week on Lake of the Woods.
Contact Craig Moser for details.
Sept. 23: Deadline for the early bird sigh up for our Fall Brawl
Tournament
Sept. 25: Youth Muskie Tournament on Kinkaid Lake. This is one of
three in the new IYMTT (Illinois Youth Muskie Tournament Trail).
Oct. 16: Fall Guide for the Day
Oct. 23-24: Fall Brawl tournament on Lake Kinkaid
Remember I’m in the other Lund. Walt Krause
29
Upper Great Plains
1788 Hwy 4
Estherville, IA 51334
712-362-2501
ent muskie waters throughout IA with people from all over the state
with the same love and passion for muskie fishing. I enjoy meeting
and learning from everyone that participates in the trail. Thanks to
everyone who make this whole thing possible. Below are the
results of the Pleasant Creek and Clear Lake tournaments.
Congrats to all our winners and again thanks to everyone who came
and fished. Our final tournament for the IMTT is this month August
29th on East and West Okoboji. Please visit our website under the
events page to get entry and rule forms for the final tournament at
www.muskieclub.com and come join us for the final IMTT event of
the year.
Pleasant Creek May 16th – 16 teams total, 13 muskies caught
1st Matt Williams and Paul Bushong 3 muskies 47,42, & 39 inches for 60 pts.
2nd Shawn Haley and Delmer Mutschler 2 muskies 45,40 inches
for 43 pts.
3rd Steve Jonesi and Mike Grudgings 2 muskies 46,37 inches for
41 pts.
4th Tom and Jesse Crawford 2 muskies 38,36 inches for 32 pts.
5th Tracy and Dick Crail 1 muskie 42 inches for 26 pts.
6th Kyle and Bob Doonan 1 muskie 39 inches for 23 pts.
7th Chris Carlson and Grant Lodden 1 muskie 34 inches for 18
pts.
8th Chris Wulf and Travis Youngworth 1 muskie 34 inches for 18
pts.
Clear Lake June 13th – 18 teams total, 15 muskies caught
1st Brien Buehler and Nico Kotopaulos 3 muskies 49,48,35 inches for 64 pts.
2nd Tom and Jesse Crawford 3 muskies 40,39,35 inches for 46
pts.
3rd Nick Bass and AJ Simpson 2 muskies 45,39 inches for 42 pts.
4th Jeff and Joel Becker 2 muskies 41,36 inches for 35 pts
5th Dick Manske and Pete Hildreth 1 muskie 47 inches 31 pts.
6th Jason Haukoos and William Peart 1 muskie 47 inches 31 pts.
7th Scott Larson and Leo Kofoot 1 muskie 41 inches 25 pts.
8th Alex Templton and Ryan Wilke 1 muskie 36 inches 20 pts.
9th Tracey and Dick Crail 1 muskie 32 in. 6 pts
As if the IMTT isn’t enough for events offered to our chapter
members, it is now time for our annual fall tournaments. The 30th
Annual Release Tournament is September 17-19 on the IGL. The
22nd IDSO Muskie Fest Tournament is October 2nd on East and
West Okoboji. Mark your calendars cause the tournaments will be
here before you know it. These events are definitely the highlight of
the season for our chapter and we can’t wait to see everyone
together. It’s hard to beat good fishing, camaraderie, and great raffle prizes. All members will be receiving a packet in the mail with
tournament entry and rule forms here very shortly. This will be the
1st year we will implement the use of our chapter bump boards for
the release of muskies during the 3 day September tournament to
eliminate having another boat in the tournament come over and witness the fish. This will result in a quicker release of all fish. For
those that participated in last year’s tournament you will remember
the rule change, for those that are new to this process we will
explain it with more detail in the tournament packet. I look forwarded to seeing everyone at all our events. Take Care and good luck
on the water!
Pete Hildreth, President 712-363-0755
35
Milwaukee
P.O. Box 28842 • Greenfield, WI 53228
262-442-6260
www.milwaukeemuskiesinc.com
4th
Meets
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.
Meets 3rd Thursday , Legion Club, 1709 Okoboji Ave., Milford, IA.
The Iowa Muskie Tournament Trail allows people who are new
to muskie fishing or totally muskie nuts an opportunity to fish differ-
There won’t be a general meeting for August. A board meeting
will be held August 17th. Our general meetings will resume in
September.
www.muskiesinc.org
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.
In Memory of our
friend and fellow
FRV member
Steve Anderson
Steve was a lifetime MI member who
was
part
of
the
Chicagoland chapter for
many years and most
recently became an
FRV member.
Steve had been
battling bone cancer
since last November
and finally succumbed
to his illness on June
5th. A memorial service was held for him on
June 11th and was
attended by FRV members to bid him farewell. Sadly, his father passed away on June 9th
after an extended illness with Bladder cancer!
Steve was a regular at every FRV monthly meeting! He
worked for Albertson’s for over 30 years in their IT group and retired
about 2 years ago. He had recently purchased a brand new ranger
boat right before he retired, and he planned to fish for muskies as
The Chapter outings on Pewaukee Lake for August and
September will be on the 20th. The August outing will be hosted by
James Kwapil and his wife Darlene. Contact James at 414-5174512. For September, the outing will again be hosted by Nancy and
Roy Hinkforth. Contact them for outing registration at [email protected], [email protected], or 262-3666842.
The Gil Hamm Memorial Chapter Challunge this year is on
Lake Vermilion in Minnesota. It’s the week of August 21-28 with the
tournament fishing Wednesday the 25th 6AM to 6PM, Thursday the
26th 6AM to 6PM, and Friday the 27th 6AM to noon. If you are interested, contact Tom Arvoy. 262-542-9997 / [email protected]
Joel Michel needs help for the Ralph Anderson Veterans’
Fishing Outing on Pewaukee Lake from Smokey’s Muskie Shop on
September 18th. Contact Joel at [email protected] or 262498-5644 if you have a boat or can drive a pontoon boat to take veterans out, can assist with food preparation, or with other ideas.
Chapter VP Craig Ader has scheduled an extended weekend
chapter outing this year to Bauer’s Dam Resort on Lower
Buckatabon Lake September 24-26. Contact Craig at [email protected] or 262-250-6444. The website has more information in an electronic flier.
Planning for fall stocking in conjunction with the WI DNR and
the Amron pond continues. The WI DNR will likely supply the WI
strain which reduces the fish our chapter will need to purchase. The
forage required will remain the same though.
Please check the Chapter website for the latest information.
Mike Phelps
much as he could once he was finished working. Steve attended
several musky trips and musky schools up on Lake of the Woods .
He was a great human being and a good man, who loved being
on the water (as you can see from the attached photo). He will be
missed by all of his FRV and Chicagoland brothers & sisters; and
our lives are much richer for having known him. I was proud to call
him my friend and I will miss him very much. I know he is in a better place now, probably chasing 50” muskies 24-7.
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
This is a busy summer for Chapter 57. The Pike tournament
on the Pend Oreille River in June had 12 anglers and 19 pike were
caught for a total of 390 inches. They kept enough to have a great
fish fry and they got to meet new Chapter 60 members: Craig and
Melodie Dowdy, Scotty and Colton Imholt and Perry Tinklenberg.
Perry Petersen (V.P of Internal Affairs for Muskies Inc. and member of Chapter 57) flew over 3 days in advance so that he could
attend Chapter 60’s first meeting. They are really getting a good
start and are even talking about having one tournament of their own
this summer. They have chosen Mountain Muskies for their official
name and have elected board members as of the end of June.
The big Mayfield Open two-day tournament was July 24-25. It
is always our biggest fund raiser of the year.
Norm Dillon has been working on a decal design for the Sept.
11th Lake Tapps members only tournament “Never Forget”.
Sounds like it will be a tournament to remember with its Red, White
and Blue theme.
There are three other members only tournaments this year
after this issue comes out: August 21st at Lake Merwin , The Curlew
Lake 24 hour extravaganza September 24th, 25th, 26th and another late year, October 23rd Pend Oreille Pike tournament. Hope all
of you manage to get to at least some of these exciting events this
year.
Everyone should check out the nifty video that Marc Martyn of
www.Washingtonlakes.com fame, made at the Silver Lake tournament in May. He fished it with Don Wittenberg and it sounded like
they had a good time fishing together even though neither of them
caught a tiger. Hope you’ve got your boat back Don and you’re
getting some good fishing in this summer. Perry Petersen
appeared on the John Kruse NW Outdoors radio show on May 23rd
to help promote tiger muskies and Jani Kuper appeared on
Smokey’s Musky Shop radio show June 5th promoting the new
Chapter 60.
There have been some date changes for the Adopt A Road
clean-ups and the only one after this issue comes out is now
October 10th from 9:00 to noon with lunch following.
Stay safe out there and catch lots of big fish this summer.
Rosann
New Mexico Muskies, Inc.
59
P.O. Box 65575, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87193
(505) 264-2999 • Matt Pelletier
[email protected]
www.newmexicomuskiesinc.org
Chapter 59 Friends,
I hope everyone has been enjoying the warm weather and getting allot of fishing time in! It was a great month for Chapter 59,
NM Muskies Inc is now 50 Members strong. Muskie enthusiasts
are finding our club and like what they see, a few new members
expressed their gratitude for our dedication for this awesome fishery. This is a testament to ALL the members, your hard work and
dedication is reaping the fruits of a bigger stronger NM Muskies Inc.
Thanks for all your support, the lifeblood of YOUR chapter is YOU,
the Members! :)
I’m happy to announce that we have had a few members volunteer to step up on the board. It’s important we have new faces
come into these positions, it insures a strong future for the club!
Thanks to Justin Moore for volunteering for Chapter 59 Treasurer in
2011. As of now he will be titled “Assistant Treasurer” to Leah Baca
“Treasurer” so that he will be familiar with the duty when he takes it
over next year. Justin has an accounting degree, was anxious to
help the chapter in some form or another and thought it just fit!
Thanks again for volunteering Justin! We also have a new
Secretary: Joe Gavigan will be taking over these duties. Joe was
Treasurer for CH59 last year and continues to be an asset to the
Chapter, thanks Joe! Member Sean ODonnell will be the Chapter
59 webmaster, if anyone has anything they feel should be on the
site such as muskie research, pictures, etc. please send them to:
[email protected]
One final update regarding the board, member Dave Munson
has agreed to be Chapter 59’s Membership Director. He will keep
the board updated when we have new members register with the
club and also notify Members via email when their membership is
90 days from expiring. Thanks allot Dave, everyone’s help is greatly appreciated!
The chapter’s next goal is to establish at least 1 more tiger
muskie fishery in NM. To accomplish this goal it will be important for
us to gather research and demonstrations of how other similar fisheries have benefited through the stocking of tiger muskies; convince/educate the locals in the area this is a good thing and a
manageable fish due to tiger muskies being sterile. We will need to
develop a Research Committee to prepare for such a task. NMDGF
has mentioned they are willing to attend meetings and provide what
assistance and research they can along the way. If anyone is interested in being on the Committee please send me an email.
UPDATES: I have been wrapped up getting prepared for the
wedding so Vice President Jared Blaschke will organize and plan
events coming up in July and August. If anyone needs any assistance with anything don’t hesitate to contact him. As discussed at
the last meeting, the July 17th Quemado Camping trip will be this
months meeting. The meeting in August has been cancelled, everyone thought it would be a good idea to take a short break from
meetings while the kids are out of school; members are camping
and fishing more often, etc.
The Pick 3 Outing event was a success, everyone had a blast
and we even had a couple members catch a muskie this weekend.
Congratulations to Team- Sean Odonnell and Jared Blaschke, they
won this years event when Sean landed a 33 1/4” tiger. The only
other fish landed was caught by myself and went 32”. Jared hooked
up with a good chunky fish but ended up getting it punched off by
Tony, the Rapala extreme net man! :) Thanks to everyone that
showed up and fished the event, we had a total of 12 people that
registered and now CH59 has a pretty awesome lure collection for
future fundraisers, thanks everyone! Congratulations to Chris
Nordquist who won the raffle( Tyrant Czar crankbait, Tyrant leaders,
Tyrant split rings, and a 2008 Limited edition commemorative, Joe
Bucher autographed Muskies Inc lure), I was lucky enough to win
the first door prize (1 Tyrant Czar Crankbait) and new Member Greg
Cotton won the second door prize (Mastering Pike on the Fly Book
by Barry Reynolds). A few Members had mentioned they would like
to see another Pick 3 Outing this year, we are contemplating
organizing something similar in the fall at Quemado Lake.
The following day Chris Nordquist and I took a few fellow
Members and friends fishing and Greg Ekburg landed his first Tiger
Muskie ever, the fish went 30” and is the biggest fish he has ever
caught. He was excited about the catch and really enjoyed being
able to watch the fish bite his lure boatside! Thanks for coming out
Lake St. Clair Muskies, Inc.
58
P.O. Box 850915
St. Clair Shores, MI 48080
586-873-5781 - Joe Lockemy, President
www.lscmi.com
Meets 3rd Tuesday 7:00pm at The Sports Channel Bar & Restaurant, 25419
Jefferson, St. Clair Shores, MI.
August 13-14: 2nd Annual Big Show Shootout Muskie Tournament.
For more info contact Mark Kornosky at 586-596-4481 or:
[email protected]
Dave Clark holding one of his several 50”+ fish from opening day on LSC
in Canadian waters of LSC.
Lake St. Clair Muskies Inc. Chapter #58 kicked of the 2010
Muskie Fishing Season on June 5, 2010. During opening weekend
LSCMI and Anglers Point Marina hosted the 2nd Annual Muskie
Madness Spring Tournament and what a huge success. We had
32 teams participating for the hopes of their name being added to
the traveling trophy, the “Stanley Cup” of muskie trophies. Directors
Donato Mongelli and Angelo Garofalo of Chapter #58 built this awesome muskie trophy for the chapter to proudly display year after
year. Angelo Garofalo is the proud angler who won the 1st Annual
tournament last season. The weather was good on Saturday as the
tournament got under way and the muskies were hungry. Lots of
fish and big fish were caught on Saturday. Team Treblemaker was
on the board quickly with a nice 48” catch with only 30 minutes into
the derby, but he wasn’t there long. Team Hemi came to the board
with a nice 49 3/4 an hour later, from there the fish only got bigger
and bigger. All morning teams were busy catching some big fish
and calling them in. Around mid afternoon, Dave Clark and Team
Liquid Sedation found the honey hole, from 1:30 – 3:30pm they
managed to come to the board with (2) fish, the first one measuring
www.muskiesinc.org
at 513/4 and the second one at 511/2. These two beauties were big
enough to keep them on the leader board the rest of the weekend
and provide them 2nd and 3rd place honors.
Approx 20 minutes after Dave and his team released their fish,
Team Reel Escape radioed in with a 52” Hog that put them in the
top spot. Saturday night the weather gave us a lot of rain, some
wind and a cold front, slowing fishing down to a halt on Sunday.
Some teams were able to pick away at the fish but none big enough
to change the leader board and standings.
Congratulations to Ron Siewertson for his first place win and to
Dave Clark for their 2nd and 3rd place finish, way to go guys.
There were well over 100 fish caught during the tournament
and 29 fish radioed
into the weigh master
during this 2 day
event, but ALL of
them went back to
the lake to swim
another day. Thanks
to LSCMI for the use
of ‘Object” Scoring
and to all MI members for practicing
Catch and Release
these tournaments
are possible. Special
Thanks to Anglers
Point Marina and
Tackle for hosting the
event and providing
us with an awesome
dinner Sunday afternoon. Also, if you
haven’t had a chance
to see the Traveling
Trophy take a look at
the photo here and
then stop in to
Anglers Point and
check it out!
On June 27,
2010, LSCMI is hosting our 3rd Annual
Kids Fishing Day at
Metro
Beach
in
Harrison Township, Two of our directors built this traveling trophy for
MI. We have the our annual opening weekend tournament; it is
pavilion rented in the really something special. The muskie in the
back basin near the center was hand carved and painted by chapter
boat launch and director Angelo Garofalo and the trophy built by
invite everyone to master craftsman and director Donato Mongelli.
come out and enjoy
the day with us. Let’s get our children out and show them what fishing and the outdoors is all about. Everyone is welcome, so come
on out. Food will be provided by LSCMI as well as prizes for all the
children. Tackle and bait is also available for those who do not have
any and plenty of directors will be there early to help. Check out the
website (www.lscmi.com) for all the details.
With the season underway and summer approaching, let’s all
have a safe and enjoyable summer. Look forward to seeing all of
you at many of the upcoming events. Good luck fishing.
Mark Kornosky, VP/RVP
guys, we had a great time and we look forward to seeing you at
future events. We appreciate your support and hope you enjoyed it
as much as we did. A big thanks to Chris for helping out with this
and the Muskie School this year, we couldn’t have pulled it off without him!
Regards, Matt Pelletier, President
MUSKIES, INC.
1509 Stahl Road
Sheboygan, WI 53081
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Karen Phillips was fishing with Gerard Hellenbrand and took
this interesting shot of a fish Gerard released. We don’t get to
see muskies at this angle very often. Karen and Gerard are
members of Chapter 08.
Chapter 57 member Mike Floyd used his camera’s selftimer to take this picture of himself with a beautiful 47inch tiger muskie caught from Washington’s Lake Tapps.
It took 5 days of the 2010 muskie season before
Chapter 28 Secretary Steve Burian scored with this
34-inch fish. It was caught from Lake Kinkaid while
Steve was fishing with Chapter 28 President Manuel
Santa Cruz.
North Metro Chapter member Tom Brunstad
caught this 36.5-inch fish while fishing the 1st
Wisconsin September Tournament in 2008.
Looks like some tough fishing conditions.
Check out this nice 48-inch fish caught by
Chapter 02 member Ruth Anderson. She was
fishing very late in November of last year when
she caught it. Nice fish Ruth.
Chapter 19 Akron-Canton Muskie Maniac Tangie
Vincent with a spring West Branch fish caught on her
favorite Orange Tuff Shad. Nice fish Tangie.
Capital City Chapter member Brad Nelson
released his personal best last September, a
53-inch fish. Scottie Thomas took the photo.
Nice shot Brad.
Todd Jackson of Chapter 41 submitted this photo of
his first muskie, a 32-inch fish landed within the first
15 minutes of tax day. Todd caught it using a
Rattletrap in shallow water while fishing Alum Creek
in Ohio. Congratulations Todd.
Andrew Lowther of Chapter 09 caught this fish from a
kayak. He says some lures actually pull the kayak
around and that good sized muskies can do that too.
Looks like a fun way to target them.

MUSKIE Magazine

Transcription

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