MUSKIE Magazine

Transcription

MUSKIE Magazine

Photo Contest – July
by Brad Waldera, Photo Editor • [email protected]
Flash? In broad daylight? Yes!
I
received a whole bunch of pictures of guys holding fish in May,
and in at least 90% of them you could barely make out the fisherman’s face because of the dark shadows. I know a lot of you are
thinking “Why use the flash when it’s bright and sunny outside?”
Well, there’s a good reason, and it has a lot to do with the way
your digital camera sees light. You may look at your buddy and see
that his face is nice and bright, but your camera may be reading the
amount of light in the entire scene, not just the brightness of your
friend’s face. This is called metering, and on some models you can
adjust how your camera reads the light. All cameras are different, but
if you can you should choose the center metering point in bright sun,
or simply use the flash instead. Please e-mail me if you have any
questions on this, as it would take up too much space here to get into
the details. Thanks, and don’t forget the FLASH! ❖
▲
Photo #1
▲
I really like this photo of a fellow Fargo-Moorhead Chapter
member of mine, Steve Voss. Steve was fishing in the late
fall of 2008 while there were winds upwards of 50 miles per
hour and snow. That my friends, is true dedication. Steve
was fishing with Ron Teschner, who took this photo. I’m not
sure how they did catching muskies, but they sure happened to catch a great photo. Steve did have an excellent
year in 2008, catching some very nice fish and I believe
even winning our Chapter’s Lunker of the Month one time.
Great photo, sent in by Ron.
Photo #2 Here is a terrific photo of
Cody Elder, a member of Chapter 28
Shawnee Muskie Hunters. He was 7
years old when he caught this huge 21inch largemouth. He was actually using a
topwater lure on Lake Kinkaid while fishing for muskies. I hear he is still looking
to hook up with his first muskie, but if he
can land a bass like this he won’t be waiting very long. His dad, Jim Elder, took
this picture on September 19th of last
year. Earlier this year Jim and his son
were fishing the Shawnee Muskie
Hunters Spring Tournament at Lake
Kinkaid when Cody had his first follow.
Jim then performed a figure 8 and caught
the very fish Cody brought to boat side.
Jim said it was a real thrill for both of
them. Thanks for sending this photo Jim,
and Cody, know that we’re all rooting for
you to catch that first muskie. You probably will have caught it by the time you’re
reading this column.
MUSKIE magazine is published monthly and is the
Official Publication of Muskies, Inc. International
Office: Ellen Wells, International Sec., 1509 Stahl
Road, Sheboygan, WI 53081. Ph: 1-888-710-8286.
© Copyright 2009 by Muskies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Contents
MUSKIE • VOL. 43, NO. 7
Departments
IFC Photo Contest, Brad Waldera
2 President’s Message,
Dan Narsete
Features
3 Magazine Notes, Juris Ozols
3 Index of Advertisers
4 MUSKIE News
12 Fishing the Big V, Patricia Strutz
8 Lunge Log, Jim Bunch
21 The Lure of the Muskie Lure,
Ace Sommerfeld
16 Casting for Muske Knowledge, Brett Sitter
7 Figure 8, Kevin Richards
24 Chapter News and Views
22 Mowin’ the Lawn for Muskies, Colby Simms
34 Member Photos
Join Muskies, Inc. ...
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as a gift.
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Junior Membership (Under 18): ❑ $20.00
❑ Automatic Renewal
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(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 ___________
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Name ___________________________________ DOB ___________
My Membership # ______________ Expiration Date _______
Name ___________________________________ DOB ___________
Check One: ❑ New Member ❑ Renewal ❑ Address Change ❑ Gift
MAIL TO MUSKIES, INC. 1509 Stahl Road
Sheboygan, WI 53081
Email ________________________
1-888-710-8286
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www.muskiesinc.org
July 2009.....MUSKIE 1
International
Officers
President, Dan Narsete
Email: [email protected]
Vice President/Fundraising, Jim Shannon
Phone: 612-670-8943
Vice President/Fisheries, Research & Youth,
Dr. Tom Betka, MD
Phone: 920-544-5868
Vice President/Internal Affairs,
Perry Peterson
Phone: 253-850-5889
Vice President/Membership & Marketing,
Greg Wells
Phone: 920-457-3720
The President’s Message
Vice President/Communications,
Dale Vercauteren
Phone: 920-826-5810
Treasurer, Kathy Goon
Phone: 419-945-2940
Members Only Fishing Contest, Jim Bunch
Phone: 715-226-0295
Web Master, Ron Groeschl
Phone: 262-271-1002
Int. Administrative Secretary, Ellen Wells
1509 Stahl Road, Sheboygan, WI 53081
Phone: 888-710-8286
Regional Directors
Region 1
Term Expires
Brad Waldera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fall 2009
Rory Potter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011
[ Vacant ] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011
Region 2
Bob Timme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fall 2009
Will Schultz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall 2009
Fred Brogle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011
Region 3
Joel Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall 2009
Doug Dibble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall 2009
Larry Besant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall 2009
Region 4
Kimberly Cates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall 2009
Rich Gallagher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall 2009
Earle Hammond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall 2009
2 MUSKIE.....July 2009
by Dan Narsete
Muskies, Inc. International President
I
n May we had our annual board of directors meeting marking our first step forward
with the reduced size of our board. The result was a success! Though we did not pass
any motions we did work out everyone’s roles, responsibilities and expectations. In
terms of building a better Muskies, Inc. this was a major step forward. Regional Directors
are our representatives and will be the guys and gals on the front lines. Should you or your
chapter have questions or concerns, please contact them as we are all in this organization
together.
As always it is important to thank those who set-up the event and I’d like to thank
Leo Kofoot and all the Iowa members who pitched in - they really did a fine job!
I should mention the return of a person who has put a lot of time and effort into our
organization. Mr. Greg Wells has returned to become our new VP of Membership and
Marketing. It is an honor for me to have a past president returning to serve on the board
of directors. With his years of experience and dedication to Muskies, Inc. I believe Greg is
a great fit for the position. Dale Vercauteren has made a lateral move to become our new
VP of Communication while Jay Zahn will continue his service to the organization as a
chapter president. We will miss Mr. Zahn on the board, but know that he is never too far
away. Thanks for your hard work and service!
I want to congratulate both Len Szulc and Ken Karbon as the newest inductees into
our Muskies, Inc. Hall of Fame! Len hails from our South of the Border Chapter in
Chicago while Ken is from my own Colorado Chapter. You guys should be very proud to
be part of a great group of long standing members. Our readers can find more detail in
this month’s MUSKIE News.
On to Muskie Fishing, because that’s what we’re here for, right? I’m looking forward
to taking my own annual pilgrimage to Andy Myer’s Lodge (Eagle Lake, Ontario) with
my father. This connection has lasted for over fifty years in my own family. Though we
only get to go together once a year it is trips like these that make all of this worthwhile.
Hopefully I can come back to this editorial in a few months and talk about the world
record I caught and how my dad netted it for me! I can tell you right now he’s saying,
“Whatever . . . you can net my world record!”
That being said please be safe this summer, and let us know how you did.
Tight lines, Dan ❖
Muskies don’t get any
prettier, or much chunkier
either for that matter.
Chapter 57’s Norm Dillon
caught this 48 1/2” on
Merwin Reservoir in the
state of Washington in May.
You can read the details,
including about Norm’s next
job assignment, in Jim
Bunch’s Lunge Log column
beginning on page 8.
Check out the Muskies, Inc. Membership Challenge
on page 33. One winner will take home more than
70 awesome prizes, including over 50 muskie lures,
other great tackle items, and a guided
muskie trip on Green Bay!
INDEX OF ADVERTISERS
BIG WOOD MUSKY LURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
FITTANTE REPLICAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
JOE BUCHER OUTDOORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
MR J’S MUSKY LURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
RED WING LODGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
SIMMS TACKLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
ST. CROIX RODS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
TACKLE DIRECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
TAYLOR COUNTY TOURISM COMMISSION . . . . . . . . . 5
TILKY’S M.I. MEMBERSHIP CHALLENGE . . . . . . . . . . . 33
TIMBUKTU MARINA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
USDA - STOP AQUATIC HITCHHIKERS (VHS) . . . . . . . . 19
YOUNG'S WILDERNESS CAMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
www.muskiesinc.org
MUSKIE Magazine Staff
EDITOR
Kevin Richards
7618 Sunrise Ridge Road
Henley, MO 65040
Phone: (573) 280-2300
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Juris Ozols
Phone: (612) 747-0178
PHOTO CONTEST EDITOR
Brad Waldera
Phone: (701) 642-1952
LUNGE LOG EDITOR
Jim Bunch
Phone: (715) 226-0295
ADVERTISING SALES TEAM
Kevin Richards, Editor / Ad Manager
Phone: (573) 280-2300
Paul Baker, Advertising Sales Representative
Phone: (701) 866-9393
PRINTING ACCOUNT MANAGER
Sunray Printing Solutions, Inc. - Stacey Thielen
MAGAZINE DESIGN
Sunray Printing Solutions, Inc. - John Windschitl
ILLUSTRATORS/CARTOONISTS
Richard Gross, Sherry Hunt, 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. International Office.
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 email: [email protected]. Phone:
(573) 280-2300.
M AG A Z I N E N O T E S ◆ M AG A Z I N E N O T E S ◆ M AG A Z I N E N O T E S ◆ I N D E X O F A DV E R T I S E R S
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
dozen of us headed over there for a tour of the facility. We watched
a video showing how they take the spawn, beginning with the netting process and ending with how they release the fish into the lakes
they are stocking. It was very informative, and I bet I wasn’t the only
one who learned a lot that day. After the video we had a short question and answer session before moving into the actual hatchery
building.
Reflections on the
2009 Spring Board Meeting
From Brad Waldera
I recently attended the 2009 Muskies, Inc. Spring Board meeting in Spirit Lake, Iowa. I thought I’d share some information about
the trip and also give you a little insight as to what took place over
the weekend.
I had never been to Iowa before, so I was really looking forward
to this trip. The meeting was close enough for me to drive, which was
also a plus. I had talked to President Dan Narsete about the meeting
a while back and we decided to room together, just as we had in
Green Bay for the 2008 spring meeting. I’ve known Dan a long time
and we always have a lot to talk and joke about. Our plan was for
him to fly in to Sioux Falls where I’d pick him up at the airport on
my way to Spirit Lake, since I would be driving right by there anyway.
I got to the airport and waited for Dan, and then after he arrived
we went down to get his luggage. Apparently his bag decided to stay
in Denver and catch a later flight, so we left without it, with the airline saying they would deliver it right to our hotel later that day. We
then drove to Spirit Lake, which was less than two hours from Sioux
Falls. For some reason I kept thinking we were going to Clear Lake,
Iowa, which would have been much further, but Dan corrected me
on this point.
We met up with Leo Kofoot, who was the coordinator for the
meeting. He had set up a tour of the local fish hatchery. About a
Muskie fry surfacing to feed at the Spirit Lake Fish Hatchery.
Muskies were the only fish still in the hatchery building. There
were probably thousands of them, around one inch in size that were
kept in 2 separate tanks. They were being fed some type of granular
high protein fish food. They will be switched to minnows before
being stocked into the lake. Apparently years ago they never switched
them to feeding on minnows, and they were fed this granular food
right up until they were released. According to Leo, the survival rate
back then was minimal, as the fish would stay near the surface waiting for food to drop and end up becoming food themselves for other
predators. I thought this was very interesting.
After our tour of the hatchery we came back to the Arrowwood
Resort and Convention Center where we were staying and where the
meeting was to take place on Saturday.
We got some dinner and then spent
some time in the “hospitality” room. It
was really nice to see so many Muskies,
Inc. members who I hadn’t seen since
the previous year’s meeting (or even
longer). Friday night featured the leadership training session.
On Saturday morning we had a
buffet breakfast at the hotel before starting the meeting. There was only one
motion to be voted on, which was submitted by yours truly, but there were
many other topics to discuss and the
new Regional Directors needed to be
sworn in. As for the motion, it was
withdrawn as the information asked for
in the motion could be obtained by
reworking information already provided
by the chapters.
These meetings are good to attend
Many board meeting attendees enjoyed a very informative tour at the Spirit Lake Fish Hatchery. as you sometimes get to hear viewpoints
you may not have thought of regarding issues which our organization
needs to deal with. It is good to have an open mind and hear both
sides of the argument before making a decision on the matter.
I wasn’t able to attend the previous fall board meeting and had
not yet met our new Treasurer nor some of the other Regional
Directors, so it was kind of exciting.
At the start of the meeting the Muskies, Inc. Secretary Ellen
Wells gave us an update on what she has been doing. She has a lot of
great ideas she will soon be implementing, with many of them saving both time and money for our organization. I’m really looking forward to a new way we might be processing checks and credit cards in
which the funds are immediately deposited. This would result in
members not having to wait up to three months to receive their first
magazine or have access to the website. If
everything proceeds as planned we could end
up saving a minimum of $4,000 per year. I
hope we don’t have any glitches, but sometimes things do come up. Keep in mind that
much of what was talked about at this meeting was individual ideas, and not set in stone.
Some issues and ideas were simply discussed,
with the final verdict to be decided by the
Executive Committee at a later date.
Treasurer Kathy Goon gave her report,
and I was very impressed. Kathy was previously our Treasurer a few years before I
joined, so I had not met her before. She really knows her business, which was evident by
the easily understandable reports she handed
out. She has been going through a lot of the
information given to her from the former
Treasurer, and still has a lot to get through. I
guess some errors may have been made in the
past as a result of some incorrect assumptions. I was pleased to hear that our financial status is very strong. Kathy also has some
new ideas on how to make her position run
smoother and make it easier for the rest of us
to understand. She has some good marketing
and fundraising ideas as well.
www.muskiesinc.org
(Continued on page 6)
Muskies, Inc. President Dan Narsete brought the
2009 Spring Board Meeting to order.
I must say I was very impressed with Ellen and Kathy and I
know Muskies, Inc. will definitely benefit through their efforts.
We also discussed the Muskies, Inc. website, which may be up
and running by the time you read this article. There are big changes
in store for the website and if all goes as planned it could be THE
website of choice for information about lakes, guides, resorts, and
more. I am very excited about it, as are some of the guys who have
worked very hard on the project, such as Dale Vercauteren. Be sure
to check it out when it’s up and running. You’ll be glad you did. We
discussed many other topics at the meeting.
After the meeting we had a very nice dinner and two Muskies,
Inc. members were inducted into our Hall Of Fame - Ken Karbon
and Len Szulc. Congratulations guys, well done. See the nominations which follow this report.
Sunday morning Dan and I had planned on hitting some balls
at the driving range next to the Arrowwood Resort but it was sprinkling out so we headed for Sioux Falls and went to the new Star Trek
movie instead. I then took him to the airport for his flight back to
Colorado. On my way home I stopped in Watertown, South Dakota
to take a few quick pictures of the Terry Redlin Art Center. It’s quite
a building and looks even better from the inside from what I hear. I
didn’t have time to go in on this trip, but I may go back sometime.
That is another reason I like to attend these meetings, as you get to
see some new things.
Again, I’d like to say that it was sure nice to attend this meeting,
meet some old friends, and listen to some great ideas our members
have for the future of our organization. I hope to see you all again
soon. I would also like to thank Leo Kofoot and his chapter for hosting this meeting. Great job guys.
MUSKIE NEWS
(continued from page 5)
M.I. Hall of Fame – nominations
for two new inductees!
From Keith Ogden
and the Hall of Fame Committee
We are presenting a fellow member for induction into the
Muskies, Inc. Hall of Fame. This member has a remarkable history with our organization.
In 1985 he became a charter member of his chapter. In
December 1987 he was elected President of his chapter. Each year
as President he maintained a full board of directors, an RVP and
three members on the statewide Muskie Alliance. Each month he
holds a board meeting and a regular chapter meeting. He reports
each month the latest M.I. issues and activities. Each year he is
chairman of the chapter’s fund raiser, usually collecting three-fourths
of all the donations himself. He has overseen $300,000 raised in
this fashion and used to stock muskies!
Under his direction the chapter has held successful annual outings (up to six) and he always makes sure that the new members
spend time in his boat so he can get to know them. These well
attended outings are held all over muskie country.
This person chairs a large memorial tournament each year for
the state Muskie Alliance where the proceeds go toward stocking of
muskie fingerlings.
With this person’s guidance the chapter has developed a very
successful youth program. This annual outing includes local police
and firemen, and has a budget of up to $3500 for up 375 youth per
year.
His accomplishments are too many to list. You see, he has been
adding to this list for twenty-one years. That’s how long his chapter has been re-electing him to the position of Chapter President!
Please help us welcome Len Szulc to the Muskies, Inc. Hall of Fame!
The second nominee to the Hall of Fame was another unanimous
pick by the committee. He spent his first years in M.I. holding various chapter offices including Chapter President, and board director for
fifteen years. He served as chair of the annual fund-raiser for ten
years, raising thousands for stocking muskie locally and international-
President Dan Narsete presented a Hall of Fame plaque
to South of the Border President Len Szulc.
ly. He chaired the sport show booth for several years, put on muskie
seminars bringing in many new members. He and his wife work
directly with their state Division of Wildlife and Wal-Mart to annually hold” Kids Fishing Day” - teaching thousands of kids the ABC’s of
the sport. He served for over ten years on the M.I. International
Board. He co-chaired several International fund-raisers each spring
and chaired the calendar program for two years raising over one hundred thousand dollars (including some big sponsor donations).
This person was on the International Finance Committee for
three years, elected International Vic President in 2006, and helped
organize the first “Best of the Best” Tournament with the Titletown
Chapter. He also helped form Chapter #53 in Nebraska.
He founded an essay contest to get youth involved, benefiting
graduating seniors. It helps college students and is now an annual
promotion named after him and sponsored by the Titletown chapter.
This person has faithfully attended every committee meeting,
board meeting, and chapter function that he has been a member of,
including seven Chapter Challunges as an International board member/officer.
Help the Hall of Fame Committee welcome its newest member
– Ken Karbon – congrats Ken! ❖
FIGURE
8 Figure 8 8
APRIL & MAY 2009
Special thanks to every donor!
Tom Neddo Jr
Doug Neff
Grant Pearson
Mary Lou Pertz
Steven Prim
David Stalle
Mike Tengwall
Robert Vangorder
Greg and Ellen Wells
Charles Wilbert
These donations reduce the cost of producing our magazine and leave more funds available for M.I. Fisheries,
Research & Youth projects!
FIGURE
Juris Ozols
John Skarie
Michael Thomas
John Underhill
◆
Tom Betka
Joe Bucher
Elmer Heyob
Jon Olstadt
8
Special thanks to these authors/members for donating
outstanding material to MUSKIE Magazine during the
first 5 months of 2009:
FIGURE
John Dobry
Shane M Eakle
David Engevold
Stephen Guillen
Steven Hart
Lonny Hess
Morgan Huset
David Jack
Steven Jacksom
Michael McGrath
◆
Pete Barber
Steven Berg
Brad Berry
Harrison Bowes
Mike Brandt
Steve Brezinski
Vito Calianno
Michael
Chernohorsky
Greg Denny
8
8
◆
FIGURE
8
◆
FIGURE
8
www.muskiesinc.org
D O N AT I O N S
FIGURE
uly!!! I have 3 favorite muskie fishing months and July is one of
them. July is my favorite month for casting in the northern portion
of muskie country. Next comes September – my favorite month for
casting back home at Pomme de Terre. Last, but certainly not least, is
October – my favorite month for trolling – no matter where I am!
Early July will bring another Ontario adventure with my good
buddy Miller. This year we are taking the secret weapon with us. Is it
a DepthRaider from Joe Bucher Outdoors? Well, we will have my
favorite DepthRaider with us, but that’s not it. How about a Hatchet
Shad from Simms Outdoors? Well, Colby is sending me one to take
with me, but that’s not the secret weapon. Is it one of the amazing new
topwater baits I got last winter from Mr. J’s Tackle? Nope. A Stalker
from Big Wood Musky Lures or a Worden’s Sea Tiger from Yakima?
Nope, nope. A new St. Croix Rod from TackleDirect? Nope again.
The secret weapon for our July 2009 trip is youth! More specifically it is my 24-year old son Patrick who went on his first Ontario adventure with me 24 years ago this month when he was just 7 weeks old.
Patrick has always been good luck in Ontario. However this year we
need him for more than just luck – we need him for his strength and
youthful persistence. We are planning on another monster muskie this
year. We want a younger, stronger guy in the boat to keep those big
baits working and to hoist that heavy net when the time comes. Of
course when Patrick gets a monster Miller and I will both lift the net!
In late July I will go back to the northern range with other friends.
I am going to one new place (Mille Lacs) and one or two old favorite
places (Lake Vermilion, MN and possibly Lake of the Woods).
As always, these trips will allow me to muskie fish with friends old
and new. There will also be some time spent
catching a few walleye, enjoying a couple of cold
Molsons around the campfire, and listening to
the loons.
I will visit some current and potential advertisers during my trip. I’ll try to remind them of
the important role they play in bringing
MUSKIE Magazine to our readers and thereby
helping to protect and enhance the muskie fisheries we all enjoy. In addition, I’ll get to visit with
at least three authors who contribute to MUSKIE
Magazine and perhaps recruit one new author.
I can’t help feeling like one of the luckiest
guys on Earth when July rolls around. I don’t
believe there is any place I’d rather fish than the
great Northwoods when the fish are active and
the beautiful scenery is enhanced by the presence
of loons, eagles, and star-filled nights!
After the thrill of catching your next muskie
do your best to carefully release it to fight another day; the future of our muskie resource will literally be in your hands! – Kevin ❖
◆
J
8
by Kevin Richards
[email protected]
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
e
o
h
t
by
Ji m B u n c h
Ready, Set, Hut!
This is the first real fish list and release point list for 2009. It is
the mini list compared to what will transpire in the upcoming
months. Last month we had a longest release list that represented
winter and early spring muskie fishing. There were some nice
muskies but no fifties. This month we are back into the big ones. We
now have 6 fifty inchers recorded and 2 days before this writing
(May 23rd) a whole bunch of muskie seasons across the upper
Midwest opened up.
Look out! Things will get interesting as recent history says today
is better than last year. Our history that you send us is getting pretty scary. I do not want to predict anything but your history has me
excited. In the Muskies, Inc. membership are some very talented
individuals. Some of them are very obsessed with finding the longest
muskie in the history of muskie fishing. It is kind of the thing to do
among some of you. Those members will travel anywhere; spend all
kinds of time and money to seek the impossible. Then again we have
many, with limited time and money who live in dangerous muskie
country who are just as dangerous as anybody. As your Lunge Log
guru I have a strange feeling about 2009. I truly think something
huge is going to happen this year. I do not know what it is but if it
happens I hope our member has a good camera, several great witnesses and some picture-matching accuracy.
Robin Clegg, Chapter 9, 50.5 Inches, May 2, 2009,
Stonewall Jackson, WV, Crane Bait, Fish I.D. 267513.
because the pictures and the stats submitted made no sense. Let me
say this, it will happen. Some day down the road somebody is going
to catch the biggest muskie ever. What are you going to do if it happens to be you? When this happens, guess what? As your Lunge Log
chairman, I am on the committee to verify this thing.
What If?
The first thing is to have a good camera! The next thing is to
honestly take a decent horizontal picture of this muskie. It should be
held by you the angler. Do not try to enhance reality by fancy dis-
A World Record!!
Let us day dream for a minute. What if you are out in the middle of nowhere with only you and your brother? What if a miracle
happens? What if you just happen to hook and land a world record
muskie? What if you are on a body of water like Lac Seul in Ontario
where you can’t keep a muskie no matter our long it is? What if, what
if, what if?
I have sat at some supper tables with some very talented muskie
fishermen who have said, “I will worry about that when it happens”.
This is the wrong approach. Think about this. Sometime down the
road (not sure when) the world record muskie is going to be based on
a picture. This picture will be verified as the actual thing. There are
ways today in our technology to determine the length and possible
weight of a muskie based on a picture. The first thing everyone needs
to realize is that nobody is going to blow any smoke past anybody.
The reason I bring this up is that yours truly has had some smoke
blown at him since 1986. In some cases I let the smoke trail drift onto
into the horizon as the case in doubt did not mean much for history
or money wise. However, we have thrown entries out of this contest
Norm Dillon, Chapter 57, United States Army, Iraq Bound
48.5 X 25 Hybrid, May 18, 2009, Merwin Res., WA.
Fish I.D. 268127.
Jim Bunch
The Lunge Log
[email protected]
715 226-0295
Heavy Hybrid!
The state of Washington started
planting muskie hybrids in the late
1980s. They have nurtured that operation for years and set the size limit to
keep one at 50 inches. They never
thought the first one close to 50 inches would be this heavy. They are now
considering using the length and girth
formula as the state record because you
see this fish at 48.5 X 25 girth makes
this fish at 37.89 pounds. They have
not done that yet but this muskie blew
them out of the water. Many hybrid
fish are sterile (can’t successfully spawn
or produce viable eggs). Why this
muskie was so fat we do not know, but
the picture on the front of this magazine is awesome. The state of
Washington only has 7 lakes planted
with these. Lake Merwin is in Cowlitz
County in Washington. The angler is
in the United States Army.
Norm Dillon a 1st Sergeant in the
Army is our man. He is 37 years old
and spent September of 2005 to
September of 2006 in Iraq. Even
though Obama says we are leaving he
is going back to Iraq this August or fall
for another stint. The title of 1st
Sergeant means he is in charge of all
actions of the 190 men in his company. God Bless America.
Norm’s dad and brother got him
interested in muskies. The first time he
went muskie fishing he caught a 45
incher on Lake Merwin. He was
hooked. He then heard about Muskies,
Inc. The rest is history. On May 18th of
2009 they were on Lake Merwin again
and casting a Beast Teaser Bucktail,
everybody was using the same color so
he switched colors. The strike was awesome the net man was D.J.Hempler
who is a Staff Sergeant in his company.
The picture is awesome and proof of
their results. Norm is stationed at Fort
Lewis, Washington which is within a
zip code of Tacoma, Washington.
Norm is going over seas again; please
pray for him and our army in their
struggles to keep our freedom. ❖
www.muskiesinc.org
play. People analyzing this will want to know a realistic girth measurement. This is very dangerous because it will lead to doubt if it
does not seem to match up with reality. Over the years we have not
disputed the length as much as the girth. In reality, if it is not real,
the world will bury you. There I said my piece. Be careful because it
is going to happen to somebody.
“We hit the lake around 4:00 in the afternoon. It was
early August (2008); a sunny day with light winds. Dana
Hubbard was in the front of the boat, Aaron Busack in the
middle, and I was in the back. I’ve caught quite a few
muskies but Aaron (we nickname him Shack because he’s a
big guy!) had yet to catch his first one. His luck was about to
change.”
“We spent the afternoon working our favorite cabbage
beds. Shack was throwing a black and silver Cowgirl. He
ended up catching his two biggest pike ever, 36 and 38 inches. He wasn’t taking that lure off. Around dusk we were
throwing in a bay that holds an expansive weed bed. Shack
throws out his bucktail and starts ripping it across the water.
A huge musky nails it, coming completely out of the water
and tail walks. Dana and I started getting things out of the
way and preparing the net. It would be Shack’s first musky
and it was a big one. She ended up measuring 53 inches. An
admirable opponent, Shack punctured his thumb on her
tooth as he pulled her out of the net. He was bleeding
profusely. A few quick photos and a great release.”
“After some celebratory pats on the back, we headed over
to one of our favorite rock reefs. It was now dark. Dana and
I started casting, Shack was busy tending to his bleeding
thumb and calling everyone he knew to tell them about his
first musky. We saw another big musky surface on the reef, so
With 44,000 acres and 365 islands the lake
can be a bit daunting to novices. So many
potential spots...where to start? I interviewed
a bunch of area guides to get the insider
scoop. Most of these fellows are Muskies, Inc.
members (predominantly Arrowhead
Chapter) and have fished the lake for many
years. The value of their advice is priceless.
Shack decides to start fishing again. Three casts later he is
hauling in a huge 54-inch musky. Unbelievable! His first two
muskies ever are caught on Lake Vermilion - a 53 and a 54 within an hour of each other. This fishery is extraordinary!”
T
his story was relayed to me by Muskies, Inc. member Jordan
Gustman. For four years he guided on Crane Lake (north of
Lake Vermilion) and spent much of his free time pounding
the waters of “the Big V.” Last year he won the Lake Vermilion
Musky Challenge. Gustman and many others feel Lake Vermilion is
really something special - a Canadian shield experience in the United
States. It’s beautiful, rugged, and holds big fish.
Here’s what these guides had to say…
Q: What is your favorite time of year to fish for
muskies on Lake Vermilion?
A: Tom: “I like hot evenings. Explosive topwater action.
I prefer mid-week, when the crowds are low.”
A: Bill: “Late fall, when the water temps are 43 and
below. The whitefish and tulibees are spawning and the predators are following them around. Prime fishing is at dusk,
being out this time of year really makes you feel alive.”
A: Kyle: “Late June, less traffic than the rest of the summer and the fish are just as active. I also like being out the
very last week, right before ice up.”
A: Ace: “I like early mornings in July and August. You
beat the traffic out on the lake and you’ll see a lot more fish
than any other time of the year. There’s generally stable,
decent weather patterns.”
Q: Let’s talk summertime fishing for muskies on
the Big V. Where should a person begin?
A: Pete: “It’s awesome. If you are new to the lake, my advice is
to fish the pins (marker buoys.) They mark rock reefs. Of course
some pins are better than others. Time on the water will tell you that,
but it is a great place to start. The east side is littered with rock reefs
and small islands that hold fish daily. Another thing, the fish on this
lake love wind. Wind keeps alot of folks off the water but it really
turns on the bite. My favorite colors to throw are copper/black or
copper/orange combinations.”
A: Tom: “This lake can be overwhelming at first. Cruise around,
read your map. Look for “fishy structure”—rocks, points, saddles,
deep weed lines. If you see fish, look back at your map and find similar structure for your next spot. Many people are fishing only the top
two feet of water these days, predominantly with big bladed bucktails. Get down a little deeper. A lot of other baits, like deep diving
cranks, have caught many big fish here.”
Q: I’ve heard alot of guys are fishing at night during the
summertime. Any pointers?
A: Jordan: “The most consistent bite I have experienced has
been after dark, however I would say the biggest fish in our boat have
always been around moon rise. Sometimes that can be in the middle
of the day. I like fishing weeds during the day and rocks at night.”
A: Kyle: “The dog days of summer are best fished at night. I like
a full or new moon and generally use bucktails and topwaters. I concentrate on the west side of the lake early in the summer (more
weeds) and the east side during late summer (more rocks.)”
A: Brett: “The night bite can be unbelievable in late July. In the
evening I’ll throw bucktails (black/orange, green/orange) over
weedbeds. The weed edges usually stop in the 10-14 foot range, that’s
where we find the muskies. After dark I concentrate on throwing
slow, noisy topwaters over the rocks. The rock piles which are comprised of many rocks (versus several big flat rocks) tend to hold more
fish. They’ll lay right up in as little as a foot of water. At night it
seems the most active fish are in the middle of the reef.”
Q: Do you have any “special” summertime tips?
A: Ace: “During the summer the daytime fishing and recreational traffic is high. I’ve moved onto secondary spots. There are many
out of the way areas that aren’t getting fished. Even after 40 years I’m
still finding new weeds, rocks, and areas that we are catching big fish.
www.muskiesinc.org
Guide Bill Rosner.
It may take more gas in your boat to get to these areas, but, study
your map and try out a few unusual spots. You may be pleasantly surprised.”
A: Kyle: “Go to the lake without any preconceived notions. Let
the weather dictate where you are going to fish. The weather is a big
factor here, both in boat control and where the active fish are located. And it changes daily.”
My advice? Plan a trip to Lake Vermilion.
Enjoy the scenery and the big fish potential. Book
one of these guys on day one to get up to speed
on the pattern:
Bill Rosner, Wild Country Guide Service
Multi-species, 9 years guiding on Big V
www.vermilionguide.com
Terry “Ace” Sjoberg, Ace Guide Service
40 years on Big V, guiding 22 years
www.AceGuideService.com
Paul Pollock, Pollock Guide Service
Multi-species, 32 years on Big V; guiding 6 years
www.pollockguideservice.com
Tom Wehler, Musky Tom’s Guide Service
About 30 years on Big V, guiding 12 years
www.muskytomsguideservice.com
Kyle Brickson, Minnesota Muskie Adventures
Over 20 years fishing & guiding in area
www.minnesotamuskieadventures.com
Brett Sitter, Sitter’s Guide Service
5 years on Big V (see article in this issue)
email: [email protected]
Pete Brzezinski, Dustin Carlson, and Bob Benson;
Northland Muskie Adventures
Combined 30 years on Big V, guiding over 15 years
www.northlandmuskieadventures.com
FISHING THE BIG V
(Continued from page 13)
Q: How about autumn fishing? Any tips on where to
start and what to use?
A: Paul: “Look for points, islands, and reefs adjacent to those
structures that are strategically located (such as in a natural neck down
area.) Big, long stretches of island shoreline, with lots of projections
that jut out, are great for trolling. Casting lends itself more to the flat
areas around the reefs. Most of the saddle areas are too shallow and
weed related, especially on the west end - much better for summertime fishing. I like edges in the fall. It’s primarily a crankbait and big
bulldawgs bite. Many guys only fish during the day in autumn. When
the tulibee spawn it is great after dark, too. Casting minnow baits up
into the rocky shorelines works well. The water is very clear this time
of year so stick with natural colors like white, ciscoe, nightshiner, and
black. Though, some days perch and firetiger work well, too.”
A: Tom: “If it is really windy, concentrate on the west end. There
are more finger bays to target there. I see many guys fishing really shallow in fall. The fish here hang out in “little holding pens” while they
transition from the deep to the shallow and vica versa. Many of these
pens (humps and deep island points) are 20 feet or deeper in the
water. Back off a little bit and you may find you are sitting right on
top of some very good looking structure.”
A: Bill: “In late September I find where there is still green cabbage. There will be multiple fish there. You’ll be surprised how shallow you will find green weeds yet. After they die off, I focus on points
and areas where the whitefish are hanging out. I learned from a buddy
who nets whitefish that they will actually spawn on large reefs. Most
guys just target rocky shorelines but they’re on the large rock complexes, too. Trolling big Jakes and Grandmas is pretty traditional stuff but
I’ve found big spinnerbaits work very well, too.”
Guide Terry "Ace" Sjoberg turned Linda Rikkers and Patricia Strutz onto this
big Lake V fish.
Q: Do you have any “special” autumn fishing tips?
A: Ace: “Most people don’t throw topwaters enough around here.
I throw them from opener through late fall when the water temps are
in the 30s. We caught a big one last year in three feet of water on a
prop bait. It was November 14th. Fall is traditionally deep structure,
deep diving baits, but don’t overlook the fact that shiners and other
forage fill up the back bays. Panfish move in there to feed before they
move back out to the basin in winter. Muskies that are cruising these
areas are unpressured because no one fishes back bays in fall. If they
are open, try them. I’ve found this pattern works on both the east and
west ends. Cast right up to the docks in November. Most guys are
working the outside edges.”
A: Paul: “In years where the weather is warm and stable, fishing
can be spread out. Finding any pattern is difficult. However, watch
the weather. When the first severe cold front moves in (around
October) and it causes a quick water temperature drop it kicks these
Guide Paul Pollock shared this photo of Tony Granato (head coach of Colorado Av's) and his brother Don (head coach of Chicago Wolves) with a big Lake Vermilion musky.
Lake Vermilion muskies into high gear. Fish around that first major cold front. It really condenses the bite on both ends of the front, but, especially immediately following it.”
A: Bill: “We’ve tried some pretty crazy stuff. Like, we take whitefish and throw them in
the livewell along with the lures...see if their scent rubs off on the baits. It certainly can’t hurt.”
A: Pete: “Fall fishing can be long, cold, and slow. Then BOOM the fish decide to eat.
Keep your mind in the game. Trolling is a great way to cover a lot of area and stay warm. I
prefer to cast. I work specific areas and pick them apart. There are three of us in our guide
service. We work as one and share all our information. This is most helpful.”
Q: What do you feel makes this lake so special?
A: Bill: “It’s a Canadian experience without crossing the border. You have a high percentage shot at a true trophy, it’s an awesome fishery. An odd fact that most folks don’t realize is
that these fish are going up the Vermilion River and into Crane Lake. I guide the river up to
Table Rock Falls. It’s mind boggling that the muskies can make it up that system. There are
some wicked falls.”
A: Ace: “It has abundant forage and thus the predators are big. Big muskies, big walleyes,
and big pike. Most folks don’t realize the big northerns we have in here. We boat over a dozen
each summer that are over 40 inches. I’ve caught them to 46 inches and Musky Tom’s wife
got a 47. With our slot (24-36 inches) it is hard to catch a pike you can keep. Very few
“snakes” except for in the shallow weeds. So, in addition to big muskies there’s a chance for
big pike too.”
A: Paul: “It has diverse and endless structure. Enough to satisfy all kinds of anglers and
trollers. You can fish anything from weeds to mid-lake rock piles to saddles, open water, big
basins, steep breaklines...there’s no end to it. And, the fish are stout and big across the back.
A truly healthy fishery.”
A: Kyle: “It’s fisheable under all conditions.”
A: Pete: “The muskies are BIG. They are Leech Lake strain and have an ample forage
base. They grow fast and fat.”
Q: Are there any businesses you guys would like to recommend?
A: Timbuktu Marina, Vermilion Dam Lodge, Ludlow’s Island Resort, Fortune Bay
Resort, Wolf Bay Lodge, Glenmore Resort, Black Bear Cafe, Good Ole Days, Everett Bay
Lodge, and The Retreat Lodge. Maps and tackle can also be purchased at the Food and Fuel
in Tower.
Musky Tom sums it up, “I’ve been fishing this lake since the 1970s and I just love it. It’s
beautiful and the fishing can be intense. The muskies keep you busy and honest. They aren’t
as easy as everyone thinks but you always have a shot at a big girl. I grew up in St. Paul and
had an invitiation years ago from some gals to visit Ely. I followed the girls then and I’m still
following the girls—chasing these big muskies around these incredible waters.” ❖
MUSKIE Field Editor/Author Patricia Strutz is always interested in interviewing
Muskies, Inc. members who wish to share their techniques and specialties. She can be
contacted at: [email protected]
www.muskiesinc.org
W
hile taking a kid out fishing and trying to pass on the anything from anyone; everyone highlights on a map where they
knowledge that people have shared with me, I always have been seeing fish, what baits they were using, and information
learn something new about the great muskie. I live on about the fishing conditions. Larry gives an incredible presentation
on muskies and their history with many picLake Vermilion during the summers and I
tures. During that outing people get a
have fished this lake for several years with
“I don’t know but I got
chance to go out with Larry and witness first
each year getting better than the last. I work
something!!” Looking back
hand his vast muskie knowledge.
at Timbuktu Marine, where I met 11 year
After I left the Dam I started working at
old Trevor Reichel. He is a smart kid that
I saw the silhouette of
Timbuktu Marine, which is just down the
wants to know everything there is to know
Trevor leaning back with
lake. Before I ever touched a wrench I would
about muskie fishing.
When I started fishing for muskies I was
the pole doubled over in the ask clients, “How’s fishing?” plus lure color,
size and any other little piece of information
working at Vermilion Dam Lodge. My coglow of my stern light.
I could get. During this time I began fishing
worker just happened to be Marty
with different guides who fished Vermilion
Martinson, a muskie guide on the lake, and
he showed me a lot of tips and tricks about muskie fishing. Some of and other lakes. Most of the time they would be passing by with an
the most interesting knowledge that I acquired while working at the open spot in their boat and be kind enough to ask if I wanted to join
“Dam” was during the Larry Ramsell Outing which the Lodge puts them for the evening.
I went out with Josh Borovsky a couple of times last year, and
together every year. If you want to learn about muskies on Lake
Vermilion and even more about the history of muskie fishing, you even though I wasn’t a paying customer he still told me to fish out of
need to attend the outing. The purpose of the event is not to hide the front of the boat; I don’t know a greater act of muskie fishing
kindness. A couple of the guides from
Northland Adventure, Bob Benson and
Dustin Carlson, were also kind enough to
take me out several times. Every time I went
out with one of these guys I made it a point
to try and learn as much as I could about
muskies. Not only about what to do before
you ever see the fish, but how to read the
fish once you got hooked up to maximize
your chances of getting it in the net. Armed
with the knowledge other muskie anglers
had given me, I have been able to catch
more muskies!
Everyday at Timbuktu people would
CABIN RENTALS - PUBLIC DOCK - %2$75(17$/66$/(66(59,&(210,11(627$·6 086.</$.(
ask me about the fishing, especially my
young friend Trevor. Every day he would
WWW.TIMBUKTUMARINA.COM
We got to the next spot and
ask me the same questions I had
my plan was to quick cast
been asking other anglers for
around the rocks before going
years. Trevor had done some
back to the hot fish. We got all
fishing before but never any
the way around the rocks and
muskie fishing. I kept telling
then it happened – I threw a
him we would make it out fishbacklash (not Trevor). Thinking
ing but it took a while due to
to myself, great timing the
my work schedule and his basemoon is rising and I am picking
ball schedule.
backlashes. I told Trevor to cast
We finally made it out one
one more time and I will just
night. He said he had been
grab a different rod and we can
practicing off the end of his
go. He casted and I fiddled with
dock for quite some time, but I
the line for about three or four
still feared that it would be a
seconds when I heard what
night with more time spent
everyone that has fished hopes
picking backlashes than fishing.
Brett and Trevor with Trevor’s first muskie. It was caught at moonrise.
to hear – something like the
I couldn’t have been more
sound of a teenager doing a cannon ball somewhere off in the darkwrong - he casted like a pro.
The first night out we saw a couple of muskies but just couldn’t ness.
My heart jumped, praying that Trevor got the fish to hit and
get one to hook up. A few days later our schedules worked out and
we got a second go at it. After seeing that he could cast extremely that it hadn’t missed. Then I heard what I wanted to hear – Trevor
well, I was not worried about being out after dark. I boated to his hollered. I asked, “Did you get him?” What I heard next I will never
house and picked him up, he threw on his life jacket and I told his forget, Trevor with an excited quiver in his voice said, “I don’t know
but I got something!!” Looking back I saw the silhouette of Trevor
parents I would have him back about 10:30.
Trevor’s thirst for knowledge was never ending and every time he leaning back with the pole doubled over in the glow of my stern
casted his Cowgirl he casted another question my direction, “How light. I wasted no time in getting my line in. I grabbed the net and
fast should I reel? What is your favorite lure? Do you ever see any raised the motor while trying to coach Trevor a bit.
Everything that everyone had ever taught me came down to this
over there? Why?” I thought of every muskie fisherman that had
brought me out and I tried to pass all of my knowledge on the sub- fight. I think I wanted him to get that fish in the net even more than
he did. After Trevor played the fish like a pro we got it in the net and
ject on to him as best I could.
A few hours later it was just about dark and we had hardly seen exchanged some high fives. I cut the only hook that was connected
a fish; I was starting to get a little discouraged. Since it was starting to that muskie and we were almost ready for some pictures. While
to get dark I asked, “You want to keep on going?” Without missing cutting the hook I noticed this fish was extremely feisty, way more
a beat he looked at me and said,” Well a lot of those pictures of the than normal. I was a bit nervous about letting Trevor hold this fish
fish you have are at night, so it must be getting good right now isn’t for the fear that the fish may get hurt or Trevor might catch a tooth
it?” I was astonished, he had been paying a lot of attention to me all in the finger.
summer; I thought to myself Trevor needs to get a fish in the boat
Just then another boat was driving by and those muskie fishertonight!
men went out of their way, right as the moon was rising, to help us
It was quickly turning into a dark night considering the moon out. One of them jumped in my boat and grabbed my camera, I
didn’t rise for about an hour and half after sunset, so I told Trevor to grabbed the fish and we got several great pics for Trevor. We measput on my favorite topwater bait. We hit a few more spots, and final- ured it, put it back in the water, and watched a healthy 46 inch beauly about 5 minutes before moon rise I caught a glimpse of a small fol- ty swim off to fight some other day.
low hot behind my bait. But, after several figure 8s and no hit we
I thanked the two guys so much for stopping right during prime
casted a few more times and I told Trevor we needed to go hit a close- time and wished them luck. I looked at Trevor and said, “Well
by spot and come back later to see if that fish was going to eat tonight.
Releasing Trevor’s moonlight muskie.
www.muskiesinc.org
CASTING FOR MUSKIE KNOWLEDGE
Or, when you’re filling up with gas on the lake, ask the guy next to
you if they have seen anything. If you listen closely, you will be surprised how much info a person will share with
you when they are telling the tale of that monster they saw.
Next time you are on the water try to learn
at least one more thing about these muskies we
pour so much time into. Keep casting for
muskie knowledge and keep sharing that information with others.
buddy I think we have to get going I told your
parents we’d be home by 10:30.” Trevor, now
severely hooked on muskie fishing was shaking
with excitement but said,” What about that
other fish you said was going to eat tonight? We
could go over there quickly couldn’t we, my parents won’t mind.” But not to worry his parents,
I told him there is plenty of summer left and we
Special thanks to:
needed to get home. I don’t think more than a
Vermilion
Dam Lodge
day passed before everyone in the area knew
218-666-5418
Trevor Reichel had caught his first muskie.
www.vdl.com
That night when Trevor hooked up with his
fish I watched that muskie’s every move, learnNorthland Guide Service
ing about it, and trying to predict what it was
651-323-8800
going to do next. I helped Trevor get that fish
www.northlandmuskieadventures.com
that summer night but I owe credit to every
muskie fisherman that I ever talked to or fished
Josh Borovsky
with. I take out a lot of people during the sum612-508-2759
mer and share as much knowledge as I can.
www.promuskieguide.com
However, even if I take people out who have
never casted before, I still learn from them.
The author “casting for muskie knowledge.”
Andrea Schilling
If you take someone out and you don’t see
www.andreanicolephoto.com
a thing yet they are, watch them. They are probably reeling at a different speed than you or working the lure a bit differently. You don’t
Brett Sitter works at Timbuktu Marina and guides for muskie on Lake
even need to be fishing with someone to learn from them. You could
Vermilion. He can be reached via work phone (218-666-0271), cell
be at your favorite spot and watching someone else casting right in
phone (952-240-1548), or by email: [email protected]. ❖
front of you; they may have a different approach than you always use.
www.muskiesinc.org
T
om Riedel’s business card is pretty ordinary. You know at a
glance he has something to do with a business called Musky
Madness Baits. The address says Eau Claire, Wisconsin. You
can call him. One line says he makes baits. The paper is a little thin,
and a trained eye knows the card was created on a PC and hand cut
with one of those gadgets we used in school. The lack of panache is
compensated by what the card represents. His plain looking business
card is a portal into one of the most fascinating and important aspects
of the muskie world.
Muskie lures have a legacy that started with small, hand-whittled
sticks and evolved into modern behemoths with wild colors, glistening
hardware, and razor sharp hooks big enough to hold a side of beef.
The people who invent and build muskie lures are as diverse as the
lures. Their reasons for getting started are as varied as the endless lures
they have created. The common thread they all share is the desire to
put more muskies in the net.
Tom’s business card falls far short of telling you what his involvement in the lures he sells really is. If you allow him to give his sales
pitch you’ll find out he designed and made all of the lures that are
being spread out in front of you. So now Tom is not only a salesman,
he is also an inventor and engineer. You’re drawn to the lures like a hot
muskie. You spin the head of a Globester and start asking questions.
Tom has worked a figure-8, and you hear the story of how most of the
lures we toss got their start.
He says he didn’t have any intention of selling anything when his
first lure went into action. All he wanted was to invent a lure that
would cut a couple of zero’s off the alleged 10,000 casts that it takes to
catch a muskie. That’s the scenario of many of the hundreds, perhaps
thousands, of anglers who decided to take matters into their own
hands and create a personal hooker.
“My whole approach to muskie fishing changed the day I caught
one on a lure I designed and built,” Tom told me. “I knew I could
make baits that would catch fish.”
It didn’t take long for Tom to develop a line of saleable bucktails
and top-waters. He took a step in what are roughly four categories of
lure design and creation. The first group thinks only of themselves. A
lot of what they do is modification of a lure they bought and used
many times without being completely confident with it. Color, hardware, or weight may be altered to fit a specific situation. Others decide
to invest in enough equipment to turn out lures that fit their personal
needs.
www.muskiesinc.org
“I developed several color patterns in my early years due to differing clarity in the lakes I fished,” Tom said. “By trial and error, I learned
successful colors.”
Tom’s story reminds me of Smoky Jandrt. He has a nice corner in
the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, Wisconsin, but his
spirit lives in the pools and rapids of the Chippewa River where he
spent a lifetime guiding for muskies. Smoky would not allow clients
to use anything but the small topwaters he made. The lures didn’t have
a name. They lacked the flare that would make Smoky a household
name, but they fit his fishing strategy so well he never felt a need to
invest in much else. I wish I would’ve had sense enough to ask him for
one when I had the chance (he wouldn’t have taken money, but I may
have been able to “pay” for one by helping him build his boats).
Some of the best stories involving lures stem from makers who
cranked out a handful of
awesome lures, and quit
before fame and fortune
came their way. They
represent the second
level of lure makers.
Many of them had full
intentions of making
money, but it didn’t pan
out. The lion’s share
stuck with wood or wire
because the equipment
to get started is inexpensive. Plastic is typically
limited to large companies.
“So many great
lures never had a chance
because the inventor
didn’t look past making
them,”
said Terry
Moulton, owner of
Mouldy’s Tackle Co.
“They find out the hard
way that a successful lure
business requires more
Putting together a Globester on Tom’s
“assembly line”.
MOWIN’ THE LAWN
FOR MUSKIES
Chop Your Way to More
Muskies in the Grass
by Colby Simms with Ray Simms
Photos by the Simms Outdoors Team
A
bit of steam rose from the lake’s glass-like surface as the early
morning sun began to warm things up. The lake was still and
the woods quiet as we eased the big boat along the edge of a
large weed flat that extended from the shoreline shallows out to a
sharp drop off to deep water, a classic big fish spot. We were casting
far up onto the flat and then working our baits out over the edge of
the drop before reaching the boat. The flat was uneven, but the weeds
came nearly to the surface across most of the structure. There were
also spots where the weeds matted on top, as well as holes and pockets where the weeds didn’t come near it.
Doing Battle
I made a long cast far up onto the flat and began working my lure
over and through the vegetation. I could see the bait working under
the water’s surface in the clear lake. I bumped the bait along, slithering it through the cover with a steady moderate speed retrieve. When
the lure reached a thick clump of weeds, I jerked the rod tip with a
hard upward motion causing the bait to rip through the vegetation.
Just as this happened a big muskie rushed up out of the grass and
slammed the lure with a vicious strike. After a solid hook set the fight
was on. This big fish pulled hard and tried to bury itself in the weeds.
After applying additional pressure to bring the big girl up out of the
cover she leaped into the air three times in an effort to throw the lure,
but without success. After a good fight, Ray scooped her up in our big
Beckman net and she was ours, but only for a moment before kicking
off strong and healthy with a good release.
This kind of situation is very common in muskie fishing, as these
top of the line predators love to hold and hunt in weeds and grasses.
Aquatic vegetation is very attractive to both muskies and the prey that
they feed upon. One type of presentation is as close to magic as anything for fishing in this situation. It produces muskies at any time of
the year when they hold in and near vegetation, but it really shines
during the warmer months, when the largest concentrations of
muskies are using weeds and grass.
Prime Location
Active muskies can be found in all types of vegetation throughout much of the year, but especially during the warmer months. Look
for the greenest and healthiest looking weeds and grasses in an area.
These will produce much more oxygen and therefore provide a better
place for muskies, other game fish, and of course baitfish, the muskie’s
preferred forage.
For fishing, the hottest weedy spots are those which offer a lot of
variety to the muskies. Large, irregular shallow weed flats like the one
mentioned here are great, but especially when they have a sharp breakline along their edge that drops off into deeper water. Long shallow
weedy points that fall off into deep water are hot structures too and
so are small shoreline shelves along irregular banks that drop off
quickly. Islands and humps with plenty of vegetation also hold lots of
fish, especially if they have deep water off to the side. Additional cover
options like rocks and wood can make a weedy spot even more attractive to muskies and their prey.
Presentation
The author’s Hatchet Shad Spinnerbait.
Ripping safety pin style spinnerbaits through weeds has produced a tremendous number of muskies over the years and some real
giants as well. Spinnerbaits are one of the most effective types of lures
for fishing weeds and grasses because of the snag resistance provided
by the long wire arm that extends from the head of the lure and angles
upward to hold the blades. The most effective spinnerbaits for fishing
in vegetation have single hooks rather than trebles. It’s also important
that the single hooks point upward to increase the lure’s weedless
properties. Silicone skirts work best for me in this situation; better
than hair or other types of materials. Another important factor is to
use a spinnerbait with multiple blades, as these will shed the vegetation with more ease than single blade models.
Because I guide full-time on a lake that has lots of vegetation, I
decided several years ago to develop a spinnerbait that would work
effectively through this kind of cover. I needed a lure that would per-
form perfectly for this red hot fishing approach that my guides and I The thin diameter and low stretch properties are beneficial for tearing
use so often to get our clients on muskies. After tremendous experi- through the heavy cover and allow for solid hook sets at long dismentation and testing by my pro staff, we came up with a unique style tances. High quality polarized sunglasses that are designed for fishing
of lure that makes this method of fishing not only much more suc- are another critical item. They cut the sun’s powerful glare from the
cessful, but also more fun. The Hatchet Shad Spinnerbait water’s surface, allowing an angler to spot all of the holes and pockets
(www.SimmsOutdoors.com) features 3 counter rotating hatchet in the weeds, matted clumps on the surface, as well as baitfish, and of
blades and a swimbait trailer. Hatchet blades produce a unique flash course following muskies. A weedless trolling motor prop offers
and vibration, but more importantly, they chop their way through another advantage to anglers plying the grass for the top predator.
weeds and grasses very well, especially in a multiple blade configuration. The counter rotating design really allows these blades to do their
job, as the smaller blade in front cuts a path for the medium sized
Whenever possible, it’s best to hold the boat off the deeper edge
blade behind, which spins the opposite direction. The middle blade of the structure while casting up onto the shallower portions. This
clears the way for the largest blade in the rear, which spins the oppo- offers two benefits. It allows anglers to work both portions of the
site direction as the middle blade. The
structure, and it makes it easier to react to
Hatchet Shad cuts its way through sparse to
fish that follow to the boat. If the boat is in
For fishing, the hottest weedy
moderate vegetation at most retrieve speeds
the shallows and the weeds come to the surspots are those which offer a
to help trigger muskies’ attack response.
face or close to it, reacting to a muskie with
When encountering a heavy weed clump, a
lot of variety to the muskies… a figure eight maneuver is basically impossisharp rip by the angler will cause the lure to
ble, so this is something to keep in mind.
especially when they have a
tear through, sending plant material everysharp breakline along their
where and often triggering violent strikes.
The flash and vibration of the versatile
edge that drops off into
Big muskies are amongst the weeds just
multi-blade spinnerbait tempts large predadeeper
water.
waiting
to be caught. Don’t miss the opportors in most fishing situations.
tunity this summer and fall to get out there
and wrestle some out of shallow vegetation. It is exciting to say the
very least. Good luck!
Stiff, heavy power rods in the seven to eight foot length range are
best for this kind of fishing with a fast action. Super braid lines are You can contact Colby Simms at: 618-521-0526 or via his website:
excellent for pulling and ripping spinnerbaits through weed cover. www.SimmsOutdoors.com. ❖
Boat Positioning
Get Out There
Tackle & Equipment
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
2009
June 28
2nd Annual LSC Chapter #58
Kid’s Fishing Day, Metropolitan
Beach Park, Harrison Twp, MI
(www.lscmi.com for more info)
August 8
Chapter 16 Kids Fishing Day
October 2-4
35th Annual Pomme de Terre
Muskie Tournament
October 2-4
Hayward Lakes Chapter 32nd Annual
Fall Tournament. $30,000 in prizes.
Call Hayward Bait for information:
715-634-2921
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, 414 Division St., Excelsior, MN 55331..........................................952-380-1218
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...........................................715-477-2913
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, 5608 Brave Chief Lane, Ravenna, OH 44266 ...............................330-296-2398
24.....Brainerd Lakes, 18031 Heritage Road, Brainerd, MN 56401 ..........................218-838-5509
26.....Central Wisconsin, PO Box 263, Medford, WI 54451 ......................................715-748-4874
27.....Central Illinois, 1191 Sandra Lane, Monticello, IL 61856 .................................309-264-3730
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 54601 ........................................608-786-4062
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 53220...........................................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
44.....Colorado, 3739 Sawgrass Trail, Castle Rock, CO 80109 ................................303-668-4089
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
48.....Arrowhead, PO Box 603, Tower, MN 55790 ....................................................218-753-2612
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 Ass’n, 524 Sterling Meadows Place, Brookville, OH 45309 ..937-833-1833
57.....NW TigerPac, 10517 SE 214th Place, Kent, WA 98031 ..................................253-850-5889
58.....Lake St. Clair, 22206 Kramer, St. Clair Shores, MI 48080...............................586-778-9136
59.....Muskies, Inc. of New Mexico, P.O. Box 448, Rowe, NM 87562 ......................505-757-2213
Meets 2nd Tuesday 7:00 PM, Knights of Columbus, 1114 W79th St Bloomington,
MN, near the SE corner of the intersection of I-494 and I-35W.
A Renewal, Not a Same Old. Same Old
Whether it is national, state, or local governments or the originating chapter of Muskies, Inc., programs and their value need to
be evaluated from time to time. In his third monthly meeting,
Chapter #1’s president did just that. He challenged the Board of
Directors to evaluate its mission and reach conclusions regarding
the future.
President Jim Kroupa, in his June “On the Water” Chapter
Newsletter Article, spells out his purposes for inviting a discussion
of the Chapter goals at the May Board of Directors’ Meeting:
As president, my mission is to facilitate the implementation of
the club goals. As a new leader I needed affirmation of some of
these goals. We spend a great deal of our time and money on our
stocking and rearing goals. Much of our fundraising efforts go
towards stocking. A great deal of our time is devoted to supplying
labor and lobbying to achieve these goals. Do we want to continue
in this direction? I put the question to our board in May. Here were
the choices we debated:
1. Get out of stocking and rearing altogether.
2. Stock by just buying fish from various sources and supplying
volunteer labor when asked.
3. Continue in our present direction.
Choice number three was decided upon by the board majority.
Here is what it includes:
The club will purchase fish from suppliers, both private and
otherwise.
Because that supply of fish is somewhat unreliable, we will
continue to try and raise our own fish for stocking.
We will form partnerships to implement these goals. Our partners will include the Hugh Becker Foundation, the MMA, Paul
Hartman Enterprises, Frankies, the DNR, and others.
NOTICE TO CHAPTERS:
The deadline to send chapter reports to the editor is the 25th
of each month, or about five (5) weeks before the magazine
is mailed to members. We are also offering chapters the
opportunity to submit 5 to 10 photos of chapter activities so
we can feature your chapter on the banner above. – Thanks!
As your club continues in our stocking efforts we will continue
to need everyone to help when asked. Support our projects and
fundraising activities. I’ll see you at our meetings and soon on the
water, Jim Kroupa
With little evidence in his statement, Jim does not reveal the
level of deep concern displayed by Board Members as this conversation continued to conclusion. The discussion was fairly controlled
as Jim insisted that each Board Member give his or her opinion.
The very roots of the chapter’s purposes were jostled by the discussion. In the end, the “status quo” turns out to be a renewal and revitalization.
Our thanks to Jim for asking the tough questions and the Board
for the full and complete discussion!
Vince Trotta
Over
ies
9,000 Musk
Released
On Sabaskong Bay
Six-time Muskies, Inc.,
Chapter Challunge Headquarters
1983, 1986, 1993, 1997, 2003, 2004
• Ultra-modern one, two, three, or four bedroom cabins
• Housekeeping or camping
• Floating docks, electricity for charging batteries, Lund Boats with swivel
seats and depth finders, Honda motors with electric start
• Dining room with food and liquor available for registered guests only
Call or write for data on musky catches:
1 (888) 488-5601 or (807) 488-5601
Red Wing Lodge, Box 1008, Baudette, MN 56623
The convenience of a drive-in camp with the privacy you would expect on an island.
President Jim Kroupa moving fish from the filleting table to the cooking
tent at the highly successful "Fishing Opener" at the the Minnesota
Veterans' Home.
www.muskiesinc.org
www.redwinglodge.net
Family owned and operated for 40 years
CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS ◆ CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS ◆ CHAPTER NEWS
01
Twin Cities
414 Division St. • Excelsior, MN 55331
952-380-1218
www.twincitiesmuskiesinc.org
CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS (Continued from page 25)
02
Fargo-Moorhead
Box 2021 • Fargo, ND 58107
701-298-9032 – Brett Wade Waldera
[email protected]
Meets 4th Monday 7:00 PM, VFW in West Fargo.
The Fargo-Moorhead Muskies Inc. Chapter meets on the 4th
Monday of each month. The meetings are held at the West Fargo
VFW, and begin at 7pm. Here is what we talked about on May 18th.
President Brian Grote began the meeting by having Brett talk
about Wednesday night league. The dates are in the newsletter as
you can see, and are also on our Chapter website. The cost, rules,
and scoring are all the same as last year. Non-members are welcome to fish league, but are not eligible to win the cash pot awarded each night. If you have any questions at all about League, please
call Brett.
John Skarie gave an update on the Chapter Challunge. It looks
like we’ll have quite a few teams participating this year, including
one or two that haven’t fished this event for a long time. Our
Chapter might have a meeting for all of our members fishing the
Challunge after our regular June monthly meeting to go over some
of the details. Please call John if you have questions.
John Skarie and Tom Gustad helped the MN DNR on Leech
Lake with their netting of muskies for spawn. John says it went really well, and that they netted 40 fish. 4 of those fish were 50 inches
or better, and the DNR got all of the eggs they were hoping to get.
John also mentioned how quite a few people were up there, with
some filming for TV shows and/or doing magazine stories. There is
a lot of good publicity right now for Minnesota’s muskie program.
Minnesota also recently had a bill pass their House and Senate
that stated the following: The commissioner must establish a 48inch statewide minimum size restriction for muskellunge and
muskellunge-northern pike hybrids in inland waters, except for the
lakes listed in clause that are managed specifically for muskellungenorthern pike hybrids in Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott,
and Washington Counties; and establish a 40-inch minimum size
restriction for muskellunge-northern pike hybrids in the following
lakes in Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington
Counties. This is very good news good for the MN muskie program.
I gave a report on the Muskies Inc. Spring Board meeting held
in Iowa. There are some great changes coming with the website,
and some other things happening behind the scenes that will save
a lot of money for the organization. Things are looking really good
for MI in the near future.
Our Chapter would like to thank Mike Ruff for bringing lures to
our May meeting, and also we’d like to thank everyone who helped
make leaders. We really appreciate it guys, thanks.
03
Chicagoland Muskie Hunters
7600 Kilbourn Ave. • Skokie, IL 60076
847-677-0017 – Dean Rosset
[email protected]
Meets 1st Tuesday 7:30 PM, Park Ridge VFW 10 West Higgins Ave., Park
Ridge, IL.
Greetings Thrillseekers,
What an exciting time Chicagoland Muskie Hunters has had
since the last Chapter update 30 days ago. We had Chauncey
Niziol, radio talk show host at ESPN 1000 on the AM dial of your
radio at our May, 2009 chapter meeting. Chauncey is a very
diverse species fisherman and he covered all the bases on the
where, how, when, what and why to fish in the Chicagoland area.
We finished the last 30 days with fly casting instruction with Robert
Tomes who just authored the beautiful full size book, “Muskie On
The Fly”.
Chauncey started out his presentation by touching on the
success that the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) has had
since sanctioning an Illinois High School Bass Fishing
Tournament that culminated in a champion on May 8, 2009 on
Carlyle Lake near St. Louis. 199 Illinois High Schools took part in
the program this year. Remember, most of us started out either
bass or panfish fishing to begin with so what a great feeder for all
of us Muskie fisherman.
Chauncey focused his presentation on the lakes that are within a couple of hours drive from our northwest Chicago location. He
suggested initially mapping all public waters in one-half hour concentric circles from home. Then research those waters and begin
to explore. Chauncey noted twelve lakes/rivers he thought the most
productive. It was interesting to see a show of hands of those who
have not fished these waters in years. Many of these lakes/rivers
can be accessed by canoe or simple wading and are fishing factories if you know what to use, when to use it and where to go.
As mentioned above, Robert Tomes offered to teach a group
from our club a few of his techniques to hooking some of the monster muskies that he catches. The class of 14 students met at the
Lincoln Park, Chicago Fly Casting Lagoon and were broken up into
two groups. Robert discussed rod and reel selection, appropriate
line and other necessary equipment and then demonstrated how
he works some of his favorite flies (some flies were up to eight
inches long).
Wednesday Night League Dates
June 10th
Detroit Lake
Detroit Lake
August 5th
June 17th
August 12th
Lake Sallie
Pelican Lake
Pelican Lake
June 24th
September 9th Detroit Lake
Detroit Lake
July 8th
September 19th Finalé
Pelican Lake
July 29th
You may fish Detroit, Pelican, or Sallie on the final day with the
angling hours from 8am-2pm. We will meet afterwards at a location
to be determined later. Good luck to all fishing League this season.
Brad Waldera
Robert Tomes teaching fly fishing to Chicagoland Muskie Hunters.
Fly fishing equipment and additional personal was provided by
the folks at Chicago Fly Fishing Outfitters Ltd at 1279 N. Clybourn,
Chicago, Illinois. Thank you Jon Uhlenhop, Manager of Chicago Fly
Fishing Outfitters for the use of your equipment. I know firsthand
that Chicago Fly Fishing Outfitters is an amazing store with a fulltime professional staff that are at the top of their game.
Reminder
You will need a U.S. Passport to re-enter the U.S. from Canada
so order yours now even if you are not sure you are going this year
as they have a backlog of applicants that is growing as summer
comes. Canada now requires all non-residents of Canada to carry
a Sportsman Card in addition to the fishing license. You can only
order by phone at this time: 800-667-1940 and it is strongly recommended you order before going to Canada. Cost is just under $10
and it is good for three years.
We are pleased to report that the chapter is in sound financial
shape due to membership participation in our fund raising events.
We are looking for a new Secretary and someone to head the 2010
Raffle sales position. New board members are always appreciated
and can have an immediate impact on the growth of Chicagoland
Muskie Hunters.
A special “shout out” goes to Bob Maciulis, editor of Outdoor
Notebook for personally delivering the latest edition of Outdoor
Notebook to the May Chapter meeting. Bob and his wife Sue run
this wonderful publication which highlights fishing and hunting in
northern Illinois and has ads from retail establishments that support
our passion of fishing and hunting. Be sure to pick up a copy each
month for the latest information, tips and great articles.
On June 2nd, Corey DeBoom will share the success of Project
GreenGene. Corey’s presentation is usually very insightful as to the
seasonal behavior of muskies and has helped many understand our
quarry better. June 6, 2009 will find Chicagoland Muskie Hunters
helping out at the Gompers Park Kids Fishing Derby. On July 11,
2009 we will be having an “on the water” meeting after fishing from
daybreak to noon. Location will once again be the Fox Chain ‘O
Lakes in northern Lake County, Illinois. Our August 11, 2009 meeting will be held at a Busse Woods/Lakes in Elk Grove Village, Illinois.
FYI: Chauncey Niziol mentioned Busse Woods as one of his favorite
bodies of water close to home that houses a diverse fish population
including recently stocked Muskies! We have a Canadian trip in the
planning as in recent years which should be great fun.
Chicagoland Muskie Hunter meetings are the first 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. Lastly, Dean Rosset always has the latest information and
tips which can be found in the Chicagoland Muskie Hunters
Newsletter. It does not get better than that. Keep the calls coming
with questions about coming to a meeting or joining Chicagoland
Muskie Hunters. As always, feel free to call Dean Rosset at 847677-0017 or [email protected] or me at 847-434-1400 or
[email protected]
Take care, Kevin M. Lynch
www.muskiesinc.org
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
We held our Prime Time outing on Lake Pomme de Terre on
June 6, 2009. Approximately 20 members showed up at State
Park Marina for the start of the day’s competition. Members had to
deal with the lake being slightly elevated, and winds gusting to
around 30 miles per hour during the day
Earle Hammond and Bill Hill were the only members who were
able to land muskies for the day. Earle had a 44 inch muskie,
caught at 845AM in the L4 location; he was using a Believer and
the release was witnessed by Gary Neely. Bill had a 38 inch
muskie, caught at 945AM in the Wheatland area; he was using a
Super Stalker and the release was witnessed by Brenda Nunn.
Jerry Bournes, Secretary
417-830-1209
06
First Wisconsin
P.O. Box 122, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729
Jason Smith - 715-726-9912
1-888-726-6733
firstwi.muskiesinc.org
Meetings 1st Monday, 5:30 PM, Rod and Gun Club, Lake Wissota.
Calendar of Events:
July 8-12, 2009 – Alliance boat raffle at the Northern Wisconsin
State Fair.]
August 1, 2009 – Brat Stand at Wissota Meat Market.
August 22 thru 29, 2009. Gil Hamm Chapter Challenge, Leech
Lake, MN
September 18-20, 2009 -Tournament, multiple waters in
Chippewa and Rusk
October 17, 2009 – Fall Meltdown on Lake Holcombe.
The big Fall Annual Tournament that our chapter sponsors will
be September 18-20, 2009. By mistake it was put in the Muskies,
Inc. calendar as September 11-13, 2009. The 11-13 dates are
wrong, so please disregard that.
Our chapter web site will no longer be hosted by the new international web site so we will have to get our own website provider.
This will be an additional expense. We need to pay attention to getting every entrant in our tournament to sign the waiver for insurance in our tournament, this is very important. Our RVP Joe Heil
has reported that the Wisconsin Conservation Congress wants to
get more Muskie Inc members on the committee to give them more
influence on the voting. Our chapter has a muskie tagging program
in place and we need to renew that permit, Jason Smith will pursue
this.
Our recent fund raiser by auctioning donated lures on E-Bay
netted us $846. Plans are in place to do this again next winter in
the December/January time frame. Our news letter called the
“Follow Up” will be combined for the months of May/June,
July/August, and November/December will be combined to save a
few bucks. We are going to sponsor a photo board at the Big
Minnow on Lake Holcombe to promote catch and release. The idea
is to sponsor drawings for released fish. The idea is to replace the
drawings for kept fish. We have committed $400 to this or $80 per
month. Our treasure reports we have a combined balance of the
various accounts of just over $14,400. This is nice; however our
commitments to the fisheries and various functions we support will
delete most of that. Our chapter is in fine shape, we are very
aggressive in our fund-raising and also very liberal in the projects
we support and donate too.
General Meetings are the first Monday of each month except
Safety Tips for the Month
If you know the lake or river you are going to fish has restriction on consumption of fish, avoid direct contact with the
water…especially if you have any open cuts. This goes for wading
too. Use waders if there is any question regarding water quality or
if you have any open wounds. The consequences can be much
worse than a lost fish!
Rivers are great, with under-pressured areas to fish but watch
water flow, wear a wading belt and plan what to do if you fall.
When wading or boat fishing, wear a life jacket. There is
almost no reason not to wear a life jacket, especially when fishing
alone. I use an automatic inflation life jacket most of the year when
fishing alone and when it is really hot, I have an automatic inflation
life jacket in a belt. Google Mustang Inflatable Belt Pack PFD to find
one that I have used for several years.
Laminated fishing charts and a compass can get you out of a
lot of trouble when your GPS chooses not to read correctly. If you
were fishing in the first hours when the U.S. invaded Iraq, you know
what I mean. All civilian GPS seemed to go down.
Statistics (or Murphy’s Law) says that if you have quality hook
cutters with you, you will not drill a hook into yourself. Get a pair
that you can operate with either hand.
September and January. October through April they are held at the
Fill Inn Station at 104 W. Columbia Street in Chippewa Falls, WI..
May through August meetings are held on Lake Wissota at the Rod
and Gun Club.
Thanks, Da Bunchman
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 May meeting of the South Side Muskie Hawks was
brought to order at 7:30 PM by President John Daley. Since it was
going to be a lightly-attended meeting due to many of our members
being on the club trip to Sunrise Lodge on Lac Vieux Desert, John
decided to run it rather informally, and thus no speaker was
obtained for the night. The first thing on the agenda was the fishing reports.
Several members had been on charter boat trips on Lake Erie,
and reported that the fishing for walleye was generally very good,
with Erie Dearies and home-made rigs using keel weights or egg
weights being very productive.
Some of the downstate lakes have been fairly productive lately, with Lake Kinkaid being hot for muskies, with over 30 fish caught
in a recent tournament. Shelbyville has been fair to medium, with
a little bit of everything being caught. Evergreen Lake has been
pretty decent for crappies, though in a wide range of sizes and
quite scattered, with only one or two fish being caught on each
brush pile.
Webster Lake in Indiana has been a different story, with only
three muskies being caught during a recent tournament covering
three lakes, with the poor showing being attributed to all of the rain
and bad weather that has been in that area recently.
Closer to home, Heideicke Lake has recently been reported to
be HOT for walleye and stripers, with many limits of nice size fish
being caught. Lake Shabbona and the Fox Chain have not reported any great action as of yet, but they should be picking up soon
with the warmer weather and sunshine. This concluded the fishing
reports, and was followed by an intermission during which tickets
were sold for our monthly raffle.
Following the intermission, Lynn Polyak gave her report on the
spring board meeting that was held in Okoboji, Iowa. It was reported that Muskies, Inc. has a new insurance policy, a copy of which
was given to the president. She also stated that the new regional
directors for out region are Rich Gallagher, Earle Hammond, and
Kim Cates. Another point that was brought up was the next Muskie
Symposium which will be held in 2016, tentatively scheduled to be
held in Minnesota in honor of the 50th anniversary of Muskies, Inc.
an additional item that was covered at the board meeting was that
the new Muskies, Inc. website should be up and running in the not
too distant future, and that it is much more of a standout than the
old one. Our congratulations also go out to Len Szulc from the
South of the Border Chapter, who was recently elected to the
Muskies, Inc. Hall of Fame. Way to go, Len!
After Lynn’s report, John gave a talk and demonstrated the
use of planer boards in trolling for muskies, walleye, and smallmouth. He also passed the boards around so everyone could see
how they were attached and how they worked. The meeting was
concluded at 9:30 PM.
The South Side Muskie Hawks meet on the third Wednesday
of every month except July and December. Meetings are held in
the banquet room of Mama Luigi’s Restaurant at 7500 S. Harlem
Ave. in Bridgeview, and begin at 7:00 PM. Please come out and
give us a try; you may want to stay!
Respectfully submitted, Lynn Polyak, RVP
08
Capital City
P.O. Box 8862, Madison, WI 53708
608-669-5046 – Gerard Hellenbrand
www.capitalcitymuskiesinc.org
Meets second Monday at the Coliseum Bar, 232 E. Olin Ave, Madison, WI
The lyrics to George Gershwin’s song say it all, “Summertime,
and the livin’ is easy. Fish are jumpin’ and the cotton grows high.”
Well, we are not sure about the cotton, but CCMI members are
catching fish, on the Madison chain and elsewhere. Fishing is only
expected to get better as the waters continue to warm.
As reported in last month’s column, club events slow down during the summer. There is no monthly meeting in July. The August
meeting is on-the-water at Lake Waubesa and includes a cook-out.
At the September meeting, however, a panel of expert anglers from
CCMI’s membership will give a presentation on fishing the Madison
chain in fall. At the October meeting, Scot Stewart, from the
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, will talk about
Wisconsin’s muskie stocking program. Scot always gives an up-todate, informative presentation on the latest developments.
More details about the Madison Chain Outing on May 16 have
become available since last month’s column. Don Hollatz, the coordinator of the event, reports (with tongue in cheek) that:
The Monona outing turned into more of a survival class than an
outing. A huge cold front with 30mph winds kept many of us looking for shelter most of the day. We had 38 participants and only
three muskies were caught with the largest being a 20.75” fish
caught by Rick Seeger. After consultation with the rules committee
Rick was awarded first place while Geoff Crandall was awarded
second with a 14 incher. I understand that Rick’s fish was truly a
fighter and it was touch and go for a while.
Thanks, Don, for a job well-done. While we cannot always control Mother Nature, events such as this make for fun memories.
Members are reminded that several scheduled outings are still
to come. The 2009 Gil Hamm Chapter Challunge on Leech Lake in
Minnesota is scheduled for August 23-30. More information is available at www.capitalcitymuskiesinc.org or at the Muskies, Inc. website at www.muskiesinc.org. The 2009 Eagle Lake Outing, scheduled from August 30th through September 5th, 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 16-17 and will be headquartered
out of Fibber’s Inn and Resort on Big St. Germain. Go to www.capitalcitymuskiesinc.org for more information.
Here’s hoping you get a 50 incher this summer!
Lee Bartolini, VP
12
Headwaters
P.O. Box 652 • Eagle River, WI 54521
715-477-2913 – Paul Hansen
www.headwatersmuskies.com
Meets 1st Wednesday 7:00 PM
The long awaited Musky season opener North of Highway 10
in Wisconsin is finally here. For our club members and fellow
anglers this has been a long 6 months. Headwaters held our season opener members only outing on May 23rd. Our first outing was
held at the Oneida Village in Three Lakes , members are allowed to
fish any lake then meet up afterwards for food, drink and great stories. This is a great family event. A big thanks goes out to our outings chairman Jim Rechlitz for putting together a great event.
Thanks again Jim. We had 44 club members in attendance and with
perfect weather it was a great day on the water. We had 7 fish registered which is a great start for the season. Congratulations go out
to the following member and junior members.
Lake
Size
Lure
Name
Greg Kliss
North Twin
40-1/2”
Slowie
Dustin Melvin
Eagle River Chain 37
Minnow Bait
13
Hayward Lakes
P.O. Box 609
Hayward, WI 54843
715-634-4543
The speaker for our May meeting was local guide and club
member, Dan Seibert.
Dan has been guiding in the Hayward area for over twenty
years and also fishes Musky and Bass Tournaments. He spends
much of his time on the Chippewa Flowage and he shared a number of tips and ideas for fishing there and other Musky waters. We
thank Dan for donating his time. If you’d like to fish with him his
phone number is 715-296-3474.
In July our club is having a “fishing outing” and picnic on
Sunday the 26th. Fish during the day if you want and then meet at
the Lake Hayward picnic area by the public beach at 5pm. The club
will supply the food and drink. Feel free to bring spouses and
friends. There were a good number of people at the picnic last year
so join us! If possible RSVP Ivan Uttech at 715-462-3478 so we
can plan the food needs.
Our August event is our “annual kids fishing day” on Sunday
the 2nd. We meet at the “Dick-Sy Roadhouse” on Upper Twin
Lake and fish from 9-12 and then have a lunch for the kids and
adults and prizes for the youngsters. We can always use more
guides and don’t feel you need to be a professional or highly
skilled. You just need enthusiasm. If you’d like to help call Mike
Persson 715-634-4543.
Our 32nd Annual Fall Tournament will be October 2nd, 3rd and
4th this year. Our major prizes include a Lund 1725 Pro Guide on a
ShoreLand’r trailer with a 50HP Mercury motor. This prize is given
away as a door prize at our Sunday awards ceremony. To win, you
must be present and entered in the tournament, so everyone participating has a chance to win a new Lund ! The top fishermen and
women can win 25hp and 15hp Mercury motors along with other
prizes and trophies to 10th place. The person catching the largest
fish gets a Ron Lax replica. Everyone entering a fish receives a
plaque. We also have other activities like our “Ask a Guide
Meeting” the Thursday night before the tournament and a giant raffle on Saturday night. For more information call Hayward Bait at
715-634-2921. Our major sponsor is again, Hayward Power
Sports, eleven miles east of Hayward on highway 77 east. Please
stop and see them for boats, motors, ATV’s and snowmobiles.
Power Sports has been supporting us for many years, when you
buy from them you help Muskies, Inc.
Good Fishing, Mike Persson
16
Three Rivers
119 Bus Lane, Renfrew, PA 15136
724-789-7866 – James P. Buss
http://threerivers.muskiesinc.org
Meets 2nd Monday 7:30 PM, Northside Sportsmans Club, Wexford, PA.
Hello Three Rivers Members. We hope you are having a fun
summer so far and are catching some big muskies. The Andy
www.muskiesinc.org
Luchovick Memorial Tournament at Pymatuning was held back on
May 16th and here are the results. We had 63 anglers participate in
the event! This is the best turn out for one of our tournaments in
recent years and we hope to continue this trend. Of the 63 participants, 7 fish were caught. These individuals took the top 3 places:
Tom Simon took first place with a fat 51X26. Tom not only won the
first place cash but also took home the “fifty inch pot” money as well,
Congratulations Tom! John Birkbichler came in second with a fortyinch fish and Adam Andresky came in third with a 39 incher.
Congratulations to all of our winners and thanks to those who
showed up to support Three Rivers Chapter, and celebrate the
memory of the man it was named for.
On Monday evening July 13th we will have a special guest with
us at our regular membership meeting. Mike Sperry of Chautauqua
Reel Outdoors Guide & Tackle, will be here to give a seminar on
one of the most productive and beautiful muskie waters in North
America…Chautauqua Lake. This is Mike’s home water and he has
been fishing and guiding on this lake for most of his life. Mike fishes and guides for all of Chautauqua’s game fish including, walleye,
bass, and pan fish. But Mike’s specialty is casting for muskies. His
talents have been featured on the popular T.V. show, “The Next
Bite” with Pete Maina. This WILL prove to be a very informative
seminar, as most of us in Three Rivers Chapter love to fish
Chautauqua. So don’t miss out on this one, and don’t forget about
our great prizes and raffle drawings, which are held at every meeting. The “Musky Madness” table raffle is currently worth over $200
and keeps growing all the time. The last winner walked away with
over $1000 worth of merchandise. The new long-sleeve t-shirts are
in, see Merchandise Director Fred Kahere to purchase or special
order t-shirts at the meeting.
On Saturday and Sunday July 18th and 19th we will hold our
annual Chautauqua Lake Team/Points Tournament. This is a
“points” tournament, which means, cash will be awarded based on
total fish released/points accumulated bases. Sign-up will be from 7
to 8 a.m. on Saturday morning at Predergast launch. Saturday’s
fishing is from 8a.m. to 8p.m. and Sunday, fishing hours will be
7a.m. to 3 p.m. You may also sign up early at our July 13th member
meeting. For further information on this event please contact:
Tournament Director, Eric Bartolomeo at, (724) 301-2099. This is
always a great time and all of our members are encouraged to
attend, and bring a friend, you no longer have to belong to Muskies
Inc. or Three Rivers Chapter to attend our tournaments. All are welcome with the stipulation that person/person’s pay their entry fee,
abide by ALL tournament rules, have a valid fishing license for the
state in which tournament is held, and sign’s a release of liability
waiver, which will be provided at sign-up. At the tournament director’s discretion, all decisions are final; there are no exceptions if you
do not follow the above criteria for tournament participation. We
hope to see all of you this summer and for more info contact Dave
Huemmrich, President at: [email protected] or, visit our
web-site at: www.threeriversmuskiesinc.org
Dave Huemmrich
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 had their first tournament of the season
on April 18th and 19th at Leesville Lake. The weather and the conditions were perfect but the water temperature was around 57
degrees which made it hard to catch the fish because they were still
on spawn. However, out of approximately 30 anglers, Michael
Mihalko caught a nice 37.5 inch fish to take first place in our tournament and also win the big fish pool. Congratulations Michael!
Paul Hansen
Eagle River Chain 31 & 35
Rapala
Eagle River Chain 361/2
Mepps
Al Schroeder
Peter Blicharz Round Lake
31
Shallow Raider
Cade Koschnik Fawn Lake
331/2
Shallow Raider
Congratulations Cade, it sure was nice to see a young junior
member with a big smile from ear to ear getting his first musky this
year.
Headwaters is a very active club with outings just about every
month throughout the year. Fred Brogle has been updating and
improving our web site, be sure to visit for the latest information or
if you would like to add Your own fish pictures. Our web address is
listed above.
Regards. Glenn Matula, Secretary
Chuck Land also caught a 36 inch fish to place second. We had a
shore lunch on Saturday and want to thank everyone who participated and helped out with the meal!
We want to congratulate 6 club members who went down to
Kentucky to fish the Cabin Fever Challunge! Chuck Kuhlman won
the Challunge for our club with a nice 46 inch fish and Guy Bechter
came in second with a 39 inch fish. Way to go guys! Chuck, this
one is for you!
Our Chapter Challenge was held on May 9th and 10th at
Saltfork Lake. We had 45 anglers with 11 legal fish caught and 5
sub legal. Mike Money from Central Ohio Chapter 41 won the
Challenge with a 39 inch fish and their club will host the event next
year. Mike Ellis Jr. took the big fish pool. We want to thank all the
Chapters that participated and look forward to next year!
On June 6th and 7th, we are going to have our second tournament of the season at Saltfork Lake. We will be camping for the
weekend and we invite everybody to attend. Look for our highlights
of this tournament in our next issue.
Our next upcoming tournament will be our July 11th and 12th
event at West Branch.
Kevin Proffitt
North Metro
21
P.O. Box 41216
Plymouth, MN 55441
763-537-0781 • www.nmmuskies.com
Meets 3rd Tuesday, 7PM, North Air Banquet Hall, Fridley (6831 NE Hwy 65)
The regular May meeting featured Patricia Strutz from A Blond
and Her Boat as the speaker. Patricia shared some great photos,
talked about how to get women interested in our sport and what
products are tailored towards women. Check out her web site for
additional information at www.ablondandherboat.com.
Additional upcoming events include the League Night starting
on June 9, the June Jam June 13-14 and Rush Lake Challenge on
June 20. August features a Lake Vermillion Fishing and Camping
Outing, the Red Wing Lodge Outing, Chapter Challenge on Leech
Lake and Lucky Libby Charity Muskie Fishing Event on Lake
Independence. See our web site for further details on all these
events.
Check out our web site to purchase some of the new North
Metro merchandise including sweatshirts, tee-shirts and caps.
Chapter members who are not receiving the electronic monthly newsletter please contact Bob Anderson at [email protected]
or call him at 763-441-3108.
Ross Fischer
New Jersey
22
http://www.mi22.com/
Chapter meetings are held monthly the last Tuesday of
each month, September through May. Summer meetings
will be held on the water. Check our web site for details.
Let it be known that New Jersey has musky! We have a great
fishery which has greatly improved due to our education efforts and
a fantastic stocking program run by Craig Lemon and his staff at the
Hackettstown State Hatchery. Many thanks to all involved through
out Fish and Game for making our waters what they are today.
There are fifteen bodies of water in the state that are stocked
with musky and it is not uncommon to land musky 48”+.
Musky School will have taken place May 17TH on Greenwood
Lake. We have twelve students booked along with staff from Fish
and Game.
The May 26TH meeting will feature tactics and presentations of
top water baits, at the club house on Lake Arrowhead, Denville, NJ.
As of early May there have been two 45” and one 48” musky
landed by MI 22 members. The spawning period is over and the
Here’s a photo of Bucktail Bob with one of the two 45-inch
Muskies caught by Chapter 22 members in May.
toothies are acting up.
LET’S SEE TIGHT LINES AND SMILES. BE SAFE OUT
THERE!
CAPTAIN CAL, MUSKY SQUADRON
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.
At our meeting in May, the Brainerd Lakes Chapter held their
annual membership drive and they also had Breakline Tackle conduct a custom lure making seminar.
Business
items
included review of this year’s Minnesota Department of Resources
(MN DNR) muskie surveys conducted on Lake Mille Lacs and Lake
Shamineau. The MN DNR surveyed their largest muskie thus far
on Mille Lacs Lake, a chunky 54.5” fish. The MN DNR also surveyed a 51” muskie on Lake Shamineau.
The Brainerd Lakes Chapter is gearing up for the Gil Hamm
Chapter Challunge on Leech Lake in August. There are already a
total of three teams signed up for the event. Approximately 40 people attended the meeting. The meeting concluded with custom lure
making and raffles.
Upcoming events include hosting Gregg Thomas as our guest
speaker on June 9th and our June 20th “June Clash” fishing outing
located on Cedar Lake. Visit our website for more information:
www.brainerdmuskies.com
Damien Williams
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!
We held our Spring Warm up Tournament May 2nd & 3rd on
Kinkaid Lake. We had 36 teams entered in the tournament. A total
of 27 fish were caught in the two day tournament. We had 19 on
Saturday and 9 on Sunday. The first place team consisted of Jim
Beaty and Mike Hopkins. Second place team consisted of Walt
Upcoming 2009 Events:
July 16th Picnic below the dam at
Lake Shelbyville
August 23rd to 30th Gil Hamm
Chapter Challenge, Leach Lake
Remember I’m in the other Lund,
Walt Krause
49
Penn Jersey
Webster Lake
P.O. Box 670
No. Webster, IN 46555
574-834-1669
50
Sebastian Musumeci, President
510 Bryton Ave., Pottstown, PA 19465
484-459-5940 • Website: www.mi50.com
Meets at 7pm on 1st Wed. at Casey’s Bar on Corner of
Cherry and California Rds, Quakerstown, PA.
Hello everyone,
Hope your year is going well so far. By now we are into the
hot water time of our season.
If you must fish, please water
release them. In our sport there are a few good tools for doing
so, like floating rulers and floating bump boards (both nice and
easy to use). The whole point in all of this is to keep the fish in the
water as much as possible. Besides, water release photos are
cool. You can find these sticks and bump boards at most shops or
online on most of the musky websites. They don‘t cost that much
and they are the best for our fish.
We have been having problems with some of our members
not being able to log onto the club’s forum. If you are having problems please email me, or email Chae Dolsen at:
[email protected] - we will get it fixed for you. Please try to
log on first and see what happens. If you have not been on the
website since we changed it, please check it out at: www.websterlakemuskyclub.net
On our website you can find all the information about what’s
happening with the club, check out MOFC points, and incentive
points for the Andy Myers trip for next year. Steve “Herbie”
Herbeck could be drawing your name for that free trip to Eagle
Lake in Canada.
Our Friday night league starts soon; it will run from mid
August until the end of October. Here are the Friday League
Nights from Aug. 14th - Oct. 9th:
Webster, Sept 18, 6pm-10pm
Barbee, Aug 14, 8pm - midnight Upper Long, Sept 25, 6pm-10pm
Upper Long, Aug 21, 8pm - mid. Barbee, Oct 2, 6pm-10pm
Tippy, Oct 9, 6pm-10pm
Tippy, Aug 28, 8pm - midnight
Loon, Sept 4, 8pm - midnight
William Bennett
219-201-6123 or 574-457-3879
[email protected]
Musky Fever “catch it if you want it”
<*))))))))))))><
www.muskiesinc.org
Happy musky trails from all of us in southeastern Pennsylvania
and New Jersey. We are pleased that our season has come upon
us and is in full swing. Fish are moving and forty fish have been
caught and released by MI50 members as of the date this is written.
Our King of the Marsh tournament was a big success and
good musky weather was encountered (cold and rainy!) and some
of the fish cooperated. King of the Marsh in 2009 is Mike
DiGuiseppe with his first and second submission in the same day!
Mike got a beautiful 40” tiger. Congrats to him and all that participated. The food was awesome and special thanks to tournament
director Jeremy Kern for making it all happen. The tournament
provided the club with fun, food and most importantly funds!
On June 7th, 2009 MI50 will have a “meeting on the water”
and it will be a fishing outing as well. This outing/meeting is being
held at Nockamixon State park in Pennsylvania. Partners are
being randomly drawn.
We are still going to be hosting our Youth Fishing Day. All
children must pre-register and it is being held on Sunday June 14
at Nockamixon State Park Children’s Fishing Pond. There are
many prizes and many kids will receive fishing combos. Anyone
interested in this event can contact us at MI50.com.
Since there is so much going on in the next few weeks MI50
has decided to move musky school to the fall. This will allow us to
better prepare and generate more interest as well as to provide the
student with a better opportunity at a fish or two. We will apprise
you as we get closer when and where this will take place.
We are still looking for a pond to raise “our fish”. The goal is
to keep these fish for at least a year, giving us the ability to raise
fish to 18” and even more and a good sized pond will aid in this
process.
Get out there and hook one or two....
Tight lines and sharp hooks from everyone at MI50,
David Christinzio
Krause and his brother Tom Krause.
Third Place team consisted of Manuel
Santa Cruz and Lenny Goldsmith.
The officers of the Shawnee Muskie
Hunters like to thank every one
attending this event and hope to see
you in our fall tournament the last
weekend end of October.
Our officers of chapter 28 have
come up with an exciting schedule of
events for 2009. I want all of you to
come out and meet other members
that have the same passion as you.
You may even learn some tricks on
catching the mighty muskie.
LURE OF THE MUSKIE LURE
in perfecting a lure that is rugged enough for muskies and has the
action that attracts many game fish. The only thing that separates
Simms Tackle from the old hands is longevity.
Ol’ Tom Riedel is making headway. His days of working the lathe
than a good idea.”
When Terry speaks, we’d be wise to listen. His Hawg Wobbler has on a coffee table so he could watch the Packers at the same time are
been an industry standard since he invented it over 30 years ago. over. He’s thinking a pole shed to house the operation and store his
Timing and good fortune factored into the early success of the Hawg toys is in the near future. It’s getting difficult to be inventor, field
Wobbler. Muskie anglers were getting antsy to throw something tester, assembler, painter, delivery boy, salesman, and head of maintebeside the few played-out lures that were on the market at the time. nance.
“I’ll have to hire someone if I want to get out on the water this
The lure was one of the first one to offer a big, slow top water presensummer,” he said. “I’m having trouble finding time to roam across
tation.
“It didn’t hurt that I landed a 30-pounder in a 1978 tournament northern Wisconsin to make personal contact with the folks who have
been buying my stuff since I got started.”
with the first one I made,” Terry said.
All four types of lure inventors have an interesting story, but the
A photographer with one of the sponsor magazines got a picture
of Terry and the fish. The magazine gave him some free advertising ones who intrigue me the most are from the second group; the ones
and talked up the unusual looking lure that duped the big muskie. who turn out great looking, functional lures but never become a
household name. Don’t go thinking that all
Terry’s desire to be a businessman went into
of these makers are frustrated with their lack
full swing. He made as many Hawg
Muskie lures have a legacy
of volume or notoriety. For some of them,
Wobblers as his small wood lathe would
allow. Sanding, painting, and hardware
that started with small, hand- the last thing they want is the phone ringing
off the hook. They look at lures the same
assembly were all carried out in his garage.
whittled sticks and evolved
way an artist approaches a sheet of canvas.
The line of Mouldy’s Tackle grew off the sucThese lures are difficult to get, but are often
into modern behemoths with
cess of his first lure. The current inventory
the best hookers in the box.
includes time-tested topwaters like the Hawg
wild colors, glistening hardFinally there are the ones who got the
Wobbler, the Topper Stopper, and a variety of
ware, and razor sharp hooks
cart in front of the horse. They had enough
spinner baits that are sold worldwide.
capitol to produce a couple hundred
Terry became one of the leaders of a new
big enough to hold a side of
tremendous lures. The funds ran out before
generation of lure makers. He started with
beef. The people who invent
the lure caught on, and years of planning
an idea, and made a lure that caught enough
had to be abandoned. These are the lures
fish to earn a solid reputation. The lures were
and build muskie lures are as
that carry the most nostalgia. They always
built to stand up to the rigors of muskie fishdiverse as the lures.
go for more than I can afford in auctions
ing, and he had the means to run a successful
and on eBay. Often times, the original name
business. His background as an accountant
has been forgotten, and no one knows who made them. I’m hoping
was instrumental in the development of Mouldy’s Tackle Co.
Some of today’s most successful tackle companies began the same the down-swing in the economy will force more of these special lures
way at the same time. Joe Bucher was another “angler turned inven- out into the open and the prices drop a little.
Creating new lures is alive and well in 2009. Modern muskie
tor”. His fledging attempts to create the perfect lure mushroomed into
an inventory of lures that many veterans won’t go anywhere without. anglers have an insatiable appetite for new ideas. I’ve been in garages
His innovations in plastics helped create a new concept in muskie that have a thousand or more lures plastered to the walls. They make
lures. The aging breed of anglers who would not allow anything but the garage worth more than the house. I’ve gone out with anglers who
wooden lures in their boats had to finally relinquish and admit the insisted on taking three tackle boxes for two hours of fishing. It’s a
boon to established companies and aspiring inventors alike. Modern
“new” stuff wasn’t bad.
My favorite Bucher is the Topraider. I have several colors, and the equipment makes it easier to get started, but competition makes it
one that sticks out has a funny story behind it. Three years ago my son more difficult to hit the big time. Designing a great lure doesn’t insure
Nick and I were fishing one of our local lakes in central Wisconsin. success. Fads come and go, and many good lures don’t catch on in
Nick is a great guy to have in your boat. His technique is like most time.
“You need exposure in today’s market,” said Terry Moulton.
anglers, but he is one of those guys who just seem to attract fish. He
netted a 35 inch muskie on a perch colored Topraider. The next “Without proper marketing, you’ll have a tough time finding a niche.
evening I was on the same bar by myself. The conditions were a car- The average age of today’s lure company is 2 1/2 years. It doesn’t give
bon copy of the previous night, so it made sense to throw the same you much time to make your mark.”
For the past half century there have been a few established lure
lure. Before long two guys I know pulled up to chat. After a couple
minutes one of them spoke up. “You’re wasting your time throwing manufacturers that dictated what most muskie anglers would be
that color on this lake,” he said. I replied, “You’d better inform the 35 throwing. Once in a while guys like Terry Moulton would upset the
apple cart and gain a following. Things aren’t much different these
incher Nick caught right here last night.”
I’m getting ahead of myself. Talking about muskie baits gets me days. A few main tackle companies provide the bulk of the lures we
going. I’ve left out the third group of inventors. They have made the use, while countless others come and go. Fortunately, there will always
transition from novice to successful new talent on the muskie lure be room for the John Doe’s of the muskie world. Without their ideas
scene. They are no longer lure makers, but lure manufacturers. The and initiative the folk lore and mystique of muskie lures would be lost.
company they run has a strong following and the bills are getting paid.
Now I gotta talk to Riedel about his business card. You couldn’t
Colby Simms, for instance, has developed a line of spinners that has
sell
fresh
ciscos to a starving muskie with that card. ❖
become part of a successful fishing enterprise featuring guiding, speaking, and writing. His expertise with multiple species was instrumental
MUSKIES, INC.
1509 Stahl Road
Sheboygan, WI 53081
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Chapter 23 member Bob Basic caught this nice 42-inch
fish from Berlin Lake in Ohio. His son Jason sent in the
photo and says that it was Bob’s first fish of the year and
that Berlin Lake is not stocked so this is a naturally
produced fish. Nice fish Bob.
Chapter 59 Secretary Matt Pelletier caught this
awesome Tiger on May 16th. It measured 39 inches in
length, and his brother in law took the photo. Nice fish
Matt, and keep up the good work out there in New
Mexico.
Ronald Rutan caught this 40.75-inch muskie from
New Jersey’s Crosswicks Creek. He was fishing
from shore with a Fishtek spinnerbait and actually
took the photo himself using a small tripod. Ron
says the fish sped off quickly when released.
Here is Chapter 16 member Tom Simon with a
46-inch Lake Pymatuning muskie. Fellow Chapter
member Kevin Goldberg was fishing nearby and
came over to get the photo. Nice fish Tom.
It may have been a little while since she’s
been on this page, but I know a lot of you will
recognize this gal. Here is Melody Swenson
with a 51-inch Lake Vermilion muskie. Her
husband David sent in this photo and says the
fish was successfully released last fall.
Chapter 16 member Tom Simon caught this fish on
Lake Pymatuning during the Andy Luchovick
Memorial Tournament. He caught it on a Warner
crank bait, and it seems to have caught him a bit
off guard in this photo. It was a 51-inch beauty, and
Doug Lindsey took the photo.
Shawnee Muskie Hunters member Jim Elder caught
this personal best, a 46.25 incher, and says that the
Shawnee Chapter has really made him and his son
feel welcomed. His friend Chris Mcgee took this
photo, and Jim’s son Cody is also featured in this
issue in the Photo Contest section.
Chapter 31 Penn-Ohio member Bob Royal
caught this 47-inch muskie from Lake
Chapter 19’s “Muskie” Guy Bechter caught this 39Pymatuning on April 24th of this year. Robert
inch muskie on a Tuff Shad while fishing on April 25th
says he caught the fish on a Grandma lure and
of this year. It was good enough for a second place
took the picture himself. Nice fish.
tournament finish. Congratulations Guy.

MUSKIE Magazine

Transcription

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