MUSKIE Magazine

Transcription

MUSKIE Magazine

Photo Contest – February
▲
by Brad Waldera, Photo Editor • [email protected]
Photo #1
Matt Hill, the Release Chairman
for Chapter 08, sent in this terrific
shot he took last October. He was
fishing Twin Valley Lake in
Governor Dodge State Park in
Iowa County, Wisconsin. He
mentioned that he did not know
the fishermen in this photo, but
that’s just fine. There is a lot to
like about this shot, from the
misty look over the water to the
color of the trees, not to mention
the color showing up in the reflection on the water. I can’t think of
anything that could really have
improved this photo. Great shot
Matt - thanks for submitting it.
▲ Photo #2 Here is a really nice sunset photo sent in by Chapter 23 member Michael Nickel. Michael mentions that he takes a yearly vacation to the Kawartha chain of lakes in southeastern Ontario. This photo was taken
looking out into Pigeon Lake, and shows great color in the sky, and much like the other photo in this month’s contest,
really nice color in the reflection on the water. Hope the fishing up there was a good as the photos you got Michael.
Thanks a bunch for sending this one.
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 2010 by Muskies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Contents
MUSKIE • VOL. 44, NO. 2
Departments
IFC Photo Contest, Brad Waldera
2 President’s Message,
Dan Narsete
3 About the Cover, Juris Ozols
Features
9 Illinois Fishing and Outdoor Expo
3 Index of Advertisers
11 Joe Crossley’s Catch & Release
Photo Timeline, Juris Ozols
4 MUSKIE News
5 Lunge Log, Jim Bunch
12 Hooks, Line,and Sinker – Part 2: Line,
Patricia Strutz
9 Sport Show Locator
14 Figure 8, Kevin Richards
15 My PBR, David Cates NEW
16 Muskie Profile: A self-portrait of Richard Gross,
Artist and Cartoonist, Richard Gross
25 Chapter News and Views
22 Fishing Schools, Lee Bartolini & Geoff Crandall
15 Photo Guidelines for
MUSKIE Magazine
18 A Few Good Friends, Ace Sommerfeld
34 Member Photos
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www.muskiesinc.org
February 2010.....MUSKIE 1
International
Officers
President, Dan Narsete
Email: [email protected]
Vice President/Finance, 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
by Dan Narsete
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
Rory Potter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011
Carl Phillips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2012
Ron Teschner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2012
Region 2
Bob Timme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010
Fred Brogle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011
Robert Benson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2012
Region 3
Joel Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2010
Doug Dible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2011
Chad Theesfeld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2012
Region 4
Rich Gallagher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2010
Kimberly Cates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2011
Earle Hammond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2012
2 MUSKIE.....February 2010
Muskies, Inc. International President
G
reen energy will be the next big thing for the US economy in my humble opinion. With our growing conflicts in the Middle East and environmental concerns
with crude oil large conglomerates are already looking for energy alternatives. I
also happen to believe that Muskies, Inc. fits into the “Green” category. One of the purposes of our organization is the abatement of water pollution, and is a stance we have
taken since our inception in the 1960’s. No, it is not a solar panel, wind turbine, or a company bent on fluorescent bulbs (even though I only use them), rather we have been on the
forefront of ecological campaigns for the better part of four plus decades- we are about to
increase that number into the fifth. Within the broader subject of water pollution are
items like acid rain, exotic species introduction(s), climate change and ultimately fish
populations. Without clean, temperate water, micro-organisms, plants and our beloved
muskie cannot and will not survive.
Given the theme of this article I would like to ask and urge everyone in the organization to consider how you can affect climate change and water pollution. This is not a
ploy to join Al Gore and his political party, rather the continuation of reason to join
together as a cohesive group. So what basic things can we do as individuals without costing a pile of dough? If you are reading this far I guess you would like to know…there are
a number of simple things you can do. When towing your boat make sure your tire pressure is good. With low tire pressure you end up using more gas, creating more pollution.
Another simple thing you can do is turn off your lights and machines that are plugged into
the wall- did you know up to 25% of your electricity usage can be attributed to your TV,
microwave, computer, etc. when they are off? Crazy. Let’s consider one other item. As your
light bulbs burn out consider replacing them with fluorescent bulbs. They are a little more
expensive, but they use 30-60% less energy…considering most of our electricity comes
from coal burning think about how that pollutes the waters we fish. It is already unsafe to
consume a number of fish including walleye, pike, and of course muskie (who would eat
a muskie, right?).It is the little things that we do that can make a huge difference for all of
us- consider it.
Before coming to the coda of this song I’d like to point out a re-occuring theme in
these messages…fish continue to get BIGGER. What you are doing and the contributions
that you as a member make are working!
Until we meet again…
Tight lines, Dan ❖
If you see the boat featured on this month’s
cover on Lac Seul or Lake of the Woods in the
Fall, the two jokers shown in the middle photo
will normally be in it. They are M.I. Members Joe
Crossley (right) and Kevin Richards (left). Kevin
also happens to be our editor so I surprised him
a bit by including him in this collage.
However, you will note that Joe was alone
when the 11 outside shots were taken. His net
man (Kevin) was a half-mile away on our houseboat, cooking dinner.
Joe caught this muskie at 6:30 P.M. on
Friday, October 10. It was the last hour of the
last day of our 2008 houseboat trip to Lac Seul.
As it happened, I was fishing with Jerry Bucholz
and came upon the scene, camera in hand, just as it unfolded. The cover shows
you a sequence of photos of Joe landing and releasing the muskie, starting with the
picture in top center and going clockwise.
Check out my short story about this photo sequence on page 11. – Juris ❖
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
Brett Beaupre, Advertising Sales Representative
Phone: (920) 323-0721
Terri Fierstine, Advertising Sales Representative
Phone: (218) 252-0947
PRINTING ACCOUNT MANAGER
Sunray Printing Solutions, Inc. - Stacey Thielen
MAGAZINE DESIGN
Sunray Printing Solutions, Inc. - John Windschitl
ILLUSTRATORS/CARTOONISTS
Richard Gross, Charles Weiss
FIELD EDITORS
Patricia Strutz, Colby Simms, Sean Landsman,
Adam Glickman, Bob Chochola,Steve Budnik
EMERITUS EDITORS
Rod Ramsell, Keith Ogden, Jim Smith
INDEX OF ADVERTISERS
ANGLE OUTPOST RESORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
CABIN FEVER CHALLUNGE (CHAPTER 45) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
GEORGE’S MINNESOTA MUSKIE EXPO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
GREEN RIVER LAKE, KY/TAYLOR COUNTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
ILLINOIS FISHING EXPO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
MADISON FISHING EXPO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
MOREHEAD TOURISM COMMISSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
MUSKIES, INC. CALENDAR FUNDRAISER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
YOUNG'S WILDERNESS CAMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
www.muskiesinc.org
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 by email:
[email protected]. Phone: (573) 2802300.
A B O U T T H E C OV E R ◆ A B O U T T H E C OV E R ◆ A B O U T T H E C OV E R ◆ I N D E X O F A DV E R T I S E R S
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
• Member of Muskies, Inc. International Hall of Fame
• Originator of the Muskies, Inc. International Chapter
Challunge
• Original Chairman of the Muskies, Inc. Know the Difference
Poster Committee
Congratulations Steve from all your Muskies, Inc. brothers and sisters!
Pelican Lake, WI (Oneida County)
Past-president Steve Statland Honored
Emmett A. Brown, Jr., Executive Director of the Fresh Water
Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, Wisconsin announced that Steve
Statland was recently elected as into the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of
Fame as Legendary Angler. Steve becomes the third Muskies, Inc.
president to receive this honor. The others were Gil Hamm and
Larry Ramsell.
The induction ceremony was held on January 9, 2010 at the
Chicago Muskie Show. This was a fitting location as Steve is one of
the founders of Tri-Esox Productions, which produces the show
each year.
Steve was one of the driving forces behind Project Illini, the
original muskie stocking program in the state of Illinois. He served
as its president and vice president from its inception in 1975 until
1980. Steve also was a member of the Citizens Fish Hatchery
Committee to the Illinois Department of Conservation. This committee was vital in obtaining the monies needed to construct the Jake
Wolf Fish Hatchery.
For over 30 years Steve has educated thousands of anglers
regarding muskie fishing and its lore. Steve has many other significant accomplishments, including:
• Director of Chicagoland Muskie Hunters
• Past President of Chicagoland Muskie Hunters
• Board member of Muskies, Inc. International
• Past President of Muskies, Inc. International
After much discussion during 2005 a proposal to raise the minimum length limit for muskellunge to 50 inches was brought to the
annual spring hearings (which are held in every county in
Wisconsin) in April 2006.
The proposal was approved in 52 counties and rejected in 15
counties. In Oneida County it passed by a nearly 3:1 margin (83
“yes” and 29 “no” votes).
The 50-inch minimum length limit took effect at the start of the
2007 muskie season.
In July 2007 officials from the Town of Enterprise started an
effort to repeal the new regulation, just 4 months after it was initiated. In April 2009 a resolution to repeal the 50-inch minimum
length limit from Pelican Lake was presented at the spring Oneida
County Fish and Wildlife hearing, and it passed with 33 “yes” and
15 “no” votes.
The Conservation Congress Warmwater Study Committee was
given this resolution for their fall 2009 meeting, along with the WI
DNR position that there was already a statewide public hearing on
this rule in 2006 and the DNR did not support further action on the
resolution. One option for the Warm Water Study Committee is to
advance an advisory question to the spring 2010 hearings.
MUSKIE Magazine contacted WI DNR Fisheries Biologist
John Kubisiak. John replied as follows.
“My counsel is that there are strong opinions for and against
50-inch minimum length limits for muskellunge. The Pelican “50”
is not unique in this (regard). In the case of Pelican Lake, the 50inch minimum should be given an adequate opportunity to perform before calling it a failure.”
That sounds like wise advice! If you have an interest in how this
story will end you should attend the April 2010 hearings and let your
voice be heard.
For further information you could contact WI DNR Fisheries
Biologist John Kubisiak in Rhinelander at: 715-365-8919.
Joe Arends
Joe Arends, one of the legendary anglers of Muskies, Inc., died
in Fargo, North Dakota, on January 8th after a long illness. Joe was
an early member of the Fargo-Moorhead Chapter and an enormously accomplished angler on Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ontario
waters. After his early years of fishing on the Chippewa Flowage, Joe
concentrated on Leech Lake and helped many anglers catch their first
or largest muskie. When asked about the best place to fish on Leech
Lake, legendary muskie angler "Doc" Cotton replied, "The back of
Joe's boat." Joe caught countless big muskies, releasing virtually all
of them, but never making any special claims about his success or the
size of fish he caught. Joe was interviewed for the M.I. Oral History
Project in September 2009. A DVD of that interview is available
from the history committee. The December 2009 issue of MUSKIE
featured Joe on the cover along with excerpts from the September
interview. Joe was a modest, quiet man and a credit to our sport. ❖
M.I. Past Presidents Steve Statland and Larry Ramsell at the induction
ceremony for Steve.
by
Ji m B u n c h
during the summer are fine but not intense. When it gets cold, the
intensity rises. They know what is out there; it is just a matter of following the bait fish and finding what is hanging underneath them.
Cindy broke 45 pounds two years ago, and now has passed over 50
pounds right to 51.05 lbs. I know many of you will go immediately
to Cindy and Mark’s fish lists on the web site.
Let me sum those fish lists up for you. Cindy Hegdahl has 220
entries (not a numbers person). Of those, 12 are fifty inchers. That
is 5.5%. Of those, 24 are four footers. That is 11%. Of those, 112
are 40 inchers. That is 51%. Of those two are 45 pounds and one
was 51 pounds. The big ones are coming from Plantagenet, Bemidji,
(Continued on page 6)
Late Entries for the Lunge Log!
As promised, here we are in February 2010 and yes
you may enter your late ones this month. The Lunge Log
is very neat in that it is a neat and orderly list of your
muskie fishing history. None of these late ones will count
towards the 2009 International Contest as I will have
closed the results of that several weeks into January. Now if
you have muskie catches in past years that is okay. We will
accept them. We ask though, please do not enter muskies
caught prior to you joining Muskies, Inc. You may enter
late ones “on line” or you may send them directly to me
(Jim Bunch, 4338 County Hwy P, Chippewa Falls, WI
54729). Yes, you may also turn them in to your chapter
contest chairperson and they can enter them.
Now that we will allow you to do this please be reasonable. If you report a 63 incher caught back in 1993,
you are going to get a phone call from me. If you report a
muskie with a 29 inch girth, you are going to get a phone
call from me. Please keep your imagination in check.
One of the neat features of the Lunge Log is that
somebody looks at each entry submitted. Now of course
that somebody is me. If an entry does not seem realistic we
then resort to Rule 6 on back of the entry form. With that
being said, we have no idea how many will come forth. It
should be an interesting month.
Hegdahl / Fredrick / Bemidji /
Dangerous!!
When Cindy Hegdahl let her 51 pounder go in late
November, Mark Fredrick told her, “You are going to get
a call from DaBunchman.” When I got ahold of them, I
of course asked for a picture. When somebody claims a 50
pounder I naturally hold my excitement until I see a picture that matches the size. However I knew that if it is
coming in from Mark and Cindy that it would be awesome. When I got the picture I just about dropped my
teeth and I don’t even have false teeth.
As you read this I know you have past issues of
MUSKIE Magazine right there at your desk. So reach over
and grab the February 2008 issue of “Muskie”. In the
Lunge Log that month read the notes under the headline
“Cindy Hegdahl, Bemidji, Dangerous”. These notes, now
two years later, are just an update of this couple’s awesome
muskie fishing ability. These two are not numbers people;
they are looking for mass, length and weight. Their efforts
www.muskiesinc.org
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
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LUNGE LOG
(continued from page 5)
Leech, and Lake of the Woods. Mark’s fish list sounds like a duplicate. He has 236 entries (not a numbers person). Of those 10 are fifty
inchers. That is 4.3%. Of those 21 are four footers. That is 9%. Of
those 123 are 40 inchers. That is 52%. His big muskies come from
Plantagenet, Bemidji, Leech, and Lake of the Woods.
Now I asked Mark to send me some notes about Cindy’s big fish
and their fall. He kind of sent me a diary of this fall. I hope I don’t
mess it up. Last month Juris talked about the state record in
Minnesota. Mark and Cindy cannot be ignored, they are dangerous.
Mark says:
Last year Cindy was stuck on #199. Number 200 came on 8/21/09
at 43.5”. A customer who’s grandson muskie fishes gave us a double cowgirl. We used it several times with no success. Then on 8-23-09 at the
Plantagenet Cindy scored big, 53.5” x 26” (45 lbs.) This fish was dragging the boat all over. 1 hour later we went back and Cindy caught a
49”. Same double cowgirl. On 9-4-09 I caught a 52” at the Plant.
October, Lake of the Woods we got 28 muskies up to 45” I got 5 muskies
one day. Oct\Nov we fished a lot of cold days and nights. It
kept getting colder. We were chasing the baitfish. Some days
they were shallow, mostly they were suspended over deep
water. We just kept moving and changing baits. Then on
Nov. 6 Cindy caught her first muskie of the year on Bemidji,
a 40”. Then the next day she got a 33”. She was on a roll,
but she had her pounds and inches mixed up. (Stayed on
Bemidji). On 11-18-09 I got a 50X26 (42 lbs). Then Cindy
got hot. On 11-19-09 Cindy 51.75”, it was still a little
green; it kept slapping her in the back with its tail. On 1120-09 Cindy a 51”. On 11-22-09 Cindy a 49”. On 11-2409 Cindy had big mamma come for a visit. It was 54”X
27.5” (51.05 lbs). Cindy was a little hesitant to grab this
fish. I said what’s the matter? This is the kind you like with
the BIG GILL FLAP. Cindy says “Oh yeah! That’s right.” We
have a system. Cindy grabs the head and I help boost the tail
up. Then we get a quick photo or two. We have pictures of all
the fish. All the Nov fish were caught on crank baits suspended over deep water. When it is freezing cold, you are saying
“what the hell are we doing out here”? All of a sudden your
clicker goes off. It’s a BIG PIG!!! It’s all worth it. Because you
know, you will be getting a call from DaBunchman!!!
Ruth Anderson!
The Comeback Kid!
The longer I do this Lunge Log thing the more interesting stories I come up with. I noticed Ruth Anderson of
Alexandria, Minnesota and the Fargo Moorhead Chapter
won the Women’s Division back in 2005 with 90 releases. She had a number of trips to Ontario (Fluke) in this
quest. So I did a search and found she did have 24 releases in 2006. That in itself would embarrass many in the
Men’s division. Then in 2007 and 2008 she basically
dropped off the map in the number of releases, only 2 in
2007 and only 7 in 2008. In looking at the standings here
in 2009 we see she is back on top in the Women’s Masters.
I was curious about what happened there. I received a CD
from her husband Bud recently of all the pictures of the
28 releases she had this year in October and November.
They all were over 40 inches, they all were from Lobster
in Douglas County, Minnesota and they all were caught
Cindy Hegdahl’s 51 Pounder.
on suckers. In the process her average muskie was 45 inches. She had
blasted her way from zero to hero this fall in the Women’s Masters. I
had to get on the phone. Ruth answered the phone as Bud was out
Ruth and Bud Anderson, Fargo Moorhead Chapter
End of 2009 Muskie Season. We are alive!!
ice fishing, image that.
In 2007 Ruth and Bud found themselves in a family situation of
raising their grandchildren. Consequently, no trips to Ontario and
very little fishing time in Minnesota. Thus very few muskie entries.
That is understandable. So here we go to 2009, some of the grandchildren issues solved themselves so maybe its time to get back to
muskie fishing. Oops in the summer of 2009 Ruth had some major
issues with her back. It seemed to be vertebra and disc problems. So
now she needs back surgery. In the summer this year she wanted to
fish muskies, they went out a couple of times trolling, but she had to
lie in the bottom of the boat because of the back thing. So this summer she had surgery. It is hard to keep a good lady off her feet and
away from the lake. She recovers, gets better, can’t really cast yet, but
hang onto your boots, she can hang onto a sucker pole. Oh by the
way she has some good muskie fishing blood lines, she is also a cousin to
Joe and Will Hardy.
In a short period of time in
October and November Ruth lands
28 muskies all caught in Lobster close
to home, all on suckers. The average
length is 45 inches. I am sure husband Bud had a lot to do with these
numbers and he is to be commended
for that. I have a CD with a picture of
every one of them. The CD included
a picture or the two of them kissing in
the boat on the last day of their fall
fishing. That was very moving! We no
longer have an International Awards
banquet so I will miss shaking her
hand as I did back for the 2005 season. Ruth and Bud have experienced
some major obstacles, but they
remain upbeat and had an awesome
fall. From all of this she is hereby
anointed the 2009 “Comeback”
angler of the year.
Keep a tight line,
Jim Bunch
The Lunge Log
[email protected]
715 226-0295
(More Lunge Log on page 8)
www.muskiesinc.org
Ruth Anderson, Chapter 2, 1 of 28 Oct/Nov 2009.
Average of 45 Inches. The Comeback Kid
The rules and
regulations for
submitting to the
Lunge Log are on
the Muskies, Inc.
website.
The same ones have
been there since 2005.
Log in to our website.
In the left column click
Lunge Log, then in the
right column under Hot
Links click Release
Forms, then click
Lunge Log Registration Page 2. Scroll
down to the bottom of
the page and there
they are.
Muskies, Inc. Past
Presidents
Gil Hamm
Edward T. Peterka
Robert Hill
Robert Shoop
Frank Schneider
Peter Hadley
DuWayne Bakke
Lou Cook
Peter Hadley
Bob Schmidt
Larry Ramsell
Lou Cook
Keith Ogden
Bill Davis
Steve Statland
John Hotle
Jim Blaubach
Steve Budnik
Jim Smith
Paul Framsted
Perry Smith
Greg Wells
David Cates
Illinois Fishing &
Outdoor Expo
packs the Indoor Sports Center
with Fishing and Family Fun on
March 5, 6, & 7
Northern Illinois explodes with fishing
excitement, March 5-7, as the Fishing and
Outdoor Expo opens at the Indoor Sports
Center/Expo Complex, located off the I90/39 Tollway (Riverside Blvd. Exit).
Fishermen from Chicago and Southern
Wisconsin will find access to the Fishing Expo
about as easy as it gets. Show hours are Friday
from 4pm-8pm; Saturday from 10am to 6pm;
and Sunday 11am to 5pm.
Acclaimed by visitors and exhibitors –
“the hottest new fishing show in of 2009” is
even hotter in 2010!
The Expo features FISHING - how, what
and where, along with lure demos in the
Hawg Trough, fishing personalities on the
clinic stage, and lots of tackle with all the hot
new musky lures to check out.
You’ll also find a gigantic display of fishing boats at rock bottom end of show season
prices. Plus you can book your next trip with
fishing and hunting camps, resorts, guides,
fishing charters and more.
The Fishing Expo will be packed with
FREE SEMINARS by some of the best pros
in the business, with many presenting topics
which are exclusive to this show. Clinic speakers include fishing hall of famer Spence Petros,
musky guru Pete Maina, John Gillespie of
Waters and Woods TV, and more.
ADMISSION: ADULTS $7.00 or 3 Day
Weekend Pass for $10.00
CHILDREN UNDER 12 YEARS OF AGE
ARE FREE.
For more information visit:
www.showtimeproduction.net
or call 815-877-8043
SPORT SHOW LOCATOR – Calendar of upcoming events in 2010
DATES
EVENT NAME/WEBSITE
LOCATION
CITY
Feb. 12-14
Milwaukee Muskie Expo
www.muskieexpo.com
Madison Fishing Show
www.madfishexpo.com
Ohio Muskie Show
www.ohiomuskieshow.com
Illinois Fishing & Outdoor Expo
www.showtimeproduction.net
Minnesota Muskie Expo
www.minnesotamuskieexpo.com
Wisconsin State Fair Park
West Allis
WI
608/445-4645
Exhibition Hall at the
Madison
Alliant Center
Buckeye Hall of Fame Café Columbus
WI
608/245-1040
OH
513/600-3457
IL
815/877-8043
MN
763/786-6031
Feb. 26-28
Feb. 26-28
Mar. 5-7
April 9-11
www.muskiesinc.org
Indoor Sports Center
Rockford
Concordia University
St. Paul
STATE PHONE
Joe Crossley’s C&R Photo Timeline
The Story Behind this Month’s
Cover Photo Sequence
by Juris Ozols
H
ow did that cover photo sequence
come about, and what did it take to get
those pictures? As it happens, I’d been
hoping to get a “photo-op” like that for a long
time, and we arrived on the scene just as Joe
hooked the muskie. Jerry Bucholz drove and
positioned his boat while I snapped away.
Total time for the picture sequence is 8 minutes 5 seconds; but the muskie was out of the
water for the “standard” photos for about 50 seconds. During this time I took 83 photos, of
which 13 are described here; 11 of these appear
on the cover. The conditions for photography
were not the best, so many of the 83 photos did
not turn out, but some did – you need to take a
lot.
All times are Central Daylight Time from
the “EXIF” data file on each image, which also
records a variety of camera settings.
Photo 1 – 6:28:48 (top photo on cover) - At this point
Joe has had the fish on the line for a few minutes, but
misses netting the fish on the first pass. Our boat is
perhaps a hundred feet away, heading toward him,
photo taken with 85mm zoom.
Photo 2 – 6:29:06 – Joe nets the muskie with a big
stretch. This photo is the MI calendar cover shot for
2009. Still at 85 mm zoom.
Photo 3 – 6:30:19 (not on cover) – Joe now has the
fish at boatside in the net. Here’s where a boat partner would help, but because he has his release tools
and gloves handy he can handle the job by himself.
We’re up close, 28mm moderate wide angle shot,
with the flash.
Photo 4 – 6:31:44 – Joe is untangling the lure from
the net to get his Believer unhooked. We’ve drifted
closer and also zoom in a bit to 35mm and flash.
Photo 5 – 6:32:08 – Cutting hooks speeds up the
release process. Let’s get a close-up – zoom to
70mm.
Photo 6 – 6:32:40 (not on cover) – Lure is free and
Joe is letting the fish recover in the water. Wide angle
at 17mm with flash, picture a bit “soft.”
Photo 7 – 6:34:01 – Water measurement of the fish,
the right way to do it. A fat 44-incher. You can see
parts of the other two boats of our party. Everyone
was heading in for dinner but Joe put a stop to those
plans! Full wide angle at 17mm, up close.
Photo 8 – 6:34:48 – Joe is getting ready to lift it up
for a couple of those “standard” fish photos. Zoom
in to 41mm to get a nice tight close-up.
Photo 9 – 6:35:23 – Joe cradles the fish, supporting
it fully. Nice “fill-in” flash to show details, 17mm.
Photo 10 – 6:35:40 – Okay, that’s enough, put her
back. I’ve now taken 11 photos starting with #8 dur-
www.muskiesinc.org
ing a 52-second period. 35mm.
Photo 11 – 6:35:45 – Fish in the water, right side up.
38mm.
Photo 12 – 6:35:46 – And one second later, off she
goes! The flash didn’t have time to recharge, so a
long exposure, and both Joe and the fish are blurred.
38mm.
Photo 13 – 6:36:53 – A minute later. Fish is gone,
and Joe is straightening up the boat. What a grand
way to end fishing for the trip! We’ve drifted away,
so 61mm zoom.
Five key points to getting photos like this:
#1 – Find someone like Joe Crossley to catch a
muskie right in front of you when you are in
another boat. Enormously difficult. In 10 years
of MUSKIE photography, this is the first time
I’ve done it, despite numerous attempts to set up
the situation. Our editor is taking credit for the
whole scenario – he said if it hadn’t been his
night to cook, Joe would not have been fishing so
close to the houseboat at an ideal location and
time for me to show up with my camera!
#2 – Manage the scenario. My boat partner,
Jerry Bucholz, made a wonderful recommendation that we move the boat to get the sunset in
the background. That was what made the photo
(#2 above) used for the calendar cover so special.
Jerry also kept us in position for me to take those
close-ups of Joe working the fish. Absolutely key.
#3 – Take lots of photos. I averaged one photo
every 9 or 10 seconds during this opportunity
and was fortunate that about 20% of them were
pretty nice shots.
#4 – Equipment. My camera at the time was
a Canon EOS 40D DSLR with an EFS 17-85
mm f4-5.6 zoom lens. I used all of that zoom
range during the sequence. The lens also has
“image stabilization,” enormously useful during
low light situations like this. I had on a Canon
Speedlite 430EX flash, and without that the pictures would not have come out either. Let’s be
blunt – this is not a cheap setup. However, pictures from a $200 point-and-shoot wouldn’t
have begun to match these.
#5 – Finally, and most important. You need to
have passion for photography, which is something even many folks with cameras don’t seem
to have. If given the choice between catching a
nice muskie and taking the photos of it, I would
give up the rod and grab the camera without hesitation. Our editor chimed in here too, reminding me that I did just that on a muskie which I
hooked earlier in the week!
- Juris Ozols
Hooks, Line, & Sinker
Part 2: LINE
Masterbraid Green
Y
by Patricia Strutz
Masterbraid Bronze
ears ago, most musky anglers were using monofilament line. ciate the added distance.
For certain applications, some of us still use it. But, mono has
Low stretch equates to increased sensitivity. A strike is transmitits limitations. It has a lot of stretch.
ted instantly to the rod tip and setting the hook is equally fast. If your
Higher pound tests are thick and make it difficult to tie a knot. hook setting ability is suspect (I resemble this remark) you’ll appreciIt is not abrasion resistant. Rocks, timber, and
ate that the low stretch creates super hook
toothy muskies take a toll on monofilament.
setting power.
Patricia’s Spooling Tips
Enter the era of braided line. First there
Unlike mono, braided line possesses no
✓ Have a sport shop spool your line
was Dacron. Made from polyester fiber, it proreel memory so the angler won’t struggle
onto your reel. They buy in bulk so
vided better abrasion resistance and much less
with uncoiling line. What you may struggle
there is no waste (how many times do
stretch than mono. But, it had a thick diameter
with, however, is cutting it. It is so strong
you end up throwing out the last 30
- so thick, we rarely used anything heavier than
that nail clippers won’t do the job. Use sharp
feet of line left in your package?)
about 30 pound test. It possessed poor knot
scissors, such as Fiskars, or an all-purpose
✓ Ask them to start with a monofilament
strength. And, it also absorbed water. Cast it for
tool such as a Leatherman.
backing of equivalent diameter to the
a while and your whole body was soaked.
An important word of caution: microbraid. Slippery braided line will not
In the early 1990s the revolution in fishing
filament
line is so strong you should never
cling to the barrel and can cause slipline began . . . the era of the super lines. Gel
wrap it around your fingers or hands. I have
page. Mono anchors nicely and cuts
spun and heat resistant synthetic fibers such as
seen anglers try to get a lure unsnagged by
down the cost.
✓ Use a uni to uni knot to connect the
Spectra and Dyneema created this new fishing
winding line up around their hands until the
mono to the braided line.
line category. Anglers who originally experiline is severely cutting into skin. To avoid
✓ Do not overfill the reels. Overspooling
mented with this brand new technology
injury, wrap the line around a solid object
can create loose strands after a cast
became frustrated by backlashes, busted rods,
(i.e. gunwale cleat).
and cause backlashes.
and nicked rod guides . . . but, they’ve come a
Lures dive deeper and faster when con✓ After spooling on fresh line, I like to
long way in a short time. Advances in the raw
nected to superlines. Trollers wishing to
“re-pack it” myself. I slowly motor out
materials and the process that converts them
place their baits at a certain depth would do
on the lake and let out line --sans lureinto line, coupled with modifications of fishing
well to invest in a trolling bible, such as
- all the way down to a few feet of the
gear (such as longer, more forgiving rods)
Musky Mike’s Trolling Secrets. For example,
taped on monofilament. Then, I wind
allows us now to cast these superlines with great
the book shows that if you wish to troll a 10it back up. This tightens and straightefficiency and ease. In this article, we’ll take a
inch jointed Believer 20 feet down you’ll
ens out the line. It seems to cast alot
look at current trends in microfilament lines.
need to let out 96 feet of of 80 pound
smoother after doing this.
✓ If you prefer to spool line yourself,
PowerPro. If using 100 pound PowerPro,
PowerPro’s EZ Spool packaging is a
Braided Line Generalizations
meter out another four feet of line. A stark
great feature.
comparison lies in 30# mono . . . you’d need
Braided line is basically produced by weav139 feet of line out to achieve the same 20ing fibers of man-made material together into a
foot
lure
depth.
strand. These fibers are very strong; most market themselves as “10
The most popular colors of line for musky anglers seem to be
times stronger than steel.” The thin diameters have an incredible
mossy
greens or browns, followed by a white/black combination. The
strength-to-size ratio. On average, 80 pound test braided line is the
latest trend of red line is based on the fact that red line turns to shades
same diameter as around 17 to 20 pound test monofilament.
This strong, ultrathin line is also abrasion resistant. Bass fisher- of gray under water. Gray blends in very well to its surroundings. The
men that ply timber and musky trollers that bang reefs swear by its color red completely fades out at a depth of approximately 14-feet.
resilience. This feature, partnered with UV- resistance and low mois- One would surmise that it would be a good choice when trolling
ture absorption, provide a very long lifespan. This scribbler can testi- deep diving crankbaits or pounding jigs
fy to that: in years when I was guiding five days a week I would reverse off the bottom.
the line on my clients’ reels around mid-season. I would easily achieve
an entire season of use from the line. Casual anglers could certainly Cortland Line
expect many seasons usage. This helps allay the initial sticker shock as (www.cortlandline.com)
With almost 100 years of braiding
superlines cost substantially more than many other lines.
Even though braided line is extremely strong, manufacturers still experience, Cortland Line believes its
recommend cutting off a section and re-tying the line when it starts American made braids are the best.
to look frayed. This will ensure that the line will perform at its rated They highlight their process: “Raw
fibers are loaded onto bobbins and then
strength.
Recent generation superbraids are much slicker and therefore less installed on our precision braiders. Our
less abrasive on equipment. Add in minimal stretch (most are less than braiders run slowly in order to lay down
4% elasticity) and they are ideal for casting far distances. Anglers and lock in the fibers. This process
wishing to sight fish or cast a topwater over an expansive reef appre- takes longer and is more costly but it
creates a braid that is more uniform, stronger, rounder, and tighter.”
Cortland Line relays that the proper material, number of strands,
correct tension, and the number of picks per inch (where one fiber
crosses another in the braiding process) must be calculated to make
the ideal braid.
Their representative Norm Hartmann adds, “What truly sets our
braid apart from the competition is
our proprietary FIBER TECH protection treatment. Developed to
ensure consistent performance, color
fast, line stiffness and durability; it
actually penetrates the entire braid.
This seals in the color and gives body
to the line. Other lines offer surface
treatments. They can not keep the
color or braids together like FIBER
TECH does. It prevents fraying,
color bleeding, keeps the braid round and improves knot strength.”
“Our most popular braid for musky fishermen continues to be
MasterBraid in the bronze or green color. Others like the Black Spot
Spectron. I’ve heard many musky hunters talk about how these lines
don’t bleed color and, with their hydrophobic coating, keep their
hands drier than other lines on the market. The latter is especially
important when fishing in cold weather.”
TUF-LINE by Western Filament
(www.tuf-line.com)
Rex Nelson, of Western Filament, notes that all braided lines are
created pretty much equal. “The spectra or gel spun polyethylene
fibers are naturally hydrophobic. That is, they repel water. Most other
manufacturers use water based
coatings. They lay the coating
on the surface of the braid; it
doesn’t permeate the line. This
coating wears off quickly.”
“This is how our line differs. We use a bio-solvent based
coating. It is environmentally
friendly, made from tropical
oils. It wicks directly into the
braid. That way, the color doesn’t bleed. The color stays. Your
line starts green and stays green
for its life because the coating has permeated the braid.”
Nelson explains that the coating also helps maintain knot
strength and abrasion resistance, “Our company also has an aerospace
division. We create high tech products for the military. We fall back
on that technology and engineering and filter it into our fishing side,
so, you’re always getting unique, cutting edge products.”
TUF-LINE XP is the most popular choice for musky fishermen.
As is the case with all superline, XP is less visible to muskies than
thicker-diameter monofilament, but the fact is they can still see it. To
cut down on line visibility consider tying on a fluorocarbon leader.
PowerPro
(www.powerpro.com)
PowerPro line touts excellent knot
strength but explains that not all knots
can be used effectively on braided line.
They recommend Palomar knots to tie
terminal tackle, Uni-to-Uni to tie
PowerPro to mono of the same diameter, and an Albright knot to tie the
braid to mono/fluoro of a larger diameter. Other knot recommendations (“use
a pliers and moisten your knot when
tightening”) and illustrations are diagramed on their website.
PowerPro also recommends repacking spools when using light lures; Using too heavy of line
“if your line starts to feel soft or while throwing small lures
mushy—or you are getting backlash- is a recipe for backlashes.
Re-packing your line may
es—you’ll need to re-pack your reel. Let be a temporary fix, but a
line out behind the boat and then reel it better solution is using
in while holding the line taut. This will lighter line for your lightimprove casting performance and keep weight lures.
the line from ‘digging in.’” *(please see
sidebar: author’s note on line size)
To properly set your drag, PowerPro remarks, “You may be tempted to set your drag higher than normal, but, remember your rod or reel
may not be designed to handle the same unbelievable loads as your line.
Set your drag to match the weakest component in your tackle system.”
To compensate for no stretch line, some musky pros feel drags
should, indeed, be left at slightly lower drag settings. I’ve seen this particularly with motor trollers who don’t want to snag a hook on rocks
causing a rod to break. Some casters also set slightly lower drags,
claiming they have straightened or ripped hooks out of bony mouths.
Personally, when I’m casting, I set my drag rock solid. Immediately
following hook set I loosen the star drag up as needed.
Lastly, a recent innovation is thermally fused line. It is made by
fusing through heat rather than braiding the fibers. Companies
employing this particular process failed to respond to our inquiries.
The process produces what looks like a single-strand line that is very
sensitive and less expensive. However, most are slightly larger in diameter and offer less strength than original braids.
One thing is for certain, modern technology continues to
upgrade our fishing equipment. Yet, we are chasing the same crafty
predator that hasn’t changed one bit. He still continues to outwit us!
Patricia Strutz is a fishing guide, outdoor writer, and Field Editor for
MUSKIE Magazine. For information, visit her website at
www.ablondandherboat.com ❖
Patricia’s Tips on Line Size
Many times I see anglers using 100# test while throwing small
lures. The line is too heavy for the lure. The lure won’t perform well and
you’ll struggle with backlashes. Folks mistakenly think there is a problem with their reel. Re-packing may be a temporary fix, but a better
solution is having a lighter line set up for your lightweight lures.
Conversely, if you are throwing heavy lures with too
lightweight/small diameter line, you’ll encounter other problems such
as backlashes that cause busted lines and lost lures. There is no set
guideline; however, I’ve done well with 50# line for extremely small
spinners, 65# for “average” sized musky lures, and 80# and up for
heavy jerkbaits and oversized soft plastics.
TUF-LINE’s family of XP products.
www.muskiesinc.org
FIGURE 8 ◆ FIGURE 8 ◆ FIGURE 8 ◆ FIGURE 8 ◆ FIGURE 8 ◆ FIGURE 8 ◆ FIGURE 8
8
8
Figure 8
by Kevin Richards
[email protected]
Show Time! Expo Time!
As I finish this issue of MUSKIE Magazine I am also packing my
bags for the Chicago Muskie Show. Of course by the time you read
this the Chicago Show will be history and many members will be
preparing to travel to the shows (a.k.a. Expos) in Milwaukee,
Madison, Rockford, St. Paul, and other locations.
The shows are one of the best winter substitutes for muskie fishing. This year I have even saved up a little extra cash to help pay for
some of the cool stuff I know I’ll find at the shows.
The shows are also great places to tell folks more about MUSKIE
Magazine and Muskies, Inc. Hopefully we will pick up some new
members and advertisers at the shows. The shows provide great opportunities to visit with old friends and to say thanks to all the camps,
tackle manufacturers, and others who support the M.I. mission.
Feedback . . .
I can normally predict if an article or statement in MUSKIE
Magazine is going to generate some feedback, be it positive or negative. In fact you may recall that when I started my Figure 8 column
in 2007 I said that I hoped to generate “a few strikes” now and then.
As your MUSKIE editor I use a 30-day “season” as my comment
period. Thirty days gives folks plenty of time to comment before I
mention a topic a second time. I do this because sometimes when you
mention a topic that second time folks start thinking that maybe they
can sway opinion by flooding the editor with letters, email, or phone
calls expressing their point of view. So let me make it clear – I use a
30-day comment period. Once our members start getting their new
MUSKIE magazines in the mail I close my books on the previous
issue. Honestly I must do this. Every issue requires about 30 days to
edit, design, proof, and print. This “boat” never stops moving, so our
staff must either stay on board or jump out of the MUSKIE boat and
fish alone. Are you wondering where the heck I’m going with this?
OK, I’ll get to the point.
In the December issue I authored a story about World Record
Muskies. In that article I stated that, “MUSKIE Magazine and
Muskies, Inc. are not sanctioning bodies and we have no desire to
judge the legitimacy of any of the currently sanctioned records; that is
the role of the existing sanctioning bodies and of the states and
provinces.”
Actually my article generated no real controversy and very few
comments. A couple of the folks who did comment agreed with the
statement quoted above.
However, my article included a companion article about
“Photogrammetry” by Larry Ramsell which used the newly released
WRMA “Johnson Summary Report” as an example. That companion article did generate a small handful of responses, three of which
were quite passionate. Two readers asked that I print an opposing
view to the Ramsell story and one of them, John Dettloff, offered to
write such a story.
I gave John’s idea a lot of consideration because he indicated he
would like to share a newly found photo of Mr. Johnson’s IGFA-sanctioned world record muskie which was caught in 1949. However, I
found out that a story disputing the accuracy of the new WRMA
report, along with that photo, had already been published in the
Sawyer County Record on 12-16-09. John Dettloff was quoted
numerous times in that story. Here’s a link to it: http://www.hay
wardwi.com/articles/2009/12/16/news/doc4b2963814dfa78187388
25.txt
In early January John Dettloff initiated a new website which also
includes his perspective on this controversy: www.caljohnson.net
In addition, Larry Ramsell has already published a rebuttal to
the above article.
Larry’s story can be found on the
Muskie.OutdoorsFIRST.com website; here’s a long link to that one:
http://muskie.outdoorsfirst.com/articles/01.05.2010/2733/Cal.John
sons.1947.world.record.musky.creates.a.new.splash…A.Rebuttal.fro
m.Muskie.Historian.Larry.Ramsell/index.htm
If this stuff interests you I encourage you to check out the links
above. I’m not going to run additional coverage on this one in
MUSKIE as it would be old news by the time we had space for it, and
quite frankly, I get the feeling that our readers want us to move on.
One indication is that through the first 5 days of January, I received
more comments (all positive, thankfully) about our January story
about the Northern Lights than I received in 30-plus days on the two
record stories combined.
As for me, the next time I write about old records I will be talking about Elvis and the Beatles!
– Kevin ❖
Editor’s note:
On the facing page (Page 15) is the first installment of a new column to highlight significant catches which were also
successful releases by our members. No matter the size, most folks will
long remember the details and excitement of catching their biggest
muskie. However to keep from getting overloaded with stories I’m setting a minimum size limit of 45 inches for this column.
There will be just a few other rules, you must . . .
be a current member of Muskies, Inc.
have successfully released the muskie within the
previous 2 years
submit 1 or 2 clear digital photos (include a water
release shot if possible)
submit a 100 to 500 word narrative about your
catch
follow all MUSKIE Magazine Photo Guidelines
Send photo(s) and narrative via email to: [email protected]
Submissions which are not selected for this column will be considered
for the Members Photos section of MUSKIE Magazine.
Photo Guidelines for MUSKIE Magazine
Muskies, Inc. promotes the philosophy of catch-and-release.
Muskies Inc. reserves the right to use submitted photos in MUSKIE
Magazine, the calendar, and/or the M.I. website. Muskies, Inc.
reserves the right to refuse to publish any photo (or artwork) which
does not support the mission and best interest of our organization.
These guidelines are not all encompassing. The editorial staff of
MUSKIE Magazine will make the final decision regarding the publication of photos.
Photos for MUSKIE Magazine should be of high quality and
resolution. Photos for the Photo Contest and Member Photos sections of MUSKIE must be submitted in digital format and sent via
email to the Photo Contest Editor at: [email protected]
Guidelines:
1. Photos must have been taken by, or of, a member of Muskies, Inc.
2. In photos featuring released muskies, the fish must be in the water or
properly supported with two hands in a non-vertical position (the closer to
full horizontal the better; see illustration).
3. Members are encouraged to minimize the amount of time fish are out of
the water for photographs. Photos of released muskies which appear
overly stressed in the judgment of the editorial staff will not be published.
4. Photo submissions must include the following:
• Name of the photographer and names of other key individuals in the
photo. In the case of chapter or group photos please identify the group.
If the photographer is not the person submitting the photo you must
provide the name, address, and telephone number of the photographer.
• A brief description of the photo.
• If the photo features a muskie, the length of the fish and the date of the
catch are required. The name body of water and the name of the lure
are requested, but not mandatory. In most cases the photo should feature the angler who caught the muskie, although another person may
hold the muskie in the case of children or members unable to hold the
muskie by themselves.
• Please include any other special information, such as: first muskie
caught, personal best, event winner, or special circumstances.
5. The majority of muskie photos which are published within MUSKIE
Magazine should serve to reinforce the catch-and-release philosophy of
Muskies, Inc. However, MUSKIE Magazine will consider occasional publication of photos of large muskies which were legally harvested by
Muskies, Inc. members and which were submitted to the Lunge Log, or
are of historic significance.
6. Photos which include fish will only be considered for the cover of MUSKIE
Magazine if they show muskies which have been successfully released
and are good examples of current catch-and-release handling practices.
MUSKIE Magazine will not publish artwork which displays
muskies in conditions or positions which are not compatible with
these photo guidelines or which depict scenes that may present a
detrimental public image of muskies or of Muskies, Inc.
(Adopted 1/09)
www.muskiesinc.org
David Cates – 52 inches
September 2009
S
pending on silent auctions, raffle tickets, and “refreshments” had
already blown my budget by the time the live auction started at the
2009 Michigan Muskie Alliance Annual Banquet. Nevertheless,
when an Andy Myers Lodge trip came up for sale, I could not resist
bidding. With my wonderful wife encouraging me to make one last bid, I
was successful.
Fast forward seven months. I arrived at camp with a fishing buddy who
had introduced me to Eagle Lake roughly twenty years ago. We moved one
big girl the first night, but could not get her to go.
The next morning dawned warm and clear. Steve Herbeck, owner of
AML, had paired us with Mike Mireault, one of his top notch guides.
Because of the conditions, Mike elected to make a long run east; despite
hitting some of my favorite spots on the way, action had been limited.
Warm weather, clear blue skies, and little wind conspired against us.
Despite the limited success, Mike was insistent that we would boat at least
two muskies with at least one over 50 inches. Little did I know how
prophetic his statements were.
By mid day, Mike had worked us to the Windigo Island area. I fired
yet another cast and began the retrieve of my double ten. No sooner had
I begun my retrieve when I felt a bump but did not hook up. Three more
cranks generated a solid hit and hook set. She rolled with my hook set but
I was unable to see her length. The next few minutes are something of a
blur; Mike was shouting that we had hooked a 50 and was busy readying
the net. The fish was fighting long and deep and repeatedly took line
against my drag. I was concentrating on trying to keep a bend in the rod
and tension on the fish.
Mike was perfect with the net. Leaning over the side of the boat I got
my first real look at the fish. Being curled upside down in the net, with her
huge gut facing me, distorted her length in my mind. By the time I had
dropped my rod, Mike had already unhooked her and was beginning to lift
her from the net. Only then did her length become apparent to me. As
Mike lifted her over the side of the boat, she kept coming and coming and
coming. We snapped some quick photos, and I eased her back in the water.
After a moment’s recuperation, she swam strongly away, all 52 inches of her!
Two hours later, we boated another “smaller” muskie fulfilling Mike’s prediction. I can’t wait for the 2010 Michigan Muskie Alliance Banquet! ❖
ing and I entered the Layton School of Art in Milwaukee. Majoring
in Illustration and Advertising Design, upon graduation I took a
position with a major retail company in Green Bay.
Growing up fishing and hunting with my father, Green Bay was
a perfect fit for a young man who loved the outdoors; it had so much
to offer. It was here that a fellow employee introduced me to trout
s a young boy growing up in the Milwaukee area, my artis- fishing, a totally new fishing experience. Within 50-75 miles there
tic abilities showed early in my grade school education. were numerous remote trout streams to fish. The wilderness and
Listening to “Let’s Draw,” a radio station from Madison, solitude trout fishing had to offer was beautiful. However, my trout
Wisconsin, my work was submitted to the
fishing days were soon to be interrupted
station for review along with other young
by a new underwater predator.
area artists. I received numerous honorable
My youngest daughter, Leslie, was
mentions and in eighth grade was invited to
attending the University of Wisconsin.
attend a workshop with other artists. It was
One weekend she brought home a young
a great and humbling experience. Sitting
man named Dan Peters. Dan grew up in
alongside these artists was my first introGlenview, Illinois, but as a young boy he
duction to artistic competition. High
and his parents would travel to Hayward
school was a real joy - while other boys took
each year for a week of fishing – muskie
up shop, drafting, woodworking or sports, I
fishing! Dan caught his first muskie at
took back-to-back art classes as I learned to
the young age of 8.
work in various mediums.
Soon I had a new son-in-law. Then
During the era of the Korean War I
it was just a matter of time before I was
turned 19 and received greetings from
in Dan’s boat holding a muskie rod. The
Uncle Sam saying, “I want you.” I joined
rest is history. May is my month to trout
the Navy to see the world. I was with the
fish; after that it’s muskie time!
Seventh Fleet in the South Pacific and saw
I soon became a member of
duty during the Korean Campaign. Four
Muskies, Inc. and Jim Smith was the ediyears of service was a great way for a young
tor of MUSKIE Magazine. Jim sent out
man to grow up. Now discharged, the GI
a call looking for an artist to do illustraRich with a nice mess of Green Bay whitefish.
Bill provided me with four years of schooltions and cartoons for the magazine. I
MUSKIE Magazine is fortunate to have Richard Gross as an artist and
contributor. We asked Rich to tell us a little about himself. Besides his
frequent “Grossie” cartoons, Rich generously provides illustrations when
needed. For this story he allowed us to print his latest watercolor,
Muskies Borealis. Special thanks to Rich for his many contributions!
A
The third generation muskie angler of the family, granddaughter Olivia,
with a fine 46-inch Canadian muskie – the first of three caught this day!
Olivia with a dandy 48-incher, caught just an hour after the 46-incher.
answered Jim’s call and am now on the MUSKIE Magazine staff having fun.
In 2008 my granddaughter Olivia took up muskie fishing at age
10 and caught a couple of nice muskies up on Crow Lake, Ontario
with her dad. In 2009 she returned to Crow Lake and caught 5
muskies, including three in one day. Her two biggest were a 46 and
a 48-incher caught about an hour apart!
I have a cottage just north of Crivitz, Wisconsin, near the
Pestigo Flowage. If you have ever fished High Falls or Cauldron, it’s
like being in Canada with wilderness shorelines and picturesque sun-
sets. Wisconsin Public Service owns the majority of the land surrounding the flowage with numerous landings and very, very few
local dwellings.
Of course Green Bay has become a tremendous muskie fishery.
The Titletown Chapter is doing a great job promoting Muskies, Inc.
and the fishery of Green Bay. Muskie fishing has come a long way
and I’m proud to be a member of Muskies, Inc. and I enjoy the great
sport of muskie fishing. ❖
www.muskiesinc.org
Rich at work
Muskies always need…
A Few Good Friends
by Ace Sommerfeld
F
reshwater fishing in North America offers many exciting numbers, can require complicated angling strategies, and don’t comopportunities. We are blessed with a tremendous variety of fish pare to walleye or crappie in the taste department. The anglers who
to pursue. Most of us eventually settle on one or two species got the bug often neglected every other fish available to them and
and spend the rest of our lives trying to get better, set goals, maybe concentrated on a single quest.
even earn a buck, and make a name for ourselves. Bass, walleye, trout,
From what I’ve read about my home state, Wisconsin, muskie
and panfish anglers number
fishing exploits and big fish
in the millions. You’d have
were making national news in
to scratch off a couple of
the
1930s
and
40s.
zeros when it comes to
Reservoirs that were built in
muskie anglers, but that
the 1920s transformed thoudoesn’t stop us from doing
sands of acres woods and
whatever it takes to maintain
swamp into prime muskie
and spread the number of
habitat that was reaching its
North
muskies
across
peak. At the same time,
America.
muskie experts were learning
Muskies and the folks
where to concentrate on the
who pursue them have
big lakes that always had a
always been looked at as a
few monsters, but many small
different breed of cat. A big
muskies were taken out of the
part of the novelty is based
lakes for every big one which
on the degree of difficulty
was caught. Whether they
that goes into catching a
realized it or not, muskie
muskie. Historically, a small
anglers sort of turned into
fraternity of anglers concenexterminators of their own
trated on them even though
sport.
there were plenty of reasons
As equipment improved,
to fish everything else. Paul Gottwald, Chapter 6 board member, reliable volunteer, and mentor, travel became more practical,
Muskies are normally low in deserves an occasional beauty like this late November muskie.
and muskies got a little easier
The 1960s became a turning point in
muskie history as independent anglers
began to join ranks for a common cause.
In 1966 Gil Hamm founded Muskies, Inc.
to find, a following slowly increased. The 1960s became a turning point
in muskie history as independent anglers began to join ranks for a common cause. In 1966 Gil Hamm founded Muskies, Inc. Small chapters
began to pop up wherever muskies existed. Off-shoot clubs caught on.
Their internal philosophies may differ from other groups, but all of these
organizations strive to improve the future of muskie angling from coast to
coast.
The goals of the pioneering members centered on better management of the muskie
resource in the lakes and rivers in their region.
They saw the need to partner with, and lobby
state fishery departments in many areas concerning muskies. The first step in approaching
a biologist with a proposal was educating themselves. It was no longer enough to be a good
stick. They had to learn what biologists already
knew. In order to make headway anglers had to
talk the talk.
“Science wins wars,” said muskie expert,
Dick Pearson. “Using studies is the most likely
way to convince individuals and state DNRs
when it comes to supporting a proposed action.”
Then there were the politics. Understanding
how things get done on the local and state government levels was vital when it came to getting
laws passed. The wheels that turn our government move slowly. Fortunately, muskie hunters
understand patience and faith. Laws from legal
size limits to water quality were initiated by
muskie anglers who figured out how to approach
muskie management from many angles.
The going wasn’t always smooth for newlydeveloped chapters when it came to dealing with
government bureaucracy.
West Virginia
Chapter 09 of Muskies, Inc. President, Jim
Moore, says that when he took office over 20
years ago, he walked into a hornet’s nest of bitter feelings between some of the chapter members and the DNR. Both sides were frustrated
and full of mistrust.
“I wanted that to change,” said Jim.
By taking small steps, and getting both
sides together in small groups, the situation has
done a 180-degree turn, and the bad old days
are in the past. Muskies and the people who
pursue them in West Virginia are reaping the
benefits of cooperation.
The growing network of chapters and clubs
across North America shared ideas. Experts in
every field concerning muskie management
cropped up in various chapters. Fund raising,
for instance, needed to be addressed. Many
West Virginia M.I. members at work at a rearing pond.
www.muskiesinc.org
A FEW GOOD FRIENDS
(Continued from page 19)
states said they had no problem if we wanted to put a few fish in a
lake, but they didn’t have the finances to support such a risky and
arcane venture. Many chapters decided to take matters into their own
hands, and put enough money together to purchase fingerlings. It
seems easy enough . . . print up a bunch of tickets, butcher a pig, and
buy some fish. There’s more to it than that. It often takes a collective
effort to pull off a successful raffle or other means of acquiring donated funds. It’s just one example of learning by the seat of your pants.
An important development in muskie management occurred
when biologists took a page from nature’s book of missed signals.
They combined the eggs and milt of northern pike and muskies. The
concoction produces a beautiful hybrid that has a shorter life than
true muskies. The name tiger muskie caught on, but I understand
“Norski” had a strong following in Wisconsin and Minnesota. It didn’t take long before tigers were put into service as a means of fish management. Most of the muskies living east of the Mississippi River are
natural populations, but anglers in the western states discovered an
exciting angling opportunity in areas where muskies were unheard of.
My personal experience with tigers first occurred in Montana in
the mid-1990s. I was living in Helena. The Billings Gazette had a
picture of a big tiger that was caught in Lebo Lake, a prairie reservoir
just west of nowhere. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand
up. I hunted in the area, and drove along the shores of Lebo Lake a
hundred times without a clue about its contents. It’s hard to blame
myself - it’s the most unlikely looking muskie lake I’ve ever seen. The
nearest tree is two miles away. The lake is on private land, and you
have to get permission from a grouchy rancher. I picked up a few
Eppingers and the next week end my son Nick and I slipped the canoe
onto the lake and released a couple of mid-30 inch tigers. We con-
Nick Sommerfeld with a "Lonely Cowboy" from Lebo Lake, Montana
vinced several trout anglers to fight the “lonely cowboys” in Lebo, and
had many great days on the lake.
Montana’s Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks stocked a
substantial number of tigers in the lake years before in the hope that
the fish would grow up and eradicate the rising number of carp that
threatened the rainbow and brown trout in Lebo. Since tigers are sterile, fish managers gambled that the carp situation would be under
control about the time the tigers would start dying of old age, and the
trout fishery would be restored. Tiger muskies have been put into
service in several other Montana lakes, and anglers are taking advantage of the big fish.
Perhaps the greatest success story of “tigers in the mountains”
comes out of Washington. Washington Department
of Fish & Wildlife stocked a select number of lakes
in the western region of the state that were overrun
with pikeminnows - an undesirable species with the
ability to ruin a lake. The tiger muskie program
existed for nearly 20 years before it received a shred
of public attention. The long lapse may have been
caused in part by the state not realizing the angling
potential of muskies. The fish were introduced as an
eradication mechanism, unable to proliferate, and
doomed to be a short-lived fringe fishery.
When a few big fish were caught, and the public got wind of what was lurking in places like
Merwin Reservoir and Lake Mayfield, a handful of
hardy souls began an aggressive effort to enhance
what they saw as a golden opportunity to pursue one
of North America’s premier game fish. The result
was the formation of Muskies, Inc. Chapter 57
which has hit the ground running and has developed
a strong relationship with WDFW.
“We wanted the Washington fishery to be a mirror image of muskies across their traditional range,”
said Perry Peterson, of Chapter 57, “So we pushed
the “Catch and Release” concept. A 50” limit went
into effect with little resistance thanks to the open
minds at WDFW and the help of retired judge,
Chapter 57 member, and devout “Musketeer”, Mr.
Don Wittenberger.”
“The chapter spends a great deal of time educat-
ing the public on muskie matters,” said Perry’s wife, Jani. “Our message is getting out, and the chapter is growing.”
Jani and Perry tip their hats to Mr. Jack Tipping, known in local
muskie circles as the “Godfather of Washington Muskies”. They
encourage you to go to YouTube and watch the video they put together in his honor. I found it by typing in “Jack Tipping”. It’s very well
done, and could inspire other chapters to honor some of their special
members.
Perhaps the most profound change in muskie fishing strategy
developed slowly way back when, but really took off in the 1980s
when anglers put perfectly good fish back in the water after they were
measured and photographed. Catch and Release suddenly became a
thing of pride for many muskie anglers. Onlookers seemed to take
different sides on the matter . . . some thought it was a noble gesture
and others considered it a curse.
We must convince the rest of the
angling world that muskies are just
another fish. They have needs, but
not privileges. Converting the skeptics starts with convincing them that
all anglers must stick together in order
to achieve common goals.
“History tells the tale,” said Pearson. “Use it to make your point.
Nobody can argue that muskies have been living in certain lakes
alongside healthy populations of many other species of fish for thousands of years.”
When a muskie organization puts time and money into improving the water quality of a lake it benefits all of its inhabitants. Fish
cribs are another good example - sure, a hungry muskie may show up
now and then, but in the mean time, countless smaller fish take
advantage of the man-made cover.
In my relatively short time pursuing muskies, I’ve had enough
boat landing discussions with anglers to realize picking fights with
them isn’t going to get us anywhere. Instead of scorning someone for
keeping a small but legal muskie lobby your DNR to raise the size
limit so that those fish must be released. We want to protect muskies
like a Little League parent, but it’s important to pick your battles wisely. It is essential to be regarded as good stewards on and off the water.
Dick Pearson states, “Education and facts prevail - confrontation
doesn’t in my view.”
I also know you don’t have to be Don Wittenberger to make a
positive contribution to the muskie cause. I can’t butcher a hog, but
my writing ability allows me to spread a supportive message. Anyone
who handles a muskie stick has something to offer. Just staying active
in your organization goes a long way.
Education and involvement are the resounding messages I hear from organizations
all across muskie territory. M.I.
Pomme de Terre Chapter member Earle Hammond told me his
chapter has several annual
events which are multi-species
oriented to attract members and non-members in Missouri.
“Our goal is public awareness, education, and acceptance of
muskies. Gaining a few members along the way is a bonus,”
Hammond said.
Muskie anglers are enjoying the best of times. Our goals of
optimum habitat and improved management across their vast range
are being met. Thanks to a few determined muskie experts, anglers
of all abilities will experience the thrill of releasing muskies for a
long time. ❖
“Education and facts prevail confrontation doesn’t in my view.”
– Dick Pearson
www.muskiesinc.org
Fishing Schools
Increase Your Fishing
Knowledge
by Lee Bartolini and Geoff Crandall
Capital City Chapter of Muskies, Inc.
Learning to
make muskie
crankbaits,
topwaters,
jerkbaits,
bucktails, and
spinnerbaits.
I
t is no secret that when it comes to fishing, knowledge about the
fish you want to catch will increase your chances of being a successful angler. Knowing the seasonal movements of fish, their
desired habitat, the popular methods, presentations, and tactics used
to catch them, as well as the appropriate or recommended tackle and
equipment for catching them, will increase your odds for putting fish
in the net. The nature and habits of each species of fish differ, and the
more you know about the behavior of the fish you pursue, the more
likely you will be successful. This is especially true when it comes to
muskies, given their low density relative to other species of fish in
most waters.
There are a number of ways we try to learn about more effective
fishing methods. We attend boating and fishing shows during the
winter or closed fishing seasons. We attend seminars presented at
those shows, talk to guides and tackle manufacturers, buy and watch
videos, and consequently, often get a chance to talk directly with great
anglers. These are all very important sources of information. They
are part of the angling experience and provide valuable opportunities.
We should not miss these chances to become better anglers.
Other ways to learn more about fishing, and the specific fish we
hunt, include reading books and watching fishing shows on TV. Each
of these sources of information, however, is indirect in the sense that
you, as the reader or watcher, can not interact directly with the
authors or TV show personalities. This is also somewhat true about
various websites that have discussion groups, where anglers ask questions, get answers, and share information.
Short of joining a fishing club, which is considered by many to
be the most valuable and worthy avenue for increasing your fishing
knowledge, one of the best ways to add directly and immediately to
your fishing knowledge is to attend a fishing school. Fishing schools
offer current information, focus specifically on how to catch fish,
cover the crucial aspects of fishing approaches and presentations,
provide an opportunity to talk directly with knowledgeable and
experienced anglers, and allow you to ask the specific questions you
want answered.
Fishing schools are an excellent source for
new ideas which will help you catch more
and bigger fish.
Fishing schools are offered all over the country for every kind of
fishing experience. They are often regional or local events. For the
most part, unless they are offered on a distant lake
or at a particular lodge on a lake and offer on-thewater experience, they are inexpensive. However,
even those schools which include several days on a
lake or at a lodge are often great values. Fishing
schools offer one of the best opportunities for concentrated and focused instruction. They provide a
great “shortcut” to help you learn a lot in a short
time period.
Fishing schools vary significantly in content,
purpose, and cost. Find one that’s tailored to your
level of experience and expertise. They range from
classroom settings to on-the-water schools that
combine a fishing trip with fishing instruction, seminars, classroom experiences, and demonstrations.
Our editor informed us that Angle Outpost
Resort on Lake of the Woods has added a week-long
Muskie Bash and Clinic for August 7-14, 2010.
Check out their ad in this issue of MUSKIE. If you
give them a call make sure you thank them for supporting Muskies, Inc. with their advertising
(www.angleoutpost.com).
MUSKIE Magazine Field Editor
uct showcases and opportunities for quesPatricia Strutz offers A Blond and Her Boat
tions and answers. The 2010 Musky Road
Group Fishing Trips, which are advertised as
Rules schools include a full day of seminars
on-the-water educational adventures
in January, February and March. Check-out
(www.ablondandherboat.com). One recent
their ad in the January issue of MUSKIE
participant who has attended several of
Magazine (www.musky roadrules.com).
Strutz’s Women on the Water classes notes
Spence Petros, well-known muskie fisherman and National Fresh Water Fishing
that, “She has a lot of seminars, instruction,
Hall of Fame Angler, has been offering offand hands-on demos. I’ve been to it three
season schools for many years in the
times and learned a TON!”
Chicago area (www.spencepetros.com).
The University of Esox, sponsored by
Musky Hunter Magazine, is a well known
They meet once a week for five weeks.
school. According to the Musky Hunter
Local fishing schools offered by chapwebsite, “University of Esox Musky Schools
ters of Muskies, Inc. are often tailored to
combine peak musky fishing times with
local angler needs. Chapter 50, the Penngreat musky locations.” Their schools
Jersey club, offers two schools each year,
involve classroom instruction and fishing,
one in June and one in September. The
and are held at resorts in the Midwest and
schools combine structured lessons with
in Canada (www.muskyhunter.com/uofe
on-the-water experience. What is unique
sox.shtml).
about these schools is that instruction is
There are also “Ranger” Rick’s Guide’s
one-on-one. Instructors ask each particiGuide Lee Tauchen demonstrating
the art of retrieving lures.
Choice Pro Shop Fishing Schools. The
pant what it is they want to learn and then
website for these schools (www.guideschoice
design lessons focusing on each participant’s
fishingschools.com) notes that they include power point presenta- needs (www.mi50.com).
tions, how-to and where-to seminars, and daily discussions and
The following account is a description of one fishing school most
demonstrations.
familiar to the authors. It is described in detail to show how fishing
Schools which offer classroom instruction without an on-the- schools can provide a real variety and depth of instruction, meet the
water experience are considerably less expensive and can be offered in needs of many, prepare us for the upcoming season, and at the same
the winter and early spring to help you get ready for the upcoming time provide excitement, motivation, and fun.
season.
The Capital City Chapter of Muskies, Inc., in Madison,
Musky Road Rules puts on their Cabin Fever Clinics throughout Wisconsin, has offered a muskie school for intermediate and
the Midwest. They are multi-media seminars that include new prod(Continued on page 24)
www.muskiesinc.org
FISHING SCHOOL
(Continued from page 23)
advanced muskie anglers for nearly a decade. On March 20, 2010
the Ninth Intermediate and Advanced Muskie School will be conducted at Waunakee High School in Waunakee, Wisconsin on the north
edge of Madison. It is a full day event beginning at 7:30AM and running until 4PM. The day begins with a panel discussion on “Hot
Topics for Muskie Anglers.” Participants will then be able to attend
three different 11/2 hour classes scheduled throughout the day which
they have selected from over 20 being offered. One session is
designed for beginners called “Muskie Fishing Basics for Youth and
Adults.”
The day also includes raffles and door prizes. Muskie anglers of
every age and level of experience will find class topics and discussions
of interest and value at this muskie school, even though it’s designed
specifically for the experienced muskie angler.
Class offerings change year to year and are based, in part, on participant evaluations from the preceding years. Participants are given
an opportunity to suggest new or different classes for the following
year. Instruction, therefore, is tailored to the wishes and needs of the
participants. There are many hands-on sessions. In addition to the
session for beginners, this year’s school will offer sessions on:
Spring Muskie Fishing Techniques
Patterning Big Muskies – Sacrificing Quantity for Quality
Muskie Fishing on the Mighty Chippewa River
Sonar, Fish Finders, and Marine Electronics
Muskie Fishing on the Wisconsin River
Fishing Oneida and Vilas Counties
Boat and Motor maintenance
GPS Systems – Class and Field Exercise
Build Your Own Custom Muskie Rod (participants actually build a
rod)
Fishing Ontario’s Long Legged & Stork Lake
Make Your Own Wooden Row Trolling Boat
Sucker Fishing & Quick-Set Rigs
Fishing Southeastern Wisconsin
Fishing Sawyer County & Northwest Wisconsin
Trolling (Row & Motor) for Muskies with impressive results
Make Your Own Leaders (Fluorocarbon and Steel)
Make Your Own Lures – Bucktails and Spinnerbaits
Guide Mike Koepp’s class on Southeastern Wisconsin muskies.
Make Your Own Wooden
Lures
Muskie Reel Repair A – Z
Electric Trolling Motors
Care and Repair
Madison Chain Muskies
Canadian Muskie Fishing
Boat Control
In addition, poolside lure demonstrations
will be held throughout
the day. Mini-sessions are
held during the “working
lunch” on topics such as
fly fishing for muskies,
trolling motor and reel
repair, making fluorocarbon leaders, making spin- Two instructors discuss learning effective
and muskie fishing techniques in new waters.
nerbaits/skirts,
muskie fishing on Lake
St. Clair. Finally, a muskie lure casting accuracy contest will be held
outside the high school, weather permitting.
Fishing schools offer one of the best opportunities
for concentrated and focused instruction.
This school is offered in memory of Gil Hamm, the founder of
Muskies, Inc. It is a youth and family oriented event open to anyone,
not just members of Muskies, Inc. or the Capital City Chapter. The
school attempts to promote environmental stewardship, conservation,
improvement of fisheries, the stocking of muskies, camaraderie, and
good sportsmanship. Participants of the school will have an opportunity to rub elbows with experts all day long to help them get ready for
the upcoming season. In 2009, the school instructors had over 900
years of fishing experience and over 415 years of muskie fishing
expertise collectively.
This particular school is not a fundraising event, and it is kept
very affordable. The registration fee is $29 per adult and just $5 for
persons 18 years of age or younger. The fee includes coffee and
donuts in the morning plus a hot lunch. The Capital City Chapter
strives to offer an affordable, high quality program with the hope of
just breaking even. There is no grant money or educational fund support used for this event; it is offered as a “give back” and thank you to
the muskie community.
If you want more information about this muskie school go to the
Capital City Chapter of Muskies, Inc. website at www.capitalcitymuskiesinc.org or contact Geoff Crandall at [email protected] or
608-831-6020.
Attending one of these many and varied schools and classes gets
you thinking about the coming season and helps you to prepare early
in the year for muskie fishing. Your participation increases your
knowledge of new techniques and provides insights for finding fishholding cover or structure. Fishing schools are an excellent source for
new ideas which will help you catch more and bigger fish. In fact,
your 2010 on-the-water experience will be different and more meaningful as you begin to apply what you have learned during your onland instruction.
Check out these learning opportunities in your region and attend
a fishing school. They are fun, informative and most importantly,
they will make you a better angler. Have fun on the water! ❖
ATTENTION
CHAPTER
CONTACTS:
Please make sure
your chapter address
and phone number
is correct on this page
AND on the M.I. website.
Whenever you update
chapter information on
the website, please send an
email to the Editor so we can
keep this page current. Thanks!
No. Chapter, Address
Special Events
2010
Aug. 25-27, 2010
2010 Gil Hamm Chapter Challunge
at Lake Vermilion, MN.
Contact: Jeff Young:
[email protected]
or 218-821-3669
Special events listings are
provided at no charge to
Muskies, Inc chapters.
To list your chapter's event,
email to:
[email protected]
or by ground mail:
Kevin Richards,
7618 Sunrise Ridge Road,
Henley, MO 65040
Please send announcements
at least 2 months
in advance.
www.muskiesinc.org
Phone #
01.....Twin Cities, 6311 Steller Circle, Excelsior, MN 55331......................................952-474-5967
02.....Fargo-Moorhead, Box 2021, Fargo ND, 58107................................................701-298-9032
03.....Chicagoland Muskie Hunters, 7600 Kilbourn Ave, Skokie, IL 60076 ...............847-677-0017
04.....Titletown Muskies, Inc., 3097 Inverness Lane, New Franken, WI 54229 .......920-866-9705
05.....Pomme De Terre, PO Box 5, Hermitage, MO 65668 .......................................417-993-0035
06.....First Wisconsin, PO Box 122, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729 ...............................715-864-2269
07.....South Side Muskie Hawks, 5211 S. Narragansett Ave., Chicago, IL 60638......773-581-8650
08.....Capital City, PO Box 8862, Madison, WI 53708...............................................608-669-5046
09.....West Virginia, 1270 Federal Road, Little Hocking, OH 45742 .........................740-667-3571
10.....Heartland, 239 8th St SE, Mason City IA 50401 ..............................................641-424-0827
11 .....Mississippi Valley, 5301 11th Ave “C”, Moline, IL 61265 ..................................309-797-1803
12.....Headwaters, PO Box 652, Eagle River, WI 54521...........................................715-891-5574
13.....Hayward Lakes, PO Box 609, Hayward, WI 54843 .........................................715-634-4543
14.....South of the Border, 28926 W. Big Hollow Rd, McHenry, IL 60050.................815-385-9026
15.....Star of the North, 16774 West Bay Drive, Pengilly, MN 55775........................218-885-1677
16.....Three Rivers, 119 Bus Lane, Renfrew, PA15136 .............................................724-789-7866
17.....Quad County, PO Box 185, Plano, IL 60545....................................................815-695-1494
18.....Hopedale, 15 Township Rd 125, Dillonvale, OH 43917 ...................................740-769-7269
19.....Akron-Canton Muskie Maniacs, 10957 Northwood Ave NE, Bolivar OH 44612.330-874-2773
20.....Between the Lakes, PO Box 61, Sheboygan Falls, WI 53085-0061 ...............920-564-3226
21.....North Metro, PO Box 41216, Plymouth, MN 55441 .........................................952-469-2155
22.....New Jersey, http://www.mi22.com/ ..................................................................................TBD
23.....Cleveland, 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
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 53228...........................................262-442-6260
37.....St. Cloud, 312 18th Avenue N., Sartell, MN 56377 ..........................................320-656-1160
38.....Vikingland, 2909 Wicken Lane NW, Alexandria, MN 56308.............................320-846-7975
39.....Fox River Valley, 1253 Cobblers Crossing, Elgin, IL 60123.............................847-741-9771
41.....Central Ohio, 870 County Road 9, Fremont OH 43420 ...................................419-992-4504
42.....Hoosier Muskie Hunters, PO Box 501371, Indianapolis, IN 46250 .................317-577-8050
45.....Kentucky, 212 Linden Ave., Southgate, KY 41071...........................................859-441-1666
46.....Bemidji/Cass Lake, 16256 Andrusia Rd NE, Cass Lake, MN 56633...............218-335-8597
47.....Michigan Muskie Alliance, PO Box 512, Caledonia, MI 49316 ........................616-447-1688
49.....Webster Lake Musky Club, PO Box 670, No. Webster, IN 46555 ...................574-834-1669
50.....Penn-Jersey, 510 Bryton Ave., Pottstown PA 19465.........................................484-459-5940
52.....Daniel Boone, 813 US 62, Maysville, KY 41056 ..............................................606-759-7610
53.....Huskerland Muskie Hunters, 15706 Hamilton St, Omaha, NE 68118...............402-498-8959
54.....Southern Crossroads, 1524 Country Club Rd, Albert Lea MN 56007 .............507-373-1818
56.....SW Ohio Muskie Assoc., 524 Sterling Meadows Place, Brookville, OH 45309..937-833-1833
57.....NW TigerPac, P.O. Box 5515, Kent, WA 98064 ...............................................253-850-5889
58.....Lake St. Clair Muskies, Inc., P.O. Box 805915, St. Clair Shores, MI 48080....586-873-5781
59.....New Mexico Muskies, Inc., P.O. Box 65575 Albuquerque, NM 87193.............505-363-4624
CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS ◆ CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS ◆ CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS
Chapter News and Views
CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS ◆ CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS ◆ CHAPTER NEWS
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.
Our annual fundraiser and seminar was held on November
29th, with muskie guide Gregg Thomas being the speaker. While
attendance was down slightly, due to our faltering economy, those
who attended got double-barreled bang for their buck. They got a
great seminar put on by Gregg with a question and answer session
following, plus a “how-to” lesson by Gregg. Following this, there
was strong competition for winning a prize in the huge main raffle,
the smaller side raffles, and the split-the-pot raffles. All together, it
was a win-win situation for the attendees, and some of them won
big prizes. However, the largest prize, a boat, motor, and trailer
combination donated by Basa’s Marine and Lund Boats, was won
by Saban Dzabiri of Orland Park. There were also quite a few guided fishing days, trips, and rods and reels that happy winners took
home.
Major winners of trips included Bob Dickens (Temple Bay
Resort, located on Eagle Lake), Tom Becvar (Young’s Wilderness
Camp, located on Lake of the Woods), Michele Zupancic
(Mountain Musky Lodge, located on Cave Run Lake), Michael
Callas (Sunrise Lodge, located on Lac Vieux Desert), John
McNicholas (Mountain Musky Lodge, located on Cave Run Lake),
and Phil Roede (Angler’s Kingdom, located on Nungesser Lake).
Winners of guided fishing days included Tom Pavlowski (Gregg
Thomas), Mark A. Rue (Jim Kopjo, The Crappie Professor), Matt
Cozzi (Spencer Berman), Brian Wagner (Berm’s Guiding), John
McNicholas (Art Andersen), Luke Thompson (Frank Hyla), Sean
O’Callaghan (Tom Ustaszewski), Ed Jantz (Duane Landmeier),
and Tim Ehlers (Tony Grant). One of the door prizes, a turkey fryer,
was won by one of the children who attended. Of course, her
younger sister had to accompany her up to the front to claim her
prize, and even stayed with her to pose for a picture. It was another great fundraiser, and everyone appeared to have a good time.
In lieu of a regular December meeting, we always have our
Christmas party, and this year was no exception. Hot hors d’oeuvres, provided by Mama Luigi’s, greeted everyone as they walked
in the door. A plate of sweet decorated treats also was graciously
provided by one of the attendees, Icy Sowards. By the time everyone got their drinks and greeted their friends, it was time for the
food to be served. We all enjoyed a delicious meal of soup, salad,
rolls, roast beef, chicken, mostaccioli, Italian sausage, mashed
potatoes with gravy, and green beans. After the main course,
everyone received a dish of ice cream for dessert.
Once the dishes were cleared away, a few announcements
were made about upcoming events including the Chicago Muskie
Show. Since we co-sponsor it, a sign-up sheet for workers for the
show was passed around to all of the tables. Twenty-three people
signed up to work the show, and that was sufficient for the show.
Following the circulation of the sign-up sheet, election of
board members and officers was held, with the current officers
being re-elected for another term.
The next thing was a special raffle for a rod and reel which
was won by Jamie Roberts. A split-the-pot raffle was next, with
Don Sobczak and Saban Dzabiri splitting the winnings. At this
point, Saban Dzabiri announced that he was donating a bottle of
Asti Spumante for each table to help spread the holiday cheer. The
waitress brought glasses for everyone, and the bottles were
opened and poured, each person receiving about half a glass as a
toast to good wishes and a happy, healthy, safe, and prosperous
2010.
However, now that the toast was taken care of, the waitress
passed out sealed envelopes from the restaurant to each person.
The envelope was not to be opened until you came to the restaurant for a meal. At that time, the waitperson would open it and
reveal what was inside, which might be a free appetizer or dessert,
or possibly a certain amount taken off the price of your meal. It is
the restaurant’s habit to do this at every holiday party, and it is a
nice gesture on their part.
Now though, it was time to turn the attention to the table that
was groaning under the weight of the prizes it held. Harold “Binky”
Sharp had his eye on the furry binky (blanket) on the table, as he
hoped to win it, but ultimately didn’t. Saban Dzabiri wanted to win
one of the hawk pictures, but it was won by someone else. In fact,
one table was particularly lucky as far as winning was concerned,
so lucky that one of the kids started calling it the “lucky table” every
time that someone at that table won a prize. Personally, I think it
was “the luck o’ the Irish”, as the table had quite a few people with
Irish names sitting there, and one of them, Duke O’Malley, had his
shillelagh leaning against the wall next to him.
Once the main raffle was over, everyone was wished a happy
holiday season, and reminded of the upcoming Chicago Muskie
Show, before the happy winners and friends departed.
Meetings are held on the third Wednesday of every month
(except February and July) in the banquet room at Mama Luigi’s,
and start at 7 PM.
Respectfully submitted, Lynn Polyak, RVP
03
Chicagoland Muskie Hunters
7600 Kilbourn Ave. • Skokie, IL 60076
847-677-0017 – Dean Rosset
[email protected]
st
Meets 1 Tuesday 7:30 PM, Park Ridge VFW 10 West Higgins Ave., Park
Ridge, IL.
Greetings Thrillseekers,
Chicagoland Muskie Hunters had a great December, 2009
meeting topped off with a standing ovation and applause for member U.S. Marine Corporal Michael J. Governale who just
returned from his third and final deployment. We thank you for
your service to our Country.
Guest speaker Duane Landmier discussed Illinois muskie
stocked lakes. Amazing how many opportunities there are right
here in Illinois. Can you say “staycation” for those of us who may
be on a tighter budget in 2010? More details in the report below.
It is good to see that Chicagoland Muskie Hunters finished
the year in the black again. While the members give back every
year to the community and to the State of Illinois Fisheries we
always seem to have enough for excellent guest speakers and
Nonna Silvia’s delicious pizzas at every meeting. Frank Loye, our
Program Director has been lining up great speakers for 2010
which will include Chad Cain (January), Kevin Moore (February),
Mike Hulbert (March), Len Szulc (May) and a special presenter for
our April Awards meeting. July and August will be “on the water”
meetings as in previous years.
Membership has grown to 196 members and there is always
04
Titletown
3097 Inverness Lane
New Franken, WI 54229
920-866-9705
Despite the crazy weather many made it to our December
meeting including our guest speaker Muskie Matt. Snowstorm and
all he made it down from Eagle River and gave a great presentation on fishing the Eagle River Chain and a few other Vilas County
Treasures. Check out Matt’s online ‘radio show’ for everything
musky and lots of laughs: www.muskiematt.com - Regular Fishin’
for Regular Guys Outdoor Radio. Also consider Matt for all your
Eagle River Guiding needs. Rumor has it that Matt made the two
hour trip home to Eagle River in roughly three hours. When all was
said in done the next day the Green Bay area had received 16
inches of snow!
Our new officers are: Mike Wichmann, President; Ron Myslik,
VP; Rania Baxter, Treasurer; and Kevin Pischke Secretary.
At our January meeting we finalized the location and details of
our banquet. We also covered the Regional Vice President position. Matt McCumber Vilas County Guide and creator of the
Rubber Dubber Bait was our guest speaker. Matt Guides out of the
Arbor Vitae campground locate on Big Arbor Vitae. Matt is also an
accomplished tournament angler. Check out Matt at: www.arborvitaecampground.com
Our February meeting will be on the second Tuesday of the
month. Starting in March we will be meeting the second
Wednesday of the month; we will continue to meet at the Green
Bay Yacht Club. Here is to a great 2010!
Kevin R. Pischke, Secretary
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
It is going to be a busy year for the Pomme Chapter. Our
schedule at this point (early December) looks like this:
January 7-10, Kansas City Sports Show
January 8-10, Columbia Sports Show
February 10-14, St. Louis Sports Show
March 20, Chapter Challenge with the Shawnee Muskie Hunters
on Kinkaid Lake. There will be a Pomme chapter dinner on Friday
night to plan the proper strategy to return the traveling plaque to the
Pomme chapter and a banquet with both chapters on Saturday
night. The event should be interesting. Kinkaid in the spring can be
muddy or clear and the fishing great or poor. Throw in the weather
factor and you don’t know what you will have. I will promise one
thing. A good time will be had by all.
April 17, Members Outing. Don’t have a boat? This outing is
specifically for you. The goal is to get as many members out on the
water as possible. If you have a boat, volunteer to take another
member fishing. If you don’t have a boat, let us know you want to
fish. We will draw for partners at the dock.
May 15, Muskie Mayhem. This is our annual outing to get new
members signed up during the sports shows out on the water.
June 12, Prime Time Outing. Fish early, take a break in the middle of the day for lunch, and fish late. The goal is to be on the water
during “prime time”.
July 17, Pomme de Tour. Spend the day on a pontoon with two
lake guides learning how they fish one arm of the lake. Swap stories and fishing tips. This outing will make you a better fisherman!
July 24, Kid’s Day. Bring the kids, grandkids, or neighbor’s kids
and come on out for fishing, fun and food.
August 14, Pomme de Tour. Same as July except the other arm
of the lake will be explored.
SEPTEMBER 10,11,12, FALL TOURNAMENT. Note the significant change in the timing of the annual fall tournament. There
is going to be work performed on the dam in the fall of 2010 and
there is a major drawdown of the lake scheduled for late September
early October and the lake could be 5 feet below normal pool during October. For safety reasons we are going to move the tournament to an earlier date. September fishing has been great the past
two years and we are looking forward to a big catch at this time of
the year.
October 2, Pick 3 outing. Lat year’s event was a big success and
we are going to try it again. What three lures will you choose to take
in the boat with you?
November 6, Fishing Outing. White bass? Muskie? Crappie?
What do you want to fish for?
December 4, Planning Meeting.
Check the monthly newsletter for more details on these events
and who to contact regarding them. We have chairmen for these
events and they would welcome some help. Call them and ask
what you can do to help. Sharing the work load makes it a more
event for all involved.
Wayne Humphrey
06
First Wisconsin
P.O. Box 122, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729
Jason Smith - 715-726-9912 • 1-888-726-6733
www.firstwi.muskiesinc.org
Meetings 1st Monday, 5:30 PM, at Rod and Gun Club, Lake Wissota from May to
September and at the Fill Inn Station, 104 W. Columbia St., Chippewa Falls from
October to April.
2010 Calendar of events:
Feb. 1 - Monthly Meeting, Fill Inn Station, Chippewa Falls, Speaker
– Jerry Sondag
Feb. 15 - 6:30 PM Chapter Board Meeting, VFW, Starr Ave, Eau
Claire
room for more. Also interesting to note is that in 2009 there were
over 300 muskies over 30” caught and all were released by the
club. In 2009, Chicagoland Muskie Hunters members caught
muskies in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan,
Ontario, Canada and New Mexico (Karl Scherer landed one on a
fly rod!). This should serve as a reminder that if you are interested in learning more about a lake, attend a meeting and I guarantee you will find someone who knows the lake and will openly
share his/her knowledge with you.
By the time this report has hit the stands, the best muskie
show in the Country will have finished for another year. The
Chicago Muskie Show which is held at Harper College in each
January with all the vendors, seminars, pro speakers, drawings
and exhibitors is the three day event not to be missed.
The Indoor Fishing Fleamarket is Saturday, March 13, 2010 at
Rolling Meadows High School. There you will find all types of fishing gear, a seminar, raffles, refreshments and free parking. It runs
from 8:00am till 1:00pm with the seminar scheduled for 10:30am.
Duane Landmier (mainlymusky.com) was the guest speaker
for our December, 2009 meeting. The focus was on the great fishing here is Illinois. Duane is a professional fishing guide and successful muskie tournament participant out of Hinckley, Illinois who
really knows his lakes. He discussed more than ten lakes including Make McMaster, Pierce Lake, Lake Sule, Lake George, Lake
Carlton, Shabbona Lake, Evergreen Lake and Spring Lake. Also
covered were productive lures for casting and trolling.
You are encouraged to come to any of the next Chicagoland
Muskie Hunters meetings. Everybody shares their knowledge and
experience. Chicagoland Muskie Hunter meetings are now the
second Tuesday of the month at the Park Ridge VFW located at 10
W. Higgins Road, Park Ridge, Illinois at 7:30pm with free pizza
being served about 8:00pm. Keep the calls coming with questions
about joining Chicagoland Muskie Hunters. As always, feel free
to call Dean Rosset at 847-677-0017 or [email protected] or
me at 847-434-1400 or [email protected]
Take care, Kevin M. Lynch
CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS (Continued from page 27)
March 1 - Monthly Meeting, Fill Inn Station, Chippewa Falls,
Speaker – Rich Reinert.
March 15 - 6:30 PM Chapter Board Meeting, VFW, Starr Ave, Eau
Claire.
April 5 - Monthly Meeting, Fill Inn Station, Chippewa Falls. SpeakerMarquardt Skeeter Boat Center on “Side Imaging”.
Jerry Sondag will make a presentation at the Feb. 1, 2010 general meeting of the First Wisconsin Chapter of Muskies, Inc. It will
be at the Fill Inn Station at 104 W. Columbia, Chippewa Falls, WI.
At 7:00 PM. Jerry is a good example of a multi-species angler, who
somewhere between panfish and billfish found his passion as a
musky guide in West-Central Minnesota where he resides. His
guide service follows and promotes a strict catch and release policy which has helped him maintain a 42”+ average catch and many
fish over 50”. Jerry is also an ownership partner and the Director of
Marketing for The Next Bite - Esox Angler Magazine.
The chapter fishing contest awards for the 2009 contest were
presented at the Annual Banquet on Jan. 23rd. We give awards for
all Juniors, one each for Men’s and Women’s Masters. Five for
Men’s, one for Women’s and one each for Lunker of the Month
including ties. Here’s a summary:
Juniors - Cortland Spletter 4 releases. 52 points, Max Gibson
3 releases 40 points. Kyle Priest 1 release 21 points. Austin Smith
1 release 6 points.
Men’s Masters - Jason Smith 36 releases. 499 points.
Women’s Masters - Mickey Penley 8 release 114 points.
Men’s - Jim Coffin 27 releases. 359 points. Mitch Gibson 20
releases 279 points. James Tomczak 24 releases 270 points. Dan
Klein 19 releases 262 points. Greg Hassman 17 releases 232
points.
Lunker of the Month awards – May - Mark Hintz 47.5 inches;
June - Kenneth Imm and Paul Gottwald 49 inches; July - Chuck
Spletter 49 inches; August - Arlan Carter and Vern Weeks 50 inches; September - Chuck Spletter 51 inches; October - Jeffrey Bunch
50.5 inches; November - Tyler Scott 49 inches.
Thanks, Jim Bunch
08
Capital City
P.O. Box 8862, Madison, WI 53708
608-669-5046 – Gerard Hellenbrand
www.capitalcitymuskiesinc.org
Meets 2nd Monday at The East Side Club, 3735 Monona Dr. Madison, WI.
After a week or so of relatively mild weather at the beginning
of December, winter cold, snow and winds covered the southern
half of Wisconsin thoroughly and consistently during the middle
and last part of the month. Those of us who wanted to spend a lot
more time on the water to take advantage of the extended muskie
season were, in most cases, unable to do so because of hard
water. A few members tried catching muskies through the ice with
quick-strike rigs. But now we attend fishing shows, watch TV fishing programs and attend fishing schools as we look forward to the
coming season.
Tom Gelb, of Musky Hunter magazine provided us with much
to think about as a result of his excellent presentation on the “Big
Fish Zone” at our December meeting. You can bet that many of us
will be using water thermometers a lot more this coming season.
Likewise, Luke Ronnestrand, muskie guide and tournament angler
from Elk River, Minnesota, provided us with more insights on how
to go about increasing the number of muskies in our nets this coming season during his presentation in January. Thanks to both
speakers for jobs well done.
Club officers and board members were elected in November
and December. All current officers were re-elected and one new
board member was elected. Jim Olson is President; Lee Bartolini
is Vice-President; Dam Reim is Treasurer; Dawn Enger is
Secretary; and Rick Hefner is Regional VP. Our new board member is Shane Nesheim. Congratulations to the officers and to
Shane. We are looking forward to an exciting 2010.
Bill Wood, one of the founders of the Capital City Chapter of
Muskies, Inc. when the club was formed in 1983, turned 80 on
December 14th. A number of close friends from the chapter held
a luncheon birthday party for Bill on that date at the Imperial
Gardens Restaurant in Middleton. Happy Birthday Bill! We wish
you well.
The Capital City Chapter of Muskies, Inc. has a full range of
upcoming events this spring. As mentioned last month, the annual Awards Banquet, when members in the club are recognized for
outstanding angler achievements, is scheduled for February 8,
2010 and will be held at the East Side Club in Madison. The CCMI
annual Intermediate and Advanced Muskie School is scheduled for
March 20, 2010 at Waunakee High School in Waunakee,
Wisconsin. See the related article about fishing schools in this
issue of MUSKIE Magazine. Russ Warye, professional muskie
and smallmouth bass guide, educator, and writer, will be the featured speaker on March 8th at the monthly membership meeting.
Gregg Thomas, owner of Battle the Beast Guide Service, will
be the featured speaker at the CCMI Annual Fundraiser Fishing
Seminar on April 15, 2010. The fundraiser will be held at
Doubledays in Cottage Grove this year. Check the CCMI website
at www.capitalcitymuskiesinc.org for more details.
Finally, Wally Banfi, fishing guide and National Professional
Anglers Association member, will be the featured speaker at the
May 10, 2010 meeting. Banfi will be the last speaker before the
summer break.
Almost three more months before opening day! It is time to
clean reels, change line, sharpen hooks, and organize tackle. And
plan to attend the CCMI annual Intermediate and Advanced
Muskie School on March 20, 2010. See you there.
Lee Bartolini, VP
12
Headwaters
P.O. Box 652 • Eagle River, WI 54521
715-891-5574 – Bill Jacobs
www.headwatersmuskies.com
Meets 1st Wednesday 7:00 PM, Eagle River Inn, Eagle River, WI.
On December2nd, 2009 Headwaters Chapter 12 held our
monthly meeting. This was an important business meeting with the
election of officers and Directors, as follows:
President………….….. Bill Jacobs
Vice President….……..Paul Hansen
Secretary……………... Glenn Matula
Treasurer……………... Rick Janick
The following Directors were voted in for a two year term: Rick
Janick, Scott Samuels, Harvey Sadler, Dale Peterson, Paul
Hansen, Art Anderson, Carol Heffner, Louis Dreger, Jim Reiclitz,
Joe Koschnik, Jay Holnagel, Roger Sabota, Kip Cramer, Jeff Miller,
and Glenn Matula.
Congratulations to all of these folks for working and supporting our Headwaters Chapter.
The following is a brief update from our Vice President Paul
Hansen.
Hi to all you muskie anglers! Well another year is in the books
for our Northern Wisconsin fishing. Green Bay, Lake Xs in
Northern Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Canada provided some big
fish excitement right up to our November 30th closing. The late ice
up, provided some of the greatest big fish fishing I have ever experienced. It’s December 6th and I’m looking out over an ice covered
lake. Last week at this time we were on the water, catching big
fish. The Chain produced some memorable fish, as did many of
our smaller, deeper lakes.
Headwaters ran two major tournaments this year. Our normal
Spring Classic held on the Eagle River end of the Chain, and the
Fall Classic that was held on the Three Lakes end of the Chain.
We will be sending $2,500 to both the Vilas & Oneida County
Forestry Departments yet this year for dock & landing improvement. Director Joe Koschnik, will be running our annual awards
banquet again this year; it’s our biggest fund raiser. Director Dale
13
Hayward Lakes
P.O. Box 609
Hayward, WI 54843
715-634-4543
The Hayward chapter’s most recent event was our annual
Christmas party on December 6th. We want to thank Al and
Barbara Hoeft for again hosting the party. A good time was had by
all so if you missed it make a note for next year, we try to have it
the first Sunday in December.
The following entries have been received in our members contest. Please note that these are not the final standings and are not
the “official” standings which are kept by Jim Bunch. Women:
Brenda Dettloff 13 fish-180pts. includes 2-45” fish from “ The Chip.”
Tera Niebauer 8 fish-110pts includes a 47.5” from Leach and a
51.5” !!! from Bemidji. Sandy Hackbarth 1 fish-5pts. Women’s
Masters: Sarah Muntz 8 fish-87pts. Men: John Dettloff 17 fish243pts. includes a 45” and a 47” from “The Chip.” John Ryan, 10
fish-178pts. includes a 47”48”50”50”& 54.5”!!! from the St.
Lawrence. Emmett Brown 17 fish-159pts. includes a 45” from
Lower Clam and a 45” from LOTW. Wayne Balsavich 7 fish-64pts.
includes a 53” !!! from the Crowley Flowage. Steve Truver 2 fish45pts. includes a 45” and a 52”!!! from Vermillion. J.B. Allen Hoeft
3 fish-48pts. Ellis, 4 fish-42pts., Kris Gottwald 4 fish-28pts.
includes a 45” from the Eau Claire chain, Tom Kersten 1 fish-12pts.
Marc Laustrup 1 fish-7pts. Kim Hackbarth 1 fish-4pts. Men’s
Masters: Tom Muntz, 79 fish-600pts !!! includes a 46” from Deer
Lake. Adam Glickman 33 fish–502 pts. includes 2-50’ and a 48”
from Independence. Ted Muntz 20 fish-234pts., includes a 46” from
the Indian Chain, Mike Persson 11 fish-122pts., includes 2-46”
from LOTW. Tanner Wildes 1 fish-18pts. .
To register your fish please do it on line at the Muskies Inc.
website. This saves a lot of work. If you need help call Mike at 717634-4543. We will however, accept the paper forms, mail them to
the club’s post office box #609, Hayward WI, 54843.
At this time there is no meeting planned for February but during that month our 2010 calendar will be sent out. Our annual
awards banquet will again be the first Saturday of March which is
the 6th this year. We have not chosen a site yet but will soon.
Don’t forget we now have our own website, www.muskiesinchayward.org.
Good Fishing, Mike Persson
www.muskiesinc.org
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 the New Year is being
kind to all of you, and to know that spring will be here before you
know it; gets all of us through the off season a little easier. Back in
December we held our annual Christmas party. Special thanks to
our President elect Jim Burr, and the Fair Ground Market for providing an excellent catered dinner, and to all of our members who
brought side dishes and deserts. Around sixty of our members and
their families were in attendance, and it proved to be a very lucky
night for some. Congratulations to Joe Shimkus, for winning the
“Big Cash” raffle, and to Kevin Whipkey, for winning the “Muskie
Madness” table raffle. All in all, a festive time was had by everyone,
and made for a memorable night. We also want to thank all of our
members who chose to give additional donations with your 50/50
raffle donation last year. In these uncertain times, it truly is comforting to know that you all care enough about this club, to help it continue in the right direction by digging a little deeper, and for that, we
truly are thankful for you, our awesome membership.
On Monday evening February 8th we will hold our annual
“Swap Meet” at our regular membership meeting. Please bring any
lures, tackle, rods and reels, boating equipment, and anything
sporting related, with the exception of firearms, to sell or trade.
Great deals are always available the night of the swap meet; you
just never know what you might find. As they say, “One mans junk
is another’s treasure”, so don’t miss out on the opportunity to find
a great deal!! Remember, this will be the last regular membership
meeting to purchase your banquet reservations and strip tickets
however, you can still make your reservations through the mail up
until Monday February 15th. Don’t forget about the Butler Fishing
Show coming up on Saturday and Sunday February 13th and 14th
at Butler High School. It really is a nice show, and you can find allot
of hard to find tackle; that you won’t find anywhere else in one
place. Don’t forget to stop by the Three Rivers booth, and say hello
to Merchandise Director Fred Kahrer as well.
Due to a scheduling conflict, the banquet date has been
changed; sorry for any inconvenience. The Three Rivers Chapter
15th Annual Awards Banquet and Fund Raiser will be held on
February 20th at the Four Points Sheraton in Cranberry Twp. The
cost is $40 for Adults and $30 for kids 17 and under. Strip ticket
packages are on sale for $100. You get 150 tickets with your package, versus paying $1 for the same tickets at the banquet. The cut
off date for banquet reservations and strip tickets is Monday
February 22nd. You are automatically entered for grand Prize drawing with your banquet ticket purchase. A one-week stay for up to
five people and one boat slip at Green Acres Resort, Pigeon Lake
Ontario; compliments of the proprietors, John and Jackie McBride.
You may purchase banquet and strip ticket reservations at our
monthly meetings or, send a check made payable to: Three
Rivers Chapter of Muskies Inc. to: Treasurer, Gregory Peters,
136 Garner Rd. Edinburg, PA 16116. Please specify the number
of adult and child tickets needed, as well as any strip ticket
packages you require, along with appropriate remittance. Your
banquet tickets and strip tickets will be waiting for you at the door
the night of the banquet. We will open the doors around 5 p.m.,
please see an attendant at the door of the banquet room before
entering to receive your tickets. Dinner, awards, and raffle drawings will all follow after 6 p.m. The banquet is always a great time,
and the merchandise and raffles are second to none, so please
plan on attending our biggest event of the year. For more information about the banquet, please contact Dave Huemmrich,
at:[email protected], for information regarding Three Rivers
Chapter, go to: www.threeriversmuskiesinc.org
Dave Huemmrich
Peterson is our fishing contest chairman (plus anything else he can
help with). Secretary Glenn Matula keeps International informed,
and does a great job with our minutes. Bill & I are just a couple of
old work horses that just can’t say no when things are brought up.
We have a group of directors that just will not quit. It seems that
our members come to our open meetings, and all want to pitch in.
New for 2010 will be a revival of Headwaters Sport Show & Swap
meet that will be held this spring. Dale Peterson will be heading
this up with a staff of 4 or 5 volunteers. Will include tables for vendors, member swap tables, pool side demos, seminars on fishing rod building - bait making, and whatever.
We have pushed for Headwaters Muskies, Inc. awareness
these past couple of years, on what we do for Northern Wisconsin.
Most people thought Headwaters was just a Muskie club. Our
$90,000+ annual budget has allowed us to help many areas that
would be neglected. Headwaters has a 12 page newsletter that is
published every month, that includes; member outings, events,
Secretary reports, Presidents report, community thank you and
acknowledgements, fish reports & pictures, and 20 or so advertisers. Left over newsletters are left at local sport shops. The list
goes on and on. Hope to see you on the water. Wishing all of you
a successful and rewarding 2010. Paul Hansen, V.P.
Paul, thanks for the great update on some of the involvement
and accomplishments of our organization.
Glenn Matula, Secretary
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 are getting ready for their 2010 season.
At our December meeting, we elected our officers for 2010. We
want to thank those who have stepped forward to fill all of these
positions! Our tournament schedule is pretty well set but we have
to wait till after the first of January before we can get confirmation
on the last couple of lakes. Our first event of the season will be our
Annual Awards Banquet on March 6th. We are looking to have a
great banquet and have a lot of great prizes and awards to be
given to all of the winners. In our next newsletter, I will give you an
update in the planning of our banquet. Until then, some of our club
members are going to attend some sport shows and go to other
clubs banquets to make it through the tough days of winter.
Kevin Proffitt
21
North Metro
P.O. Box 41216
Plymouth, MN 55441
763-537-0781 • www.nmmuskies.com
Meets 3rd Tuesday, North Air Banquet Hall, Fridley (6831 NE Hwy 65)
The regular December meeting featured Alan Bakke, an avid
collector of old fishing tackle and wooden duck decoys. With a collection approaching 8,000 lures, Alan shared some of his treasures
with us and stayed around after the meeting giving appraisals on
lures members brought in.
Todd Cleveland from Phantom Lures was the featured lure
manufacturer at the meeting. In addition to Todd making some
great lures, he also makes our MOC awards. A lot of members
picked up some early Christmas presents from Todd. Hopefully
Phantoms were on their wife’s Christmas wish list.
December election of officers turned out to be a re-election of
existing officers but we did elect two new board members. We welcome Mark Knabe and Chris Dolan to the board.
Our annual banquet is fast approaching. Based on the plans,
it will be a great evening with Jim Saric as our speaker. Beyond
the speaker, this evening has proven to be a great family event
with door prizes, raffles, silent auction items, game and a great
fish fry.
Dave Parks is organizing another rod building class with Gary
Wicks. This year we can build a selection of rods in the event you
don’t need another muskie rod, however Gary will have new 9’
blanks. The date hasn’t been set. Check our web site for the latest.
The 2010 Red Wing outing will be August 14-21, 2010. Details
will be posted on our web site as they become available.
Vermillion will be the site of the 2010 Chapter Challunge
August 26-28. After finishing third this year, a number of members
are looking forward to going after that trophy.
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.
North Metro MI meets the 3rd Tuesday of every month
(September – May), 7:00 PM, North Air Banquet Hall (formerly the
KC Hall), 6831 Hwy 65 NE in Fridley.
Ross Fischer
26
Central Wisconsin
P.O. Box 263 • Medford, WI 54451
715-748-4874 – Art Klimpke
www.centralwis.co.nr
Meets 2nd Thursday of the month at Happy Joe’s on Hwy. 13 in Medford, WI
- 7:00 PM.
Marty’s Octapod/Octastar plans were reviewed by Jeff Schierer
and some changes maybe made. Actually the DNR would prefer
fallen trees in shallow water over man made structure but it may be
difficult to get permission from the land owners to drop their trees so
we are back to the Octapod/Octastar.
The old aerator lines have been pulled from the Big Eau Pleine
and bigger (2 instead of 1.5 inch) lines are set to be placed when
there is about 14 inches of ice. Hopefully this will help reduce the
extent of fish kills.
Fish report leaders are: Masters - Don Kempen; Men’s - Scott
Estland; Women’s - Monica Schillinger. Largest Release leaders
are: Masters - Don Kempen (53”); Men’s - Troy Adler (47”);
Women’s - Monica Schillinger (45.5”).
The Awards Banquet is set for Sat. April 24 at the Florena
Supper Club (same place as last year) on HWY 13 just north of
Medford with 6PM drinks and 7PM dinner. Call Jerry Bucholtz at
715-457-2192 if interested in a Lac Seul houseboat trip from July
16-23.
Jerry Bucholtz
28
Shawnee Muskie Hunters
61 W. Jennings • Wood River, IL 62095
618-610-5003 – Manuel Santa Cruz
[email protected]
www.shawneemuskiehunters.org
Check out our website (shawneemuskiehunters.org) for lots of
good information. Thanks to Jerry and Cheryl Ford for taking over
our website and adding new items such as: Hot News, members
looking for fishing partners, and much, much more.
Wow! This is how to best describe the 2010 Shawnee Muskie
Hunters calendar of events. At the December meeting, we finalized
our calendar and every month has something for everyone. We
have four tournaments, a kids fishing day, a kids muskie tournament, awards dinner, a few fishing outings/picnics, two guide for the
day events, a veterans day outing and a couple of fishing show
booths just to name a few. Our board tried to offer events for the
family and social events that every one will enjoy. I will be adding
two months worth of events in ever newsletter sent to our members
and to keep this column updated.
Upcoming events for February and March:
February 20th we will be meeting at the Cabela’s store in St
Louis, Mo.
March starts out with an IMTT tournament that will be held on
Kinkaid Lake. The date of this tournament is March 13th and 14th.
For those of you up north that want to get an early start on your fishing season, you might want to consider this tournament. Information
on this tournament will be available at the Chicago Muskie Show
and on the Illinois Muskie Tournament Trail web sight. You can also
contact me Walt Krause by e-mail at [email protected]. I will be
handling all the entry forms for this tournament.
March 20th will be the “Border Wars Tournament” on Kinkaid
Lake with the Pomme de Terre Chapter. There will also be a picnic
and meeting in the evening.
Remember I’m in the other Lund, Walt Krause
29
Upper Great Plains
1788 Hwy 4
Estherville, IA 51334
712-362-2501
Meets 3rd Thursday , Legion Club, 1709 Okoboji Ave., Milford, IA.
I know I’m a month behind in saying this but Merry Christmas
and Happy New Year to everyone. I apologize for not keeping up
35
Milwaukee
P.O. Box 28842 • Greenfield, WI 53228
262-442-6260
www.milwaukeemuskiesinc.com
Meets 4th Tuesday Jan. thru May, Sept. & Oct. Meets 3rd Tuesday in Nov. only: 6:00PM Board,
7:30 PM General, Waukesha Elks Lodge #400, 2301 Springdale Rd, Waukesha, WI 53186.
We need assistance with the Milwaukee Muskie Expo for setting up and taking down the booth as well as manning the booth
during show hours. The show hours are Friday February 12th noon
- 9PM, Saturday 9AM - 6PM, and Sunday 9AM - 4PM. Please let us
know if you can help.
December’s board meeting was held at Thunder Bay Grille.
Thunder Bay Grille is one of our chapter’s sponsors, and we’d like
to remind our members to utilize our sponsors’ goods and services
wherever feasible because they help us fund our efforts. Funding
was a big discussion topic because we still don’t have a banquet
chairman. Please contact Tom Arvoy if you have any interest. This
puts greater pressure on the Pewaukee Classic tournament and
fundraiser the second Saturday in May.
Projects still on the radar for 2010 include talks for the Delafield
Pond conversion and Amron Pond muskie rearing. Our second
annual Ralph Anderson Veterans’ Outing has been scheduled for
September 18th, 2010. Youth outings will change a bit for 2010. Big
Brothers Big Sisters was mentioned as a possible organization to
www.muskiesinc.org
contact and requires further investigation. The City of Pewaukee
Police Department has been replaced by Waukesha County law
enforcement. As a result, the Pewaukee Cops & Bobbers program
that our chapter has assisted with in both funding and volunteers
will likely cease to exist.
The 2009 MOFC entries as of December 29th reflect 331 registrations for the Mens Division, 235 for Mens Masters, 8 for Womens,
and 47 for Womens Masters. To date, there hasn’t been Junior
Division releases entered.
February 23rd is the next general meeting and upcoming speakers for the general meetings haven’t been confirmed. March’s
meeting will be the Awards Banquet for the 2009 Members Only
Fishing Contest. Please follow the chapter website for the latest
meeting information.
Mike Phelps
39
Fox River Valley
1253 Cobblers Crossing, Elgin, IL 601230
847-741-9771 – Rich Gallagher
www.frvmuskie.com
Meetings and banquets: Chandlers Chop House at the Schaumburg Golf Club, 401
N. Roselle Rd. Schaumburg, IL 60194. Dinner will be available starting at 6PM.
NOTICE OUR MEETING LOCATION HAS PERMANENTLY
CHANGED – Please be aware that moving forward, ALL Fox River
Valley Chapter monthly meetings and banquets will be held at:
Chandlers Chop House at the Schaumburg Golf Club located at
401 N. Roselle Rd. Schaumburg, IL 60194 – (847) 885-9009
www.chandlerschophouse.com/directions.php Dinner will be available starting at 6PM!!!! Cost will be $12.00/adults and $7/kids
under 12!!
Please join us on Wednesday, February 10th for one of our
favorite guest speakers, Tony Grant! Tony spends nearly 275 days
on the water and gives dozens of enlightening seminars each year.
Tony is a 9-time PMTT Ranger Boats Championship qualifier; he
has numerous top ten finishes and championships to his credit. He
has also written several educational articles published in Mid West
Outdoors, Outdoor Notebook, the Southern Sporting Journal and is
a contributing writer for Musky Hunter Magazine.
ALSO in FEBRUARY!: The Annual FRV Banquet & Fundraiser
is on Saturday evening, February 20 at Chandlers Chop House.
This is one of FRV’s biggest events of the year. Great food, great
raffle prizes and auctions. Come support Chapter 39 on this great
night!
Please join us on Wednesday, March 10th for FRV’s “Illinois
Department of Natural Resources Night”. Steve Krueger will be our
special guest this evening. Steve was our host when club members
visited the Jake Wolfe Hatchery in central Illinois this past spring.
His presentation was so informative, important, that we thought we
should dedicate at least one night to our general membership to
give everyone a chance to hear what the IL DNR is doing to ensure
the future of musky fishing in the state of Illinois.
For additional information on our events and club outings
please visit our website at www.frvmuskie.com. Our meetings are
held on the second Wednesday of every month at Chandlers Chop
House in the Schaumburg Golf Club/Schaumburg, IL. Dinner is
available to everyone beginning at 6:00PM and the meetings start
promptly at 7:00PM in room “D”.
Mark Lamont, Newsletter Director
47
Michigan Muskie Alliance
P.O. Box 512, Caledonia, MI 49316
616-447-1688 – Will Schultz
www.michiganmiskiealliance.org
Meets: 1st Thurs. 7:30 PM, Lansing Gander Mountain
It seems like only yesterday that I was sitting down to write up
our chapter’s 2008 year end activity report. Thousands of casts, a
few even successful, have since transpired and the lakes here in
Michigan are freezing over.
with our chapter news article for the last year. So I will try and make
it my New Years resolution too keep everyone informed monthly
with all the great things going on with our chapter.
On November 19th our board held its annual officers election
for 2010. Everyone was very pleased with their role last year and
we re-elected the same officers. I (Pete Hildreth) will continue to be
the chapter president for my third term. Scott Larson will be our
chapter vice president for his second term.
Mark Mitchell
(Treasurer), Skip Frakes (Secretary), and Leo Kofoot (Regional VP)
will continue their roles that they have generously and successfully
served for several years. I will say this; even though the names
have stayed the same do not think that our officers will sit back with
everything status quo. We vow to work extremely hard and be creative to provide our chapter members with exciting and fun events
for the muskie fishing community and continue to work hard to preserve this extremely valuable resource we love so much.
February 27th is our first event for the 2010 season. We will
hold our annual chapter awards banquet this year at the Prime Rib
restaurant in Spencer, IA. Social hour begins at 5 pm, dinner at 6
pm, and the awards will follow dinner. I absolutely love this restaurant and I look forward to seeing everyone there. If you are to
receive an award that evening, Leo Kofoot our chapter release
chairman will be sending you an invitation in the mail for the event.
Remember, just because you don’t receive an invitation doesn’t
mean you are not invited. All chapter members are invited and
encouraged to attend this event to honor their fellow chapter members. Next month I will post the division winners, 50 inch releases,
and Angler of the Year honors.
At the time of writing this article I do not have all the details on
the event but I wanted to let everyone know that one of our long
time members and huge chapter supporter, Clayton Will, has volunteered to sit and run a booth at the Fort Dodge Sport Show
February 27th and 28th. Clayton will promote our chapter of Muskies
Inc. as well as educate folks about muskies and how we can help
improve the sport through things like the practice of catch and
release. In addition to helping Clayton man the booth, I volunteered
to give a seminar on muskie fishing in the state of Iowa. I really look
forward to this opportunity and if you would like to get more information about the event and what day and time the seminar is please
feel free to contact me anytime. Well I think that is enough for now.
Next month I will update you on the outcome of the awards banquet
and announce the 2010 tournament dates, including the 2010 Iowa
Muskie Team Trail schedule, the first event is only a few months
away. What a big year it should be! For additional information
please visit our website at www.muskieclub.com or give me a call.
Sincerely Pete Hildreth (712-363-0755)
Chapter 47 members now are turning their attention to winter
fishing shows, lure making and painting, repairing and upgrading
fishing equipment, ice fishing perhaps, and looking forward to
Chapter 47’s winter banquet. The banquet will be held on the campus of Michigan State University (Kellogg center) in East Lansing,
Saturday, March 6th. This is our main fundraiser for the year and
supports most of our activities including assisting the Michigan DNR
in its state-wide muskie stocking program. We will again have both
silent and live auctions, along with talks scheduled by members of
the Michigan DNR and other activities. We of course encourage and
welcome other MInc members to attend.
In addition to last year’s annual banquet held in March, other
activities in 2009 included:
– assisted U. of Michigan with fieldwork for the Elk Chain muskie
study (spotlighting)
– assisted the Michigan-DNR with fieldwork at Lake Ovid
(muskie relocation)
– provided a stipend for the U. of Michigan graduate student
working on the Elk Chain muskie tracking program
– provided a stipend for an intern at the Wolf Lake Fish Hatchery
– purchased 100 fishing licenses for No Kid Left Inside day at
Wolf Lake Fish Hatchery
– conducted a muskie school on Lake St Clair at Anglers Point
Marina
– actively participated in Fish Fest at Wolf Lake Hatchery
– hosted the Bruce Memorial Charity Tournament
Of particular interest and potential significance to others in M.I.
is the Michigan DNR - U. of Michigan radio tracking study of landlocked great-lakes muskie in the Elk Lake chain in northern
Michigan. The largest muskie ever tracked ( over 50 lbs!) was part
of this study along with several other large fish.
MMA members are now monitoring and maintaining as needed
the KTD signs posted last year at the launch ramps on Michigan
muskie lakes as part of a grant from the Hugh C. Becker
Foundation. Also as in past years, several MMA volunteers
again manned a booth at the annual Fish Fest held in July at the
Wolf Lake hatchery, where MMA continues to provide other support
(see above).
New for 2009 was introduction of a highly successful muskie
school held on Lake St. Clair. Several MMA members provided
expert instruction on both casting and trolling the Lake, along with
proper muskie handling and release techniques. The wide-spread
adoption of catch and release on Lake St. Clair, including the many
muskie tournaments held there, together with other factors has produced a phenomenal muskie fishery, with 50+ inch fish now not
uncommon.
We have another full slate of activities planned for 2010 (see
our web site http://www.michiganmuskiealliance.org). Also, the
chapter plans in participating in the Webster Lake Muskie Club’s Ice
Out event the end of March. We hope to see other MInc members
at that event, or perhaps at some of our chapter’s events. And to
all MInc members, all the best for 2010 from Chapter 47.
Fred Becchetti, Secretary
Penn Jersey
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.
As I write this it’s 3 days to Christmas. One would think I’d be
focusing on that, but Musky’s are never far from our minds, are
they?! All of us in Chapter 50 hope you had a great Christmas and
a safe and Happy New Year. We are preparing for our annual holiday party on 2 Jan 2010. Member Jeremy Kern and his wife have
graciously opened their home to us again. I know a lot of good food,
spirits and times will be had. Nor have we forgotten being responsible after the festivities! There is plenty of room for those who need
to spend the night! We want everyone back for next season’s Musky
A nice 50+ inch great lakes muskie caught by MMA member Jim hunt! Let’s take this spot to remind everybody of “cold water safeTenHaaf during the Chapter’s June 2009 Lake St. Clair outing.
ty!” Remember to go out there prepared for the conditions and
never go alone! A timely reminder to
some of our own members who have
an end of year outing to catch that
last fish of 2009. They are going 31
Dec 2009 and results will be posted
at a later date!
Chapter 50 had an online fund
raiser. Anyone could go to the club
website and bid on lures that were
donated by members. The auction
raised $1468.50! This will all be
placed toward the enhancement of
fishing waters in Eastern PA and
Southern NJ. The club, in conjunction with our fisheries personnel, is
going to raise fingerlings to a larger
size before stocking. This will help
ensure a higher survivability rate in
our waters. Stockings that have
already been done over the last few
years are bearing this out! Our
babies are growing nicely! 20
Participants in the November 2009 Bruce Memorial outing held on Thornapple Lake
Musky’s were registered with the
club in November from local waters. We’ve also had 3 Musky’s registered in December. To date fish were caught as listed: 2 Dec 09 –
32.5”; 8 Dec 09 – 42.5” X 21”; and 17 Dec 09 – 40”. We’ll see what
the last 2 weeks produce!
Our monthly chapter meeting for December was attended by a
total of 16 members and guests. Highlights include Art Knute being
elected as our Regional Vice President. He filled a slot left vacant
by Chad Theesfeld being selected to the MI Regional Director,
Region 3 position. Congratulations to both of them. We know they
will represent us well. An update was given on the 3 sporting shows
we will be represented at. For dates and times, please refer to our
website, www.mi50.com Preparations for the 3 shows are coming along nicely. If you are in the area, stop by and say “Hello.”
There will be plenty of information about muskies available. There
will also be raffles, for which some very nice prizes have been
donated. I’d like to remind any interested people that our monthly
meetings are held the first Wednesday of every month at Casey’s in
Quakertown, PA. See our website for time, address and directions.
Until next time, remember, Hooksets are free!!!
“Musky Ed” Myshak
SW Ohio Muskie Assoc.
56
524 Sterling Meadows Place • Brookville, OH 45309
(937) 833-1833 • Email: [email protected]
Meetings are the second Tuesday of each month, Marion’s
Pizza Wagner Ford Rd. 7:00 pm.
Hello Muskie Inc. members from around the country. The holidays are over and elections for our chapter are complete for the
upcoming 2010 season. Here is a list of our officers.
President, Scott Shampton
Vice President, Rick May
Treasurer, Jarrod Shell
Secretary, Aaron Malone
Regional Vice President, Chris Creech
Merchandise Director, Trip Breen
Youth Director, David Wood (Woody)
Membership Director, Joel Johnson
National Release Chair, Roger Hayes
Contest Release Chair, George Weber
Public Relations, Don Knight
Research Director, Chris Creech
59
New Mexico Muskies, Inc.
P.O. Box 65575, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87193
(505) 363-4624
www.newmexicomuskiesinc.org
Hello Everyone,
We hope all the other chapters are as eager to get back out on
the water chasing muskies as we are! It’s been a long time since
any of our members have even seen a muskie. Bluewater Lake has
been closed since November and Quemado iced over in mid
December.
Over the winter our chapter has been aiding NMDGF on a few
projects. Our lakes are experiencing a major surprise of 35-39” fish.
A 1 fish per day 40” minimum harvest has been opened for both
lakes. Game and fish has asked our chapter to provide signage displaying 40” at those lakes. Member Joel Baca is carving out actual 40” muskies to show them in detail, instead of just having a 40”
measured out on a piece of wood. This should help people better
calculate what a 40” fish looks like. They also invited us to help with
the 2010 spring and fall surveys!
We have also been working together on a plan to provide Rock
Lake State Hatchery with fathead minnows. This will help us raise
healthier, smarter muskies with a higher survival rate. Hopefully it
will also help NMDGF in reaching their goal of raising fall fingerlings
to stock in September. Right now we are getting ready for the Bob
Gerding Hunting & Fishing Expo. This should be a lot of fun and is
a great chance for us to promote our fisheries and Chapter 59”s
hard work.
Thanks to all the members for renewing membership with our
chapter. We can’t reach our goals without your support and look
forward to a great 2010 Season for NM Muskies, Inc.
Matt Pelletier, newmexicomuskiesinc.org
Here is a list of the planned activities for 2010
January 8th, 9th, 10th, Dayton Hunting and Fishing Show.
February 13th, 1st annual Southern Ohio Muskie Lure Trade Show
(sell and swap). More info available at 513-324-9452.
February 26th, 27th, 28th, Ohio Muskie Show
March 20th, SOMA 56 will have Tony Grant speaking with poolside
lure demonstrations from members on presentations and techniques of many lures. 12-5 pm at Wilmington College Pool.
We will be having a fish fry and raffles and who knows what
else we come up with. We will have more information on this
event as details are worked out. Check back in the March
issue.
Open Fishing Outings Schedule
January 1st,,,,2nd annual Ice Bowl at Caesars Creek, Tom
Welter, chapter 45, last years winner.
April 17th, Caesars Creek
May 15th, Clear Fork
May 29th, Caesars Creek
June 26th, Caesars Creek
September 25th, Caesars Creek
October 9th, Caesars Creek
Stop in at our website www.soma56.com and check out everything we have going on in Southwest Ohio.
Don Knight
www.muskiesinc.org
MUSKIES, INC.
1509 Stahl Road
Sheboygan, WI 53081
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Chapter 57 member Matt Svarz caught this 43x22
inch Tiger muskie on 9/9/2009 while fishing around
sundown on Merwin Reservoir. Very nice fish Matt.
Here is a beauty caught by Chapter 19 member
John Dennis. It was a 52.5 inch fish caught from
Lake St. Clair.
Jason Malone of the First Wisconsin Chapter shows
true dedication fishing in these conditions. It paid off
with a fat 42 inch muskie, which will take the weather
off your mind for a little while.
Brian Lesetmoe of Chapter 46 caught this
nice 44 inch fish while fishing in August last
year. Nice fish Brian.
Nancy Hardy of Chapter 02 caught this 43 inch
fish on a sucker quick-set rig last November from
Minnesota’s Lobster Lake. Nice fish Nancy.
Star of the North Chapter member Mike Lundberg was
surprised to wake up and find his boat covered in snow
while on a trip to LOTW last October. Many of you may
recognize this dock; it is at Red Wing Lodge.
First Wisconsin Chapter member Jason Smith
caught this huge 47.5 inch fish on a sucker in
October of last year. Great fish Jason.
Chapter 19 member Kevin LaRoche caught this nice
muskie last Septermber from Chautauqua Lake.
Chapter 21 member Melissa Klein caught this 39.5
inch fall fish while fishing Deer Lake in Wisconsin in
October of last year. Looks like it was a beautiful fall
day for fishing.

MUSKIE Magazine

Transcription

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