Dorm Room Chatter...
Travis Frank
Here I am, sitting down to write from the confines of my dorm room. Yep, that's right, I'm back at college...only this time, it isn't school related. Today and tomorrow I am part of a strategic planning session that we are holding at Ron Schara Productions. I will start out by saying that it is quite an honor just to even be a part of something so great. I could never have imagined sitting down and hearing the stories that we have heard today, and be able to throw my ideas back and forth as well. I can just say that it will be very exciting to see what the future holds. Not only that, but we are also the guests on the property for tonights dinner, followed by a meet and greet and a speech tonight for possibly hundreds of campus alumn. Pretty cool stuff, and as always, I am honored to be a part of it all.
Now for the good stuff, that is more related to the fish that we have been seeking. If you have been keeping track of what Mike is up to on his journal, you have probably already read some of this, but I do have some new stuff for ya. Just to cap off Dean and Doc's wild ride from last week, we hit the water again on Wednesday morning, and found the fish very inactive. In fact, they would surface behind our baits and stare at us, not one bit interested in eating. Oh well, but we did land one before our morning was through, and the excitement carries into next season.
As Mike already mentioned, we hung deer stands Saturday afternoon, and decided it best not to hunt the after such a ruckess. Instead we went out to get some fish for the bellies. We grabbed the jiggin poles for the first time in ages, and ordered up a scoop of fatties...fathead minnows that is. It wasn't long and we were on the board. Actually I should say Mike was on the board. He landed the first two walleyes, missed a handful more, then I followed it up with an eye of my own. A short window of activity, but worth it for sure and we ate well Sunday after church.
Sunday morning I snuck out of bed early to watch the sun rise over the Eastern sky. It was just spectacular, and just after I put the camera down, I was rewarded with a nice low 40 inch muskie. Shortly thereafter my uncle Loge got to the lake from his long drive, and although he had his own boat and two buddies with him, we opted to fish together, and let Phillip and Jeff fish their hotspots. After already having one in the boat, I felt pretty descent about landing some others with my old muskie buddy alongside of me. It has been years since we have tackled a lake with just the two of us, but when that happens, the fish are really eager to take their pictures. This past Sunday morning was no different, as the action started out with Loge landing his first. 
It was a nice and healthy fish, about 42 inches, however it had a really weird discoloration in the midsection of his body. Anyway, a muskie nonetheless and we were back at it. The next spot, we watched a beautiful 44 incher swipe and miss his lure in the crystal clear water, after a split second to admire the miss, the fish ate, and Loge's 2nd battle of the morning was underway. At the completion of his battle, the fish made that perfect turn and the lure just came right back to us...Otherwise known as a quick release! Lets just say that he wasn't too happy about it. I just chuckled, and hooked up with my 2nd of the morning about 5 casts later. I had a pretty good hookset, and I was able to do what my partner couldn't...land the fish (hahaha). 
A great morning on the water, however I had to call it at that time, and I was off to church. 3 hours of fishing, and 3 muskies is way more than good enough for me. Especially when i consider the conditions to be less than favorable. I guess the fish just like it when Loge and I fish together.
After eating all the walleyes I had planned on giving to the farmers that let me hunt on their property, I decided to give it a go again. Same exact results as the night before, and Whorl had another great picture holding some dandie walleyes. 3 nice eaters, caught in the same exact order as the day before. Whorl, then Whorl, then a miss or two, then my turn! A great weekend of Living the dream, and now I must get back to my studies...I will report back with what we find out.