Maintenance Muskie...

I'll go ahead and start out with a quick recap of the past few days and its events.  While I have been doing my best to keep you updated on what has been happening, I haven't been able to get everything on the world wide web.  This past Tuesday marks the first day in over 3 weeeks that I have hit the water without landing a beast.  I'm pretty proud of this accomplishment, but it didn't come without a fighting chance.  Tuesday morning Tom and I hit the frigid waters early in the morning and had some close calls right off the bat.  If it weren't for a broken eye on my rod, and the frayed line it caused, I might still have a very long streak going.  However, the line broke upon the strike of the fish, and all I was left with was a sad story of the one that got away.  It wasn't surprising to me to only have a couple of chances with the intense cold front that moved in, but all good streaks must come to an end, especially when dealing with muskies.

During our outing on Tuesday, I noticed some issues with my motor.  Sometimes these issues aren't the easiest to describe to the mechanics at the dealership, so when Mark at R & R Marine couldn't pinpoint the issue at the dealership, we took it for a test run on the water.  Last night we found ourselves in the middle of the lake with the cover off and the computer hooked up to the motor.  A few minutes, and our thoughts were confirmed on the issue.  Since we knew what needed to be fixed, and we had some time before darkness, we did what any fisherman would do....We Fished!  It didn't take long to locate some big fish, and Mark was staring down a giant before he prematurely set the hook.  That's fishin I guess, and a leson was learned on the art of muskie fishing.  A few minutes later I was the recipient of a picture perfect strike, and we photographed another beauty.  While she wasn't huge, (44 inches) she was a great catch nonetheless and it kindof brought my spirits up from the motor troubles.  A quick maintenance check turned out to be an alright evening on the water, and Mark and I enjoyed one of those picture perfect fall evenings.  If only he could have landed Mr. Piggy!  Oh well, I guess there is always next time.  And that is what I call, Livin the Dream!

Solo Shot...And A Couple More...

Saturday I spent most of my day in the vehicle driving up to and then back from deer camp.  Our annual trip to make sure the hurricanes didn't knock our forest down, and make a few modifications.  As I wheeled back into town, I could see the sun about to set, and decided to jump on the lake for a little solo trip.  Knowing I only had a half an hour before dark, I didn't make a hard attempt to gather a fishin buddy, and set sail to see how it would go.  Since I am not very use to fishing by myself, I started to think about what I was going to do with the fish, and why I would like to catch it right now.  So I decided I was going to try to locate some fish for the next outing and put a "tag" on them.  I know this sounds foolish, however I just wanted to fish new waters and find some fish that might not be pressured.  I decided I would try to pull any lures away from the fish I found and return later with some clients or buddies.  I then grabbed my camera and fooled around with the timer to see what I could do if I caught one and wanted a picture.  The back butt-seat is almost perfect, and I have 10 to 15 seconds after I press the button to get in place.  This all sounds weird, but it was very necessary for what was about to take place.

Within the first 10 casts I found an absolute monster and just barely got the hooks away from her.  Minutes later I had another close call with another 50 plus incher, and decided to get out of that spot....I'll be back of course.  As I pulled up onto another spot I haven't fished this year, it took only 2 casts before I didn't have a choice.  The big fish grabbed the bait so fast that I couldn't have gotten it away if I wanted to.  This is where my preparation all came together.  I landed the beast.  Unhooked her, pushed the button and hoisted her in the air for a quick photo.  She was back in the water before I knew what I had, but I got most of the fish in the bottom corner of the pic, and she was a beaut.  After that, it was dark and the bite was done!

I returned the next morning with Whorl to see how we would fare.  Well, it didn't take long to see that we were rolling yet again.  The first fish showed up after about 20 to 25 casts, and gave Mike his first perfect net job of the morning.   As the fog rolled in, it just had that feel of something special, and after a quick stop at spot number two, we were headed to a new favorite of mine.  This was obviously a good choice, as Mike was again able to put his netting skills to the test.  I only write the story this way, because that is how we talked about it all morning, and after each fish, it wasn't good job with that fish, it was good job with that net Mike!  Nothing but fun times when fishing with buddies.  Gosh has it been another great run this year.  I am just amazed every day at what keeps on eating the lures.  What a hoot!  Until next time, Keep on Livin the Dream!

An Outing To Remember...

Some days on the water come and go and we hardly even remember the hours we spent chasing our favorite fish.  Some days are left stuck in our memories for a lifetime, and that is exactly what keeps us coming back day after day.  Last night was one of those Outings that won't soon be forgotten.  I sat at the access for about 30 minutes waiting for Matt Hennen to show up, and trust me, I almost left without him.  I could just feel the muskie smell in the air and I could hardly control myself at the access.  I can't explain that feeling of knowing a fish is ready to be caught, but if you have been there, you know what I mean.  With the motor running as he pulled into the parking lot, he pretty much jumped in while I was driving away.  With a quick fist pump, we were on our way.  We grabbed our lucky lures, and as we pulled up he said..."why are we fishing here?"  I just told him to cast, and as always he laughed and agreed.  What he didn't know, was that I boated two muskies on this particular spot the day before, and he has never seen me fish it before. 

Well, on his first cast he brought nothing back but his lure.  Cast number two however was the cast of the night, as his bait stopped dead in its tracks.  Instantly we saw the fish surface and realized that we were dealing with another giant.  Hennen's other two muskies for the year were 49 and 49.5 inches and all he could think of was here comes Mr. 50 incher!  The battle was intense, as the large girth seemed to give this big girl extra power.  As I scooped it up in the net, the hooks flew out and the fist pumping and high fives began.  I get to experience this feat quite often, and I would be lieing if I said that it gets old.  As he struggled to hoist his largest fish to date, we snapped some quick photos and got her measurement.  While 50 was the goal, it just didn't quite reach, and we had to settle for 49.75 inches.  Not quite the 50 club, but I told him he can't be dissapointed with his three fish this year being all 49 or better.  "What a rush" he said as we went to for cast number 3.  Our night was made, and nothing else needed to be caught to make it successful.  Still on cloud 9, and spot number two, He does it again.  Yep, Mr. Hennen was on for battle number two.  While it was clear that this fish wasn't quite as large, he has never had 2 fish in one outing, and boy oh boy was he excited.  The only problem was that he forgot to check his line, and the fish had ideas that didn't have anything to do with getting its picture taken.  The line broke, Matt hollered bloody murder, and the fish swam away.  Still a great night for this guy, and I am yet again able to write about the one that got away, and the one that didn't get away.  That's why I love this sport so much.  Until next time, Keep on Livin the Dream!

Dorm Room Chatter...

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. 

A Streak of Success...

As is the case most years during this time period, we are experiencing some spectacular muskie fishing yet again.  Is it the full moon, or the weather???  Whatever the case may be, it has been nothing short of great.  My escapades started up this past Saturday, and they have continued hot and heavy.  I like to take it from the top with most of my stories, so strap in and hang on for the ride!

Saturday morning I summoned up a great buddy of mine that I don't often get to fish with.  Jeremy has been out muskie fishing with me zero times since I have known him.  While we get to share many laughs at the expense of his fishing blunders in the ice house, I was very excited to teach him my ways with the toothy fellas.  We were also joined by my lovely lady which excites me every time she jumps in the boat.  My morning started out on the wrong foot as I forgot about unstrapping the boat, and as I backed into the water, the darn thing drifted away.  With the wind blowing the wrong direction, all I could do was laugh and watch it drift into the middle of the lake.  Luckily there was another fisherman that came about 15 minutes later and gave me a lift.  Thank you to whoever you were.  That was aweful nice of ya!  Once we got the boat back, we were on our way, and after a quick tutorial for Jeremy, we were flinging baits.  It only took about 4 or 5 casts, and I had a big girl screaming for my bait and one for the camera.  This was certainly a surprise to Jeremy, and I got to look like a stud for my sweetie!  A hefty 48 incher makes anybody smile.  We saw a few more before we headed in, however no more in da boat.

That afternoon I was killing time before heading to the bow stand for an evening hunt.  Wags called me up, and we headed to the lake for a quick hour or so on the water.  Wags had caught two muskies with me on Mille Lacs the last time we were out, but hasn't boated one since.  This makes it all the more sweet as I was able to net his new personal best.  This beauty measured in at 50.5 inches and now I am proud to introduce Jason Wagener to the 50 inch club.  Ada Boy!

Sunday morning I was back on the water again with Ray  for our Livin' the Dream trip as he likes to call it.  We had absolutely amazing fog rolling in for the morning, which made things very cool, and one of those mornings that you are really excited to get out of the bed for.  We had some action, and another great trip.  There is something to be said about waking up on a Sunday morning when everybody else is recovering from a hangover.  They are truly missing out, well at least that's my opinion.  The morning wasn't complete until we got a 48, and a 42 incher in the boat.  The camera battery didn't agree with the 48 incher, as it was dead, but somehow it worked on the 42.  Hmmm...whatever I guess.  As a side note to this story, Ray, I'm sorry you had to get out of the boat, I just knew that was going to happen.  

Monday morning I was joined by Tim and his workmate Jess.  Jess has fished in Wisconsin for most of his life, and hadn't boated a Minnesota Ski before.  Tim has had one while bass fishing a few years back, however he claimed it to be about 4 pounds.  So what do we do??? Try to get some ski's in the boat I guess.  Tim started out the adrenaline action as a brief low front was moving in.  I say brief, because it was only a handful of clouds in the clear blue sky.  I guess that was all we needed, because Tim will now have the memory of a giant going ballistic on his bait.  I would figure it to be about 52 - 53 inches.  He hooked it long enough to have it charge the boat and go airborn directly at him.  Sometimes you just cannot tame a wild beast like that, and this was no different.  Either way, our vibes were running high, and you could just feel it in the air.  A few minutes later, Jess was the proud recipient of his first Minnesota Muskie, and a beautiful 46 incher.  Not quite like the smaller Wisconsin muskies (sorry about the shot cheeseheads!!!!)

Today was just one of those days that shouldn't happen.  Our theory on why it did was simple.  Dean and Doc (also Cheeseheads) came over the border to see if last year was a fluke.  If you recall, Doc had never boated a muskie until he hopped in the boat last year.  In his two days, he landed his first at 50 inches, followed by a 49 and then a 48 incher.  He took his lucky lure back home with him, and wouldn't ya know, HE BROUGHT IT BACK TODAY!!!  Well, I don't know how else to put it other than...Mr. Lucky is still LUCKY!  On our first spot of the morning he was throwing it thinking that it wasn't running correctly, so I put it on my line.  Hmmm....That was a mistake, cuz it worked just fine for me, and we were soon taking pictures of a very nice 49 incher.  Needless to say, I put Mr. Lucky back on Doc's line.  We shuffled over to a new location, and good ol' Mr. Lucky had his charm working strong.  I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it, but that lucky guy and his lucky bait landed yet another 50 incher.  Absolutely incredible!  As we were joking about his fish and his luck, we headed to spot number 3.  I hadn't casted on the second spot, and I picked my rod up while the boys were casting at the usual location.  I tossed to the side of the boat and out of nowhere came another huge fish.  I almost got pulled out of the boat when not paying attention, and the battle was one that should not have ended up with pictures.  I managed to get wrapped around the trolling motor 3 times and made a rookie mistake.  Somehow...Some way, we got her in the net, but it was with my free hand pulling the line over to the net, and not the rod.  When things are going good, there isn't much else to say other than to laugh and shrug your shoulders.  She took off before I could measure her, but it was surely just under the 50 inch mark.  Spot number 4 gave Doc yet another chance, however we failed to take pictures of that fish.  What a morning!  All I have to say is that I feel bad for Dean having to watch 3 big ones last year, and 3 more giants again today.  Doc, if you read this, you are one lucky lucky man.  Don't ever take that lucky hat off, and never leave home without Mr. Lucky!  Until next time...Keep on Livin' the Dream!