The Quest, Part 4...Heartbreak & Success!

Where, oh Where do I begin? This past Wednesday my good buddy Mike and I made our trek to continue the quest for the one. This was Mike's first time joining me for what I consider the most intense fishing Minnesota has to offer. Everything was coming together perfectly. The water temp had lowered immensely to what I prefer for this time of the year, and the full moon was only one day away. In my mind, I couldn't concentrate on anything other than that new state record. This is what I have been waiting for all year.

This was not your normal trip to the lake either. We had a camera man lined up to film our day and the trophy of all trophies, but at the last minute he was unable to make it. Dang! This left us with the camera equipment and the challenge of recording our own record breaking catch. We couldn't figure out how we were going to battle the fish, net it, and video tape it with just the two of us, but we were more than up to the challenge!

Much to our surprise, as we approached the waters edge, it was very apparent that we were NOT going to be launching our boat at that access. The entire bay was ice covered! I had a phone conversation with another friend the night before, and he said he thought it was frozen, but I just thought he was crazy. Turns out, he was right! Oh well, we kept on driving looking for a place to launch. It only took us about 10 miles and we had the boat in the water. Here we go!

Spot number one was a small location that I boated Mrs. Fatbelly the year before. She was close to, if not a state record. I released her, hoping this day she would bite again. No can do, and we were off to spot number two. This is where the action gets good. We worked this spot hard knowing there was a state record lurking on it. I had seen a fish that we named "Marge," a few times during the last couple outings. Just as I pulled the trolling motor out of the water, BAM! Mike's rod was bent over to the max, and a muskie came skyrocketing to the surface with a pound of rubber hanging from its mouth. Quickly I netted the fat 44 incher, and then filmed the rest. We found it hard to do it any other way. We got some great footage, and learned that Mikey wasn't the greatest on camera when he is all flustered. Sweetness! Fist pumps, and laughs as we pulled out of spot number two!

As we pulled up to the next location, I was all jacked up. The conditions were perfect, and they were biting! Not following like the previous trips....They were here to EAT! A few casts, and the trolling motor taking us up to the spot. That's when I started to get real tense. I just knew that we were pulling up to the largest fish I had ever seen, and we had a feeding window that meant she could likely eat. The next few moments were something you couldn't even fathem. Mikey's rod bent over the way that no fiberglass should ever be forced to bend. "You got her! That's the one! You got her!" That's all I could scream as Mikey did everything in his power to tame this wild beast. I jumped from the front and grabbed the net as Mikey fought hard to bring the giant boatside. As I raised the net and looked up, all we could see was what looked to be a 10 foot long fish screaming under the surface. "ITS HUGE" Mikey screamed as the fish went by, and then, just like it never happened, the fish was gone. One loud scream from Mikey, and he was on the floor, and I thought he was going to cry. What had just happened to us two fisherman was a once in a lifetime event that these words won't even put justice to. A fish that would have no doubt shattered the state record was on his line 10 feet from the boat, and then gone! Simply unbelievable!

Once we were over the shock that had taken over us, we continued to push on. I'll be honest, there were so many emotions in that boat at that time, it was almost like somebody pulled the plug on the boat and we had sank. To go from such a high, to such a low was beyond comprehension. We had her. We had the one. It was painful. Nobody will ever fully understand what happened up there, and to most, it is just a fish tale. The one that got away, and sure it was 60 pounds. They all say the same thing and laugh, but we know. We saw her, and doggonit, it was awesome!

Our day continued, and we quickly had new life in us. I had seen another record on this spot, and we weren't about to quit. 20 minutes later, we were rolling again. "There's one!" I had a nice one screaming boatside behind my bait. She didn't eat, but 2 casts later Mikey had another scream boatside. The air felt so tense, you could have cut it with a knife. Then a short time later, I saw her. Another potential record breaker that I named Diane. She was at my feet, and chasing my bait right below me. If you haven't experienced something of this caliber, you are missing out. She didn't eat, but gave us the hope we had needed.

Our day kept on, and we knew that we had one more good run about to take place. The moon was going to rise at 3:58 that afternoon, and that means feeding time if you are 55 pounds. Just like clock-work, at about 4:02 I had a fish scream to the boat that almost made me wet my shorts. She didn't eat, but looked as large as the one that got away. A definite record breaker. Edna was her name, and I wanted her bad! About 15 minutes later, Mikey did it again. I just happened to be looking his way when the water literally erupted 10 feet from the boat. A very large muskie grabbed his bait and went instantly airborn. Three feet out of the water she came, and I have never had the net ready so quickly. As she became an amazing acrobat, she spit the bait, and jumped literally right into the net. The most intense 5 seconds of Mikey's life ended with a fat 46 inch muskie in the net. Awesome!

That ended our day. A day that neither of us will ever forget. We had "The One." We lost "The One." A trip filled with anticipation that did not dissapoint. A quest no doubt that I am determined to conquer. We were so close that it almost hurts, and although we boated 2 very respectable fish, nothing will ever change what I will remember. We filmed as much as we could, and I will show you this film when it is ready. Whether it makes it on the big screen or not, I hope that you can take from it the intensity and passion that was shared on that big lake. Picture number 2 is a still shot that I took from the camera, which is why it has a different look to it. I'll never sleep the same as I did before that trip...What a day!

A New Look Website

I guess you can tell that something looks a little different than before.  I am in the process of creating several new features for this website.  I plan on having this all said and done as soon as possible, but lets be honest....I'm leaving for Mille Lacs tomorrow morning, and it's the middle of deer season, so lets see what happens first.  I will however keep ya posted with the new stories.  Guess what??? It's bitterly cold, and I am bringing a video camera out on the water tomorrow.  I'm pretty jazzed to film this fishing trip, and even more so to share it with good buddy ol' pal Mikey!  So, I hope you stay tuned to see the results, and the new features to soon be added to this site.  I hope you like what you are seeing, and let me know if I do something that stinks.  Thanks so much....Until Next Time, well, you know what to do!  God Bless!

Opening Weekend Deer...Brrrr!

I recall sitting at the kitchen table many years back. Grandpa would tell us stories about his deer hunting days. "20 below zero" he would say, "and winds from the north blowing 30 miles per hour." I thought to myself, could this story really be true? "oh yeah, and the snow!" He would say, "Must have had 2 feet on the ground!"

Was my grandpa some sort of super hero? Or, is this story totally blown out of proportion? This past saturday was the deer hunting opener, and like thousands of hunters across our state, I FROZE MY TAIL OFF! Now the weather was right around 30 degrees all weekend. We did have the blowing snow, and winds from the north at 30 miles per hour, but how in the heck can a guy sit in a tree all day when it is 50 degrees colder than that? Grandpa...You must have been tough as nails, or just a really good story teller.

For the past several seasons, Minnesota has not seen an opening day deer hunt that has been this blustery and cold. Must have been why I found myself reliving my grandfathers tales. Brrrr...Was the phrase of the day, and I do believe everybody said it at least once!

How did the hunt go? I don't care if it is 50 below zero.  If I am in the deer woods, it is a great day! Yep, I saw deer to boot! And, so did my hunting party of 10. While not perfect hunting conditions, we did manage to tag a few nice deer in this opening weekend cold. Day 1 for me was more about taking in the cold air, watching deer in front of me, and laughing at hunter blunders. I saw 7 in total that day, and one very nice buck. In fact I saw the buck twice. Both times he was chasing his fine lady, and both times they ran circles around hunters that never saw them. Let me explain. Saturday morning I watched the neighbor climb out of his deer stand across the road. As he got down and walked to the truck to meet his buddies, he failed to look behind him as a very nice buck chased a doe under his tree.  It was a very small chunk of trees, and I never saw the deer exit. The hunter drove off, and I chuckled. That afternoon the hunter arrived again, and I just knew what was about to happen.  As he got out of the truck and got his gear ready, the big buck and his lady exited quietly out the back side where they came from, and the hunter clearly never saw a thing. Guess it shows how smart those deer can be!

Unfortunately, I waited all day for that deer to come out of that woods and cross the road into my property. It never happened, and I only have a good story to tell about a hunter that I don't know. A few hungry does and fawns closed out the last rays of light from day one, and I was soon looking forward to day 2. Sunday morning brought almost identical winds and even cooler temps. Brrr...was again the word of the day. I only saw one deer that morning, and you guessed it, the guy across the fence shot him. He was 8 points. I guess you can see a lot when you overlook a square mile of freshly picked beans. That afternoon I decided to pull the trigger. Not out of frustration from the activities I had witnessed, but out of the joy I get from any deer. We passed on watching the Vikes game, and made a small deer drive. While I'm not a big fan of this approach, it did get a few deer moving, and I safely tagged a large doe. Not exactly the way that you would draw up the opening weekend, but then again, I don't know if there is a textbook hunt. Our group of 10 claimed 9 deer those first two days, a couple bucks and the rest were does. A cold beginning to the season, but remember....Its just the beginning!

The Quest...Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of the quest! How many parts??? Don't Know yet.  Let mefill you in on my journey and why I call this the quest. For starters, this is a quest forthe new state record muskie. You might ask why I feel this is a possible feat to accomplish, but let me tell you why I'm not totally insane in the brain.

Each year all species go on a feeding binge in the fall. Like anything else, when you eat more often, you are going to grow rather fat in the mid-section. Muskies are much the same. Each fall muskies go on a huge feading binge before the ice forms. In some lakes this means that they can grow 10 to 15 pounds heavier than at other times of the season, you could call it winter weight! Once the ice forms, they pretty much shut down until thefollowing summer, which is why they need to gain weight for the winter months. Consider itlike a bear in hibernation. Now, if you couple this need to feed with the correct food, such as a tullibee or cisco (a fatty, oily forage), then you can really have a monsterous fall fish. There are a few lakes in Minnesota that have all the right ingredients to make a 54 pound muskie. Trust me, I have seen theselunkers lurking.

It sounds like it should be pretty simple doesn't it? Wrong Muskie Fisherman! There are so many factors that take part in this excursion that make it very difficult. Heck, the record has been in tact for over 50 years. Not only do you have to convince a very large fish to eat, you have to do it in the worst elements on water. The cold temps blowing acrossopen water doesn't even compete with the harshest of storms in your ice house. Not even close! The gear has to withstand the elements, which can be tough, and you tend to use lures that are way to big for a normal fisherman to cast. For instance, the bait I am using weighs 1 pound, and I'm not exxagerating that one bit! At times you can't feel your fingers or other body parts, and Ice can freeze the entire rig. It's almost insanity.

Why do I do it then? I think it's the thrill of the hunt. The chance for something so big on the end of my line that it scares me. The fact that I just might be nuts even encourages me, and it sure would be neat to catch the biggest one my home state has ever seen!

My quest continued this past Friday, and I chose to fish 2 lakes. One is very large, and well known, and the other will take some folks by surprise if I can catch the fish I am hoping for. Well, Friday came and went, but I can tell you that my partner Mike and I came very close. We saw 3 of the fish that we went up there for, and 3 other really big ones that would make any muskie man smile. When you raise a fish that large, it is hard to tell what it is. Is it 50 pounds? 55? I just don't know, but made the trip very exciting even without a catch. Saturday I worked my tail off for a certain fish that I hoped to pose with. Everything was textbook, until half way through the battle. This is where the gear part comes to play in the cold. Well, the fish broke my rod in half during the battle, and I was left with nothing to show for my cold weather outings. Maybe that is why I love it so much. Just maybe...But I will soon be back out there...At least until my lure bounces off the water!

Oh Deer....

So last night I accomplished one of the goals I set out for myself each fall.  Before the firearms season gets here, I always make it a goal to harvest a deer with the bow and arrow.  It simply ranks up there with catching a 50+ muskie.  If it weren't for muskie fishing, bow hunting would be my fave. This year has been very similar to years past for my bow hunts.  Many does and small bucks, but little big buck activity.  With last season showing me 7 different shooter bucks for the wall, I was pretty jazzed for this year.  Well, other than one shot of a big boy in August from a borrowed trail cam, I haven't seen hide nor hair of any of the bruisers.  Instead, I have doe, after fawn, after spike buck, after doe, each time out.  Very exciting, but no big boys.  I have had a couple of what I will call "Oops Outings" this year, but last night I made it a point to put the smack down on a deer.  being that I haven't hunted this season without having a deer in range of my bow, I thought I would have a descent chance even though the field edge I have been sitting on was recently plowed under.  Before I go much further, I just want to warn you that this story gets gruesome, and I have a picture that is even worse.  Now that you know this, keep going if you would like.  As the sun started to set, the woods came alive yet again.  In a matter of minutes, I had deer filling the field in front of me.  I watched and called at 6 of them until I was blue in the face.  Finally, I got one to respond, and a not so smart button buck walked right up to me.  At 5 yards, he ate until the other deer decided to follow him.  When the perfect shot presented itself, I flung an arrow at the chosen one, and gave a fist pump at what I believed to be the perfect shot.  A text book bowhunt if one were to write it, but wait...there is a twist to the story.  I decided to wait a few minutes as any hunter would do.  When I got down, I just decided to go straight to the truck to drive it out to pick up the deer. by then it was dark...Dang...I forgot my flashlight.  Ok, back to the house I go, then back again to the field.  By the time I got back, probably an hour had passed between when I shot and got to the deer.  To my utter amazement, I walked up on the deer and the grass matted down in a 20 foot circle.    A pack of coyotes had obviously found the deer before I got back.  She was torn to pieces like you would see on National Geographic.  Unbelievable was all I could think.  An evening that started so perfectly, came to such a bitter end.  Now all that is left is a feeling of revenge...Looks like I'm going Coyote Huntin'