The Legend Grows...

Last night was one of the most incredible experiences that I have ever had chasing the big fish.  I've certainly been blessed with a lot of them over the years, but as I sit down to write this journal update, I'm still slightly speechless.  I will do my best to explain what happened last night, and why it was so incredible.  I hope that you can enjoy!

It all started around 5 pm.  Cody Meyers and his workmate Chris met me at the launch.  Cody has fished muskies a couple of times in his life, and wanted nothing more than to top his person best which was a 44 incher.  Chris on the other hand resides in Michigan, and although they have some famed waters up there, he has never targeted them before.  Without us knowing what was in store for the night, we set sail with high hopes and a good attitude.  You see, there was a certain glowing ball that was soon to rise in the eastern sky, and this typically means that "big things" can happen.

To be honest, our evening was quite uneventful.  I got them all jacked up with the presence of the rising moon, and as I watched it come over the horizon, nothing happened.  Actually a few hours passed without much of anything.  In shock, I just kept encouraging the eager fisherman, and they remained about as positive as anyone ever could be.  I kept reminding them that just one cast will change the entire outlook of this evening.  The moon rose higher and higher, and the brightness of the sun finally faded to darkness.  At that point we had only two miserable and lackluster attempts from the muskellunge. 

As we talked about the lack of action, we switched locations and drove to the other end of the lake.  I was not about to let these enthusiastic anglers leave with nothing, and we went to some of my old favorite haunts.  Finally we found some active fish.  The only problem was that they were just following the lure in the bright moonlight.  It was a morale booster for the three of us to see some fish, and probably a good prelude to what was about to take place.  As we drove up to a small little honey hole, I joked to Cody and Chris that this is only a big fish spot.  I explained that I have only caught about a 10 fish on it in the last several years, but that 7 of them were over 50 inches.

At that point, we would have taken anything, but the fish that grabbed Cody's bait out of the moonlit waters was so large that it will forever be labeled as "The Legend."  A battle ensued that was out of this world, I quickly put the fish in the net, and screams could have been heard from across the entire lake.  Cody had just landed the trophy of a lifetime, and just happened to be the largest fish I have landed in that lake.  She was a giant, and came up just short of hitting that elusive 55 inch mark. 

This is where the story gets even better.  Not only was the fish incredibly huge and girthy, but as I held her tail for the release, I also noticed a significant mark on her fin.  As it turns out, I successfully released that fish in 2004 and again in 2006.  The first time she, "The Legend," was 51 inches, and the second time she was 52.5.  All three times this fish was caught within inches of the same spot, and all three times she fell victim to the same lure.  Talk about irony.  I had no idea that this fish was still alive, but boy am I glad that she is.  This fish of a lifetime now quoted as "The Legend," will forever remain as one of my greatest accomplishments for me as a muskie guide.  Boy will it be exciting if she decides to show up for one more battle!

Congratulations goes out to Cody Meyers for landing the trophy of many lifetimes!  Thank you for the unbelievable night on the water.  Until the the next time the legend strikes, keep on livin' the dream!

You Just Can't Make This Stuff Up...

Ok, so lets get right down to the goods of the story.  It all started early in the morning this past weekend.  Don and his son Steve joined me on the water for their second shot at a muskie this year.  These guys are no rookies to this sport, and have boated some dandies with me the last few seasons.  This year however has found 'em on the other side of the lucky coin.  Our first trip resulted in 4 that came unhooked.  They were all heartbreakers.  With a mission to seal the deal on a big muskie on this trip, we hit the water with the ultimate pursuit ahead of us.  Our goal was a 50 incher.  They fished hard for several hours with only one muskie miss to show for their efforts.  Finally about 3 hours into our morning the water erupted on Steve's lure yet again.  A monster of a fish somehow managed to yet again keep the hooks free and clear of his jaw.  We gave the beast some time and returned to the location of the strike.  This time it was Don's turn.  Yep, the beast latched on and gave us the ultimate experience in muskie fishing.  A 50 plus incher that exploded on topwater and found itself airborn during the intense battle.  Nothing short of spectacular.  But, as luck would have it, the jumping muskie spit the hook on its last jump.  Going from such a high, and absolute chaos, our hearts sank as the trophy of a lifetime swam silently away.  As any good fisherman would do, we put our trademark on that trophy.  Having done battle with the fish, it was up to Don to name that muskie.  His choice?  This was easy, he chose to call his fish, Don Murray.  Perfect!

Now lets fast forward to this morning.  Tom Doyle was my guest and we had the exact same expectations as we saw that sunrise glow in the eastern skies.  Muskies were on our mind, but 50 inchers were the goal.  Much the same as the previous trip with the Murray's, things started out slow.  After a few hours of nothing, we finally started to see some action and quickly returned to the scene of the past crime.  I retold the story of the trip before, and explained that there is a 50 plus hanging in these exact parts.  As we approached, the first fish showed itself.  A brief hook up and that fish was gone.  No problem I told him, the big one is just ahead.  As we narrowed the distance, things went bolistic.  The water erupted and a premature hookset gauranteed that the muskie named Don Murray would yet again swim freely.  We then left that spot, but after a brief departure, we came back to the active pod of fish we had found.  Tom was somewhat down on his luck at this point, because he already had 4 fish slip through his fingertips.  I reminded him as we approached that spot that it only takes one cast, and maybe the fifth time would be the charm.  He laughed, but as soon as he got within range, Don the muskie again went buck wild on his lure and put up a battle that implied "I give up, you win."  It wasn't until after the high fives, and hoots and hollers that Tom admited that he thought I was nuts for returning for that fish.  At that point we just laughed and headed on our way.  Tom can now say that he is a member of the 50 inch club.  Man is that stuff exciting!  You just cannot make that up.  So as the story goes, the muskie named Don Murray has been defeated.  A two day story that will surely remain in the memory bank for myself, Don and Tom.  Thanks for all the fun guys!  Until next time, Keep on Livin' the dream!

The Landing of Chester McFarland...

Last night was a very typical Sunday night for me.  I went to church and then hooked up the boat for a peaceful and quiet sunset on the water.  For me, it really doesn't get any better than that, and just the perfect way to wrap up a busy weekend.  If you were outside in Minnesota last night, then you can probably relate to the unbelievable weather we had.  Wow!  Now for the story...

With the days becoming shorter and shorter as of late, we didn't have much time after church got out.  Quickly we changed from our church gear and hooked up the boat.  Mike and I joked about the fish we were going to catch on the way to the launch, but deep down I had just one fish that was on my mind.  With the sun quickly fading, we hit the water with high hopes.  My goal was a fish that we have nicknamed Chester McFarland.  I'm not sure why the name selection, but this fish has eaten a lure from my boat 6 times in the last few weeks.  The funny thing is that none of the hopeful anglers have been able to successfully land the fish.  This time it was my turn to try.  I knew exactly where this fish was living, and I went straight to his location.  As if it was scripted from somewhere up above, Chester devoured my measly offering from the depths.  Instantly I knew that this was the fish that I have been after for weeks.  It was cool to say the least.  He came up and gave me a good look, and I just had this rush that came over me.  A rush that I haven't felt in a long time.  It turned out that this fish had power over me.  Yes physical, but also mental because of the way he was able to escape so many times.  Suddenly this was more than the typical battle.  Somehow beyond my wildest dreams, this beautiful fish had managed to stay on the exact same spot for nearly 3 weeks.  This was a spot that just gets pounded by fisherman every day, yet he waited for me to battle him.  Maybe it wasn't quite as deep and intense as that, but when I saw this fish on the end of my line, these were the exact thoughts that I was thinking and feeling.  I guess they call it fate, but after a few moments I was removing the hooks from this beasts mouth.  A happy picture and admiration of the flawless fish that I was holding, and after the release I got something that I haven't had in a long time.  I got the shakes....

Muskie Heaven...

What a week.  Since I don't know where to start, I'm going to take it from the top.  Monday was wild as you have previously read.  Phillip and I had too many chances to count that evening and boated some dandies including his first fish on the figure 8, which was a very healthy 49 incher.   I also struck gold with another boatside attack, and after the smoke cleared, I too was holding a picture perfect moment.

Tuesday I was joined on the water by Jeff Byrne.  We decided to have a small competition with his workmate Dawn.  She was in Mike's boat, and I had the privilege of showing Jeff a good time.  The weather was more suited for a lazy cruise around the lake, but we fished hard.  Our chances came and went throughout the evening, but we were determined to outfish the other boat.  As the sun faded on our evening we had two extremely close calls with fish hitting the bait and coming unglued.  Finally it all happened.  One of the muskies in the area I call "the pod" decided to pounce, and totally hammered my bait.  Yep, we also won the Cabin Fever contest with that guy.  A dandy to say the least.

Wednesday morning myself and a large group of fisherman got together on the shores of Wayzata.  I had lined up an event for Cargill, and they brought in people from all over the country, including two individuals from Brazil.  If you were in town last wednesday, then you knew that this wasn't the best time to show our Minnesota waters.  It rained, rained, and even rained more.  It was tough luck for the weather, but the fish were still responsive.  Some of us fished muskies, and others fished bass.  By the end of the trip, we had many bass, a few pike and even a 49 inch muskie to show for our efforts.  Congrats to all the guests and to the guides for a successful day in the rainy weather.

That evening I had a small window of free time, and my very good friend Matt Hennen also cleared his schedule to join me on the water.  He is Montana bound for the next two years, and the only thing he wanted to do before he left at the end of the week was to catch a muskie.  I wanted to send him off with that exact prize, and wouldn't you know, it took about 10 minutes to accomplish that goal.  It was a great strike on the lure that he wanted so badly to land one on.  He has been throwing it the last few times out, and it finally paid off for him.  Congrats buddy, and I cannot wait for your return!

Thursday the boys from Pheasants Forever were out.  This has been a trip in the making for quite some time.  Bob St. Pierre and Anthony Huack joined me to get some muskie slime.  Eager to show them a fish, I took them to one of my favorite locations on the lake.  Bob made it very clear that he wanted me to fish hard too, and that they just wanted to see a fish in the boat.  So, I guess that speaks for itself, and shortly into our outing I had a beauty to behold.  This was just the prelude to the nights events, and it wasn't long before Bob joined in on the action.  It was a strike and battle to leave a grown man speechless.  Luckily, Bob came out on the winning end of the deal.  Congrats buddy!

Friday morning I was joined by Jim and his son Allen.  These two muskie nuts join me every year, and our results have always been incredible.  If you would ask these guys what they thought of muskie fishing, they would probably tell you that it is really easy.  In the past three years we boat at least two muskies every time.  This day was to be no different.  Last year Allen took home two incredible memories, and this year it was his father's turn.  After a few misses and close calls, Jim scored first with his personal best.  Shortly after, it was Jim again with another airborn freak of a fish.  Great fish, and a great time with these two boys.  Can't wait 'til next year!

That afternoon I snuck in for a quick bite to eat, and was then joined on the water by a new muskie fisherman.  Sam was his name, and he was straight out of Alaska.  On vacation in our neighborhood, he heard about this muskie craze and had to give it a chance.  We hit the water and did the good 'ol tutorial that I always give.  After I felt he was ready to do battle we went straight to a spot that has been holding several fish.  Yep, you guessed it, the dream became a reality.  Sam landed his first muskie in his first twenty casts of fishing for them.  Is it suppose to be that easy?  I think not!  Congrats on the trophy of a lifetime Sam!

Well, the week flew by with tons of stories.  The encounters were everywhere, and the photo's came with them.  We saw fish, tons of fish actually, and landed many.  I was excited about it all, but I was missing just one thing.  While every trip gave us the prize we sought, we had yet to boat a 50.  I discussed exactlly that with Mike on Friday evening, and Saturday morning we were on the water looking to seal the deal on the perfect week.  A quick KFAN radio interview from the water, and we were soon casting our baits.  Spot number 3 was the spot to seal the ending of a great week.  Yep, you guessed it, the 50 incher came in the boat!  And with that my friends, I hooked the boat up and we went home.  From the muskie filled metro waters, keep on livin' the dream!

Ada Boy Phillip...

Last night I was joined on the water by a man that has a true passion for the big fish.  Phillip is not his name, but that's what we call him.  Not sure why, but that is neither here, nor there.  Anyways, the story goes something like this.  648 phone calls and 2017 text messages, and I finally agreed to show him a few things on the water.  It's a funny joke between myself and a few others, but this guy is as determined as anybody that I have ever met.  Jokingly, I finally gave in to his requests and agreed to go fishing.  Last night was the night.

We started by fishing for bass and pike.  I have a trip upcoming and needed to hone my skills for the non-muskellunge creatures.  After a short stint, I found what I needed and moved on to the big guys.  I hadn't fished muskies for a few days, because I was out of town, but went to some previous hot spots from the week prior.  This turned out to be a good choice.  The first spot took about 3 casts to reveal the first fish.  This low forty incher must have spooked 'ol Phillip, because he left several feet of line out on his figure 8 and the fish was not impressed.  Two casts later another fish turned his offering down boatside.  I laughed and tossed a good throw back option to the hopeful fish.  Well, it ate, but then let go almost as fast as it grabbed hold.  Bummer!

As we left that location and on to number two, I could feel nothing but excitement.  The previous trip showed a ton of fish piled in the area.  As we pulled up to that spot, Phillip was telling me about his sweet new rod combo. I laughed, but he was in love with it.  I told him to get ready.  About 3 casts into it I had the first fish come boatside.  Not a taker, but verified my thoughts.  Two casts later and another, then another.  Phillip was as giddy as a 5th grader on the last day of school.  Finally it was his turn, which is where things got interesting.  His new lure and rod were about to be tested.  Upon the strike, he set the hook and I watched the his new rod shatter into 3 pieces.  Not that it was a funny situation, but all I could do was laugh.  It just shouldn't happen that way!  Needless to say, the fish came unhooked during the whole ordeal, and left Phillip as one unhappy fisherman.

From that point on, it was almost out of control.  We fished for another 45 minutes and saw too many fish to count.  I was working my new favorite baits and I had them going crazy on it.  At one point I think I raised 9 muskies in less than 20 casts.  For some reason I couldn't get them hooked, but the action was great.  In that short 45 minute time period before we left the lake we saw in the neighborhood of 20 fish.  Phillip finally connected with a dandy 49 incher on the figure 8.  This was his first fish on the figure 8, and it was a good one.  About 4 casts after that, I too connected.  Not a giant, but another boatside battle.  Those low forty inchers can just go wild, and this one did exactly that.  It went airborne 3 times before I could get it away from the boat.  I think Phillip was too shooken up from the excitement to hold the camera steady for the picture.  Oh well, I say sweetness sums up the entire evening.  A great night on the water that I'm sure neither one of us will soon forget.  Until the next fish strikes, keep on livin' the dream!

Update on 2009-08-31 14:43 by Travis Frank

It has been brought to my attention that I have given Phillip a hard time in the writing of this article.  I apologize for that.  I want everyone to know that Phillip and I are good friends and that I am not trying to do anything but have a good time with him.  If you can't joke with your friends, then who can you joke with?  Anyway, I have great respect for him and his fishing skills, but I also like to joke and have fun at the same time.  Everything that I wrote about were personal jokes that we have had over the last several months, which is why I put them in the writing.  I'm sorry if I came across in a bad way with his article.  Congrats again on the great fish and thanks for the great evening!