The Quest Begins...

This is shaping up to be one heck of a run.  The quest is now hours away from beginning.  The weather the last few days has kept me off of the big pond, which I guess has given me more time to prepare and set everything up for the last few weeks of the season.  Today I am going to be focusing on the metro muskies with a couple of good 'ol gents from southern Minnesota.  After that my gear is going to be loaded up and my heart set on that one true giant of a fish.  Here's a brief timeline of what I hope to take place over the next few weeks.

Tomorrow I will be joined by the epic muskie anglers Theo and Todd to bring the Mojo back where it belongs.  In our boat!  The last two times we fished for "the one" have been two of the most memorable trips in my young fishing career.  It was with Todd that this whole passion for the state record began, and he was my net-man for my biggest muskie to date.  What he and I shared on the water that day will never be forgotten, and I can only hope that we get to relive those moments tomorrow with a new record.  Theo brings with him some of the best jokes that I have ever heard, and when the three of us have fished together we have always landed some giants.  With their luck, I wouldn't be surprised if the big girl eats tomorrow.

Friday will be spent with Pete and his father.  These guys have been jacked up for this trip since about June when we put all the pieces together.  The weather looks like it will hold for us to get out, and it's possible that the weather that forced us to stay home on Monday will reward us with a fish of a lifetime on Friday.  As I have told many people before, sometimes things just work themselves out that way, and good things happen for reasons that I can't even fathem.  I hope this is the case for the three of us when we venture into the open seas on Friday.

Saturday and Sunday I look to bag a buck with my "Motley Crew" deer hunting party.  I look forward to my time in the woods with these great friends every year.  The passion for this state record muskie over the past few years has really cut into my deer hunting time, but this "quest" of a season is so short that I have to give up some things to have others.  I'm okay with that, and will hang on to every moment in the stand and telling jokes about the deer that got away and the ones that didn't.  It should be a good weekend.

Monday and Tuesday I will find myself back on Mille Lacs with a couple of cheeseheads.  Sorry for the Wisconsin slam guys, I am only joking.  Bret is up for the challenge, and he is bringing one of his favorite young fisherman with him.  It would be nice if everyone could land a state record muskie on these outings, but being realistic, I am just hoping for great chances at big fish for everyone.  We will see what Monday and Tuesday brings.

This is about as far in advance as I like to look at this time of the year.  The weather can change fast, so we are going to be playing out the rest of the season as mother nature intends.  With that being said, the days and weeks following are going to be crazy.  Brian Peterson, the outdoor reporter for the Brainerd Dispatch is looking to do a full cover story on this quest, so one of the following days will be spent with him when we get the chance. 

Friday the 13th is now scheduled to be one of the coolest opportunities I have had yet.  As part of my employment with Ron Schara Productions, I am going to be given the opportunity to start filming a new show.  Without giving out too much information, we are planning on filming a pilot for a new television show.  This show is going to be an extreme look at fishing across the country in ways that most wouldn't consider possible.  The lineup for the first season is looking awesome, and this new show will hopefully give insights to some of the unique ways and adventures that we anglers take to catch some of the biggest fish swimming in our waters.  This is NOT going to be your normal boring bass fishing show where a guy catches a bass and kisses it on the lips and lets it go.  The snow, ice, wind and extreme temperatures will surely make this a perfect start to the show, and I can't even imagine how incredible it would be to land a state record while the camera is rolling.  It's going to be sweet!

That should take a few days to accomplish everything we want to do.  Once that is completed, I have a couple more guests from out east that look to get in on the action.  Their experience with winter fishing in Pennsylvania looks to give them an upper hand on our Minnesota fish.  I hope the weather cooperates for us and the fish do their part.  If all goes as planned, they too will have a fish of a lifetime or two.  We are looking at three full days on the water, so we shall see!

With the busy schedule upcoming, I can only imagine what kinds of conditions we will face.  I do have some free days that will allow for others to join me if they choose, so please don't hesitate to call.  I enjoy sharing these last few weeks with all the eager fisherman that are up to the challenge, and I really appreciate all words of encouragement along the way.  The last few years have brought many people into my life that wish me good fortune on the water.  Your thoughts and encouragement keep me going when the snow is flying, the wind is blowing, and the ice is forming on the lake.  Without you all, I sometimes feel that I will end my quest early.  After all, it is not easy and very exhausting mentally and physically.  I pray that God will continue to give me strength to battle the elements and bring good fortune to our days on the water.  I pray for safety for all that join me on the water, and may this year be the year that I document a true catch of a Minnesota state record muskie.  As always, I will have my computer with me and update as time allows.  I won't be home now for several days, but before I leave, I want to thank you all for reading my journal and wishing me luck.  You all know who you are, and I thank each and every one of you.  Until the next state record muskie strikes the lure, keep on livin' the dream!

A Couple For The Good Guys...

No, this isn't part of the quest, not just yet anyway.  The weather was, well, a little too blustery for our first attempt this past friday.  In fact, as I write in my journal, I'm now missing another planned attempt at fishing the big pond.  These darn winds just won't subside.  The forecast on weather.com for today doesn't have a sun with clouds around it.  Nope, it just says WINDY!  Oh well, there are other lakes to fish, and other fish to catch.  Yesterday we made the most of our situation and while we weren't chasing the state record muskie on Mille Lacs, we were still chasing muskies in November.

The journal would read something like this - November 1, a good start to the month, the boys done good.  The boys being Jeff and Gordy.  I picked these gentlemen up at the dock around 10 AM.  This was our first outing together, and much to my surprise, these gentlemen informed me that they had no expectations leading into our trip.  Whew, that was a relief.  I'm use to some people saying, "if it aint 50, I don't want it!"  Now while I love 50 inch muskies as much as the next guy, that kind of pressure can kill a muskie guide, or at a minimum, take a few years off of his life expectancy.  Nope, these guys were open to any events that were going to unfold, large, small or none at all.

For Jeff it was a bit of a learning experience.  A chance for him to pick up a few pointers to help him in his first full year of owning a boat - next year.  For Gordy?  Well, I think this was a good excuse for him to enjoy the November weather.  Regardless, my goal was the same as any time I hit the water.  Get my clients to catch a muskie or two and have a darn good time doing it.

Our morning came and went in a hurry, we saw nothing, but passed the time by discussing muskie tactics and things that trigger a bite.  Funny thing was that one of the triggers was about to happen and we didn't even know it.  Early in our afternoon, our patience was about to be rewarded when the wind came to a dead stop and started to lightly blow from a completely different direction.  I hardly had a chance to make the comment about the change when Jeff hooked into his largest fish ever.  It was a 46 incher that truly gave him a run for his money, and left him wondering if the tackle he had at home would withstand the abuse these fish can dish out.  I secretly fist pumped after it all went down, and once again praised the big guy up above for changing the wind for a few brief moments. 

After the release the wind returned to its normal routine and we experienced more of the same.  Nothing.  As we talked about these triggers a bit more, we once again had no idea that we were going to get another opportunity from a wind trigger.  Yep, you guessed it, about an hour had passed when the winds once again laid flat.  I instantly motored to a previously located fish, and as the light gusts from the opposite direction started to hit us in the face, Gordy was given his opportunity.  An opportunity that he took full advantage of, and gave us a perfect end to our November first outing.  Now if this pattern will hold true, I can anticipate about 60 to 70 muskies in the boat this month.  Ha!  Until the wind shifts again in our muskie favor, keep on livin' your dream!

Prelude To The Quest...

Ahh yes, it's about that time again.  Time for the big girls to come out and play.  For most, November means deer hunting, pheasant hunting, or just hunting in general.  For me, this still applies, but I also go hunting for the one.  The biggest, fattest, meanest fish swimming in fresh water.  I tend to give her a personal name, but we all know her best as the state record muskie. 

If you haven't followed my quest in the past, here is a bit of info to get you up to speed.  Each fall, specifically the month of November, I begin a quest to land the next state record muskie.  I know this might sound rather stupid to think that I can just go out and catch a state record fish, but it really isn't that out of line.  See, in the fall these fish become larger.  Given the right lake with the right forage, these muskies can literally weigh an extra 10 pounds heavier during November than at any other time of the year.  Finding the right locations and timing things perfectly put the odds in your favor to land muskies exceeding 50 pounds.  This isn't simple by any means and it takes great patience and persistence in the worst elements mother nature can throw out, but the rewards can be incredible.

For the last two seasons I have been concentrating my efforts on Lake Mille Lacs.  It is no secret that this lake holds some of the largest muskies ever grown.  Coupled with the tullibee population, these beasts reach peak weight just before the ice forms.  It is cold, it is exhausting, but I have found ways to cope and I have found fish willing to strike.  Two years ago I landed a fish that still leaves me wondering.  She was a beaut that no doubt surpassed the 50 pound mark.  The next day I scored another giant that might have only been a few pounds shy of the record as well.  It was those two fish that fueled my fire to catch a fish larger than the current record. 

Last season was another epic quest that gets me excited to start this years journey.  I located 3 fish that I figured would have topped the scales around that elusive 54 pound mark.  Two of them were near the record, and one of them totally blew the rest away.  I nicknamed her Diane, and we fished her hard when the weather would allow for the better part of two weeks.  I estimated her at about 60 pounds, and I am not making this up or exxaggerating.  Some days I could get her to follow and others she would have none of my business.  When she would come to the boat, it was a sight out of this world.  Picture a five gallon bucket nearly 60 inches long following your bait and you will understand what I am talking about.  She was almost surreal.  I don't remember the date, but there was one time that we got her to eat.  It was with my good buddy Mike that day, and after releasing a nice mid 40 inch muskie, we quickly drove to her location hoping the short window of opportunity was till open.  I pointed to her home, and Mike landed the lure spot on.  She devoured the bait the second the lure hit the water, and chaos broke loose.  It was a battle that I will never forget, and one that left Mike in tears on the back deck of the boat.  As the fish came around the boat, she did a barrel role and the over-sized lure popped free.  It was an experience that you literally had to be there to understand.  Sure it's only a fish tale at this point, but something so large and powerful still leaves me sleepless at night.  I know what we had, and we had the next state record inches from the net. 

So with that, I hope you understand my quest for the one.  It is not made up, it is not exxaggerated, it is not a ridiculous feat to accomplish, but it is the most insane fishing one can imagine.  As the water temps continue to fall to the perfect degree, I will soon be trailering the boat north.  When you are in your deer stand, I will likely be on the water.  When you are ice fishing the first frozen lakes, I will likely be chipping the access free to launch my boat.  When the weather cooperates and the winds lay down, I will likely be somewhere on that big pond.  This year I will have more guests than ever before.  Clients, Newspaper writers, television crews and good fishing friends are all on the menu to join the insanity.  It's all gonna be a hoot!  What will we do when we land that beast?  I just don't know, but I hope that you follow along and join me for the entire experience.  Until the state record strikes, keep on chasing your dream!

NoDak Fowl...

It's been a while since I donned the waders in a slopping pile of mud.  Last week I did just that, and boy did it feel good.  Tuesday night I jumped in the truck filled with my huntin' buddies, Dusty, Scott, Jeff and Sean.  For us, it was a much anticipated trip to North Dakota for ducks, geese, pheasants and anything else that flies.  For the most part, we were after mallards in that picture perfect field hunt setting, but on trips like this, we do anything necessary to get the job done.  Once we get our fill of chasing ducks, then we switch gears, change from camoflouge to blaze orange, and follow the dog through the weeds in search of roosters.  It's chaotic, exciting, overwhelming and exhausting, but that is why we love hunting in Nodak, and we certainly don't waste a minute of daylight during our trips.

Wednesday morning we learned exactly how our week would be spent.  Mud was the word, and sloppy was an understatement.  We met up with Young Ben, and he took us to a mallard honey hole.  Hoping for that perfect mallard shoot in the "dry" field, Ben greeted us with the comment, "oh, and you guys need to bring your waders, leave the blinds in the truck." Yes, we were hunting a field, but the darn thing was flooded, along with half of the other fields in NoDak.  Oh well, we didn't care and followed Ben's orders to Mallard heaven.  Soon after we were reminded why we love hunting in the central of the flyway as we cut mallards that were tumbling into our meager little spread of 6 decoys and 2 spinning wings. 

After the completion of our Wednesday morning hunt, we continued our drive to the final destination in the central part of the state.  It was about two more hours west.  Slowly we drove out of the insanely flooded field country and into the area that we had hunted for the past 7 years.  Well it took us two days for things to click, but while we enjoyed the dry areas in the middle of the state, the duck numbers were less and so were our results.  The ducks were enjoying the sloppy wet fields to the east, which meant that we too would have to suck it up and follow the migration the way nature intended it to be.  With a sigh, we packed our gear and headed back to scout the muddy field waters.  It took us about 5 minutes to find thousands of mallards.  We locked about a dozen locations in our GPS in a matter of hours, and obtained permission to the privately owned duck havens. 

While this was quite a drive, it was clearly worth it.  The next morning we slopped through the mud to the waters edge and put out our small ducky spread.  Then we laid our nice looking coffin blinds in the mud and spread the goo all over the outside.  As the skies to the east started to glow, we were bombarded by ducks by the hundreds.  It really was the hunt of a lifetime, the reason for our trip and the reason that I will be back next year.  During the next few hours we picked out greenies and folded 'em like we knew what we were doing.  As we filled our limit we just laughed at the sight of everything we had just done.  The blinds were covered in mud, inside and out, and everything we touched had a layer of black somewhere on it.  It was crazy, but so worth it! 

As I returned to the farmer that gave us permission, he chuckled at the sight of what I had become.  My face covered in mud and war-paint, I told him thank you for the hunt of a lifetime.  He obliged and continued to laugh.  Looking back at it all, I would have been laughing if I were him too.  We looked ridiculous, our white truck was brownish black and our gear the same.  If you are a duck hunter, it just doesn't get any better than that.  If you are a farmer, then you will laugh at the guy that pulls up to your front door.  That's just how it is, and I get it!  For us, all the work that we put in will be forgotten, but that hunt will remain in our memory 'til we retire. 

The rest of the trip was more of the same, along with some "dry" pheasant hunts that kept us occupied when we weren't swimming in the muddy fields.  We laughed uncontrollably at times, and we got to watch Jeff's dog, Bella, retrieve her first ducks and flush her first pheasants.  The only negative part of the trip was that I chose not to bring the camera into the muddy hunts and the pictures will have to be remembered in our minds instead of on film.  Oh well, those memories will be stuck in my mind forever.  Thanks for the remarkable trip fella's, I can't wait 'til next year!  Until then, Keep on livin' the dream!

Fishing With Legends... Part 2

A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate enough to spend a week fishing with a legendary angler by the name of Joe Bucher.  This man has an extensive history with our sport of muskie angling.  What he has done in his lifetime is certainly nothing short of amazing.  As cool as that was, I returned home for a short stay and then went straight to northern Minnesota to spend some time with another stud in the muskie world.  We were once again filming a show for "Legends of Rod and Reel," a program that airs on the Outdoor Channel, but this time we were filming with the creators of the all impressive muskie catching Cowgirls. 

Brad Hoppe is the name behind the bait and the focus of our program.  While the history behind this man may not be that of Joe Bucher or other fishing icons that we grew up with, what he has been able to do in a short period of time is simply incredible.  Muskie fishing as we know it has changed dramatically over the last 5 years, and it is his passion for change that created it.  Here's a brief story to explain what I am talking about.

Several years ago Brad and his girlfriend at the time named Carrie, decided that they wanted to create something totally different in the world of muskie fishing.  They had tinkered with a few jerkbaits and crankbaits, but it wasn't until Carrie found some tinsel/flashabou and spun herself a bucktail with two gigantic blades that they struck a nerve.  The nerve was from the muskies and their eagerness to eat the lure.  Upon creation, Brad said that he thought it was goofy and didn't want to throw it.  Well, Carrie finally talked him into it, and minutes later he landed the largest muskie of his life measuring 53.5 inches.  From there, the explosion occured, and soon guides like Jason Hammernick were throwing it with unbelievable results.  If you muskie fish today, then you have heard of their line of baits.  The Double Cowgirl, Showgirl, Siligirl and Super Model are their trademarks, and boy have they stuck.  Their bladed baits have accounted for more muskies over 50 inches than possibly any other lure during its time.  It's almost to the point of unfairness to the fish, and if you are on any muskie lake, odds are that you will hear the clanking of their blades flying through the air. 

The neat part for me is learning where it all started, and to see how everything is hand made, one at a time for our fish catching pleasure.  Today, Brad and Carrie are married.  They both have quit their day jobs to focus entirely on muskie fishing.  Brad is a full-time guide, and Carrie is a full-time lure making artist.  From their place out in the country near Alexandria, MN, they put together hundreds of thousands of baits for you and I to toss.  It's almost overwhelming to see it all, but very neat.  They laughed when they said that some muskie fisherman have thought that their lures are made out fo the country.  I can assure you this is not the case, and I have witnessed their Musky Mayhem.

Of course we also had to fish.  Brad and Carrie bundled up for our outing, and almost immediately the fish responded.  The third cast of our trip brought a hefty musky boatside, but she didn't take.  Shortly after, the guide's trademark name came about as the Musky Mayhem we were looking for exploded at our feet.  Carrie had latched into a beast of a fish at boatside on one of her newly put together Cowgirls.  The results?  Well, I guess you'll just have to watch the program to see how it all went down.  Day two we were joined by muskie phenom Jason Hammernick.  He and Brad jumped in the boat together for our final day of on the water filming.  Again, we saw fish ranging into the mid 50's, and again, I will let you watch to see what happened. 

For me, spending time with some of the biggest names in muskie fishing, past and present, has been one of the best experiences in my young career.  These guys are all truly unique in their own way.  How they started, what they have done, and their passion for the fish is very inspiring.  I guess I am almost humbled to say that I have fished with some of the Legends of Rod and Reel.  Until next time, keep on livin' the dream!