BWCA 2010...

The annual trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area is officially in the books.  I believe a passing canoeist said it all on Saturday. He was paddling by and I asked him how he was doing, he smiled and said, "Better than I deserve."  If you've never been to the BWCA or as we call it, the B-Dubs, then you owe it to yourself to make it happen. 

I have been fortunate enough to share this trip with the best group of friends in the world.  I don't know how, but I am greatful for it.  Each summer, nine of us friends take 5 days out of our busy schedules and enjoy life from the perch of an island.  Until you put the cell phones, computers and all technology to the wayside, you don't realize how peaceful, calm and relaxing life can be.  I'll be the first to agree that I am spoiled and get the opportunity to fish more than I deserve, but when I am up there, I am reminded about how it all began and why it is so special.  I can't explain it, I just look forward to each summer and I take it all in.

Walleye shore lunch is the obvious meal.  Each year we eat fresh walleye every day, and 2010 was no exception.  We caught and ate enough walleyes to make a fish factory jealous.  Many years we hammer the smallmouth bass.  This year was a struggled to catch them on every cast, but we still got a few and had several high flying jumps.  Since we have a few days and only set up camp one time, we find ourselves searching new waters and targeting new fish.  The last three trips have taken us into places where the giant panfish roam.  It's become a staple and once again we caught pannies too big for the frying pan.

While all of the above is great and worth the trip alone, I now have a newfound passion swimming in the pristine waters.  Pike.  Big pike!  Each year we have huge northern pike attack our walleye stringers.  You will be quietly fishing when a huge explosion occurs boatside and you realize that your stringer of walleyes is one short, or still in the mouth of a hungry giant.  I made it a point this year to bring some equipment and my goal was a 20 pounder.

I brought a few baits that I thought perfect for the job.  We pack light, so I only brought a couple. While I made good lure decisions, the down side to the equation was that I didn't give these big fish enough credit and I slacked on my rod, reel and line.  I figured that I could boat a giant on heavy bass gear and chose the ultra-light approach.  I tried a couple of smaller baits with minimal success.  It wasn't until I chucked the biggest bait in my box that I realized I was undermatched.  Upon the first cast of my muskie topwater lure, I became almost frightened when a giant pike exploded from beneath.  He missed the bait, but it was obvious that I found what they wanted. 

For the next 30 minutes I had pike of every size exploding on my giant jackpot.  I could argue that it was some of the most intense fishing of my life.  It definitely rivals the excitement of a topwater muskie strike, but I will admit that it is even more fierce.  There is no warning.  They don't follow, they just explode.  After I thought I had it all figured out and my quest for a 20 pounder was going to be short-lived, it all came to an end.  As I worked my topwater lure over 20 foot depths and brought it boatside, a monster shot out like lightning, grabbed my bait and immediately shot back to the depths.  My years of boatside muskie strikes didn't prepare me for the intensity of a huge pike eating at my feet.  A big pike doesn't thrash around on the surface like a muskie.  Instead they immediately give the most powerful explosion downward and if you don't have heavy enough line, they will simply take your lure and leader with them.  This is just what happened to me, and after I wiped the water from my dripping face, I realized that I had hooked and lost the biggest pike of my life.  To make matters even worse, I lost my only giant topwater lure too, not to mention my dignity.  Apparently 20 pound braided line isn't enough for a monster attack boatside.  It took a while for my nerves to calm.  It was insane.  I assure you that next year I will be bringing the big stuff.  Shame on me!

While the fishing was great, the company was even better.  Time around the camp is the highlight of each day.  The fire is the center of it all and stories of years past and fishing tales never get old.  The best part is that each year we continue to make more.  For those of us that rise early, the sunrise over the island is an epic scene.  Sunset are pretty good too.  The weather was what you'd expect and changed by the minute.  We battled out a thunderstorm that would have made most cry for help.  Heavy downpours caused us to dig trenches and route gushing water away from our campsite.  A first time task that we hope is the last.  Like most years we experienced all that time would allow.  When I thought I had done everything possible, I was shocked yet again.  We found an inspiring group of kids and I was convinced to jump off of a cliff.  Yep, that's right, I can now cross that off my bucket list too.  If there is one bad thing about taking a trip to the B-Dub's, it's that at some point you have to pack up your gear and head back to reality.  It really is that good!  I want to thank Dusty, Sean, Matt, Ryan, Scott, Jason, Joe and Jeff for another trip of a lifetime!  Until next year, keep on livin' the dream!

Oops... And BWCA Bound

Last night was a good reminder to how fast accidents can happen.  Bails hooked into a nice muskie for his 2nd straight outing.  Since he's on fire and keeps catching them, I thought it would be fitting for him to handle his own fish in the net.  Heck, he's a big boy, he can handle it.  Right?  Well, as it turns out, maybe that wasn't such a good idea. 

I handed Bails the pliers and turned to grab the camera only to hear some words that I will not share.  "This isn't good, this isn't good, help, help!"  The muskie had made a head shake in the net and the free-flying treble hook stuck right in the palm of his hand.  This might not be a huge ordeal, but with a mad muskie still attached, it isn't something to joke about.  I quickly grabbed the fish and luckily it calmed down.  One quick pop from the pliers and the muskie was free.  At that point he was in no mood to take a picture with his fish, so I simply slid her back to the depths.  In muskie fishing terms, the fish couldn't have been released any faster.  She was maybe in the net for 25 seconds and never came out of the water.  Textbook you would say - other than the fact that my buddy was still attached to the net.

This is where the details get gorry.  With the razor sharp hooks deeply embedded into his hand, we opted to push the hook the rest of the way through rather than pull backwards against the barb.  This wasn't nearly as easy as one would think.  It took a few tools and some hard work, but finally we cut enough skin and pushed the hook far enough to clip the barb.  While this is not something anybody would want to go through, it does serve as a good reminder to the safety of each catch and the preperation that you should have when you hit the water.  Without all the tools on board, we may not have been able to do the procedure and patch the wound.  It's the harsh reality when you fish muskies and being prepared will only make things easier when accidents happen.  I also have to admit that Bails was extremely calm through this ordeal, and it made it a lot easier to operate on.  My guess is that he'll be a little bit more reluctant to jump back into the net for his next muskie.  Regardless, it is an experience that can and if you fish muskies long enough...will happen.

On another note, this evening marks one of my favorite days each year.  I leave for the BWCA with the best group of guys on the planet.  For the next 5 days, myself and eight buddies will live on an island and live off the land.  No computers, no cell phones, no technology period.  Fresh shore lunch over an open fire each day, giant smallies, huge pike and sunsets that cannot be beat.  If it gets better than this, I would have to see it to believe it.  I will have a full recap when I return, until then, keep on livin' your dream!

Tough Guys Fish Muskies...

It wasn't until the rain picked up and the wind started to blow that I was reminded just how tough muskie fisherman are.  I laughed and my buddy Bails giggled when we zipped up our rain gear and continued chucking our baits.  About a dozen boats zipped past us ducking behind their windshields on the way back to the access.  The rain was pounding the water, and the waves had reached maximum size for that lake.  We found a few others tucked behind a point sheltered from the wind.  For Bails and I, we were just getting started.  His comment went something like this..."Here we go fish, Bring it!"

I've said it before and I'll say it again.  Muskie fisherman are the most dedicated and hard-core angler on the water.  When the weather turns bad and conditions aren't favorable, most anglers head for shore.  Funny thing is, these are the conditions that I savor.  I'll find the windiest part of the lake and tear it to pieces.  Water crashing over the front of the boat usually means muskies in the net.  If you fish bass, odds are that you'll be waiting the wind out from shore, or hiding in a calm spot.  Walleye fisherman often think they've lost control of their boat and call it quits.  Panfisherman only consider a good day on the water to be high sun and no wind.  I'm not knocking anyone here, but truth be told, it appears muskie fisherman are the only ones tough enough to take the abuse.

This past Saturday I was reminded just how crazy we really are.  Taking it from the top - I had a short window to sneak out on the water.  The conditions were shaping up well and a front was within range of letting the flood gates open.  My brain went crazy and I just knew the muskies were going to snap.  I called my buddy Sean Bailey, aka: Bails, and he quickly said yes.  This wasn't his first time being thrown into the muskie elements.  We've been doing it together for several years.  We've also been catching muskies in these elements for several years too, so it was no surprise when we pulled up on the honey hole and saw a fish within our first 3 casts.  She was a dandy in the 50 inch range, but chose to save her meal for a fish without hooks.

A few minutes later and we were on to spot number 2.  As the wind switched 180 and hit me directly in the face, I jokingly made a bold prediction.  "Bails, you are going to catch one on this cast."  He laughed, but nodded his head in approval.  His lure was in the sweet spot and the change in wind was an obvious trigger.  I almost wet my shorts when 5 seconds later his first muskie of the year exploded from the water carrying Bail's bait.  You just couldn't draw it up any better.  It's times like this that you wonder how the heck they can be called a fish of 10,000 casts.

After a quick photo he released the fish to fight another day.  After joking about the entire scenario, he picked up his weapon and threw it again.  Instantly another muskie came from the depths and tried to eat his lure boatside.  Not quite ready for the instant opportunity, he pulled the bait and missed out on his chance for 2 muskies in two casts.  By this time the waves were starting to grow and you could see the action level rising.  The perfect example in how and why it pays to be a hard-core muskie dude.  In that 10 minute window the wind went from west at 5, to east at 25.  Extreme weather almost always means extreme fishing if you chase the mighty musky.  It almost seems that the nastier the better.

Over the next hour and half we jumped from spot to spot and did everything we could to keep the muskies from coming in the boat.  I personally made a few mistakes and so did the fish.  It was an obvious lesson in muskies 101, but I failed to photograph any of the interested muskies that wanted my lure.  In total we had 8 encounters.  By the time we left the water we were one of only a few remaining boats on the lake.  Of the few remaining, all were chasing muskies.  A testimony to how tough we really are.  But, when you look at the results, you understand why.  Give a muskie fisherman a storm and he'll give you a picture of a muskie.  Until next time, keep on livin' the dream!

Tiger Attack!

For the past several years I've been itching to catch a tiger musky.  Their color patterns simply rock.  I've been spoiled with many muskies since I was hooked with my addiction, but the waters that I fish very seldom yield a tiger.  Mike and I always talk about switching it up and trying specifically for them, and last night we finally talked ourselves into giving it a shot.

For the sake of the small metro lake and the amount of viewers reading this I will not say the name of the water we chose.  Joining Mike and I was his father Doug and our buddy Matt Hennen.  I've never fished specifically for a tiger nor have I ever fished this particular lake.  Since this was my first time, my game plan was to have all 4 anglers throwing a different bait and to cover the water very quickly.  This was either a good idea, or we were very lucky, because 10 minutes into our evening we got attacked by a tiger.  Doug was the lucky recipient, and a large spinnerbait triggered the strike.  We all took turns admiring his prize and high fives passed around the boat.  To say that I was excited was a total understatement!  I think I'm now addicted to muskies twice - is that even possible?

Our evening started out with a bang but soon proved that we were probably 'lucky' instead of 'good.'  We never saw hide nor hair of another 'ski over the next two hours of casting.  Not that it mattered.  We got what we were after.  Like any muskie fishing, I'm considering it a success to land just one.  When I started muskie fishing over a decade ago, it took me a year to land the first fish.  To get our prize after just ten minutes doesn't seem fair.  I'm thinking that the laws of muskie fishing will come back in to play soon enough, but for now I'm all smiles.  Congrats to Doug for the nice Tiger, and thank you to everyone that helped to make my muskie opener weekend so special.  Until the next muskie strikes, keep livin' the dream!

The 'Real' Opener!

Like many of you, I consider the muskie opener as the 'real' fishing opener.  No longer do we have to fish for something else to pass the time.  This past Saturday was the official kick-off to the madness of 2010, and I'm proud to say that we started it off on the right foot.

Young Ben and I hit the water very early in the season.  3:00 AM to be exact.  A busy schedule for the two of us meant that if we wanted to get any significant amount of time on the water that we'd have to get out there early.  Shortly into our season we had the first nibble.  An explosion in the darkness that caused Ben to prematurely set the hook.  I followed that up with a few good chuckles and that is when we were reminded what specie we were pursuing.  It seemed fitting to have it start that way, and it certainly got the juices flowing.

As if we didn't have the perfect sign to start our season, God blessed us with a muskie sunrise that we'll never forget.  The canvas was covered with every color in the rainbow and I'm sure if you were on the water you know what I'm talking about too.  We bounced back and forth between casting and taking pictures.  With every second we were in even more awe and couldn't get over the brightness of the sky.  The water was calm and if there weren't trees in the distance, you wouldn't have been able to tell where the water ended and sky began.  To make it even sweeter, we got to watch our first muskie bulge the surface and create a wake behind Ben's lure from the start of his cast to the finish.  I could have ended my day right there and I'd have been happy.  The muskie didn't strike, but the day didn't end their either.

A little while later I was given the opportunity to join the crew on KFAN Outdoors for a live report on the water.  I have been lucky enough to be a regular guest on their program and we chatted about what we were experiencing on the water.  During this time, Ben had two more giant's come boatside and nearly gave me a heart attack while conducting my interview.  You can check out the full interview here.  Thank you Billy Hildebrandt and Bob St. Pierre for another opportunity!

Shortly after the interview Ben had to go to work and my partners changed.  I dropped Ben off and Bails and Hennen jumped aboard.  I was bound and determined to get the slime in the boat.  As it turned out, Hennen was just the man to do it.  About 30 minutes into his muskie season he landed the first toothy critter of the year.  A dandy 44 incher that put the icing on my muskie opener cake.  While I would have been satisfied to just be on the water for that perfect morning, I will admit that the muskie in da boat made me smile a quite a bit.  A great start to the 'real' opener..  If this is any indication, I'm very excited for what is to come.  Stay tuned - It's going to be a great season!  Until next time, keep on livin' the dream!