photo contest – october winner...photo contest – october winner by brad waldera, photo editor...

Photo Contest – October Winnerby Brad Waldera, Photo Editor • [email protected]

On a recent fishing trip to Lake of the Woods, my brother need-ed to remind me to take my own advice. Almost every time he caughta fish and I was going to take the photo of him with it, I held mycamera in the regular position to take the picture horizontally. Hekept saying, “turn your camera” reminding me that I could better fit

the fish in the frame by taking a more vertical photo.This can be important in many ways, as the photo will look bet-

ter without all that dead space, and you can also get larger prints ifyou don’t need to crop the pictures as much. In addition, we arealways looking for great vertical shots for the cover of MUSKIE.

I actually caught my personal best fish on that trip, and I’m gladmy brother helped me get a few great shots of it by telling me howto hold the fish and to take a more vertical shot. Thanks bro, some-times we all need a little reminder. v

Photo Tip of the Month – Turn that camera sideways!

Photo of the MonthCheck out the size of this beast. Wow!

Sean Murphy of Chapter 12 sent in this photo of a 52-inch fish with a girth of 26.75. That puts the approximate weightin the 47lb neighborhood. It’s a very impressive looking fish. Sean mentioned that he recently switched from the South ofthe Border Chapter to the MI Chapter in Eagle River, Wisconsin as he’s got a home on Big Sand Lake in Phelps. I forgotto ask if this fish came from that area or not, but it’s a true giant no matter where it was caught.

Congratulations on a great catch Sean, and thanks for the photo. Well done.

October 2008.....MUSKIE 1www.muskiesinc.org

DepartmentsIFC Photo Contest,

Brad Waldera

2 President’s Message,Dan Narsete

3 Magazine Notes,Juris Ozols

4 MUSKIE News

6 Figure 8, Kevin Richards

8 Lunge Log, Jim Bunch

12 Index of Advertisers

29 Chapter News and Views

33 Member Photos,Brad Waldera

Features15 Blending Science and Proper Handling

Practices for a Better Release,Sean Landsman with Marc Thorpe

13 Unusual Trolling Lures, Patricia Strutz

18 Finesse Trolling,Colby Simms with Ray Simms

20 Only the Strong Survive,Bob Chochola

24 Trollin’, Trollin’, Trollin’… ,John Skarie

26 Fall Metro Muskie Madness,Adam M. Glickman

Name _______________________________ Phone ________________

Address____________________________________________________

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My Membership # ______________ Expiration Date _______

Check One: q New Member q Renewal q Address Change q Gift

Email ________________________

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Junior Member(s) Date of Birth (DOB)

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MAIL TO MUSKIES, INC. 14257 Waters Edge Trail,New Berlin, WI, 53151

1-888-710-8286

Regular Membership: q 1 Year-$35.00 q 2 Years-$65.00 q 3 Years- $95.00

Family Membership: q 1 Year-$47.50 q 2 Years-$90.00 q 3 Years-$132.50

Junior Membership (Under 18): q $20.00

q For Muskie Research $________q Automatic Renewal

Payment: q Check or q Credit Card:

Card # __ __ __ __- __ __ __ __- __ __ __ __- __ __ __ __ Exp. Date ____ /____ Signature ____________________________________________

(to find the number of the Chapter you wish to join, see the Chapter News & Views section)

(to find the number of the Chapter you wish to join, see the Chapter News & Views section)

ContentsMUSKIE • VOL. 42, NO. 10

Join Muskies, Inc. ...or give a membershipas a gift.

q VISA q Discoverq AmEx q MasterCard

MUSKIE is published monthly and is the OfficialPublication of Muskies, Inc. International Office: RonGroeschl, International Sec., 14257 Waters EdgeTrail, New Berlin, WI 53151. Ph: 888-710-8286.© Copyright 2008 by Muskies, Inc. All rights reserved.

InternationalOfficers

President, Dan NarseteEmail: [email protected] President/Fundraising, Jim ShannonPhone: 612-670-8943Email: [email protected] President/Fisheries, Research & Youth,Dr. Tom Betka, MDPhone: 920-544-5868Email: [email protected] President/Internal Affairs,[ vacant ]Phone:Email: [email protected] President/Membership & Marketing,Dale VercauterenPhone: 920-680-6093Email: [email protected] President/Communications, Jay ZahnPhone: 920-660-7655Email: [email protected], Kathy GoonPhone: 419-945-2940Email: [email protected] Only Fishing Contest, Jim BunchPhone: 715-226-0295Email: [email protected] Master, Ron GroeschlPhone: 262-271-1002Email: [email protected]. Administrative Secretary, Ron Groeschl14257 Waters Edge Trail, New Berlin, WI 53151Phone: 888-710-8286 or 262-271-1002Email: [email protected]

At Large Directors Term ExpiresBrad Waldera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009Dick McPike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009David Rautmann . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009 Diana Mindar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009Dan Narsete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009Tom Betka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010Dale Vercauteren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010Bob Timme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010Jim Shannon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010Gerald Bucholtz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010Adam Walsh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011Jay Zahn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011Fred Brogle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011Brett Knight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011Rory Potter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011

“All the leaves are brown, and the sky is grey…”

were the beginning lyrics to California Dreamin’. Am I into music? Maybe just a little . . .Instead of this being a theme song for leaving to LA, I think you should be humming itwhile driving to the northern portions of the muskie world. October is here and so are real-ly fat muskies. It’s time to bust out the heavy raingear, thick clothing, and hand warmerswhile you put away the bug spray. Quick-strike rigs, jerk baits, and plugs now tend to dom-inate the landscape as we all compete with the forage to get into a big fish.

We also have the fall board meeting in Kentucky. After an already great season we findourselves in the coda of the season on Cave Run Reservoir. I think this meeting will cul-minate by leading M.I. to something great - change. Like the beautiful maple leaves chang-ing colors up north we will change as well. Soon we will have a new board of directors anda new focus for the organization. This does not mean we will not keep traditions, rather Ihope to grow new ones. Looking at the future I believe changing how we do business willallow us to free up more time to get together and go fishing.

To help represent our growing needs I will hit the speaking trail. Next month I will betraveling to the Land of Enchantment, otherwise known as New Mexico to help support apotential new chapter. A few of you may know that I grew up out there and I’m reallyamazed by our future growth potential. Already there is talk of us expanding into Idaho,Oregon and Utah, not to mention the other 20 states that barely know what a muskie is.No longer is the sport of muskie fishing limited to the Great Lakes region. In fact, I believewe may see the greatest growth for Muskies, Inc. out west.

As I alluded to in last month’s article tiger muskies have become popular with manyGame and Fish Departments around the US. They are sterile and primarily feed on roughfish like suckers, leaving a great option for Fish Departments and a great opportunity foranglers. This has created an explosion of interest in very unconventional areas and tech-niques such as fly-fishing. There are also states that now have VHS-free eggs; this hasallowed stocking programs to be resumed in states like Colorado and Nebraska. Do youhave any fishing friends or relatives out west? If so CALL THEM . . . we are looking to grow.Imagine landing a 30 to 40-plus pound tiger; it would be awesome! That assumes, of course,that you are willing to go out into the “sticks,” a.k.a. out west, and try it for yourself. Whoknows, you might just land a fish of a lifetime.

There is a lot of information contained in these pages, please read on and enjoy it. Asalways, I am proud to be your president and look forward to seeing many of you later thismonth.

Tight lines, Dan v

ThePresident’sMessage

ThePresident’sMessageby Dan Narsete

Muskies, Inc.International President

Email:[email protected]

2 MUSKIE.....October 2008

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MUSKIE Magazine StaffEDITORKevin Richards7618 Sunrise Ridge RoadHenley, MO 65040Phone: (573) 280-2300Email: [email protected] EDITORJuris OzolsPhone: (612) 747-0178Email: [email protected] CONTEST EDITORBrad WalderaPhone: (701) 642-1952Email: [email protected] LOG EDITORJim BunchPhone: (715) 226-0295Email: [email protected] SALES TEAMContact Kevin Richards, EditorPhone: (573) 280-2300Email: [email protected] TECHNICAL MANAGERSunray Printing Solutions, Inc. - Dawn Larson25123 22nd Avenue • St. Cloud, MN 56301-9189Phone: 888-253-8808, ext. 154MAGAZINE DESIGNSunray Printing Solutions, Inc. - John WindschitlILLUSTRATORS/CARTOONISTSRichard Gross, Charles WeissFIELD EDITORSPatricia Strutz, Colby Simms, Sean Landsman,Adam Glickman, Bob Chochola,Steve BudnikEMERITUS EDITORSRod Ramsell, Keith Ogden, Jim Smith

MUSKIE is published exclusively for the mem-bership of Muskies, Inc. and subscriptionscome with a paid membership. Muskies, Inc. isa non-profit organization. Membership classesand associated annual dues are listed on theform at the bottom of page one. Copies ofMUSKIE magazine are available at $3.00 eachfrom the Muskies, Inc. International Office.Contributors grant rights for M.I. to publishonce in MUSKIE Magazine, both the print andon-line versions, including archives and on theM.I. Web site.

Submissions toMUSKIE Magazine

Persons interested in submitting articles forpublication are directed to our websitewww.muskiesinc.org for a link to MUSKIEMagazine, where you will find links on the leftside of the page providing information neces-sary for submissions to MUSKIE Magazine.Further questions will be answered by KevinRichards, Editor. Submissions may be sent to:7618 Sunrise Ridge Road, Henley, MO 65040or email: [email protected]. Phone:(573) 280-2300.

ABOUT THE COVERHow about this for a very

serious muskie tournament: no entryfee, no rules, no “takeoff,” no leaderboard, no weigh-in, no picturerequirements, no prizes, none ofthat. How can that be serious youask?

Well, if you had been in VilasCounty, Wisconsin, in October thelast four years, on Crab andPapoose and Presque Isle Lakes,you would have found out. For yousee, that’s where the annual “BobEllis Row Trolling Classic” hastaken place since 2004. And themuskie row trollers are a highlydedicated bunch, very serious abouttheir sport and particularly abouttheir boats.

Our cover features MUSKIE Field Editor Patricia Strutz row trolling onecold October day on Papoose Lake during the third annual event. She cameup with the idea of a row trolling muskie tournament in 2004 and has pro-moted and organized it ever since. That first year some dozen boats partici-pated, and it has grown every year.

The “Tournament,” where the term has to be applied loosely, lets therow trolling community get together, admire each others hand-made woodenboats, share tips and techniques, and have a great time. The things I men-tioned in the first paragraph are irrelevant. There is a “Traveling Trophy”that gets passed on every year, to be sure, a plaque with one of Bob Ellis’slures on it. But that’s the least of the matter - the other things are moreimportant.

Bob Ellis is one the legends of muskie row trolling, and spent a lot of histime on Papoose Lake where the cover picture was taken. He met a tragicfate in an accident on the lake, and the boat landing is dedicated in hisname.

This year’s event will be held on October 18th, and you can join the fes-tivities at Skyview Lodge in Presque Isle, Wisconsin. Patricia will be thereagain, running the tournament, and you can talk to her about the many otherthings she does - muskie guiding, magazine articles, seminars, all of that. Orgo check out her web page at: www.ablondandherboat.com

Juris Ozols v


An Evening with George WahlFriends and family of George Wahl, long-time Muskies, Inc.

member and a fixture in the Twin Cities Chapter, gatheredWednesday, August 20 at Mystic Lake Casino to honor him andshow appreciation for all he’s done for the chapter. George has beenthe inspiration in many TC Chapter activities including the MuskieExpo, Winter Picnic, Vets Home Fishing Opener, and numerousothers. He is now struggling with his health. Read more about theevening in the TC Chapter’s News and Views article in this issue.An overflow audience listened to tributes and stories by many ofGeorge’s friends. The evening was emceed by Paul Hartman.

Josh Roundsley from Thorne Brothers presents George with a specialcustom Muskie rod as Paul Hartman and John Olson look on.

Hugh C. Becker2009 Foundation Awards

Many MI members remember Hugh C. Becker. Before hisdeath, Mr. Becker worked with fellow MI member George Selcke toestablish the Hugh C. Becker Foundation. Sixty-five percent of thedividends from this multi-million dollar foundation go to Muskies,Inc. each year! The funds are channeled by the foundation board andthrough the Twin Cities Chapter. Many worthwhile projects werefunded in 2008, the first year of the grants.

The annual grant application process is open to chapters andconservation agencies throughout the North American muskie range!The grants can be used for projects such as muskie propagation,stocking, habitat, water quality, and professional research. The 2009grant application period will open on November 1st.

What an amazing legacy Hugh Becker has left for the benefit ofmuskies and muskie anglers! Here are the details.

All requests are to be received between November 1, 2008 andJanuary 31, 2009.

Address all requests to Hugh C. Becker Committee of TwinCities Chapter of Muskies, Inc., c/o George Selcke, 13004 ShadyDale Road, Minnetonka, MN 55343-4904.

Requests are not to be more than five (5) legibly typed pages; sendan original and five (5) copies, to include all the following criteria:1) Name and address of the group, and a history of group’s accom-

plished projects to date, if applicable.2) Demonstrate need - how will this project benefit the Muskellunge

program(s) in area, region, or range (Canada included)?3) What is the project and what is purpose of project?4) Where is this project taking place?5) What is the duration of this project? Include start and finish

dates.6) What are the costs? Itemize equipment and labor, and provide

quotes.7) Who will be involved? Provide names and contact information

(addresses, phone numbers, email) for the project team and proj-ect manager/coordinator.

8) Submit “milestone” dates for progressreports and accountability.

9) Can the requesting group matchfunds from another source? Pleaselist.

Other Considerations:– Cap on any individual grant/fund

will be $10,000; incrementally with-in year or over the course of years.

– Credit to the Hugh C. Becker TrustFoundation will be incurred in fund-ing.

– The Hugh C. Becker has priorityrights to all press releases and publi-cations.

– If this project fails to reach its pur-pose, through false reporting, deceit,and/or other unprofessional acts, therequesting group may be responsiblefor restitution (committee determi-nation).

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D O N AT I O N S

On behalf of Muskies, Inc., thank you! – Kathy Goon, Treasurer

Rock RipleyRobert R.

ChristensenAllen R. Foss, Jr.Michael Bishop

Dan MoatsGreg Pirritano

LawrenceMcKermottJeff Sacco

Renee PorterVictor Allen Fox

Steve PetreeJohn B. MurphyJohn D. Gobbo

Juris OzolsBrett Waldera

Gary Bennyhoff

Addendum:Like projects/activities that may qualify per the wishes and con-

ditions of Hugh C. Becker include, but are not limited to:• Muskie propagation by chapters, similar to what the Twin Cities

Chapter #1 has done in the past.• Stocking, by either raising muskie fingerlings or purchasing fin-

gerlings, yearlings, or adults for public use in designated waters.• Habitat protection and improvement.• Clean water (quality) protection and improvement.• Professional research by qualified personnel (not limited to

Minnesota, but must include accountable data).• Expansion of the present muskellunge range (special considera-

tion for the Missouri river system in North/South Dakota).The Twin Cities Chapter #1 Committee will consider projects basedon their respective merits per criteria above; awards will be publishedin the Muskie Magazine.

Get Smart, Get Healthy –Eat Fish (but not muskies)

I recently read an article about a study in Australia which said ifyou’re looking to boost your memory and concentration you’re bet-ter off eating oily fish twice a week than taking herbal pills or fish oilsupplements. The reviewer said most folks don’t eat enough fish toget sufficient amounts of omega-3 (this is a fatty acid; if I ate morefish I would be smarter and could tell you a lot more about it). Thespokesman went on to say that taking fish oil supplements could beone answer, but “there are other ways to keep your brain fit and yourmemory sharp as you get older. Eating well, staying socially connect-ed and exercising the mind and body all count.”

After pondering all this I recognized some of the reasons mytreks to the Northwoods make me feel so good! I eat great, includ-ing lots of walleye and pike. I get socially connected with my oldfishing buddies. I exercise my mind as I ponder where and how tocatch my next muskie. I exercise my body to the max by casting bigmuskie baits. No doubt about it, I feel better up there. Perhaps thisis why our fishing memories are so vivid.

The website for the Journal of the American MedicalAssociation notes other benefits, and risks, associated with eatingfish:

The foods we eat influence our health. Besides containing protein andother nutrients such as vitamin D and selenium, fish (either finfish orshellfish) contain a specific type of fat, omega-3 fatty acids, that mayreduce the risk of developing heart disease and other medical problems.However, fish may also contain mercury and other contaminants thatmay have risks for health. The October 18, 2006 issue of JAMA (Vol.296 No. 15) includes an article about the health benefits and risks ofeating fish.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF EATING FISH Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish—especially oily fish such

as salmon, sardines, and herring. These omega-3 fatty acids can helplower your blood pressure, lower your heart rate, and improve othercardiovascular risk factors.

Eating fish reduces the risk of death from heart disease, the lead-ing cause of death in both men and women. Fish intake has also beenlinked to a lower risk of stroke, depression, and mental decline withage.

For pregnant women, mothers who are breastfeeding, andwomen of childbearing age, fish intake is important because it sup-

plies DHA, a specific omega-3 fatty acid that is beneficial for thebrain development of infants.

POSSIBLE RISKS OF FISH CONSUMPTION Some fish contain mercury. For men and women not of child-

bearing age, it is not clear that mercury exposure from typical levelsof fish intake has any adverse health effects. In contrast, fish intakehas significant benefits for reducing the risk of death from heart dis-ease, the number one cause of death. So, mercury exposure from fishintake should not be a major concern for men or for women not ofchildbearing age. The benefits of fish intake can be maximized byconsuming a variety of different seafood.

Mercury may have subtle effects on the developing nervous sys-tems of infants. Therefore, pregnant women, women who maybecome pregnant, those who are breastfeeding, and very young chil-dren should avoid 4 types of fish that are higher in mercury content:shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and golden bass. Other fish shouldstill be consumed to ensure that infants receive the benefits of DHAfor brain development. Light tuna has relatively low levels of mercu-ry, and other fish, such as wild and farmed salmon and shrimp, con-tain very low levels of mercury.

Chemicals called dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)can accumulate in foods, including fish. The levels of these chemicalsin fish, including farmed fish, are very low and similar to levels inmeats and dairy products. Compared with the health benefits of fishintake, the health risks of these chemical levels are very low andshould not influence individual decisions about fish intake.Compared with store-bought fish, locally caught freshwater fish mayhave higher chemical levels, so local advisories should be consulted.

Overall, the health benefits of eating fish greatly outweigh the poten-tial risks—especially when guidelines are used to reduce the smallchance of being affected by these risks v

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Assistant Editor Juris Ozols loves to muskie fish when he’s not toobusy working on MUSKIE Magazine covers and photos. Here isJuris with a nice muskie caught during the 2008 Frank Schneider,Jr. Memorial Tournament.

First Year ThanksThis issue completes my first 12-month cycle as your editor for

MUSKIE Magazine. To me the time has gone by very quickly andit has been a challenge which I seem to enjoy even more with eachnew issue. I have met many members and new friends. I have recon-nected with some old acquaintances. I have realized, as I expected,that our dedicated chapter, board, and executive committee membersdonate a tremendous amount of time and talent to keep Muskies,Inc. moving forward.

During this past 12 months we have had major turnover in offi-cers at the chapter and national level. We have a new national pres-ident, several new VPs, and most recently a new treasurer. Luckilywe have had a good number of chapter officers, RVPs, and ALDs tomaintain continuity. By the end of this month we will probably beimplementing a new re-organization plan for Muskies, Inc.

During this period MUSKIE Magazine has taken on a neweditor (me), a new photo contest editor (Brad Waldera), and a newadvertising manager (me again and I need your help). In addition,

we have added field editor SeanLandsman, editor emeritus Jim Smith,several new authors, and an additionalcartoonist (Charles Weiss). We havebeen extremely fortunate to have a lotof stability on the magazine team too.Assistant editor Juris Ozols and LungeLog editor Jim Bunch have been two ofthe most solid and consistent contribu-tors to MUSKIE for many years. Addin our long-term field editors, authors,proof-readers, and our cartoonist/illus-trator, Richard “Grossie” Gross, plusour designer John Windschitl (SunrayPrinting), and we have quite a team.

I offer a great big MUSKIE thanksto all of these folks and all the rest ofour contributors, advertisers, and read-ers for helping to make MUSKIE aquality magazine proudly known as theofficial publication of Muskies, Inc.


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8 8Figure 8by Kevin Richards • [email protected]

Chapter News & Views Reporters - Way to Go!Over the past 12 months the typical number of chapters submit-

ting reports for the News & Views Department of MUSKIEMagazine has increased from about 8 to an average of 12 chapters permonth. Twenty-seven different chapters have used MUSKIE as acommunication tool during this period.

I want to highlight seven chapters that have contributed toChapter News & Views for at least 9 of the past 12 issues. They arechapters 8, 12, 13, 19, 22, 28, and 39. The reporters for these chap-ters need to TAKE A BOW!

I have a favor to ask of every chapter. I am hoping to secureexecutive committee and board support to make our January 2009issue a little bigger and a little more colorful. We will use it again asour special sport show issue and hope to print extra copies to distrib-ute at some of the major shows. I would like to feature reports frommore chapters in that issue and I’d like each chapter to try to high-light some special activity or accomplishment which they are veryproud of. In a nutshell, let’s share some of your success stories withour readers.

Remembering our Muskie Fishing BuddiesAs editor of MUSKIE I receive some very interesting correspon-

dence. Normally these are stories of fishing success intertwined withtales of friends and family. As I was preparing this column at the endof August I received two pieces of mail that really touched my emo-tions.

Doug Foley from Chapter 47 sent me a photo of a TopRaiderhanging in a Michigan birch tree along side a small wooden statue ofChrist. The TopRaider was the lure his brother Ryan had used the

last time they fished this lake together and it has hung there undis-turbed since Ryan died in early 2006. Doug wrote, “One day I planto return to this lake and ‘borrow’ this TopRaider and see whether ornot we might be able to summon the behemoth muskie that we feelcertain resides there.” Doug, we sure hope you get the big one onRyan’s lure!

Richard Schuit from Chapter 7 sent me a memorial for hisbuddy Chuck Wortz who was a member of the South Side MuskieHawks for many years. Richard sent the memorial on behalf of him-self, Matthew Cozzi, and Brian Wortz, Chuck’s son. They saidChuck was “the solidifying anchor” of their four-man muskie tag-team. Here are a couple of lines from the memorial, “In the seasonsto come, our boat will be a bit lighter and our hearts much heavier .. . You will no longer stand beside us in the boat, Chuck, but you willbe with us, and we will see you on the water every time we go fish-ing.”

How lucky we are to spend quality time fishing with goodfriends and family. We treasure the memories from those trips andlook forward to really getting to know some new MUSKIE friendson future fishing adventures.

After the thrill of catching your next muskie do your best tocarefully release it to fight another day; the future of our muskieresource will literally be in your hands! v

– Kevin


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Muskies, Inc. Fall Board MeetingFriday Oct. 24 & Saturday Oct. 25Morehead, KY and Cave Run Lake

Hosted by Daniel Boone Chapter #52Friday: Chapter #52 hosting member fishing on Cave Run Lake and

a hospitality room at Comfort InnMust confirm if you want to pair-up and fish with a #52 memberContact Larry Besant at: 606/776-9896 or: [email protected]

Scott Smalley at: 606/584-0046 or email: [email protected]

Saturday: Breakfast at the Morehead Conference CenterMeeting and working lunch Saturday at Morehead Conference Center,

111 East First Street, Morehead, KY 40351 • Phone: 606/780-9694 or 800/654-1944

Room accommodations: Comfort Inn & Suites2650 KY 801 North, Morehead, KY 40351 • 606/780-REST (7378)

Book on-line at: www.choicehotels.com

Ask for Muskies, Inc. rate of $75.99 double occupancyReservations must be confirmed by Oct. 3rd for special rate

Exit 133 off I-64 “Cave Run Lake” one exit west of Morehead, KY(300 yards south of Interstate)

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Cross Country Charlie!Charles Carpenter is from Harrisville, West Virginia and a

member of the West Virginia Chapter. He has been fishing muskiesfor many years, maybe 30 plus. There are some big muskies in WestVirginia but a 43 inch plus is consid-ered a monster. There have been somefifties caught in that state but they arenot an everyday occurrence. So in2007 Charlie and friends seek out atrip for some really big ones. With theinformation on the Muskies, Inc. website it was not hard to pick Mille Lacsin Minnesota. That is one heck of acommitment as it is about 1000 miles.Considering the round trip, pulling aboat at 15 miles per gallon and $4 pergallon, that is about $540 just for gas.Nevertheless they made the trip. Lastyear they selected guide Steve Jonesi.Everything was set, they made the tripbut Steve ran into some complicationswith his other business and could notmake it. So other arrangements weremade they had a good time and one ofthe guys got a 50 inch.

In 2008 Charlie decides to goback, he calls Steve Jonesi and makessure everything is set, yes it is and herethey come. Steve explains that theseWest Virginia folks are used to smalllakes and streams. They use small baits,Crane Bait size and in general have asmall style of approach to the sport. Sonow they are on Mille Lacs, can’t seeacross it and using 13 or 14 inch buck-tails. Well you know were we are head-ing don’t you. The contact is made. Agood muskie fisherman no matterwhere they are from knows what to do.Steve says he thinks the moon rise was8:42 PM and the sunset was somethinglike 8:56 PM and this monster ate theDouble Cowgirl right in between thosetimes. Indeed it was a fish of a life time.

the Lunge Log

by Jim Bunch


Charlie Carpenter, Chapter 9. 56.5 inches, 7/16/08 Mille Lacs, MNDouble Cowgirl. Fish I.D. 255727.

It measured 56.5 inches with a 25 inch girthwhich puts her nearly 45 pounds.

Charlie says this is the only picture I have ofit out of the water. Steve Jonesi assured me she wasOK but I didn’t want to risk keeping her out ofthe water any longer for another picture. The fishfought extremely hard and went completely airborn twice, what a sight. I just wanted her back inthe water and swimming away, which she did withno problems. Steve says this ole southern boy satdown in the boat for a few minutes completelystunned by the event. Steve asked him if he wasOK, and Charlie responded with that slow south-ern drawl that everything was just fine.

Stewart FamilyAffair!

Jeff Stewart who is fairly new inreporting his muskie catches to theLunge Log is from Lowell, Michigan andthe Michigan Muskie Alliance, Chapter47. On July 12 this year he went out onLake St. Clair for a fishing expeditionwith the whole family. This included 6year old Chris and 9 year old Jon. Theseare his two sons who have never caught alegal muskie. Now we got to chat withJeff because in the process he caught hislargest muskie ever at 54.5 inches on aLoke Crank bait. I sent him an email andchatted with him briefly on the phone.His muskie was very nice with a 22 inchgirth that put her at some where between35 and 36 pounds. He was nice enoughto send us a really nice picture and weshare that with you.

Now Jeff kind of put down his cap-ture a bit because as a father somethingelse happened on this trip that he wasvery excited about. His boys Jon andChris got into the act. Both boys caughtand released their first legal muskies.How he pulled this off is really neatbecause both muskies measured 42 inch-es. Consequently he had the ultimatefishing trip. And the proud father madesure he sent the release pictures of thekids and their muskies. Editor KevinRichards will show you these two rookiesand their pictures elsewhere in this mag-azine.

(Continued on page 10)

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Jeff Stewart, Chapter 47 54.5 inches,7/12/08. Lake St. Claire, ONLoke Crank. Fish I.D. 255259Mens–(Cont’d)

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Swim Along!The name is Matt (Catfish)

Firestein; he is from Gilbertsville,Pennsylvania but a member of theCapital City chapter in Madison,Wisconsin. He is from Wisconsin andstill fishes with a lot of friends there.The nick name is Catfish, we never real-ly got into that but I’m sure there is astory behind that also. This was atrolling expedition on Lake St. Clair andsome of the details and language hererelate to that which may seem differentto us upper Midwest casters. Howeverin true humble fashion Mike tells it likethis.

“I really take little credit as I wasfishing with good friend Mike Pittiglioof Muskie Mania Charters and twoother friends Chris and Johnny. Thedriver and net man did an unbelievablegood job. On the rod we just had tokeep good pressure. One time she madea run towards the inside planer line.She was close to getting tangled up sowe had to lay some lumber to get herhead turned back towards the back of


LUNGE LOG(Continued from page 9)

Muskies, Inc. PastPresidents

Gil HammEdward T. Peterka

Robert HillRobert Shoop

Frank SchneiderPeter Hadley

DuWayne BakkeLou Cook

Peter HadleyBob Schmidt

Larry RamsellLou Cook

Keith OgdenBill Davis

Steve StatlandJohn Hotle

Jim BlaubachSteve Budnik

Jim SmithPaul Framsted

Perry SmithGreg Wells

David Cates

Matt (Catfish) Firestein, Chapter 8. 55.25, 7/20/08Lake St. Clair, ON. Spanky Fireball. Fish I. D. 256398

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the boat. Chris was driving and kept kicking the boat in and out ofgear to reduce the fight time as well. It definitely was a team effort.

We had a lot of success running my side of the boat on Spankysand KG Musky Magnets, The day before we had caught a 52 incherand a 51 incher along with a number of other fish on these. The fishcame on an outside board rod 45 feet of line with 4 ozs. of weight.

It was on a yellow Spanky bait. It was a relatively short battle aswe never want to overstress the fish. The hook popped out while itwas in the net. On the release the boat was rocking pretty bad, so I

jumped in with her. After a short time in the water she kicked looseand was gone to the depths which was the best sight of all. Maybewe’ll get a shot at her in November or December. Thanks Muskies,Inc., MOMC, anyone who releases their fish with care, some greatfishing partners, and a very understanding (enabling) wife!!!”

Matt thanks for that really neat picture of this super 55.25 inchmuskie. With the size and condition of muskies we’re seeing thisyear from Lake St. Clair it appears that the health of this populationis very good.

Keep a tight line Jim [email protected] 226-0295


•To promote a highquality muskellungesport fishery;

•To support selectedconservation practicesbased on scientificmerit and carried outby authorized federaland state agencies;

•To promote muskel-lunge research;

•To establish hatcheriesand rearing ponds andintroduce the speciesinto suitable waters;

•To support the abate-ment of water pollu-tion;

•To maintain records ofhabits, growth, andrange of species;

•To disseminate muskel-lunge information;

•To promote goodfellowship andsportsmanship amongmen, women andchildren.

Purposesof Muskies,

Inc.


Jeff Stewart, from Chapter 47, took hisfamily fishing on July 12th on Lake St. Clair.Both of his sons caught and released theirfirst legal muskies and both fish were 42inches – what a way to start filling theirmuskie memory banks! If you check out thismonth’s Lunge Log you’ll notice that Jeffgot a pretty fine muskie the same day, abeautiful 54.5 incher.

The Stewart Kids’

Jon Stewart with his dad, Jeff.

Chris Stewart with his dad, Jeff.

Notice to Muskies, Inc.Grant Recipients

From late 2007 through early 2008 about 20M.I. chapters were awarded grants. Thesewere to be used for Fisheries, Research, andYouth projects. Due to unforeseen circum-stances, the final 6 chapters to be awardedgrants had to wait a very long time toreceive their funds. Muskies, Inc. apologizesto those chapters; we regret that it took solong and we thank you for being so patient!

INDEX OF ADVERTISERSGOOD SEARCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

INDIAN LAKE LODGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

LAX REPRODUCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

MUSKIES, INC. 2009 CALENDARFUNDRAISER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

MUSKIES, INC. FALL BOARD MTG . . . . . . . . . . 7

TAYLOR COUNTY TOURISM COMMISSION . . . 28

TUFFY BOATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

USDA - STOP AQUATIC HITCHHIKERS (VHS) . . 14

YOUNG'S WILDERNESS CAMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Muskies, Inc. JoinsGood Search... spread the word!

What if Muskies, Inc. earned a penny every time you searched theInternet? Well now we can! All you have to do is click on this linkwww.goodsearch.com/?charityid=830274 and start searching theinternet as you normally would! You can save this link as one ofyour favorites. Each search raises a penny for Muskies, Inc.

You can also go to the main website for GoodSearch at www.good-search.com; then where it says “enter your charity here...”, underthe box labeled “Who do you search for?”, just move your cursorinside the box and type Muskies or Muskies Inc, then click verify.MUSKIES INC (BARRINGTON IL) will appear. That way you know MIwill get the credit.

Help us spread the word!

www.muskiesinc.org October 2008.....MUSKIE 13

Last fall I was invited to go fishing with Jeff Tilkens of RobertsOutdoors. We motor trolled “Tilky’s” home waters—the bigbay of Green Bay. Tilky is a character; he’s a passionate, hard

working fella whose enthusiasm for the sport clearly shows. The daywe headed out in his 1968 Shell Lake boat, affectionately dubbed“The Musky Tug”, we were joined by his cousin Tom.

Tilky’s tackle box appropriately held a wide variety of Joe Buchertackle. Having trolled Depthraiders and baby DRs for many years, Ifigured that’s what he’d be tying on. But, he surprised me as he tooka Swim’n Joe, actually several Swim’n Joes, and started motor trollingthe vast waters.

“Those aren’t trolling lures,” I kidded him. “Oh, yeah? Tell themuskies that,” was his response. Within the hour we had our firstfish—a small musky that chose one of the Swim’n Joes over the othertraditional trolling lure offerings we had out onother lines. By day’s end we had boated two oth-ers...one 50.5” and one 51”! And, had anothersolid 50” up to the boat before she came off. Anunbelievable day...all on Swim’n Joes.

Most other fishermen that day remained fish-less. I was stunned and tried to figure it out. It wasvery windy and the wind direction was driving thewater out of the bay; thus, we were dragging luresaround in very shallow water (around 3’). Theother lures (i.e. Shallowraiders) were being pound-ed into the lake bottom—often just plowingthrough the sand. Swim’n Joe, however, trolled just under the water’ssurface where the hungry muskies could find a tempting meal.

Thinking Outside of the BoxMusky anglers have long been known as anglers who try uncon-

ventional tactics. Choosing lures which are not considered trollinglures is just one more tactic that can garner great results in certain cir-cumstances. Here are a couple of other examples:

*We held the first Bob Ellis Classic (a row trolling tournament)in early June. Rower Craig Niermann was plying the pristine watersof Crab Lake. He relays, “Crab has some great rock reefs and Ithought...hmmm...this early in the season the muskies should belying there on the shallow rocks, sunning themselves. The only thingI figured I could troll in the shallow rubble without getting snaggedwas a topwater. So, I tied on a Hawg Wobbler.” Niermann ended upcatching a nice fish and winning the inaugural event.

Since row trollers can employ extremely slow speeds, slow presen-tations such as the Hawg Wobbler, Creeper, and Believer are viablechoices in those circumstances.

*Another row troller, Jim Olson, has trolled jerkbaits around withsuccess. “The Sledge has been one of my top producers. I’ve also caughtfish on a Reef Hawg and know others who use Bobbie baits. Jerk baitshave a side to side action when rowed—not as much action as when youcast them— but sufficient action—and a good hook up percentage.”

“I’ve also started row trolling soft plastics. The Huddleston hasbeen very successful. If I set it about 30’-40’ behind the planer boardand row under 2 mph, it generally stays off the bottom. Of course,

they sink if I stop but they don’t seem to get hung up as often as crankbaits do.”

*Motor trolling guru Musky Mike concurs that trolling soft plas-tics can be deadly. “I’ve been trolling Bulldawgs and Curly Sues withgreat results. The data (speed, lure depth, line type and distance, etc.)is all listed in the 2nd edition of “Musky Mike’s Trolling Secrets” avail-able through Drifter Tackle. Other motor trollers that I spoke to notethat their greatest success with soft plastics have been holding onto therod and ripping it to induce the strike while trolling.

*Several trollers, motor and rowers, have been experimentingwith sinking lures. With the trend of trolling the deep basins in openwater, sinking lures can access areas where deep forage, like ciscoe, arehanging out. One drawback to the sinking lures, however, is that themoment the boat stops one must quickly retrieve the lure before it

sinks and gets snagged up on the bottom. Settingup a sinker on a free line (not a planer board) is thebest option. Inside turns at very slow speeds cancause the lures to drop to the bottom also.

*I’ve personally used oversized crankbaits formany years—with great success. My favorite is theoriginal Hooker bait. Years ago I thought I’d have tobe crazy to purchase such a big, expensive lure. Nowit’s a staple in my tackle box. These big profiles haveaccounted for some of my biggest fish late in thefall—both muskies and walleyes! Other big cranks Iuse include the Big Foot Depthraider, Big Games,

Jakes, and Legend Plows. Lakewood’s Extreme Tackle Box is the onlystorage box I’ve found that houses these large lures efficiently.

*Do you fish heavily pressured waters and believe the muskieshave seen it all? One lake that I troll seems to follow this pattern. Istarted experimenting with saltwater lures and have enjoyed positiveresults. In particular, Mann’s saltwater cranks have put some nicemuskies in my boat. I do not care for the saltwater hooks (I find themdifficult to keep sharp) so I switch them out to Eagle Claws.Conversely, I have used Depthraiders with great success while saltwa-ter fishing down inFlorida and the Bahamas!Banging DRs along thereefs has produced manytasty groupers in our boat.

So, the next time themuskies seem fickle, trytrolling a spoon, a jerk-bait, or another “non-tra-ditional” trolling lure. Youjust might be surprised atthe results! v

Patricia Strutz is a FieldEditor for MUSKIEMagazine. She can bereached at:

M.I. member “Musky Mike” caught this bighawg trolling the “Pounder” Bulldawg with 8 oz.of lead attached to the swivel at the head of theleader. Trolling about 3.5 mph, he let out 50feet of line on the inside rigs and 65-70 feet onthe outside rigs. Adding lead gets them deeperwith less line so you can still feel the bait.

Musky anglers have longbeen known as anglerswho try unconventionaltactics. Choosing lureswhich are not consideredtrolling lures is just onemore tactic that cangarner great results incertain circumstances.

Jeff Tilkens and his buddy, Tom, show off the two different 50-plusinchers we landed one day last fall while motor trolling Swim'n Joes.

[email protected]

There’s danger in the waters. Viral hemorrhagic septicemia(VHS) is a serious disease of fresh and saltwater fish that

has recently been found widely throughout the Great Lakesregion of the United States and Canada. VHS is not a threat to human health.

VHS spreads among fish through urine and reproductive fluidsreleased into the water, and also through the eating of otherinfected fish. Infected fish and water can easily spread the virus ifthey are released into a new body of water. Appropriate hygienicor other routine biosecurity precautions are necessary to protectaquatic animal health and prevent further spread of the disease.

The Healthy Way

• Thoroughly clean and dry fishing equipment, bait buckets,boats, and trailers before using them again.

• Empty all water from equipment before transporting.

• Remove all mud, plants, and aquatic life from equipment.

• Do not move fish or plants from one body of water to another.

• Do not introduce fish of an unknown health status into populations of farmed fish.

There’s Nothing Fishy About Healthy Fish.

To learn more, visit www.aphis.usda.gov/healthyfish

United States Department of AgricultureAnimal and Plant Health Inspection Service


The ScienceFish mortality is typically divided into two categories: initial and

delayed (Arlinghaus et al. 2007). Initial mortality is often achievedwhen a fish is hooked in a location that causes massive bleeding andirreparable damage to fragile structures such as the gills. However,when a fish is not mortally wounded by hook location, an accumula-tion of sub-lethal stressors can result in delayed mortality.

Once a fish is hooked and the angling event commenced, impor-tant energy stores are quickly consumed and lactic acid build-up inthe muscle begins. Increases in lactate and depletion of energy storesare greatest in fish angled for long durations (Schreer et al. 2001).When a fish is finally captured it may be removed from the water formeasurements and photos. This exposure to air significantly increas-es the time required for heart related processes to return to normal lev-els (Cooke and Suski 2005). Normal body function is typicallyachieved after an ample resuscitation period in a well oxygenated envi-ronment.

Most physiological changes are magnified during periods ofextreme water temperature. As cold blooded creatures, fish experiencechanges in water temperature throughout their bodies which canaffect everything from metabolism to cellular function. Furthermore,warm water retains less oxygen which makes it increasingly difficultfor fish to recover from exhaustive exercise.

A successful release can be significantly influenced by hookinglocation, water temperature, duration of battle, and amount of airexposure. Though you may not be able to control hooking location,you can control the other factors. By taking extra steps to ensure thesurvival of your catch, you are helping preserve the resource so futuregenerations can enjoy it as much as we do!

The ToolsFirst and foremost is some kind of landing device. Large land-

ing nets with coated mesh can reduce fin splitting and other skininjuries. Another option is a cradle which can quickly subdue a fish,

though usually takes two people to operate and may be too difficultto use when fishing solo.

The Boga-Grip is another tool that allows the angler to gain con-trol over the fish and remove the hooks quickly. Tools like theseshould be used only if they have jaws that can swivel 360 degrees, thuspreventing serious damage to the jaw if a fish decides to roll.

A good pair of long-nose pliers or channel locks allow the anglerto reach deep into a fish’s mouth while maintaining good leverage toextract hooks. These tools also help keep the angler safe by minimiz-ing contact with the fish’s sharp teeth.

Knipex or other high quality hook cutters are often faster and lessstressful than using standard long-nose pliers. If you are concernedabout losing your expensive cutters while unhooking a fish, famedOttawa/St. Lawrence River guide Marc Thorpe suggests trying this:attach a piece of nylon rope(roughly five feet long) to yourcutters, tie the tag end to a key-chain clip, then attach the clip toyour net or somewhere inside yourboat. If you lose your grip on thecutters they will simply fall away,but remain attached to your net orboat.

If a pair of long-nose pliers orcutters cannot reach hooks deepinside a fish’s mouth, a new prod-uct called the Hook Pick is aninvaluable tool. Its simple designcoupled with an overall length of15 inches allows the angler topush or pull on a hook wedgeddeep inside a fish’s mouth.

Blending Science and Proper HandlingPractices for a Better Release

by Sean Landsman with Marc Thorpe

The large landing nets available today can act as a small "pen"that can keep fish fully submerged and help reduce stress.

Recommended release tools (left to right): large needle nosepliers, jaw spreader, Knipex bolt cutters, Hook Pick, channel

locks, Musky Armor "Release Glove."

Hook removal must be doneas fast as possible! Don’t hes-itate to use your bolt cutters to

cut hooks when necessary.

October 2008.....MUSKIE 15www.muskiesinc.org(continued on page 16)


Many folks employ the “Leech Lake Lip Lock” which puts theangler’s hands in very close contact with the fish’s razor sharp gill rak-ers and sensitive gill filaments. A glove such as Musky Armor’s“Release Glove” protects the angler’s hands from sharp gill rakers,affords the angler excellent dexterity, and more importantly mini-mizes the bulk of other gloves that can damage the fragile gill fila-ments. If crushed or torn, these filaments can prevent the fish fromobtaining necessary oxygen once returned to the water. Please usecaution when handling muskies near their gills.

Landing the MuskieAs soon as the fish is landed, take a deep breath and compose

yourself! Make sure the fish’s head is in the water. If the fish’s head isabove the water because the lure has tangled in your net beginunhooking immediately. Your goal should be to remove hooks in aslittle time as possible. Thorpe notes that there are two visual queuesanglers can use to determine if a fish is undergoing excessive amountsof stress. If the sides of the fish and/or the eye or eyelids turn a red-dish coloration, this is may be a sign of severe stress. If the angler seesthis, Thorpe advises not to remove the muskie from the water; therelease should commence immediately.

If you choose to take a muskie which is not severely stressed outof the water for photos and/or measurements, give the fish a little timeto recuperate after removing the hooks. Immediately removing themfrom their only source of oxygen heightens stress and increases thetime it will take for stress levels to subside. Furthermore, you mustgrip the fish as tight as humanly possible when handling the fish orremoving them from the water. Dropping the muskie can result inserious external and internal injuries.

Air Exposure, Measurements, and PhotosIf you choose to take measurements and/or pictures, your goal

should be to keep the fish out of water for as little time as possible.You and your boat partner should be familiar with how your cameraoperates before hitting the water. Keep in mind how you hold the fishif a photo session is desired. A vertical hold can severely damage amuskie’s spinal column, gill structures, jaw bones, and internal organsas connective tissue tears and organs slide or rupture inside the fish.

The longer your catch is held in this position, the higher the likeli-hood of inflicting damage. Therefore, it is advised that the fish is lift-ed horizontally out of the net or cradle and supported with fingersspread or the entire arm positioned near the mid-section of the fish tosupport the fish’s mass and prevent internal injury.

Measuring the fish should be done quickly and with little to noair exposure. Measuring a fish vertically is never recommended for thedangers listed above plus the additional air exposure it would cause.Another popular measurement method is the use of a bump board.While this method keeps the fish’s mass fully supported, it stillrequires additional airexposure. I cannotemphasize enoughthat it is crucial tominimize the durationof air exposure asmuch as possible.Therefore, it is highlyrecommended that allmeasurements betaken in the water.This is the absolutesafest form of measur-ing that can signifi-cantly minimize stress.After using a largelanding net to securethe fish, Thorpe usesthe built-in ruler onFrabill’s “Pro TechMuskie Cradle” tomeasure fish in thewater. A simple float-ing ruler or cloth tapewould also work forin-water measure-ments.

The ReleaseThe biggest mistake I see anglers make when releasing fish is

when they force the fish forward and backward. This puts unneces-sary strain on the fish’s fragile gill plates. Simply hold the fish uprightby the base of the tail and allow it to recover on its own. Periodicallyrelease your grip to make sure the fish has gained full equilibrium andis not rolling over on its side. Once equilibrium has been achieved,let go. The less handling that takes place the less stress the fish will

Give your catch a period to rest before removing it from the netfor measurements and pictures.

Bump boards allow the full weight of the fish to be supported andevenly distributed while measuring. However, air exposure is still

an issue when using this method.

In-water measurements can be just asaccurate as bump board measurementsand eliminate the additional air exposureassociated with out-of-water measuring.

HANDLING PRACTICES(Continued from page 17)


undergo. Do not slap the fish on the tail to get it to“take off.” This forces the fish to burst swim which isthe very type of exhaustive exercise that you are try-ing to help the fish recover from. Remember, justbecause a fish swims away quickly does not necessar-ily mean it will survive.

Releases in High Water TemperatureWhen fishing in high water temperatures, every-

thing must be done faster. The duration of the fight,the unhooking process, the handling period, and thetime out of water must all be shorter. In fact, it isadvised that the angler not remove the fish from thewater during periods of extreme water temperature,particularly when the water is above 80 degrees F. Ifyou must, Thorpe suggests limiting time out-of-waterduring this period to 20 seconds or less. It takes fishsignificantly longer to recover from exhaustive exer-cise during periods of high water temperature (Suskiet al. 2006), and removing them from the water willonly prolong the recovery period. Furthermore, thereis a positive relationship between bacteria productionand water temperature (Sander and Kalff 1993), increasing the likeli-hood that fish with lowered immune systems (as a result of exhaustiveexercise) could contract water-born illnesses. A total-water-releasewhere hooks are removed and measurements taken in the water ishighly recommended. In fact, many anglers choose not to fish

muskies once water temperatures reach 80 degrees, and instead switchto other species or pursue muskies at night when water temperaturesare cooler.

Preserving the ResourceHumans have a responsibility to protect and care for nature’s

resources. As stewards of nature, particularly as anglers, taking everystep possible to ensure the successful release of your catch helps fulfillthis obligation. On the spectrum of handling procedures – fromharvest to total-water-release – the guidelines in this article fallsomewhere in the middle. Educating the public on properhandling procedures becomes imperative as the sport’s popularityincreases. Our handling procedures will never ensure 100 percent ofour muskies will be released successfully, but there are certain tech-niques you can employ that will dramatically decrease delayed mortal-ity and keep survival rates high. Most studies on fish physiology focus

on bass, trout, and salmon; there are veryfew physiology studies focusing onmuskies. Testing the effects various han-dling techniques have on delayed mortali-ty is an important step in revealing whatspecific practices are most beneficial for thepreservation of this resource.

The muskie is a fish that providesgreat value both as an apex predator inaquatic ecosystems and as quarry to thoseof us who love to pursue this beast. Pleasepractice catch-and-release with care –remember your goal is to release a healthyfish which will live to grow, spawn, andperhaps fight again! v

Sean Landsman is MUSKIE Magazine’snewest Field Editor. Sean will finish hisBachelor of Science degree next spring andplans to start a graduate program in Fisheriesshortly thereafter, possibly working on muskiecatch-and-release methodology.

References and AcknowledgementsSpecial thanks to John Underhill and Marc Thorpe for giving the

author permission to use their photos.

Arlinghaus, R., Cooke, S.J., Lyman, J., Policansky, D., Schwab, A, Suski,C.D., Sutton, S.G., & Thorstad, E.B (2007) Understanding the com-plexity of catch-and-release in recreation fishing: An integrative synthe-sis of global knowledge from historical, ethical, social, and biologicalperspectives. Reviews in Fisheries Science 15: 75-167.

Cooke, S.J. & Suski, C.D. (2005) Do we need species-specific guidelines forcatch-and-release recreational angling to effectively conserve diversefishery resources? Biodiversity and Conservation 14: 1195-1209.

Sander, B.C. & Kalff, J. (1993) Factors controlling bacterial production inmarine and freshwater sediments. Microbial Ecology 26: 76-99.

Schreer, J. F., Cooke, S.J. & McKinley, R.S (2001) Cardiac response to vari-able forced exercise at different temperatures an angling simulation forsmallmouth bass. Transactions of the American Fishery Society 130:783–795.

Suski, C.D., Killen, S.S., Kieffer, J.D. & Tufts, B.L. (2006) The influence ofenvironmental temperature and oxygen concentration on the recoveryof largemouth bass from exercise: Implications for live-release anglingtournaments. Journal of Fish Biology 68: 120-136.

There’s no need to move your muskieforward and back during the releaseprocess. Simply help the fish stay

upright and when she is ready to go,release your grip!

A total water release marks the future of fish handling. Manyfolks, particularly under extreme water temperatures, employ thistechnique. Eliminating or significantly reducing air exposure will

increase the odds that your catch will survive to fight again!

Proper handling can lead to lots of memories of muskies swimmingaway from the boat. However, to minimize delayed mortality ofreleased fish remember to reduce fight times, keep durations of airexposure short (if at all), and minimize handling.


Finesse trolling may seem more like a technique employed forother species, but with some adjustments, this seldom usedtactic can be employed to tackle the kings of freshwater in a

way most people have never tried. Bodies of water seem to vary whenit comes to catching old esox with specific presentations. Some pro-duce much better results with casting techniques during most of the

season, whiletrolling may bea better optionmuch of thetime elsewhere.When these pre-sentations fail toproduce, finessetrolling is oftena good option.Standard castingand trolling tac-tics are consid-ered the pri-mary presenta-tions to usewhen chasingour favoritespecies, butwhen they don’tproduce resultsmake sure youthink outsidethe box.

CastingI’ll readily admit that

I’m a caster at heart.There’s nothing like thefeel of a muskie slammingyour bait with a bone jar-ring strike, or seeing a bigfish cruise right up to theside of the boat followingyour lure. Casting forthese big, toothy preda-tors is a thrill. Castingoffers distinct advantagesto trolling. Casting allowsus to slow down andwork an area thoroughly.Casting allows us to spotfollowing fish and naildown a pattern morequickly. Casting also givesus the opportunity to react to a fish that shows interest in our pres-entation in a wide variety of ways.

One of the biggest advantages to casting is the ability to pickapart cover. With accurate casts, we can place our lures right on thatweed edge, we can work down the length of a fallen tree, or we cansteer and walk a bait right through boulders that come to the surface.We can effectively place our lures where we cannot safely operate ourboats or where we would get hung up when using planer boards.When targeting cover and hitting those tight places, casting usuallyreigns supreme.

Finesse trolling allows anangler the opportunity topresent a lure with atrolling approach, but ata much slower pace thancould be accomplishedwith a gas poweredmotor, thus making iteven more ideal forneutral and negative fishthan standard motortrolling.


TrollingTrolling allows anglers to

quickly cover great distancesin the search for muskies.Trolling gets our presentationaway from the boat, which attimes may spook our quarry.Where legal, trolling allowsthe use of multiple rods andmultiple lures per angler.Trolling also allows anglers tofish deep, but fast at the sametime.

When most anglers referto trolling, they are referringto the method of dragginglures behind a boat at speedwith the use of a gasolinepowered motor. Today, speedis becoming more and morepopular with trollers. Speed can be a great trigger, another advantagethat comes with standard trolling presentations, but it can also detera lot of strikes as well. I believe that deterring strikes from less thanaggressive fish is offset by the ability to contact greater numbers offish, thus increasing the opportunity to tangle with a muskie that’s inthe mood to chase prey.

LocationThere are a great deal of fish that will position just inside or very

close to the edge of cover, taking up residence in places where trollers

can’t get to them. They’ll posi-tion right on or just inside theweed edge or they might setup on weed flats where thevegetation comes almost tothe surface. They might hangtight to the outer limbs of lay-downs. They may be inbetween boulders that can’t benegotiated in a boat, except ata snail’s pace with the out-board raised out of the water.

Many times, however,they will simply position in atight spot, such as a smallcove or pocket of water wherea troller can’t swing in whencruising at several miles perhour. When fish positionthemselves in this way, themost logical approach is to

cast for them. Many times this will work, and anglers can get thesefish to strike; but if not, here is another tactic to try.

The TechniqueFinesse trolling involves the use of an electric trolling motor

instead of a gas powered engine. An angler uses the trolling motor todrag lures into the strike zone of fish positioned outside the path ofwhere power trollers can go. Anglers hold the rods instead of placing


At high noon the thermometer on the sign in front of the bankin International Falls, Minnesota read minus eight degreesCelsius (about seventeen Fahrenheit). It was just before

Halloween and even colder temperatures accompanied by snow andsurface ice were expected in a few days, but that didn’t discourage ourgroup of die-hard muskie hunters from making one last trek into theCanadian wilderness in search of a trophy or two.

Every year, just afterLabor Day, when the kidshave returned to school, it’spretty common for therush – a race even - to seewho can get their boat win-terized and into storagefirst. Some anglers (espe-cially muskie hunters) are

going to argue that point, but generally speaking there is considerablyless-and-less pressure the deeper into fall you fish.

You can also bet that there aren’t too many people willing to riskextreme and sometimes dangerous conditions to head north of the

border into Canada, where a miscalculation of weather or mechan-ical boat failure in a remote location can spell disaster. If you arebrave enough, careful enough, and some might say “loopy”enough, a trip of this nature can payoff with some big muskies. Itcould turn into the trip of a lifetime.

This particular late October adventure took place about fourhours north of the border and required a seven mile boat tow fromthe main road over a rugged pothole and boulder maze that resem-bled the road into Baghdad after it had been bombed. That just gotour crew to the boat launch. It was another fourteen miles by boatand then a two mile hike through thick woods (carrying gas, sup-plies, and other necessities for a four day trip) just to reach camp.

First on everyone’s mind was the forecast for much coldertemps with snow and ice. In order to get out of camp four daysfrom now, the boys would have to backtrack the same way throughheavy snow, ice, and raging wind added to the mix – or stay untilspring thaw. They weren’t scared, they forged ahead.

Once in camp the crew tried to stay warm with a single oil-burning stove that produced the heat equivalent of a lit book of

matches. The propane cook stove added a little extra warmth beforebreakfast and dinner, provided they could all huddle close enough onthe screened-in porch/kitchen. They fished, cooked, dined, slept, andcommuned with nature (so to speak) for four days wearing their snowsuits all the time. At this time of year the indoor plumbing was shutdown, so the boys were forced to use the outdoor facilities.

On the water things really got cold. Surface chop created a steadyfine mist that turned the deck of their vessels into an ice skating rink


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As winter approaches every-thing, from rapid changes incondition to massive schoolsof migrating forage, cantrigger muskies to kick intogear for one last hurrah.

for the duration. As the trip progressed,so too did the mercury – in a negativedirection. Sub-zero (Fahrenheit) tempsbottomed-out at night by trip’s end.Frozen line spooling onto equally frozenreels made it necessary to bring severalothers as back-ups. Trolling for hours onend in the bitter wind made them dreamfondly of being back at camp.

It was cold! It was North Pole cold.And it got colder by the minute at asteady beat the whole time. Looking atthe bright side of it, Pat Elza told me, “Atleast we got lots of rest. It didn’t get lightuntil 10am and it was dark by 5pm – itwas too cold to do anything else butsleep.”

In an article titled Last ChanceMuskies, Noel Vick of Game & FishMagazine wrote:

“One would assume that ice-fishingentails the most disagreeable, core-chill-ing conditions in the entire sportingworld. After all, its winter, with all thatgoes with it: sideways snowstorms,frozen five-gallon buckets called seats,and ice-covered reel spools and rodguides. But ice fishing isn’t the worst“weather” you can fish in. Nope, it’s thewickedness of late fall, with days spentfighting damp northeasters and white-caps. Bar none, that’s the coldest a man can be. Even winter’s harsh-est effort cannot outdo a frigid and saturated gale on the open water.”

No doubt about that. The weather up north can get pretty nastyin the fall, but that’s what trophy muskie fishing is all about. It is rareto hook up with the largest fish in the system in the summer, whenpressure is high and you have to compete with pleasure boaters, jetskis, and hundreds of other fishing vessels. If you’re a night fishermanyou might have a shot, but fall is the best time to go after the big ones.Just wait for the kiddies to head back to school and the summeranglers to put their boats in dry dock and the muskie world is youroyster.

Do you have to go all the way toCanada to have a great fall trip?

No way! Some of the best fall muskie hunting can be found southof the Canadian border. Chances are good that everyone has a favoritelake close to home and all of these lakes will experience improved fish-ing as the shadows get longer, the weather cools, and fishing pressureeases. With that “news flash” out in the open, I’ll bet everyone read-ing has at least one fall destination in mind.

What is important is that you embrace the coming winter as atime of great potential. Big muskies get that way for a reason – theyeat a lot. As winter approaches everything from rapid changes in con-dition to massive schools of migrating forage can trigger muskies tokick into gear for one last hurrah. It isn’t unusual to find groups ofmuskies wolf-packing in areas and chasing schools of baitfish andbulking up for winter. It’s called “strapping on the feed bag” and whenyou find the pack, hold on for dear life.

Forage is always a key factor in muskie hunting, but maybe neveras important as in the fall. When you find schools of ciscoes (tullibee)

or whitefish the muskies won’t be faraway. These fatty prey fish migrate everyfall between Halloween andThanksgiving and to be on the waterwhen they make their move is to strikemuskie gold.

Good things happen overtime . . . Great thingshappen all at once!

Our frozen crew set up on a steeprock wall that dropped straight downinto very deep water. Points, ledges,small reefs, and tons of ciscoes stacking-up all the way along the structure madethis place very well suited for trolling. Itwas a prime target as were four or fiveother similar rock walls in the area.

Once set up on a trolling pass wewere able to make our way from one endto the other in about thirty minutes.Then we would simply turn the boataround and go the other way, back-and-fourth until it was time to try anotherspot, or head in for dinner.

Trolling in the big chill produced afew small scattered fish over the firstthree days and just when the cold wasabout to get the better of the frost-bittentrio, the boys hit the jackpot.

Big Bait… Big Fish!On the last and coldest

day, eight consecutive passesof the great wall producedeight monster muskiesbetween 47 and 52 incheslong – bellies stuffed fat andto the gills with ciscoes.

Sound advice on thefall troll would be to target bigfish with big bait. TeamBobzilla started mixing 14-inch crank baits into the mixlast year with solid results.Large baits have always paidbig dividends in the fall andthe biggest producers so farhave been 10 and 14-inchJakes and large customBelievers. In my opinionthere’s no doubt that thesetwo lures work better than therest and they work well underany conditions.

Casting CallMuch has been said in

favor of trolling in late fall.This is a tactic that produces

Mike Ponder took this 51.5-incher about two rodlengths off the rock wall; it was suspended

over very deep water.


Pat Elza is all bundled up holdinga beautiful late fall muskie. He’s a

lot colder than he looks!


big fish time-and-again, while giving anglers a chance to ride-out bad weather sittingbundled up in the boat. Wind and big waves make casting tough sometimes and frostbite on the fingertips is no picnic either. But don’t abandon casting late in the season– no matter how cold you get.

Reefs and rock points close to deep water are going to hold fish all the time.Casting allows you to work these spots with greater efficiency than trolling. It can’t bestressed enough that trolling indeed allows you to cover more water, but it is also truethat casting gets you tight into the cover and lets you probe it efficiently. Fish that arehugging cover may not chase a target swimming twenty feet away, but drop it on theirhead and they may not be able to resist. Use big diving baits and BANG those luresinto the rocks.

Git ‘er Done!Our crew made it out just in the nick of time – breaking surface ice as we cruised

to the launch where we had parked. It was a once in a lifetime experience, as are manyadventures where big muskies play a starring role. Eight very cold trolling passes pro-duced life-long memories. How cool is that?

What will YOU remember from this muskie season? Have you done it all? Areyou ready to get that boat winterized and start planning ahead for next spring? If so,have a nice winter!

If not, better keep the boat in the water a little longer. Pack warm clothes andyour big trolling baits and give it another try. Remember to do some casting too.What’s important is that when fall conditions get tough, tough muskie hunters getgoing. v

Bob “Bobzilla” Chochola has been a musky hunter for twenty years. He is a member of theChicagoland Musky Hunters and lives in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Bob is a freelancewriter, photographer, and video editor. You can contact Bob at: [email protected]


ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE (Continued from page 21)

Our author, Bob, says "Driving the boat is the coldest job on Earth."

Dryberry Falls Resort owner Louis Hall gripsa nice 47-incher.

ss


them into holders, which allows for solid hooksets at lower speeds.Anglers are required to help steer the lures right into the path theywant to follow, by extending their arms, raising or lowering the rodtip and increasing or decreasing the speed of the trolling motor.

AdvantagesBy using a trolling motor, anglers can quietly move through an

area instead of churning everything up. There is a theory thatmuskies are attracted to boats powered by an engine. The theory goesthat, when top predators hear a noisy boat coming, they get excited.As a motor boat quickly powers through an area that contains lots ofbaitfish, it’s likely that the baitfish will flee. The schools may breakup and scatter, some of the baitfish might become disoriented andeven injured if struck by the boat or prop, creating additional feed-ing opportunities for animals in pursuit of this prey. I agree with thistheory in certain situations, but there are also other factors to consid-er.

Muskies that are not spooked by a boat, but rather attracted toit, are more than likely in an active feeding mode. Fish that are in aneutral or negative mood, however, might not go for this noisy pres-entation. When trolling for fish in these less active moods, the quiet,subtle finesse trolling presentation with a trolling motor might justbe the hot ticket for success. I have had many instances in which itcertainly seemed to work very well. Finesse trolling allows an anglerthe opportunity to present a lure with a trolling approach, but at amuch slower pace than could be accomplished with a gas poweredmotor, thus making it even more ideal for neutral and negative fishthan standard motor trolling.

When an angler does swing off course and into an area where alure will likely snag, it’s a quick and easy fix. The operator simplystops the trolling motor and raises the rod tip high in the air. Becausethe boat is traveling at a lower speed sinking lures can quickly bepulled in and floating lures can easily be allowed to float to the sur-face instead of hanging up. Most of the time, a floating bait can bewalked ever so slowly through or over the cover. As soon as the boatclears the danger zone, the operator quickly gets the trolling motorback up to full speed. This can trigger a vicious strike as the baitspeeds away after being slithered over or past the cover. In the case ofa sinking lure, an angler immediately casts back to the edge of thecover as soon as the boat gets moving again.

TipsThis can be done from the back of the boat, but it’s much more

effective when the operator is positioned in the front, using a bowmounted motor. This has many advantages, but the most importantis being able to see ahead of the boat and down into the water. Thiswill help the operator to precisely follow the edge of the cover as closeas possible so as to get the lures tight into the cover.

EquipmentGood polarized sunglasses and a hat will allow the operator to

see deeper into the water at longer distances, which is critical for thisapproach. Another major advantage is employing the use of a footcontrolled model trolling motor. A foot control motor will allowoperators to effectively fish as they use their hands and arms to movetheir rod into the best possible position. Long rods are better forsteering lures away from danger and into the strike zone. Sonar unitsmounted on the front deck of the boat with the transducer affixed to

the bottom of thetrolling motor are abig benefit as well,especially to anglersfishing in somewhatstained waters. Adepth alarm is a greatfeature to have on oneof these units. Thedepth alarm can be setto warn the operatorthat the front of theboat is crossing intoshallower water in casethey are paying moreattention to their lurethan the depth finder.

The Bottom LineWhat finesse trolling boils down to is a quiet, subtle and differ-

ent way to present lures to muskies that can’t be reached with stan-dard trolling methods and won’t take a bait on the cast. More thanlikely, they’ve never seen a lure presented in this way before and willbe quick to jump all over it. Give finesse trolling a try and you’ll beglad that you did. Good luck! v

Colby Simmswww.simmsoutdoors.com618/521-0526

FINESSE TROLLING (Continued from page 19)

Like many of you, when I first startedmuskie fishing casting was my primarytechnique. Back in the early 1990s

trolling was not a common practice amongmuskie anglers in central MN. I suppose muchof that had to do with the visual aspect of muskiefishing. Seeing follows and coaxing fish intoboat side hits is certainly an exciting part of thegame. In fact I would go so far as to say that themuskie’s boat side manner is one of the main reasons many of us chasethem. But what about the days when you aren’t seeing follows, fisharen’t active, and your arms and shoulders are sore?

I think the main reason more people don’t troll is they justdon’t know how effective it can be. While it’s true more and moreanglers are taking up trolling in the late fall, much of that just has todo with it being to cold to cast. The majority of anglers still are nottrolling throughout the whole season and are therefore missing out onsome great opportunities from the opener until season’s end.

I break up my trolling year into three dis-tinct time periods. Keep in mind that I’m fish-ing in central and northern Minnesota. Yourhome area may have slight or significant differ-ences depending on location.

At the opener Perhaps the most under-utilized period of

the year by trollers in MN is right at opener.This is a time when many anglers concentrate

on new weed-growth in shallow, warmer water. While that can be aproductive tactic, it often results in smaller fish and lazy follows. I’veheard many times through the years that a particular lake doesn’t getgoing until July. Well, maybe the fish just aren’t in the shallows yet.

Many lakes in central MN, WI and Canada have expanses ofdeeper water with pelagic forage. Species such as whitefish and cis-coes are abundant in many muskie waters. These baitfish are not lim-ited in range by warm water or low oxygen levels. They can be foundriding high in the water column in early summer. Along with themyou can also find foraging muskies.

At this time of year I fish lures at two depths, 4-5 feet and 15-16feet.

Active fish either seem to be riding high or staying down around18-20 feet. I don’t think I’ve ever caught any muskies when my elec-tronics suggest they are deeper than 20 feet down. Lures which rundeeper than 18 feet have very rarely been productive for me whentrolling over deep water. You can use your electronics to help youdetermine the depth of baitfish and muskies. Keep one thing in mindthough, a blank screen can mean you boat is scattering baitfish ormuskies that are using the upper water column. Transducer cones arevery small right under your boat.

Acquiring the correct depth for a shallow presentation can bedone several ways. Running a bait on a short-line can keep them rid-ing high. Otherwise crank baits specifically designed for shallow useand jerk-baits both work well. Running a short-line behind a planerboard works very well early in the year with all lure types.

My preferred equipment for deepwater trolling is a 9-foot heavy

I think the main reasonmore people don’t troll isthey just don’t know howeffective it can be.


TROLLIN’TROLLIN’

TROLLIN’…From the muskie seasonopener thru late Fall this

technique works.by John Skarie

An early June muskie caught trolling a 10” Jake over 60 feet of water.

This August fish was caught trolling a Rad Dog spinnerbait insix feet of water

glass rod with 25-30 pound monospooled on a line-counter reel. Thisset-up works very well with barbless orbarbed hooks. Many anglers also preferto use mono with planer board applica-tions. I prefer a longer leader, 3-4 feetto help prevent bite-offs when fish roll.

Mid to late summerAs the water temperatures increase

we hit the mid and late summer peri-ods. By this time muskies are relatingto healthy weed beds and rock struc-tures on many lakes. Fish are becomingmore available to casting now, so whatis the point in trolling, right?

Well, there are several reasons totroll during the summer period. One isto compete with fishing pressure. Ifyou’ve been muskie fishing for morethan 5 years the increase in numbers ofmuskie anglers on many waters isn’tnews to you.

Trolling allows you to cover water quickly and hopefully pick offaggressive fish and fish that may be turned off to casting presenta-tions. With increased pressure fish can become disinterested in slowmoving lures. A bucktail reeled in as fast as you can is still slow com-pared to trolling. In many situations speed can turn a slow day intoa great day.

In my opinion, heavily-pressured fish can also become boat-shy.I see more and more fish veering off before they get close to the boat.Trolling can help overcome that. Trolling during this time ofyear can also fine-tune your casting attack. Using a GPS an angler canmap out weed edges, small points, rock piles or anything else that youmay not have been aware of.

Last but not least, with the growing popularity of bigger andheavier lures, trolling can just give you a break physically and mental-ly. Now that’s not saying trolling isn’t mentally tough, but it’s achange of pace that can help you get through the day and stay freshfor when the muskies do get active on casting presentations.

Trolling during mid-summer really has limitless possibilities.While I like to concentrate on shallower structure at this time, thereare still fish to be had over deep water. Most lure types will work nowas well.

The most popular and most productive method during this timeperiod is to troll spinnerbaits and bucktails. The obvious advantagesof spinnerbaits are that they are very weedless and won’t twist yourline. They are available in many different styles and sizes to fit a vari-ety of applications.

I recommend using an 8-9 foot medium heavy or heavy rod anda line counter reel spooled with no-stretch line. A rod that’s too softwon’t allow you to visually tell if you need to clear weeds or your baitfouls. You’ll notice a distinct vibration in your rod tip that will go“limp” when your bait isn’t running correctly. Always remember toset your drag light with no-stretch line.

By experimenting with different weights and blade types you caneffectively troll over deep weed edges and shallow sand flats with equalsuccess. Whether to run a long line (50 feet or more) or short line(less than 50 feet from the boat) is a personal preference, and may bedetermined by what the fish in your area best react to. I almost alwaystroll with a long line and as fast as my baits will allow without blow-ing out of the water too often.

Trolling with bucktails is much thesame as spinnerbaits, but you have todeal with line twist and with more foul-ing due to weeds. Anglers can modifybucktails with weights to act as a keel tohelp keep them upright. Large fish arebeing taken successfully by trolling thebig double bladed bucktails in manynorthern waters.

Summer trolling is not limited tospinner-type baits. Topwaters and jerk-baits can also be effective. These baitshave inherent difficulties with catchingweeds however, and can be frustratingto use. Shallow running gliders wouldbe a good choice until fall when theweeds start to die-off. Shallow runningcrank-baits can also be effective whiletrolling on weedlines and over rock-piles, especially in windy conditions.Large top waters trolled just outside theweed-edge can also produce impressivestrikes.

After fall turnoverThe period after the fall turnover is the start of a new set of tac-

tics for me. For the rest of the year I’ll primarily troll jerk baits andcrankbaits. Jerk baits get the nod in shallow water out to the deep-est weed edges.

At this time of year I use weighted dive and rise type jerk baits,or slash baits as some anglers call them. The technique for this is todrive 1-3 miles an hour and pull your bait forward every 10- 15 sec-onds, while standing. This can be a very physically demanding tacticto use, and if you decide to try it while sitting down you’ll soon real-ize why I recommend standing!

I prefer a fairly stiff 7 1/2 foot rod as it is physically easier to usein this manner. You can set your drag a little tighter than if you weretrolling with the rods in rod holders, but not much. The weedsshould be dying off now, and the rise and dive baits won’t give you toomuch trouble weeding up. The technique causes a very erratic action,and will produce voracious strikes. Be ready!

My other main tactic during this time of year is trolling cranks.The same forage that we keyed in on early in the year comes back intoplay now. Ciscoes will be spawning in late October or earlyNovember. As the spawn approaches they will start staging, or con-gregating off breaklines. During the spawn they will come up shallowafter dark and reproduce.

Muskie can be taken suspended off the breaklines and on theedges themselves. Fishing for suspended muskie this time of year isvery similar to doing it in early summer. Finding baitfish and exper-imenting with depth and lure type is the key to success.

Contacting structure on breaklines is another very good late falltactic. In central Minnesota, I consider contacting structure as bang-ing lures on obvious points, weedline fingers, rocks, humps, andbreaklines. On Canadian shield waters it usually means trolling in10-15 feet of water off rocky shorelines, with banging rocks being ahuge trigger.

These are all proven tactics that have put trophy muskies in myboat on many bodies of water. I’ve either caught or netted muskiesover 35 pounds in every month of the season while trolling inMinnesota. Some months are better than others, but the opportuni-ty for catching big muskies by trolling is not limited to the fall. v


The author holds a late October muskie caught trollinga Believer outside a deep weed edge.


It was 3:00 p.m. on November 15th and I was down to my lastsucker. I had headed out to the west metro for a short afternoontrip with three suckers, and now I was regretting not bringing

more. I started fishing at 1:00 p.m., casting a glider, but to no avail.I couldn’t budge a fish on the artificial. I started fishing suckers at2:00 p.m., and had already caught a 42” musky and missed oneother. It was one of those days that you couldn’t keep a sucker in thewater. So I worked my last sucker around my favorite spot, a pointon a well defined shallow weed edge with a few rocks mixed in.

As my suckerrounded the point, itgot nailed. Linescreamed off my reel asthe musky took thesucker quickly anddirectly into 16’ of wateroff the shallow breaklineand then just sat there.

It was behaving like a big fish. I quickly positioned my boatover the fish. I put a little tension on her causing her to moveaway from the boat. I then set the hook. I battled her to thesurface and quickly put her in the net. She measured 52” andwas my best of the season. After a few photos, she was safelyreleased.

It isn’t much of a secret that many of the metro lakesaround Minnesota’s Twin Cities have excellent populations ofmuskies. Some are stocked with true muskies, others arestocked with hybrid muskies, and a few have both.Unfortunately, Twin Cities area lakes are very crowded mostof the year with recreationalists and anglers. I am from north-ern Wisconsin and was only used to the standard jet skiers,water skiers, and pontooners. Water recreationalists in theTwin Cities though take things to a whole new level. Thereare cabin cruisers on lakes barely deep enough to keep themfrom running aground, there are fast cigar boats, kite surfers,and bigger crowds.

There is no shortage of anglers on these waters either.Fishing pressure is high. Finding decent sized panfish or goodwalleye action is a tall order. Basically, anything that tastesgood is at a premium as lots of anglers are hitting these lakesfor a meal. The largemouth bass fisheries in these lakes areprolific. In fact they have the best largemouth fishing I haveever experienced. Few area lakes have cool enough water togrow large pike, but many have large populations of smallAuthor’s fishing partner Nicole with a fat 48-inch Metro muskie.

FALL METROMUSKIE MADNESS

by Adam M. Glickman

In the fall, recreationaland angling pressure dropsoff, the water cools, andthe muskie action heats up.

This 47 inch Metro muskie has been in theauthor’s boat on three different occasions!


pike which are more of a nui-sance than any thing else.

That brings us last, but cer-tainly not least to muskies.Metro musky lakes are stockedwith Leech Lake strain truemuskies and/or hybrid muskies.The metro area has an excellentgrowing season and the lakes arerich with forage which allows thefast growing Leech Lake muskiesto reach large sizes very quickly.The hybrids also do quite well.In fact, the Minnesota staterecord hybrid musky was caughtfrom Lake Elmo which is justeast of St. Paul. Even smallmetro lakes have large muskies.I have caught muskies over 50”in lakes under 300 acres in size.White Bear Lake and Bald EagleLake are good places to start inthe east metro. LakeIndependence and LakeMinnetonka in the west metrohave well established popula-tions. Lake Harriet and LakeCalhoun right in the heart of Minneapolis are also excellent.

Good numbers of large muskies live in the metro area, butcatching them in these lakes can be very difficult during mostmonths of the season. June through September, recreationalpressure often chases muskies out of their normal shallowwater haunts, and heavy angling pressure makes them very lureshy. High water temperatures in the middle of summer arealso very stressful on them. Muskies can of course be caughtfrom June through September, but results can be spotty atbest. In the fall, recreational and angling pressure drops off,the water cools, and the musky action heats up. It heats up sowell in fact that it seems like the muskies were waiting to eatfor a long time, and in all likelihood, this may be the case. Itis not inconceivable that metro muskies under summer timeduress eat very little. After very hot summers, metro muskiesare often thin, but fatten quickly as the fall progresses.

Sometimes it takes until mid to late October for true falllike conditions to set in, but once water temperatures hit thelower 50s the magic begins and the wait was worthwhile. Thehot action continues until freeze up. The predominant struc-ture in metro lakes is vegetation, thick vegetation with a welldefined weedline. Water clarity varies greatly on metro lakes,ranging from very murky to quite clear. Therefore, weedlinesend anywhere from 3’-20’. Often, the weeds grow to the sur-face all the way to the deep edge of the weedline, so they arevery easy to follow.

Muskies will be holding very tight to the edge so it is veryimportant to keep presentations right next to the weeds. Workpresentations parallel to thick vertical weed edges instead ofcasting into the weedline in a perpendicular fashion. This willminimize fouling in the thick weeds and maximize the amountof time your presentation is in the strike zone. If the weedlinethins gradually into deeper water, presentations can be madein a more perpendicular fashion to the weed line and worked

gradually down the tops of thevegetation. Look for concentra-tions of muskies near irregulari-ties on the weed edge such aspoints, corners, and inlets.Weed edges with a few rocks orboulders at their base are realwinners.

Once the water cools, slowpresentations shine. I preferneutrally buoyant jerkbaits andlive suckers, but all presentationshave the potential to producestrikes. If the weedline is excep-tionally shallow, even surfacelures have their time and place.A large creeper can be deadly.

The use of live bait isfrowned upon by some, but attimes it produces many strikeswhen muskies will barely look atan artificial. Sometimes I feellike a walleye fisherman, justslowly dragging live bait.

Live Bait?I was a bit hesitant to run a feature which highlights live

bait fishing as one of the primary techniques, but the fact isthe method has been used for many years and is stillemployed by quite a few anglers, especially in the fall. Soinstead of avoiding the issue, let’s start discussing progres-sive alternatives to standard live-bait methods. Adam’s arti-cle provides an interesting introduction to open such a dis-cussion.

Some biologists, and many anglers, believe we need tochange the way anglers fish with live suckers anywhere inmuskie range if we want to increase the survival of muskieswhich are caught and released. For example, outlawingsingle-hook sucker rigs may help to reduce swallowing ofthe bait. Proper use of quick-strike rigs can also reduce swal-lowing. Circle hooks may help. And there are other innova-tive approaches that need to be discussed and studied.

States could consider restricting anglers to the use ofone rod while muskie fishing, like Minnesota has done, soanglers would have to choose between an artificial lure orattentively fishing a live sucker.

States that ban motor trolling on most waters might con-sider allowing it to give anglers an effective alternative tofishing with live suckers in the fall.

I’ll try to get another discussion of this topic in our Fromthe Muskie Biologists column, but what are your thoughts?

Feel free to drop me a note at: [email protected] Thanks, Kevin

Adam with a 52-incher taken in the Metro area. (Continued on page 28)


I am not familiar with studies conducted on live bait andmuskies but I do know what I have observed in my own live bait fish-ing. Last fall I caught a 47” musky twice in 6 days, both times onsuckers on the same rig. I know it was the same fish because it hada slightly misshapen and oddly proportioned body, with a hump onits back. It was also in exactly the same spot. This summer, I caughtit again and then saw it swimming around the next day.

No matter what type of presentation you are using make sureyou follow good landing and release techniques. Get the musky inthe net as soon as possible and keep the musky out of the water as lit-tle as possible.

Work suckers well behind the boat under large slip bobbers.This keeps them out of the weeds and away from the boat (whichmuskies are often spooked by). Keep the distance from the bobberstop to the sucker 2’-6’ less than the depth of the water at the edgeof the weed line. Sometimes, this means that the bottom of the bob-ber will be pegged to the top of the leader. It looks silly at fist, butit works. Often, strikes are explosive as the suckers struggle to escapetheir attackers. It looks like something from National Geographic.Keep the reel in free spool with the clicker on to allow line to betaken on the strike.

Large spinner harnesses (similar to those used by walleye fisher-men) combined with quick strike rigs help attract and triggermuskies; especially in lower water clarity. Fish these rigs on superbraid line with a medium slow action rod. These heavy, yet whippyrods allow the suckers to struggle without working free of the rigs. Italso tires the muskies quickly at boat side which is where you wantto set the hook. Don’t set the hook from a distance. Sneak up to themusky as close as possible and when it swims away set the hook hard.To make sure you get the back bone of the rod in play immediately

on the hook set, let the musky put a good bend in the rod tip first. Of course, Minnesota anglers are only allowed one rod a piece,

so if you are fishing alone you must make a tough choice betweenwhich one to fish at any given time. I like to alternate at first and letthe fish tell me what they want. If I fish ten good days in the fall,muskies will prefer live bait five of those days, artificials one of thosedays, and four of those days they will strike both. I love using livebait, but even for me it is tough to put down my jerkbait rod. I lovethe artistry involved in working these lures, but sometimes it isimpossible to beat the real thing. Also, if temperatures are well belowfreezing, continual casting will cause tackle to ice up past the pointthat it can be used. Small ice flows are also tougher to work luresaround than suckers. You could troll an artificial, but if possible I’drather troll live bait. I save trolling lures as an absolute last resort, butI have caught excellent fish in this manner.

Whether I am working artificial or live lures; I fish slowly,methodically, and continuously. Keeping heavy motor usage to aminimum will improve musky feeding, even on a large lake. Skilled,knowledgeable, and successful anglers tread lightly on the environ-ments they love and give other anglers the respect they would wantto be given themselves.

The best spots along a weedline will reveal themselves throughcontinual angling. Certain areas will consistently hold activemuskies when they come on in the fall. These spots will becomeobvious very quickly if they are being fished properly. I have 8 greatfall spots in the metro, and if I work 3 of them properly with bothlive and artificial presentations I can take a strike 90% of the time.In 2007l, from October 15th to November 24th, my boat landed 26muskies from 41-54” from metro lakes. I fished about 20 of thosedays and averaged a 45” musky every four hours.

Of course I took strikes outside of those spots, but the vastmajority occurred within these locations. I never run-and-gun theselocations. It is the wrong way to approach hot areas in cold water.Even if I have a monster raised that I think will go at dusk, I time it

so I can work slowly back to it and hit it at the per-fect time. If I have to motor to a specific spot ona weedline, I give it a very wide berth and start along way off (at least 75 yards) and slowly work myway to the target area. If I run my outboard in thefall, it is at the boat landing to go to where I willbegin, to move long distances between spots, andthen after dark to return to the landing.

I grew up in northern Wisconsin and learneda lot from watching great old-school fishermen.One of the most important things I observed wastheir meticulous, thorough, patient, and quietmethods. Anybody can run and gun and burn afew spinners. If you mess up one spot, there willbe another. In the fall though, there is less roomfor error. Presentations must be more precise. Afew yards in the wrong direction can ruin a presen-tation.

Another aspect of cold water fishing is safety.Boat surfaces can become icy and slippery and thewater is always cold. When warm, heavy clothesget wet it can be very tough keep yourself fromgoing under if you fall in. Use common sense andbe careful. Fall is probably the best time to catchmuskies, especially the big ones. Stay safe and takeadvantage of this opportunity. v

FALL METRO MUSKIE MADNESS(Continued from page 27)

www.muskiesinc.org

Special Events

2008–– Deadline for Chapter Reports! ––

The deadline to send chapter reports tothe editor is the 25th of each month,approximately 5 weeks before themagazine is mailed to members!

October 3-4-534th annual Pomme de Terre MUSKIETournament.

www.missourimuskies.orgor call Todd Hardin 636-296-6902

October 3-4-5Hayward Lakes Chapter

31st Annual Fall Tournamenton 17 area lakes, $30,000 in prizes.

Contact Mike Persson: 715-634-4543

October 18Guide for a day. Fish Pomme de Terrewith an experienced muskie angler. CallEarle Hammond 417-993-0035

www.missourimuskies.org

October 24-25Muskies, Inc. Fall Board MeetingMorehead, KY and Cave Run Lake

October 25-268th Annual Fall Brawl MuskieTournament, Kinkaid Lake;Contact Shannon Beaty-Dingus:

[email protected]

No. Chapter, Address Phone #01.....Twin Cities, 414 Division St., Excelsior, MN 55331..........................................952-380-121802.....Fargo-Moorhead, Box 2021, Fargo ND, 58107................................................701-298-903203.....Chicagoland Muskie Hunters, 7600 Kilbourn Ave, Skokie, IL 60076 ...............847-677-001704.....Titletown Muskies, Inc., 3097 Inverness Lane, New Franken, WI 54229 .......920-866-970505.....Pomme De Terre, PO Box 5, Hermitage, MO 65668 .......................................417-993-003506.....First Wisconsin, PO Box 122, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729 ...............................715-726-889607.....South Side Muskie Hawks, 5211 S. Narragansett Ave., Chicago, IL 60638......773-581-865008.....Capital City, PO Box 8862, Madison, WI 53708...............................................608-669-504609.....West Virginia, 1270 Federal Road, Little Hocking, OH 45742 .........................740-667-357110.....Heartland, 239 8th St SE, Mason City IA 50401..............................................641-424-082711 .....Mississippi Valley, 5301 11th Ave “C”, Moline, IL 61265 ..................................309-797-180312.....Headwaters, PO Box 652, Eagle River, WI 54521...........................................715-477-291313.....Hayward Lakes, PO Box 609, Hayward, WI 54843 .........................................715-634-454314.....South of the Border, 28926 W. Big Hollow Rd, McHenry, IL 60050.................815-385-902615.....Star of the North, 29957 La Plant Rd., Grand Rapids, MN 55744...................218-326-495816.....Three Rivers, 119 Bus Lane, Renfrew, PA15136.............................................724-789-786617.....Quad County, PO Box 185, Plano, IL 60545....................................................815-695-149418.....Hopedale, 15 Township Rd 125, Dillonvale, OH 43917 ...................................740-769-726919.....Akron-Canton Muskie Maniacs, 10957 Northwood Ave NE, Bolivar OH 44612.330-874-277320.....Between the Lakes, PO Box 61, Sheboygan, WI 53085-0061 ........................920-564-322621.....North Metro, PO Box 41216, Plymouth, MN 55441 .........................................952-469-215522.....New Jersey, http://www.mi22.com/ ..................................................................................TBD23.....Cleveland, 5608 Brave Chief Lane, Ravenna, OH 44266 ...............................330-296-239824.....Brainerd Lakes, 9143 Lone Pine Road, Brainerd, MN 56401..........................218-821-366926.....Central Wisconsin, PO Box 263, Medford, WI 54451 ......................................715-748-487427.....Central Illinois, 1191 Sandra Lane, Monticello, IL 61856 .................................309-264-373028.....Shawnee Muskie Hunters, 61 W. Jennings, Wood River, IL 62095.................618-610-500329.....Upper Great Plains, 1788 Hwy 4, Estherville, IA 51334...................................712-362-250130.....God’s Country, PO Box 1461, LaCrosse, WI 54601 ........................................608-786-406231.....Penn-Ohio, 309 Spring St, Jamestown, PA 16134...........................................724-932-581532.....Flatlanders, 5776 Vesper Drive, South Beloit, IL 61080 ..................................815-389-462233.....Lake Superior, 2031 Hwy. 33 S., Cloquet, MN 55720......................................218-879-271235.....Milwaukee, PO Box 28842, Greenfield, WI 53220...........................................262-442-626037.....St. Cloud, 312 18th Avenue N., Sartell, MN 56377 ..........................................320-656-116038.....Vikingland, 2909 Wicken Lane NW, Alexandria, MN 56308.............................320-846-797539.....Fox River Valley, 1253 Cobblers Crossing, Elgin, IL 60123.............................847-741-977141.....Central Ohio, 870 County Road 9, Fremont OH 43420...................................419-992-450442.....Hoosier Muskie Hunters, PO Box 501371, Indianapolis, IN 46250 .................317-577-805044.....Colorado, 3739 Sawgrass Trail, Castle Rock, CO 80109 ................................303-668-408945.....Kentucky, 212 Linden Ave., Southgate, KY 41071...........................................859-441-166646.....Bemidji/Cass Lake, 11551 Misty Meadows Rd, Bemidji, MN 56601................218-759-009847.....Michigan Muskie Alliance, PO Box 512, Caledonia, MI 49316 ........................616-447-168848.....Arrowhead, PO Box 603, Tower, MN 55790 ....................................................218-753-261249.....Webster Lake Musky Club, PO Box 670, No. Webster, IN 46555 ...................574-834-166950.....Penn-Jersey, 372 Kingwood Rd., King of Prussia, PA 19406 ..........................610-962-063252.....Daniel Boone, 813 US 62, Maysville, KY 41056..............................................606-759-761053.....Huskerland Muskie Hunters, PO Box 394, Valentine, NE 69201.....................402-376-274354.....Southern Crossroads, 1524 Country Club Rd, Albert Lea MN 56007 .............507-373-181856.....SW Ohio Muskie Ass’n, 524 Sterling Meadows Place, Brookville, OH 45309 ..937-833-183357.....NW TigerPac, 10517 SE 214th Place, Kent, WA 98031 ..................................253-850-588958.....Lake St. Clair, 22206 Kramer, St. Clair Shores, MI 48080...............................586-778-9136

Special events listings are provided atno charge to Muskies, Inc chapters.To list your chapter's event, email to:

[email protected] by ground mail: Kevin Richards, 7618Sunrise Ridge Road, Henley, MO 65040

Please send announcementsat least 2 months in advance.

Chapter News and ViewsATTENTION

CHAPTERCONTACTS:Please make sure

your chapter addressand phone number

is correct on this pageAND on the M.I. website.

Whenever you updatechapter information on

the website, please send anemail to the Editor so we can

keep this page current. Thanks!

October 2008.....MUSKIE 29

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George Wahl, MI Pioneer andHall of Famer, Honored

Thirty-six-year member of Muskies, Inc.George Wahl, the inventor and manufacturer ofEagletail lures was honored by a ballroom full ofrelatives, friends, and Chapter members. A longlist of participants paid tribute to George from thehead-table microphone at a Chapter organizedand sponsored event. The words most oftenrepeated were “honest,” “loyal,” and “generous.”

George is well-known in the Midwest for hisannual presentations of the exceptionally suc-cessful Minnesota Muskie Expo. Paul Hartman,the event MC, told of the Expo “partnership”George had with the Twin Cities Chapter over theyears. The Chapter loaned George the $800deposit needed to rent the site for the first Expo.Since that time George has reimbursed theChapter with approximately $70,000 in contribu-tions from the proceeds of the Expo.

George was inducted into the Muskies, Inc.Hall of Fame in 2006. Among the many acco-lades listed at that time were his four years serv-ice in the Navy; MI membership since 1972;1989-90 President of the Twin Cities Chapter;and long-time service as a Twin Cities boardmember.

The MC described George as the“Mastermind” behind many of the Chapters’ “bigideas.” Those include the annual Vets Opener,the yearly Winter Picnic, and, of course, theExpo.

George was accompanied by his immediatefamily and many other relatives. The Twin CitiesChapter was well represented in paying itsrespect to this honored member.

Thank you, George!- Vince Trotta

Greetings Thrill Seekers,It has been a very good summer despite the

high waters in the Midwest for members of theChicagoland Muskie Hunters. Many of us haveheaded out to Northern Wisconsin and Canada inpursuit of trophy muskie fishing. August 5, 2008meeting was an ‘On the Water” meeting atIndependence Grove in Lake County, Illinois.Great time had by all and included some fishing,burgers and an informal casting contest.

The muskie hunting trip to Long Legged Lakein Ontario from September 7-13 was bookedsolid and should be a great time for all who makeit. Now is the time to think about a trip next yearwith the Chicagoland Muskie Hunters. Also the2008 Gil Hamm Chapter Challunge will be atCass Lake, MN from September 24-26 and theFall Challunge on the Fox Chain, IL is October25, 2008.

Tip of the Month: At the end of your retrieveand before you lift your lure from the water, pausewith your lure still and in the water for a few sec-

onds. This gives a “hot” fish time to set up for the“kill” This also gives you an opportunity to see ifyou have a follow.

Meetings are the first Tuesday of the month atthe Park Ridge VFW located at 10 W. HigginsRoad at 7:30pm with pizza being served about8:00pm. All are welcomed. Keep the calls com-ing with questions about joining ChicagolandMuskie Hunters. It is always good to see all thenew faces and the opportunity to “talk fishin”. Bythe way, we have some really good looking jack-ets for sale and tapes fishing tapes and DVD’s toloan out at no charge. As always, feel free tocontact Dean at 847/677-0017 or [email protected] or me at 847/434-1400 (x100) [email protected]

Take care, Kevin M. Lynch

The August meeting of the South Side MuskieHawks got under way with Vice-President JohnDaley presiding. This was the first meeting afterour July hiatus, so fishing reports were first on theagenda. Following the fishing reports, John hadsome announcements, and then turned the floorover to the members to offer fishing tips andtricks that they had found to be productive duringthe “Dog Days of summer”. Several tips on differ-ent ways to work your baits, different sizes ofbaits to use, and different areas and depths tofish were heard. Pictures of catches were circu-lated around the tables, as were many fish sto-ries. It was nice to have a night that just turnedinto an all-around bull session where memberscould exchange experiences and ideas.

A selection of finger food was purchased fromMama Luigi’s for the members to enjoy at themeeting, and enjoy it they did! By the time themeeting was over, the platter was totally empty.

Our annual seminar/fundraiser will be held atMarie’s Ashton Place on Sunday, November 30th

(the Sunday after Thanksgiving). Ashton Place islocated at 75th Street and Clarendon Hills Road inWillowbrook, and the doors will open at noon.Our usual giant raffle, which includes a boat,motor, and trailer, will be held following the semi-nar. In previous years, the value of the raffle hastotaled well over $20,000. We are looking forwardto seeing you there.

The South Side Muskie Hawks meet on thethird Wednesday of the month in the banquetroom of Mama Luigi’s Restaurant, which is locat-ed at 75th And South Harlem Avenue inBridgeview. Meetings start at 7 PM, and every-one is invited, as we are a family-oriented club.Come out and join us!

Lynn Polyak, Vice - President

The dog days of summer slowed the muskiefishing some in southern Wisconsin. The watertemperatures had risen to above 80 degrees inthe Madison lakes and many of our membershave forgone local fishing for lakes further north

in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Canada. Thelargest fish caught known to this reporter was a55.25 inch brute caught by Matt Firestien on LakeSt Clair. Also of note was a 49 inch fish caughtby eleven year old Tyler Fitch on Mille Lacs inMinnesota.

With the fishing season in full swing, the clubactivities have been minimal. The major issuewas to find a new home for our monthly meet-ings. Starting in September the monthly meet-ings will return to Jingles Coliseum Bar at 232East Olin Ave in Madison. Improvements in boththe facility and parking should now be able toaccommodate our meeting attendance whichwasn’t true in the past. Also, we were able tosecure Mr. Jim Saric as the principle speaker forour spring fundraiser seminar which will be heldin April 2009.

The club held its second on-the-water meetingon August 11th at Goodman Park on MadisonLake Waubesa. Approximately 25 club membersattended the meeting although very few fishedsince the water temperatures were above 80degrees. Those that attended were treated togrilled brats, hamburgers, and hot dogs preparedby Karen Phillips and Gary Hoffman with helpfrom Gerard Hellenbrand. The highlight of themeeting was listening to stories from membersthat had caught or seen fish in places likeCanada or Minnesota.

With September just around the corner welook forward to the local water temperaturesfalling and getting back on the local lakes inearnest. We expect a great amount of successcome the fall.

Gary Hoffman

The Headwaters Chapter in Eagle RiverWisconsin had a busy August. On August 6th weheld our annual directors meeting. This dinnermeeting was very well attended. President BillJacobs gave an excellent speech and specialrecognition to all the hardworking directors, spon-sors and benefactors. This handful of directors isthe key personnel that keep our 400plus mem-bership active.

On August 13th we held our members only fishany lake contest. This was a huge event put onby Jim Rechlitz and Roger Sabota. We had 53members present at Twelve Pines Pizza.Congratulations to the following members as 3fish were caught. Jim Korducki 401/2 inch, BobJacobs 32 inch and Dan Voetter 38 1/4 inch.Again congratulations to all.

On August 15th-17th the Muskie Club Allianceof Wisconsin held there annual amateur Muskytournament in Vilas and Oneida county. Thisevent is the world’s largest amateur Musky tour-nament, with 1074 anglers. There were a record193 muskies caught and released. There weremany Headwaters members present. One eventat this outing is the coveted Bob James MemorialAward. This award is given out to one individualwho is recognized for the endless hours and ded-ication for the improvement to our sport.Congratulations to Art Anderson a director in ourclub on receiving this prestigious award.

We are a very active chapter and anyone inter-ested in additional information or joining our clubplease visit our web site www.headwa-tersmuskies.com.

Regards, Glenn Matula, SecretaryCH

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414 Division St.Excelsior, MN 55331

952-380-1218www.twincitiesmuskiesinc.org

Meets 2nd Tuesday 7:00 PM, Knights of Columbus,1114 W79th St Bloomington, MN, near the SE cornerof the intersection of I-494 and I-35W.

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HeadwatersP.O. Box 652

Eagle River, WI 54521715-477-2913 – Paul Hansenwww.headwatersmuskies.com

Meets 1st Wednesday 7:00 PM

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ChicagolandMuskie Hunters

7600 Kilbourn Ave.Skokie, IL 60076

847-677-0017 – Dean [email protected]

Meets 1st Tuesday 7:30 PM, Park Ridge VFW 10West Higgins Ave., Park Ridge, IL.

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South Side Muskie Hawks5211 S. Narragansett Ave.

Chicago, IL 60638773-581-8650

Our meetings are held every third Wednesday ofthe month at Mama Luigi's located at 7500 S.Harlem in Bridgeview, IL starting at 7:00 pm.

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Capital CityP.O. Box 8862, Madison, WI 53708608-669-5046 – Gerard Hellenbrand

www.capitalcitymuskiesinc.orgMeets: 2nd Monday 7:00 PM Park PonderosaMcFarland, WI

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The Hayward Lakes Chapter’s 31st AnnualFall Tournament is October 3rd, 4th and 5th, sodepending on when you receive this magazinethere may be time to enter. For more informationthere was a full page ad in the last issue ofMUSKIE or call Hayward Bait at 715/634-2921. Alist of all the fish caught is sent to everyone in thetournament and it’s also available at: www.hay-wardbait.com

On Sunday August 3rd the Hayward Chapterhosted its annual kids fishing day. Club memberstook twenty three youngsters fishing and thenmet at noon for a picnic lunch. Each youngsterwas given a bag of fishing “goodies” and somelarger items were raffled off. The event was funand everyone had a good time.

The current standings in our member’s con-test:Juniors: Alex Spezia 1fish (47”) 21 pts., Anthony

Spezia 1fish (46”) 20 pts. (nice fish guys!)Women: Sandy Hackbarth 1 fish-6pts, Roz Smith

1 fish-9 pts. Caroll Chinnock 1 fish-14 pts.Men: Kris Gottwald 2 fish-16 pts., Brian Smith 2

fish-29 pts., Emmett Brown 5 fish-37 pts., JohnRyan 15 fish-275 pts, includes a 50” and a50.5” WOW!!!

Masters: Mike Persson 8 fish-83 pts.Senior Masters: Dick Minnick 14 fish-149 pts.,

Tom Muntz 20 fish-232 pts., Larry Ramsell 16fish-281 pts, includes 50”, 51”, 53.5” and55.25” WOW, WOW!!!Send your paper entries to the club post office

box #609 Hayward WI 54843 or e-mail them [email protected].

The next club meeting is Tuesday November4th at 7:30pm at Dow’s Corner Bar Highway 77,13 miles east of Hayward at county road A. Atthis meeting we will review the tournamentresults and elect officers and board members for2009. We will also have a “LURE SWAP.” Bringany old or new lures or other fishing equipmentyou no longer need. We did this last year and itwas fun and worked out well. If you have ques-tions call Mike at 715/634-4543

Good Fishing, Mike Persson

Our August meeting had a meager turnoutfor the Lure Raffle; however, with only a fewdedicated members we were able to make$200 on the raffle. Thank you.

The upcoming year for the club is a criticalone. As you all know, we need some freshfaces and some new volunteers. In order forthe club to grow and prosper, we need yourhelp. It only takes a few hours a month and inreturn you receive a lifetime of memories andfriends. We truly need your help and supportand are looking forward to hearing from you.Please contact either Dave Huemmrich 724-777-5748, email [email protected] Mike Yerman 412-766-3501, email [email protected] OR attend the next club

meeting on Monday October 13, 2008 7:00 P.M.On October 11 & 12 we will hold our annual

Lake Arthur Charity Challunge at Lake Arthur.This is a great tournament where a portion of theproceeds are donated to Camp Kon-a-Kweewhich provides outdoor activities for a variety ofchildren with debilitating diseases. If you canonly make one tournament this year, this is theone to make.

As of August 12th, the following are the clubstandings. Lunker of the Month for July, KevinGoldberg, 53”, Lake St. Clair. Men’s Masters,Dale Wiley – 39 releases, Adam Andresky – 33releases, Bill Andresky – 22 releases. Men’s,John Ryhal – 33 releases, Frank Alcorn – 16releases, Mike Lamberto – 13 releases.Women’s, Lynn Yerman = 24 releases, SueMarfin – 4 releases, Edie Buss – 3 releases.Juniors, Levi Metheny-8 releases, DominickLamberto-3 releases, Christorpher Esposito- 1release.

Our next meeting is on October 13th where wewill be discussing elections, 2009 tournamentlocations, speakers for meetings, fund raising,etc. Please try to make a point at attending thismeeting and help us with the direction you wantthe club to go in. At our November 10th meeting,we will host another “Lure Auction” and we dohave some great lures to auction off.Collectables as well as some hard to get lunkerbusters! If you missed the last auction, here isyour chance to pick up some great lures at somegreat prices and help the club at the same time.We have Spinda Lures, bucktails and hard baitsthat are no longer available. We have WileyLures in colors you won’t find anywhere else.Some lures are new and some have teeth marksin them. Don’t miss out on this as well as somegreat lures it is a fun time.

Don’t forget to check out our updated web sitewhich was just taken over by Lynn Yerman.Thanks Lynn we appreciate your help. We wishyou all the best this fall and remember above allelse, BE SAFE on the water.

- Joe Marinzel

TOURNAMENTS FOR 2009:April 11-12 Leesville LakeMay 9-10 Salt Fork (Chapter Challunge)June 6-7 Salt Fork LakeJuly 11-12 Westbranch LakeAugust 8 Leesville Lake Nite BiteSeptember 5 Westbranch Lake (Memorial)October 3 Leesville Lake

Gordon H. Selden, President

The July outing on Rib Lake and the Aug. out-ing on Spirit Lake were fishless. JT, sorry Imissed you at Camp 28 in July but had a goodchicken dinner before you got there. Art reportsgetting a good fish on in Spirit just before LaborDay weekend. Nice to hear there are some wor-thy fish in there. He also found a musky jaw with1 inch teeth. The canal between the Spirit Lakeshas not been dredged and is almost impassable.

The standings show Matt Brinkman in theMaster’s lead with 30 fish and Jason Schillingerand Don Kempen close behind. Joe Siegler isahead in the Men’s followed by Marty Shield andArt Klimpke. Mary Kay and Monica Schillingerboth lead the Women’s. Jason has the largest at50.75. Updated standings will be on the website.

We have decided to have meetings on the sec-ond Monday of the month from the urging of

Akron-Canton10957 Northwood Ave. NE

Bolivar, OH 44612Gordon Selden - 330-874-2773http://[email protected]

Meets 3rd Monday 7:00 PM, Belgrade Gardens,3476 Massillon Road, Akron, OH.

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Hayward LakesP.O. Box 609

Hayward, WI 54843715-634-4543

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Three Rivers119 Bus Lane, Renfrew, PA 15136724-789-7866 – James P. Busshttp://threerivers.muskiesinc.org

Meets 2nd Monday 7:30 PM, NorthsideSportsmans Club, Wexford, PA.

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Central WisconsinP.O. Box 263

Medford, WI 54451715-748-4874 – Jim Jacobs

www.centralwisc.co.nr

Meets 2nd Monday of the month at Happy Joe’son Hwy. 13 in Medford, WI - 7:00 PM.

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yours truly so not to conflict with other muskieclub events/meetings in our area.

I meet Jim Kurz on Lac Seul July 23. He hadbeen canoeing by himself since May 7 when heput in on the Flambeau River near Ladysmith. Hehas a website (www.sistersfarm.com) with a GPSmap of his adventure. It is not too late to sign upfor next year’s canoe trip.

- Gerald Bucholtz

Check out our website for lots of good informa-tion: (shawneemuskiehunters.org)

Upcoming 2008 EventsOctober 4-5: Fall Classic on Lake Shelbyville -

IMTT EventOctober 18-19: Guide for a day at Kinkaid Lake,

Paul Ice Boat Ramp @ 7:00 AMOctober 25-26: Fall Brawl Tournament on

Kinkaid Lake - IMTT Event Nov 1-2: IMTT Championship Tournament at

Kinkaid Lake for qualifying members Nov 8: Veterans Day Fishing Event, Kinkaid Lake

Walt Krause

October is here. In a few weeks we will bepassing out candy to the costumed “Trick orTreaters” ringing our doorbells. Along with thatcomes the beginning of the Fall Fishing Season.Days will be shorter, water cooling down, live baitrigs ready for a sucker. This is the time to scoutout your “money” spots and find one of those biggirls looking to fatten up!

Our “Fall Challunge on the Chain” is rightaround the corner on Saturday October 25th. Thisever popular one day tourney on the Chain ofLakes is one of the best times you will ever havefishing a tournament. As always we have cashpayouts to tenth place. A big fish pool and a greathot meal at the end of the day topped off by theraffle of two picnic tables full of great prizes wait-ing to go home with you. If you have not done soyet get your entry in ASAP. Spots fill up fast andyou don’t want to be left out. Entry forms are onthe web site and at the media table at the month-ly meetings.

In November we will have our Pool Demo andPizza night. Stop by the East Dundee ParkDistrict Pool for a night of free pizza and baitdemos in the pool. This is a good opportunity tosee how baits look in the water before you buythem. At our December meeting we will have apresentation by Lee Tauchen along with the clubLure and Equipment Swap and the Food Drive forthe Elgin area woman’s shelter. Please remem-ber to bring a donation of non-perishable fooditems

Also in November will be the last of our cluboutings for the year to North Webster Indiana onthe 21st to the 23rd. This is the right place at theright time to tie into a “Fall Beast” from a very pro-ductive body of water.

Mark your calendar for this one. Kicking off2009 in a very big way we are very happy to have

Joe Bucher stopping by as our January featuredspeaker. One of the most respected and knowl-edgeable people in our sport. Watch here, thewebsite and the newsletter for the date anddetails. Joe will be “custom making” his presenta-tion for this night and our club. You will not see itat the Tri-Esox show or anywhere else.

Our regular club meeting dates are the secondWednesday of the month at the Poplar CreekCountry Club. They offer buffet style dinner start-ing at 6 p.m. before the 7:30 p.m. meeting. Theweek before the meeting the web site will havethe buffet menu and cost.

Until later, return ‘em to the water Healthy andremember Our Troops.

JT

Hello everyone. Fall is now creeping in on us,and time for the fish to be going on a feeding fren-zy. I do hope everyone had a safe and enjoyablesummer. Most of the league is coming to a close,and we should have awards for the winners. Theawards will be presented at the February ban-quet. Now, if you have not fished any of the cashtournaments, the last one will be November 1ston Webster Lake. I hope to see everyone there.Please remember that the MOFC chairperson isBrian Rothbauer. You can enter “fish forms”online, or mail them to: Brian Rothbauer, 54490Hunters Court, Elkhart, IN 46514

The fall Guide-For-A-Day was on the 20th ofSeptember and it was a good turnout, so ourstocking funds are growing. I would like to take asecond and give a round of praise to everyonewho has helped out so much this year. Everyoneneeds to remember that its takes us all to makeour club work and function. REMEMBER THIS ISYOUR CLUB TOO!!! Also, you should check outthe club’s new website: www.websterlake-muskyclub.net

You can check out the newest fish pics thereand download all the forms needed (like MOFCforms and tournament forms, etc.). Even checkout the forum, where other members talk to eachother about many things going on in our club andjust plain musky stuff.

We will be having a speaker (TBA) for theDecember 6th meeting at the American Legion.See everyone on the water, and remember, let’mgo and let’m grow.

Bill Bennett219-201-6123

[email protected]

Hello Fellow Anglers. Another month haspassed! How quickly the summer passes us by.We’ve had a lot of fun out here in Washington thissummer fishing our “Tigers”. We’ve also had acouple of guests from other Chapters of M.I.come out this year to visit and give our tigers a try.It is always good to get some time to speak withyou fellow members from other parts of the coun-try. Remember the door is always open here inWashington!

What’s new you ask? Well, I just came backfrom one of our Chapter Events on MerwinReservoir this past weekend. Everyone who par-ticipated had a wonderful time. We fished from6:00 A.M. until 3:00 P.M. on Saturday. It was afabulous summer day with the sun high in the skyshinning down upon our boats. A total of fivetigers were C-P-Rd with many other follows,swirls, and close calls mentioned. The largestfish was a 43.5 inch fish caught byV.P./Tournament Director in the last minutes ofthe Event! It was enough to take First Place.Mark doubled that day with a 33 inch fish he hadcaught earlier.

After all the excitement and heat of the day wehad a great “potluck” dinner where we handed outawards to our winning anglers and enjoyed somegreat food and each others company. As the sunfinally set in the West we had a fellowship camp-fire and traded fishing and hunting stories into thenight. In the morning many of us shared break-fast and then packed everything up because itwas time for us to leave and get back to the “realworld”. . . ahhhhh . . . Hey, there’s always nexttime!

We will be helping out with our C.A.S.T. forKids Event on September 6th.

Our last Open Tourney will take placeSeptember 12-14th on Lake Mayfield. I am per-sonally looking forward to these next two eventsbecause I know once again they will gather someawesome people together and fun will be had byall!

Well that’s it for now folks. Now go out thereand catch yourselves one of those XXL fallmuskies!!

Until next time,Perry Peterson, President Chapter 57, NW TIGER PAC


NW TigerPac10517 SE 214th Place, Kent, WA 98031

www.nwtigermuskies.orgemail: [email protected]

Hot line: (253) 850-5889Perry Peterson, President

57

myspace.comBe sure to check out

the Muskies, Inc. page

on myspace:

www.myspace.com/muskiesinc

This web page has

contact information,

photos posted by our

members, and links to

other web sites which

may be of interest to

anglers of all ages!

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39Fox River Valley

1253 Cobblers Crossing, Elgin, IL 601230847-741-9771 – Rich Gallagher

www.frvmuskie.com

Meets: 2nd Wed (Exc June/July) Poplar Creek CountryClub, 1400 Poplar Creek Drive, Hoffman Estates, IL.

Webster LakeP.O. Box 670

No. Webster, IN 46555574-834-1669

49

Shawnee Muskie Hunters61 W. Jennings

Wood River, IL 62095618-610-5003 – Manuel Santa Cruz

[email protected]

www.shawneemuskiehunters.org

28


+Proper Muskie

Holding Techniquesfor MUSKIE Magazine

Photos including Covers,Article Support, Photo

Contest Entries& Member Photos

Chapter 57 Member Craig Bukowski with a niceTiger caught from Washington’s Lake Merwin.

Chapter 37 Member Brent Hilbert with a 50-inch fishcaught recently on Lake of the Woods.

Chapter 9 member Bailey Brewer and Levi Metheny ofChapter 16 with a nice 42-incher caught by Bailey’s dadCraig. On a recent 3-day trip these two guys put in 14-

hour days chasing muskies and even fished in their ownboat for a while.

A photo of the sun setting on Lake of the Woods inAugust. It’s my favorite place to go to, and I know

some of you out there feel the same way. Photo byChapter 02 member (and MUSKIE photo editor)

Brad Waldera.

Chapter 01’s Todd Lorenz with a nice 39 inchmuskie caught from Fox Lake in Minnesota.

Chapter 49 member Bill Bennett with one of his personalbest fish. He says this one was caught from Webster

Lake. Nice fish Bill.

Here is Chapter 9 Member Craig Brewerwith a very nice 52-inch fish.

Another photo sent in by Craig Brewer of Chapter 9.And check out the future pros in the background.

Chapter 38 Member David Anderson, who is elevenyears old, recently caught his personal best, a 45-inch

muskie. His dad Jeff is holding the fish in this photo, butDavid reeled him in all by himself. Nice work.

photo contest – october winner...photo contest – october winner by brad waldera, photo editor...

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