MUSKIE Magazine

Transcription

MUSKIE Magazine

Photo Contest – February
by Brad Waldera, Photo Editor • pictures@muskiesinc.org
I don’t know about you, but I tend to take a lot of pictures, and
I didn’t always know the best ways to display the ones I was most
proud of. Here are a few ways I’ve found to make use of the shots that
I thought were good enough to keep.
Photo Books - There are many free websites you can find that
will put your pictures in a hard cover or paperback book format. I’ve
used one in the past called mypublisher.com, and also had good luck
with picaboo.com, but your local Wal-Mart store can do the exact
same thing. These work better than putting prints in a photo album,
and also make great gifts.
Photo Screensavers - On many, if not all computers, you can
have your screensaver set up to use your digital photos in a slideshow.
I created a folder that I put my better shots in, and then selected that
folder to be used as the screensaver. It wasn’t too difficult, and is a real
eye catcher when I have guests.
DVD Slideshows - I’ve been taking a lot of sports photos for the
local high school and at the end of the year they have an awards banquet. I wanted to put together a slideshow of the best shots from the
season and found a great program that you can use to burn your digital photos to a DVD and add music clips and/or text. It’s not a free
program, but it’s probably one of the most highly recommended programs out there for doing this type of project. It’s called ProShow
Gold (www.photodex.com) and it allows you to view your pictures
on any TV. If you want to do a similar project and only view it on
your computer, there is a free Microsoft program called Photo Story
▲ Photo #1 Jim Smith sent in this beautiful picture of
a Bald Eagle. He recently purchased some new photo
equipment and it looks like he’s making very good use of
it. This is one of the better Bald Eagle shots I’ve seen;
this shot is clear, the exposure is good, and the color is
correct, which make it about as good as you could hope
for. This is a very outstanding shot, and I am sure glad
Jim sent it in. Excellent work Jim.
▲
Photo Tip of the Month –
Great photos should be shown off!
3 that you can download to your computer. It is easy to use, and
works very well for viewing photos set to music on your computer.
You can also add text or voice clips as well.
I hope some of you will look into getting more visibility for your
photos with these or other programs out there. Pictures are meant to
be viewed, and anything to help get that accomplished is always a
good thing. ❖
Photo #2 Here is Chapter 29 member Clayton Will
with a beautiful 53-inch fish caught in Iowa. He said he
and his wife caught this fish and two others, a 49” and a
44”, in less than an hour of fishing one night. It took both
of them to lift the fish into the boat for this photo before
Clayton released it to fight again. He mentioned that he’s
having Fittante do a replica for him, which I’m sure will be
excellent. Congratulations Clayton, that’s a great fish.
MUSKIE is published monthly and is the Official
Publication of Muskies, Inc. International Office: Ron
Groeschl, International Sec., 14257 Waters Edge
Trail, New Berlin, WI 53151. Ph: 888-710-8286.
© Copyright 2009 by Muskies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Departments
IFC Photo Contest, Brad Waldera
2 President’s Message,
Dan Narsete
3 Magazine Notes, Juris Ozols
3 Index of Advertisers
4 MUSKIE News
MUSKIE • VOL. 43, NO. 2
Features
12 Freshwater Fishing’s Hall of Fame,
Patricia Strutz
14 Muskie Fishing in Extreme Conditions,
Brad Waldera and Tom Betka
17 Muskie Symposium 2016,
Steve Budnik
6 Lunge Log, Jim Bunch
18 The Catch of a Lifetime,
Sean Landsman
10 Figure 8, Kevin Richards
23 Chapter News and Views
22 Sport Show Locator for 2009
30 Member Photos,
Brad Waldera
Join Muskies, Inc. ...
or give a membership
as a gift.
Contents
28 Focus on Chapter 47: Michigan Muskie
Alliance, Fred Becchetti
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(to find the number of the Chapter you wish to join, see the Chapter News & Views section)
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www.muskiesinc.org
February 2009.....MUSKIE 1
International
Officers
President, Dan Narsete
Email: president@muskiesinc.org
Vice President/Fundraising, Jim Shannon
Phone: 612-670-8943
Email: vp-finance@muskiesinc.org
Vice President/Fisheries, Research & Youth,
Dr. Tom Betka, MD
Phone: 920-544-5868
Email: vp-research@muskiesinc.org
Vice President/Internal Affairs,
Perry Peterson
Phone: 253-850-5889
Email: vp-internal-affairs@muskiesinc.org
Vice President/Membership & Marketing,
Dale Vercauteren
Phone: 920-680-6093
Email: vp-membership@muskiesinc.org
Vice President/Communications, Jay Zahn
Phone: 920-660-7655
Email: vp-communications@muskiesinc.org
Treasurer, Kathy Goon
Phone: 419-945-2940
Email: treasurer@muskiesinc.org
Members Only Fishing Contest, Jim Bunch
Phone: 715-226-0295
Email: lungelog@muskiesinc.org
Web Master, Ron Groeschl
Phone: 262-271-1002
Email: secretary@muskiesinc.org
Int. Administrative Secretary, Ron Groeschl
14257 Waters Edge Trail, New Berlin, WI 53151
Phone: 888-710-8286 or 262-271-1002
Email: secretary@muskiesinc.org
At Large Directors
Term Expires
Brad Waldera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009
Dick McPike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009
David Rautmann . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009
Diana Mindar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009
Dan Narsete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009
Tom Betka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010
Dale Vercauteren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010
Bob Timme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010
Jim Shannon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010
Gerald Bucholtz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010
Adam Walsh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011
Jay Zahn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011
Fred Brogle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011
Brett Knight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011
Rory Potter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011
2 MUSKIE.....February 2009
The President’s Message
by Dan Narsete
Muskies, Inc. International President
Email: president@muskiesinc.org
W
e’re growing! Steadily marching towards 60, yes, I said sixty chapters in
Muskies, Inc. The West is being won as we speak. There is a new and growing interest in the Southwest. In December I visited our new chapter #59 in
New Mexico, learning that they have over 20 muskies per acre down there!!! Can you say
trophy muskie fishery!? If I were you I would grab a flight on Southwest or Frontier
Airlines and get on it! It was a great time hanging out with Michael Bishop and his family- they are great people and if you ever get a chance check out fishing with him. As a former Orvis endorsed guide Mr. Bishop really does know his stuff. There are already a number of TV Gurus that are lining up to shoot shows down there…just remember you heard
it here first ☺
If you remember a couple of months ago I mentioned focusing our energies in a positive direction, and I believe that is working. It shouldn’t be long before we have chapters
all over the western half of the U.S. Think about that for a moment…you can muskie fish
year round! The other side of that is we are also talking about trophy-sized fish, over fifty
inches! Lake Tapps, Lower Big Creek, Pinewood, and Bluewater should all be on the radar
or at least your list of places to check out. Each one of these bodies of water already has
or will have the potential for 50-plus inch fish!
Personally I think we should set a goal for 1-3 new chapters per year. Is this ambitious? You bet! But we have muskies all over God’s Creation and should “make hay while
the sun is shining.” Now is the time with many areas experiencing muskies for the first
time. That being said can you help us with the quest? More specifically do you know people out west who perhaps fish for muskies, but do not know they are out there? Oregon,
Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, the Dakotas, New Mexico, Nevada, California,
Washington, and Colorado are all places on the list - please share names with either me or
our VP of Membership Dale Vercauteren. You will be helping to ensure the protection of
our legacy and tradition of muskie fishing.
Having said that, your Regional Directors, Executive Committee members, and I are
committed to doing whatever it takes in terms of support to make that happen. I will be
visiting Seattle again in April and am talking with the NM guys about returning for a
muskie school; all you have to do is ask. Please feel free to e-mail me at
president@muskiesinc.org if I can come out to your chapter and speak, teach a class, work
a booth, etc.
Until then… tight lines, Dan ❖
I’m writing this on the first evening of the new
year in Apple Valley, Minnesota. The temperature is in the teens heading to zero and the
falling snow adds to the foot we already have
on the ground.
On a night like this our February cover photograph warms the soul: The rising sun shines
on morning mist above still water that holds
the mighty muskie. She awaits our lures, and
our paths will cross before the sun sets.
Winter is far in the future and life is grand.
Robert Graves captured Jim Megli of the
Mississippi Valley Chapter heading out at
sunrise from Virgin Timber Resort on Moose
Lake in Hayward, Wisconsin to fish in the
annual Hayward Lakes Chapter tournament. – Juris ❖
INDEX OF ADVERTISERS
INDIAN LAKE LODGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
KENTUCKY CABIN FEVER CHALLUNGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
MADISON FISHING EXPO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
GEORGE’S MINNESOTA MUSKIE EXPO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
MUSKIES CANADA – 2009 MUSKIE ODYSSEY . . . . . . . . . . . 21
MUSKIES, INC. – SPRING BOARD MEETING . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
ROCKFORD FISHING & OUTDOOR EXPO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
TAYLOR COUNTY TOURISM COMMISSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
USDA - STOP AQUATIC HITCHHIKERS (VHS) . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
WHITEFISH BAY CAMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
YOUNG'S WILDERNESS CAMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
MUSKIE Magazine Staff
EDITOR
Kevin Richards
7618 Sunrise Ridge Road
Henley, MO 65040
Phone: (573) 280-2300
Email: muskiemag@yahoo.com
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Juris Ozols
Phone: (612) 747-0178
Email: assistanteditor@muskiesinc.org
PHOTO CONTEST EDITOR
Brad Waldera
Phone: (701) 642-1952
Email: pictures@muskiesinc.org
LUNGE LOG EDITOR
Jim Bunch
Phone: (715) 226-0295
Email: lungelog@muskiesinc.org
ADVERTISING SALES TEAM
Kevin Richards, Editor / Ad Manager
Phone: (573) 280-2300
Email: muskiemag@yahoo.com
Paul Baker, Advertising Sales Representative
Phone: (701) 866-9393
Email: muskie_advertising@yahoo.com
PRINTING ACCOUNT MANAGER
Sunray Printing Solutions, Inc. - Stacey Thielen
MAGAZINE DESIGN
Sunray Printing Solutions, Inc. - John Windschitl
ILLUSTRATORS/CARTOONISTS
Richard Gross, Sherry Hunt, Charles Weiss
FIELD EDITORS
Patricia Strutz, Colby Simms, Sean Landsman,
Adam Glickman, Bob Chochola,Steve Budnik
EMERITUS EDITORS
Rod Ramsell, Keith Ogden, Jim Smith
MUSKIE is published exclusively for the membership of Muskies, Inc. and subscriptions
come with a paid membership. Muskies, Inc. is
a non-profit organization. Membership classes
and associated annual dues are listed on the
form at the bottom of page one. Copies of
MUSKIE magazine are available at $3.00 each
from the Muskies, Inc. International Office.
Contributors grant rights for M.I. to publish
once in MUSKIE Magazine, both the print and
on-line versions, including archives and on the
M.I. Web site.
Submissions to
MUSKIE Magazine
Persons interested in submitting articles for
publication are directed to our website
www.muskiesinc.org for a link to MUSKIE
Magazine, where you will find links on the left
side of the page providing information necessary for submissions to MUSKIE Magazine.
Further questions will be answered by Kevin
Richards, Editor. Submissions may be sent to:
7618 Sunrise Ridge Road, Henley, MO 65040
or email: muskiemag@yahoo.com. Phone:
(573) 280-2300.
www.muskiesinc.org
M AGA Z I N E N OT E S ◆ M AGA Z I N E N OT E S ◆ M AGA Z I N E N OT E S ◆ M AGA Z I N E N OT E S
ABOUT THE COVER
M U S K I E N E WS ◆ M U S K I E N E WS ◆ M U S K I E N E WS ◆ M U S K I E N E WS ◆ M U S K I E N E WS
Welcome Paul Baker!
MUSKIE Magazine is happy to welcome Paul Baker to the
advertising sales team. Paul is a muskie-fishing enthusiast with lots
of sales experience. He is a member of the Fargo-Moorhead Chapter
and will give special emphasis to assisting our advertisers in
Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, and other states. You can call Paul
at: 701/866-9393 or via email at: muskie_advertising@yahoo.com
2009 Photo Contest
In the January 2009 issue of MUSKIE we printed the revised
photo guidelines for pictures submitted by our members to
MUSKIE Magazine. We are making every effort to ensure that the
photos featured in MUSKIE represent the philosophy of catch-andrelease which our organization promotes so strongly.
In addition to the changes we have made regarding the guidelines, we want to reward members who have submitted the best photos. At the end of each year all photos which were selected as monthly winners will be reviewed again by our photo contest judges. We
will select the photo that we feel is the most remarkable. The individual who took that photo will receive a $100 check from Muskies, Inc.
In addition, the winning photo, and probably several runnersup, will be featured on the cover of MUSKIE Magazine.
Many of our members have switched to water-releasing their
fish to eliminate the amount of time they are out of the water, which
is fantastic, but has resulted in fewer fish photos being submitted.
Don’t forget that many of our monthly Photo Contest winning pictures are picked because of their outstanding scenery views. Feel free
to send in any of the shots you’ve taken while on a muskie fishing
outing. We’d sure appreciate it, and you may end up winning $100
in the process. Thanks. - Brad Waldera
Ontario Scientist Receives
Prestigious Award
The American Fisheries Society (AFS) presented its Award of
Excellence to John M. Casselman from Kingston, Ontario, at its
138th Annual Meeting in Ottawa. The Award of Excellence is the
Society’s highest honor and is presented to an AFS member for original and outstanding contributions to fisheries science and aquatic
biology.
Dr. Casselman continues a productive and distinguished professional career as an adjunct professor at Queen’s University after retiring as a senior research scientist with the Ontario Ministry of Natural
Resources. He has also held cross-appointments at several other universities, particularly Trent, Guelph, Waterloo, and McGill.
Professor Casselman, a fish ecologist and environmental physiologist, was recognized for his unwavering commitment to fisheries
research and to training the next generation of fisheries scientists. His
research interests and expertise are both varied and extensive and
include studying age, growth, and production of fish species in such
diverse places as the Canadian Arctic, tropical Ethiopia, and the
Qinghai Tibetan Plateau, and the effects of climate and climate
change on fish population dynamics and community structure.
In my lifetime of fishing (which I hope has at least a little life left
in it) I have been fortunate to experience a variety of habitats and
species. My travels have taken me from muddy, foot-deep farm ponds
to the crystal depths of oceans, from the icy, coffee-brown lakes of
Northwest Ontario to the mossy bayous of South Carolina. I’ve hunted bullheads and grouper, walleye, and flounder, musky and bass.
A common thread runs through it all: The heart pounding
anticipation of actually catching something, and kids.
From 1985 to present day, I have always ended the school year
activities with a fishing tournament. I cannot imagine a more valuable experience for youth to this day.
This year, in addition to the regular school year fishing activities,
I am pleased to announce that four to five students, who have
excelled both academically and socially, will be awarded with a fishing trip to Canada.
We are seeking many avenues for funding to pay for this trip.
We plan on providing food, cabins, boats, gas, fishing equipment,
and transportation.
To date, we have received $1,000 donations from Wal-Mart and
Hoosier Musky Hunters. We have also received a $100 donation
from Tom Rethlake and $20.00 from Darrell Davis.
We are asking your assistance in the form of donations. The
donations will help us achieve our goal of providing this fishing trip
of a lifetime and those in the future.
This program is not just a school program, but also one for the
entire community. I ask that you take an active role in shaping and
making it work for our youth. Thanks. ❖
Goin’ Fishin’
from Rusty Welker
Jim Bunch forwarded this one after a Lunge Log contact. Rusty
is a member of Chapter 42 and caught a big muskie up in
Ontario. But when Jim called him all he wanted to talk about
was his Kids Fishing program at McKinley School in Kokomo,
IN. The following is from the school newsletter. Rusty reports
that Chapter 42 members have been helping for a number of
years with many aspects of the program, such as donations, taxidermy, supervision, and helping to judge the kids’ fishing tournaments. If you want to help in some way you can contact Rusty at:
rwelker@kokomo.k12.in.us
www.muskiesinc.org
M U S K I E N E WS ◆ M U S K I E N E WS ◆ M U S K I E N E WS ◆ M U S K I E N E WS ◆ M U S K I E N E WS
He has researched and published on many different species, with
a long interest in esocids, the effects of environmental factors and
invasive species on native fish communities, and the broad range of
factors affecting fish populations and fisheries, such as the declining
abundance of the American eel in the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence
River system.
Casselman was instrumental in developing the new and innovative Calcified Structure Age-Growth Interpretation System and Data
Extraction Software, which standardizes the interpretation of fish calcified structures, facilitating electronic data storage.
During his career, he has emphasized the importance of mentoring, has assisted many students and colleagues, and worked closely
with resource
users. He has
supervised
numerous masters, doctoral,
and post-doctoral students
through
his
academic positions and associations at affiliated and nonaffiliated universities, both
and
Photo credit: Garry Wise, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources national
international.
As one nominator summarized, “Dr. Casselman is an outstanding citizen of the global fisheries community…. His
nationally and internationally recognized reputation as an expert
in his field, and his relentless striving to increase our understanding of fish populations and fisheries, as well as to improve our
management capabilities, are undeniable.” AFS President Mary
Fabrizio, in presenting the award, emphasized that it is for “a
lifetime of achievements as a researcher, mentor, and leader.”
With nearly 10,000 members, AFS is the world’s largest and
oldest society for fisheries scientists and managers. Its mission is
to improve the conservation and sustainability of fishery
resources and aquatic ecosystems by advancing fisheries and
aquatic science and promoting the development of fisheries professionals.
Congratulations Dr. Casselman from all your Muskies,
Inc. friends and thanks for working on behalf of the mighty
muskellunge and other fisheries resources!
Lu n g e L o g ◆ Lu n g e L o g ◆ Lu n g e L o g ◆ Lu n g e L o g ◆ Lu n g e L o g ◆ Lu n g e L o g ◆ Lu n g e L o g
g
nge L
u
L
e
o
h
t
by
Ji m B u n c h
Josh Borovsky on
a “Pink Day”!
Josh is a member of the Twin Cities Chapter and
lives in Bloomington, Minnesota. He is a muskie guide.
He fishes many Metro Lakes, Vermilion, Mille Lacs, Lake
of the Woods, etc. He landed a 56 incher on August 1st
this past season; it was just a half an inch short of the
longest in Muskies, Inc. for the year. He was guiding that
day and he tells us about the event.
I was guiding a client by the name of Carl Halverson
who also caught a 56 inch muskie with Bill Sandy years
ago. We caught this muskie on a “pink day”. These are
days in which a full moon or a new moon overlaps with
perigee (nearest the center of the earth) I highlight them
in pink and actually charge a little more on these days.
The past nine years in a row the biggest muskie in my
boat has been caught on one of these “pink days”.
I asked my client if he would mind trying an experimental technique that I had not applied to Vermilion
before. He agreed and we proceeded. Not 30 seconds
later I hooked into this fish on the end of a very, very long
cast. I laughed and yelled, “It worked”. I offered Carl the
rod and he graciously said it was my fish. I was laughing
and having a good time because the experiment had
scored so quickly. I was not taking the size of this fish
very serious. After a while I said this might be a really big
one.
It was dark, but we had a clamp light turned on at
the side of the boat. When the fish got to the back corner of the boat where I was standing I could feel it rising
and could tell it was going to jump. I bent down and
attempted to drive my rod tip down in the water to keep
its head under the surface. Well, a fish that big pretty
much does what it wants to. As I was bending down, this
muskie jumped straight up with its mouth wide open and
almost hit me in the face! I will never forget that image
of that giant head coming out of the water. I knew I
could easily fit my head inside its mouth.
So that is when my excitement level got ramped up
about 100 notches. I took it easy on the fish and used free
spool often to avoid anymore scary jumps. She put up a
great fight and we eventually got her in the net. The most
memorable thing about this muskie was its huge dragon
like head. It was a really long head and the jaw tissue
around its lips was unreal. The first thing I said to Carl as
Josh Borovsky, Chapter 01, 56 Inches, 8/01/2008
Vermilion, MN. Buck Tail, Fish I.D. 258682.
2008 Replica Winner -Junior Member 16 years
old. 6' 3" and 200 lbs plus. His 29th 50 Incher
we were releasing her is that now we had the chance to put
the stick on one of these really big ones, I know I have seen
several fish out here this year bigger than this one. Getting
them to bite is another story.
Wesley Worel Longest Junior
Release 55.25 Inches!
In the past history of the Lunge Log, many years we
show a really little guy or girl holding a really big
muskie. The junior member might be 6, 8 or 10 years
old. The muskie they hold maybe older than they are.
Oops in 2008 this is a different story! Wesley Worel is no
longer young, and his history is becoming legendary.
This is not the first time he wins the replica from Lax
Replicas. Wesley started his muskie career at the age of
6. He is no longer a small person. He was 16 years old
when he caught this 55.25; he turned 17 last month. He
is 6 foot 3 inches tall and over 200 pounds. He is from
Grand Rapids, Minnesota and a member of the Star of
the North Chapter.
This was Wesly’s longest muskie of 322 he has
reported to the Lunge Log in his young life. That was
quite a personal challenge as this muskie was his 29th
fifty incher. You may find this tough to image. How did
he do this? This is easy to explain. Across from the
breakfast table from Wesley is the “Man”, his father.
(Continued on page 8)
D O N AT I O N S
Special thanks to the following authors for donating stories to MUSKIE Magazine in 2008. Your
donations save us money on the production of
MUSKIE so we have more funds to channel
toward Fisheries, Research & Youth programs!
www.muskiesinc.org
Thomas Betka, M.D.
David Cates
Joe Nohner
Dr. Jim Diana
Steven J. Kerr
Steve Budnik
Jeff Koppelman
Mark A. Johnson
Juris Ozols
Brett Waldera
Gary Bennyhoff
Joe Bucher
Bruce Bolding
Michael Bishop
Elmer Heyob
Eugene M. Narsete, M.D.
Todd Berg
Wesley Worel, Chapt 15, 55.25 Inches, 8/18/08
Vermilion, MN. Zippity Do Dah, Fish I.D. 263039
LUNGE LOG
(Continued from page 7)
That would be Ken Worel. Ken has caught more fifty inch muskies
in the Lunge Log than anybody else. They live in Grand Rapids,
Minnesota and easy driving distance from Vermilion, Big, Bemidji,
and Mille Lacs. Ken is a whole other story so let’s let that slide this
month and proceed with Wesley. This fish came out of Vermilion,
Minnesota and Wesley relates the following.
We went out in the morning and stopped at a couple of spots and
saw nothing. Then on the next
location I saw a huge wake behind
my surface bait. She followed it
right to the boat, not ready though.
I could tell it was huge. We left for
about 2 hours and then came back.
I tried a different lure. When we
got to the end of the spot, I saw her
again. This time a little more
aggressive, but she would not bite
again. So we left, went to some
more spots. We returned about an
hour later. We started further on
down the line almost to where we
had seen her before. I went to a
lure that we had luck with before
in the middle of the day. (Zippity
Do Dah) I got her on the first cast.
She pulled harder than any other
muskie I have caught. I knew she
was going to be big but she didn’t
look as long as she turned out to be.
After we got the hooks out and got
the camera ready I grabbed the jaw
bone and it felt bigger than any
muskie I have ever had hold of
before.
When I started to pull the
muskie out of the net it seemed like
the fish was never going to come to
an end. That’s when I realized she
was really big. We took a couple of
pictures and laid her down to
measure, it was 55.25. I couldn’t
believe she was my biggest fish ever.
So we measured her again and it
was the same. I picked her back up
and took another picture and then
released her. I hope it was to get
bigger and give some one else the
same experience I had.
Dad points out this lure is
one of four he designed for
Inhaler. Zippity Do Dah, Holly
Molly, etc. This family is scary,
an old veteran, and a new young
blood with lots of experience.
Mercy! By the way, who caught
the longest hybrid in the country
by a Muskies, Inc. member in
2008? It was 50.75 inches and also caught on a Zippity Do Dah.
That would be father Ken Worel. He got this tiger wading in the
Mississippi right in Grand Rapids. The Worel’s live 10 miles south of
town and Ken keeps a muskie rod in the car in case he has time to
stop at this spot in the river. He actually caught this same tiger the
year before at 49.25. Earlier this summer he had it on again but lost
it when it swam between his legs. His rod was too long and the
muskie pulled the rod into the rocks and it broke.
So this fall on Sept 15th he stops at this spot again. This muskie
is easy to identify as it has a white spot on top of its head. Sure
enough he hooks up and lands it. Now he is by himself so no assistance with a lot of the normal release procedures. Ken knows the
state record hybrid is 35.75 pounds. He may be standing in the
water holding the new state record hybrid, but it was too close to
call so he released it. He Da Man!
Susan Marfin 46.5 Inch Hybrid!
Susan Marfin, Chapter 16, 46.5 Hybrid, 9/25/08
Chautauqua, NY. Wiley Crank. Fish I.D. 262048
Well OK Muskies, Inc. veterans, if you want to do something
special try this. Your assignment is to catch a hybrid. Please make it
at least 46.5 inches. Then you as a member must be a female. Do
you get the idea here? This is
pretty rare. Susan Marfin did it
on Lake Chautauqua on
September 25, 2008 using a
Wiley Crank Bait. Susan is not a
rookie, she has caught 75
muskies. This includes 7 longer
than this hybrid. This includes a
natural of 52.5 inches in June of
2006 from Lake St. Clair. So
really, think about this. Yes, go
catch a hybrid, use moon phase,
sunsets, or whatever. They are
very rare and Susan has a very
rare muskie - neat.
Standings!
The usual standings are
posted in this article. They were
compiled on December 25,
2008. They are not the final
standings for the year as there are
a few more days to land a muskie
and a few more to report one. So
the March magazine will have
the year end winners of the contest. With the regionalization of
Muskies, Inc. there will not be
an
International
Awards
Banquet. The International
Awards will be shipped to each
chapter so they can present them
at their own banquets or meetings.
Keep a tight line,
Jim Bunch
Lunge Log Editor
715/226-0295 ❖
www.muskiesinc.org
LUNGE LOG
8
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by Kevin Richards
muskiemag@yahoo.com
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Figure 8
Slippery Soapbox Revisited …
In the December issue of MUSKIE I wrote about misguided passion relative to the way some anglers push their rather extreme views
of catch-and-release. I stated, “We don’t want to reverse the great strides
we have made in the public acceptance of C&R, but we also have no right
to belittle another angler for legally harvesting a fish of any species. We
must continue to work with our fisheries agencies to ensure all waters are
managed with suitable regulations.”
Not only did that editorial trigger more responses than any other
I have written, the responses were overwhelmingly supportive and
positive. Thanks to all the readers who took the time to share their
opinions with me via email or telephone. Here’s a sample of two of
those responses - one from a member and one from the fisheries community; both are thought-provoking.
I am writing in response to your article in December issue of
MUSKIE Magazine. Last summer while fishing a lake near the Twin
Cities I had an exciting thing happen . . . In the
late afternoon as we drifted a shoreline we heard a
scream. I looked toward the boat not thinking too
much of it but then there came another scream so
I called back to ask if they had one and they told
me that they had a muskie in the bottom of their
boat and didn’t know what to do so we went to
give some assistance.
The fish was in the bottom of the boat so I
grabbed it and stuck it in my Frabill so it was back
in the water. We asked what happened and she
told me that as she pulled her daredevil out of the
water the muskie jumped into the boat after the
bait. They didn’t have anything for handling this
fish so we were in the right place at the right time.
The fish measured 43 inches and we got a few
photos taken for them because they also had no
camera. She mentioned that she had a large pike
on the wall but nothing like this muskie so her
boyfriend asked her if she wanted to keep it and we
explained to her that the lake had a 48-inch minimum, so the fish had to be released.
We put the fish back in the water and it swam
away. I told her that she could get a replica made
from the photos and the measurements, but in all
the excitement that’s all I said about it.
After we parted ways I got to thinking I should
have given her more information. I have taken
steps so the next time something like this might
happen I will be better prepared. I have printed off
ads for both Joe Fittante and Rick Lax to keep in
the boat . . . As a muskie hunter I have tools that I need to release the
fish I catch . . . and now I have someone’s answer to having that fish
for their wall while being able to release the fish. I will be ready the
next time it happens. I wanted to share this story and the answer I
came up with . . . thought it might be one solution to share with the
muskie world. – Nathan Kkjellman, M.I. Member
I talked at a Muskies Canada meeting recently, and we dealt with
this topic head-on. What I expressed was virtually identical to your
comments… I believe that there should be continued discussion about
this. It will eventually be healthy for muskellunge, fisheries, and fishers… I agree wholeheartedly with what you said. And as I’ve said,
there need to be some “trophies” so that we can all admire this beautiful animal. And this should include a range of sizes, depending upon
each person’s individual definition of trophy—which will change with
time. It’s the multiple harvests that are the problem. Either there’s a
problem with technique or there’s a misunderstanding about the limits
of the resource by those individuals. They need to be educated.
John M. Casselman,
Ph.D., Adjunct Professor
Queen’s University, Department of
Biology, Kingston, Ontario
I felt these two responses covered many of
responsibilities we, as MI members, need to
address. Have the tools needed for successful
release; explain fisheries regulations and share
our C&R knowledge with novice anglers; realize the muskellunge is a “beautiful animal”
with a unique niche in aquatic ecosystems; and
understand the limits of this special resource.
Finally, to close this discussion with a very
real (and very big) example, please make sure you
read the story in this issue about the MacNair
Monster. What a fish! Had it ever been released
before? Possibly. Will it ever be caught again?
Hopefully. Was it the heaviest muskie ever
caught by an angler? We’ll never know for sure.
I just returned from the Chicago Muskie Show
where I got to admire the replica of this amazing
muskie and meet Dale and his now-famous netman Sal. This world record class muskie was
lucky to have been caught by a team of folks who
understand the limits of this special resource!
After the thrill of catching your next
muskie do your best to carefully release it to
fight another day; the future of our muskie
resource will literally be in your hands!
Kevin ❖
M
uskie fishermen love history. We are intrigued by the tales
of the old guides; interested in the storied bodies of water
of northern Wisconsin and Canada; and excited when we
score an original Skinner Spoon. It amazed me, then, when I asked
several of my buddies if they’d ever visited the Freshwater Fishing Hall
of Fame and Museum located in Hayward, Wisconsin. Most had not.
“Why not?” I asked. Many had just not made time to take the
trip, but quite a few were disgruntled with the world record debate
and associated the museum solely with the controversy. I urge you all
to consider visiting this museum. No matter what your personal feelings are on the world record dispute, there is more for you to enjoy
and learn from this venue. It is so much more than just a record keeping operation.
What’s at the museum? Well, let’s go for a little tour…
You will first enter the gift shop area. Pretty typical stuff here—
prints, books, clothing, mugs, mementos. Hit it on your way back out
so you don’t have to carry around your purchases all day.
Next, you’ll walk outside to the grounds. A park-like atmosphere
replete with beautifully donated landscaping and oversize fish statues
welcomes you. Muskie folks like us will immediately be drawn to the
four and a half stories tall, half city block long concrete, steel, and
fiberglass muskellunge. Walking into the belly of the beast, you’ll see
a variety of items such as photos and plaques of charter founders, albino brook trout (and other fish) mounts, and a copy of the first writings on angling, circa 1496 by Dame Juliana Bernes, “Treatise of
Fishing With an Angle.”
Make your way up the stairs to the observation deck. From here
you have a great view of the entire area. My friends Tony and Dawn
Engers were recently wed on this very deck—something for you
young lovebirds to consider?
Many overlook the grounds but I personally love them. Take a
moment to stroll through and enjoy:
– The children’s fishing pond below the big muskie.
– The small buildings adjacent to the muskie. They hold boats from
different decades fully-rigged with gear from their respective time
periods.
– Donated rose bushes,
shrubs, and resting
Muskie folks like us
benches wind through
will immediately be
the area— with plaques
honoring fishermen
drawn to the four and
and women who have
a half stories tall, half
went before us.
city block long concrete,
Next, enter the main
building. The impressive
steel, and fiberglass
Hall of Recognition greets
muskellunge.
you. Here you can read
about the achievements of
legendary anglers like Frank Suick, Betty
Hartman, or Bill Hoeft. Outstanding
Achievement awards showcase the likes of Ole
Evinrude, William Shakespeare, Jr., and “Mr.
Muskie,” Gil Hamm. Impressive world record
mounts line the area—like the 22# 11 oz walleye from Arkansas (unbelievable!!) and John
Knobla’s 1919 tiger muskie caught at Lac
Vieux Desert. A variety of bird mounts (hawk,
owl, swan, etc.) are perched on top of the displays.
One of my favorite exhibits is located
here; a 1938 Thompson row trolling boat
lined with a thorough collection of books
about muskies, and old lures. It was donated
by my friend Al Soczka and it is an impressive display.
All this and you’ve barely scratched the surface. Enter WING
ONE. Here are some of the cool things you’ll find:
– An extensive array of old spinning reels—Zebco, Ocean City,
Pflueger...
– Fly rods and reels and flies.
– Spin cast and bait casting reels. Did you know the very first marketed reel was in 1835? Early reels were hand crafted by jewelers;
they made them from brass, nickel, and silver. It’s interesting to
– World record gallery of photos of
note the evolution of our gear over
species caught on different line
the years.
tests.
– The World Record (or not,
– Ocean fish mounts...sailfish,
depending on how you view it...)
snappers, wahoo, crevalle jacks,
Louis Spray muskie. Photos of
dolphinfish...
monster fish taken by Cal
– A “coelacanth” mount. This fish
Johnson, Ken O’Brien, and others
was thought to be extinct 30 milline the walls.
lion years ago. It was caught in
– Ice fishing exhibit.
Africa in 1939 and again in 1952.
– Variety of vintage lures…
Hartman’s Sweethearts, Creek The museum shows mounts of different strains of muskys (barred,
Chub baits, even homemade tiger, spotted, etc.) and explains the range and pertinent info of
each type.
gopher lures! Some are enticingly
I saved the best for last...THE TRILENE THEATER
displayed on a stump; a reminder of how many expensive
crankbaits I’ve lost over the years.
WING.
– Dedicated Mepps and Mudpuppy lures displays.
This area is without doubt, my favorite....hmmm...I wonder
– Dated minnow buckets and antique leather tackle boxes.
why? Could it be the awesome row trolling boat display? Complete
– Fish club patches and, of course, more fish mounts...Arctic Char, rigs, such as Penn Yans and Marias, as well as innovative riggings—
Lake trout...
aquacycles and twin fin sculler-rowers—are featured here. Alas, my
efforts to hook one up to my truck were thwarted!
Whew! On to WING TWO.
– There are also a bunch of other items that will intrigue muskie
Here you will find a mixture of
anglers:
items...one area houses the “motor
– Legendary Guides and Outdoor Communicators (Pop and Porter
graveyard”— kind of an overflow of
Dean, Chick Ross, Buckshot Anderson just to name a few)
what doesn’t fit into the Trilene wing
– Evolution of fishing line exhibit.
motor area. The museum touts over
– Kermit Benson, one of early founders of Muskies, Inc. display.
1,000 vintage outboards. If you are
– A host of vintage outlike me, you’ll love perusing the old
boards. Who doesn’t
Montgomery Wards, Mercurys, and
recall the old Sea
West Bends. It’s a definite stroll
Kings, Sears Elgins,
down memory lane. You’ll also find:
and Mercury Marks?
– An early century soft side canvas
– Nets. A muskie net
canoe .
circa 1910! Sorry, I’ll
– A birch bark canoe made by a Lac
keep my Frabill.
Du Flambeau tribe in the 1860’s.
– Lifelike rubber muskie
– Hayward Muskies, Inc. display.
baits...the predecessor
– Electronics exhibit (Vexilars, Fish Hawk, Shakespeares, etc.)
of today’s soft plastics?
– Many different species displayed, including:
– Anchors,
bobbers, Muskies, Inc. certainly has a presence at
– Muskie variation display (mounts of barred, hybrid, spotted, etc.)
baits, and bait harness- the Hall of Fame. Here are tributes to Gil
Hamm and Kermit Benson.
– Pike
es through the ages.
– Foreign species mounts (piranha, peacock bass, payara)
– Kids fishing photos display.
– Miscellaneous species (sturgeon, gar, paddlefish)
– And, every muskie fishermen’s nemesis: the old snapping turtle!
– Panfish (bluegill, crappie, perch)
Okay, so that’s just the museum...as you can see it is a nice after– World of bass (stripers, white, rock, smallies)
noon spent perusing a ton of fishing artifacts. Yes, it is a record keep– Trout display (Brook, Dolly Varden, rainbow)
ing operation, too. Legendary anglers, communicators, and guides are
– Walleye variants
inducted into the Hall. A new category this year is Legendary Artist.
– Rough/Coarse fish (catfish, redhorse, carp)
Muskies, Inc. was inducted into their Organization Area in 1987.
Hey, even if you only fish for muskies it is interesting to see what This category recognizes organizations that have performed valuable
a muskie eats!
services to benefit freshwater sportfishing. Know of someone who
belongs in any of these categories? Nomination information and
There’s More...WING THREE
applications are available on-line.
An interesting display of trolling motors is housed here including
Mark your calendars: the museum is open April 15-end of
one of the very first ones ever manufactured—a Submerged Electric, October from 9:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Gate fee is $6.50 for adults, $3.75
made in Menomonie, Wisconsin in 1901. The first production out- for ages 10-17, and $2.75 for children 2-10. Seniors (age 65) receive
board, created by Ole Evinrude in 1907, is also showcased. What else? a 50 cents discount. 10360 Hall of Fame Drive, Hayward WI 54843,
– More reels...1890’s to the present.
(715) 634-4440. www.freshwater-fishing.org
– Some sweet row trolling boats! A 1940’s Thompson, one of the
Finally, don’t forget to make some time for fishing while you’re in
earliest spray rail boats that was designed to plane under power. It
the Hayward area! ❖
was the forerunner of the run-about. And, a round bottom strip
boat, circa 1920’s. Beautiful crafts.
Patricia Strutz is a Field Editor for MUSKIE Magazine. She can be
– More vintage electronics. Your kids won’t believe that we once reached at: info@ablondandherboat.com
used Lowrance’s green box!
www.muskiesinc.org
Muskie Fishing In
Extreme Conditions
by Brad Waldera and Tom Betka
(potentially leading to a sudden stoppage of the heart), and hypoxemia, which is a condition of an abnormally low blood oxygen level.
These two issues account for a significant portion of the delayed
mortality following the catch-and-release process. Anglers can have
some control over these issues by simply being more aware of their
effects on muskies, and by changing some of the
ways in which we fish for them.
As muskie anglers we have
Lactic acid is a natural by-product of funca great deal of control over
tioning muscle tissue. When fish have normal
blood oxygen levels, their muscles can function
many of the factors which
aerobically with very little lactic acid produced.
can affect delayed mortality, When the supply of oxygen in their blood is
depleted, more and more lactic acid is produced
here are certain muskie
especially by limiting the
and they may experience numerous metabolic
fishing conditions that
amount of time we keep a
abnormalities. This condition is further worsrequire special precaumuskie out of the water.
ened by the hypoxemia resulting from a protions to be taken, or require that
longed fight in water low in dissolved oxygen,
or from long periods of air exposure while the
extra care be given to the fish in
fish
is
handled
and
photographed.
order to reduce overstressing muskies and help minHypoxia means low oxygen, and refers here to a fish’s lack of
imize the occurrence of delayed mortality.
obtaining adequate oxygen. This lack of oxygen causes their pH level
Muskie fishermen release the majority of the fish that they catch. to decrease and they become more acidic. That in turn leads to the
Because of this, there are certain steps we should be taking to ensure interference of oxygen getting delivered to the tissues, such as the
that we’re releasing fish in good condition. This article will try to heart. As the heart becomes hypoxemic, it becomes more susceptible
explain how taking special precautions in various fishing situations to abnormal rhythms. In periods of pronounced hypoxemia, the
heart may even cease to function normally, possibly resulting in the
can greatly increase the survival rate of the muskies we release.
Two of the main topics summarized in this article are lactic aci- death of the fish.
Many muskie anglers believe in using stout tackle and fighting
dosis, a buildup of lactic acid that can cause abnormal heart rhythms
In night fishing know
the locations of your
release tools to minimize the time the fish
is in the net.
T
Cold air and water, fish on the line – do you have
a plan for what to do when you get it to the boat?
the fish quickly without over-stressing the animal. When fighting a
fish, lactic acid begins to build up in their muscle tissue. The longer
the fight lasts, the higher the level of lactic acid produced. Once the
level of lactic acid reaches the “point of no return”, it may cause the
fish to die. They may swim away at the time they are released, but
may die hours later.
Higher water temperatures can magnify the oxygen and pH
imbalance in the fish, and this increases the importance of shortening the fight. To reduce lactic acid levels and restore the normal pH
of the blood, exhausted fish need oxygen fast, and the only way to get
oxygen to the fish quickly is by allowing water to flow through their
gills. Therefore, many anglers are now choosing to simply unhook
the fish in the net and minimize handling them as much as possible.
Unhooking and releasing muskies in a timely manner will allow
them to recover much sooner and could mean the difference between
life and death for the fish.
As most anglers know, water temperature is the main factor in
determining how much oxygen is available to the fish. Because warm
water isn’t capable of holding as much dissolved oxygen as cold water,
lakes with low oxygen levels can also increase the occurrence of
hypoxemia in angled fish, potentially increasing delayed mortality.
Many serious muskie anglers will not fish for muskies at all once the
water reaches 80 degrees. In the warm summer months when water
temperatures are highest, many muskie anglers choose to pursue
other species of fish that are less sensitive than muskies to the effects
of low dissolved oxygen levels.
Fishing in high winds can also increase the risk of delayed mortality, especially if you’re fishing alone. It may be quite difficult to
control the boat while playing the fish, which can prolong the fight
time and increase the occurrence of lactic acidosis. Concurrently, if
www.muskiesinc.org
In warm weather release fish quickly and perhaps pass up the
opportunity for out-of-the-water photos.
the water temperature is high, the fish may also become hypoxemic.
Anglers should strongly consider whether they should fish very
windy locations in these scenarios or choose a different approach.
As muskie anglers we have a great deal of control over many of
the factors which can affect delayed mortality, especially by limiting
the amount of time we keep a muskie out of the water. While the
incidence of delayed mortality has been estimated to be in the range
of 5 to 30 percent, the exact figure can never be known as there are
many determining factors. Therefore we recommend that every
effort be made to minimize delayed mortality.
EXTREME CONDITIONS
When you fish in high winds do so with a partner to help net and
release the fish.
There are many other situations that also require taking precautions to help minimize the risk of delayed mortality, such as targeting deep-water fish. To achieve neutral buoyancy and have the ability to stay at any depth a muskie has to be able to take gas into the
bladder and let gas out of it. When a fish is rapidly brought to the
surface from deep water it may experience an expansion of the swim
bladder which prevents it from functioning properly or returning to
deeper water (a condition known as ‘barotrauma’). Rupture of the
swim bladder is also a possibility and could allow a gas bubble to
enter the bloodstream and block vital blood flow to the gills, brain,
or other vital organs. Due to these concerns, it has been suggested
that muskie anglers avoid pursuing deepwater fish if they intend to release them.
Certain care should also be taken to
ensure the release of healthy fish when fishing at night. In many instances the water
temperature will be more beneficial to the
well being of the fish in the cooler evening
hours, but there are other issues that come
up. You’ll want to make sure you’re aware of
the location of your release tools and also
minimize the amount of time the fish is in
the net.
Cold air temperatures may also have a
slight effect on the muskie. When taken
from the water in very cold air temperatures, there is a risk of damage due to freezing to the fish’s eyes and/or gills. To play it
safe do not remove the muskie from the
water.
As much as we enjoy fishing for
muskies, there are times throughout the
year when it can prove detrimental to their
survival for us to fish for them without first
considering the scenarios we’re facing that
particular day. If certain steps are taken, we
can help ensure that muskies will survive
and prosper for the next generation of
muskie anglers. ❖
Higher water temperatures increase the
importance of shortening the length of the
fight.
Muskie Symposium 2016
by Steve Budnik, Co-chair of the
M.I. Research Committee and MUSKIE Field Editor
A
s we drove home that Sunday in October 2005, the feeling was
one of euphoria. We just knew that we had been part of something special. For three days a couple hundred muskie biologists, scientists, concerned muskie anglers from numerous chapters,
and several well known muskie educators had rubbed elbows in
Indianapolis, Indiana.
In a relaxed social setting, the technical folks interacted with the
anglers and learned what was most important from their perspective.
The technical papers presented were geared, at least in part, to how
anglers could use this information to improve their knowledge of their
favorite quarry. The Dr. Ed Crossman Muskie Symposium 2005 was a
truly extraordinary event.
Fast forward to April 2008. At the spring board meeting an ad hoc
committee gathered to discuss Symposium 2016 for the first time.
Why a symposium in 2016? Almost before symposium 2005 was over
several of us began thinking about doing this again down the road. The
biologists told us that 7-8 years would most likely be enough time to
have an appropriate amount of research take place. The “light bulbs”
went on when someone suggested tying the next symposium into the
50th anniversary of Muskies, Inc. in 2016. An idea was born and a tentative decision was made.
By tradition, Chapter #1 hosts the spring board meeting every five
years. If Symposium 2016 was to be tied to a spring board meeting
weekend, then Minneapolis, MN would be the most likely site for the
event. Almost immediately, a logistical hurdle of sorts came up in our
discussion. Springtime is not a very good time for biologists to get
away from their work, and springtime comes at different times
throughout the muskie range. This will have to be resolved fairly early
on before we can proceed.
Does the symposium have to be tied into a
typical spring board meeting weekend or could it
exist as a separate activity? This is a good question
which cannot be answered quite yet. In this writer’s
opinion, closely following the successful symposium model used by the Hoosier Muskie Hunters’
symposium committee in 2005 makes perfect
sense. Thus, Symposium 2016 would most likely
have a technical side as well as an angler/layperson
side, as did the proceedings in 2005.
An event of this sort, in financial terms, is
indeed a large one. Symposium 2005 ended up
with an operational budget in the $65,000 to
$70,000 range. It’s reasonable to assume that replicating the same activities, on the same scale, eleven
years later, would cost somewhat more than that.
Currently there is $5,000 from the Hoosier
Muskie Hunters plus an equal match from our
National funds in an ear-marked account. Sale of
the Symposium Proceedings books from 2005
should add about $5,000 more (refer to note at
end of this article). A motion passed at the spring
2008 board meeting requires the board to start
adding $2,000 per year to the symposium
account, beginning in 2009. Finally, one-half of
net profits from the “Best of the Best”
Tournament will be deposited into this account.
www.muskiesinc.org
The “light bulbs”
went on when someone
suggested tying the
next symposium into
the 50th anniversary of
Muskies, Inc. in 2016.
All these actions represent a good funding nest egg (about
$30,000), but we are still a long way from what ultimately will be
needed. Grants and sponsorships will be aggressively pursued. As
always in large undertakings, support from the chapters will be critical.
Additional revenue sources will be sought as well.
Muskies, Inc. has had a long standing commitment to the
research side of muskie fisheries. Symposium 2016 will be a great way
to continue that commitment. ❖
NOTE: Sales of hardcover Symposium Proceedings books from 2005
are currently underway. This is very interesting but fairly technical
reading. Contact Scott Law at (765)620-3069 if you want additional
information. You can obtain a copy by sending a check for $70 to:
Hoosier Muskie Hunters Symposium
c/o Scott Law
P.O. Box 551
Lapel, IN 46051
O
ttawa, Ontario resident Dale MacNair caught quite the fish Sal points to a mark on the bottom, what Sal refers to as a “turtle.”
this past November 28th, 2008. It will go down in the record On a depth finder’s screen these “turtles” appear like rocks on the botbooks as one of the largest ever caught and successfully tom, but the difference is these objects move. Sal will usually mark the
released. Yet, Dale’s story is not about one man’s catch, nor his quest object and come back to it and if it’s still there then it’s a rock, but if
not… then it’s likely a BIG fish. Everyone perked up at the sight of
for greatness. It is about dedication, perseverance, and friendship.
Dale has been chasing our finned friends for a little over one year this as the “turtle” filled the screen, and waited in anticipation for the
(at the time of writing in early December, one year and one month to tell-tale “zzzzz” of a big fish stripping line from their line-counter
be exact). Even though his muskie “career” has just begun, he has reels. Today, though, was not their day. Sal, Julie, and Dale returned
taken on the challenge head-first by spending as much time as possi- to the dock empty handed, but vowed to get out again, and since Dale
ble fishing the various waters of eastern Ontario and by joining the and Sal were both “50 Inch Club” members they decided their next
Ottawa Chapter of Muskies Canada Inc. (MCI; www.muskiescana- time out would be to put Julie on a 50 incher.
Fast forward now to November 28th, the day after the November
da.ca). For those not familiar with MCI, they are an organization
new
moon. Dale took the 28th off from work to get gear ready and
very similar to our own, and motivated by many of the same issues as
make the roughly 1.75 hour drive from Ottawa
Muskies Inc. including research, camaraderie,
to Gananoque where he and Julie met up with
and further development of the sport. His first
Sal. By the time they arrived at the ramp at
Not far from the boat,
muskie outing took place in Gananoque,
1:00PM, the weather was a balmy 33-34
Ontario on the St. Lawrence River. For those
the muskie went comdegrees, winds from the west at 25mph, and
not familiar with Gananoque, maybe the “1,000
pletely airborne revealwaves of roughly 3.5 feet. Water temperatures
Islands” rings a bell. Either way, it is home to
were 43 degrees. The plan was to flat-line troll
one of the most famous rock reefs in all of
ing her immense size
Jakes and Legend Perchbaits around the famed
muskie fishing – the “40 Acre Shoal.” Countless
and
sending
Dale’s
“40 Acre Shoal” and associated drop-offs. Dale
big, BIG muskies have been captured from this
was using an 8 foot extra-heavy power Shimano
immense rock structure. Dale’s was one of them.
heart-rate skyrocketing.
Compre rod, Shimano Tekota 600LC reel, 80Before I proceed any further, it is parapound test moss green Power Pro, and a 5.5 foot
mount that you understand and appreciate
Dale’s partners that fateful day. Dale’s girlfriend, Julie Cashaback, has long, 150 pound Gamma fluorocarbon leader dubbed the “MacNair
accompanied Dale on most of his muskie fishing excursions. I think St. Lawrence Leader” and made by Ottawa resident Ross Nicholls. In
it is safe to say, Julie is Dale’s #1 fishing partner. Joining them that Ontario, anglers are only allowed one line per person so three lines
November day was good friend Sal Rotolo. Both Sal and Julie are also were deployed each with varying lengths of line. Sal, Julie, and Dale
trolled all day to no avail, marking a few fish here and there, but no
members of the Ottawa Chapter of MCI.
For the Gananoque MCI outing on November 2nd, Julie and strikes to speak of.
At roughly 4:15PM, as sunset approached, Sal and Dale concludDale invited Sal to fish out of Dale’s boat for the event. At 1:30PM
ed they needed to change tactics. Dale liked
er that fall on the lower Ottawa River. Dale
the wind and waves, and wanted to return to
and Sal reached for the cutters, and discovered
When asked if he had conthe shoal where a few weeks earlier they
the muskie was hooked in the lower jaw… by
sidered keeping his whopmarked a very large fish on their depth finder.
one hook. Not one treble hook, but just one
They also decided to clip on three Drifter
point
on the treble hook! The hook was cut
per muskie, Dale chuckled
Tackle/Muskie Mania “Jakes” – 8, 10 and 14
immediately and the boat prepped for measand said, “Yeah I considinch models – in the same black perch color
urements and a quick photo session. Sal liftpattern “to mimic a small school of perch.”
ed the fish out of the net and measured it in
ered it… for two seconds.”
Upon arriving at the spot, Dale described Sal’s
the back of the boat. The final verdict? 57
Keeping it was never a real inches, double checked, tape measure comboat positioning as “perfect,” allowing them to
get right up tight to the structure placing their
consideration for Dale who pletely flat, and with no tail pinch. Dale
baits in the prime strike zone. They were
thought to himself, “Oh my gosh,” but the
said his first thought as the best was yet to come. Girth, please? 33 inchtrolling at 2.8 mph and Dale figures he had
about 195 feet of line out that put his 10” Jake
fish swam away was, “Now es. Dale and Sal made sure there were
down 16-17 feet.
absolutely no creases in the measuring tape.
someone else can experience When the tremendous girth was declared,
It is now just after dark, around 5:00PM
and air temperatures with wind chill hovering
Dale said he “freaked out,” and rightly so. To
this in the future.”
in the mid-20s. As they skirted the edge of the
put Dale’s catch into perspective, Ken
reef in about 25 feet of water, there appearing
O’Brien’s current Canadian record caught in
on the screen yet again was another “turtle,” this time marked about 1988 measured 58 inches with a 30.5 inch girth and weighed 65
200 yards from where it was previously seen on November 2nd and pounds. The Williamson muskie caught from Georgian Bay in 2000
likely indicating a super-tanker fish. Dale looked at Sal and said, “I measured 55.5 inches with a 31.5 inch girth and weighed 61 pounds
guess we’ll find out if that’s her in about 30 seconds.” No sooner had 4 ounces. Sal handed the muskie to Dale for a few quick photos.
he spoken those words when his rod buckled and that sweet lullaby all Dale said the fish felt like a “giant sack of flour.” He could not believe
trollers love to hear shattered the night air. The big fish stripped line how heavy the fish was.
from Dale’s slow and steady like an old steam powered locomotive.
The fish was transferred to a cradle and lowered into the water.
Sal and Julie quickly cleared lines and Sal took over at the helm of the It took a second for the fish to regain her balance, but before they
boat to keep it off the nearby shoal, which at this point was just a few knew it she righted herself and actually jumped up and out of the crashort yards away. As Dale described it, “Everyone knew exactly what dle! Dale was able to get a spotlight on her and Julie snapped a quick
to do.”
picture just before she kicked away back into the abyss. They waited
With incredible power, the fish surged deep and peeled line off for 10 minutes to see if the fish resurfaced, but it never did. The time
Dale’s reel. The fish struck with nearly 200 feet of line out and was it took between pictures and the final release? Four minutes.
in no hurry to give it back. Dale told Sal to “get the net,” to which
When asked if he had considered keeping his whopper muskie,
Sal responded with, “How much line is out?” There was still over 100 Dale chuckled and said, “Yeah I considered it… for two seconds.”
feet of line between the reel and the fish. Then, suddenly, Dale felt Keeping it was never a real consideration for Dale who said his first
his line go limp. Horror kicked in… just for a second. Dale quickly thought as the fish swam away was, “Now someone else can experirealized the fish was heading straight for the boat. Sal flipped on the ence this in the future.” Spoken like a true sportsman.
flood lights to prepare for a close quarter battle. Not far from the
boat, the muskie went completely airborne
revealing her immense size and sending Dale’s
heart-rate skyrocketing. Dale, Julie, and Sal
were stunned, but there was no time to gawk
as the boat was getting increasingly closer to
the shoal and it was going to take a completely focused team effort to get this fish netted
and keep the boat from crashing onto the
rocks. Once Julie got sight of the fish Dale was
battling she took the net and thrust it into Sal’s
hands and took over at the wheel. Dale edged
the muskie closer to the boat. It flashed broadside in the gin clear water. The fish turned
toward the boat and in one quick motion, Sal
slid the net under her. Everyone let out a sigh
of relief. The whole ordeal took an estimated
five minutes.
As the fight took place, Dale knew what
he was connected to was a giant muskie. What
he did not know was just how giant this fish
was. Sitting in the net completely still, it
dawned on Dale that this fish was much larger
than he expected and certainly eclipsed his previous personal best of 51.5 inches caught earli-
www.muskiesinc.org
CATCH OF A LIFETIME
The three muskie-teers decided earlier that day to stay out late
that night. After what just transpired, the gang decided to call it a
night. They were back on the water at 8:00AM the next morning and
stayed out until dark again, but November 29th failed to yield another fish.
Once Dale returned home, he immediately made a phone call to
his father, a retired employee of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. As
Dale began recounting the weekend’s adventures, his father stopped
him mid-sentence and said, “Calm down Dale.” I guess a 57 x 33
inch muskie might get you a bit excited… just a bit. Since then,
Dale’s email inbox has been flooded with messages and his phone has
been ringing off the hook. Rick Lax of Lax Taxidermy has completed a double-sided replica of Dale’s fish. By the time you read this
From left Sal Rotolo, Dale MacNair, Julie Cashaback
The Release.
many of you have probably seen it if you were in attendance at the
Chicago Muskie Show. If you saw it there, then maybe you
exchanged handshakes with the lucky anglers themselves.
That last part – “anglers” – is what struck me the most about this
catch. When I first approached Dale about interviewing him for
MUSKIE, he agreed to talk about “our catch.” I loved that. It wasn’t Dale’s fish; it was Dale, Julie, and Sal’s fish. They were the lucky
anglers, plural. It takes a humble man to share a catch of such incredible proportions with two other individuals, but Dale did so without
hesitation, and it speaks volumes about his character. He has also
expressed interest in joining Muskies Inc., but will likely join after the
first of the year to avoid any conflict with Rick Lax’s reproduction
donation to the longest registered fish in 2008.
Dale and Sal are still looking to induct Julie into the 50 Inch
Club as her personal best is currently 49 inches. Fortunately for Julie,
since Dale released his – I mean their – giant muskie, she now has a
legitimate shot at catching it again… when it has a 34 inch girth! ❖
43rd Annual Muskies, Inc.
SPRING BOARD MEETING
April 25, 2OO9
Arrowwood Resort & Conference Center
14O5 Highway 71 S
Okoboji, IA 51355
(712) 332-2161
www.arrowwood-okoboji.com
The meeting will be Saturday April 25 and will be followed by a group dinner. A
block of rooms has been reserved for Friday and Saturday nights. If members
travel by air they will probably fly into Sioux Falls, SD. If weather conditions permit there will be a tour of the muskie hatching facility in Spirit Lake. For more
information contact Leo Kofoot at: 712/33O-O445 or leokofoot@mchsi.com.
SPORT SHOW LOCATOR
Calendar of upcoming events in 2009
DATES
EVENT NAME/ &
WEBSITE
LOCATION
CITY
Wisconsin State Fair Park
West Allis
WI
608/445-4645
Feb. 20 -22 Rockford Fishing &
Outdoor Expo
www.showtimeproduction.net
Indoor Sports Center
Rockford
IL
815/877-8043
Feb. 27Mar. 1
Madison Fishing Show
www.madfishexpo.com
Exhibition Hall at the
Alliant Center
Madison
WI
608/245-1040
April 3-5
Minnesota Muskie Expo
www.minnesotamuskieexpo.com
Concordia University
St. Paul
MN
763/786-6031
Feb. 13-15
Milwaukee Muskie Expo
www.muskieexpo.com
STATE PHONE
ATTENTION
CHAPTER
CONTACTS:
Please make sure
your chapter address
and phone number
is correct on this page
AND on the M.I. website.
Whenever you update
chapter information on
the website, please send an
email to the Editor so we can
keep this page current. Thanks!
No. Chapter, Address
Phone #
01.....Twin Cities, 414 Division St., Excelsior, MN 55331..........................................952-380-1218
02.....Fargo-Moorhead, Box 2021, Fargo ND, 58107................................................701-298-9032
03.....Chicagoland Muskie Hunters, 7600 Kilbourn Ave, Skokie, IL 60076 ...............847-677-0017
04.....Titletown Muskies, Inc., 3097 Inverness Lane, New Franken, WI 54229 .......920-866-9705
05.....Pomme De Terre, PO Box 5, Hermitage, MO 65668 .......................................417-993-0035
06.....First Wisconsin, PO Box 122, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729 ...............................715-726-8896
07.....South Side Muskie Hawks, 5211 S. Narragansett Ave., Chicago, IL 60638......773-581-8650
08.....Capital City, PO Box 8862, Madison, WI 53708...............................................608-669-5046
09.....West Virginia, 1270 Federal Road, Little Hocking, OH 45742 .........................740-667-3571
10.....Heartland, 239 8th St SE, Mason City IA 50401 ..............................................641-424-0827
11 .....Mississippi Valley, 5301 11th Ave “C”, Moline, IL 61265 ..................................309-797-1803
12.....Headwaters, PO Box 652, Eagle River, WI 54521...........................................715-477-2913
13.....Hayward Lakes, PO Box 609, Hayward, WI 54843 .........................................715-634-4543
14.....South of the Border, 28926 W. Big Hollow Rd, McHenry, IL 60050.................815-385-9026
15.....Star of the North, 29957 La Plant Rd., Grand Rapids, MN 55744...................218-326-4958
16.....Three Rivers, 119 Bus Lane, Renfrew, PA15136 .............................................724-789-7866
17.....Quad County, PO Box 185, Plano, IL 60545....................................................815-695-1494
18.....Hopedale, 15 Township Rd 125, Dillonvale, OH 43917 ...................................740-769-7269
19.....Akron-Canton Muskie Maniacs, 10957 Northwood Ave NE, Bolivar OH 44612.330-874-2773
20.....Between the Lakes, PO Box 61, Sheboygan, WI 53085-0061 ........................920-564-3226
21.....North Metro, PO Box 41216, Plymouth, MN 55441 .........................................952-469-2155
22.....New Jersey, http://www.mi22.com/ ..................................................................................TBD
23.....Cleveland, 5608 Brave Chief Lane, Ravenna, OH 44266 ...............................330-296-2398
24.....Brainerd Lakes, 9143 Lone Pine Road, Brainerd, MN 56401..........................218-821-3669
26.....Central Wisconsin, PO Box 263, Medford, WI 54451 ......................................715-748-4874
27.....Central Illinois, 1191 Sandra Lane, Monticello, IL 61856 .................................309-264-3730
28.....Shawnee Muskie Hunters, 61 W. Jennings, Wood River, IL 62095.................618-610-5003
29.....Upper Great Plains, 1788 Hwy 4, Estherville, IA 51334...................................712-362-2501
30.....God’s Country, PO Box 1461, LaCrosse, WI 54601 ........................................608-786-4062
31.....Penn-Ohio, 309 Spring St, Jamestown, PA 16134...........................................724-932-5815
32.....Flatlanders, 5776 Vesper Drive, South Beloit, IL 61080 ..................................815-389-4622
33.....Lake Superior, 2031 Hwy. 33 S., Cloquet, MN 55720......................................218-879-2712
35.....Milwaukee, PO Box 28842, Greenfield, WI 53220...........................................262-442-6260
37.....St. Cloud, 312 18th Avenue N., Sartell, MN 56377 ..........................................320-656-1160
38.....Vikingland, 2909 Wicken Lane NW, Alexandria, MN 56308.............................320-846-7975
39.....Fox River Valley, 1253 Cobblers Crossing, Elgin, IL 60123.............................847-741-9771
41.....Central Ohio, 870 County Road 9, Fremont OH 43420 ...................................419-992-4504
42.....Hoosier Muskie Hunters, PO Box 501371, Indianapolis, IN 46250 .................317-577-8050
44.....Colorado, 3739 Sawgrass Trail, Castle Rock, CO 80109 ................................303-668-4089
45.....Kentucky, 212 Linden Ave., Southgate, KY 41071...........................................859-441-1666
46.....Bemidji/Cass Lake, 11551 Misty Meadows Rd, Bemidji, MN 56601................218-759-0098
47.....Michigan Muskie Alliance, PO Box 512, Caledonia, MI 49316 ........................616-447-1688
48.....Arrowhead, PO Box 603, Tower, MN 55790 ....................................................218-753-2612
49.....Webster Lake Musky Club, PO Box 670, No. Webster, IN 46555 ...................574-834-1669
50.....Penn-Jersey, 372 Kingwood Rd., King of Prussia, PA 19406 ..........................610-962-0632
52.....Daniel Boone, 813 US 62, Maysville, KY 41056 ..............................................606-759-7610
53.....Huskerland Muskie Hunters, PO Box 394, Valentine, NE 69201.....................402-376-2743
54.....Southern Crossroads, 1524 Country Club Rd, Albert Lea MN 56007 .............507-373-1818
56.....SW Ohio Muskie Ass’n, 524 Sterling Meadows Place, Brookville, OH 45309 ..937-833-1833
57.....NW TigerPac, 10517 SE 214th Place, Kent, WA 98031 ..................................253-850-5889
58.....Lake St. Clair, 22206 Kramer, St. Clair Shores, MI 48080...............................586-778-9136
59.....Muskies, Inc. of New Mexico, P.O. Box 448, Rowe, NM 87562......................................TBD
www.muskiesinc.org
Special Events
2009
–– Deadline for Chapter Reports! ––
The deadline to send chapter reports
to the editor is the 25th of each month,
approximately 5 weeks before the
magazine is mailed to members!
March 7
Pomme de Terre Challenge with
Shawnee Muskie Hunters, Pomme
de Terre Lake
October 2-4
35th Annual Pomme de Terre
Muskie Tournament
Special events listings are provided at
no charge to Muskies, Inc chapters.
To list your chapter's event, email to:
muskiemag@yahoo.com
or by ground mail: Kevin Richards,
7618 Sunrise Ridge Road,
Henley, MO 65040
Please send announcements
at least 2 months in advance.
CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS ◆ CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS ◆ CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS
Chapter News and Views
03
Chicagoland Muskie Hunters
7600 Kilbourn Ave. • Skokie, IL 60076
847-677-0017 – Dean Rosset
dlrosset@sbcglobal.net
st
Meets 1 Tuesday 7:30 PM, Park Ridge VFW 10 West Higgins Ave., Park
Ridge, IL.
Greetings Thrillseekers. The Chicagoland Muskie Hunters
are starting out 2009 with a bang! We have a number of guest
speakers for 2009 meetings and all is looking good. Meeting
turnout has been very good and it is great meeting and sharing with
all the new members. It is funny how passionate everybody is
regarding muskie hunting. Great hearing the interaction and sharing that is taking place as well. Joe Pavilonis presented a fantastic
seminar at our December 2008 meeting. Thank you Joe. Top Job!
Chicagoland Muskie Hunter members manned a club booth
at the Chicago Muskie Show (January 9-11, 2009) at Harper
College in Palatine, Illinois. We had membership forms at the
show. There is no better way of becoming a better fisherman than
by joining an active fishing club. Plus, there is nothing better than
talking about fishing with a bunch of like mined folks.
Remember - the Board is always listening to all who have suggestions regarding trips, tips and speakers. Better yet, think about
joining the Board and you will have important input in helping shape
the Club in the future. It is a lot of fun and new ideas are always
welcomed.
Tip of the Month: Gear Preparation is the Key to Success
This is the time of year that you should be looking over your
gear and taking the time to get it “all right”. Think about your rods
and then move to reels, line, leaders, snaps, lures, tackle boxes,
electronics and chips…: Have you checked each rod guide to be
sure they are not cracked or worn? When did you have your reels
cleaned and re-spooled? What do your leaders look like? Are your
lures organized and sharpened?
Do you have spare hooks (sharpened and ready to go) to
replace those you choose to cut prior to releasing your next
muskie? How about spare leaders and snaps? Depending on the
structure and amount of lure changes, you will run through a bunch
of snaps in a typical week in Canada. Is you net the right one for
the fish you are planning to catch in 2009? Having one of the rubber coated nets (My next one is the Beckman Fin Saver) is a real
asset as the hooks do not get lodged in the netting.
Don’t forget, the sport shows are a great time to check out
deals, new products and new lakes. Consider stopping in your local
muskie retailer after the shows to talk muskie. They will give you
good ideas as to what has been working on some of the lakes you
may want to visit come summer. Last thought: Be careful if you are
going ice fishing. Snowfall changes ice conditions so be prepared
with ice picks and preparation.
If you want to have a little winter fun, come to one of the
Chicagoland Muskie Hunter meetings. Meetings are the first
Tuesday of the month at the Park Ridge VFW located at 10 W.
Higgins Road at 7:30pm with pizza being served about 8:00pm.
Keep the calls coming with questions about joining Chicagoland
Muskie Hunters. As always, feel free to contact Dean Rosset at:
847-677-0017 or dlrosset@sbcglobal.net or me at: 847-4341400x100 or Kevin.Lynch@svn.com
Take care, Kevin M. Lynch
NOTE TO CHAPTERS: We hope you like the new
look of Chapter News and Views. We would like to
see an increase in the number of chapters sharing
news each month. We are also offering you a chance
to submit 5 to 10 photos of chapter activities so we
can feature your chapter on the banner above.
05
Pomme de Terre
P.O. Box 5 • Hermitage, MO 65668
314-878-7732 – Wayne Humphrey
www.missourimuskies.org
Meets: Various days-Call for schedule
As you read this we are in the middle of the sports show schedule, trying to make new contacts, educate the public on the availability of muskie fishing in Missouri, and see if we can hustle up
some new members.
We are going to try a different format for the Muskie Mayhem
event the first weekend of May. Instead of dinner in the evening we
are going to take a break at lunch and do a shore lunch with a fishing seminar and lure demonstration as part of the break. The goal
is to educate existing members and new members and get them
involved and keep them active in the chapter after the event.
On April 4th we are doing a new event, a crappie outing with
fish fry in the evening. This is the middle of the musky spawn when
fishing isn’t good and the crappie should be pre-spawn. Because
of all the brush piles in the lake (many of which have been built by
the MI chapter) the lake supports a healthy population of crappie
and this should be a fun outing. Even if crappies aren’t caught, I
understand there is frozen fish in some freezers that will be donated to the event.
We are doing two Pomme de Tour events again this summer
when it gets too hot to fish for muskies. These are great learning
experiences for both the new and experienced fisherman. During
the day on the pontoon boat you can learn a lot about the lake and
how to catch muskies; it’s a great way to learn more about muskie
fishing and make friends.
Check out our website (www.missourimuskies.org) to see
everything going on in the chapter.
Wayne Humphrey
07
South Side Muskie Hawks
5211 S. Narragansett Ave. • Chicago, IL 60638
773-581-8650
Our meetings are held every third Wednesday of the month at Mama
Luigi's located at 7500 S. Harlem in Bridgeview, IL starting at 7:00 pm.
The December, 2008 meeting of the South Side Muskie Hawks
was called to order at approximately 7 PM by President John
McNicholas. Considering that this was the night of our Christmas
party, the business meeting was conducted in very short order. A
few announcements were made about the upcoming Chicago
Muskie Show, the February cookout at Basa’s Marine, and about
Tony Grant being the speaker for our January meeting. Then John
Our “split-the-pot” raffle was won
by Elizabeth Reilly, the 10-year old
daughter of one of our members. Liz
promptly announced that she wanted
to donate her winnings to the Cancer
Fund. Way to go, Liz! What a great
example of the Christmas spirit!
Before the main raffle could be
held, we had a visit from Santa Claus
(a.k.a. John Daley in a Santa suit).
John took time to greet and
schmooze with everyone there, and
wish everyone a Merry Christmas.
Following Santa’s visit, it was
time for the main raffle. The table was
actually groaning under the weight of all of the prizes on it, which
included gift certificates, home appliances, rods, reels, and other
fishing equipment. There were several winners of multiple prizes,
and many of them donated some of their winnings to the benefit for
Paul’s brother-in-law. It seemed as though the Christmas spirit that
Liz exhibited, was contagious.
A special raffle for a beautiful wood-burned plaque of a muskie
scene, donated by our artist-in-residence, Ladi Lapin, was the next
item on the evening’s agenda. Unfortunately, because of his own ill
health and that of his wife, Ladi could not be there, so chapter president John McNicholas (on the left) presented the plaque to the winner, Frank Muzquiz. We would like to wish Ladi and Jane a return
to good health in the coming year. They are both valued members
and we miss their smiling faces and friendliness at our meeting.
After the raffles, John once again reminded those in attendance of the upcoming Chicago Muskie Show. All-in-all, it was a
great party, and we are looking forward to a great year in 2009.
On a sad note, we found out shortly after the party that new
member, Clem Hojnacki (“The Not-So-Terminal Man”) had passed
away on Sunday, December 14th. Our hearts and prayers go out to
his lovely wife Jackie, and also to his family and friends. Clem’s
smiling face, friendliness, courage, spirit, and “go-for-the-gusto”
attitude will be long remembered, and he will be greatly missed. We
wish the best for Jackie and Clem’s family and hope that the family and their circle of friends will give strength and solace to each
other.
The South side Muskie Hawks meet on the third Wednesday
of every month except July at 7PM in the banquet room of Mama
www.muskiesinc.org
Luigi’s Restaurant, which is located at 7500 South Harlem Avenue
in Bridgeview. Men, women, and children are welcome, as we are
a family-oriented multi-species club. We hope everyone had a
happy, safe, and healthy holiday season.
Respectfully submitted,
Lynn Polyak, Vice-President
08
Capital City
P.O. Box 8862, Madison, WI 53708
608-669-5046 – Gerard Hellenbrand
www.capitalcitymuskiesinc.org
Meets second Monday at the Coliseum Bar, 232 E. Olin Ave, Madison, WI
The 2008 muskie season is over, and as we mull over last
year’s successes and those that got away, we look forward to this
coming spring. Some of us have resolved to try new techniques,
fine tune presentations, and to learn new spots. We can hardly
wait!
In the meantime, there have been plenty of activities to keep
us involved in our favorite sport, and many more to come this winter and spring. The Capital City Chapter of Muskies, Inc. purchased
nearly 480 Leech Lake strain muskies last year. The 8 to 14-inch
fish were stocked in Lake Monona on November 14, 2008. Thanks
to all who helped raise the funds for the purchase of these fish.
New and continuing officers were elected at the November
monthly meeting. The results for the 2009 Board were as follows:
President – Jim Olson
Vice-President – Lee Bartolini
Secretary – Dawn Enger
Treasurer – Dan Reim
RVP – Rick Hefner
Many thanks to Gary Hoffman, the former Vice-President, for
his service on the CCMI Board.
Adam Oberfoell, Madison area guide and contributor to
MUSKIE magazine, was the featured speaker at the December
meeting of CCMI. Adam gave an outstanding presentation on
“Hunting Muskies After Dark.” The guest speaker for the January
12 meeting was Russ Smith, owner of Smity Bait and Guide
Service in Minocqua, WI.
The CCMI Annual Awards Banquet will be held in Madison on
February 16, 2009 at the Coliseum Bar at 7:00 p.m. In addition to
recognizing the many outstanding muskie anglers in the club, this
event is always a fun-filled evening. In addition to our monthly
meeting in March, the awards banquet will be followed by the club’s
annual “Cap City Muskie School” on Saturday, March 21, 2009 at
Waunakee High School in Waunakee, WI just north of Madison.
More details to come on this very popular and informative event.
Finally, the 2009 Capital City Chapter of Muskies, Inc. Seminar
will be held on Thursday, April 16, 2009. Jim Saric, editor of Musky
Hunter Magazine will be the featured speaker at this annual
fundraiser. Mark this date! More details to be provided on our website at www.capitalcitymuskiesinc.org
Lee Bartolini, Vice President
13
Hayward Lakes
P.O. Box 609
Hayward, WI 54843
715-634-4543
The Hayward chapter had its annual Christmas party at Allen
and Barbera Hoeft’s house. It was fun evening to be able to talk to
friends and spouses that aren’t able to attend other events. This is
being written in late December before our January planning-budget meeting so there is no new club news at this time. We will be putting together our 2009 calendar of events and will have that available in February. We are not planning on having a February meet(Continued on page 26)
told the crowd about our donation of a couple of rod and reel combos and a couple of loaded tackle boxes to a benefit for a cancer
patient who is the brother-in-law of one of our members, Paul
Miletich.
Following the announcements, the wait staff served dinner.
The wait staff at Mama Luigi’s kept us amply supplied with additional helpings until everyone had their fill and was ready for dessert.
CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS (Continued from page 25)
ing but will have our annual awards banquet the first Saturday of
March, information will be sent out in January.
The entries in our member’s contest as of December 25th:
Youth – Alex Spezia 1 fish-21pts.- a 47”!!! Anthony Spezia 1 fish20pts.- a 46”!!! Women – Brenda Detloff 8 fish-89pts., includes a
47” from the Chip, Caroll Chinock 1 fish-14pts., Roz Smith 1 fish9pts., Sarah Muntz 1 fish-9pts., Sandy Hackbarth 1 fish-6pts.
Men – John Ryan 19 fish-322pts. includes a 50.5 and a 55.5!!!
Emmett Brown 18 fish-176pts., Kris Gottwald 4 fish-29pts., Brian
Smith 2 fish-29pts., Tom Kirsten 1 fish-20pts. a 46” from the Chip.,
Denny Kozicki 1 fish-18pts., Jim O’Leary 1 fish-17pts., Masters –
Adam Glickman 58 fish-822pts. includes a 48”,49”, and a 50”
caught in one day! Ted Muntz 27 fish-236pts., Mike Persson 14 fish142pts. Senior Masters – Tom Muntz 114 fish-939pts., Larry
Ramsell 30 fish-526pts. includes 50”,50.5”,51”,53.5”,55.25”!!! Dick
Minnick 67 fish-451pts.
To enter your fish please try to do it electronically through the
Muskies Inc. website, if you need help call Mike at 715-634-4543.
If you wish to send the paper form, send it to Hayward Lakes
Muskies Inc P.O. Box 609 Hayward WI. 54843. All entries by
January 31st.
Good Fishing, Mike Persson
21
North Metro
P.O. Box 41216
Plymouth, MN 55441
763-537-0781 • www.nmmuskies.com
Meets 3rd Tuesday, 7PM, North Air Banquet Hall, Fridley (6831 NE Hwy 65)
Forty-three members braved the snowy roads and attended
our December meeting. Most of us picked up a new lure from the
annual gift swap. Jason Summers featured his new Medussa baits
and gave club members a chance to pick up some stocking stuffers.
Steve Jonesi was the featured speaker and admitted 2008 was a
tough year on Mille Lacs. He did share a number of traditional spots
on the lake and reminded us that it pays to sometimes try another
body of water, in his case Cedar Lake.
Dave Parks is organizing another rod building class on
February 28, 2009 with Gary Wicks from Gary’s Custom Rod &
Reel. This is a great chance to build your own custom rod at a great
price.
Chapter members who are not receiving the electronic monthly newsletter please contact Bob Anderson at pikebob@charter.net
or call him at 763-441-3108.
Ross Fischer
29
Upper Great Plains
1788 Hwy 4
Estherville, IA 51334
712-362-2501
Meets 3rd Thursday , Legion Club, 1709 Okoboji Ave., Milford, IA.
On behalf of all your chapter board members we hope everyone has enjoyed the holiday season. This is a great time of year
to reflect on all the great things we have to be thankful for in our
lives. Of course having the opportunity to fish for the beautiful and
elusive musky is definitely one of the things everyone belonging to
this chapter is grateful for. The 2008 season may have come and
gone, but the memories you have from it will last a life time and will
definitely get you through these long and cold winter days. We are
grateful to have such outstanding members in our chapter. Your
commitment to the sport and participation in all our events is greatly appreciated. Please help us continue to make our chapter and
the sport of musky fishing grow in the state of Iowa by continuing to
support the chapter and by encouraging others to join our great
organization. New and great events are being discussed for our
chapter. The future of our chapter is bright as the sport of musky
fishing continues to grow in Iowa.
As we start making plans and goals for the upcoming musky
season, the chapter will be hosting our annual awards banquet to
honor several anglers for their outstanding catches of 2008. The
chapter awards banquet will be held Saturday, February 21st at
Remington’s Restaurant in Spirit Lake. Social hour will begin at
5:30 pm, dinner at 6:30 pm, followed by an awards presentation and
a raffle table full of musky tackle, including a 3 night stay to Red
Door Resort on Lake Mille Lacs. All members receiving an award
at the banquet will receive an invitation to the event. However, all
chapter members are welcome and encouraged to come to this
event to help honor fellow anglers and friends for their success during last year’s musky season. I can’t wait to see you there!
Sincerely Pete Hildreth, President
www.muskieclub.com
39
Fox River Valley
1253 Cobblers Crossing, Elgin, IL 601230
847-741-9771 – Rich Gallagher
www.frvmuskie.com
Meets: 2nd Wed (Exc June/July) Poplar Creek Country Club, 1400 Poplar Creek Drive,
Hoffman Estates, IL.
Happy New Year everyone and you all know what that means
. . . it means we have the 2009 muskie season to “hook” forward to.
This year, the Fox River Valley Muskies Chapter has made a “newyears-resolution” of setting forth a renewed emphasis on youth fishing. In large part, we are doing this as a result of the fantastic success we experienced with our 2008 youth programs. There is no
question in our minds that if we educate our young people and draw
them into this sport, we will have done a great service for conservation. For the kids, we will have given them an outlet for good, clean
fun and some common ground with the entire family.
That being said, we will be showing a picture & video presentation centered on our 2008 Fall Youth Muskie Hunt during our
annual awards banquet to be held on Saturday, February 21st at
Poplar Creek Country Club from 5-11PM. We would like to encourage the mom’s, dad’s and grandparent’s to come see their kids in
action as they did a fantastic job catching the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place
muskies at this event. Check out our website at www.frvmuskie.com
for additional details regarding all of the items we will be raffling off.
Please contact Rich Gallagher, club President to get your
Awards-banquet dinner tickets in advance, or visit the FRV website
to download a banquet ticket/coupon. We plan on having a full
chicken-buffet dinner. The cost for the buffet is $17.00/adults and
$13.00 for kids (12 and under).
Our February meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 11
at the Popular Creek Country Club. Our guest speaker is Chad Cain
who never disappoints. Chad is most noted for his guiding and fishing expertise on Southern Illinois’ Lake Kinkaid. He will also be talking about Vermilion.
Also in February, the FRV Chapter will have a booth at the
“Deerfield Outdoor & Fishing Show.” This event is being held at
Deerfield High School. The show schedule is Saturday, February
28th and Sunday, March 1st 2009 from 9am to 5pm.
Our meetings are held on the second Wednesday of every
month at Poplar Creek Country Club in Hoffman Estates, IL. Dinner
is available to everyone beginning at 6:00PM and the meetings start
promptly at 7:00PM.
Until next month, have fun planning for those upcoming early
spring trips; they are just around the corner!
Kevin Bushnick, Youth Director
49
P.O. Box 670
No. Webster, IN 46555
574-834-1669
Hello all, hope everyone is having a safe winter. Well, by now
we have done one show and we have two more coming up:
Feb 28th &March 1st - Valparaiso Outdoor Show
March 7th & 8th - Cabela’s Guides and Captains Weekend
I still have a few spots open left for manning the booths. These
are good shows for us, for selling the guide-for-a-days and to get
new members into the club. If you can help please contact me at:
219-201-6123 or onemuskynut@embarqmail.com
Thank you and hope to see you on the water very soon .
Bill Bennett
57
NW TigerPac
10517 SE 214th Place, Kent, WA 98031
www.nwtigermuskies.org
email: nwmuskie@comcast.net
Hot line: (253) 850-5889 • Perry Peterson, President
In December the weather has kept most of us off the water.
With members stretched over 4 states we have had our growing
pains and have learned so much. At present we are 87 members
strong. We elected a new and energized board of directors to take
us though the 09 year and beyond:
President: Buddy Hartman
Vice President: Brett Olson
Treasurer: Tammy Baldwin
Secretary: Russ Baldwin
RVP: Mike Haw
Most of us are braced for the holidays and have put our tackle
packs down and picked up our big red bags filled with joy. The
process of organizing, scheduling, and regrouping goes on. In the
month of January we will again be educating the public at one of the
northwest’s larger Sportsmen Shows about our Tiger Fishery. In
February it’s an all out effort to sell as many raffle tickets as the
economy can bare but with such great sponsors prizes it won’t be
that hard. March and April the focus will be on our first annual
Musky School.
A note of congratulations goes out to our past president Perry
Peterson for being elected to the National Board as Vice President
of Internal Affairs.
We would also like to congratulate Brett Olson for catching
and releasing 31 fish with an average size of 38.7 inches to get
Angler of the Year and Michael Floyd for catching the biggest tiger
muskie of the year on 9/23/08 - it was 47.5 inches. Way to go
guys!
Till next time, keep on fishin’ - Bill
59
Muskies, Inc. of New Mexico
**
P.O. Box 448
Rowe, New Mexico 87562
Website under construction
**
Hey Everyone! Chapter #59 of Muskies Inc. is now up and
running. All of us here in the Land of Enchantment are very excited
to see what is happening here in our state. This is my first submission as President of MI of New Mexico. It will be great to work with
you all.
On Dec. 4th, Muskies, Inc. held its first ever open-house meeting in New Mexico! We hosted 2 speakers: Richard Hansen, who
is the head of Coldwater fisheries for the state of New Mexico, presented some wonderful information about the surveys/studies his
www.muskiesinc.org
department has conducted on the lakes where tiger muskies have
been stocked. Richard announced the plans that his department
has to begin raising tiger muskies at the hatchery near the town of
Santa Rosa that opened in 2007. The stocking program for tigers
will be expanded into other lakes starting in 2009.
Richard says the NM Game and Fish is very excited to see a
local chapter of Muskies, Inc. in New Mexico, and mentioned how
much of a help Muskies, Inc. will be to local biologists. By the
way, Richard is joining our chapter. Welcome aboard Richard
Hansen!
Our 2nd speaker was Dan Narsete, who was terrific from the
platform. His wonderful sense of humor was a real treat to those in
attendance. Dan’s presentation helped everyone to see what
Muskies, Inc. is and how tiger muskies will benefit our lakes. As
Dan so clearly showed, the tiger muskies’ preference for the suckers and goldfish that are in the lakes will allow other game fish populations to thrive. And this is precisely what our local biologists
have found from their own research on the bodies of water where
tiger muskies have been stocked. Dan told me that he used to
dream about muskies being stocked in New Mexico, and how
refreshing it was to come back to the very school where he graduated from to talk about Muskies, Inc. It was really fun for me and
my family to have Dan at our house and to fish with him on the Rio
Grande River for pike. Dan is also a great guitar player. Ask Dan
if he thinks my nephew, who is also a skilled guitar player, could
pass for Michael J. Fox from “Back to the Future” with his electric
guitar!
In New Mexico, we are starting off with 45 members who are
scattered throughout the state. In just the week after our first meeting 7 more people told me they are joining our local chapter. The
2009 Calendar of Events and the list of those who will serve as officers will be finalized by our January 13th meeting.
Dan’s advice to everyone is first, cash in on the fishery. During
Richard’s presentation, it was noted that there are 22 tigers per acre
in the lakes! The abundance of forage, coupled with the cool water
temperatures have resulted in a trophy-producing tiger musky fishery in New Mexico. His second piece of advice is, to be sure to visit
some of our local restaurants. Dan insists that we have some of
the best-tasting food in the United States.
There are so many fun and exciting things that are happening
in New Mexico, and I will do my best to keep all of you informed as
the events unfold. We look forward to working with all of the rest of
you muskie maniacs!
Share your thoughts with me,
Michael Bishop, President
mb_tigers13@yahoo.com
myspace.com
Be 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!
Webster Lake
Focus on Chapter 47 -
Michigan Muskie Alliance
by Fred Becchetti, Secretary
result in the
embers of Chapter 47, the
hatchery saving One of many Know the
May
and
June
yielded
many
Michigan Muskie Alliance had
thousands of Difference signs placed by
another very busy and productive
nice fish from inland lakes prior
energy dollars MMA members at launch sites
year in 2008. The Michigan Muskie Alliance
to opening of the Lake St. Clair
each month, on Michigan inland muskie
(MMA) is the state-wide Muskies, Inc. chapter
lakes.
season. Some of these inland
making
the
in Michigan.
lakes are now yielding muskies
muskellunge rearing program more productive
As usual the first event of the year and our
and more cost effective, not to mention green.
approaching
50
inches;
this
major fund raiser was the MMA banquet,
MMA was finally able to secure funding
which was held in Lansing in early March. This
attests to the success of the
for
a
project that has been seven years in the
year saw a record attendance. Both a silent aucMichigan DNR inland-lake
making.
Thanks to a grant from the Hugh C.
tion and a live auction, with professional aucstocking program and the supBecker
Foundation,
MMA was able to order
tioneer and MMA member Kevin Belcher at
port
provided
by
the
MMA.
Know
the Difference signs.
custom
aluminum
the gavel made for a fun and profitable evening.
This
cooperative
project
with the Michigan
The funds raised helped finance many of the
DNR
depicts
the
differences
between muskie
2008 activities described below. We look forward to the upcoming
and
pike,
while
also
noting
the
statewide
size
limits
for
each species.
MMA banquet which will be held at the Kellogg center on the MSU
th
Many
members
of
the
chapter
were
involved
with
this
project, and
campus in East Lansing, Saturday March 7 (details will be posted at
even
some
that
weren’t
members
of
the
chapter
helped
place signs
the MMA website www.michiganmuskiealliance.org)
across
Michigan.
Phase
one
of
the
project
was
completed
in fall of
The Michigan inland lake muskie opener at the end of April saw
2008.
Signs
have
now
been
placed
at
access
sites
on
all
managed
many members on the lake for the first time of the season with severmuskellunge
waters
in
the
state
of
Michigan.
The
project
now
enters
al groups meeting informally to fish and socialize. May and June
phase
two,
maintenance
of
the
signs
at
all
locations.
yielded many nice fish from
A major outreach activity each year is the chapter’s participation
inland lakes prior to opening
in
the
Fish Fest at the Wolf Lake hatchery every July.
of the Lake St. Clair season
This
introduces
hundreds of parents and their chil(in early June). Some of these
dren,
as
well
as
various
school groups to the hatchery’s
inland lakes are now yielding
stocking
program
as
well
as MMA’s activities. Again we
muskies approaching 50
look
forward
to
participating
in this event in 2009.
inches; this attests to the sucRelated
to
this,
MMA
also
provides
matching money
cess of the Michigan DNR
to
purchase
fishing
licenses
for
youths
attending the
inland-lake stocking program
fishing
clinics
held
at
the
hatchyearly
and the support provided by
MMA member Scott Scarpelli with a nice
ery.
the MMA.
opening-day muskie from a midIn addition to various chapter fishIn the fall the stocking
Michigan stocked inland lake.
ing
outings
held throughout the state, a
program reached an all-time
special
outing
and fishing contest takes
record yield with nearly 40,000 fingerlings raised and planted in a
place
early
November:
The Bruce
number of lakes throughout the state. Again MMA provided muchThis
is
in
memory
of chapMemorial.
needed assistance with the
ter
member
Jeff
Bruce
and
his son
emergency purchase of aerafrom the July 2008
Grant
who
tragically
died
in
a
boating Scenes
tors when the rearing ponds
Fish Fest at the Wolf Lake
had extremely low oxygen accident. Proceeds from the event are hatchery near Grand Rapids.
due to hot calm weather with donated in the name of the Bruce famminimal rain. This ultimate- ily to the Project Fish charity (www.projectfish@org).
ly led to the record yield of
Finally, with the close of the fishing season in Michigan members
fingerlings produced. MMA turned their attention to the club lure swap which took place in early
and other M.I. members can December. Despite snow flurries, the event was again well attended
now look forward to eventu- with many good - and maybe not-so-good lures (like a holiday fruit
ally fishing the many new cake) - passing between members. A raffle was also held for a local
lakes that have been stocked. charity.
The chapter also helped
MMA club members and DNR staff loadMMA members are looking forward to the winter muskie shows
finance
a solar water heater
ing some of the nearly 40,000 muskie
and
meeting
other Muskies, Inc. members. We hope 2009 will be as
fingerlings raised into DNR transport for the hatchery. The installaproductive
and
busy as 2008 for our chapter members. ❖
trucks for stocking, fall 2008.
tion of this solar heater will
M
There’s Nothing Fishy
About Healthy Fish.
here’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 Lakes
region of the United States and Canada. VHS is not a threat
to human health.
T
VHS spreads among fish through urine and reproductive fluids
released into the water, and also through the eating of other
infected fish. Infected fish and water can easily spread the virus if
they are released into a new body of water. Appropriate hygienic
or other routine biosecurity precautions are necessary to protect
aquatic 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.
To learn more, visit
www.aphis.usda.gov/healthyfish
United States Department of Agriculture
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
MUSKIES, INC.
14257 Waters Edge Trail
New Berlin, WI 53151
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Fargo-Moorhead Chapter member Kathy Sloan caught this
awesome 50x25.5 inch muskie while sucker fishing in
Minnesota last fall. She’s caught numerous 50-inch fish in
the past couple of years. Great photo by Shawn Earley,
and nice fish Kathy.
Chapter 02 Junior Division member Ryan Sailer caught
his personal best fish, this fat 49 inch beauty, on Lake Chapter 01 member Mike Mcgrath took this
Minnetonka in late November of last year. Ryan is 11 photo while trolling on Lake Minnetonka last
years old and is the grandson of longtime MI member fall. He thought it was a neat perspective of
Joe Hardy, who took this photo. Nice shot Joe.
fellow Chapter member Eric Schultz’s rod.
Chapter 59 VP Jared Blaschke caught this 38-inch Tiger from Bluewater Lake.
Looks like a very healthy fish. Photo taken by Lee Easley.
Chapter 24’s Donny Hines sent in this photo he took of former MI Photo Editor
and MI Hall Of Fame member Juris Ozols. Taken during the 2008 Chapter
Challunge, it shows Juris how most of us normally see him. The trick is to catch
him WITHOUT his camera in hand. Thanks for the photo Donny.
Here is another nice Tiger muskie caught by Chapter 59 VP Jared Blaschke from Look close and you’ll see the morning dew on the needles of these trees. I bet it
Bluewater Lake. This fish was 40 inches long and Lee Easley also took this photo. was a spectacular sight to see in person. Taken by former MI President Jim Smith.

MUSKIE Magazine

Transcription

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