Contents
MUSKIE magazine is published six times each year and is the Official Publication of Muskies, Inc. Ellen Wells, Administrative Secretary, 1509 Stahl Road, Sheboygan, WI 53081. Ph: 1-888-710-8286. © Copyright 2012 by Muskies, Inc. All rights reserved.
MUSKIE • Vol. 46, No. 4
Departments 2 President’s Message, Jay Zahn 3 About the Cover, Juris Ozols 3 Index of Advertisers 4 MUSKIE News 8 Lunge Log, Jim Bunch 12 The Future of Muskie Fishing Depends on Our Youth 13 Figure 8, Kevin Richards 25 Member Photos 26 Photo Contest, Brad Waldera 27 Chapter News and Views 37 Chapter Focus: Chapter 29
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Features 14 A Guide to Choosing a Guide, Patricia Strutz 16 The Gil Hamm Chapter Challunge: Past and Present, Fred E.sox Brogle 18 Muskie Science Highlights, Sean Landsman 22 Southern River Muskies on the Fly, Jared Renner
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July / August 2012.....MUSKIE 1
Board of Directors
Executive Committee
President, Jay Zahn Phone: 920-660-7655 Email: president@muskiesinc.org
VP Finance/Treasurer, Jim Shannon Phone: 763-434-9729 Email: vp-finance@muskiesinc.org
VP Fisheries & Research, Tom Penniston Phone: 608-558-9657 Email: vp-research@muskiesinc.org VP Internal Affairs, Fred Brogle Phone: 715-479-5873 Email: vp-internal-affairs@muskiesinc.org
VP Membership & Marketing, Greg Wells Phone: 920-457-3720 Email: vp-membership@muskiesinc.org
VP Communications, Ron Teschner Phone: 701-640-0544 Email: vp-communications@muskiesinc.org VP Youth Activities, Kevin Bushnick Phone: 847-987-3622 Email: vp-youth@muskiesinc.org
Corporate Secretary, Lorin Nevling Phone: 217-762-8070 Email: corporate-secretary@muskiesinc.org
The President’s Message by Jay Zahn
Past-President, Dan Narsete Email: past-president@muskiesinc.org
Senior Regional Representatives are also Executive Committee Members
Regional Representatives ( *denotes Senior )
Region 1 Term Expires *Carl Phillips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2012 Greg Kvale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2013 Eric Schultz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2014 Region 2 Jeff Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2012 *Leo Kofoot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2013 Ron Groeschl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2014 Region 3 *Joel Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2012 Max Machuta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2013 Vacant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2014 Region 4 *Earle Hammond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2012 Frank Walter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2013 Kimberly Cates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2014
Support
Administrative Secretary, Ellen Wells 1509 Stahl Road, Sheboygan, WI 53081 Phone: 888-710-8286 Email: secretary@muskiesinc.org
Executive Accountant, Kathryn Goon Phone: 419-945-2940 Email: executive-accountant@muskiesinc.org Merchandising Director, Will Schultz Phone: 616-447-1688 Email: merchandise@muskiesinc.org Web Master, Ron Groeschl Phone: 262-789-1255 Email: webmaster@muskiesinc.org
2 MUSKIE.....July / August 2012
Muskies, Inc. President Email: president@muskiesinc.org
O
ne year into this job and all I can say is WOW! Balancing personalities, listening to all the ideas, and making sure we keep the ultimate goal of growing Muskies Inc. in sight has proven at times to be quite a chore. I have however been impressed with the people of Muskies Inc., the MI board, chapters, and individual members I have interacted with so far. We are in good hands. We aren’t always going to agree with each other, but we all are working for the same goal. Hopefully the decisions we have made will make us stronger . . . time will tell. In late April we had the annual meeting in Campbellsville, Kentucky. I would like to thank Chapter 45 for hosting the meeting and the Taylor County Tourist Commission for making sure we were comfortable and enjoyed a hearty lunch during our stay. Taylor County has been a long time advertiser in MUSKIE Magazine and they did a great job. Special thanks go out to Alisha Nelson, the director of the Tourist Commission. A summary of the meeting can be found in this issue of MUSKIE. Changing gears, I hope we all get a chance to fish in our respective chapter outings and fishing tournaments this summer and fall. We travel to the fishing shows to get all that gear and sometimes we get so busy we just don’t get a chance to fish. Let’s hope we can all make the time. I plan on fishing this summer with family members. Taking the time to be with your family is important, but getting the chance to share a boat with your son or daughter is special. I have found out more about my family in a boat then I will ever find out at home. Let’s face it, where are they going to go when they are in the boat, and as long as they keep getting back into the boat I guess the feeling is mutual. Now catching fish doesn’t always happen but when the musky gods look down on us favorably it is just icing on the cake and makes the experience just that much more special. I would be willing to bet that I’m not the only one who feels this way. So here is hoping everyone has a special summer and catches the fish of a lifetime. On a personal note I would like to say THANKS to all the people that have helped me in this first year as President; here’s hoping the second year is even better.
Grab em’ by the tail, Jay Zahn v
A big Ottawa River muskie swims slowly away after being released. A big part of the thrill of muskie fishing comes from watching a healthy released muskie swim away. Sometimes it is a slow steady swim-off, like this fish; other times it is a quick splash of the tail. As each released muskie swims away we realize that we are contributing to the future of the precious fisheries resource we treasure. Collectively, Muskies Inc. members have released well over 317,000 muskies and the total just keeps growing! The cover photo was taken by MUSKIE Field Editor Sean Landsman during his tenure in Ontario while working on Project Noble Beast. Sean is currently working as a biologist with the Illinois Natural History Survey. This issue features some interesting Muskie Science Highlights from Sean. – Juris & Kevin v
INDEX OF ADVERTISERS FALL CLASSIC MUSKY TOURNAMENT (HEADWATERS CH. #12) . . . 32 FITTANTE REPLICAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 FRANK SCHNEIDER, JR. MEMORIAL (TWIN CITIES CH. #1) . . . . . . . . 28 JOE BUCHER OUTDOORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 LAC SEUL FLOATING LODGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 LAKEWOOD PRODUCTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 LURE PARTS ONLINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 MIRROCRAFT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 RED WING LODGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 ST. CROIX RODS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC T’S TACKLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 TACKLE INDUSTRIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 YOUNG’S WILDERNESS CAMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
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 Members Only Fishing Contest Jim Bunch Phone: (715) 226-0295 Email: lungelog@muskiesinc.org
ADVERTISING SALES TEAM Kevin Richards, Advertising Manager Phone: (573) 280-2300 Email: muskiemag@yahoo.com Advertising Sales Representatives: Terri & Harlan Fierstine Phone: (218) 252-0947 or (218) 255-3461 Email: muskie_ads@arvig.net Kevin Pischke Phone: (920) 676-7893 Email: checkeredflag@new.rr.com
PRINTING Account Manager Sunray Printing Solutions, Inc. - Stacey Thielen
Magazine Design Sunray Printing Solutions, Inc. - John Windschitl IllustratorS/CartoonistS Richard Gross, Charles Weiss
FIELD EDITORS Patricia Strutz, Kevin Pischke, Sean Landsman, Rick Helm, Adam Glickman, David Cates, Steve Budnik 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. Administrative Secretary. 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 material for publication should contact the Editor. 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.
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July / August 2012.....MUSKIE 3
A B O U T T H E C OV E R ◆ A B O U T T H E C OV E R ◆ I N D E X O F A DV E R T I S E R S ◆ I N D E X O F A DV E R T I S E R S
About the COVER
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tion of MI versus MMPA. We need to separate muskie issues from pike issues on a state level. A combined effort of the two groups will benefit the Region.
Region 2 Leo Kofoot
2012 Board Meeting Summary The Annual Board Meeting of Muskies, Inc. was held in Campbellsville, Kentucky on Saturday, April 28, 2012. Nineteen of twenty-one voting members were present, establishing a quorum. The minutes of the meeting can be found on our website. President Zahn opened the meeting at 9am and adjourned the meeting at 8:05pm, perhaps qualifying it as the longest Board meeting in MI’s history. Introductions of Board members and support personnel were made. President Jay Zahn announced that he had appointed Eric Schultz as a Regional Representative of Region 1. The region’s chapters voted Mr. Schultz as their interim Representative until the fall regional meeting when he will stand for election. Alisha Nelson from the Taylor County Tourist Commission stopped by to greet the group, drop off lunch and welcome Muskies Inc. on behalf of the organization. It was noted they are a regular advertiser in MUSKIE Magazine. Thanks were given by Board to the Taylor County Tourist Commission and to Ms. Nelson. President Zahn said comments he has received about Muskies Inc. over the course of his first year as president were both good and a few bad, but the one thing Jay wanted to stress is there is no one on the Board who wants to do the wrong thing; they all have the best intentions in mind when making decisions. No one has a personal agenda, but there are differences and they find a way to work through those differences. Board members hope that the decisions made will benefit the organization. There are areas that we need to work harder on, such as communication and the development of a means to be sure the chapters are getting information. This is a two-way street and chapters need to work with the Board too.
Senior Regional Representatives Reports Region 1 Carl Phillips Mr. Phillips indicated the Region met on October 1, 2011 and the minutes are posted on the website. Focus for the Region in 2012 will be a Best Practices document. They wanted each Chapter to determine one item which they feel that they do the best. Here are some examples. Chapter 1 does a good job of fundraising and producing tournaments; Chapter 46, Bemidji, has strong camaraderie. The regional goal is to have one document listing what each Chapter does best and who the chapter contact person is with a name, address, phone number and e-mail so other chapters who need assistance have a source of contact. Bemidji has offered to host the fall meeting, scheduled for October 6, 2012. The GoToMeeting process will be offered again for those who cannot attend in person. The agenda will include the Best Practices document. The region is looking into combining efforts within the region by joining forces with the MMPA (Minnesota Muskie and Pike Alliance). Improvement is being seen in understanding the delinea4 MUSKIE.....July / August 2012
The Regional meeting was held in Green Bay on October 7, 2011 with nine chapters present, plus three guests (Pres. Zahn, Mr. Wells, and Mr. Richards). Minutes are posted on the website. Ron Groeschl was elected a Regional Representative for a three-year term. Chapter updates were given as well as local DNR updates. The 2012 meeting is set for Hayward on October 13, 2012. Discussion of regional activities for youth was presented; currently Region 2 has activities across the region, but they are handled at the chapter level.
Region 3 Joel Johnson Mr. Johnson stated the Regional Meeting was held on October 15, 2011 in Mineral Wells, West Virginia. Chapter 9 hosted this meeting and did a great job. Attendance was 50-60%. They had group discussions on the communication areas within the region and the national as well as discussions on Best Practices. Some chapters are not holding meetings. A lot of Regional work is needed to get more chapter involvement. The region is looking to define chapter positions in the form of brief job descriptions. During the initial release of the Keyes Outdoors programming, there was a lot of concern about it. The region likes the plan and supports it. Return on the investment reports are requested, with the understanding it may be too early to be meaningful. Region 3 members have concerns over what they get for their $35 dues. The Fall meeting is set for October 20, 2012 in the Akron/ Canton area. Mr. Johnson is working with Chapter 19 as the Chapter President recently passed away, but the group would still like to hold the meeting in this area.
Region 4 Earl Hammond Mr. Hammond indicated November 10, 2012 as the region’s next meeting date; the location is yet to be determined. The region collects $100 from each chapter to assist in paying for the Regional Representatives’ meeting expenses including transportation, rooms and meals. These funds will also be used to help assist with Regional meeting costs so that no one chapter is carrying the full cost. Ms. Cates stated that discussions on what Muskies Inc. provides to members are ongoing. We need to do a better job of getting this information down to the chapter and membership levels on things like Branding, Insurance, Research, etc. Mr. Walter commented on youth activities within his chapter and their successes. Having a high level of community involvement and support greatly facilitates the fundraising for events.
Officer and Staff Reports Administrative Secretary – Ellen Wells Ms. Wells indicated all meeting minutes are currently approved and posted on the website. She reviewed prior membership numbers and noted that Chapter Charter documents are missing from seven chapters. Regional Representatives are asked to follow up with chapters.
VP Finance/Treasurer - Jim Shannon & Kathy Goon Mr. Shannon distributed a summary of what $35 annual dues covers. A discussion of the 501(c) (3) status and the process required to restore it was initiated.
VP Internal Affairs – VP Fred Brogle Mr. Brogle updated the Board on a number of programs and items which fall under his leadership. These included the History and Archives Committee, the Hall of Fame Committee, MI Insurance, and a recent survey of Regional Representatives. Mr. Brogle stated the 2012 Gil Hamm Chapter Challenge is scheduled for August 28–31, 2012 at Red Wing Lodge on Lake of the Woods. Star of the North is hosting again this year. Tri-Esox donates annually to assist in support of this event. There will be no rule changes. Mr. Brogle read a Lunge Log report from Jim Bunch. A lengthy discussion about awards and the annual Members’ Only Fishing Contest took place later in the agenda. Further discussion about the program will occur at subsequent meetings of the Executive Committee and possibly at the 2013 Board Meeting.
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VP Research and Fisheries VP Tom Penniston President Zahn shared a written report from Mr. Penniston. It was noted that the Membership & Marketing Committee will be contacting the Research and Fisheries Committee in regard to updating our tri-fold flyers (Why Stock Muskies, Why Release Muskies and Tips on Releasing Muskies) which are available to our chapters. We will explore ways to reduce the overall costs of publication by possibly combining them into one document.
VP Membership & Marketing – VP Greg Wells The Marketing Committee members include: Greg Wells, Jay Zahn, Dan Narsete, Kathy Goon and Bill Nuytens. Mr. Kvale is being added to the Committee. Mr. Wells shared notes about the most recent round of sports shows: Chicago – We hosted the Muskies, Inc. day, providing speakers. We presented a panel discussion with the only cost being some advertising and give-a-way prizes for the day. Milwaukee – Promotional opportunities for new members receiving free show passes. If chapters knew of this benefit prior to the show, it could affect show results. This needs to be discussed with the promoter prior to implementing. Ohio – Good conversations with all involved and a good Muskies Inc. presence. Michigan – Opportunities to promote Muskies Inc. Minnesota – Pres. Zahn attended the show and met with many of the chapters. Wausau, WI - four Muskies Inc. chapters signed up for next year’s show. Madison Fishing Expo - Capitol City has a presence. Others - Northwest Metro in MN; St Charles show in IL; Indianapolis, IN;’ Harrisburg Sports Show in PA; and Bass Pro has allowed us to place a booth in their store in IL, Keyes Outdoors presented a video update on the status of our sponsorship. Keyes Outdoors plans to go national (plus Canada) on the WFN network airing on Friday nights and again on two additional time slots during the week, FSN North and FSM will remain on their schedule. There will be no additional costs for the expansion to a national market with a 13-week show plan for 2013. YouTube has over 58,000 viewers. (Continued on page 6)
July / August 2012.....MUSKIE 5
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Mr. Phillips requested information about how much in scholarship/grants have been made available. We should do a better job of touting what we have done; we need to toot our own horn more and market our movement. We should prepare recaps and publish these on a regular basis. Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss Statement samples were distributed. Ms. Goon reviewed all the documents with the group, including the investment accounts. There was a discussion about the Gil Hamm Fund. Fund requests need to be made through the VP Fisheries & Research and then reviewed by the Fisheries and Research Committee. The Gil Hamm Fund is a restricted fund and the requirements are very specific. Mr. Nevling suggested that proposals need to be pre-approved and sitting in line so that when the Fund does reach the appropriate level (over $100,000) the money can be drawn and distributed. Some proposed activities may be time sensitive but it can be done this way and still meet the restrictions on the Fund. The commemorative lure program was reviewed and discussed. Comments were made concerning box versus no box, the added cost of a box, as well as the possibility of offering a framed mount for display purposes. Delayed vendor information and involvement created a rush in the program this past year. Mr. Kofoot expressed concern over the cost of some budget areas, including MUSKIE magazine, the annual Members Only Fishing Contest, accounting and auditing, etc. He felt we need to reduce these numbers and should look at each area and determine ways to cut costs. Discussion followed about reforming the Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) to examine these and other critical issues regarding the finances, structure, membership and marketing of Muskies Inc. A motion to re-establish the Strategic Planning Committee and delegate authority to the President to assign members to the committee was passed unanimously. The President subsequently appointed the following to the Strategic Planning Committee: Kevin Bushnick, Chairperson; Leo Kofoot; Greg Kvale; Max Machuta; Carl Phillips; Kevin Richards; Ron Teschner; and Greg Wells.
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MUSKIE NEWS (Continued from page 5) The discussion lead to the conclusion that more time was needed to fully evaluate the program. There has been an impact as there is a “buzz” about Muskies Inc. - this is new for us as our name is being mentioned. A decision must be made based on the information at hand. This opportunity will provide us with nationwide distribution. Keyes is filming now for the 2013 season. A motion to continue the Keyes Outdoors program support for the 2013 season passed with a vote of 16 to 2. Mr. Kvale mentioned the Lindner’s Angling Edge show promoted MI on a recent program. He will contact them to strengthen a connection. There was a general discussion on updating the Muskies Inc. logo and re-copyrighting it. What identifies our brand? Our shield logo was already updated. Mr. Wells stated the font logo must remain unchanged, but the rest could be up for discussion. Membership Committee members are Greg Wells, Ellen Wells, Jay Zahn, Joel Johnson and Leo Kofoot. Mr. Johnson and Mr. Kofoot have been doing a lot of work on membership retention and that is one place where we need to focus our efforts. A list of 546 members was reviewed; it showed which members dropped in the last 90 days. We will continue to send recently dropped lists to the regions for follow-up. Discussion continued on age demographics, benefits of membership; membership trends; dues changes (last increase 10/28/2005); lapsed memberships; additional membership classifications; guide memberships; life memberships (those who take ownership of our organization, looking at a sliding scale), student on-line memberships; and endowment funds as promotional opportunities.
2011 Chapter Challunge Headquarters!
The 2006 publication, What is the Value of Muskies, Inc. Membership, was distributed. This will become a working document and we will update this regularly so it will continue to be available. The questions/concerns that have been raised concerning the “value” of membership are nothing new, as this document shows. We have tried industry member access and reward – guides/tackle/hats and yes this draws members at that moment but this has failed to retain members. Trends in membership were discussed. Chapter 29 has now added a monthly agenda item to address growth, retention and lapsed memberships. They make a special effort to contact lapsed members personally. 2016 Symposium/50 year celebration: March 2016 is the general date of the event. Mr. Schultz is reviewing possible locations. Financial support necessary is beginning to be developed. The Hugh Becker Foundation will have naming rights appropriate to their financial commitment. The fundraising goal is $150,000. North Metro and Twin Cities will co-host the event. A business plan is being developed.
VP Youth Activities – VP Kevin Bushnick Copies of the 2012 May/June magazine were distributed to attendees. This issue focused on youth activities. Mr. Bushnick noted some personal observations and perceptions –some perceptions of the Muskies Inc. “mother-ship” are wrong. As our youth mission developed, we found some chapters didn’t like the movement. We need to continue to be aware of those perceptions and to deal with them. The effect of these programs on people has been phenomenal to observe. Youth video presentations were viewed by the group and will be available on-line. We are actively pursuing youth development and we will be watching duplication of attendees as we progress with future events. The May/June article established a blueprint for future development.
VP – Communications – VP Ron Teschner
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6 MUSKIE.....July / August 2012
Mr. Teschner noted there is a lot of experience in the room and a special thanks to all those who devote their time to the organization. Website - Phase one came on-line in October, this is the public side of the website. Feedback on Phase One has been good. This is a very involved process and we need to do it right. The Lunge Log is a few weeks from completion and then the testing phase will occur prior to implementing Phase Two. A power point presentation was given. MUSKIE Magazine - Mr. Richards presented magazine updates. An archive of magazines is on-line going back to 2005. On-line versus printed version was discussed including how much the on-line option has improved. The magazine is a communication tool; it can
muskie Magazine EMERITUS EDITORS Rod Ramsell Keith Ogden Jim Smith
Adoption of Muskies, Inc. Bylaws – Mr. Hempe, Chairman, Bylaws Committee The proposed draft of a revised set of Bylaws was been submitted for Board consideration. Mr. Hempe acknowledged the efforts of members Mr. Walter and Mr. Nevling plus input and valuable suggestions from Mr. Shannon, Mr. Brogle, Ms. Wells and Past President Cates. A motion was passed to adopt the amendments approved and, in good faith, that the Bylaws Committee will revise some wording to clarify its intent.
Old Business Mr. Hempe provided background information on a motion from the Capital City Chapter, Madison. They are the host Chapter for a six Chapter outing in northern WI where no entry fees or awards are involved. A problem arose when the discussion went to the use of live bait with a quick set rig. The rig is advocated by Tom Penniston when using live bait as it is better protects the fish. The Chapter intent was to clarify the use of quick set rigs. However, the focus shifted to tournament policy language that forbids the use of live bait in tournaments. Following much discussion, the following motion was approved with a vote of 12 for, 2 abstain, 2 against: If allowed by organizers of any outing or tournament, live bait may be used but only if used in conjunction with quick strike rigs.
Next meeting place and time: The Between the Lakes Chapter, with chapter approval at the May meeting, invited the Board to hold its 2013 meeting in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Tentative date is May 18, 2013 and a final date will be determined once BLTC approval was received by the Chapter Board. A motion was passed to accept the invitation and tentative date.
they agree to pay Muskies, Inc. for members joining their website. We would solicit our members to join Fishhound. Mr. Teschner stated this is all completely voluntary. A draft agreement needs to be reviewed by our attorneys prior to entering into any agreement with Fishhound. Mr. Kvale suggested we need to proceed with caution. We need to have several representatives join this website, investigate more fully the ramifications of a decision and to determine just what information they are attempting to access. This is a commercial website and they are trying to gain a lot of personal information. A motion was passed to delegate the authority to the Executive Committee to make this determination and decision after additional research has been done.
2012 Cabin Fever Challunge The Cabin Fever Challunge is an annual event that takes place on Green River Lake and allows musky fisherman from all across the country to get an early start on musky fishing. It is hosted by the Kentucky Chapter of Muskies Inc. At the end of April, the Taylor County Tourist Commission sponsored the 20th Annual Muskie Inc. Cabin Fever Challunge plus the Annual Board Meeting of Muskies Inc. During the Challunge, Green River Lake yielded 32 muskies over 36 inches and at least 25 more under 36 inches. The Cabin Fever Challunge is a great event that helps highlight the lake, the local community and their southern hospitality. The Challunge is an economic boost for the community. Muskie anglers commonly spend money on lodging, food, fuel, maintenance, campgrounds, launch fees, and more. There were many comments made about how well folks are treated when they come to the Campbellsville area . . . how they feel right at home. The hospitable atmosphere, the beauty of the community, and the good fishing on Green River Lake keeps visitors returning year after year. v
(Portions of this report provided by Bryan Morris, Green River Musky Guide)
Fishhound: Mr. Teschner presented a power point presentation to the group. Fishhound states they have about 240,000 visitors each month and they are all anglers and their age demographics are only 5% of members are over 55 – 95% of their membership is in the age group that we are targeting. Mr. Teschner stated the benefits to Muskies, Inc. are to use Fishhound to reach out for new members, increase our membership and to take advantage of the other Fishhound offers and benefits. They claim we will reach 15,000 anglers a month, through their web website, Face Book and Twitter. It’s a network of fisherman and guides. They offer two membership types for exclusive access. The concept is fairly simple: Muskies, Inc. would agree to promote Fishhound and
www.muskiesinc.org
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be developed and altered for whatever is best for the organization. The number of Chapter Reports per issue have increased dramatically in recent years. We also need to have report from the regions and the VPs at least annually. We will maintain the current publication schedule of six issues per year.
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Ji m b u n c h
Jan. Lunker - TIE Art Knute, 48”, Penn/Jersey Susquehanna River, PA 1/7/12
Jan. Lunker - TIE Frank Maus, 48”, Penn-Ohio Allegheny River, PA 1/25/12 8 MUSKIE.....July / August 2012
Lunge Log – July 2012 The 2012 version of the Lunge Log started out with the best numbers in years. From Jan.1 through April 30 we had 1009 entries compared to just 548 during that period last year. It started out with 4 entries on New Year’s Day. Frank Maus of Penn-Ohio and Tom Sabia of Penn-Jersey both recorded a Muskie at 9am on Jan. 1st. There were 115 entries in January, 163 in February, 279 in March, and 452 in April. The January Lunker was a tie at 48 inches, both out of Pennsylvania Rivers. Art Knute of Penn-Jersey got the first one on January 7 from the Susquehanna River. Art says: She hit on a Mag Dawg just after sunrise in 32 degree water and 25 degree air temperature. We got 6 in the boat that day (48, 43, 42, 36.5, 33, 32). Art tied with Frank Maus of Penn-Ohio who also got a 48 incher, this one from the Allegheny River. Frank tells us about the event: I was casting from shore on the Allegheny River in Armstrong County, PA on Jan.25, 2012. My friend, Dan Kerr was there when I hooked this fish. As you can see in the picture, I have a prosthetic hook for a left hand. This has never stopped me from doing many things but certain things can’t be done gently. Picking up a large Muskie is one of them. I am usually alone when fishing and have a good system of measuring a Muskie and getting a picture either in my boat or from shore. I always keep them in the water, but because Dan was there he wanted me to try to pick it up for a picture. I was able to at least get it up on my knee for a quick shot. I am a great fan of Rapala lures and that is what it hit on that day. (Magnum Rapala) This winter has been good to us fishermen here and the conditions have been great. Those Pennsylvania Rivers did it again for the February Lunker of the Month. Jeremy Kern of the Penn-Jersey Chapter got a 47 inch from the Susquehanna River in Northumberland County on February 18th. It was caught on a Bull Dawg. For the March Lunker we move from the east side of the state of Pennsylvania to the very west side of the state. The March Lunker goes to a very well known member of Muskies, Inc. who even has his name attached to a few Muskie lures. Dale Wiley sent a few notes about his personal best: We were able to get out early due to the warm weather as this time of year we usually have ice on the water. We were fishing out of my partner’s 16-foot Fisher, dubbed “The minnow”. Anyhow we were casting and I missed two fish, the second of which was one of the largest muskies I had ever seen right at the boat. I actually had to sit down to get my composure. My partner, John Ryhal suggested we troll a little and maybe come back through the area in a few hours. So two hours later he says she should be ready, and on our first pass through the same spot the rod started screaming line. Long story made short, we got her in the boat. It was my personal best, at 44 pounds. Would you believe it was caught on a Wiley Crank Bait? So after Pennsylvania dominated the first 3 months of the year we move to West Virginia for April. The April Lunker is 52 inches, actually twice as we have another tie. The first one came on April 9th by Troy Radcliff of the West Virginia Chapter. His own words tell the story: Hey Jim, I have attached a photo of the 52x22 that I caught on April 9th. I was fishing Stonewall Jackson Lake (Lewis Co. WV) after work hoping to have a little luck. I was not able to get a fishing partner for the evening, but knew I had to get on the water. I got
Lunker Of The Month Month
Name Jan Art Knute Jan Frank L. Maus Feb Jeremy Kern March Dale Wiley April Troy Radcliff April Timothy Mc Cauley May Troy Radcliff
Chapter 50 31 50 16 9 9 9
Length 48 48 47 52.5 52 52 51.5
Date 1/7/2012 1/25/2012 2/18/2012 3/20/2012 4/9/2012 4/14/2012 5/8/2012
Lake Susquehanna River Allegheny River Susquehanna River Pymatuning Res. Stonewall Jackson Stonewall Jackson Stonewall Jackson
County Lackawanna Armstrong Northumberlan Crawford Lewis Lewis Lewis
State PA PA PA PA WV WV WV
Lure Bull Dawg Jig Rapala Magnum Bull Dawg Jerk Wiley Crank Hellhound Pearson Grinder Cowgirl/Double Cowgirl
A complete list of the Longest releases in all divisions is available on line at http:///www.muskiesinc.org. Log in as a member and select 2012 Division reports in the left column.
on the water around 5:30 and started casting away at some standing timber with no fish to be seen. I decided to change lures to a Squirrelly Hell Hound and at 7:00 pm she hit the lure on a pause 6’ from the boat. I fought her for a minute or two so I could get her in the net. Got the hooks out, set the camera up, got a photo and let her swim off. I wish the photo could have been better but I’m just glad to have one since I was fishing alone. I am even more happy that she swam away to grow a little bigger! Troy is very new to the Lunge Log and just started reporting muskies last year up to 48 inches. He got this 52 in early April, and got a 51.5 in early May, also from Stonewall. As I write this Jim Moore, President of the West Virginia Chapter, tells me Troy just got a 50 from Cave Run (in mid-May).
Speaking of Stonewall Jackson Lake, we stay right there for the other half of the April Lunker tie. The West Virginia Chapter has a Spring Mail-In Tournament. President Jim Moore tells us the story right out of his own Tournament Summary: This tournament included several highlights from some members. Tim Mc Cauley had lost a big fish earlier in the morning and while enjoying a sandwich and a cup of coffee a little later, his partner Harry Haddix had a follow from a very big fish. Both had good looks at it and knew it was huge. Tim sat back down to finish his break while Harry pounded the area. Shortly after Tim stood up and announced he was going to catch a big pig. Wouldn’t you know it? On one of his first casts; the Muskie inhaled his spinner bait and the (Continued on page 10)
April Lunker Tie – Troy Radcliff, 52”, West Virginia Stonewall Jackson Lake, WV 4/9/12
April Lunker Tie – Tim McCauley 52”, West Virginia Stonewall Jackson Lake, WV 4/14/12
www.muskiesinc.org
July / August 2012...MUSKIE 9
◆ Lunge Log ◆ Lunge Log ◆ Lunge Log ◆ Lunge Log ◆ Lunge Log
Waterford Lake IL Buck Tail Mayfield Lake Lewis WA Swimbait Crystal McHenry IL Spoon Crystal McHenry IL Jerk Bait Newton Reservoir Cache UT Fat Rap Raystown Huntingdon PA Salmo Jerk Crystal McHenry IL Spoon Channel Lake IL Shallow Raider Silver Lake Spokane WA Spoon Marsh Creek Lake Chester PA Buck Tail Newton Reservoir Cache UT Whopper Plopper Marsh Creek Lake Chester PA Husky Jerk Monongahela River Greene PA Ernie Monongahela River Greene PA Ernie Schuylkill River Berks PA Big Game Marsh Creek Lake Chester PA Buck Tail Schuylkill River Berks PA Hughes River Jerk Schuylkill River Berks PA Muskie Treats Schuylkill River Berks PA Bull Dawg Jerk Marsh Creek March Lake Lunker Chester PA Suick – Dale Wiley, 52.5”, Three Rivers Oxford Furnace Warren NJ Manta Pymatuning Reservoir, PA 3/20/12 Piedmont Harrison OH Sisson Crank
Lunge Log
Russ D Schaller 39 38.75 4/9/2012 4 Michael Floyd 57 37.75 5/5/2012 5 Ryan Gottschalk 14 37 3/19/2012 6 Ryan Gottschalk 14 36.5 3/18/2012 7 Danny Kurttila 0 36 4/7/2012 8 Matt Dixon 16 36 5/12/2012 9 14 35.5 3/19/2012 10 Ryan Gottschalk 14 35 5/8/2012 11 Joseph Laubinger 60 34 5/12/2012 12 Mark Kendall 50 34 5/9/2012 13 Mike DiGuiseppe 0 34 4/21/2012 14 Danny Kurttila 50 33.5 3/11/2012 15 Jason Lawall 16 33 4/24/2012 16 David Myers 16 33 4/24/2012 17 David Myers 50 33 1/10/2012 18 Tom Sabia 50 33 5/14/2012 19 Cory DAntonio 50 32 1/8/2012 20 Tom Sabia 50 32 1/8/2012 21 Tom Sabia 50 32 3/7/2012 22 Tom Sabia Mike Lunker DiGuiseppe 50 32 5/1/2012 23 Feb. – Jeremy Kern, 47”, Penn-Jersey 50 31 4/16/2012 24 Timothy Jedrejczyk Susquehanna PA 2/18/12 25 Sam Reichenbach 18 31 5/14/2012
NgE W◆ S L ◆u M U eS KLIoE gN◆ EW S n◆g e MU SK EW S e◆ L M Ng Ee W SL o◆g M I Eg eN E WgS LMuUnSgKeI EL o ng Lu Lo g I E◆ N Lu ng o gU S◆K ILEu n ◆ ULSuKn Lo
LUNGE LOG (Continued from page 9) battle was on. After getting it in the net it stretched out to the 52 inch mark even with a mangled tail. This is only the second fish in the fifty inch class ever recorded during one of our tournaments.
Housekeeping! We want to encourage everyone who enters muskies on line in the Lunge Log to please respond to the 2 questions about hours between Muskie captures. This is important as there are many Department of Natural Resources throughout North America who are using this in their studies. Many have contacted us to encourage more people to respond to this. In some cases where I have sent fish lists to DNRs in the past they have informed me that I do not need to do that anymore because they are now members of Muskies, Inc. and in some cases paid for by their state. That’s a pretty neat deal. We have come a long way baby. Keep a tight line!
Jim Bunch The Lunge Log lungelog@muskiesinc.org 715 226-0295
Purposes of Muskies, Inc. • To promote a high quality muskellunge sport fishery; • To support selected conservation practices based on scientific merit and carried out by authorized federal and state agencies; • To promote muskellunge research; • To establish hatcheries and rearing ponds and introduce the species into suitable waters; • To support the abatement of water pollution; • To maintain records of habits, growth, and range of species; • To disseminate muskellunge information; • To promote good fellowship and sportsmanship among men, women and children. 10 MUSKIE.....July / August 2012
Longest Releases for 2012.5.20 Mens Rank
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Name Dale Wiley Troy Radcliff Timothy Mc Cauley Troy Radcliff Daniel Haddox Gabriel J Rosplock Kyle Hilger James A Dingus Art Knute Frank L. Maus Dwight Geisler Daniel Haddox Adam Andresky David L. Johnson Jonathan Crocker Rick Swain Scott Bjornson Clyde M Anderson Philip Ringenbach George Weber Jeremy Kern Curt Lindsey Tom Kelly Elmer W Heyob Jr Scott Scarpelli
Chapter
Length
Date
16 9 9 9 9 19 28 28 50 31 1 9 16 52 30 49 14 41 19 56 50 49 52 41 47
52.5 52 52 51.5 51 50.5 49 48.5 48 48 48 48 48 48 48 47.5 47.5 47.25 47.25 47.25 47 47 47 47 47
3/20/2012 4/9/2012 4/14/2012 5/8/2012 5/12/2012 3/20/2012 3/10/2012 3/24/2012 1/7/2012 1/25/2012 3/12/2012 4/7/2012 4/14/2012 4/28/2012 5/5/2012 3/26/2012 4/1/2012 4/12/2012 5/11/2012 5/12/2012 2/18/2012 3/6/2012 3/30/2012 4/15/2012 5/4/2012
Lake
Chapter
Length
Date
52 20 49 27 16 9 49 9 49 9 52 19 20 52 8 49 49 27 20 20 8 11 52 11 19
45.5 43.75 42.5 42 41 41 41 41 40.5 40 40 40 39.5 38 38 37.5 37.5 37 37 37 37 36.5 36 36 36
4/16/2012 4/27/2012 4/6/2012 3/23/2012 3/22/2012 3/24/2012 4/6/2012 4/20/2012 4/6/2012 3/24/2012 4/28/2012 5/19/2012 4/26/2012 4/18/2012 5/12/2012 4/6/2012 4/15/2012 3/24/2012 4/26/2012 4/26/2012 5/10/2012 3/25/2012 2/26/2012 4/1/2012 5/11/2012
Chapter
Length
Date
41 41 41 52 23 23 23 52 7 7 39 28 23 7 41 28 17 23 23 17 7
44.5 41.5 41 41 40 39 38 38 36.5 35 35 34 34 33.5 33 32 31 31 31 30 30
5/15/2012 4/7/2012 4/29/2012 5/12/2012 4/29/2012 4/6/2012 4/1/2012 5/12/2012 4/6/2012 4/7/2012 5/5/2012 3/25/2012 4/14/2012 4/6/2012 5/15/2012 3/25/2012 3/18/2012 4/6/2012 4/6/2012 3/18/2012 4/6/2012
Chapter
Length
Date
60 33 0 39 57 14 14 0 16 14 14 60 50 0 50 16 16
45.5 45 40 38.75 37.75 37 36.5 36 36 35.5 35 34 34 34 33.5 33 33
5/4/2012 2/15/2012 4/21/2012 4/9/2012 5/5/2012 3/19/2012 3/18/2012 4/7/2012 5/12/2012 3/19/2012 5/8/2012 5/12/2012 5/9/2012 4/21/2012 3/11/2012 4/24/2012 4/24/2012
Pymatuning Res. Stonewall Jackson Stonewall Jackson Stonewall Jackson Cave Run Reservoir Pymatuning Res. Kinkaid Kinkaid Susquehanna River Allegheny River Cave Run Burnsville Pymatuning Res. Green River Lake Waubesa Webster Fox Chain Alum Creek Leesville Reservoir Clearfork Reservoir Susquehanna River Tippecanoe Collins River Kivwan Reservoir Six Mile Lake
County Crawford Lewis Lewis Lewis Rowan Crawford Jackson Jackson Lackawanna Armstrong Menifee Braxton Crawford Taylor Dane Kosciusko Lake Delaware Carroll Richland Northumberlan Kosciusko Warren Portage Antrim
75 PA WV WV WV KY PA IL IL PA PA KY WV PA KY WI IN IL OH OH OH PA IN TN OH MI
Lure Wiley Crank Hellhound Pearson Grinder Cowgirl/Double Cowgirl Bondy Bait Mini X Lindy Tiger Tube Hellhound Bull Dawg Jig Rapala Magnum Rat-L-Trap Crank Homemade Bucktail Newman's Crank Realfish Low Rider Harrasser Crank Bait Homemade Crank Bait Eagle Tail Wiley Crank Bull Dawg Jerk Rat-L-Trap Crank Grim Reaper Spinner Rapala Crank Live Bait
Womens Rank
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Name Vickie Banks Sara Lammers Nikki Swain Jennifer Sacco Barbie Hanabeck Debbie Bever Nikki Swain Nancy Amick Nikki Swain Debbie Bever Kelly Huffman Chad Harmon Sara Lammers Vickie Banks Emely Hamann Nikki Swain Nikki Swain Jennifer Sacco Sara Lammers Sara Lammers Emely Hamann Donna Bork Mellanie Cornett Donna Bork Deborah Crossley
Lake Cave Run Reservoir Green River Lake Sawmill Lake North Spring Arthur NF Hughes River James Cave Run Reservoir Tippecanoe NF Hughes River Green River Lake Leesville Reservoir Green River Lake Cave Run Reservoir Waubesa Sawmill Lake Kaiser Banner Marsh Green River Lake Green River Lake Madison Chain Storey Lake Cave Run Reservoir Storey Lake Piedmont
County Rowan Taylor Kosciusko Tazewell Butler Ritchie Kosciusko Rowan Kosciusko Ritchie Taylor Carroll Taylor Rowan Dane Kosciusko Kosciusko Peoria Taylor Taylor Dane Knox Rowan Knox Belmont
State KY KY IN IL PA WV IN KY IN WV KY OH KY KY WI IN IN IL KY KY WI IL KY IL OH
Lure Baby Depth Raider Wiley Crank Harasser Crank Bait Crank Bait Crank Bait Grubzilla Bluegill Harasser Crank Bait Realfish Sisson Crank Marshad DC-10 Buck Tail Harasser Live Bait Talonz Rippin Shad Wiley Crank Marshad Buck Tail Grandma Crank Crank Bait Grandma Crank Tuff Shad
Juniors Rank
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Name Kyle Honeycutt Luke VanGorder Luke VanGorder Charles Haley Raymond Nespeca Angelina Nespeca Angelina Nespeca Charles Haley John J Phillips John J Phillips Declan Dilley Kyle Beaty Raymond Nespeca John J Phillips Kyle Honeycutt Kyle Beaty Andrew Heiden Angelina Nespeca Angelina Nespeca Andrew Heiden John J Phillips
Lake Alum Creek West Branch Clearfork Reservoir Green River Lake West Branch West Branch West Branch Green River Lake Webster Webster Gov. Dodge Kinkaid West Branch Webster Alum Creek Kinkaid Banner Marsh West Branch West Branch Banner Marsh Webster
County Delaware Portage Richland Taylor Portage Portage Portage Taylor Kosciusko Kosciusko Iowa Jackson Portage Kosciusko Delaware Jackson Peoria Portage Portage Peoria Kosciusko
State OH OH OH KY OH OH OH KY IN IN WI IL OH IN OH IL IL OH OH IL IN
Lure Alley Cat Rapala Crank Rapala Crank Swim Whizz Li'l Ernie Li'l Ernie Boss Shad Swim Whizz Phantom Jerk Bait Phantom Jerk Bait Crane Bait Shallow Raider Li'l Ernie Phantom Jerk Bait Alley Cat Shallow Raider Crank Bait Li'l Ernie Li'l Ernie Crank Bait Phantom Jerk Bait
Hybrid Rank
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Name Douglas Wood Mike Meagher Danny Kurttila Russ D Schaller Michael Floyd Ryan Gottschalk Ryan Gottschalk Danny Kurttila Matt Dixon Ryan Gottschalk Joseph Laubinger Mark Kendall Mike DiGuiseppe Danny Kurttila Jason Lawall David Myers David Myers
Lake Silver Lake St. Louis River Newton Reservoir Waterford Mayfield Lake Crystal Crystal Newton Reservoir Raystown Crystal Channel Silver Lake Marsh Creek Lake Newton Reservoir Marsh Creek Lake Monongahela River Monongahela River
County Spokane St. Louis Cache Lake Lewis McHenry McHenry Cache Huntingdon McHenry Lake Spokane Chester Cache Chester Greene Greene
State WA MN UT IL WA IL IL UT PA IL IL WA PA UT PA PA PA
Lure Storm Minnow Spoon Whopper Plopper Buck Tail Swimbait Spoon Jerk Bait Fat Rap Salmo Jerk Spoon Shallow Raider Spoon Buck Tail Whopper Plopper Husky Jerk Ernie Ernie
Longest Releases for 2012 Release Points by Division Mens Mens Masters
Womens
Womens
Juniors
Womens
Juniors
Juniors
Hybrid
Hybrid (Cont’d) Hybrid
Lunker Of The Month www.muskiesinc.org
DonationS Special thanks to these members and s upporters for their recent donations to Muskies, Inc: Joe Beitz
Greg Denny
Bob Peterson
David Cates
Kristen Willberg
Nathan Kjellman
Williams Evans
Russ Warye
Carl Waddell
Bob Nontelle
Patrick Fields
Dennis Kobiela
Jim Lindberg
Bill Brunstad
Mark Krause
Robert Briney
Michael Giambrone
Roy Matthews
Jim Meyers
Robert Powers
Mike Moschell
The rules & regulations for submitting to the Lunge Log are on the Muskies, Inc. website. July / August 2012...MUSKIE 11
◆ Lunge Log ◆ Lunge Log ◆ Lunge Log ◆ Lunge Log ◆ Lunge Log
Mens
Pearson Grinder Cowgirl/Double Cowgirl Bondy Bait Mini X Lindy Tiger Tube Hellhound Bull Dawg Jig Rapala Magnum Rat-L-Trap Crank HomemadeLure Bucktail Average Newman's Crank Wiley Crank 38 Realfish Hellhound 36Grinder Low Rider Pearson 34 Harrasser Cowgirl/Double Cowgirl Crank Bait Bondy35 Bait Homemade Mini X 35 Crank Bait Eagle Tail Tube Lindy Tiger 36 Wiley Crank Hellhound 37 Jerk Bull Dawg Jig Rat-L-Trap Crank Rapala34 Magnum 37 Crank Grim Reaper Spinner Rat-L-Trap Rapala Crank Homemade Bucktail 36 Newman's Live Bait Crank Realfish Low Rider Average Harrasser Lure 36 CrankDepth Bait Baby 37 Raider Homemade Wiley Crank Crank Bait 37 Eagle Tail Harasser 38 Wiley Crank Crank Bait Bull Dawg 38 Crank Bait Jerk Rat-L-Trap Crank Bait 34 Crank Grim Reaper Spinner Grubzilla 37 Rapala Crank Bluegill 38 Live Bait Harasser 36 Crank Bait 38 Realfish Lure Sisson35 Crank Marshad Baby Depth 36 Raider DC-10 Wiley Crank 37 Buck Tail Harasser 37 Harasser Crank Bait 39 Live Bait Crank Bait Talonz Rippin Shad Crank 39 Bait 35 Wiley Crank Grubzilla Marshad Bluegill36 Buck Tail Harasser 37 Grandma Crank BaitCrank 34 Crank Bait Realfish 36 Crank Grandma Sisson Crank 38 Marshad Tuff Shad DC-1037 Buck Tail 35 Harasser 37 Lure Live Bait Alley Cat Talonz Rapala Rippin Crank Shad Wiley Crank Rapala Crank Average Marshad Swim Whizz 39 Buck Tail Li'l Ernie 34 Grandma Li'l Ernie Crank 39 CrankShad Bait Boss 35 Crank Grandma Swim Whizz Tuff Shad Phantom 41Jerk Bait Phantom 36Jerk Bait Crane Bait 35 Lure Shallow Raider 40 Li'l Ernie Alley Cat 41 Phantom Jerk Bait Rapala Crank 40 Alley Cat Rapala Crank 40Raider Shallow Swim Whizz Crank Bait Li'l Ernie Li'l Ernie Li'l Ernie Boss Shad Average Crank Bait Swim Whizz 34 Phantom Jerk Bait 33 Phantom Jerk Bait 41 Crane Bait 39Raider Shallow Lure 38 Li'l Ernie Storm Minnow Phantom 37 Jerk Bait Spoon Alley Cat Whopper 33 Plopper Shallow Buck Tail 30Raider Crank Bait Swimbait 35 Li'l Ernie Spoon Log in as a Li'l Ernie Jerk Bait Crank Bait Fat Rap Phantom Jerk Bait Salmo Jerk Spoon Shallow Raider Lure Spoon Buck StormTail Minnow Whopper Spoon Plopper Husky Jerk Whopper Plopper Ernie Buck Tail Ernie Swimbait Big Game Spoon Buck Tail Jerk Bait Hughes Fat Rap River Jerk Muskie Treats Salmo Jerk Bull Dawg Jerk Spoon Suick Shallow Raider Manta Spoon Buck Tail Sisson Crank Whopper Plopper Husky Jerk Ernie Lure ErnieDawg Jig Bull Big Game Rapala Magnum
Lunge Log
Timothy Mc Cauley 9 52 4/14/2012 Stonewall Jackson Lewis WV 3 Troy Radcliff 9 51.5 5/8/2012 Stonewall Jackson Lewis WV 4 Daniel Haddox 9 51 5/12/2012 Cave Run Reservoir Rowan KY 5 Gabriel J Rosplock 19 50.5 3/20/2012 Pymatuning Res. Crawford PA 6 Kyle Hilger 28 49 3/10/2012 Kinkaid Jackson IL 7 James A Dingus 28 48.5 3/24/2012 Kinkaid Jackson IL 8 .5.20 Art Knute 50 48 1/7/2012 Susquehanna River .5.20.12 Lackawanna PA 9 31 48 1/25/2012 Allegheny River Armstrong PA 10 Frank L. Maus 1 48 3/12/2012 Cave Run Menifee KY 11 Dwight Geisler Rank Name Chapter Length Date County 75 9 48 4/7/2012 Burnsville Lake Braxton WV 12 Daniel Haddox Rank Member Chapter City State Releases Points Adam Andresky 16 48 4/14/2012 Crawford PA Dale Wiley 52.5 3/20/2012 Pymatuning Res. 13 1 Chris Haley 52 Hazard KY 24 296 1 David L. Johnson 52 48 4/28/2012 River Lake Taylor KY Troy Radcliff 9 52 4/9/2012 Green Stonewall Jackson Lewis WV 14 2 TerryMc Nespeca 23 Boardman OH 24 246 Crocker 30 48 5/5/2012 Waubesa Dane WI Timothy Cauley 9 52 4/14/2012 Stonewall Jackson Lewis WV 15 32 Jonathan Randy Parker 41 Avon OH 28 242 Swain 49 47.5 3/26/2012 Kosciusko IN Troy Radcliff 9 51.5 5/8/2012 Webster Stonewall Jackson Lewis WV 16 43 Rick Bjornson 14 47.5 4/1/2012 Fox Lake IL Daniel Haddox 9 51 5/12/2012 CaveChain Run Reservoir Rowan KY 17 54 Scott Walter Krause 28 Collinsville IL 20 183 41 47.25 4/12/2012 Creek Res. Delaware OH Gabriel JAnderson Rosplock 19 50.5 3/20/2012 Alum Pymatuning Crawford PA 18 65 Clyde Bill M Boggess 9 Vienna WV 18 166 Philip Ringenbach 19 47.25 5/11/2012 Carroll OH Kyle Hilger 28 49 3/10/2012 Leesville Kinkaid Reservoir Jackson IL 19 7 Bob D Marshall 19 Bowerston OH 14 153 6 George 56 47.25 5/12/2012 Richland OH James AWeber Dingus 28 48.5 3/24/2012 Clearfork Kinkaid Reservoir Jackson IL 20 8 David White 18 Moundsville WV 12 143 7 Jeremy Kern 50 47 2/18/2012 Susquehanna River Northumberlan PA Art Knute 48 1/7/2012 Lackawanna 21 9 John A Dennis 19 West Lafayette 15 132 Lindsey 49 47 3/6/2012 Tippecanoe Kosciusko IN Frank L. Maus 31 48 1/25/2012 Allegheny River OH Armstrong PA 22 108 Curt Rusty Welker 42 Kokomo IN 9 101 Kelly 52 47 3/30/2012 River Warren TN Dwight Geisler 1 48 3/12/2012 Collins Cave Run Menifee KY 23 119 Tom W Heyob Jr Sr 41 47 4/15/2012 Kivwan Reservoir Portage OH Daniel Haddox 9 48 4/7/2012Ferry Burnsville Braxton WV 24 12 Michael J Sall 18 Martins OH 9 96 10 Elmer 25 AdamScarpelli Andresky 16 48 4/14/2012 Pymatuning Crawford PA 13 Scott 47 47 5/4/2012 Six Mile LakeRes. Antrim MI 52 48 4/28/2012 Green River Lake Taylor KY 14 David L. Johnson Jonathan Crocker 30 48 5/5/2012 Waubesa Dane WI 15 Rank Member Chapter City State Releases Points 49 47.5 3/26/2012 Webster Lake Kosciusko IN Rank Name Chapter Length Date County State 161 Rick BillSwain Looney 9 Amma WV 32 345 Scott Bjornson 14 47.5 4/1/2012 Cave Fox Chain Lake IL 17 Vickie Banks 52 45.5 4/16/2012 Run Reservoir Rowan KY 1 Charles R Carpenter 9 Harrisville WV 26 293 2 ClydeLammers M Anderson 41 47.25 4/12/2012 Green Alum Creek Delaware OH 18 Sara 20 43.75 4/27/2012 River Lake Taylor KY 2 Daniel Haddox 9 Harrisville WV 19 228 3 PhilipSwain Ringenbach 19 47.25 5/11/2012 LeesvilleLake Reservoir Carroll OH 19 Nikki 49 42.5 4/6/2012 Sawmill Kosciusko IN 3 Chipper Bushong 27 52 Morehead KY 18 222 George Weber 56 47.25 5/12/2012 North Clearfork Reservoir Richland OH 20 Sacco 42 3/23/2012 Spring Tazewell IL 44 Jennifer Jeremy Kern 50 47 2/18/2012 Susquehanna River Northumberlan PA 21 Steve E Warner 50 Rheems Pa 16 208 Hanabeck 16 41 3/22/2012 Arthur Butler 55 Barbie Curt Lindsey 49 47 3/6/2012 Tippecanoe Kosciusko IN 22 Bever 9 41 3/24/2012 NF Hughes River Ritchie WV 66 Debbie Michael J. Sall Jr 18 Martins Ferry OH 21 185 Tom Kelly 52 47 3/30/2012 Collins River Warren TN 23 Swain Kirkpatrick 49 41 4/6/2012 James Kosciusko IN 77 Nikki Zachary 9 Marietta OH 16 183 Elmer W Heyob Jr 41 47 4/15/2012 Cave Kivwan Reservoir Portage OH 24 Nancy Amick 9 41 4/20/2012 Run Reservoir Rowan KY 8 Troy Radcliff 9 Weston WV 14 178 8 25 Scott Swain Scarpelli 47 47 5/4/2012 Tippecanoe Six Mile Lake Antrim MI Nikki 49 40.5 4/6/2012 Kosciusko IN 9 Mike Sandridge 19 Wadsworth OH 15 159 9 9 40 3/24/2012 NF Hughes River Ritchie WV 10 Debbie Bever David L. Johnson 52 Coxs Creek KY 13 159 10 52 40 4/28/2012 Green River Lake Taylor KY 11 Kelly Huffman Rank Name Chapter Length Date Lake OH County State TadHarmon Martinez 19 N. Canton Leesville Reservoir 14 139 11 Chad 19 40 5/19/2012 Carroll OH 12 Lammers 39.5 4/26/2012 River LakeIL Taylor KY Vickie Banks 52 45.5 4/16/2012 Green Cave Run Reservoir Rowan 13 112 Sara David Van Doorn 20 39 Carpentersville 12 134 Banks 52 38 4/18/2012 Reservoir Rowan KY Sara Lammers 20 43.75 4/27/2012 Cave GreenRun River Lake Taylor 14 213 Vickie Jason Lawall 50 Allentown PA 11 133 8 38 5/12/2012 Dane WI Nikki Swain 49 42.5 4/6/2012 Waubesa Sawmill Lake Kosciusko IN 15 3 SethHamann Davis 52 Hazard KY 11 127 14 Emely Nikki Swain 49 37.5 4/6/2012 Sawmill Lake Kosciusko IN Jennifer Sacco 27 42 3/23/2012 North Spring Tazewell IL 16 4 Joe Pavilonis 3 LaGrange IL 9 122 15 Nikki 49 37.5 4/15/2012 Kosciusko IN BarbieSwain Hanabeck 16 41 3/22/2012 Kaiser Arthur Butler PA 17 5 Rick Bever Swain 49 Upland 8 110 Sacco 27 37 3/24/2012 Banner Marsh Peoria IL Debbie 9 41 NF Hughes RiverIN Ritchie WV 18 616 Jennifer BillLammers Allen 52 Oneida KY 11 109 20 37 4/26/2012 Taylor KY Nikki Swain 49 41 4/6/2012 Green JamesRiver Lake Kosciusko IN 19 717 Sara 20 37 4/26/2012 River Lake Taylor KY Nancy Amick 9 41 4/20/2012 Green Cave Run Reservoir Rowan 20 818 Sara ArtLammers Knute 50 Whitehall PA 10 108 Hamann 8 37 5/10/2012 Madison Chain MI Dane WI Nikki Swain 40.5 4/6/2012 Tippecanoe Kosciusko IN 21 919 Emely Steven Pedersen 49 47 Grand Rapids 9 107 Bork 11 36.5 3/25/2012 LakeRiver Knox IL Bever 9 40 3/24/2012 Storey NF Hughes Ritchie WV 22 10 Donna David Myers 16 Carmichaels PA 12 106 20 Debbie Cornett 52 36 2/26/2012 Reservoir Rowan KY Kelly Huffman 40 4/28/2012 Cave GreenRun River Lake Taylor 23 11 Mellanie John Cade 9 Clarington OH 10 106 21 Chad Bork 11 36 4/1/2012 Storey Lake Knox IL Harmon 19 40 5/19/2012 Leesville Reservoir Carroll OH 24 12 Donna George Weber 56 Kettering OH 8 103 22 Deborah 25 Sara Lammers 20 39.5 4/26/2012 Piedmont Green River Lake Taylor KY 13 Crossley 19 36 5/11/2012 Belmont OH Ryan Gottschalk 52 14 Ingleside IL 9 101 23 Vickie Banks 38 4/18/2012 Cave Run Reservoir Rowan KY 14 Hamann 8 38 5/12/2012 Waubesa Dane WI 15 Andrew Lowther 9 Middlebourne WV 11 100 24 Emely Swain 49 37.5 4/6/2012 Sawmill Lake Kosciusko IN Rank Name Chapter Length Date Lake WV County State 16 Justin Lusk 9 Barboursville 9 100 25 Nikki NikkiHoneycutt Swain 49 37.5 4/15/2012 Alum KaiserCreek Kosciusko IN 17 Kyle 41 44.5 5/15/2012 Delaware OH 1 Jennifer Sacco 27 37 3/24/2012 Banner Marsh Peoria IL 18 Luke VanGorder 41 41.5 4/7/2012 West Branch Portage OH 2 Sara VanGorder Lammers 20 37 4/26/2012City Green River Lake Taylor KY 19 Luke 41 4/29/2012 Clearfork Reservoir Richland OH 3 Rank Member 41 Chapter State Releases Points Sara Lammers 20 37 4/26/2012 Green River Lake 20 52 41 5/12/2012 Taylor KY 41 Charles NikkiHaley Swain 49 Upland IN 5 71 Emely Hamann 8 37 5/10/2012 West Madison Chain Dane WI 21 Raymond Nespeca 23 40 4/29/2012 Branch Portage OH 5 Jennifer Sacco 27 Peoria IL 7 60 2 Donna Bork 11 36.5 3/25/2012 StoreyBranch Lake Knox IL 22 Angelina Nespeca 23 39 4/6/2012 West Portage OH 6 Sara Lammers 20 Oostburg WI 4 54 3 Mellanie Cornett 52 36 2/26/2012 Cave Branch Run Reservoir Rowan KY 23 Angelina Nespeca 23 38 4/1/2012 West Portage OH 7 Nancy Amick 9 Winfield WV 5 45 4 Donna Bork 11 36 4/1/2012 Storey Lake Knox IL 24 Charles Haley 52 38 5/12/2012 Green River Lake Taylor KY 8 25 Deborah Crossley 19 36 5/11/2012 Piedmont Belmont OH J Phillips 7 36.5 4/6/2012 Webster Kosciusko 95 John Vickie Banks 52 Frankfort KY 2 32IN J Phillips 7 35 4/7/2012 Webster Kosciusko 106 John Donna Bork 11 Davenport IA 3 31IN Dilley 39 35 5/5/2012 Gov. Dodge Iowa 117 Declan Emely Hamann 8 Madison WI 3 29WI Rank Name Chapter Length Date County State 28 34 3/25/2012 Kinkaid Lake Jackson IL 12 Kyle Beaty Debbie Bever 9 Harrisville WV 2 29 8 Raymond Nespeca 23 34 4/14/2012 Branch Portage OH Kyle Honeycutt 41 44.5 5/15/2012 West Alum Creek Delaware 13 1 Barbie Hanabeck 16 Butler PA 1 15 9 John Phillips 7 33.5 4/6/2012 Kosciusko IN Luke JVanGorder 41 41.5 4/7/2012 Webster West Branch Portage OH 14 2 Kelly Huffman 52 Coxs Creek KY 1 14 Honeycutt 41 33 5/15/2012 Alum Creek Delaware OH Luke VanGorder 41 4/29/2012 Clearfork Reservoir Richland 15 310 Kyle Chad Harmon 19 Strasburg OH 1 14KY Beaty 28 32 3/25/2012 Jackson IL Charles Haley 52 41 5/12/2012 Kinkaid Green River Lake Taylor 16 411 Kyle Andrew Heiden 17 31 3/18/2012 Marsh Peoria IL Raymond Nespeca 23 40 4/29/2012 Banner West Branch Portage OH 17 5 Angelina Nespeca 23 31 4/6/2012 West Branch Portage OH 39 18 6 Angelina Nespeca 31 4/6/2012 West Branch State Releases Portage OH 38 4/1/2012 City 19 7 Rank Member 23 Chapter Points Heiden 30 3/18/2012 Marsh Peoria IL Charles HaleyNespeca 17 52 38 5/12/2012 Banner Green River Lake Taylor 20 81 Andrew Angelina 23 Boardman OH 4 35KY 21 36.5 9 John J Phillips 7 30 4/6/2012 Webster Kosciusko John J Phillips 7 Wilmington IL 4 32IN 2 7 35 4/7/2012 Webster Kosciusko IN 10 John J Phillips Luke VanGorder 39 41 Delaware OH 2 31WI 3 35 5/5/2012 Gov. Dodge Iowa 11 Declan Dilley Charles 52 Hazard 2 27 Beaty 28 34 3/25/2012 Kinkaid Lake KY Jackson IL Rank NameHaley Chapter Length Date County State 124 Kyle Kyle Honeycutt 41 Westerville OH 2 26 Raymond Nespeca 23 34 4/14/2012 West Branch Portage OH 13 Wood 60 45.5 5/4/2012 Silver Lake Spokane WA 15 Douglas John J Phillips Nespeca 33 7 33.5 4/6/2012 St. Webster Kosciusko IN 14 Raymond 23 Boardman 2 22 Meagher 45 2/15/2012 Louis River OH St. Louis MN 26 Mike Kyle Honeycutt 41 33 5/15/2012 Newton Alum Creek Delaware OH 15 Kurttila 0 40 4/21/2012 ReservoirIL Cache UT 37 Danny Kyle Beaty 28 Oswego 2 14 Kyle Beaty 28 32 3/25/2012 Kinkaid Jackson 16 D Schaller 39 38.75 4/9/2012 Waterford Lake 48 Russ Andrew Heiden 17 Plano IL 2 9IL Andrew Floyd Heiden 17 31 3/18/2012 Banner Marsh Peoria IL 17 Michael 57 37.75 5/5/2012 Mayfield Lake Lewis 5 Declan Dilley 39 Franksville WI 1 9WA 9 Angelina Nespeca 23 31 4/6/2012 Crystal West Branch Portage OH 18 Ryan Gottschalk 14 37 3/19/2012 McHenry IL 6 A19 listNespeca of all members divisions is available line at http://www.muskiesinc.org. Angelina 23 in the 36.5 31 4/6/2012 Weston Branch Portage OH Ryan Gottschalk 14 3/18/2012 Crystal McHenry IL 7complete Andrew Heiden 17 30 Banner Marsh Peoria IL 20 member andKurttila select 2012 Division Reports in 3/18/2012 the left column. Danny 0 36 4/7/2012 Newton Reservoir Cache UT 8 21 John J Phillips 7 30 4/6/2012 Webster Kosciusko IN Matt Dixon 16 36 5/12/2012 Raystown Huntingdon PA 9 14 35.5 3/19/2012 Crystal McHenry IL 10 Ryan Gottschalk 14 35 5/8/2012 Channel Lake IL 11 Joseph Laubinger Rank Name Chapter Length Date Lake County State 60 34 5/12/2012 Silver Lake Spokane WA 12 Mark Kendall Mike DiGuiseppe 50 34 5/9/2012 Creek Lake Chester PA Douglas Wood 60 45.5 5/4/2012 Marsh Silver Lake Spokane WA 13 1 Danny Kurttila 0 34 4/21/2012 Cache UT Mike Meagher 33 45 2/15/2012 Newton St. LouisReservoir River St. Louis MN 14 2 Jason 50 33.5 3/11/2012 Lake Chester PA Danny Lawall Kurttila 0 40 4/21/2012 Marsh NewtonCreek Reservoir Cache UT 15 3 David 16 33 4/24/2012 River Greene PA Russ DMyers Schaller 39 38.75 4/9/2012 Monongahela Waterford Lake IL 16 4 David Myers 16 33 4/24/2012 Greene PA Michael Floyd 57 37.75 5/5/2012 Monongahela Mayfield Lake River Lewis WA 17 5 Tom 50 33 1/10/2012 Berks PA RyanSabia Gottschalk 14 37 3/19/2012 Schuylkill Crystal River McHenry IL 18 6 Cory 50 33 5/14/2012 Chester PA RyanDAntonio Gottschalk 14 36.5 3/18/2012 Marsh CrystalCreek Lake McHenry IL 19 7 Tom Sabia 50 32 1/8/2012 River Berks PA Danny Kurttila 0 36 4/7/2012 Schuylkill Newton Reservoir Cache UT 20 8 Tom Sabia 50 32 1/8/2012 Schuylkill Berks PA Matt Dixon 16 36 5/12/2012 RaystownRiver Huntingdon 21 9 50 32 3/7/2012 Schuylkill Berks PA RyanSabia Gottschalk 14 35.5 3/19/2012 Crystal River McHenry IL 22 10 Tom DiGuiseppe 50 32 5/1/2012 Creek Lake Chester PA Joseph Laubinger 14 35 5/8/2012 Marsh Channel Lake IL 23 11 Mike Jedrejczyk 50 31 4/16/2012 Furnace Warren NJ Mark Kendall 60 34 5/12/2012 Oxford Silver Lake Spokane WA 24 12 Timothy 25 Mike Reichenbach DiGuiseppe 50 34 5/9/2012 Piedmont Marsh Creek Lake Chester PA 13 Sam 18 31 5/14/2012 Harrison OH 0 34 4/21/2012 Newton Reservoir Cache UT 14 Danny Kurttila 50 33.5 3/11/2012 Marsh Creek Lake Chester PA 15 Jason Lawall 16 33 4/24/2012 Monongahela Greene PA Month Name Chapter Length Date LakeRiver County State 16 David Myers David Myers 16 33 4/24/2012 Monongahela River Greene 17 Art Knute 50 48 1/7/2012 Susquehanna Lackawanna PA Jan Tom Sabia 50 33 1/10/2012 Allegheny Schuylkill River Berks 18 Frank L. Maus 31 48 1/25/2012 River Armstrong PA Jan
The Future of Muskie Fishing Depends On Our Youth Editor’s Note: Congrats to Sam and thanks to Dave for the great story and photo!
☞ Proper Muskie
Holding Techniques
for MUSKIE Magazine Photos including Covers, Article Support, Photo Contest Entries & Member Photos 12 MUSKIE.....July / August 2012
by Kevin Richards muskiemag@yahoo.com
Fishing with Joe Hardy I had a real treat in late May when Joe and Vonnie Hardy stopped in Missouri on their journey from Minnesota to New Mexico. For those of you who don’t know Joe, he is one of the most successful Muskies Inc. anglers ever. Joe has caught plenty of really big muskies, but he loves to catch muskies of any size. He had entered 2,915 muskies into the Lunge Log through the end of last year. Joe keeps a list of all the lakes across North America in which he has released muskies which were 30 inches or longer; it is quite an impressive and diverse list. While passing through Missouri, Joe fished three lakes in a 5-day period. It was the first time he had fished any of these lakes and he was able to add two new lakes to his lake list. He caught two muskies at Henry Sever Lake in north Missouri before coming to Pomme de Terre. At Pomme, my wife and I not only had the pleasure of visiting with Joe and Vonnie, I got to net a muskie for Joe while we were fishing in my boat. My Figure 8 photo for this issue is Joe Hardy with the muskie which put Pomme de Terre on Joe’s muskie list.
Stay calm. It’s OK to congratulate the angler on the catch before you explain why successful C&R is important to the long-term health of muskie populations. Then, assuming the angler is not already an MI member, tell him or her about our organization. Odds are, if we can get the angler to join us, they will release their next muskie, and hopefully many more after that. Finally . . . after the thrill of catching your next muskie, please do your best to carefully release it to fight another day; the future of our muskie resource will literally be in your hands!
- Kevin v
As water temperatures approach 80 degrees we must be even more diligent about our muskie Catch & Release techniques. Most of us use nets which are large enough to keep even a big muskie in the water while we carefully unhook it. Don’t hesitate to cut hooks to speed up the release process. Minimize any air exposure. If you decide to take a couple of quick photos prior to release, get your camera and positioning ready before you lift the muskie out of the water. As you lift the muskie, hold it in a horizontal position and support its weight in your arms. Don’t worry about getting a bit of muskie slime on your shirt; hold it firm enough to ensure you will not drop it on the floor of the boat. When the fish is out of the water it isn’t getting oxygen. If you want to remind yourself how critical this is, try holding your breath sometime while you are holding a muskie out of the water; you’ll get the idea. Each of our members represent Muskies Inc. and we are deservedly proud of our outstanding Catch & Release philosophy. Sometime during the season you will probably run into a muskie angler who decides to keep a legal muskie. How you react may forever forge that angler’s impression of Muskies Inc. Look at the encounter as a teaching opportunity and remember that the best teachers are typically calm and patient. That muskie, be it 36 inches or 50 inches, may be the biggest fish that angler has ever seen. Your first urge may be to try to talk the angler out of keeping the fish, but it may quickly become obvious that the muskie will be harvested.
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Deadlines & Schedule
Please submit chapter reports, regional reports, news items, ads, and member photos by the deadlines below. In general, the deadlines will always be the 20th of the month about 40 days prior to the date on the issue. In 2012 and 2013 our issues will be mailed at the beginning of each odd-numbered month; they will be available to members on our website about 10 days before they are mailed. Here are the deadlines for the next three issues of MUSKIE:
Sept/Oct issue - July 20th deadline Nov/Dec issue - Sept. 20th deadline Jan/Feb issue – Nov. 20th deadline July / August 2012...MUSKIE 13
◆ FIGURE 8 ◆ FIGURE 8 ◆ FIGURE 8
Tips for Warm Water Catch & Release and for representing Muskies Inc.
FIGURE 8 ◆ FIGURE 8◆ FIGURE 8 ◆ FIGURE 8 ◆
8Figure 88
A Guide to Choosing a Guide by Patricia Strutz
W
hen I head out on a fishing trip, especially in new waters, How does the guide feel about guiding kids, women, old men or I like to book a fishing guide. These folks are keyed into whatever demographic you fit into? the current fishing patterns as well as time honored tacHey, fishing guides are just people. We are not all politically tics, lure choices, and hot spots on the waters they consistently fish. correct. A guide once told me, “Women should not be allowed to A fishing guide can dramatically cut your learning ratio, making a hold a fishing rod much less call themselves a guide.” Hmmm . . . I weekend trip much more productive. don’t think I care to spend the day with him, but some other fellas Having been in both ends of the boat (I’m a guide too), I under- might have a great time. stand the dynamics of the guide-client relationDo you want to learn a particular lake? ship quite well. I’ve enjoyed some fantastic days Make sure the guide knows that lake and will How do you qualify with other guides and with my own clients; but, take you there. If it’s a large lake, ask what area there have also been a few negative experiences. which guide is right you’ll be fishing. If you want to learn the Northwest Every guide is different. Every client is different. Angle section of Lake of the Woods and he takes for you? Ask questions. Each has different perceptions, needs, skills, and you to the Big Narrows, you’re not getting what Ask lots of questions. expectations. For numerous reasons, “Captain you paid for. Also, ask about optimum time to fish Pat” might not be a good fit with “Client Bob.” As Ask them before you that lake; make sure it is not in “turnover” or frosuch, I believe the best policy for booking a guide book your trip. zen up during your visit (unless that’s how you is to do your homework. How do you qualify want to fish it). which guide is right for you? Ask questions. Ask lots of questions. Ask them before you book your trip. Do you want to fish for numbers or for a chance at a big girl? Again, qualify what type of lake you’ll be fishing and what time I’ve compiled a list of potential questions for you to ask yourself. of year is best for that scenario. You might also want to discuss what Sort through them and decide which ones are important to you and “big” means to you; for some folks it’s 40-inches, for others it’s 52. then query your potential guide. Some of these questions might seem silly but I’ve heard folks discuss each and every one of them. Is the guide licensed and insured? That seems like a no-brainer, but I’m amazed at how many Qualifying your guide ensures that your resources - your time guides are not properly insured. What if an accident would happen? and hard earned cash - are well spent. Do you use their equipment or your own? What is your skill level and what do you hope to learn? Some folks prefer to use their own rigs, others enjoy trying new Are you relatively new to muskie fishing? If so, ask how patient gear. If the latter, ask about their equipment. Do they have leftthe guide is. Will they teach basic skills like throwing a baitcaster or handed reels? Do they have low profile reels? If you can’t live walking-the-dog? If you are an adept angler who wants to learn a without a particular piece of equipment, make sure they have it (or certain skill, such as trolling short-lined lures in the prop wash, make bring your own). sure the guide utilizes that technique and is willing to teach it. What’s their policy on inclement weather? Does the guide call it an unfisheable day or does the client make that decision? And, what’s their definition of inclement weather? Is your money refunded or another trip offered? Will you be trolling or casting? If you don’t care to troll, you’ll hate to be stuck in the boat for eight hours while dragging lines. Discuss your wishes up front. Does the guide or client smoke? Several non-smoking clients mentioned this to me; they disliked being stuck in close quarters with a smoker. I don’t allow smoking in my boat, so if you’re a smoker you’ll need to wear a patch or book a different guide.
What’s the policy on inclement weather? Some guides refund your payment; others fish through heavy rain or snowy blizzards.
14 MUSKIE.....July / August 2012
Will you be casting or solely soaking live bait? Some guides hang out numerous suckers and don’t allow the client to cast. You may wish to learn how to use live bait and would therefore appreciate this scenario. If not, look elsewhere.
Can we fish for walleyes part of the day? I’m a 100% muskie guide and don’t even have multi-species gear on the boat, but, there are other guides who enjoy breaking it up. What’s the policy on drinking alcohol? Some clients want “to party.” Heck, some guides want to party. Others don’t allow a drop in their boat. What’s their catch and release policy? Make sure it is in line with your desires. What type of boat will we be fishing out of? Will you feel comfortable fishing in it for eight hours? Not everyone enjoys my little row troller. I don’t particularly care to cast from bass style boats (with raised platforms) in heavy waves. Figure out your preferences and book accordingly. What’s their radio policy? I know guides who blast head-banging music; some folks might get tired of that. What about if the Packer game is on, can we listen to it while we fish? [Ed. Action vs. Trophy: Do you want to catch your first muskie or your first Note: What if it is the World Series Champion St. 50-inch muskie? Discuss your desires with your guide so they take you to an appropriate lake or location. Louis Cardinals?] What time of the day/night will we fish? There are plenty of guides who like to work at night, others don’t stray from a 9-to-5 fishing day. How many hours will we actually fish? Some guides include their driving time to and from the lake as well as time spent launching and loading. Thus, a full-day may only be six hours of fishing. Other guides wish to compete in a marathon, fishing for 12 to 14 hours.
guides have quirky senses of humor and others will berate the client if they lose a fish. A short conversation doesn’t always tell the whole story but it will provide an insight into the guide’s persona. Patricia Strutz is a fishing guide, outdoor/travel writer and Field Editor for MUSKIE Magazine. She can be reached by email at: blondandherboat@yahoo.com
Can my buddies trail behind in their boat? Some guides allow this, others don’t. Ask if there is an extra fee. Does the guide fish while they guide? Some clients want to see their guides present lures, or, they are happy to take a hand-off (guide sets hook, hands it to client to fight fish.) Many seasoned anglers would prefer the guide to solely position the boat and point out hot spots and fishing techniques. I know one guide who has caught over fifty 50-inchers while guiding; personally, I feel that’s fifty fish he took away from his clients. Other questions might include: Do they offer half day trips or special prices on multiple day trips? What’s included in the price? Is gas extra? What about live bait? Finally, strike up a conversation with the potential guide. Gab with them at the sport show or on the telephone. This will give you a “feel” for their personality. Some folks like to fish in peace and quiet, others enjoy chatting about the history of the lake and exchanging fishing stories. Heck, I have several customers who like to talk politics and religion! Some
www.muskiesinc.org
July / August 2012...MUSKIE 15
The Gil Hamm Chapter Challunge: Past and Present by Fred E.sox Brogle, V.P. Internal Affairs
E
very year our editor gives us a little ink for founding chapter of Muskies Inc., followed by the Gil Hamm Chapter Challunge (GHCC Chapter 2 Fargo-Moorhead and Chapter 3, The 2012 Gil Hamm or the Challunge). We usually get two artiChicagoland Muskie Hunters. Chapter Challunge cles, one well before the outing to announce the Lead by Steve, the early MI members created will be held August event and a second after to give the results. Even so, a full set of Challunge rules, which are pretty much 29-31 on Lake of the many members may not know exactly what the unchanged today. The event was to get the best Woods, Ontario. GHCC is. Muskies Inc. is always taking on new anglers from the chapters for a little mild competimembers, while many veteran members may not tion but mostly for the fun and camaraderie of have fished the outing and may not know the specifics about the meeting the people of other chapters. In 1976 the invitations and event. Therefore, I would like to pass along a little historical informa- rules went out to all, but MI only had a few chapters at that time. tion about this grand outing. Fish were scored by a points system; it was an honor system. It is the What is the GHCC? The GHCC is the only national fishing same system we have used for many years for our Members Only event of Muskies Inc. It is not a fishing tournament. It is an invita- Fishing Contest. tion to ALL chapter and affiliate members to gather together and fish In late September 1977, the first GHCC hosted 14 members a three day outing for fun and excitement, to meet other members, from three chapters, two being ladies. There were four from the Twin and to make new friends. The fishing promotes camaraderie and the Cities (team Captain Rod Ramsell, and his wife Bobbie, Greg good conservation policies of Catch & Release. Randolph and his wife Elaine); six from Fargo-Moorhead (team Fishing is based on an honor system so fish can be immediately Captain Bob Schmidt, Dee Cotton, Roger Halverson, Dave Blow, returned to the water after a quick photo and length measurement. Dave Jensen, Al Skaar, and six from Chicagoland Muskie Hunters Chapters then compete for the honor of receiving the coveted Lunge (team captain Steve Statland, Larry Ramsell, Kenny Kuczen, Dick Bucket plus bragging rights for being Challunge champs. The win- Kubanda, Terry Tassi, and Paul Koenig). The lake selected was the ning team gets to choose the fishing location and dates for the fol- Minocqua Chain in Wisconsin. lowing year when they will host that Challunge. The GHCC is A lot of fun was had in that first outing and some good fishing sponsored each year by Tri-Esox (promoters of the Chicago Muskie stories emerged; some are still a little fuzzy. Fargo-Moorhead came in Show); they donate $1,500 to the hosting chapter for organizational dress apparel as the whole team wore red jumpsuits with Fargoand hosting expenses. The hosting chapter usually provides food and Moorhead S.W.A.T. on their back. In practice Al Skaar caught a 50 drink, typically two dinners and one lunch for all contestants; often incher that was skinny and weak with a big bulge in his stomach and with the support of the resort which serves as event headquarters. coughed up a two pound rock. On the first day of the outing Steve Last year I fished my first GHCC and learned that I have missed caught a 40 incher on a sucker (back then live bait was permitted), a lot of great fishing and fun over the years by never attending in the and Terry Tassi got a fish as well. Fargo-Moorhead’s Doc Cotton got past. As the new VP-IA, I felt compelled to learn more about this a 37, Roger Halverson got a 32, and Twin Cities got a fish so everyouting . . . How did it start? Who were the founders, etc.? So I asked one was in the hunt. On the second day Steve got another fish and a few questions and the trail led me to Steve Statland. Steve is cur- Fargo got another and the battle continued. Going into the last day rently the co-owner of Tri-Esox Productions and a life member of Chicago was ahead by just a few points, so the strategy going into the Muskies Inc. Thirty-seven years ago Steve was the lead organizer of third day was to keep Doc Cotton awake all night, but it did not the GHCC. Back then, work. To make a long story short, Steve had a couple of follows but Steve wrote a column even with no sleep Doc was able to get a third fish to win the first titled “Tuna Salad” as a GHCC for Fargo-Moorhead. member of Chapter 3, Now a little history on the Lunge Bucket . . . I made mention the Chicagoland that live bait was used in the first outings; the minnow bucket that Muskie Hunters (and Steve used for his suckers gave him the idea to later as President of have it brass plated and make it a traveling troMI). In this newly phy, which was done. Henceforth, it has now formed chapter Steve become the prestigious award that it is today and other members with a nice wooden base and all the winning discussed the idea of an chapters on it. There is also a curse on the trophy event to promote some . . . as a part of the passing of the award, new fun fishing for all winners received a bottle of Crown Royal in the Muskies Inc. members. bucket from the out-going team. When the preKeep in mind the vious champion is dethroned they must replace numerical ID of a the bottle for the new winners and the tradition Steve Statland, founder of the chapter normally indi- must be passed on. If you do not follow this Challunge and creator of the Lunge cates the order in which ritual you will have ten years of bad fishing. Bucket, at the 2010 Challunge the chapter joined So, the GHCC became an annual event. In the second outing hosted at Vermilion Dam Lodge on Muskies Inc. Chapter in late September 1978 the teams went to Sandy’s Monument Bay Lake Vermilion. 1 Twin Cities is the Lodge on Lake of the Woods. This time over 50 anglers took to the 16 MUSKIE.....July / August 2012
water, but conditions were not good as won last year with a third straight a massive algae bloom covered the victory and by their choice we are water. Fargo once again had their sights returning to Lake of the Woods. I on winning, strutting around that it am sure this will bring some friendly would be an easy repeat. Going into the competition with the possibility to last day they had a few fish and were crown a new Challunge champion. leading; however, Larry Ramsell, now Start getting your team ready. with Mississippi Valley, and his partner caught a few fish right at the very end The 2012 Gil Hamm Chapter to win the second championship. The Challunge will be, once again, on 1979 outing went back to Canada, east Lake of the Woods. The fishing of Lac Seul to Dryberry Lake in August. The earliest “Winners” photo in the archives – the dates are August 29th, 30th, and 31st This turned into a camping adventure Chapter 44 Colorado team at the 1992 Challunge. (Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday). Does anyone have any earlier photos? as 54 anglers had to go down 20 miles Many anglers arrive much earlier to of a scary old logging road and camped on the lake shore. The get familiar with the water. The event will be hosted by Chapter 15 Headwaters Chapter brought a big circus tent which made a great and headquartered again at Red Wing Lodge on Sabaskong Bay near gathering place for eating and conversation. A lot of rain and wind Morson, Ontario, Canada. made it tough but Dick Rose (chapter 12, later Discover Wisconsin) You will need a passport to enter Canada and return to the U.S. caught five muskies alone, while trolling, helping the Headwaters One suggestion that I have for everyone is if you have a cell phone team win the third event. make sure you check with your carrier and get the International The days of old have continued every year now for 37 years. The Service for that week you will be there. The cell towers in the area are GHCC has become more sophisticated. For those who fish this Canadian; so if you want to connect and connect at a better cost this event, many return as the fun gets better and more people attend. is important. Also check with Canadian Customs to see what you can The invitation at times has brought high numbers of members (and can’t) transport across the border. together; depending upon the lake choice we have had over 200 anglers at some of the outings. The Muskies Inc. invitation goes out to all members, both chapLast year showed many of us some great fishing times on Lake ter members and unaffiliated members. For more information you of the Woods and I will be returning again this year to catch a “ginor- can go to the GHCC website: www.GilHamm.com and find event, mous” monster. As previously reported, last year 112 anglers caught lodging and fishing details. So let’s make the 2012 Challunge the 74 fish with two fish over 55 inches. Star of the North (Chapter 15) biggest we have ever had. Get a partner and come for some fun! v
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Joe Bucher’s 54” musky mount caught on a JBO Mag Tinsel will be on display at Rollie & Helens in Minocqua, WI in July and at Hayward Bait in Hayward, WI in August. FIND US ON FACEBOOK And get the latest news, information, and tips directly from Joe.
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July / August 2012...MUSKIE 17
MUSKIE SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS A Look at Select Publications from 2011 and 2012 by Sean Landsman, MUSKIE Field Editor
Floy Tags are some of the most common used by Fisheries Biologists; in this case a walleye is being tagged.
I
n 2011 and 2012, however, a handful of studies have been published focusing on muskies. I’ve done the heavy lifting for you and strained through the science jargon trying to find the key take-home messages, much like a gold miner would sift through pebble upon pebble to find those little golden nuggets.
Are Muskies “Home-Bodies” in the Spring?
Fact: Scientific literature on muskies is scarce. They simply do not bring in the
grant money like other species (e.g., largemouth bass, walleye). I can count the number of academics who have incorporated muskies into their core research programs on one hand (as evidenced by research topics for graduate student openings and as a species of interest discussed in their online faculty biographies). Minnesota and Wisconsin, perhaps not surprisingly, employ biologists who have published several research studies on muskies, but aside from these academics and State biologists muskie science is about as elusive as the fish.
(read on…) 18 MUSKIE.....July / August 2012
One of the Wisconsin DNR biologists I refer to above is Martin Jennings. You will find several papers published by him in the scientific literature, all with significant implications for muskie management. His latest paper delves into the topic of reproductive homing and spring capture site fidelity. Put simply, the propensity for a fish to return to the same area, year after year, to spawn is known as reproductive homing, which can contribute to biologists recapturing fish in the same areas year after year (i.e., capture site fidelity). The long, up-river migrations of salmon are classic examples of this behavior. What Jennings and colleagues explored was the likelihood of encountering the same individual over consecutive years when Wisconsin DNR staff conducted spring fyke net surveys. Sampling occurred on Spider Lake, Mud-Callahan Lake, Lake of the Pines, and Sand Lake in northwest Wisconsin. The first year of the study was to capture and mark individuals with small, electronic tags that have unique numbers (i.e., PIT tags) giving researchers the ability to identify specific individuals. Of the 43 fish recaptured in Spider Lake, 39 (91%) of them were captured in the same site as the year before. This is particularly noteworthy given the complexity of the Spider Lake Chain and the number of sub-basins which muskies have free access to. In Mud-Callahan Lake, a moderately complex system, 61% of muskies were recaptured in the same sites. Interestingly, the less complex Lake of the Pines and Sand Lake had mixed results with recapture rates of 55% and 93%, respectively.
The eyes of some of you may be glossing over at this point as you wonder to yourselves, “Yeah. So?” Well, when determining the population of a lake, using the same net locations to make these estimates may lead to substantial under-estimation. To circumvent this problem, it may be necessary to expend more effort spreading out the areas nets are set in, particularly in complex systems. “OK, so they find fewer fish than what is actually out there. So?” Because stocking is a fundamental component of so many muskie management programs throughout the U.S., it’s essential that you try to take males and females from different families. In other words, don’t inbreed. When you start to inbreed, you begin selecting for traits that may be detrimental to the health of individuals or the population as a whole. And because so many lakes receive muskies usually from a handful of broodstock lakes, you run the risk of driving down the genetic integrity of populations throughout a state’s lakes. This can breed all sorts of bad, and steps Look past the radio transmitter and you will see a Floy tag. A should be taken to avoid this, as pointed out by the phone number is visible on the side facing the camera and the authors. individual’s tag number is on the opposite side. Insertion just below the dorsal fin is common practice.
Is This Name Tag Going to Fall Off?
Two of the most common, and cost-effective, methods of tagging fish are using Floy tags and PIT tags, the latter of which is discussed above. A Floy tag is a plastic tag with a T-shape at the end (also known as T-bar anchor tags), which is inserted into the fish with a small tagging “gun.” If you’ve ever worked in retail, especially a store that sells clothes, this is essentially the same process as inserting price tags into an article of clothing. A PIT tag, as mentioned above, is a small electronic tag, about the size of a grain of rice, that when read with a special tag reader shows the biologist a unique 10 character code consisting of numbers and letters. Researchers with Southern Illinois University and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources investigated when to use one or the other given how many of each type are lost. One goes in the body and one hangs off the body, and as you might expect there are significant differences in the numbers of tags lost between the two types. Indeed, those inserted inside the fish (i.e., PIT tags) are hardly ever lost, while external tags (i.e., Floy or T-bar anchor tags) are lost more often. For the latter, tags are lost the longer they’re on the fish. The researchers also found that bigger fish tended to lose tags faster than smaller fish. The implications of this study relate to study and/or sampling design. If you are working on a project slated to be completed in two years, you might opt for the less expensive Floy tags, which have a pretty good tag retention rate for two years. If, however, you are trying to monitor a group of individuals for 5-10 years, it may be wise to opt for the slightly more expensive PIT tags. After all, losing your ID stinks!
Friend or Foe? At the 2011 World Recreational Fishing Conference in Berlin, Germany I had the opportunity to listen to multiple presentations on the vulnerability of angling in the context of wild versus hatcheryreared fish. While the long version of this is a topic for another article, the short version is that wild fish are more wary than their
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hatchery-reared brethren, which consume food with abandon. The explanation is simple: hatchery-reared fish don’t have to worry about anything, especially a lurking predator. One of the most prominent muskie researchers in North America, Dr. David Wahl with the Illinois Natural History Survey, authored (along with two co-authors) a study documenting the survival rates of juvenile true and tiger muskies in the presence of predatory largemouth bass. The research was carried out in two controlled settings – the laboratory and experimental ponds – and an uncontrolled, lake environ. In the laboratory setting, a largemouth bass was released into a group of 20 true or tiger muskies (hereafter in this paragraph referred to simply as “muskies”) and the bass was given the opportunity to eat for six hours. This process occurred twice. The muskies were left alone for five days and then two were put into a tank containing two others that had not been exposed to a predator. A bass was chosen at random and released into the tank, where the researchers hid behind a blind and observed the muskies (given freeze brands to distinguish between the two groups of fish). The researchers discovered that exposure to a predator had no influence on the survival of muskies. The muskies were observed to remain relatively motionless when confronted by a bass, though it was observed that fish not exposed to predators moved around more. In the experimental ponds, only tiger muskies were used due to the unavailability of true muskies and these tigers were divided into two holding troughs – one containing bass and one without predators – for three days. Similar to the laboratory experiment, tigers were freeze branded to distinguish between the two groups and then stocked into three ponds for seven days. After draining the ponds, roughly the same survival rate for predator-oriented and “naïve” muskies were noted. The lake experiment was nearly identical in design as the pond experiment – again using only tiger muskies – with the addition of a chemical to further mark naïve fish. The major threat to muskies in this lake was largemouth bass, with adult tiger muskies being an (Continued on page 20) July / August 2012...MUSKIE 19
MUSKIE SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS (Continued from page 19) additional threat. The susceptibility of acclimated and naïve tiger muskies to bass predation was accomplished by collecting bass via electrofishing and analyzing their stomach contents for the presence of tiger muskie remains. Actual survival was determined by electrofishing specifically for tiger muskies, fin-clipping those caught, and comparing the differences in catch rates between the two groups of tiger muskies as well as comparing the differences in total numbers of fish caught between the two groups. Overall susceptibility to predation was low. Catch rates and total numbers of each group were similar, again indicating that there was little or no advantage gained when exposing fish to predators before stocking. Although on paper it may seem like a great idea to expose muskies to predators before stocking, the results of this study showed no evidence that doing so actually increases survival. There is evidence in other species to suggest that the age at which fish are exposed to predators or predator-cues such as smells may be the determining factor in initiating a flight response that might improve one’s odds of not being eaten. So, it remains to be seen whether muskies really are as stubborn as (most of ) the anglers that chase them!
Conclusion Now you can walk proudly to your next dinner conversation being able to discuss the capture site fidelity of muskies, tag retention between Floy and PIT tags, and stocking survival of predator-acclimated and naïve true and tiger muskies with whomever would like
20 MUSKIE.....July / August 2012
to listen. Or perhaps this information can be useful in more practical ways, like establishing a monitoring protocol, altering stocking practices, or giving you ideas for future research projects that you might like to explore with your local biologists. Either way, the utility and management implications of these studies are great and I hope future research on this species is of similar value. v
Citations Jennings, M.J., Hatzenbeler, G.R., and Kampa, J.M. 2011. Spring capture site fidelity of adult muskellunge in inland lakes. [ North American Journal of Fisheries Management 31: 461-467 ] Rude, N.P., Whitledge, G.W., Phelps, Q.E., and Hirst, S. 2011. Long-term PIT and T-bar anchor tag retention rates in adult muskellunge. [ North American Journal of Fisheries Management 31: 515-519 ] Wahl, D.H., Einfalt, L.M., and Wojcieszak, D.B. 2012. Effect of experience with predators on the behavior and survival of muskellunge and tiger muskellunge. [ Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 141: 139-146 ]
Minnesota Muskie Tagging by Juris Ozols The photos below show muskie tagging by Minnesota DNR personnel from the Twin Cities West Metro Office. These are yearling fish being fitted with both external Floy tags and internal PIT tags. The photos were taken in 2009 during the first year of the study; tagging continued in 2010 and 2011. The second phase of this project is anticipated to begin in 2013 after the stocked fish have had time to grow to a size vulnerable to anglers. Angler diaries will be distributed to willing participants who plan to fish in any of the three study lakes. The angler diaries will require information on fish that are caught in the study lakes and the date, lake, and tag number for each muskie caught. The recapture data will be analyzed to determine whether fingerlings or yearlings survived better. MNDNR lake surveys will also be conducted in these lakes in an attempt to recapture tagged fish. A full description of this tagging study was published in MUSKIE in April 2010. v
Checking a newly attached Floy Tag on a young muskie; it will be part of a tracking study.
Inserting a PIT tag into a young muskie.
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Mark Pelham of the Minnesota DNR inspecting the muskie to make sure both tags are properly in place.
Both tags are done and the tagging process is complete.
The muskie in a holding tank ready to transfer for release in a lake. The survival rate during this process is remarkably high. July / August 2012...MUSKIE 21
Southern River Muskies on the Fly by Jared Renner Flies for southern river muskies should have water-pushing bulk, good side-to-side or jigging action, and visual appeal; those which incorporate reversed/hollow tied bucktail and flash generally have all three attributes.
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fter a long winter hiatus, the mild early spring day provided a much needed relief from the off season. My friend Pat and I arrived to the launch site and were greeted by glistening rays of sunlight dancing on the emerald green water as the morning sun crested the peaks of the surrounding hills. With a sense of urgency Pat and I loaded the boat and slid it over the bank. It did not take long before we started raising fish, the majority of which were small to mid-sized males looking to get their fill before enduring the rigors of spawning. Both of us had several small fish to our credit as we approached the end of our five mile float; Pat offered to man the oars. Within sight of the takeout I placed a cast snug to the bank near the tangled roots of an old tree. I began the steady cadence of the retrieve imparting a side-to-side glide action with subtle pauses. As I peered downstream, weighing my options of where the next cast would be placed, a robust shadow beneath the surface of the water caught my attention as my lure abruptly disappeared. The tranquil moment that had been present moments before gave way to a heart pounding battle with several acrobatic displays by the muskie. The thick powerful female dragged the boat upstream as Pat did his best to keep her from going under the boat. The net that once had looked so large was dwarfed by her enormous frame. Pat kept his composure after the first failed attempt to net her and was able to seal the deal on the second attempt; the girthy pre-spawn female taped at 48.5 inches. The day would have been considered great on any southern muskie stream. However, what made this particular trip even more unique is that it was all made possible with a fly rod. A little over a decade ago I began dreaming of chasing muskies in my local waters with fly tackle and have witnessed it grow from a simple dream to a highly productive technique that produces year round. The rivers in the southern portion of the muskie range tend to be small to midsized and lack great depth; lending themselves very well to fly fishing techniques.
Equipment When choosing a rod and reel setup for chasing southern river muskies with a fly, I have found a fast action rod in the 9-10 weight 22 MUSKIE.....July / August 2012
range to be ideal. Lighter rods can be used but the 9-10 weight class rods allow greater authority when imparting action in the fly and cause less fatigue to the angler as the heavier rods handle the large bulky flies, which are standard, with much more ease. When looking for a fly rod for muskie fishing it is a good idea to visit a fly shop to cast several models to see which rod best fits your style and it is also a good idea to bring along a muskie fly with you to get a true evaluation of how the rod will perform with these specialized large flies. Since muskies do not make overly long runs, a fairly basic reel will suffice. It is a good idea to opt for a reel with a mid to large arbor as they have the capability for faster line pick up. Over the past five seasons or so I have come to rely upon sink-tip lines for about 97 percent of all the situations which I fish. I have noticed that my success rate has increased dramatically with the switch from floating to sinking lines. Sinking lines have proven superior over their floating counterparts as they allow the angler an unparalleled advantage with speed, depth, and action control. For the majority of the situations encountered on southern muskie rivers, a sink-tip line with a 30-foot sinking head in a grain weight of 300400 grains will allow you to fish depths from 1-30 feet (the greater the grain weight the faster the line sinks). Full sinking lines may be used as well, but in my experiences I have discovered that sink-tip lines are easier to handle and typically more durable. Sink-tip lines also enable the angler to cast large bulky flies with greater ease. This past season we began to incorporate some intermediate lines (sink rates of 1-3 inches per second) into our arsenal and have found that they really shine in heavy cover situations. The slower sink rate allows you to methodically fish heavier cover, such as timber or weed beds, keeping the fly in the strike zone for extended periods which can be beneficial when fish are sluggish or when dealing with poor water clarity. As far as leaders are concerned I like to keep it simple and use a straight section of 25 lb. mason hard mono, around 3-4 feet in length. Hard mono is a sturdy and stiff leader material that will not collapse in the cast even with large flies. When I am fishing at depths that I cannot easily retrieve a snagged fly from I will make a leader with 2 feet of 16 lb. hard mono joined, using an Albright knot, to a 2-foot section of 25 lb. hard mono. The 25 lb. hard mono has a greater breaking strength than some fly lines and the lighter section of the leader will allow you to break off without losing a portion of your fly line.
Flies When designing or choosing flies for southern river muskies there are three attributes to look for: water-pushing bulk; sufficient side-to-side or jigging action; and visual appeal to the fish (to entice them to eat or attack). Flies that incorporate reversed/hollow tied bucktail and flash generally have all three of the attributes noted above. The reversed/hollow tied bucktail provides water pushing bulk which appeals to muskies’ water displacement sensory organs (i.e. lateral line and sensory pores). It also creates a durable fly that will hold up through multiple catches. Reversed/hollow tied bucktail is a process in which the bucktail is tied in pointed away from the hook bend and then folded back and held in place by thread wraps (this method of tying increases the bulk of the bucktail and adds to the durability of the fly). Flash appeals to the muskies’ visual senses and is critical in attracting and closing the deal enticing a muskie to strike the fly. One item that I have observed that separates southern muskie fly fisherman from their northern brethren is that on average southern muskie fly fisherman utilize fly patterns that are larger in length and in bulk. I have had the pleasure of tying and fishing with several well-known names from the Wisconsin muskie fly fishing scene. Although they do use larger patterns from time to time, their patterns are generally much smaller than the norm for southern waters. One of the factors that I feel makes the larger bulkier patterns so productive in
southern waters is that we regularly encounter muddy or off color water situations in the south as many of the river systems are in areas where the soil is composed clay. If you have spent any time on southern rivers you know that most weather systems with a significant amount of rain can easily increase the turbidity level of the water. Seasonal factors will impact fly selection too. Early in the season small flies (6-9 inches) are favored and as the season progresses larger patterns (up to 18 inches) become more productive. Water clarity is another controlling factor in fly selection. Both early and late in the season when water clarity is generally at its peak with the cooler temperatures both natural and lighter colors are high producers. As water clarity diminishes I begin to rely on colors such as black, char(Continued on page 24)
The author releasing a fine Southern muskie.
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July / August 2012....MUSKIE 23
SOUTHERN RIVER MUSKIES ON THE FLY (Continued from page 23) treuse, yellow, and orange. In addition to color selection in muddy or reduced clarity water situations the amount of water displaced by the fly can also be a significant aspect of success. In these situations I like to choose a fly that incorporates a spun deer hair head as it will increase the amount of water that the fly pushes, in essence creating more noise in the water, and enable a fish to locate the fly. If the fly does not produce an ample amount of “noise” when traveling through the water, especially in reduced clarity situations, it may simply go unnoticed by a muskie. When it comes to fly selection, general assumptions in regard to size and color can be made, but they are only assumptions and need to be assessed on a daily basis. While you do not have to have dozens of flies to be successful, having several patterns in different sizes and colors will pay off.
Techniques One of the largest mistakes that I observe with new muskie fly fisherman is the urge to “burn” the fly in with a super-fast retrieve at all times. The issue that is created with this type of retrieve is that it keeps the fly traveling on a straight-line path which is typically an inferior method of convincing a muskie to strike a fly. I have found that a slower retrieve, with a half to 3 second pause between strips, is much more productive as it imparts a superior action with a properly constructed fly. The reason that the slower retrieve produces greater results in many situations is that it allows small amounts of slack which help the sinking fly line and the fly to work in unison. A properly constructed fly will come to life with this form of retrieve by gliding side to side (similar to a glide bait) or jig up. This slower retrieve allows the angler to convey to the muskie a vulnerable target that appears to be dying or injured and remains in the strike zone for a greater period of time. Aside from keeping the fly in the strike zone
Author Jared Renner loves nothing more than pursuing muskies with a fly rod. 24 MUSKIE.....July / August 2012
Member Photos Needed! Please send photos to Photo Contest Editor:
pictures@muskiesinc.org. for an extended period the slower retrieve also allows the angler to present the fly at a greater number of angles to the fish which can be crucial in convincing the fish to strike your offering. When retrieving the fly it is a good idea to incorporate a jerk strip type retrieve as it will impart the maximum amount of action to the fly. The jerk strip retrieve is easily mastered with some practice and will greatly improve your success rate. To perform the jerk strip you simply pull the rod hand away from the stripping hand at the same time as the strip. The length and of both the strip and amount that you move your rod hand will control the type of action being imparted in the fly. Short abrupt strips and rod jerks will keep your fly on a tight side-to-side movement, similar to a tight walk the dog pattern. This is a great retrieve to use when fish are sluggish or holding tight to cover as it keeps the fly in the strike zone for an extended period. A retrieve with an exaggerated lengthier strip and rod jerk will allow your fly to travel on a wider glide pattern and at a faster pace; generally a better technique to incorporate when fish are more aggressive and willing to move larger distances to attack. It can also be a great idea to incorporate both retrieves in a single cast, the variation will aid in convincing a muskie to strike your fly. The importance of boat side maneuvers in closing the deal when fly fishing southern rivers is as critical as it is with conventional gear. My records show that about 50 to 60 percent of strikes occur in close proximity to the boat, so having the ability to convert follows into strikes will increase your catch rate dramatically. This is another situation where sinking lines are advantageous as they keep your fly deeper on the incoming retrieve. I will put about 12 to 18 inches of the rod tip in the water to keep the fly on a deeper plane as it approaches the boat. Typically I like to keep the fly at about 2-3 feet or so below the surface as it approaches the boat; this will help prevent the muskie from spooking due to the boat and helps keep the fish focused on the fly. Once close enough, at the point where there is about 2 feet of leader remaining, I like to go into either a figure 8 or oval maneuver. I have found that the oval is an easier move to perform and I typically use it as my go-to boat side maneuver. However, there are times that the fish will respond to one boat side maneuver over the other and if one is not producing results try the other one. When performing the boat side maneuver varying the depth of the boat side maneuver will also aide in triggering the fish to strike your fly as well. Fly fishing is exciting and extremely productive. The river systems of the south are tailor-made for this technique. For those of you looking for a new technique for some picky muskies, or perhaps just for a change of pace, consider picking up a fly rod - you will not be disappointed! v Jared Renner loves nothing more than pursuing the mighty muskie with fly rod in hand. He does custom fly orders and can be reached by email at jaredrenner83@hotmail.com or phone 740-336-0043 for more information.
Chicagoland Chapter member Paul Hortenstine caught this 40 inch muskie below the Lake Shelbyville dam on March 2nd of this year, and caught a very nice picture of it as well.
Here is North Metro Chapter member Anthony Cappelletti with his new personal best, a 42 inch muskie caught while fishing Minnesota’s Forest Lake. It was released but Santa brought him a replica Christmas morning.
Chapter 20 member Brandon Abraham took this photo of his dad Matt while fishing a youth event MI was putting on in the Hayward area. Nice shot you got Brandon.
Chapter 01 Twin Cities member Nam Nguyen caught this 50 inch muskie using a #5 Mepps in Lower Manitou Lake in Ontario. Chapter 28 member Travis Smith caught this Lake Kinkaid 38.5 incher to start 2012. Nice way to begin the season Travis. Chapter 28 member Kyle Hilger caught this 49 inch muskie during the Illinois Muskie Tournament Trail Spring Classic Tournament on Lake Kinkaid in March 2012 to help take 1st place. Randy Hilger took the photo. Nice job guys.
Chapter 49 member John Stone caught this 52 inch muskie Chapter 59 member Doug Manley caught this beautiful Tiger on his first cast while on an outing with his friend Lee muskie from Blue Water Lake. Very nice looking fish Doug. Tauchen. Fish of 10,000 casts? My foot! Nice job John.
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Chapter 35 member Debbie Chernohorsky took this terrific scenic shot in the Scott Lake/Chippewa flowage area.
July / August 2012...MUSKIE 25
Photo Contest – July/August by Brad Waldera, Photo Editor • pictures@muskiesinc.org * Photo #1 Chapter 09 member Andrew Lowther submitted this nice shot he took while fishing from a kayak in West Virginia. This looks like a beautiful place to fish. Andrew says that sometimes it can get interesting fishing muskies from a kayak, and I know he’s flipped at least once. I bet he’s also been able to target fish very few others can get to because of their location. I caught my first muskie from a small johnboat so I kind of know the feeling. I wonder how many other Muskies Inc. members fish this way? I’d love to see more shots from members who fish a bit out of the norm or use a slightly different approach. Keep those pictures coming. Thanks for submitting this Andrew; it sure looks like you’ve found a great fishing spot.
Photo #2
*
Chapter 29 Upper Great Plains member Clayton Will sent me this interesting photo collage. He and his wife Joanne were fishing Lake of the Woods last August for both muskies and walleyes when he saw this Eagle on a rock. He pulled out his Sony HDD Handycam a captured this on video. I chose this shot this month as a reminder that like Clayton, some of you can go through your video clips frame by frame and pull out single shots such as this to print or e-mail or post to Facebook, etc. Clayton said these photos were picked from about 80 frames. He mentions that the shots here represented about 2 seconds of actual time before the eagle disappeared behind the rocks. Now I don’t use a video camera and although my DSLR can also take video I have rarely taken any, but this is a good reminder to our readers that this is another option available to save special memories you capture while out on the water. Nice job Clayton, and thanks for letting our members know about this feature. v 26 MUSKIE.....July / August 2012
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!
Special Events
2012
August 29-31, 2012 Gil Hamm Chapter Challunge Lake of the Woods September 7-8-9, 2012 45th Frank Schneider Memorial Muskie Tournament 20 lakes in Bemidji-Cass-LeechLongville area of Northern Minnesota www.twincitiesmuskiesinc.org Denise Olson 612-804-4687 September 29, 2012 George Wahl Memorial Muskie Tournament 13 lakes in Metro-Area Twin Cities www.twincitiesmuskiesinc.org Denise Olson 612-804-4687 October 5-7, 2012 Hayward Lakes Chapter 35th Annual Fall Tournament www.muskiesinc-hayward.org 715-634-4543 Mike Persson 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.
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No. Chapter, Address
Phone #
01.....Twin Cities, 4012 Washburn Ave S, Minneapolis, MN, 55410...........................612-925-1109 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/Packerland, 3097 Inverness Lane, New Franken, WI 54229 ............920-866-9705 05.....Pomme De Terre, PO Box 5, Hermitage, MO 65668.........................................314-440-2173 06.....First Wisconsin, PO Box 122, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729.................................715-864-2269 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............................................715-891-5574 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, 16774 West Bay Drive, Pengilly, MN 55775.........................218-885-1677 16.....Three Rivers, 119 Bus Lane, Renfrew, PA 15136..............................................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, 7777 Infirmary Rd., Ravenna, OH 44266..........330-297-1158 20.....Between the Lakes, PO Box 61, Sheboygan Falls, WI 53085-0061.................920-564-3226 21.....North Metro, PO Box 41216, Plymouth, MN 55441...........................................952-469-2155 22.....New Jersey, 167 Washington St, Belvidere, NJ 07823.....................................908-750-6615 23.....Cleveland, 5007 Starr St., Newton Falls, OH 44444.........................................330-219-7964 24.....Brainerd Lakes, 18031 Heritage Road, Brainerd, MN 56401............................218-838-5509 26.....Central Wisconsin, PO Box 263, Medford, WI 54451........................................715-748-4874 28.....Shawnee Muskie Hunters, 923 Reiss Rd, O’Fallon, IL 62269...........................618-628-4205 29.....Upper Great Plains, 1788 Hwy 4, Estherville, IA 51334....................................712-362-2501 30.....God’s Country, PO Box 1461, LaCrosse, WI 54602..........................................608-792-7722 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 53228............................................262-442-6260 37.....St. Cloud, 312 18th Avenue N., Sartell, MN 56377...........................................320-656-1160 38.....Alexandria-Vikingland, 106 Main Ave, P.O. Box 102, Carlos, MN 56319..........612-554-8170 39.....Fox River Valley, 1253 Cobblers Crossing, Elgin, IL 60123..............................847-741-9771 41.....Central Ohio, 2716 Red Robin Way, Delaware, OH 43015...............................740-225-1152 42.....Hoosier Muskie Hunters, PO Box 501371, Indianapolis, IN 46250................... 317-372-0111 45.....Kentucky, 212 Linden Ave., Southgate, KY 41071............................................859-441-1666 46.....Bemidji/Cass Lake, 16256 Andrusia Rd NE, Cass Lake, MN 56633................218-335-8597 47.....Michigan Muskie Alliance, PO Box 512, Caledonia, MI 49316..........................616-447-1688 49.....Webster Lake Musky Club, PO Box 670, No. Webster, IN 46555.....................574-834-1669 50.....Penn-Jersey, 510 Bryton Ave., Pottstown PA 19465..........................................484-459-5940 52.....Daniel Boone, 813 US 62, Maysville, KY 41056...............................................606-759-7610 53.....Huskerland Muskie Hunters, 15706 Hamilton St, Omaha, NE 68118................ 402-498-8959 54.....Southern Crossroads, 1524 Country Club Rd, Albert Lea MN 56007...............507-373-1818 56.....SW Ohio Muskie Assoc., 524 Sterling Meadows Place, Brookville, OH 45309.. 937-833-1833 57.....NW Tiger Pac, P.O. Box 5515, Kent, WA 98064............................................253-850-5889 58.....Lake St. Clair Muskies, Inc., P.O. Box 806027, St. Clair Shores, MI 48080.....586-873-5781 59.....New Mexico Muskies, Inc., P.O. Box 65575, Albuquerque, NM 87193.............505-264-2999 60.....Mountain Muskies, 37720 N. Sheets Road, Elk, WA. 99009............................509-263-7235
July / August 2012.....MUSKIE 27
CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS ◆ CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS ◆ CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS
Chapter News and Views
C H A P T E R N E WS & V I E WS ◆ C H A P T E R N E WS & V I E WS ◆ C H A P T E R N E WS & V I E WS
01
Twin Cities
4012 Washburn Ave S, Minneapolis, MN, 55410 612-925-1109 www.twincitiesmuskiesinc.org
Meets 2nd Tuesday 7:00 PM, Knights of Columbus, 1114 W79th St Bloomington, MN, near the SE corner of the intersection of I-494 and I-35W.
So far it seems like a typical spring with not catching enough crappies and training the bunnies to jump over increasingly high fences to eat the lettuce and peas in my garden. Fortunately our Muskies Inc. Chapter is active and doing great things! A major social service activity we co-sponsor with 16 VFW, American Legion, and AmVets posts was our 23rd Annual Vets’ Home Opener on May 5th. We will have a full article on it later in the year, as we have so many chapter members, who really step up to make this a special day for the vets. We set up and stock a trout pond at the Veterans’ Home, help the vets catch a trout, clean them, and serve them a shore lunch. Each vet is given a hat commemorating the day. Representative Bob Dittmer was the guest speaker. Bob retired from the Army before he was elected to the legislature. He currently has two sons and a daughter serving our country. He talked about the bravery of our vets and their contributions. While standing on Omaha Beach last year, I commented how I was surprised to see how “Saving Private Ryan” and “The Longest Day” did not capture the size, scope, and difficulty of getting from the beach to the top and how heroic that achievement was. During the ceremony before the fishing, we also recognized Muskie Inc. Hall of Famer, Helen Ness, who served in World War II and then went on to work for the VA and serve in the Army Reserves until 1971. Through a series of events the mount of the 53 inch fish that she caught at Fog lake was saved. We were able to get it refinished and help her family present it to the Minneapolis Veterans’ Home in recognition of Helen’s accomplishments with the Army, VA, Army Reserves, and finally as a resident of the Veterans’ Home. We hope you will read our article about the ceremony and serving 350 meals at the Vets’ Home when it gets published. I talked with a 91 year old vet and made him promise to be at the event next year. Our April and May General meetings featured guest speakers, Ty Sennett and Josh Borovsky. Both speakers have extraordinary insight on local waters and were well received. Member Brent Fox gave a terrific
presentation on the dangers of lightening and how to avoid becoming a statistic. Between now and the next article we will sponsor a Capable Partners outing for people with physical limitations, The Armed Forces Family Fishing Celebration, and the Minnesota High School Muskie Tournament. There is much to do and I am still trying to catch a big girl on my fly rod! Respectfully submitted, Tom Keith
05
Pomme de Terre
P.O. Box 5 • Hermitage, MO 65668 314-440-2173 – Wayne Humphrey www.missourimuskies.org Meets: Various days-Call for schedule
Our annual Muskie Mayhem event was held May 19th out of State Park Marina on Lake Pomme de Terre. Thirteen members and guests enjoyed the fishing, plus a great meal and a dinner presentation by Fisheries Biologist Craig Fuller. A couple of muskies were caught, with the largest being 33 inches; there were also several nice walleye caught. We must have stirred up the water pretty well, as the muskies got more active on Sunday and Monday after the outing!
MUSKIES INC.’S OLDEST TOURNAMENT 45th ANNUAL FRANK SCHNEIDER, JR. MEMORIAL MUSKIE TOURNAMENT
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28 MUSKIE.....July / August 2012
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06
First Wisconsin
P.O. Box 122, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729 Jason Smith - 715-726-9912 • 1-888-726-6733 www.firstwi.muskiesinc.org Meetings 1st Monday, 5:30 PM, at Rod and Gun Club, Lake Wissota from May to September and at the Fill Inn Station, 104 W. Columbia St., Chippewa Falls from October to April.
Dates to Remember July 16: Combination General Membership and Board Meeting- 6 PM Aug. 6: General Meeting, Rod & Gun 6 PM Aug. 20: Board Meeting, Rod & Gun 6 PM Sept. 10: Final Tournament Committee Meeting, Rod & Gun 6 PM Sept. 14-16: First Wis. 36th Annual Tournament Oct. 1: General Meeting, Fill Inn Station 7 PM Oct. 15: Board Meeting, VFW Starr Ave. Eau Claire 6:30 PM Oct. 20: Fall Meltdown on Lake Holcombe President / Chapter Representative Report The Gil Hamm 2012 will be held on the LOTW. The hosting lodge will be Red Wing Lodge again. It will be held the week of August 26th-Sept 1st, 2012. Challenge days will be Aug 29th -31st. We currently have 7 members committed. We have one 6 man team and hopefully we can fill the 2nd. Contact Joe Heil if you are interested in going: 715-839-7089, 715-5592945 or muskiejoe13@yahoo.com. The survey at the Fish Fry showed that a large majority want to keep our winter meetings and the banquet at the Fill Inn Station. They will remain there. Tentative banquet date for 2013 banquet is January 26th. Membership is holding at 215. Chapter Fishing Outings Wednesday Night League is in full swing. Weekly updates are emailed to those signed up for league. To be added to league contact Jim Bunch. The Top Water Challenge was June 9th on Lake Holcombe. The Fall Meltdown will be October 20 on Lake Holcombe. Our big Fall Tournament is September 14, 15, 16. This is a must participate for all members of our chapter. First Wis. Members Only Fishing Contest Starting in 2012 our chapter’s minimum size limit for muskies will be the same as the International at 30 inches. When you enter muskies on the web site please respond to the two questions on hours between captures. This is for DNR studies. Fisheries We have posters for the new 40” size limit. If you need any for posting contact Joe Heil or Len Rubesch
www.muskiesinc.org
Tournament – September 14, 15, 16 The Big Minnow will be our Tournament headquarters this year. Thursday night sign up will be held there and also at Mouldy’s In Lake Hallie. The fish board will be at The Big Minnow and will be updated nightly. On Sunday our awards Banquet will be held once again at Paradise Shores Facebook- Jake Caswell Jake reports that our Chapter Facebook page is up and running with many people already on board. If you are on Facebook check us out and “like” the page to receive updates on the chapter, Outings and other events we will be hosting or attending. Programs for Winter Meetings November will be Heath Benicke area fish biologist, December is Spencer Berman a guide from Lake St. Clair, and February will be Jason Smith on Flowage Muskies. October, March and April are pending. If you have a suggestion for a potential speaker please call or email Jim Bunch. Regards, Jim Bunch
08
Capital City
P.O. Box 8862, Madison, WI 53708 608-669-5046 – Gerard Hellenbrand www.capitalcitymuskiesinc.org
Meets 2nd Monday at the 5100 Bar, 5100 Erling Ave., McFarland, WI.
The Capital City Chapter of Muskies, Inc. moved its monthly membership meetings to a new location in January. The 5100 Bar and Banquet Hall at 5100 Erling Avenue in McFarland, WI has proven to be a great spot. The club used to meet at this location many years ago under previous owners when it was call the Park Ponderosa, but the building has now been completely remodeled. The food and service are great, and we invite members and non-members who have not yet been to the new location to join us when we start our monthly meetings again in September. The annual spring Madison Chain Outing was held on Saturday, May 19, 2012. Approximately 50 anglers fished Lake Monona, Lake Waubesa, and Upper Mud Lake on this sunny, windy day. Lunch was provided at the Green Lantern Restaurant at the end of fishing. Three muskies 30” or larger were caught, but several more short ones also provided fun and excitement. The winner of the event was Lee Bartolini, who caught a 37” muskie on Lake Waubesa. His partner, Gerard Hellenbrand, took third place with a 33.25” muskie. Ron Schell caught a 34” muskie and was the second place winner. Congratulations to all of the winners. Thanks to everyone who participated, and a special thanks to Karen Phillips who coordinated this event. At the time of submission of this report, results of two major fishing events, the Larry Kleeba Challunge on the Turtle Flambeau Flowage on June 1, 2, and 3, 2012 and the Bill Wood Memorial Lake Winter Outing on Lake Winter on June 23, 2012, were not available. Results of these events will be reported next time. Members are reminded that the club’s second On-the-Water Meeting this summer is scheduled for August 13th on Lake Waubesa at the Goodland Ramp Pavilion. There is no meeting in July. The 2012 Eagle Lake Outing at Andy Myers Lodge is scheduled from September 1 through September 8. Those wishing to participate can get more information on this outing at our website at www.capitalcitymuskiesinc.org or you can contact Cory Painter at 608-213-7747 or cpainter@kraft.com. The club’s annual Vilas County Outing is scheduled for October 12 and 13, 2012. It will be headquartered out of Fibber’s Inn and Resort on Big St. Germain Lake in St. Germain, WI. Again, more information on this event is available on our website at www.capitalcitymuskiesinc.org or contact Dale and Colette Anderson at 608-825-3080 or digo51@charter.net Hope to see you on the water! Lee Bartolini, President
09
West Virginia
1270 Federal Road • Little Hocking, OH 45742 740-667-3571 http://westvirginiamuskiesinc.org Meets: No definite schedule-call
Jeff Hansbarger, lead Biologist on the Elk River Native Muskie Tagging and Tracking Project updated us on this effort at our Spring Meeting. This is the last year for the study. Jeff will provide a Final Report to us at our 2013 Meeting.
(Continued on page 30)
July / August 2012...MUSKIE 29
CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS ◆ CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS ◆ CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS
The status of the muskie population was the topic of Craig Fuller’s presentation. Craig noted that in Missouri muskies typically live 8 to 10 years, so the large year class from 2000 has mostly faded out of the fishery. Smaller stockings in 2001 through 2007 leave us with a population currently dominated by a large 2008 year class. These muskies are 4 years old and are about 30-34 inches at this time. Craig gave an excellent explanation of how high summer water temperatures can impact our muskie population. During a hot summer, water temperatures may exceed 84-88 degrees all the way down to 20 feet, which is near the thermocline. While cooler water can be found deeper, in most cases it does not contain enough oxygen to sustain muskies or other fish for any length of time. Therefore our muskies are squeezed into a very narrow habitat band of warm water which can be particularly stressful on large fish. An extremely long hot summer could be lethal to many of our larger muskies. Craig’s presentation pointed out once again just how sensitive our muskie fisheries are here at the southern edge of the muskie range. He reminded us all to be even more diligent practicing catch and release by keeping muskies in the water while unhooking them and by minimizing air exposure especially when the air and water are warm. Finally, Craig endorsed the practice many southern muskie anglers have adopted – quit muskie fishing once water temperatures reach or exceed 80 degrees! During the business portion of the meeting it was decided that our Chapter Newsletter would only be published during the even-numbered months of the year; the months during which MUSKIE Magazine is not published. Check out our website for more info about our chapter: www. MissouriMuskies.org Kevin Richards
CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS ◆ CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS ◆ CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS
chapter news & views (Continued from page 29) To compensate for muskies going thru the dam out of North Bend Lake, WV DNR may increase stocking in the lake. Also, they hope to expand the 40” minimum size limit for NB Lake downstream on the North Fork of the Hughes River from the dam to the bridge at Jug Run Campground. This will offer some protection for muskies that escape the impoundment and are targeted in the river below the dam. Additionally, DNR proposes that the minimum size limit statewide be made consistent at 30” for Muskies, Tiger Muskies and Northern Pike. Many fishermen can’t tell one from the other and may kill a muskie believing it to be a Northern or Tiger. Tim McCauley released a 52” Stonewall Jackson lunker in our Spring Mail-In Tournament. This is the largest fish ever registered in a WV Chapter event. Surprisingly, it was not enough to win. Using the MI point system for released fish, that honor went to Charlie Carpenter of Harrisville who got a 33” at Stonewall on Saturday. On Sunday he returned to his home waters on North Bend Lake where he added two more, a 39” and a 43” throwing Cranes and Cowgirls. Jerrod Bailes fishing his first ever WV Chapter Tournament registered a 33” and a 42” from Cave Run (KY). Harvey Brown boated a 34” and a 39” at Stonewall Jackson. Shawn Carson enjoyed his first multiple legal day ever with a 32” and37” from Middle Island Creek on Saturday. Joe Beitz turned in a 39” from the Greenbrier River. This is only the second fish reported to Muskies, Inc. from the Greenbrier, a stream that most of us didn’t realize contained muskies. Our Odie Cutlip Memorial Team Tournament on Stonewall Jackson the weekend of May 5-6 was well supported with 49 members and guests registering. Heavy rains the week preceding resulted in marginal water conditions on the lake dampening what had been a very good bite for several weeks previously. Action was spotty and although numerous fish were contacted, very few wanted to eat. The husband and wife team of Kevin and Beth Custer managed to coax two fish to the boat, 36 and 41 inchers to provide the winning total of 25 points. Jason Jackson and Roger Bullard netted a very good 43” on Saturday; Dave Johnson caught a 42 inch to put him and teammate Charlie Carpenter on the board. Dave Wenzel boated a good 41” on Sunday along with boat partner Troy Radcliff. Tim McCauley pulled in a good 39” fish and Danny Haddox got a 36 incher for their respective teams. Thanks to all who participated. In addition to the 52” reported above by Tim McCauley, several other great fish have been caught this early season. Troy Radcliff is having a phenomenal start to the season. Within about a months’ time, Troy boated a 52” from Stonewall, followed by a 51 ½” from Stonewall the Wednesday following our tournament. That same weekend he and Danny Haddox went to Cave Run where Troy boated his third 50” class fish in a month, a 50” monster. Danny wouldn’t be outdone when he caught a 51 ½ incher close to the 40 pound mark. What a trip and what a great pair of fish. Congratulations to all. John Kaltenecker, Secretary
12
Headwaters
P.O. Box 652 • Eagle River, WI 54521 715-891-5574 – Bill Jacobs www.headwatersmuskies.com Meets 1st Wednesday 7:00 PM, Eagle River Inn, Eagle River, WI.
We thought it would never get, but Muskie season is upon us up in the beautiful Northwoods of Wisconsin! As you might expect, Headwaters Chapter members have been spending just about every free hour on the water chasing Mr. Muskie. Things started off with a bang as we held our first Chapter Outing on May 26th (opening day for Muskies up here). Members got together for a day of great fishing, followed by the usual riot of excellent food, raffle prizes and great fun at the fashionable Oneida Village Resort in Three Lakes. Thanks to Jackie at the O.V. who always takes good care of the Headwaters Chapter! If you’ve never been to a Chapter Outing you’re missing a real treat! Our next one takes place July 7 and we hope you’ll consider joining us. For more information, visit our website or contact Chapter President Bill Jacobs. 715-477-2913 promusky@live.com As they do each year, Chapter members volunteered their time and fishing skills to help with the annual Fishing Has No Boundaries weekend in Eagle River June 1-3. This weekend of taking special needs people out on the lake for a great time of fishing is a very rewarding experience and we look forward to it each year. You can learn more about FHNB by visiting their website at http://www.fhnbinc.org
30 MUSKIE.....July / August 2012
Not long after the first Chapter outing, we turned our attention to our Annual Spring Classic Catch and Release Muskie Tournament. Taking place on the Eagle River Chain of Lakes June 9 & 10, the Spring Classic is the oldest and most prestigious Muskie tournament in the Northwoods. Everyone involved had a great time and some beautiful fish were caught and released. You can see pictures of them on our website www.headwatersmuskies.com A sincere thank you to all the volunteers who worked so hard to make this year’s Classic a success. While we’re on the subject of tournaments, don’t forget the Headwaters Chapter Annual Fall Classic taking place September 29 & 30 on the beautiful Three Lakes Chain of Lakes. This is a great tournament as it takes place when the nice weather is still here, but the summer boat traffic isn’t! Information will be mailed out soon and is available on our website. For more information, check out www.headwatersmuskies.com or contact Tournament Director Jay Hollnagel at 715-891-5627 Once again, we hope you will be able to join the Headwaters Chapter for a meeting or one of our many activities. We usually meet the first Wednesday of each month at the Eagle River Inn: www.eagleriver-inn.com at 7pm. Please check the schedule on our website to confirm: www.headwatersmuskies.com Please contact Scott Samuels with any questions or comments at: scott6915@hotmail.com or 715-547-3340. Respectfully submitted by Scott Samuels, Chapter PR Director
13
Hayward Lakes P.O. Box 609 Hayward, WI 54843 715-634-4543
The Hayward Lakes Chapter of Muskies Inc. held its May meeting at the DNR fish hatchery in Spooner. The hatchery manager, Gary Lindenberger, gave our group and members of the Hayward Bass and Walleye club a tour and explanation of the operation and how they go about producing muskies, walleyes, bass, northerns and other fish. After the tour we had a brief business meeting in their conference room. DNR researcher Martin Jennings gave us an update on the “Pit Tag Project” he has been running and we have been helping with. Some number of tagged have been re-caught so growth rates and population numbers can now be estimated. We will try and have this information on our website soon. Our club will have fishing outings every other Wednesday during the summer. These are very low key and informal. We start at 4pm (or any time you like), fish until dark, and then meet at a designated bar/restaurant afterwards. We try to pair people up if you need a partner – call Mike at 715-634-4543. The schedule will be posted on our website: www.muskiesinc-hayward.org. The site also has lots of other information about our club. Schedule of Events: July 22 - Fishing Outing and Picnic – Fish during the day if you like and meet at 5 p.m. at Fish Hatchery Park for beer brats and fun provided by our club. Bring family, friends or prospective club members! RSVP – Ivan Uttech – 715-462-3478. August 5 - Sunday - 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. - Annual Kids Fishing Day. Club members guide youngsters on Tiger Cat Flowage. Shore lunch at noon with prizes for kids. All club members and friends are encouraged to help as guides and cooks. Event to be held at the Dick-sy Roadhouse (11 miles East of Hayward on Highway 77 East). Fishing will be on Upper Twin and other nearby lakes. For more information call Mike Persson - 715-6344543. September 4 - Tuesday - 6:00 p.m. - Business Meeting - to prepare for tournament - 7:00 p.m. - General Meeting -with Guest speaker DNR Fisheries Supervisor Dave Neuswanger. Meeting is the Dick-sy Roadhouse*. October 5-7 - Friday - Sunday - 35th Annual Fall Tournament. Saturday night raffle, Sunday awards ceremony at the Flat Creek Inn - Hwy. 27 – ½ mile south of Hayward. For more information call Mike Persson - 715-6344543 or visit our website. November 6 - Tuesday - 7:00 p.m. - General Meeting - with election of officers and LURE SWAP. Bring your old lures or extras to buy, sell, trade or other fishing miscellaneous items. Meet to be held at Dow’s Corner Bar located on Hwy 77 East and Cty. Rd A - 13 miles east of Hayward. December - Annual Christmas Party - Date to be announced. January 8, 2013 - 7 p.m. - Business Meeting - To plan year 2013 projects, activities and budget. All board members are asked to attend. All interested members are welcome. The meeting will be held at Dow’s Corners.
16
Three Rivers
119 Bus Lane, Reheren, PA 15136 724-789-7866 – James P. Buss http://threerivers.muskiesinc.org
Meets 2nd Monday 7:30 PM, Northside Sportsmans Club, Wexford, PA.
Our remaining tournament schedule is: Allegheny River Pools 6, 7, & 8: September 15th; sign-up location undetermined at present, but sign-up will be held from 6:30 am until 7:30am. Tournament will run from 8am until 4pm and release slips turned in by 5pm for final decision. Lake Arthur: October 20 and 21st; sign-up at the October Muskies Inc. meeting or on Saturday the 20th from 6:30 to 7:30am at the Rt. 528 boat launch. Tourney will run from 8am to 5pm Saturday and from 8am until 2pm Sunday. Release forms to be turned in by 3pm Sunday. $25 entry fee for members with optional $5 for 50” pot; currently $625 in the pot. $35 entry fee for non-members, not eligible for 50” pot. Also a 50/50 raffle will be held at the final weigh-in of each tournament, with proceeds going to Three Rivers Muskies Inc. Starting in Feb, one time a month the club has hosted an eBay auction, with 5 lures, a Wiley, Baker, Newman, Leo, and Legend lure. As previously stated we plan to hold 5 auctions, and all proceeds are to go to the bait fish fund project. If you would like to make a cash donation to the bait fish fund, please make your check or money order payable to Three Rivers Musky Inc. and mail it to James P. Buss at 119 Buss Lane, Renfrew, Pa. 16053. The club is also filing for an award from the Becker Foundation in the amount of $2,000 to support this project. Any questions regarding the project may be directed to Joe Houck at muskyjoe@iwon.com, or Jim Buss at jpb@moodycorp.com. We are tentatively scheduling our awards banquet next year on March 16th, 2013 and we will confirm the date and time, and again our banquet will be held at the Cranberry Elks. Jim Patterson
17
19
Akron-Canton
7777 Infirmary Rd. • Ravenna, OH 44266 Mike Mordas - (330) 297-1158 http://muskie_guy@tripod.com Meets 3rd Tuesday at 7:00 PM, North Canton FOE, 6979 Sunset Strip NW, Canton, OH.
The Muskie Maniacs held their first tournament of the season at Salt Fork Lake on April 13th and 14th. We had 39 participants and there were 9 fish caught. Although there were 9 fish caught, we had only one winner of the tournament because the others didn’t turn their release forms in on time at the end of the tournament to count. Elmer McClure won with his 39 inch fish. Congratulations Elmer! He also won the big fish pool too. On May 5th and 6th, our Chapter hosted the Chapter Challenge down at Salt Fork Lake. We had great weather which drew a big crowd of 82 participants from 6 Chapters. The Chapter’s included were 19, 23, 41, 16, 18, and 56. That was awesome! There were 13 fish caught with the biggest fish being a nice 48 inch fish by Jerry Fisher from the Cleveland Chapter. Way to go Jerry! He also took the big fish pool. Chapter 23 was presented the Chapter Challenge Trophy and will host the Challenge next year. Hopefully next year we can have close to 100 in attendance. We cooked a feast of food for the shore lunch that we had on Saturday. Everyone had a great time and look forward to next years’ Chapter Challenge! In our next news report, I will give the results of our next two tournaments that will be held June 2nd and 3rd at Leesville Lake and July 14th and 15th at our Memorial tournament at West Branch. Kevin Proffitt
22
New Jersey
167 Washington St, Belvidere, NJ 07823 908-750-6615 • http://www.mi22.com/
Chapter meetings are held monthly the last Tuesday of each month, September through May. Summer meetings will be held on the water. Check our web site for details.
Quad County
P.O. Box 185, Plano, IL 60545 (815) 695-1494 – Dana Smith www.quadcounty@muskiesinc.org • danaws@msn.com Meets 2nd Thursday, 7:30pm. Plano American Legion
Hello Hawg Hunters! The new season is setting in and anticipation is high. With the early spring, weed growth is better than usual, fueling dreams of big fish. Where are you headed on the hunt? Chae Dolson spoke at our May meeting and gave a compelling case for casting on Lake St. Claire. Chae also donated a guide trip to the club, which was auctioned for our stocking fund. Thanks Chae. The annual meeting on the water is June 15 at Shabonna Lake. You can start fishing whenever you get there, and the meeting is at 7:00. The following day is our outing with the Midwest Musky Club and the Flatlanders Chapter. Fishing begins at 6:00 AM and winds down at noon when we will be grilling lunch. Also in June, the club will be helping to run a Kids Fishing Day at Maple Lane Farm. The time is June 30th from 9:00 AM-3:00 PM. Anyone who wants to volunteer or bring their family out to fish should contact Duane Landmeier. A signup sheet will be at the June meeting. The club is donating money as well as labor to this event. It’s important that we engage the youth if we want to keep our sport alive. Even if you can’t make it to this event, try to take someone new fishing this season. Now, some serious congratulations are in order. On the strength of Mark Johnson’s double on Saturday, we brought the trophy home from our annual Peewaukee outing with the Milwaukee Chapter. The total was 35”, 36” and 36.5” fish for our chapter versus a 44.5” fish for the Milwaukee boys. Nice going! Also, several of our members fished the PMTT event at Cave Run. Kevin Nash and his partner took 2nd place, Chapter President Duane Landmeier and his partner finished 13th, while member Ed Haagenson finished in 36th. Congratulations to all for their success. Good luck, and stay safe, Tyler Kennedy, Secretary
www.muskiesinc.org
Chapter 22 President Cal Huntzinger (left) and “student” Vinny Geramita. Vinny caught and released the biggest musky during the annual Musky School event. SPRING has SPRUNG in New Jersey. Due to the EXTREME bad weather in 2011, we are looking forward to a lot more good fishing days this year. However, so far this year we have had some GOOD news and well as some BAD news. The GOOD news is that we have had a VERY mild winter with very little snow and ice. The BAD news is that we have had a VERY mild winter which has resulted in very little precipitation. Consequently, many of our ‘Musky friendly’ waters have been several feet lower than normal and have resulted in many dry boat docks. Finally, “April Showers” came in May and the gang is back in our boats with musky gear in hand. Our annual Musky School was held on Saturday May 19th and Sunday May 20th on Lake Hopatcong. The event included two hours of classroom
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Note: For more information call Mike Persson at 715-634-4543 or visit our club’s website: www.muskiesinc-hayward.org Reminder: Register your muskie catches with Hayward Lakes Chapter of Muskies Inc. and be a part of the musky fishing spirit and a possible award winner! Register your release forms on line at the Muskies Inc. website (www.muskiesinc.org) or send paper forms to Hayward Lakes Muskies Inc. P. O. Box 609 Hayward, WI 54843. Good Fishing, Mike Persson
CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS ◆ CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS ◆ CHAPTER NEWS & VIEWS
chapter news & views (Continued from page 31) training as well as several hours of on the water training with an experienced musky guide. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of many of our members, we had 16 students attend this year including four from New York State. Kevin Johnson did a great job organizing and coordinating the event. Thanks Kevin. We can’t say enough about Steve Scornavaca (Lunker of the month winner – June 2011) who once again did a superb job instructing the class. Many of the students applauded his presentation as well as did several of our seasoned members. Thanks Steve. Thanks also to our members and volunteers, many of whom donated their time and boats to make the 2012 Musky School a great success for our students, the fishery and the Chapter. Many thanks again to our sponsors and hosts, The Mason Street Pub and the Flash Marina for their continued support of Chapter #22. We also want to thank our students for their participation and extend congratulations to our students who raised a healthy number of musky on a blue bird day. The ‘New York (Long Island) boys’ beat the ‘Jersey boys’ in the catch category. Congratulations to Vinny Geramita on boating a 40” Tiger after a handful of casts on a safety pin spinner bait with veteran guide and President of Chapter #22 (Cal Huntzinger) at the helm. Also, congratulations to Ron Zaludo who, under the watchful eye of Jim Evers, boated a 33” musky while casting a Jig. These are memories they will never forget. To our many other students who raised or lost musky boat side, we hope that you’ll have fond memories of the day and join us at our Chapter Meetings to continue your “graduate studies”. On June 2 and 3rd we will be participating in the Hackettstown Hatchery Centennial Celebration (NJDFW home of “The Fish Maker” Craig Lemon and his talented staff). We will have about a dozen members each day to man the Chapter #22 booth, two fishing education ponds and a musky tactics demonstration. Chapter #22 has a lot of experienced and dedicated members who are always willing to educate and promote the best techniques for musky fishing, catch and release and rescue. We encourage others to join us and learn how to conquer the ‘fish of 10,000 casts’. Respectively Submitted by Phil Eden
23
Cleveland
5007 Starr St. • Newton Falls, OH 44444 330-219-7964 • fffffish@aol.com
Meets 2nd Monday of each month, 7:30 PM at RC Sports Lounge, 2422 South Canal St., Newton Falls, OH, except June-August when meetings are at the East Boat Ramp Pavilion in West Branch.
Since our last report we had four members go to the chapter challenge at Salt Fork May 5-6. The challenge had six chapters participate with 82 fishing and 13 fish caught. Two members of Cleveland Chapter caught fish. I caught a 40”fish and Jarry Fisher landed a big 48” by 24” to win the challenge and take the traveling trophy home for a year. Jarry also won the big fish pool. We just finished our Tom Bishop Memorial tournament at West Branch with 36 people fishing and 21 fish caught. Tad Martinez landed a 43”and a 30.5” casting. Tad took first place and the big fish pool. Second place went to Terry Nespeca with a 30” and a 40”. Paul Frustereo held on to third with a 33” and a 36”. Other fish caught were Jasen Arnold 30.5”, Richard Simpson 39.5”, Guy Bechter 31” and a 35.5”, John Savu 30”, James Dean 31”, Jarry Fisher 32”, Rose Trunkeh 41.5”, Tom Morris 33”, Bob Basic 36”, Chuck Harmon 31” and a 35”, Brandon Delphia 30.25”, John Rivera 31.5”, Jean Martinez 35”. Congratulations to all the people catching fish. On June 2 we had the Cindy Dean Memorial Kids Derby at Lake Milton. We work with the ONDR at Lake Milton to make sure the kids have a good fishing day. Feed them hot dogs chips and a drink. Then everyone gets a fishing related gift plus two bikes for the first girl ticket pulled and first boy ticket pulled. June 9-10 was our event at Pymatuning Lake. We also will be having a combined tournament with Akron/Canton Chapter 19 on July 14-15 at West Branch. That should be a great tournament for both chapters. Then our last tournament of the year will be at Lake Milton on August 18-19. The check-in will be at Point View boat ramp from 7 to 8 am. I hope you all can come and fish with us at our tournaments. They are fun and we have a great time on the lake. Tom Morris
Fall Classic Musky Tournament Sponsored by the Headwaters Chapter of MI & the Three Lakes Chamber of Commerce. September 29th & 30th , 2012 Three Lakes Chain of Lakes, Three Lakes, WI See website www.headwatersmuskies.com or call JAY HOLLNAGEL at 715-891-5627 for entry form and all the details. 32 MUSKIE.....July / August 2012
The first quarter of the year has been an event filled quarter for the Brainerd Lakes Chapter of Muskies Inc. Banquet, lure swap, poolside demo and the MN musky expo are just a few of the highlights. We hosted over 250 at our annual fund raising banquet this past March and it was a huge success. Jeremy Smith from Lindner’s Angling Edge was our guest speaker for the event. Jeremy gave a great presentation on the history of musky fishing, where it is headed and what we need to do to protect our resources. The rest of evening was spent enjoying great food, games, raffles, auctions and over $40,000 in prizes were given away. The following week we had, what historically is one of our biggest nights, the lure swap. Members brought lures, rods, reels, tackle boxes and other misc. fishing items to sell and trade. There we even a few, highly sought after, homemade lures up for sale. As always, lures were being sold for pennies on the dollar. April meeting was our poolside demo. We had Musky Tackle Online, Wade’s Custom Tackle and Phantom supply the baits for the evening. Tom Dietz, from Tom Dietz Outdoors, and Jeff Young presented the lures. After the lure presentation, members were allowed to try lures for themselves. The lures that were used that evening were offered up for sale, at a discounted rate, from Musky Tackle Online. A few members even brought some of their homemade creations to try and show to the rest of the club. Lastly, a group of members headed down to the Minnesota Musky Expo to cheer on one of our members. BLC’s very own Dawn Hines won a replica for the largest release in the women’s category with a 55” musky. Congratulations Dawn!! It was a great expo. There were tons of venders, custom baits, great deals and informative seminars at this year’s expo. Stay tuned for more updates next month. If you want a preview of what is to come, check out www.muskieshootout.com Jason Bassett Vice President
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Shawnee Muskie Hunters 923 Reiss Rd, O'Fallon, IL 62269 618-628-4205 – Jerry Ford fordjk@sbcglobal.net www.shawneemuskiehunters.org
Check out our website (shawneemuskiehunters.org) for lots of good information. Thanks to Renee Johnson for taking over our website and rebuilding it. I think you will like it. I think we went from fall to spring to summer without any winter. We did not have any ice on Kinkaid this winter and the fishing was good January and February. With the very mild February temperatures and a very warm March, water temperatures climbed to 76 degrees before April arrived. Everything was about 5 weeks ahead of schedule. Our tournament that we had May 5th and 6th was very hot with air temperatures in the 90’s. We had 28 muskies caught by 33 teams. The winning team had 8 fish entered. This was one of the better tournaments that we have had in the past 2 years with the number of fish entered. Our weather patterns were just one of the causes for our lack of fish in those other tournaments. The other factor is the possibility of the number of lost fish from last year’s floods. We had about 3 foot of water going over the fish barrier for two straight weeks last spring. In this year’s muskie survey, only 74 muskies were tagged in the week the nets were in place. The good news is that the lake will be doubled stalked this coming fall. The bad news is that it will take 3 to 4 years to see any improvement. Our lake clean-up was not as good as in the past. With everything 5 weeks early, the heavy weed growth and underbrush was too thick to find the trash. We will have another clean up next year. I hope we have a normal spring to get everything back on track. Our officers have done it again. This year’s calendar is full of activities for our members. We have some new ideas for the entire family and I hope to see you there. July 20th and 21st we will have an outing on Lake St Clair. This outing will be limited due to space and those that want to go must contact Jim Beaty before June 1st. August 25th to Sept 1st Chapter Challenge on Lake of the Woods Red Wing Lodge Remember I’m in the other Lund, Walt Krause
www.muskiesinc.org
37
St. Cloud
312 18th Avenue N. • Sartell, MN 56377 Bruce Kitowski - (320) 656-1160 www.stcloudmuskies.com
Meets: 3 Tues. 7:30 PM, American Legion Post 428, 17 2nd Ave. N, Waite Park, MN. rd
The MN Muskie Expo is now behind us and the MN Muskie Opener is next weekend. I was at the expo all three days and was able to see several St Cloud Chapter members there spending their hard earned money on new toys, myself included. Now we get to them to good use. Tight lines to everyone this season. Keep an eye on the Chapter web site for new photos and contest results.
The Chapter hosted its 9th outing for Big Brothers Big Sisters on May 5th. Even though the weather may have kept a few from attending, those that came all caught fish, walked away with at least one new rod and reel combo and a tackle box full of goodies. We grilled hot dogs, had chips and some good cookies and spent some valuable time with these youngsters and their Big Brother or Sister. A thank you to Eric Kohn (Chapter Board Member and Event Organizer), Bruce Kitowski, Ken & Norine Schmitt, Mike Ruff, and Ken Smith for helping with this worthwhile event. The Chapter Board members unanimously voted to relocate our reproduction of the world record Muskie to the MN Fishing Museum in Little Falls. It had been on display at the local Gander Mountain for years. The Chapter applied for and received a check from the Hugh Becker Foundation to assist with our youth outings and fisheries conservation. A sign was donated by Fast Signs of St Cloud saying “Thank You” to the foundation and it will be posted at the events. St Cloud Chapter Board member Aaron Meyer was nominated and accepted the co-chair position for the MN Muskie and Pike Alliance. Aaron noted at the last meeting that the DNR is now taking public input on the new pike regulations. This is in regard to the Legislature forcing the DNR to reduce the number of lakes with special pike slot regulations aimed at increasing the overall quality of pike fishing by increasing size and reducing the hammer handle syndrome that has infested so many lakes. Please send your input to: Mailed letters; Linda Erickson-Eastwood, 500 Lafayette Road, St Paul, MN 55155-4020 or email linda.erickson-eastwood@state. mn.us, or call (651) 259-5200. Your input can really make a difference. Upcoming Schedule: June 8, Beer Garden (serving) for the Waite Park Family Fun Fest. June 10, Host 3rd Annual Kids Fishing Derby June 19, Chapter annual boat show at Gander Mountain 7:00-?? If postponed due to weather, it will be on June 26th. The Chapter outing will once again be held on Cass Lake and is scheduled for September 20-23rd. The outing is headquartered out of Cass Lake Lodge. They have really been a great host for several years now and puts on a great feed bag on Friday night. If you are interested in an electronic version of the “Release” our Chapter newsletter, please contact Ken Schmitt via his email kenor@juno. com. The newsletter is a great way of keeping up to date with the on goings or you can visit our website www.stcloudmuskies.com. Have a safe season on the water, Ken Smith
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Brainerd Lakes
18031 Heritage Road • Brainerd, MN 56401 218-838-5509 – Donny Hines www.brainerdmuskies.com Meets 2nd Tuesday 7:00 PM, Water Fall Inn, Hwy 371 north of Brainerd by Brainerd International Raceway.
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chapter news & views (Continued from page 33)
39
Fox River Valley
1253 Cobblers Crossing, Elgin, IL 601230 847-741-9771 – Rich Gallagher www.frvmuskie.com Meetings and banquets: Chandlers Chop House at the Schaumburg Golf Club, 401 N. Roselle Rd. Schaumburg, IL 60194. Dinner will be available starting at 6PM.
The next Fox River Valley Chapter general meeting is on Wednesday night, August 8th. Our speaker will be Bob Taylor. Bob is guide and expert on Central Illinois lakes like Evergreen, McMaster, and Spring. This is our first general chapter meeting after the two month summer break, so we hope to see a lot of you at the Schaumburg Golf Club with stories of successful summer trips! Also in August... we’re looking for volunteers to help out at the Bartlett Kid’s Fishing Derby on Saturday, August 4th. FRV has been helping run this event for many years but attendance has grown and we need your help. The event is held at Beaver Pond just off of Stearns Road. Check our website for more details. On Wednesday, September 12th, our club speaker will be guide Eric Larsen. Eric, owner of the RubberyHairy Tackle Company, guides for the big fish of the Green Bay and Winnebago system. As many of our members know, this area routinely produces some MONSTER fish... so you might want to see what Eric has to say about that! Coming up on Saturday, October 27th; our Fall Challunge on the Chain Tournament. With the downturn of water temps on the Chain this time of year... the action usually heats up! If you haven’t fished one of FRV’s tournaments before, you’ve been missing out. Tournament headquarters is at Famous Freddies on Pistakee Lake. One more reminder... please keep a lookout for our annual “Cash is King” or “Mega-raffle” type fundraisers during the late summer/early fall period. We usually reach out to our members to let them know, but if you check our website periodically you’ll be the first to know! As always, please visit our website at www.frvmuskie.com for more information on all 2012 FRV speakers, meetings, fundraising events, tournaments, stocking, and youth outings. Mark Lamont
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Bemidji/Cass Lake
16256 Andrusia Rd NE • Cass Lake, MN 56633 218-335-8597 http://www.muskiesinc.com/chapters/46/index.html
Hi Muskie World, we’re keeping it short this time around as MUSKIE FISHING is open in MN!! Here in the northern part of the state water temps have definitely gone up above normal averages for our opener and beginning part of the season. This usually puts a dent in what is often a great early season open water trolling bite and gets those fish up in the weeds and on the shallow breaklines earlier than usual. That’s ok as most of us would rather chase them casting anyways! The weeds have definitely grown up faster than most years with some really lush growth so far and with the prime cabbage already getting fully topped out in many areas. The early ice out here in the north has promoted both the increase in water temps and increased light penetration for a longer period which really gave the weeds a jump start. More aggressive tactics/bigger baits will get some action earlier in the season as a result. Those in the know (now including all who read this) will also be throwing a lot of topwater. In our relatively clear water and with bug hatches expected to peak earlier than most years, there’s going to be some serious early action in that area often overlooked as the most key period of “structure” on any lake – the surface! Don’t forget that the surface over open water can also produce a hot bite at times when the bugs are up and the ciscoes/whitefish are ravaging the bugs, leaving those critical baitfish open to a ravaging by the hungry muskies sure to be nearby. Many of us had a real blast at our chapters “night before the opener” social held at Kevin Cochran’s house. It’s a great way to share info about the upcoming season, talk about lessons learned from the previous season and in general get totally stoked about the start of the season. A lot can be learned from these gatherings as a lot of good sticks show up and are available to talk to and learn from. Thanks Kevin and Laurie for hosting the great time again this year!
34 MUSKIE.....July / August 2012
Our lure auction back in late April was a resounding success with decent attendance and a lot of stuff donated to the club by everyone attending. We’d like to thank Duff Thury for donating one of his Headlocks and a “special” Supernatural to the event. They really help the clubs bottom line at the end of the night! We’d also like to thank Ethan Rogers for his donation of a new/never used Tackle Industries rod to the event, very nicely done Ethan. Our club will have had its other fundraiser of the year on June 16th, our chapter tournament. One of the primary goal of the tournament is to present a scholarship check to the Aquatic Biology program at Bemidji State University. We’ll be sure to get some results in the next issue of Muskie for everyone. We’re anticipating it will have been an awesome day of fishing! Don’t forget we’ve got some great chapter outings scheduled once a month all summer long beginning in July and going through November; here is the schedule: July 22 (Sunday) – Pike Bay (south of Cass Lake) (9am-5pm) August 25 (Saturday) – Lake Plantagenet (1pm-9pm) September 16 (Sunday) – Cass Lake (9am-5pm) October 13 (Saturday) – Big Mantrap (10am-6pm) November 11 (Sunday) – Lake Bemidji (9am-5pm) It would be great to have a few new folks or people from other chapters who’d like to join us and learn a little about the great waters we have in our area. Contact info and additional details are available on our chapter website; it would be great to know if someone’s going to make it in advance. Until next time, have a great season everybody! Respectfully submitted, Brian Johnson, Secretary
Penn Jersey
50
Sebastian Musumeci, President 510 Bryton Ave., Pottstown, PA 19465 484-459-5940 • Website: www.mi50.com Meets at 7pm on 1st Wed. at Casey’s Bar on Corner of Cherry and California Rds, Quakerstown, PA.
Fishing Local rivers where down several feet below normal for most of the spring and kept us on PA and NJ lakes. Some of our local lakes and reservoir water temps have been unseasonably warm reaching 65 degrees in the back bays before the end of April. However, while some fish responded to our offerings rewarding some of our members with some spring muskies, the frustrating “lazy follow” has been the report most often heard in March and April. Our Spring Club Tournament will again be a two day event, held on May 19th and 20th with food, drinks and prizes awarded afterwards. Fundraisers/Lure Auction This year’s MI50 Lure Auction Fundraiser raised a record total of $6,490.50. Thanks to Sylvia Spitzer, Art Knute, Tim Jedrejczyk, Greg Ridge, Bidders and special thanks to all of the builders who generously donated their beautiful plugs and buck tails. This effort will equate to 649 Advanced Fingerlings being purchased and stocked in Eastern PA! Bids were received from Canada and from the following states: Indiana, Wisconsin, Virginia, Iowa, Minnesota, Maryland, Kentucky, Ohio, New York, and Illinois. Thanks for your support! Our Musky School is being held June 3rd with 16 paid students will raise additional funds to support our stocking plan. Stocking Update In a meeting with the PBFC it was decided which local lakes and rivers would be receiving stockings in the Fall of 2012. Approximately 2,300 Advanced Fingerlings will be stocked in the fall of 2012 in various lakes and rivers. MI50 will participate in a tagging program of our fish in 2013 with the PBFC. We will tag every fish that we stock in our local rivers. Community MI50 along with two local bass clubs held our annual Spring Marsh Creek Lake clean up. We had a good turn out with 13 members of MI50 helping out! Cabela’s and MI50 will be getting involved with the Make a Wish Foundation. Whenever MI50 and or Cabela’s in Hamburg, PA are contacted, we will be the club to grant a kid’s wish to go fishing. Michael DiGuiseppe
Larry Besant, March 13, 1935 - March 13, 2012 Chapter 52 lost a strong ambassador for our muskie fishing program and a tremendous person who was always willing to extend a helping hand to anyone. Larry organized the original charter of Daniel Boone Chapter 52 in 2004 and was our first president. Larry also held positions of Regional VP and Regional Director at the national level of Muskies, Inc. Today our chapter has 100-plus members, and because of the work and relationships Larry established with the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Department we have strong stocking programs in 3 reservoirs along with numerous rivers and creeks throughout Eastern KY. At our 2011 Annual Awards Banquet on Saturday, March 10, 2012, Larry was celebrated as the first inductee into the newly formed Chapter 52 Hall of Fame. The ceremony was shared live with Larry at his new lake house in Centralia, Illinois via the Skype internet program. On March 24th, Chapter 52 held a tribute to Larry, at the Carl Perkins Community Center, Morehead, KY that included friends from the Morehead community and many fellow constituents from Morehead State University where Larry retired as Head Librarian. Larry’s enthusiasm for life and especially for muskie fishing will be missed, but we will carry forward the values and enjoyments he helped found for us. Sincerely, Scott Smalley, President
www.muskiesinc.org
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Southwest Ohio Muskie Association 524 Sterling Meadows Place • Brookville, OH 45309 (937) 833-1833 • Email: kbd.jarrod@gmail.com Meetings are the second Tuesday of each month, 7:00 p.m., Marion’s Pizza @ the Traffic Circle.
There was a club first at the March club outing. Donnie of the team Don and Donnie (father and son) caught a 35.5 inch Musky on a fly rod; take a look at the photo. We now have several people displaying and discussing musky flies on our forums. We made $1600 on our internet lure auction. I hope everyone was able to bid. There were some beautiful hand painted lures on the block. The speaker at our April meeting was Greg Them from Extreme Musky Lures. He gave an excellent presentation on the history of the company and provided a number of insights into the art of lure making. Several lures where donated to the club. The Cabin Fever Challunge on Green River Lake was a success. There were 32 fish caught by the 37 entrants. The weather was great and the food was better. A good time was had by all. Club outing information and more is available at www.soma56.com Bruce Voorhees
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52
Daniel Boone
813 US 62, Maysville, KY 41056 Phone: 606.759-7610 • e-mail: lbesant@adelphia.net President: Larry X. Besant Meets on Fridays-call or email.
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chapter news & views (Continued from page 35)
57
NW TigeR Pac
P.O. Box 5515, Kent, WA 98064 www.nwtigermuskies.org email: nwmuskie@comcast.net Hot line: (253) 850-5889 • Norm Dillon, President
Chapter 57 celebrated its 5th anniversary on May 17th with free pizza and pop for all in attendance. We also had a beautiful cake made by professional chef Chantelle who is the daughter of new members Trent and Carolyn. Thank you Chantelle. Thank you also to Round Table Pizza for letting us use your meeting room for the last 4.5 years, it’s great to be able to eat pizza, etc. while we have our meeting. We have 69 members from mostly the Westside of the state now after helping to get Chapter 60 started over in Spokane on the Eastside. Ed H, Chapter 60 member but former 57 member, drove 4 hours to help us celebrate. Jack Tipping, retired WDFW biologist that set the Washington state Tiger Muskie Program in motion over 20 years ago, was also in attendance. Thanks for coming, it’s always great to see both of you. A fun time was had by all 22 in attendance and there was much talk about all the friendships started and fun times had through the years. We have managed to do a lot since Perry and Jani did all that hard work to get the chapter started. A big THANK YOU to the both of you for sticking with it through it all. Some of the accomplishments of Chapter 57 in just those five years include: raising $15,000 for the WDFW Tiger Muskie Program; getting the WDFW minimum size limit changed from 36 to 50 inches with Don W’s help; maintaining a booth at the Sportsman Show every year; putting on a Muskie School with Larry Ramsell as a guest speaker and putting on indoor pool lure demonstrations; and helping Chapter 60 get started. WooHoo! I think that’s a lot to be proud of in 5 short years along with all the Chapter and Open tournaments that we have held. By the way, another 5,200 or so baby Tiger Muskies were release into Washington’s 7 TM lakes this month with help from Chapters 57 and 60. Speaking of tournaments, Mike F. won our May Mayfield tournament and as his was the only Tiger Muskie to commit to biting he won the $50.00 gift certificate to the Viking Café in Mossyrock for big fish that was donated by Ken. Thank you Ken! A reminder that our upcoming tournaments are July 14 Merwin, August 4 Merwin, Sept. 7-9 Mayfield Open, Sept. 15-16 Curlew (Chapter 60 sponsored) and Oct. 6 Merwin. If you need accommodations for any of the tourneys and don’t have reservations yet you better get busy and get those made if you still can. There should be an update in the next News and Views about our June 9th Lake Tapps tournament, hopefully some big Tiger Muskies will be CPRed there. As of May 20th only 4 Tiger Muskies have been recorded on the log by chapter members. Two by Mike F and 2 by new member Trent R.. Are you going to give Mike a run for the money Trent ? Brett, I know you have caught some already, why haven’t you recorded them? Hopefully by publishing time there will be a bunch more listed. Good luck out there you all. This will be my last News and Views article and it’s been fun writing them. Hope you’ve enjoyed them too. Since Bill and I moved to the eastside it has become harder to write them since we aren’t participating in any chapter functions anymore. We use our gas money to come over the hill to see the kids and grandkids for their special events instead of attending chapter meetings and tournaments and they never seem to occur at times that we could do both. We miss visiting with all of you and helping with meetings, tournaments etc. and we look forward to keeping informed about all your happenings through the website and the News and Views. This brings me to my request. I hope someone will be willing to take on the writing of the News and Views so that we can stay informed of all the goings on even though we live too far away to participate anymore. It isn’t hard and only needs to be done 6 times a year now. It would help if you at least attend some of the functions but as you can see you don’t have to if you have a great secretary and/or president that sends you all the information about what’s going on. Here’s to a Great fishing season for all. Rosann Green
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Mountain Muskies
Email: douglaswood@comcast.net Website: www.mountainmuskies.com 509-263-7235 Meets every 4th Tuesday at 6:30 pm @ the VFW, 300 West Mission Ave., Spokane, Wash.
Finally summer is returning to the Inland Northwest and we are returning to the waters. On April 14 we completed our first tournament, the Pend Oreille River pike slam. Twelve boats and 26 fishermen/ladies battled it out with David Szymarek taking first place; Jody Wiggins second place; and Amanda Kendall third place. Twenty-six experienced pike fishermen capturing only three 33” and 34” pike. The government pike eradication program on the river has definitely taken its toll. May 5 took us to a lake near Spokane for the annual kids fishing day. 800 kids assaulting about 30 fishermen volunteers from several clubs and net pens full of trout. Combat fishing on the banks of the Kenai River in Alaska wouldn’t hold a candle to the sheer bedlam on the beaches and docks that day. Many of the little boys and girls had never caught a fish in their lives. It was truly gratifying to see the excitement on their faces upon catching the first fish of their lives. One little girl finally hooked a fish after an hour of trying. Several yelled at her to run up the beach and pull the fish in, which she did. The trout got off the hook a foot from the water and began flopping back into the water, her hopes disappearing. I lunged down and swiped it with one hand back up onto the beach whereupon the girl’s parents captured it. “Why, he did that just like an old bear”, they exclaimed. I took that as a compliment. Be sure to help at a kids’ event for your chapter. Starting out the next generation of fishermen “will literally be in your hands”. May 12 brought the anxious anticipation of the first Tiger muskie tournament of the season at Silver Lake. Eleven nimrods (why do hunters claim that term when we NIMBLE fishermen have the RODS?) tackled the cool spring waters. The team of Herb Zielke and Doug Grove landed a 33” tiger and appeared to be heading for the winner’s circle. But 15 minutes prior to the bell, I heard a loud Whoop! The team of Doug Wood and Mark Kendall had 34” on. It was amusing watching the net, measuring board, and camera flying to beat the clock. Off they roared in the USS Ponderay across the lake sliding across home plate with a minute to spare! Those were the fish totals for the day but we were pleased that the winners were determined by fish and not raffle. The next day was to be day 2 of the weekend tournament for pike next at the river but it was cancelled to spare harassing the few remaining pike. The next newsletter will report on the June 16 Silver Lake and the July 21 Newman Lake Tiger tournaments. Now all members are encouraged to gear up for the August 18 Newman Lake tournament and September 14-16 Essoxaganza at Curlew Lake where we will attempt to capture back our coveted Golden Bucket from the thieves from NW TIGER PAC Chapter 57! The waters are warming which truly means its Tiger Time, Chuck Gades, Secretary
Muskies, Inc. Past Presidents Gil Hamm Edward T. Peterka Robert Hill Robert Shoop Frank Schneider Peter Hadley DuWayne Bakke Lou Cook Peter Hadley Bob Schmidt Larry Ramsell Lou Cook
Keith Ogden Bill Davis Steve Statland John Hotle Jim Blaubach Steve Budnik Jim Smith Paul Framsted Perry Smith Greg Wells David Cates Dan Narsete
Focus on Chapter 29 Upper Great Plains Chapter Highlights Chapter 29 assisted the Okoboji Middle School with classroom and on-the-water fishing sessions on May 2, May 10, and May 11. Approximately seventy 7th grade students from the Okoboji Middle School participated in the Fish Iowa Program. This was the first opportunity the students had had to use the spinning combos Chapter 29 had purchased for the school several months earlier. The fishing sessions were very successful as the students caught about 60 fish ranging from bullheads to perch to walleyes; hope you enjoy our photos! The Upper Great Plains chapter will hold two outings during 2012. The June 2 outing will be held at Templar’s Park on Spirit Lake. The theme of that outing is “bring a non-member-introduce someone to the chapter and/or muskie fishing”. The August 4 outing will also be held at Templar’s Park with a theme of “bring a youth-get young people involved in fishing”. Additional details on these outings will be available on the chapter’s website. The 2012 activities will culminate with our annual Fall and Idso tournaments. The Fall tournament is scheduled for September 15-16 and the Idso tournament for October 6. Additional details on these tournaments will be available on the chapter’s website: http://www.muskieclub.com/ events.htm September 20: Chapter 29 board meeting October 6: Idso Tournament October 18: Chapter 29 board meeting November 20: Chapter 29 board meeting December 13: Chapter 29 board meeting.
Monthly board meetings are held at 6:00 pm at the Perkins Restaurant in Milford, Iowa. All chapter members and the public are encouraged to attend. Steve Horswell
www.muskiesinc.org
July / August 2012...MUSKIE 37
◆ FOCUS ON CHAPTER 29 ◆
Upcoming 2012 Activities July 19: Chapter 29 board meeting August 4: Summer Outing at Templar Park, Spirit Lake August 16: Chapter 29 board meeting September 15-16: Fall Tournament
Muskies, Inc.
1509 Stahl Road Sheboygan, WI 53081 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED