Musky Ad.8x10.5 Layout 1 1/14/15 3:13 PM Page 1 · Musky Ad.8x10.5_Layout 1 1/14/15 3:13 PM Page 1. Name___ Phone _ Address _ City & State _ Zip___ ... Thank you to

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

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MAIL TO MUSKIES, INC. 1509 Stahl RoadSheboygan, WI 53081

1-888-710-8286

Regular Membership: ❑ 1 Year-$35.00* ❑ 2 Years-$65.00 ❑ 3 Years- $95.00Family Membership: ❑ 1 Year-$47.50* ❑ 2 Years-$90.00 ❑ 3 Years-$132.50Junior Membership (Under 18): ❑ $20.00* ❑ For Donation $________ * Addresses outside the U.S. must add an additional $15 per year (U.S. funds) to cover postage.

Payment: ❑ Check or ❑ Credit Card:

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

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

ContentsMUSKIE • VOl. 49, NO. 2

Join Muskies, Inc. ...or give a member ship as a gift.

❑ VISA ❑ MasterCard

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 2014 by Muskies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Departments1 About the Cover, Sean Landsman2 President’s Message, Jay Zahn3 Index of Advertisers4 MUSKIE News5 Lunge Log, Dan Koniewicz7 Advertiser Spotlight, Sportsman’s Repair Shop8 Figure 8, Sean Landsman10 Member Photos, Brad Waldera16 Photo Contest, Brad Waldera25 Chapter News and Views

Features12 Wisconsin’s Muskellunge Management Team, Patricia Strutz17 Creek Paradox - Small Water, Big Lures, Chris Haley20 Odyssey 2015: The Muskies Canada Biannual Spring Muskie Exposition, Peter Levick, Joe Inrig, and Gary George

www.muskiesinc.org March / April 2015.....MUSKIE 1

About the CoVeRIt’s March and spring is just around the corner.

Soon those bare, leafless trees will be bursting with green as we see in the background of this issue’s cover image. the photo was sent in to us by “Coach” Jim Wilson (Pomme de terre Chapter 5) and shows almost 16 year-old tyler turner holding a 40 incher. Coach reports that the fish fell for a bucktail with a dented blade. In fact, it was that oddball bait which produced all the action that day: four muskies for tyler and his fishing buddy Chase Wilson. Spring can’t come soon enough!

- Sean

Board of DirectorsExecutive CommitteePresident, Jay ZahnPhone: 920-660-7655Email: [email protected]

VP Finance/Treasurer, Jim ShannonPhone: 763-434-9729Email: [email protected]

VP Fisheries & Research, Elmer Heyob Phone: 937-309-5359Email: [email protected]

VP Internal Affairs, Dan KoniewiczPhone: 847-682-9238 Email: [email protected]

VP Membership & Marketing, Greg WellsPhone: 920-457-3720Email: [email protected]

VP Communications, Ron TeschnerPhone: 701-640-0544Email: [email protected]

VP Youth Activities, Kevin BushnickPhone: 847-987-3622Email: [email protected]

Corporate Secretary, Carl PhillipsPhone: 763-972-8240Email: [email protected]

Past-President, Dan NarseteEmail: [email protected] Regional Representatives are also

Executive Committee Members

Regional RepresentativesRegion 1 Term Expires *Greg Kvale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2016 Eric Schultz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2014 Jeff Young . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2015Region 2 *Jeff Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2015 Robert Petzke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2016 Joe Heil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2017Region 3 *Max Machuta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2013 Jim Evers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2014 Robert Roe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2015Region 4 *Earle Hammond. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2015 Frank Walter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2016 Kimberly Cates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2017 * = Senior Regional Representative

SupportAdministrative Secretary, Ellen Wells1509 Stahl Road, Sheboygan, WI 53081Phone: 888-710-8286Email: [email protected]

Executive Accountant, Kathryn GoonPhone: 419-945-2940Email: [email protected]

Merchandising Director, Will SchultzPhone: 616-447-1688Email: [email protected]

Web Master, Randy loeweckePhone: 815-520-3628Email: [email protected]

It has been four years since Past President Dan Narsete turned Gil Hamm’s gavel over to me in Madison. I can’t believe it has been four years. Looking back it’s been a whirlwind experience; one which has been rewarding. I can’t begin to tell you about all the people I have had the pleasure of meeting over the last few years. I wouldn’t do it justice and I would almost certainly leave people out. I would, however, like to thank the members of the Board and especially the Executive Committee members for all of the work they put in behind the scene. Without their tireless approach to the issues faced by our organization, we wouldn’t be able to conduct the business we do. Thanks for all of your hard work.

Thank you to Carl Phillips for stepping up to become our new President. Carl will take the reins April 18th in Green Bay at our Annual Board meeting. Carl resides in Minnesota and hails from the Twin Cities Chapter. I think it is fitting Carl will be in office during our 50th anniversary in 2016. Mark your calendars for the celebration as it will coincide with the Hugh Becker Symposium. This is being planned as you are reading this. The dates for this event are March 11th – 15th, 2016. More information will come as we get closer to the event.

I would like to thank all members who take the time to step up and volunteer to be an officer. Volunteering is what we are all about. Take a look around the muskie world; I believe it is where it is today because of Muskies, Inc. chapters. You are what make us strong. Muskies, Inc. is set up differently than other conservation organizations. We don’t require our chapters to send money to the organization to run our pro-grams. Gil Hamm thought – and I agree – our chapters would be able to spend their money in their areas wisely and look at the results. Muskie fishing has never been better.

Thanks to Kevin Bushnick our VP of Youth. Kevin has been putting on Youth events which have become very successful. Youth is where it

The President’s Messageby Jay Zahn, Muskies, Inc. President

Email: [email protected]

2 MUSKIE..... March / April 2015

MUSKIE Magazine StaffEDITOR & MAGAZINE DESIGNAmy Penza105 Fairview laneNekoosa, WI 54457Phone: (715) 213-7206Email: [email protected]

ASSISTANT EDITORSean landsmanPhone: (217) 649-4449Email: [email protected] CONTEST EDITORBrad WalderaPhone: (701) 403-5882Email: [email protected] LOG EDITORMembers Only Fishing ContestJim BunchPhone: (715) 226-0295Email: [email protected] SALES TEAMKevin Richards, Advertising ManagerPhone: (573) 280-2300Email: [email protected] SALES REPRESENTATIVES:Harlan FierstinePhone: (218) 255-3461 Email: [email protected] PischkePhone: (920) 676-7893Email: [email protected] ACCOUNT MANAGERSunray Printing Solutions, Inc. - Stacey ThielenILLUSTRATORS/CARTOONISTSRichard Gross, Charles WeissFIELD EDITORSPatricia Strutz, Ace Sommerfeld,Kevin Pischke, Kevin Richards, Rick Helm, Adam M. Glickman

MUSKIE is published exclusively for the membership of Muskies, Inc. and subscriptions come with a paid membership. Muskies, Inc. is a non-profit organiza-tion. 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.

is at. If we want to have Muskies, Inc. continue in the future we have to get our children involved in the outdoors. Kevin’s program is doing just that. Individual chapters are also running youth outings. If a chapter would like to look into how to put on a youth event, contact Kevin. He has a template that you can follow and I’m sure he would give feedback to make your event more successful. Check it out.

I could go on and on thanking everyone but I will certainly leave someone out and I don’t want to do that. Just suffice to say, I was proud to be Muskies, Inc.’s President for the past four years and I thank you, the membership, and my family for putting up with me. Thank you and hope to see everyone from time to time.

Grab em’ by the Tail,- Jay Zahn (Soon-to-be Past President)

CHAOS TACKLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16CHAPTER 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26CHAPTER 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28CHAPTER 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27CHAPTER 28 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30CHAPTER 39 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24CHAPTER 42 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35FITTANTE REPLICAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13GIVE A 2015 CALENDAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8HUGH BECKER MUSKIE SYMPOSIUM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21LAKEWOOD PRODUCTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19LURE PARTS ONLINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15MINNESOTA MUSKIE EXPO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9MUSKIE CONTENT DEADLINES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25ODYSSEY 2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23PROPER MUSKIE HOLDING TECHNIQUES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10RAYJUS CUSTOM SHIRTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37RED WING LODGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11SPORT SHOW LOCATOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3SPORTSMAN’S REPAIR SHOP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7ST . CROIX RODS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFCT’S TACKLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BACK COVERYOUNG’S WILDERNESS CAMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

March / April 2015.....MUSKIE 3

DATES EVENTNAME&WEBSITE LOCATION CITY STATE PHONEMadisonFishingExpowww.madfishexpo.comWisconsinMuskyExpowww.wimuskyexpo.comMinnesotaMuskieExpo

www.minnesotamuskieexpo.comApril10‐12

(715)891‐8856WIWausauPatriotCenter

ConcordiaUniversity (763)786‐6031MNSt.Paul

March6‐8

SPORT SHOW LOCATORCalendar of upcoming events in 2015

(608)245‐1040WIMadisonExhibitionHallattheAlliantCenterFeb.27‐March1

www.muskiesinc.org

in addition to their brochures. I would imagine any of our attor-ney members would be happy to advise you what to do and how to do it. My good friend and former Muskies, Inc. President, David Cates, I feel would be more than happy to help you out. [Editor’s comment from Rick Helm: I am also an attorney. David is now a judge and probably would not be able to assist, other than to direct members to a source. The best source is your personal attorney. There are many options for gifts, depending on amount and your tax situation: a direct bequest, a charitable remainder trust, a funded life insurance policy with Muskies, Inc. as the beneficiary. Each member will need to consult an attorney in the state where they reside, as the law is different for each jurisdiction. Don’t have one? Get one!]

I began to think, what could I do with my piddling little estate to make the biggest splash? Where have I directed most of my time?

Here’s my point. When all is said and done and there is couple of nickels left in the pot, spend it. If you have been relatively suc-cessful over the years and during your working career, your wife has been taken care of and your kids too. The little bit that you can offer will expand greatly over time.

I know many of you have heard of Hugh Becker and his founda-tion that the Twin Cities Chapter distributes each year for specific muskie stocking or other worthy projects. Hugh passed away in 2007, and a gentleman by the name of George Selcke administers the trust as Executor of the estate. So far the Twin Cities Chapter has distributed around $687,000.00 to be distributed to our chap-ters for good muskie projects. That is a lot of money going into our favorite sport. Think a minute of how that could be com-pounded if we all left a sum of our dollars.

There is another available fund, The Gil Hamm Memorial Fund. Now, before I get in over my head, I would suggest you Google the Hugh C. Becker Foundation. I would also get in contact with Lorin Nevling, Muskies, Inc. Corporate Secretary. I have talked with George Selcke and Lorin Nevling, both by phone and email, in putting this article together. Jim Shannon, our V.P, is another person to ask questions of.

The purpose of my interest in writing this article is to expose our membership to the dollars that are currently available for most muskie projects. It is important that you make contacts with your state game and fish depart-ments as well as other federal agencies. Then write up your request for funding and submit it through the proper channels, for consideration. Let us not forget about creating your lega-cy gifts.

- Past President, Jim Smith

David Cates retires as Field EditorApproximately 15 years ago, David Cates, past president, was

asked to help with proofreading content for MUSKIE, and so he volunteered. As he toiled to see that articles met at least minimum standards for the English language, he was given several raises of salary [doubling and even tripling the base rate of zero] by the Editor in Chief (at the time), Kevin Richards. A promotion to Field Editor later came with similar increases in remuneration. Eventually he was joined by another volunteer, recruited by David, in part to ease the workload while David was the holder of several offices in Muskies, Inc. Recently, Mr. Cates was sworn in as Judge of Kosciusko Superior Court #1, Warsaw, Indiana, and has elected to retire as Field Editor. The members of Muskies, Inc. should thank Judge Cates for his years of service as Field Editor, which have helped make the magazine the fine, readable, and understandable publication it has been, each and every time, over many years.

On that note, there is now an opening for a volunteer proof-reader for MUSKIE magazine. The job entails a few hours every other month to proof already-edited content for MUSKIE. Everything is done via email with an occasional phone call. If you feel you are qualified, please email your résumé to Amy Penza, [email protected].

- Rick Helm, Field Editor, and sole surviving proofreaderMake your will, your trust, and your estate plan into

your legacyFor those of you who are new to Muskies, Inc. or may not recall

who I am, I joined in 1990 and became a Life Member in 1997. I served as President 1997-1999, was elected to the Muskies, Inc. Hall of Fame in 2002 and elected Editor Emeritus in 2007, after serving as your editor for five years.

Recently my wife and I decided to update our family trust. It had been ten years since we moved from Colorado to Arizona. There were some changes I had been thinking about doing. One was to establish a program to leave a few dollars to a couple of charitable organizations to which I have belonged and worked for over my life. High on my list was, of course Muskies, Inc.

Now, here is the deal! It costs me nothing to make these chang-es. The transfer can be made upon my demise and leave whatever my wife would enjoy keeping in memory of me.

Most large conservation organizations have brochures and sup-port materials explaining in detail what is needed to add this com-ponent to your existing family trust or will. This is so simple; it is like a “Slam-Dunk”. Here is the bottom line. There are a multi-tude of good conservation organizations and organizations like Muskies, Inc. who can use the funding to further their causes. Any amount that you can offer will grow over the years geometrically. Take advantage of it.

Most charitable organizations provide Sample Trust Provisions


We are saddened to report that right before this issue went to the printer we got news that Jim Smith passed away on January 31st, 2015. Jim was a great supporter of Muskies, Inc. and MUSKIE magazine. It seems fitting that this was the last article he shared with our members. We send our condolences to Jim’s family and friends. We will have a

story about Jim in the May issue of MUSKIE.

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2014 Has Officially Closed for the Season

Hello to all. I have had to step in and write this column for my good friend Jim Bunch. Jim had a sudden illness over the past month and as a result was unable to write this entry. We wish him a speedy recovery.

The 2014 Lunge Log officially stopped accepting entries on January 12th, 2015. If you missed getting your fish entered for the year, you can still do so, but these entries will not count in the 2014 contest. We know this is important to our members to keep their individual fish list up to date. The reason for the early January contest end date is so we can compile the stats and to finalize the Members Only Contest standings. Remember that we have been requesting that you report your muskies within 30 days of the catch date for the contest eligibility.

In 2014 we had a total of 14,083 entered into the Lunge Log. This is not a record for the Members Only Contest. However, it is an increase over the 13,232 that were recorded in 2013. A total of 1,195 of Muskies, Inc. members entered fish into the contest. The entries came from 998 men members, 102 women members, and 95 junior members. This equates to about 20 percent of the Muskies, Inc membership participating and contributing to the Lunge Log. For all of you that entered fish in 2014, thanks for your help in continuing to build our muskie

catch data base.

There always seems to be some confusion regarding the Muskies, Inc. Master’s Divisions. The Master’s destinations for the Members Only Contest happens only one time a year and that is on January 1st. In order to become a Master in the Members Only Contest you need to have caught, registered, and released 250, if you are Men’s members, or 100 is you are a Woman’s member.

Some new Muskies, Inc. members like Josiah Kaetterhenry, from Wild Rose, WI recorded their first catch into the Lunge Log. Others like Jeff Hanson of Verona, WI recorded 175 catches. Wow, what a year of muskie fishing for you Jeff! Again, thanks to both of you for taking the time to enter your fish.

Now we all know that muskie fishing, for many of us, is hitting that magical 50 inch mark. In 2014, Muskies, Inc. members did their fair share of catching fish to meet this 50 inch mark. During the year we registered 240 fish that meet or exceeded that 50 inch barrier. That is about 1.8 percent of the catches reported for the year.

Now, for a recap of some of our contest winners. The largest catch of the year was recorded by Paul Findlan. Paul’s fish was caught in September out of the St. Lawrence River. This is the second year in a row that the St. Lawrence has produced the big fish in our contest. Catherine Latoza of the Fox River Valley Chapter registered a 55 inch monster that was caught on Lake St. Clair to take top honors for the Muskies, Inc. woman. The largest Junior’s release was caught and released by Reily Sieren. Reily’s fish was 52 inches and also was caught on Lake St. Clair.

Again, thanks to all of the members who entered fish into the Lunge Log.

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Date Chapter Member City/State Size (inches) Lake/River Lure/BaitJanuary 10, 2014 9 Charles Carpenter Harrisville, WV 42.00 NF Hughes River, WV Crane BaitFebruary 1, 2014 9 Daniel Haddox Harrisville, WV 49.50 Tygart River, WV Red OctoberMarch 29, 2014 9 Bernie Klug Proctor, WV 48.00 Mid. Island Creek, WV Klug‐OApril 8, 2014 59 Matt Pelletier Albuquerque, NM 48.50 Bluewater Lake, NM Herky JerkMay 26, 2014 3 Brian Zofkie Crestwood, IL 51.00 Fox River, WI ShowgirlMay 30, 2014 16 Levi Metheny Bethel Park, PA 51.00 Stonecoal Lake, WV Cobb JerkMay 31, 2014 19 Thomas Johnson Canton, OH 51.00 Salt Fork Lake, OH Strike KingJune 20, 2014 16 Joel Morrow Ford City, PA 54.50 Lake St. Clair, ON BakerJuly 26, 2014 8 Jeff Hanson Verona, WI 55.25 Lake St. Clair, ON Spanky FireballAugust 6, 2014 69 Andrew Lacko Kenmore, NY 55.00 St. Lawrence River, NY Bondy BaitAugust 27, 2014 4 Scott Gille Little Suamica, WI 55.00 Green Bay, WI Plastic September 26, 2014 16 Paul Findlan Franklin, PA 56.25 St. Lawrence River, ON HosebaitOctober 18, 2014 39 Michael Chisamore Wheaton, IL 53.50 Eagle Lake, ON Legend PerchOctober 31, 2014 21 Jason Hamernick Wyoming, MN 53.50 Mille Lacs, MN Bull DawgNovember 24, 2014 23 Francis Stack Lorain, OH 53.50 Lake St. Clair, MI MedusaDecember 15, 2014 8 Matt (Catfish) Firestein Chesterfield, MI 52.00 Lake St. Clair, MI Bull Dawg

Lunker of the Month 2014


Chapter City StateMuskies Caught

Points

1 Jeff M. Hanson 8 Verona WI 175 2,2162 Maurice J Potvin 41 Baltimore OH 152 1,7883 George Weber 56 Kettering OH 134 1,7324 David White 18 Moundsville WV 126 1,5595 Bruce A Ludke 12 Wrightstown WI 95 1,5466 Mark Pauling 41 Fremont OH 125 1,5197 J. Dean Davis 19 Coshocton OH 127 1,4818 Charles Schauer 12 Wisconsin Rapids WI 87 1,3649 Adam Andresky 16 Gibsonia PA 111 1,23710 Tad Martinez 19 North Canton OH 115 1,227

Men's Masters Division for 2014Rank / Member

Name

Chapter Size (inches) Caught Lake County State1 Danny Kurttila 0 50.00 October 20, 2014 Pineview Reservoir Weber UT2 Matt Pelletier 59 48.50 April 8, 2014 Bluewater Lake Cibola NM3 Leif Spilde 8 48.25 July 26, 2014 Lake St. Clair Ontario ON4 Pete Bergman 57 48.00 July 12, 2014 Mayfield Lake Lewis WA5 Pete Bergman 57 47.50 July 13, 2014 Merwin Cowlitz WA6 Brett Anderson 3 47.00 July 20, 2014 Indian Lake Chain Ontario ON6 Mike Crisanti 57 47.00 August 15, 2014 Merwin Cowlitz WA8 Michael Floyd 57 46.75 June 27, 2014 Merwin Cowlitz WA9 Pete Bergman 57 46.50 July 19, 2014 Merwin Cowlitz WA9 Pete Bergman 57 46.50 July 19, 2014 Mayfield Lake Lewis WA

Hybrid Top 10 for 2014Rank / Member Name Chapter City State Muskies Caught Points

1 Kendall Hill 33 Duluth MN 39 5272 Seth Niday 8 Oregon WI 36 4693 Charles Neville 41 Summit Station OH 21 2294 Jesse Karau 12 Mosinee WI 15 1875 William Neville 41 Gahanna OH 16 1836 Robbie Jarnigo 8 Lake Mills WI 15 1737 Ryan Sailer 2 Rosemount MN 22 1738 Allison Klug 9 Proctor WV 12 1669 Elysa Amberg 37 Becker MN 15 15410 Levi Metheny 16 Bethel Park PA 15 143

Junior's Division for 2014Rank / Member Name


Points

1 Jeff M. Hanson 8 Verona WI 175 2,2162 Maurice J Potvin 41 Baltimore OH 152 1,7883 George Weber 56 Kettering OH 134 1,7324 David White 18 Moundsville WV 126 1,5595 Bruce A Ludke 12 Wrightstown WI 95 1,5466 Mark Pauling 41 Fremont OH 125 1,5197 J. Dean Davis 19 Coshocton OH 127 1,4818 Charles Schauer 12 Wisconsin Rapids WI 87 1,3649 Adam Andresky 16 Gibsonia PA 111 1,23710 Tad Martinez 19 North Canton OH 115 1,227

Men's Masters Division for 2014Rank / Member

Name


Points

1 Nikki Swain 42 Upland IN 28 3902 Vickie Banks 52 Wellington KY 28 3623 Jennifer Martinez 19 North Canton OH 27 3174 Donna Bork 11 Davenport IA 17 1565 Donna Ball 18 Hopedale OH 11 1406 Mary Lundberg 46 Lake Nebagamon WI 10 1297 Holly Neville 41 Gahanna OH 10 1208 Cheryl Ford 28 OFallon IL 10 1169 Linda Knutson 1 Hugo MN 6 10910 Stephanie Neville 41 Summit Station OH 10 103

Women's Division for 2014Rank / Member

NameChapter City State

Muskies Caught

Points

1 Deborah S. Crossley‐Davis 19 Coshocton OH 129 1,5382 Margaret Pauling 41 Fremont OH 115 1,4573 Catherine Latoza 39 Burbank IL 81 1,1354 Mary N. Arndt 41 Elmore OH 54 6415 Silvia Spitzer 50 Chadds Ford PA 32 5786 Charlotte Fuchs 19 No Canton OH 33 4587 Sheila McCord 9 Roanoke WV 18 2998 Lynne M. Dembiec 35 Hartland WI 21 2589 Pattie Miller 12 Eagle River WI 12 18010 Cindy Hegdahl 1 Bemidji MN 13 178

Women's Masters Division for 2014

Rank / Member Name


“Specialists in repair of �shing tackle”

1007 Pasha Ave. • Mosinee, WI 54455715-693-6634 • Fax: 715-693-7335 • [email protected] • www.sportsmansrepair.com

Warranty Service Center

Authorized Service Center

The Sportsman’s Repair Shop is a unique business because they only do repairs and the only repairs they make are on two types of products: 1) muskie fishing reels marketed by Abu Garcia, Daiwa, Penn, Shimano, and St. Croix; and 2) Minn Kota Trolling Motors

The business was started in 1971 as a gun shop repairing primarily firearms. As the years went by they started repairing many other types of sporting goods equipment including fishing reels, rods, archery equipment, crossbows, ice fishing equipment and electric fishing motors.

Chuck Brod, the owner, explains that having a degree in gunsmithing provided a very good base for repairing many other products which are mechanical in nature.

Chuck says that after 43 years in the business, The Sportsman’s Repair Shop has narrowed down the product lines that they repair to muskie reels and Minn Kota motors. They do not do product sales, only repairs.

They are a Warranty Service Center for Abu Garcia reels and an Authorized Service Center for all Minn Kota products. The Sportsman’s Repair Shop is the Warranty Service Center for all St. Croix reels. Chuck Brod has partnered with St. Croix to take over all of the warranty service for St. Croix reels. Chuck has purchased St. Croix’s extensive inventory of reel parts. Through this partnership both companies intend to provide the highest level of service possible. Please note that St. Croix rods are still being serviced by St. Croix Rods in Park Falls, Wisconsin.

Repairing muskie reels and Minn Kota motors keeps Chuck and his three employees busy throughout the year, but they still make time to fish for muskies. Muskie fishing is Chuck’s favorite pastime and working to improve muskie fisheries is very important to him. Chuck is a member of Muskies, Inc. and the Vice-President of the Musky Clubs Alliance of Wisconsin. Through the Alliance, about 25 muskie clubs, including at least 9 chapters of Muskies, Inc., work together on various projects and goals.

MUSKIE Field Editor Kevin Richards said, “I like doing business with MUSKIE advertisers and with people who know how special muskies are. If you ask around you hear good things about The Sportsman’s Repair Shop. I just sent a couple of Abu Garcia Revos to Chuck to make sure they are in top condition when I start chasing muskies again this spring.”

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This issue features a couple articles that touch on partnerships, which was a topic I wrote about in the September/October issue of MUSKIE. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I will say it again that part-nerships are vital to the betterment of our sport and the fisheries we care about.

What sets Muskies, Inc. apart is its reputation among fisheries agencies as an organization always willing to help and whose members are deeply pas-sionate about the fish they love to pursue. There are a number of fishing clubs that focus on the actual capture of muskies themselves, but few have mem-bers that go the extra mile to help pull fyke nets or seine hatchery ponds in October. Indeed, Patricia Strutz’s article in this issue does an excellent job of highlighting how Muskies, Inc. (and by extension, its members) plays a role in working with the Wisconsin Muskellunge Management Team to improve Wisconsin’s already stellar muskie fisheries.

Our friends north of the border in Muskies Canada, Inc. (MCI) also hold tremendous clout with agencies like the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and organizations such as the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters. Again, it’s their members that go the extra mile and making that effort pays divi-dends for their relationships. Take a look at the article

penned by Peter Levick, MCI’s president, to see how they use their muskie exhibition show, in part, to improve relations among themselves and the agencies they engage with. I hope that Muskies, Inc. and Muskies Canada, Inc. can build on their already solid relationship in the years to come.

So I think when our members talk to non-members it should be communicated to those individuals what sepa-rates Muskies, Inc. from other organizations or clubs. We do more than fervently cast and troll after our favor-ite fish; we actually work hard to raise the funds and get the manpower needed to plant the fish habitat and stock the muskies. Perhaps we should collectively set a goal to encourage at least one person in 2015 to join Muskies, Inc. and become part of something larger.Calendar

Calendars should have made it to your home back in December, but if you would like extra copies you can fill out the form at the bottom of this page and send it along with a check to the address listed.

Remember two things: 1) practice catch-and-release and 2) wear your sunscreen.

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Steve Lauer of the Hayward Lakes Chapter caught and released this late season muskie.

Mark Wright (Chapter 56) caught his last muskie of

2014 on December 21st using one of his own twitchbaits.

He was fishing Caesars Creek Lake in Ohio.

Fall on the Chippewa River. Nice shot here from 1st Wisconsin Chapter member Jason Smith.

Bob Busche sent in this photo of his grandson Cade

Busche, a member of Chapter 33, with a 38 inch muskie. It was his biggest for 2014. Nice job Cade!

Chapter 21 member Grant Lindberg caught this 54.5 inch muskie in Minnesota last July. His wife Korey got it in the net for him and took the picture.

Here is Chapter 62 member Tanner Schulz with a 34 incher he caught and released on

the first day of the 2014 National Championship Musky Open held in Eagle

River, WI. This fish earned him a third place finish in the youth division.


Luke Mancl of Chapter 20 caught his first muskie on a lure he made the day before at a muskie fishing clinic put on by his

chapter. What a great story and congratulations Luke.

Chapter 49 member David Cates took this beautiful sunrise shot while looking out over Minnesota’s Lake Vermilion. Fantastic!

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Chapter 33 member Duane (Blu) Haarsager caught this 45 inch muskie during his Chapter’s Take A Vet Fishing Outing on the St. Louis River (Duluth, MN)

this past season.


Wisconsin’s Muskellunge Management Team (WMMT) is a standing policy team of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Fisheries (DNR). The Director of the Bureau of Fisheries Management, with concurrence of the representative’s respective District Fisheries Supervisor, appoints the team members. The members include: fisheries biologists from around the state, a DNR hatchery representative, a tribal biologist, and a DNR research representative. Fisheries Biologist, Tim Simonson, serves as Team Leader and Fisheries Supervisor Scot Stewart is the Team Sponsor; they help recommend non-department (non-DNR) appointments—external agencies and public involvement are solicited as deemed appropriate. Partners from Wisconsin’s major muskellunge fishing organizations, including Wisconsin chapters of Muskies, Inc., have been invited to participate in the past.

The WMMT was active in the late 1970s, when the first c o n t e m p o r a r y management plan was developed. Over the years the team has led a successful effort to increase the minimum length limits on several bodies of waters. In the early 1990s, they addressed concerns regarding muskie harvest and size-structure. Their efforts resulted in an increase in the minimum length limit to 34-inches statewide. The present committee is addressing numerous issues, including those related to muskie propagation and stocking.

The team’s “charge” is to implement the state’s muskellunge management plan. Specific assignments

Wisconsin s

Muskellunge

Management

Team

’

- Patricia Strutz

The WMMT work hard to manage Wisconsin’s muskie fisheries so that anglers can have opportunities to catch giants like the one

pictured here! Photo courtesy the Florence Fisheries Team.

include: developing and reviewing regulation proposals, stocking plans, and assessment metrics and sampling protocols; assess the status of the muskellunge fishery; identify research needs; and maintain and update muskie water classifications.

Team member and Fisheries Biologist Greg Matzke puts it simply, “We have a ‘team’ set up for many fish species--muskie, pike, walleye, bass, panfish, trout, and catfish. Typically one or two biologists from each region of the state are on each team. Those of us who are passionate about muskies try to serve on the ‘muskie team,’ which oversees muskie management. If a biologist is desires to make some major changes with muskie management in his or her area of responsibility, they will seek guidance from us. In a situation where a regulation is going to be liberalized (e.g., if the biologist wanted a 28 inch length MSL [minimum size limit]) we would review the data collected. It would need to show that there is an overabundance, slow growth issue, or potential impacts of the other fish

community in a lake. Conversely, if a biologist wanted to go to a 45 inch MSL we would analyze the data to make sure the fishery is a good fit (being managed as trophy water, good growth rates, high size structure, etc.).”

Other members, such as Research Scientist Jeffrey Kampa, provide updates on research activities to the team and help lead

discussions on selecting research priorities for a cooperative biennial planning effort between the Fish Management program and the Science Services (Fish Research) program.

WMMT Partners—Muskies, Inc. and othersAs President of the Wisconsin Chapters of Muskies,

Inc. Tom Penniston was invited as a WMMT partner. “I have served since 2010; I provide input on policies and proposed regulations. As a former State Hatchery Biologist and Fish Health Specialist, I can understand why they are doing certain things that may not make


sense to someone without my background—and, I can also call them on the carpet when I see something that I believe wouldn’t be in the best interest of our members.”

“I provide info about the WMMT activities via email with other chapters of Muskies, Inc. I don’t think the DNR has to invite any of us to be involved; they could keep it completely in-house. But, they are doing a nice job of outreach, trying to make sure they receive input from a number of parties with a vested interest in our state’s muskie management.”

Bob Haase represents the 25 clubs in the Musky Clubs Alliance. “I attend WMMT meetings and am

allowed to participate in discussions to try to provide input from the clubs. I feel most of the efforts in muskie propagation have been in stocking, with not much done in the area of habitat improvement. With the scare of VHS [viral hemorrhagic septicemia] and the limits placed on the movement and stocking of fish, it reminded me how important natural reproduction is. I’m not against stocking, but I’m against making that our only tool for enhancing fish populations. I’d like to see more research on why one lake has natural reproduction and the lake next to it doesn’t. I’m also one of the founding members of Walleyes for Tomorrow and I think we need to work together more between organizations. The best walleye

waters are usually the best muskie waters, too, because they have a balanced ecosystem that supports them.”

Like Penniston, Haase applauds the DNR’s willingness to involve muskie clubs. “Tim Simonson was instrumental in getting representation from the muskie clubs and welcoming our input. It’s great to be able to represent the member clubs and to give them a voice in muskie management in Wisconsin.”

Other WMMT partners include fisheries research professors from the University of Wisconsin and representatives from the Wisconsin Conservation Congress.

Current ProjectsOver the past decade, many management

issues have been worked on including different minimum length limit regulation proposals, trophy regulations on selected waters, allowing motor trolling statewide, stocking (or lack thereof) of Leech Lake muskies, securing brood source fish for Green Bay, and regulation

Biologists prepare equipment for a day of PIT tagging. Photo courtesy David Rowe.

Broodstock collections: UWSP grad student,

Zeb Woiak, with a muskie during

WDNR broodstock collections.

Photo courtesy Justin VanDeHey.

changes for areas that have Great Lakes spotted muskies. A couple of interesting current projects are detailed below.Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) Tags

Fisheries Supervisor, David Rowe, from Fitchburg, Wisconsin was originally appointed to work with the restoration of the spotted muskie population in Green Bay. He now supervises the Fisheries Management staff in southwestern Wisconsin. “My current management interests are in the use of PIT tags to assess survival and recruitment of stocked muskellunge, accuracy and precision of non-lethal aging structures (e.g., anal fin rays), and angler cooperation in using PIT tags to assess population abundance and fish survival after being handled by recreational anglers,” explains Rowe.

“We are tracking thousands of stocked muskies that have been PIT tagged to

assess survival and growth. We’ll recapture these fish as adults and the tag will allow us to age the fish—we’ll then remove some of the fish’s anal fin rays to see if the ray’s cross section provides an accurate estimation of the fish’s age.”

They are working closely with Capital City Chapter of Muskies, Inc. to use angler reports of these PIT tagged fish to improve abundance estimates, evaluate handling mortality and growth of different strains of stocked muskies. Jeffrey Kampa and Max Wolters described the PIT tagging projects in the July 2014 issue of MUSKIE. Pellet vs. minnow diet

Team partner and assistant professor, Dr. Justin VanDeHey, at UW-Stevens Point, is working with the WMMT to assess the growth, condition, and survival of muskies reared in different ways. This research will help guide future hatchery decisions. He explains, “Post-stocking survival of muskies is related to many factors. One is that larger muskies survive at relatively higher rates than smaller ones do. However, the cost associated with purchasing minnows to feed these larger muskies has increased due to many reasons—one of which is the DNR’s attempt to reduce disease transmission into their hatcheries. Minnows are known to carry a variety of viruses that can be transmitted to muskies.”

“As an alternative, we are exploring rearing them on dry diets—pellets—for a portion of their time at the hatchery. This three-year study will evaluate how well this method works compared to traditional rearing methods. The study began in 2013 and the first stage, short-term survival, will conclude in fall of 2015. So far, results have shown fish started on pellets were consistently smaller than those fed only natural prey. However, both methods produced fish in suitable lengths for stocking. Preliminary results suggest that fish reared using both methods are surviving and a cost analysis suggests the pellet rearing method may be 25 percent less expensive.”Do other States have Muskie Management Teams?

“I believe Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, and Missouri have teams devoted to muskie management, but I’m not sure beyond our immediate neighbors,” relays WMMT leader Tim Simonson. “There is also an organization called the ‘Esocid Technical Committee,’ which brings together technical experts from the Midwest states as part of the North Central Division of

Thin-sectioned anal fin rays clearly showing annuli rings used by biologists to determine a

fish’s age. Photo courtesy David Rowe.

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A tub full of muskies! Photo

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An 18 year-old muskie sits alongside a 1 year-old in a holding trough.

Photo courtesy the Florence Fisheries Team.

A netting survey is just one of many tools at the disposal of WMMT biologists. Photo courtesy the Florence Fisheries Team.

Fall fingerlings: Fall fingerlings at Wild Rose State Fish Hatchery. Lengths and weights were being collected to determine if growth and condition

differed between the two rearing methods. Photo courtesy Justin VanDeHey.


the American Fisheries Society.” Fishery Biologist and WMMT member Jordan Weeks is Wisconsin’s

representative on the Esocid Technical Committee. “We meet biannually to discuss Esocid issues and I report these issues or topics to the WMMT,” states Weeks.

WMMT MeetingsThe team typically holds two meetings per year: one meeting is

usually in southern or central Wisconsin and the other is often held in the northwoods at the Kemp Natural Research Station on Lake Tomahawk. The meetings are generally around March and in August or September. If the meeting is open to the public (to observe, not necessarily to participate), it is posted on the DNR’s public meetings calendar at www.dnr.wi.gov/news/input/Meetings.html .

Muskies, Inc. thanks the current WMMT members and partners for their continued efforts to promote a healthy muskie fishery in Wisconsin.Team Sponsor: Scot Stewart, Fisheries Supervisor, FitchburgTeam Leader: Tim Simonson, Fisheries Biologist, Bureau of Fisheries Management, MadisonTeam Members: Steve Hogler, WDNR Fisheries biologist, Green Bay; David Rowe, Fisheries supervisor, Fitchburg; Greg Matzke, Fisheries biologist, Florence; Aaron Cole, Fisheries biologist, Barron; Luke Roffler, Fisheries biologist, Sturtevant; Jordan Weeks, Fisheries biologist, La Crosse; Jeff Kampa, Research scientist, Spooner; Mark Luehring, Fisheries Biologist, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, Odana.Partners: Dr. Dan Isermann, Wisconsin Cooperative Fisheries Research Unit, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point; Dr. Justin Van De Hey UW-Stevens Point; Bob Haase (Muskellunge Clubs Alliance of Wisconsin); Tom Penniston (Wisconsin Chapters of Muskies, Inc.); Joe Weiss (WI Conservation Congress – Washburn County); Roger Sabota (WI Conservation Congress, Oneida County); John Aschenbrenner (WI Conservation Congress - Emeritus, Forest County).

Here is a picture of Bob Busche with a 49 inch muskie he caught on the last day he was muskie fishing in 2014. It turned out to be his largest fish of the year, and his grandson Cade was with him to get it in the net. What a great memory for them both! I like this shot. You can clearly see Bob, as he’s not wearing sunglasses and his hat isn’t down too far. He also doesn’t have the horizon line going right through his head in the background. Juris was never a fan of that, as some of you may remember. It’s also a very sharp photo with good color and exposure. It’s always nice to get a good photo to go along with a good catch. Nice job on both Bob. Thanks for sending this in.

long time Muskies, Inc. member, Brad Nelson, sent us this photo of his boat at Olin landing in Madison, Wisconsin after a day on the water last November. It was quite cold that day, and this was a neat effect. I know quite a few of you who have suffered through days like this going after that “one bite” that could make your entire year. Not sure if Brad was rewarded for his efforts this particular day, but I hope he was. Thanks for the photo Brad.

Photo Contest By: Brad Waldera, Photo Editor - [email protected]


something I absolutely love to see, but it seemed the bite was limited to periods when the baitfish were at their biggest in the fall or when food was limited like in spring before the shad spawn. This left me searching for a bite to throw my big gliders.

During one summer our lake water temperatures jumped up to unfishable levels, so I decided to stream fish until water temperatures dropped. This turned out to be one of the best decisions I have made in my pursuit of the Mighty Muskie. Not only was the water cooler and safer for the fish, it was also full of hungry muskies willing to chase down lures from the biggest bucktail and gliders to the smallest of bass-sized lures. So from that point on I decided that small streams was where I was going to spend the majority of my fishing time. I always knew there were fish to be caught in these waterways, but I just didn’t realize what fun it would be chasing them on small bodies of water. I know many muskie anglers drive right past little creeks and rivers on their way to the larger lakes and reservoirs. So in the next few paragraphs I am going to share my thoughts and experiences of fishing this type of water in order to help you find a hidden gem of your own or possibly tangle with that 50-inch class fish you have been chasing.

One of the first steps to learning how to catch fish on these smaller bodies of water is understanding the forage base. These muskies feed on a larger spectrum of forage compared to their lake counter parts whose diet, in the South, is 95% shad. Muskies in small streams focus on suckers and carp, but will also feed heavily on drum and sunfish. Another forage fish that stream muskies chase harder than their lake counterparts is terrestrial animals like ducks and small mammals such as mice, rats, and yes, baby beavers; basically,

- Chris HaleySmall Water, Big LuresCreek Paradox

- Chris HaleyOver my many years of muskie fishing in both northern and southern waters, I have established a love for throwing large gliders in many different lakes and rivers. Although I have spent time fishing plenty of big water, in recent years I have slowed my search for reservoir and lake muskies and reverted back to where it all started for me: chasing muskies in small streams and rivers.

To the trophy hunter this may seem like a regression or not even acceptable, but just because these bodies of water don’t seem likely to have the caliber of fish you seek doesn’t mean that is necessarily true. I have learned that if the food sources are there, then the quality fish are there too. It’s true you may not get that 50 or 60 pounder but your chances of 30 to 40 pound class fish are present and they are catchable. I don’t know many muskie anglers who will say, “I don’t waste my time with fish in the 45-50 inch range” because, let’s face it, these sized fish are quality fish and can be caught in some amazingly small bodies of water. I can’t explain the feeling of seeing a log you just casted to turn and eat your lure, or a mid-40 inch fish come from nowhere in a foot of clear water to take a lure. Did I mention that you often have the water to yourself? These are some of the joys of small water fishing that I am hoping to convey to you in this article.

Although I began muskie fishing on small rivers and streams, most of my “muskie education” came fishing larger reservoirs like the southern shad-filled lakes of Buckhorn and Cave Run and the alewife-based lakes like Green River in Kentucky and Melton Hill in Tennessee, with a few cisco lakes up north. The one thing these lakes have in common is the size of the forage. Regardless of whether it’s gizzard shad or ciscoes, the average forage size is 4-8 inches. Both gizzard shad and ciscoes get bigger, but the most common size appears to be in this range. With the forage being smaller, lake muskies tend to like lures that are small and shad shaped with colors that resemble shad or similar baitfish, although sometimes smaller-sized sucker or perch colored lures will work, too. Muskies will start eating lures that are bigger as fall approaches in these lakes, I suspect, because their forage size is growing too.

Watching a big muskie take a larger glide bait is

As water that’s usually cooler than nearby lakes and often void of other fishermen, stream fishing can be

an excellent option if you’re searching for a new experience or to fish new water.

www.muskiesinc.org


The author with proof that small streams don’t just produce small fish.

whatever they think they can eat. Muskies in streams tend to focus on crawfish more than lake muskies, which eat crawfish in late winter and spring periods especially after spawn.

The willingness of the stream muskie to tackle larger forage creates an opportunity to catch muskies on bigger traditional muskie lures like gliders, but the newer lures work just as well. The reason for this is that muskies will be feeding on redhorse and white suckers. While some streams contain gizzard shad, they are usually twice the size of their lake counterparts and not as plentiful. The size of the preferred forage is 10-15 inches but in lean times they may chase larger forage.

Sucker school locations vary from season to season and the muskies follow them just like in lakes with schools of shad. Sucker locations can also vary from stream to stream and understanding the migrations of suckers can help boat more muskies. Suckers spawn in early spring on shoals or feeder creek mouths, making them a prime area to focus on. After the spawn, suckers rest in the pools near the shoals for a few weeks or until high water disperses them and then travel to shallow, sandy stretches of the streams to feed on invertebrates. Muskies follow in pursuit and can be found in some amazingly shallow water chasing them. Key places are shallow areas in front of shoals where suckers feed. The downstream sides of the same areas where the shallows drop into deeper water hold large numbers of ambushing muskies. In cases of low water the suckers become nocturnal and only venture into the shallows to feed at night and go back in to the deep holes to rest in the day. So look for ambush points near the shallow water areas even though you don’t see suckers there because the muskies will be waiting for them to come by at dusk and dawn.

The suckers may stay near the shallows until late summer or early fall, and then cold water forces them into the deep pools to winter in. The bottom in these winter holes plays a big role in the number of muskies and the number of suckers that use them.

A giant hole of water with rock bottom may hold fewer fish than a small hole with a sandy gravel bottom, and even though it’s winter, suckers still feed when some of their food is in the sand and gravel. I have found holes that were beautiful with deep-water cover, but I couldn’t catch a fish from them, whereas floating through a small, shallow, sandy hole proved to be loaded with muskies simply because the forage was there. Suckers will remain here until the water starts to warm and they start searching for spawning areas.

Stream muskies won’t just prey on suckers. As mentioned, they will also take terrestrial food items opportunistically. Lures that imitate terrestrials, such as topwater baits, are always good to keep handy and may trigger a large muskie into a committing a viscous strike. Muskies key in on crayfish a lot especially after spawning and during muddy water conditions. In some streams, muskies only have minnows and sunfish to eat. These streams and rivers, however, are often less productive, but can be a fun day on the water when trying to avoid a crowd or a heat wave.

After you have figured out the forage for the body of water its time to choose your plan of attack. Choosing a proper boat to fish from is important and should begin with a decision on how much physical activity you want to exert. Kayaks and canoes can get you to the skinniest of water and into places no one else can access, but obviously require a lot more effort. While Jon a boat with a trolling motor offers a

compromise between canoes and larger jet boats, jet boats can get into areas traditional Jon boats can’t, unless you’re willing to get out and pull the boat through skinny water.

Once you have your boat (or shoreline since a boat is not required) figured out, good lure choices will help getting these fish to the commit to bite. I have found that large gliders are the best in small streams. I use large handmade gliders that are usually in natural sucker and carp patterns. Some of my favorite muskie gliders are the Widow Maker gliders like Sidewinders, which I use

NEW

NEW

Gliders are an excellent choice for fishing small

rivers and streams.

most of the time, and Deadheads that I turn to in colder water where a neutrally buoyant glider is needed. I use other great gliders like the Shumm Shumm and Hot Tails, both of which have soft plastic

tails that trigger some awesome strikes. Others include the old stand-byes like Smuttly Dogs and Amma Bammas. The key is to find one you like and stay with it.

While gliders produce many fish, other large lures cannot be overlooked. I use big bucktails in double 8s and 10s. Colors that contain similar colors to the muskie’s forage like golds, browns, silvers, and blacks. I use the Dammit Boy double 8 and the Boo Dadley double 10s for the most part. These lures are shorter, but are bulky and give a big profile to draw the attention of a fat stream muskie.

Topwaters are often great choices all year, too. Top Raiders, Stompers, and even larger bass style buzz baits work well. If the top water bite is happening it could be a great time to use the terrestrial imitation lures that look like ducks and mice.

Another lure that produces in natural colors are large twitch baits like Grandmas, SS Shads, and Shallow Invaders. I like to twitch them near woody cover, and then crank them back to the boat.

Large soft plastics shouldn’t be dismissed either. I’ve caught tons of huge muskies in the streams on Red October tubes rigged jerkbait style. I stick with the baby muskie (gold) color and a pearl white tube in 10 and 12 inches. Other large soft plastics produce nice fish, too, like Bull Dawgs. I use them in cool water and fish them slowly, but you have to learn how to feel for the strikes. Sometimes you won’t even feel them grab the lure.

You soon find out after hitting the water that these fish commit to bite the lure faster than lake fish

and don’t seem to be as shy. This eagerness to attack large lures makes it the perfect situation for fly fishermen, too, and is probably the best chance to get a large streamer in front of a hungry fish.

Try to “match the hatch” and then use water flow and clarity to guide what lures you should try first. The fun thing is you can get by with one of each of these lures to fish streams, so it can be a good choice for beginner muskie anglers who are just getting their lure collection started, or the guy on a fixed budget who can only get the basics.

You soon see that stream fish can be fun and watching muskies take large lures near the surface or in clear, shallow water is an incredible sight to see. With catch and release, many of these fish are caught over and over and continue to grow larger every season.

Stream fishing has some down falls, though, especially below tailraces and dams where swift water and boating hazards are always present. There are also fewer people around and in most cases you’re the only angler on the water so fishing alone can be hazardous. Let people know what waters you are fishing and when you plan to return from the trip. A cold night on a river when you’re wet and tired is not fun.

Most states have a listing of streams and rivers that contain muskies along with good information on where the ramps are and what stocking rates may be. Remember, don’t judge a stream by its size. Think small water and big lures. The next time you want to escape the crowds or need to find cooler water to fish, consider small streams and rivers. You may just be surprised at what you find.

BiographyChris Haley is a former Field Editor for MUSKIE magazine and has published many articles in some of the top magazines in our industry.

He is the Vice President of Chapter 52 and has been a member of Muskies, Inc. since 1996. He runs a guide service on Buckhorn and

Green River Lakes along the Kentucky River Systems. To contact Chris, please email him at [email protected].


Every two years Muskies Canada, Inc. (MCI) holds a “must see” event - The Odyssey. This tradeshow historically features our very best speakers and exhibitors. It is the only all-muskie show of its kind in Canada and is a one-day event held in St. Catharines, Ontario.

Speakers at the upcoming Odyssey are four of Canada’s best guides. John Bondy is well known for his Bondy Baits. He is a guide in the Lake St. Clair–Detroit River area and has not only perfected a special jigging technique that triggers more fish, but has also developed a unique bait that makes it work. Johnny Dadson is a professional bait maker who is also an accomplished muskie hunter and guide in the Georgian Bay area. John Anderson guides on the Ottawa River and is a much sought-after speaker. Dan Colomby guides on the legendary Lake Nipissing and has some great stories for us about the giants of the northern waters.

The Odyssey is also a showcase for some of the foremost bait and tackle suppliers in Canada. We will have two of Canada’s biggest muskie shops on-site: JBs Tackle and Protackle Muskie Shop. In addition, you will find many unique custom baitmakers that specialize in hand-made, custom, and hard-to-find muskie lures. There will also be a great selection of the best rods, reels, hardware, accessories, and terminal tackle to help you handle the really big ones.

In addition to exciting speakers and the best of the best lure suppliers, The Odyssey also features an incredible prize table and silent auctions for unique muskie related products, lodges, and resorts as well as guided trips and one-of-a-kind items.

The Odyssey is much more than a great muskie expo. The event is also Muskies Canada’s biggest and most successful fundraiser. Proceeds of the Odyssey go to support the extraordinary conservation, restoration, and research work that helps Muskies Canada work towards the enhancement and sustainability of our wild Canadian muskies. These are the most compelling reasons one should attend the event and consider membership in Muskies Canada.

The idea of an all-Canadian muskie show was

conceived in late November 1999 while Chuck Boyd (former Chairman of the Kitchener-Waterloo Chapter of MCI) and Joe Inrig (member of the Hamilton Chapter of MCI) were enjoying a muskie day-trip on the Upper Niagara River. Discussions between Chuck and Joe revolved around the pros and cons of such a venture. At the time there was no “All Muskie Show” east of Chicago and they both thought it would be a great opportunity to get involved and promote such a show here in Canada in hopes of bolstering Muskies Canada’s conservation efforts.

Chuck and Joe pitched the idea to their respective chapters. They emphasized that the profits of such a show could be shared in order to support ongoing and future projects. It was proposed that one-third should go to Kitchener-Waterloo, one-third to Hamilton, and the final third to Muskies Canada national. Both chapters gave their approval to move forward with their ideas. It didn’t take long to form a committee and once it was established in January 2000, the approval was given by the Board-of-Directors for a show to occur in 2001.

For Chuck, Joe, and the other members of the committee, the next 14 months proved to be a real eye-

The Story of the Odyssey

Muskies Canada runs The Odyssey biannually in St. Catharines, Ontario near Niagara Falls. The show

attracts some of the top talent in the Canadian (and U.S.) muskie community, and it provides an important venue for

tackle manufacturers to distribute their products. The Odyssey is the only all-muskie show in Canada.

ODYSSEY 2015: The Muskies Canada Biannual Spring

Muskie ExpositionBy: Peter Levick, Joe Inrig, and Gary George

opener. Members often drove long distances to attend committee meetings each month (except July and August), but eventually all the preparation was completed and on April 7th, 2001, The Odyssey began.

It was a huge success as over 600 people attended the event. MCI members (all chapters were represented) and non-members joined in the fun. There were also U.S. anglers coming from places like Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Minnesota, and Tennessee. The Odyssey’s first speakers included local anglers like Bill Hamblin, Larry Jones, Sean Maher, and Mike Lazarus as well as cross-border legends like Larry Ramsell and Jim Saric.

Over the years, proceeds from our Odyssey Shows have supported many projects including:

Lake Simcoe Muskie Rehabilitation Project:“The Lake Simcoe Muskie Restoration Project is

Muskie Canada`s largest project”, says Ian Young, former President of Muskies Canada. “The goal is to reestablish a stable, self-sustaining population of muskellunge into Lake Simcoe where it was the apex

predator for hundreds of years before becoming almost extinct in the 1980`s. Lake Simcoe is one of Ontario`s largest freshwater lakes, located about 100 kilometers north of Toronto. The financial requirements of this decade long project are very substantial. The key financing is provided by funds from our biannual Odyssey, which are then matched by necessary funds from our major partners such as the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, the Becker Foundation of Muskies, Inc., various Federal and Provincial sources, and the Spring Fishing and Boat Show.”

Catch-And-Release Study “Project Noble Beast”:“Carrying out intensive muskie research requires

funding partnerships coming together to achieve a critical mass of dollars for a project,” says Hedrik Wachelka, Research Director, former Chairman of the Ottawa Chapter, and primary Project Noble Beast volunteer. “Muskellunge research is usually not the highest focus in fisheries research or even as an elevated governmental priority as compared to salmon and bass as examples.

“Available Odyssey funds over the past decades have been utilized in maintaining much needed projects that have helped the cause of muskie fishing. A great

Projects Supported by the Odyssey

The Muskies Canada Biannual Spring Muskie Exposition

By: Peter Levick, Joe Inrig, and Gary George

HUGH BECKER MUSKIE SYMPOSIUMsave this Date:

Muskies, Inc. Celebrates 50 years

for more information call (888) 710-8286 or visit our website

www.muskiesinc.org

Please join in on the 50th anniversary celebration and Hugh Becker Symposium in

Minneapolis in March of 2016.

All chapters and members can donate to the 50th anniversary Celebration or

hugh becker Symposium by sending your donations to the address below:

Muskies, Inc. 1509 Stahl Road

Sheboygan, WI 53081-8894

March 11th - 15th, 2016

** Please be sure to assign your donation to either the Celebration or the Symposium.


example is Sean Landsman’s work evaluating the factors and survival of angler caught muskie on/in the water and not just in a lab. His work showed that with proper equipment and handling techniques catch and release results in negligible post release mortality and is a viable population management tactic.”

Sean Landsman, the Project Lead tells us, “Project Noble Beast (PNB) was funded largely by angling/conservation organization money. Muskies Canada’s biannual exhibition show, The Odyssey, generated financial support needed to complete the research in PNB.”[Assistant Editor’s Note: For those interested in reading a copy of the study, it can be accessed online via the Muskies Canada homepage www.muskiescanada.ca]

Muskellunge Nursery Habitat Identification Project in the Thousand Islands Area:

Muskies Canada Gananoque and Thousand Islands chapter has been involved in a project to identify and quantify muskellunge nursery habitat sites in the 1000 Islands region of the St. Lawrence region since 2005. This project is still ongoing and completed its 10th year in 2014.

Muskellunge nursery habitat sites are identified through seining shallow embayments throughout the Thousand Islands area and the capture of young-of-the-year muskellunge at those sites. Volunteers from Muskies Canada work with Parks Canada and Ontario provincial fisheries employees on the project. Information is recorded at each seining site as to the location of the site, the fish species captured and their abundance, and a description of the habitat at the site.

This project has identified 23 previously unidentified muskellunge nursery habitat sites to date. Habitat sites used by species-at-risk such as the pugnose shiner, bridal shiner, and grass pickerel have also been identified. Once identified, these sites can be protected under the Fisheries Act. The project has received Odyssey funding both for equipment purchases and the hiring of a private firm to help us in the first year of the project.

Saint John River Tagging Study:Brandon Jones, Chapter Chairman said “Thanks in

part to the Odyssey funding our chapter has received we currently have over 650 fish tagged in the Saint John River System, tracking such things as growth rates and seasonal movement. Previous to the study there was very little known about how the muskellunge were using the river. The Odyssey funding was very

important for our chapter and has helped us to better understand how muskies are using our river”.

The Saint John River Chapter (SJRC) Muskellunge (muskie) Tagging Study began in the fall of 2006, operating under a research permit held by the University of New Brunswick. In February of 2010, the SJRC of Muskies Canada, Inc. (MCI) received a Scientific License (#325548) from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) permitting SJRC members to tag angled muskie in the Saint John River. This permit has been renewed annually, allowing continued tagging of angled muskie by SJRC members, up to and including the 2014 recreational angling season.

Individually numbered T-type tags (i.e., Floy tags), deployed with Mark II and Mark III pistol grip guns into the flesh just below the dorsal fin of captured muskies are used to determine growth rates and movements throughout the Saint John River system upon recapture of tagged fish. Length measurements are taken using calibrated bump boards and girth is taken using a soft tape. Measurements are taken to the nearest quarter inch.

For the purpose of this study, the SJRC has divided the portion of the Saint John River flowing through New Brunswick into the following three zones:

- Zone 1 - Above the Beechwood Dam, including the section of the river considered to be international waters- Zone 2 - The Mactaquac Dam upriver to the Beechwood Dam- Zone 3 - Below the Mactaquac Dam

Kawartha Lakes Pike Invasion Project:“One of the research concerns which was raised at

the start-up of the Kawartha Lakes Chapter in 2009 was the migration of northern pike into the Kawartha Lakes System” according to Tom McCutcheon, former Kawartha Lakes Chapter Chairman. “The Pike Invasion Project (PIP) was implemented to investigate these concerns and to provide volunteers and monies for research. Throughout the 1990’s and early into this century, it was suspected that northern pike were moving into the system from Lake Simcoe to the West and Lake Ontario to the South. There had been numerous reports of pike in the system, but nothing confirmed. This was a major concern for MCI as the Kawartha strain of muskies is unique and had never interacted with pike and they were being displaced in smaller lakes such as Canal and Mitchel. The fact that pike spawn two to three weeks in advance of muskies,

and in the same general areas and structure, gives the pike a distinct growth advantage over the newly hatched muskie fry. The muskie fry become food for the older pike as well as the pike’s diet is identical to the muskie and the pike will consume what the muskie fry needs to sustain life.

Since 2009, our chapter has received numerous donations from MCI Odyssey funds, CFWIP grants from the OMNR, donations from the public at mall information days as well as other Chapters donating to the PIP. We also received a $1,000.00 donation from the Chinese Anglers Association to be directed to the PIP”.

Odyssey funds have also helped support many other projects over the past decade, including:

- Genetic analysis of Georgian Bay, Lake Simcoe, and Saugeen River and Ottawa River (Trent University)- Young of the Year (YOY) (Saugeen River)- Radio Tracking Studies (Saugeen River)- Spawning Studies and Tagging in: Lake Simcoe, Severn Sound, Moon River, Magnetawan River, French River, Strawberry ChannelSo there it is. The story of how Canada’s

only muskie-dedicated show came to be. It just proves what can be accomplished when a group of committed volunteers and dedicated career muskie nuts get together. Nearly the entirety of the Canadian muskie fishery has benefited from this modest, but high quality, event. The organization Muskies Canada, Inc. has elevated itself, muskie fishing, and its followers most dramatically in one decade through this effort. Relationships with educators and regulators have been created and cemented, the fishery enhanced, and the quality of experience being a muskie hunter in

Canada is hard to surpass. Many thanks to the various people who provided background information for this article. We all join together to thank everyone involved with Muskies Canada, Inc. and Muskies, Inc. for your past and future support of the Odyssey and all our various efforts throughout the seasons. Hopefully we will see you in April at the show and on the water when the season arrives.[Assistant Editor’s Note: I think it’s important that Muskies, Inc. members understand what our friends north of the border are doing. As we move further into the future, my hope is that ties between the two organizations will strengthen.]

Sudbury Chapter membership director, Marc Pitre (left), and

former Muskies Canada president, Ian Young (right), pose with Jim Saric (center) during The Odyssey. Money from the Odyssey helps fund

important projects conducted by Muskies Canada chapter and

their partners.

www.muskiesinc.org

by Kloss Distributors

Grand Door Prizesponsored by

$200 Gift Certificate

Fox River Valley Chapter of Muskies Inc.Presents the

20th Annual Challunge on the ChainThe Oldest & Largest Muskie Tourney in IL

Tournament Entry FormName: ______________________________________________Address: ____________________________________________City: ___________________ State: _____ ZIP: ______________Phone: ______________________ Date: __________________Email: ______________________________________________Club Affiliation _______________________________________

Entry Fee Per Team:

__ Early Bird Registration: $200__ After 5/1 Registration: $220__ Day of Registration: $230

Mail completed form & payment to:

FRV Muskies Inc.P.O. Box 7613Algonquin, IL 60102

For complete rules, boat positions, and tournament info visit: www.frvmuskie.com

Door Prizes Trophies Dinner Raffles Awards

C ash Priz es1st Place $5,000

2nd Place $2,5003rd Place $1,2504th Place $1,000

Additional cash prizes for boats placing 5th thru 10thBased on full field of 100 boats

A Special Thanks to our Sponsors:

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Name: ______________________________________________Address: ____________________________________________City: ___________________ State: _____ ZIP: ______________Phone: ______________________ Date: __________________Email: ______________________________________________

1-800-214-2533 www.baystorecamp.com1-800-441-5014 www.angleoutpost.com

* *

LOOK FOR ALL CHAOS TACKLE PRODUCTS AT A TACKLE STORE NEAR YOU.www.chaostackle.com www.esoxassault.com www.customxlures.com

No. Chapter, Address Phone #01.....Twin Cities, 4012 Washburn Ave S, Minneapolis, MN, 55410 ..........................612-925-110902.....Fargo-Moorhead, Box 2021, Fargo ND, 58107 ................................................920-207-544103.....Chicagoland Muskie Hunters, 7600 Kilbourn Ave, Skokie, Il 60076 ................847-677-001704.....Titletown/Packerland, 901 Ethel Street, Green Bay, WI 54303 .......................920-562-524405.....Pomme De Terre, PO Box 5, Hermitage, MO 65668 ........................................314-440-217306.....First Wisconsin, PO Box 122, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729 ................................715-839-708907.....South Side Muskie Hawks, 5211 S. Narragansett Ave., Chicago, Il 60638 ......773-581-865008.....Capital City, PO Box 8862, Madison, WI 53708 ...............................................608-669-504609.....West Virginia, 1270 Federal Road, little Hocking, OH 45742 ..........................740-667-357110.....Heartland, 239 8th St SE, Mason City IA 50401 ..............................................641-424-082711 .....Mississippi Valley, 501 26th Ave, Moline, Il 61265...........................................309-797-180312.....Headwaters, PO Box 652, Eagle River, WI 54521 ...........................................715-891-557413.....Hayward lakes, PO Box 609, Hayward, WI 54843 ..........................................715-634-454314.....South of the Border, 28926 W. Big Hollow Rd, McHenry, Il 60050 .................815-385-902615.....Star of the North, 16078 East Maple Drive, Pengilly, MN 55775 ......................218-259-997016.....Three Rivers, 119 Buss lane, Renfrew, PA 16053 ...........................................724-789-786617.....Quad County, PO Box 185, Plano, Il 60545 ....................................................815-695-149418.....Hopedale, PO Box 118, Smithfield, OH 43948 .................................................740-769-726919 Akron-Canton Muskie Maniacs, 2211 North Park Dr., Wadsworth, OH 44281... 330-606-5374 20.....Between the lakes, PO Box 61, Sheboygan Falls, WI 53085-0061 ................920-602-141921.....North Metro, PO Box 41216, Plymouth, MN 55441 ..........................................612-916-742622.....New Jersey, 1524 Old Bethlehem Rd. Quakertown, PA 18951 ........................908-319-220523.....Cleveland, 5007 Starr St., Newton Falls, OH 44444 ........................................330-219-796424.....Brainerd lakes, 18031 Heritage Road, Brainerd, MN 56401 ...........................218-838-550926.....Central Wisconsin, PO Box 263, Medford, WI 54451 .......................................715-748-487428.....Shawnee Muskie Hunters, 923 Reiss Rd, O’Fallon, Il 62269 ..........................618-628-420529.....Upper Great Plains, 1788 Hwy 4, Estherville, IA 51334 ...................................712-362-250130.....God’s Country, PO Box 1461, laCrosse, WI 54602 .........................................608-606-306531.....Penn-Ohio, 309 Spring St, Jamestown, PA 16134 ...........................................724-932-581532.....Flatlanders, 6259 Walnut Grove Road, loves Park, Il 61111 ..........................815-389-462233.....lake Superior, 2031 Hwy. 33 S., Cloquet, MN 55720 ......................................218-879-271235.....Milwaukee, PO Box 28842, Greenfield, WI 53228 ...........................................262-250-644437.....St. Cloud, 109 Greenstone ln., Waite Park, MN. 56387 ..................................320-656-116038.....Alexandria-Vikingland, 106 Main Ave, P.O. Box 102, Carlos, MN 56319 .........612-554-817039.....Fox River Valley, 1253 Cobblers Crossing, Elgin, Il 60123 .............................847-741-977141..... Central Ohio, 1094 Eastmoor Blvd. Columbus, OH 43209 740-225-115242.....Hoosier Muskie Hunters, PO Box 501371, Indianapolis, IN 46250 .................. 317-372-011144.....Colorado, 2031 Granger Circle, Castle Rock, CO 80109 .................................303-263-378345.....Kentucky, 212 linden Ave., Southgate, KY 41071 ...........................................859-441-166646.....Bemidji/Cass lake, PO Box 6, Bemidji, MN 56619 ..........................................218-766-669747.....Michigan Muskie Alliance, PO Box 512, Caledonia, MI 49316 .........................616-447-168849.....Webster lake Musky Club, PO Box 670, No. Webster, IN 46555 ....................574-834-166950.....Penn-Jersey, 4 Shull Farm Rd., Erwinna, PA 18920 ........................................610-294-939952.....Daniel Boone, 813 US 62, Maysville, KY 41056 ..............................................606-759-761053.....Huskerland Muskie Hunters, 15706 Hamilton St, Omaha, NE 68118 ............... 402-498-895954.....Southern Crossroads, 850 Riverwood Place, Owatonna, Minnesota 55060 ....507-455-164456.....SW Ohio Muskie Assoc., 524 Sterling Meadows Place, Brookville, OH 45309 .937-833-183357.....NW Tiger Pac, 20204 9th Ave. S., Des Moines, WA 98198 .............................206-870-067358.....lake St. Clair Muskies, Inc., 34047 Williamsburg Ct, Sterling Hts MI 48312 ....586-873-915459.....New Mexico Muskies, Inc., P.O. Box 65575, Albuquerque, NM 87193 ............505-264-299960.....Mountain Muskies, 6610 N. Hartley Spokane, WA 99208 ................................509-263-723561.....Northwoods Chapter, P.O. Box 1090 PMB #204, Minocqua, WI 54548 ...........715-356-975862.....Wasau Area Chapter, 5709 Canoe Street, Weston, WI 54776 .........................715-297-757363.....South Central West Virginia , HC61 Box 39B Frame Town, WV 26623 ...........304-364-887864.....Nittany Valley Musky Alliance, 175 Industrial Park Rd. Edensburg, PA 15931 814-421-650269.....New York Muskies, P.O. Box 10401, Rochester, NY 14610 .............................585-670-0422

Chapter News and ViewsATTENTION

CHAPTER CONTACTS:Please make sure

your chapter addressand phone number

is correct on this pageAND 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!

Issue 2015 Deadline DateMay/June March 20thJuly/August May 20th

September/October July 20thNovember/December September 20th

January/February (2016) November 20th

MUSKIE Deadlines


Special Events

Chapter 12’s Spring Classic of Champions Catch & Release Muskie Tournament

Dates: June 13-14, 2015 Location: Eagle River Chain of lakes (Vilas County, WI). For more information, please contact Scott Samuels: Phone: (715) 547-3340Email: [email protected]: “Spring Classic Muskie Tournament”

www.headwatersmuskies.com_____________________________________

To all Youth Conservation AlliancePLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

Event: 2015 Youth Muskie Hunt (YMH)Date: September 17th (Thursday) - 19th (Saturday)Time: Kick off starts at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday with awards/closing ceremonies happening Saturday night at louie’s landing.Command Center: Mystic Moose on Moose lake in Hayward, WisconsinEvent registration will open up on August 1st, but, if you’re 90 percent sure that you’re going to attend,

please email me with a heads-up so I can get some rough estimates on attendance. As most of

you know, these events continue to grow and we’re certain to have this event be our biggest ever.Note: There will NOT be a June Youth Muskie

Hunt in 2015. September is it and it’s going to be a cool one!

Feel free to call Kevin Bushnick (YCA Grand Master) at (847) 987-3622 or visit our website

www.theYCA.org with any questions.

2015

www.muskiesinc.org

The winter months are always a busy time for our chapter. Right now we are actively preparing for our biggest fund raising event of the year, the Indoor Fishing Flea Market (IFFM). It will be held on March 7th, 2015 at Rolling Meadows High School (RMHS). This year, we partnered with the RMHS Athletic Boosters to put on the event. The IFFM is something no angler should miss. All sorts of fishing gear, collectibles, close-outs, overstocks, antiques, used fishing tackle and boat and marine merchandise, will be up for sale. There are always a lot of deals and rare finds. Plus, it’s a ton of fun swapping stories with fellow anglers. Zach Arnold has done a great job coordinating the IFFM.

We’ll be drawing the winners of our Annual Fundraising Raffle at the IFFM. We’re raffling off some very nice prizes, including a muskie rod/reel combo, two signed and framed Scott Zoellick prints, and as the grand prize, a GoPro Hero4. Good luck to everyone who bought tickets!

Back in January, we ran a booth at the new Chicago Muskie Expo. It was great to see all the familiar faces and to meet other muskie enthusiasts. We always enjoy talking muskies with our fellow anglers and

we also signed up a lot of new members at the expo! Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth and bought a few of our raffle tickets. As usual, Bob Ebert ( p i c t u r e d left) was the face of the Chicagoland M u s k i e

Hunters. Bob, with support of other Chapter members, manned our booth for the entire expo.

Outings Director, Joe Pavilonis, is putting together some fun outings for 2015, starting with the WLMC (#49) Ice-Out Challunge. We won the Ice-Out in 2013 and last year there were no fish caught and therefore no winner, so we’d love to re-capture the Giant Minnow traveling trophy again this year. This event is always a blast and the WLMC Chapter puts on a great event with generous amounts of good food and raffle prizes. The Ice-Out is also a good opportunity to shake off a few of the cobwebs that have gathered in our muskie muscles over the long winter. And not to be overlooked are the gigantic girths on some of these pre-spawn fish. This may be the best time of year to bag ‘Big Bertha’, at least down here where there’s no closed season. We’re also planning on having outings on the Fox Chain and Vilas County amongst other locations.

Our monthly meetings have featured many top notch muskie sticks. In January, Gregg Thomas treated us to a presentation on fishing soft plastic baits. In February, we got a rare treat when Luke Ronnestrand presented on one of our club’s favorite destinations, Lake Vermilion. I think everyone is looking

forward to our March meeting, when Spencer Berman comes back to Chi-town. Spencer always gives a highly entertaining and informative presentation and with LSC a mere 5 hour drive from Chicago, we’re sure to put this information to good use. In May, we welcome back one of our favorite speakers, Sean Bermingham. Sean is a master of tinkering with his baits to give them that unique wiggle or wobble that fish just can’t resist. Sean will be sharing some of his favorite bait modifications with us. Keep on chuckin’

- Frank Loye

Greetings from Titletown! Our December 2014 meeting featured our chapter elections. President Bob Volm, Secretary/Treasurer Bill Gerndt, and Alliance Representative Steve Haas were reelected for another term and Tim Drewiske was elected Vice President. The club thanks Ron Myslik for his past service as an officer. Other business discussed included future club outings, Titletown clothing options, and our winter schedule. Our January meeting was also our annual swap meet. Good deals were abundant.

Our annual banquet will be held on Friday, March 20th at the Stadium View Banquet Hall in Green Bay. There will be door prizes, raffles,


Chicagoland Muskie Hunters7600 Kilbourn Ave. • Skokie, Il 60076

847-677-0017 – Dean [email protected]

Meets 2nd Tuesday 7:30 PM, Park Ridge VFW 10 West Higgins Ave., Park Ridge, Il.

3CHAPTER

Titletown/Packerland901 Ethel Street

Green Bay, WI 5433920-866-5244

Meetings held the second Wednesday of each 562, 7:00 p.m., at the Green Bay Yacht Club, 100 Bay Beach Road, Green Bay, WI. Follow us on Facebook

at Titletown Muskies, Inc. Chapter 4

4CHAPTER

Indoor Fishing Flea

Market

All Types of Fishing Gear Collectible & Used Fishing Tackle Closeouts, Overstocks, Antiques

Boat & Marine Merchandise

Free Parking Refreshments

Saturday March 7th 2015

8:00AM – 1:00PM

Rolling Meadows High School 2901 W. Central Rd. Rolling Meadows, IL 60008

Admission $5.00

Students and Seniors $4.00 Children 10 and Under Free

Information 847-769-4061

Sponsored by Chicagoland Muskie Hunters & RMHS Post Prom Committee

Indoor Fishing Flea

Market





8:00AM – 1:00PM


Admission $5.00




Indoor Fishing Flea

Market





8:00AM – 1:00PM


Admission $5.00




Indoor Fishing Flea

Market





8:00AM – 1:00PM


Admission $5.00




Indoor Fishing Flea

Market





8:00AM – 1:00PM


Admission $5.00




Indoor Fishing Flea

Market





8:00AM – 1:00PM


Admission $5.00




Indoor Fishing Flea

Market





8:00AM – 1:00PM


Admission $5.00




Indoor Fishing Flea

Market





8:00AM – 1:00PM


Admission $5.00




awards, hundreds of prizes, so there will for sure be something for everyone. A full report will appear in the next issue. For more information on the banquet, please contact Bill Gerndt at [email protected].

- Respectfully submitted, Bill Gerndt

Our awards banquet was held in January. The Members Only Fishing Contest had 59 anglers reporting 578 muskies released. The Men’s Division was won this year by Ace Sommerfeld, with 64 fish worth 726 points. In second place was Rick Hall with 53 fish worth 547 points. In third was Matt Rokus with 42 fish worth 456 points. The Men’s Masters Division was led by Harold Hall with 57 fish worth 542 points. In second was Brett Olson with 39 fish worth 425 points. In third was Brian Wright with 28 fish worth 320 points. The Women’s Division was won by Kirsten Spletter with 3 fish worth 37 points. In second was by Susan Roytek with 2 fish worth 23 points. In third was Lesa Allen with 1 fish worth 18 points. The Junior’s Division was won by Max Gibson with 5 fish worth 97 points. In second was Sam Hall with 6 fish worth 69 points. In third was Cortland Spletter with 5 fish worth 62 points. Congratulations to ALL the anglers.

The Mike Malone Memorial Award, which recognizes a member’s service for the betterment of the chapter, was presented to Don Maves for his work heading the Merchandise and Tournament committees.

The chapter Executive Officers for 2015 are as follows: President, John Imm; Vice President, Alex Swanson; Treasurer, Jack Gerlach/Joe Heil; Secretary, Paul Gottwald; Chapter Representative, Tom Riedel. Thanks to last year’s President, Dave Jann.

The March general meeting will feature muskie guide Mike Cookas of

Sawyer County. April will feature Larry Mann of the Hayward Fly Fishing Co. These meetings are held every first Monday of the month at the Fill Inn Station in Chippewa Falls. Meetings start at 7 p.m. and the seminars are free and open to the public.

Our 39th Annual Tournament will be held September 18th-20th, 2015. Please mark your calendars and join us.

- Paul Gottwald

Well, “Cabin Fever” is running at high levels in the land of the Capital City Chapter of Muskies, Inc. (CCMI). We have numerous members anxious for the ice to leave and for spring to arrive. Luckily, we have a whole lot of great events and activities to keep our minds off of the seemingly endless winter season. On February 9th, we held our Annual Awards Banquet and, as always, our Release Contest Chairman Michael Winther, did an excellent job presenting the fish, the stories, and acknowledging all of our various Division Winners. It was another excellent year for many of our club members, in regards to the size of fish and the number of fish caught. It’s always a big thrill to hear the stories and get the background information on the huge fish boated by our club members.

One of my favorite winter time events, The Madison Fishing Expo, was held on February 27- March 1st. We had a good number of members working in our booth, selling raffle tickets, selling our club sweatshirts, selling lures from our very popular “Garage Sale”, meeting new people, and promoting Muskies, Inc. I thank all of the volunteers that put time in

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

www.capitalcitymuskiesinc.org Meets 2nd Monday at the 5100 Bar, 5100 Erling Ave., McFarland, WI.

8CHAPTER

First WisconsinP.O. Box 122, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729

www.firstwimuskiesinc.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.

6CHAPTER

(Continued on page 28)

during the expo and I also thank everyone who stopped by and either bought something or joined the club. Speaking of Expos, I would also like to thank Rick Lane, who worked our booth at the Wisconsin Musky Expo in Wausau on March 6-8.

There is still time a little time left to register for CCMI’s 14th Annual Intermediate and Advanced Muskie School on March 14th. With attendees coming from several States around the upper Midwest, our Muskie School continues to be very popular. Much of the schools success is due in large part to the great job that our “Muskie School Dean” Geoff Crandall, does organizing the class curriculum and school activities. The schools success is also due to the superb job our “Muskie Teachers” do in giving their seminars. We’re always adding new classes to keep things fresh and to make sure that every year has something new to offer our attendees. You can find more info on the school at our website (www.capitalcitymuskiesinc.org) or you can contact Geoff at [email protected] or at (608) 770-7131. The cost of attending is $35 ($45 after March 9th) and $10 for kids 17 and under. Please note that we require that any enrollees under age 16 be accompanied by an adult. If you registered prior to March 1st, you were automatically entered in a drawing for a $200 Gift Card to Dorn Bait & Tackle. The school fee covers your three classes and a catered lunch. There will also be a raffle, silent auction, and free coffee and donuts to start off the day.

On Saturday, April 11th Basketball Legend and Muskie Fisherman Christian Laettner will be our speaker at our CCMI Annual Fundraiser. Since retiring from Professional Basketball, Christian has developed a deep passion for Muskie fishing. He has appeared on The Next Bite with Pete Maina and has started his own website and state of mind: “The Muskie Life”. Christian will cover his experiences in the sports world and in Muskie Fishing. He will discuss the correlation between preparing for the Big Game and preparing for a Big Fish trip, among other useful points. There will be raffles, silent auctions, chances to meet Christian, and many, many prizes. The Fundraiser starts at 1pm and will be held at the 5100 Bar & Banquet Hall, 5100 Erling Avenue, McFarland, WI 53558. Details for this even can also be found on our website.

Take an early opportunity to get your 2015 off to an early start by

attending the CCMI Iowa Hawg Hunt on April 25th, near Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It’s a great way to try out the new lures and gear that you have purchased over the winter and it allows you to knock off some rust before the WI season opener and the CCMI Madison Chain Outing. The Madison Chain outing takes place on Lake Waubesa and Lake Monona as well as the water linking the two. It will be held on May 16th. This is a very fun event, a great way to get to know fellow club members and meet new Muskie anglers. The fishing filled day ends mid-afternoon at The Green Lantern in McFarland, with a free lunch and prizes. Mark the date on your calendars and visit our website for all of the details (www.capitalcitymuskiesinc.org).

CCMI will again be hosting the Wisconsin Youth Muskie Championship. This fun filled event will take place on June 13th. Every year, the WI Youth Muskie Championship is a great success and there are not too many events more rewarding for our club members than this one. Whether they’re in search of their first muskie or a new personal best, all of the kids entered in the event have a great time and only add to the fun. Taking a day to help these young anglers hunt down a lunker and improve their fishing skills and knowledge, is one of the foundations of Muskies, Inc and one of the biggest reasons why so many of us get involved in clubs such as ours. Details for this event can also be found on our website.

I wish you success in your 2015 Muskie fishing season and I hope you catch a monster.

- President, Luke Vike, Sr.

Last season, WV Chapter 9 members registered about the same number of muskies as the previous year. Some familiar names stayed at the top in several Chapter Contest Divisions. John Cade and Shelia McCord repeated as WV Men’s and Women’s Master Champions. Allison Klug once again won our Junior Division. Charlie Carpenter is our 2014 U.S.

West Virginia1270 Federal Road • little Hocking, OH 45742

740-667-3571www.westvirginiamuskiesinc.org Meets: No definite schedule-call

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Waters Release winner. He shared the award in 2013 with Troy Radcliff. With 38 releases for nearly 500 points, Danny Haddox won our Men’s Release Division. Darlene Kelley boated 8 fish for 96 point to win our Women’s Division. Danny and Darlene will now compete as Masters. Jay Dotson’s first over fifty was our longest of 2014. Jay boated a 51.5 inch from Lake St. Clair on a guided trip bought for him by his family, for his birthday. Too bad more of us don’t receive such great creative gifts. Personally, I’m tired of socks and Fruit of the Looms.

While many of us were relaxing at home, probably watching New Year’s Day Football, Bill Looney was making his own fun on the Elk River. Bill rang in the New Year with a 50.5 inch, casting one of his own Amma Bama Lures. This wasn’t the first time he has registered WV lunkers in early January. By January 9, 2012 Bill had already caught eight muskies from the Elk and Little Kanawha Rivers including a 45 inch and a 50 inch. Congratulations again Bill.

Chapter 9 would like to congratulate, as well as thank, former DNR Director Frank Jezioro, who retired on December 31st, 2014, after serving sportsmen and the states’ natural resources for ten years. Mr. Jezioro had many accomplishments during his tenure as Director. Mr. Robert Fala has been appointed to serve in this important capacity and we look forward to working with him as a club in the improvement, enhancement and protection of all our wonderful natural resources within the state.

- Secretary , John Kaltenecker

In November and January, the Hayward chapter had two business meetings. We reviewed the tournament results, made plans for next year and set a budget for the club’s spending and financial needs. We also discussed projects and other monetary requests and planned club events and activities. In December, Allen and Barbara Hoeft hosted our annual Christmas party.

In February, we will send out the calendar of club activities along with a reservation form for our annual awards banquet, which will be Saturday, March 7th, 2015. Everyone who registered fish in our members contest will receive a trophy, plaque or certificate at the banquet. If you can’t be there, the awards can be mailed.

The following fish have been entered in our club’s member contest as of January 20th, 2015:Youth - Tommy Tiffany (2 fish and points); Women’s - Vicki Barber (8 fish and 99 points), Vicki Shumway (7 fish and 82 points), Claudette Kersten (4 fish and 38 points), Tera Neibauer (2 fish and 30 points); Men’s - Ken Vesel (20 fish and 221 points), Carl Langham (22 fish and 183 points which includes a 48.5 inch from Vermillion), Emmett Brown (14 fish and 120 points), Steve Truver (7 fish and 86 points), Al Hoeft (5 fish and 69 points), Kris Gottwald (5 fish and 64 points), Tom Kersten (8 fish and 57 points), JB Ellis (3 fish and 56 points which includes a 48.5 from the Chip), and ErnieThieding (4 fish and 44 points); Men’s Masters - Larry Ramsell (11 fish and 130 points which includes a 48 inch from the St. Lawrence) and Mike Persson (11 fish and 134 points).These results are not final and are subject to review by Jim Bunch. NOTE: For more information call Mike Persson - 715-634-4543 or

visit our club’s website www.muskiesinc-hayward.org - Good Fishing, Mike Persson

The Muskie Maniacs held their Christmas party/raffle on November 15th. We want to thank all of the club members for bringing gifts to be donated to Pathways for needy kids. Wendy from Pathways also thanked everyone for their donations and told us how they were going to distribute

the gifts to all of the children. We also had our drawing for our Fall Raffle of a 50 inch TV.

We had pretty good weather for the months of November and December, as some of our club members took advantage to increase their fish totals before the end of the year. Now (as of this writing) it’s January and everything is frozen over. Good thing they have sport shows during the winter to get us through the winter blues. Our club members were excited to be attending the Ohio Muskie Show on January 23rd - 25th to see what is new and get some tips on how to catch more fish.

On February 17th, we had our Annual Lure Raffle. This is a fundraiser for our club and is an opportunity to get rid of some of the lures you don’t use and get a bargain on some new baits. The proceeds from the raffle will help in getting ready for our Annual Awards Banquet on March 7th. A lot of planning is underway to make this years’ banquet even better than last year. I will give the highlights of the lure auction and our banquet in our next newsletter. Our first tournament of the season will be at Piedmont Lake on April 18th - 19th. Last year, we had a good turn-out for the tournament and there were some nice fish caught.

- Kevin Proffitt

Well, we are half way through winter and the lakes are full of ice shacks. The days are getting longer and the muskie, boat and sports shows are in full swing. Just talking fishing gets you pumped up.

Our club has been busy making plans for the coming year. We had an ice fishing outing on February 22nd and our annual fundraising banquet is April 14th. On June 6th, we will be participating in a free fishing day, along with all the other county conservation clubs in Sheboygan County. Rich Kammerer will again be putting our summer muskie league together, which has been a huge success and Jody Booth has set September 20th for our annual Veteran’s Outing.

Our new youth director, Luke Mancl, has suggested we take kids from the local Boys & Girls club to a fish hatchery and I think we are going to make it happen. So it looks like we will have busy summer again; some of us have made reservations already for the August tournament in Eagle River.

For now it’s watching fishing shows, waiting for my Rollie & Helen’s Musky Shop catalog and to figure out how to spend my $100 gift card.

- Mike Scholler

Our North Metro club sponsors a Members Only Contest, with mounts going to the biggest fish caught in the Adult and Junior category. We are pleased to announce that Grant Lindberg caught a 54.5 inch fish to win the Adult Division. We are also pleased to announce that Markus Klobe won the Junior Division with a 47 inch fish. Both competitors will have a replica made of their big fish, courtesy of NMMI. They were awarded the mounts at our banquet on February 28th.

Matt Seifert was our December speaker. Matt runs Muskie Mercenary Guide Service and fishes in Minnesota. Many of our questions had to

Hayward lakesP.O. Box 609

Hayward, WI 54843715-634-4543

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North MetroP.O. Box 41216

Plymouth, MN 55441612-916-7426 • www.nmmuskies.com

Meets 3rd Wednesday at Coon Rapid VFW 1919, Coon Rapids Blvd NW, Coon Rapids, MN 55433 from 7-9pm

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Between the lakesP.O. Box 61 • Sheboygan Falls, WI 53085-0061

920-602-1419 - Kevin Rortvedt,[email protected]

Meets 3rd Thursday 7:00 pm at Chizzys Pub in Waldo WI.

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Akron-Canton2211 North Park Dr. • Wadsworth, OH 44281

Mike Sandridge - [email protected]

Meets 3rd Tuesday at 7:00 PM, North Canton FOE, 6979 Sunset Strip NW, Canton, OH.

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Some of our members pose for a quick photo.

deal with his experience on the lower St. Croix. There was a lot of great information given out on how to approach fishing the St. Croix, Metro Lakes and Lake Vermilion.

Please join us on our new website, www.nmmuskies.com. Look at the December newsletter and see if you are interested in the Annual Red Wing Lodge trip organized by two of our members, Pat Miller and John VanIngen. Contact information is in the newsletter.

We are happy to announce that John “Geno” Genosky has joined the NMMI Board of Directors. Stop by and chat at our booth at George’s Muskie Expo Show held April 4th – 6th.

Now is the time to prepare for the 2015 muskie season. Make use of these months to plan your trips and get you and all your gear ready.

- Mike Riha

Happy Holidays to all of you muskie maniacs. Most of our lakes are frozen, so that leaves us time to get our gear back in good working order. The past month or so were good for some of our members. MI 22 member Matt Andreula put four big shouldered muskies in the net on Thanksgiving Day and enjoyed some turkey too!

At our final meeting of 2014, we made good use of the club’s computer

New Jersey1524 Old Bethlehem Rd., Quakertown, PA 18951

908-319-2205 • www.mi22.comChapter meetings are held monthly the last Tuesday of each month, September through

May. Summer meetings will be held on the water. Check our website for details.

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and new projector, and linked (via Skype) with Ottawa River/St. Lawrence Musky Guide Mark Thorpe for a question and answer session on muskie strain and DNA research. Mark has worked with Dr. John Farrell, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Director at the Thousand Islands Biological Station, and he brought us up to speed on the ongoing research that he took part in and related to MI22 as well as the work that Dr. Farrell and others have done on St. Lawrence strain and their DNA sampling. The research is continuing and we hope that our chapter members will have had an opportunity to interact with Dr. Farrell in person or via Skype.

Going into the 2015 season, in addition to guest speakers, the chapter will be working on the tournament schedule with dates to be firmed up by February. On February 7th, we will have had the 3rd Annual Christmas, New Years, Cabin Fever, Groundhog Day Extravaganza with NJ Fish and Wildlife Staff, at the Hackettstown Hatchery.

At the time you have read this, MI22 will have participated in the Fresh Water Fisheries Forum, at the Hackettstown Hatchery on January 24th and the muskie show season will be under way. Several members are planning to attend shows like Musky Max, as well as, the Ohio Show and Region 3 meeting taking place at the Ohio Show.

We already have one local show under our belts and our booth at the Raritan Center Outdoorsmen Show was a real eye catcher with the new projector. Many who stopped by the booth commented on the large screen slide show and some who stopped, saw themselves on the “big screen”. Thanks to MI22 members Jim D., Greg M., Cal H., Steve S., Matt A., Phil E., John H., Doug P., and Jim E. for staffing our booth at this event that took place January 8th-11th. We picked up a Grandt Rod that will be raffled off at Musky School, filled our Veteran’s Seat for Musky School and had 11 out of 16 seats for the 2015 Musky School filled by the shows end. This year is setting up to be a great year for chapter activities. We will keep you posted!

Tight lines and beasts in the net to all of you.- David Christinzio

Congrats to Janet Yde on her very first muskie. This 35 incher was caught at a

sponsored club event (June Jam Tournament) which was held in Polk

County of western Wisconsin.

Check out our website (shawneemuskiehunters.org) for lots of good information. Thanks to Renee Johnson for taking over our website and rebuilding it.

It is March and our spring season is well on its way. March is a very good month to catch a very big, fat muskie on Kinkaid. They are at their heaviest of the year before they spawn. Fishing in March can be very good one day and tough the next. The weather in March can be 60 today and 30 the next with windy conditions. But, we can fish for our favorite fish, where our brothers up north can only watch Jim Saric and Mike Keyes catch muskies on their TV’s.

We have had some changes in our Officers for 2015. Our new President is Jim Beaty. He took over the chapter when Jerry Ford had to step down due to work obligations. I know Jim will be a very good president and he will have the same support that we have given Jerry. Our new Vice President is Jim Fritz. He took over from John Wright and he will serve our chapter well. Our new Habitat Director is Kyle Kroening. The rest of our officers have kept their positions for 2015.

We not only have our muskie fishing starting to heat up, but so are our chapter activities. March 28 is our Shawnee/Pomme challenge. This date was changed due to a last minute change with the IMTT tournament circuit. This year, the challenge will be held on Lake Pomme de Terre. I know we will do our best to keep the traveling trophy in the hands of chapter 28.

On April 18th we will have our annual lake clean up. This event has really gotten the support of the local community. The IDNR supplies the bags and hauls the debris away. The Marina supplies a free lunch to the volunteers that gather up the trash. We have volunteers from 4H, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Southern Illinois University to name a few. It is a fun time and for a good cause.

After the cleanup, we will have our 3rd Iron Man Outing. This event also includes a boat dress up at 7 pm. Members decorate their boat and pass by the judges for prizes. It is very hard to beat the team of John Write and Ray Wheelock. They start planning their design for the next year right after the outing. The hours of the outing are from 2 pm on the 18th and ends at noon on the 19th. I am looking forward to seeing what they came up with this year.

April 25th we will hold our spring Guide for the Day event. This is one of our first money making events of the year. It has really grown and this year the list is very long from our first sports show and we have another sport show to go. We may have to turn people away and we are even considering adding a second day to handle the excess.

I hope to see you on the water at one or more of these events this coming year. And if you see me fishing on the water this spring, stop by and chat. Remember I’m in the other New Lund.

- Walt Krause

Greetings from Northwest Iowa, Chapter 29! Winter finds our lakes icebound and muskie fishermen cleaning and preparing tackle for opening in May.

Our agenda for early 2015 is as follows (some events will have passed by the time this writing is published):- Our annual Awards Banquet February 21st at McKeen’s in Spirit Lake with auction and raffle.- Spring Seminar March 21st featuring Mike Keyes, from Keyes Outdoors television

show, as our speaker with auction and raffle at Pelican Ridge.

- In May, we participate in classroom sessions with Okoboji High School followed by on-water fishing at the Grade in Spirit Lake. Also in May, we co-sponsor a Swap Meet with Stan’s Bait Shop in Milford, held in conjunction with the Musky Season Opener on May 21st. Our club continues to install and service line collection containers at all

our local boat ramps. We recycle line at Pure Fishing in Spirit Lake. Our next service project under discussion is improving docks at our lakes in cooperation with the Iowa DNR.

Our monthly club meetings are the 3rd Thursday at Perkins Restaurant, Milford with dinner at 6 pm and our meeting starting at 7 pm.

- Tom Gude

As I write this, we are full swing of winter and the 2015 muskie shows. The Chapter 35 board has been working hard to try and come up with some new fundraising ideas. Fundraising is how we pay for stocking and research projects, our Speaker Series at the general meeting, and the outings with Big Brother/Big Sister and the Veterans. We are always looking for donations, volunteers and assistance with the outings and fundraisers. We are always welcoming fresh new ideas.

This past winter, we have been working with Spanky Baits on a fundraising project. With input from folks tackling area lakes, we came up with a bucktail that is #9 smoked blades on an 11 inch frame with a weight of 3.2 oz. The flashabou is jet black over pearl and silver. The bucktails are going for $25 and if you haven’t bought one yet, please do so to help support our chapter.

We’re also working on suppliers for decals, coffee mugs, and more. We’d like your feedback on what you’d be interested in. We’re also trying to get our hands on the embroidery file that was used for the Milwaukee Chapter clothing in the past. You can e-mail Mike Phelps with your comments, suggestions, and interest to order.

A couple of the club’s events are coming up in May. The annual Quad County Challunge on Pewaukee is the opening weekend of May 2nd - 3rd. This is a “fishing for fun” tourney between both Milwaukee Chapter and the Illinois Quad County Chapter. The other big event is the May 31st Annual Pewaukee Classic on Pewaukee Lake. This is our long time running annual fund raising tournament. Bryan Blanke is the Pewaukee Classic Tournament Director. Please check our website for the latest details on both events.

In June, we have added a second cash competition tournament to coincide with our Fall MCMI Championship Open in September. Geoff Verges and Bob Petzke are chairing the MCMI Spring Championship Tournament on Pewaukee Lake on June 13th. This is a tournament designed to be a fundraising cash payout tourney. It will be paying out two-thirds in awards and one-third to support chapter stocking, research, outings and club activities.

In regards to Stocking and Research, planning is still underway for our (Continued on page 32)


MilwaukeePO Box 28842 • Greenfield, WI 53228

Craig Ader – 262-250-6444www.milwaukeemuskiesinc.com

Meets 3rd Thursday January – May, & September – November, 6:00PM Board Mtg.; 7:30PM General Meeting, American legion Post #449. 3245 N. 124th Street, Brookfield, WI 53005

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Shawnee Muskie Hunters923 Reiss Rd, O’Fallon, Il 62269

618-628-4205 – Jerry [email protected]

www.shawneemuskiehunters.org

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Upper Great Plains1788 Hwy 4, Estherville, IA 51334

712-362-2501www.muskieclub.com

Meets 3rd Thursday , legion Club, 1709 Okoboji Ave., Milford, IA.

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This group photo was taken at the Okoboji Middle School at Smith’s Bay, West Okoboji on

January 15 and 16th.

That same member recycling the old line at Pure Fishing in Spirit Lake Iowa; that’s a lot of line!

One of our members collecting the old line at one of the boat ramps

collection stations

local waters and for submissions for grants. Direct purchase and stocking into Pewaukee, Okauchee (if no longer restricted due to state-wide study), and/or Lac LaBelle is likely. For our efforts with the Amron pond, we’ve discussed putting that on the back burner for now. Mike Phelps and Greg Sieren have been collaborating with area biologists and discussing migration studies that could be used to encompass the Oconomowoc and Pewaukee/Fox river systems. Under development is the cost of a study to monitor water levels and fish movements through these river systems.

Our January 2014 general meeting, featured speaker Gregg Thomas with Battle the Beast Guide Service. Gregg gave a general overview of Lake St. Clair, spoke on the basics of mast trolling the lake, and fishing with rubber and plastics.

Keep checking our website for the latest details on club events. Make sure the club has your most current email address to be put on the club’s email newsletter. Contact Mike Phelps to update any email address info at: [email protected].

Our upcoming club events calendar is as follows:March 19th - MOFC Awards Banquet. April 16th - Meeting Speaker Capt. Matt “Catfish” Firestein – Whopper Stopper Muskie Charters. May 2-3rd - Quad County Challunge Tourney on Pewaukee Lake. May 9th - Pewaukee Classic Fishing Tourney. May 21st - Meeting Speaker - Captain Mike Koepp of Mike’s Extreme Guide Service will be talking about Early Season Patterns and Locations. June 13th - MCMI Spring Championship Tournament. June 20th - Big Brothers/Big Sisters Outing.

- Greg Sieren

It is definitely “fish fry” season and the best fry in central Minnesota is hosted right here in Waite Park by Chapter 37 at the American Legion on April 24th. Our annual Anglers Dinner is fantastic and quite entertaining with prizes being handed out all evening.

Our Chapter Contest has been finalized and we would like to say thank you to everyone who participated and congratulate our top scores. First place in the Men’s Masters division goes to Bryan Thompson. In the Men’s division, first place is Eric Poissant. Second place went to Alex Lauer followed by Thomas Ardolf in third. Elysa Amberg took first place in the Juniors division with Ryan Schmitz for second and Joshua Nielsen placing third. First place In the Women’s divisions is Kara Poissant. Again, great job to everyone who took part in the contest in 2014 and we look forward to next years round of participants.

Elections were held in December and we are happy to report that everyone on the Board of Directors will be with us for another term. Our December meeting was also our Christmas party, which turned into a round-table discussion of our stories and experiences throughout the year during dinner. Everyone leaves a gift-wrapped lure under the Christmas tree for a swap at the end of the evening. It’s definitely my favorite meeting of the year and a great way for everyone to get to know each other a little more.

January and February’s combined meeting is a featured speaker, guide, outdoor writer, tournament angler and T.V. personality Josh Borovsky. This was held February 10th at the Moose Lodge in Waite Park. These annual speakers are a great way to sharpen your game and break out of the winter blues.

As we all know, one can never possess enough lures, equipment and technology so making it to one of the many Muskie Expos is crucial. Concordia University hosts George’s 2015 Minnesota Muskie Expo on April 10th, 11th and 12th. We just hope to see you there, at a meeting or on the water. Visit our website or Facebook page and keep send those good vibes down the line!

- Eric Poissant

On Wednesday, March 11th our speaker will be Corey Allen. Cory is the founder of Stone’s Throw Adventures, which specializes in river fishing for muskies from kayaks, jon boats, and canoes all over the untamed wilderness of Tennessee. It is Cory’s wish that you’ll find something fresh, enlightening, and inspiring every time you fish with him. He will be talking about this uncommon approach and present some uncharted places to fish in beautiful Tennessee. Bring a friend and don’t miss this meeting! All FRV general meetings are held at the Schaumburg Golf Club/Chandlers Chophouse. Dinner starts at 6:00 p.m. and the meeting starts around 7:00 pm. We ask for a $3 donation at the door.

FRV’s annual Awards and Fundraiser Banquet will be held at the Schaumburg Golf Club from 5:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 14th. This event serves as an opportunity to recognize members of all ages who caught and registered all kinds of fish for our 2014 fishing contest. Additionally, the donations generated from this night help fund most of the activities FRV undertakes throughout the year. With over $30,000 worth of merchandise, our prize list includes tickets for local sports teams (like the Blackhawks), jerseys and other sports souvenirs, guide trips and resort packages, appliances, artwork, jewelry, gift cards to restaurants and entertainment venues, tackle, a freezer full of meat and seafood, a Benelli shotgun, and $1,000 in cash! We need our members to show their support for the club by attending. Seating capacity is limited to 225 people, so please visit our website as soon as possible for details on tickets, prizes, the meal, and the event in general. We hope to see all of you there!

Our April 8th general chapter meeting will feature Southern Wisconsin guide, Jeff Hanson. Jeff has fished the Madison Chain his entire life and professionally guided on the Madison Chain of Lakes for 18 years. He’ll be drawing from countless hours of experience on Monona, Wingra, Waubesa, Mud and even the Yahara River. Come on by to the April 8th meeting to hear Jeff talk about the Madison Chain and the monsters that swim in it!

As the fishing season starts to heat up, you might want to consider hitting one of the biggest muskie tournaments in Northern Illinois. We’re hosting the annual “Challunge on the Chain” Tournament on Saturday, May 16th. As many of you know, the May time frame is one of the most productive times to fish the Fox Chain of Lakes. With better odds on your side, grab a partner and join the fun. We pay through the top 10 places (for teams boating fish) and the more boats that sign up, the bigger the payouts! It should be a great day to be on the water.

On a final note, beginning in 2015 FRV President Rich Gallagher (president for over a decade) has stepped down and passed the leadership torch to Steve Kroll (previously our treasurer). Those of you with any previous interaction with Chapter 39 know how dedicated Rich was to FRV and MI. His leadership style has been absolutely pivotal in the evolution and success of our chapter. Though he will still be involved with the board, his shoes will be difficult to fill and we will miss his enthusiasm and tireless effort as our president. With that being said, we all wholeheartedly support Steve Kroll as our new president and wish him luck guiding Fox River Valley to continued success.

Please check out our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter, or visit our website, www.frvmuskie.com for all meeting/speaker/event information, and to see how Fox River Valley Chapter 39 is making progress against our mission of Youth Fishing Education, Fisheries, Research and Community.

- Mark Lamont


Fox River Valley1253 Cobblers Crossing, Elgin, Il 601230

847-741-9771 – Rich Gallagherwww.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.

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St. Cloud312 18th Avenue N. • Sartell, MN 56377

Bruce Kitowski - (320) 656-1160www.stcloudmuskies.com

Meets: 3rd Tues. 7:30 PM, American legion Post 428, 17 2nd Ave. N, Waite Park, MN.

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Greetings from Central Ohio Chapter 41! It has been a while since we’ve participated in the News and Views section of MUSKIE Magazine, but we hope to submit our clubs news on more of a regular basis this year. There’s always a lot to report about the great fishing to be had in the Buckeye state and the fantastic anglers we are proud to have as members in this chapter.

First up, our newly elected officers have assumed their leadership positions as of this March/April report, with Bob Sisson taking over for Cliff Honeycutt as President. Brian Culbertson has taken over as the Vice President and Treasurer. The role of Secretary will be handled by Brent Spence, Chapter Representative is Mark Pauling, Web/Newsletter is Pat Frase, and Tournament Director is Jack Neville.

Thanks go out to Cliff for a great job as President in 2014! Also a big thanks, as always, to Elmer Heyob, our Program and Youth Director for bringing in some interesting and very informative guest speakers for the club meetings! From safety and regulations education, how to properly read your boat electronics with a rep from Lowrance, lure makers and guest fishermen with great tips and techniques to share. This is just my second season as a member of Muskies, Inc., but I can heartily attest to the value of these speakers that absolutely pays off on the water.

Activities this past 2014 season included our annual kid’s fishing event at the Park of Roses in Columbus, Ohio, where we handed out probably more than a hundred fishing poles to the kids and had a fun time catching cat fish and enjoying a cook out on a summer’s evening. The chapter

hosted the Wounded Warriors in May for a day of muskie hunting on Alum Creek Reservoir. Lots of hunting was done, but sadly no fish were landed that day. Oh well, that’s muskie fishing guys!

Coming first in our 2015 tournament schedule, is our April 25-26, John Fisher Memorial Tournament at Clear

Fork Reservoir near Mansfield, Ohio. Last year’s event produced 15 fish over 30 inches, with 8 of those over 40 inches. This reporter managed to land a 44-inch fish to place third (my first ever tournament place) and let me tell you that thrilled me no end. I can’t speak highly enough of the guys in the chapter and the help and information they offer freely to their less experienced club buddies, which helped make my last season my best ever in muskie fishing.

Here’s looking forward to 2015 and hoping everyone out there has their best season ever! We’ll be checking in again soon from Central Ohio.

- Dan Collins

Alright muskie hunters, especially you Hoosier Musky Hunters, it’s a cold, but sunny January day as I sit here typing this out. Wouldn’t I much rather be doing a muskie hunting activity? Now is a good time to take care of your equipment, as well as yourself. Sharpen your lures hooks, clean and lube your reels and check your rods for any problems. Don’t forget to keep yourself in shape as well. It won’t be long and we’ll be back on the water throwing those big lures for hours on end. Now, let’s do some catching up!

Chapter 42 held its club elections for the Board of Directors on November 26th, 2014. The results are as follows: President - Andrew Armheim; Vice President - Jeff Van Osdol; Chapter Representative - Jeff

Wines; Secretary - Dave Miller; Co-Director Indiana Musky Classic - Scott Law; Co-Director/Treasurer IMC - Jeremy Sivis; Board Members at Large - Charlie Johnson and Todd Henriksen; MI Magazine Input - Ed Myshak.

The club calendar should be released in the next magazine. Planning for the IMC (Indiana Musky Classic) has begun. The dates of the event are May 15th – 17th, 2015.

Another chapter meeting was held December 10th, 2014. It was held at Claude and Annie’s in Fishers, IN. This is where many of our future meetings will be held. So, please join us! The address is 9251 E 141st Street, Fishers, IN. This is near the intersection of State Road 37 and 141st Street. More information may be found at www.claudeandanniesfishers.com or you can call 317-774-8124.

Three dates were proposed for the Musky Summit. The date of January 31st was selected after coordinating with Brian Schoenung. The meeting was held at Claude and Annie’s from 1–3 p.m; hopefully, you were able to attend. A proposal of having Nick Haunert give a presentation on the tracking efforts of Eagle Creek Reservoir stocked muskies was discussed. After coordinating with Nick, April 8th was selected as the date for this effort. It will be at 7 p.m. at Claude and Annie’s. Nick is a graduate student at Ball State University. More information will be available in the next magazine. If you’d like to get a heads up on Nick’s efforts, go to: www.muskietrackecr.blogspot.com.

Flyers for the IMC are on track. Hoosier Musky Hunters website will be taken down. If you need to contact us, you may do so by visiting our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/HoosierMuskieHunter. Look for information concerning Hoosier Musky Hunters there. The Indiana Musky Classic is also on Facebook and may also be located at: www.indianamuskieclassic.com. Be sure to “Like” those sites on Facebook to be able to receive information from them. Also, feel free to view them at any time. Short time frame notices will be posted there.

Here’s to a successful 2015 muskie season! Be careful on the water and leave the area a little cleaner than you found it!

- Musky Ed Myshak

As old man winter is releasing his grip on us. We are all getting the “itch” to get back on open water. Soon it will be time to hit those favorite spots and catch those muskies that may or may not have got away last season.

We are excited to start the year with our “Lure Auction” on Saturday March 14th, at 5:00 p.m., at the Keg N Cork, 310 Beltrami Ave NW, Bemidji, on the lower level. We encourage everyone to bring some lures to auction and of course take some back home with you. It is always great time and look forward to seeing everyone there.

Our chapter is excited to have a great schedule ahead of us and want to personally invite everyone to come fish our tournament this year. Members, save these dates on your calendar. We have added Wednesday’s to our outing schedule to allow ten opportunities to earn points.

2015 TOURNAMENT/OUTING SCHEDULE:June 20 (Saturday) TOURNAMENT - 5am-5pm - Area Lakes June 10 (Wednesday) OUTING - 6pm-10pm - Lake PlantagenetJuly 1 (Wednesday) OUTING - 6pm-10pm - Lake BemidjiJuly 12 (Sunday) OUTING - Noon-8pm - Mantrap LakeJuly 22 (Wednesday) OUTING - 6pm-9:30pm - Pike BayAugust 5 (Wednesday) OUTING - 6pm-9:30pm - Big LakeAugust 16 (Sunday) OUTING - Noon-8pm - Lake PlantagenetSeptember 27 (Sunday) OUTING - 11:30am-7:30pm - Cass LakeOctober 18 (Sunday) OUTING - 9am-5pm - Leech LakeNovember 1 (Sunday) OUTING - 9am-5pm - Lake BemidjiSturgeon Excursion April 17-19th. Many of our chapter members make

the trip north in April to fish for the mighty sturgeon! We have talked with

Central Ohio1094 Eastmoor Blvd. Columbus, OH 43209

www.centralohiomuskies.wix.comMeets second Tuesday of every month at:

PJ’s Pizza, 571 West Cherry St., Sunbury, OH 4307441CHAPTER

Bemidji/Cass lakePO Box 6, Bemidji, MN 56619

218-766-6697www.bemidjicassmuskies.org

Meetings are 3rd Thurs of the month- 7pm at Cattails - 6405 Bemidji Ave N, Bemidji, MN 56601

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Hoosier Muskie HuntersP.O. Box 501371

indianapolis, IN 46250317-372-0111

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Sportsman’s Lodge about that particular weekend and they still have plenty of availability. You will need to call in and make your own reservations and deposit. You can call Sportsman’s at (218) 634-1342. Be sure to let them know you’re with Muskies, Inc. to get the group rate. Don’t wait until April as the rooms will surely fill up.

Let us know if you have extra room in your boat, or are looking for a spot - we will do our best to help match everyone up if needed. If you haven’t fought one of these powerful beasts yet - you need to put this on your ‘must do’ list! Contact Ethan Rogers for more information.

- Secretary, Denise Strickland

Please join us for our annual Online Lure Auction, April 27th - May 7th, 2015, with our “Shoot Out Finale” to begin on May 7th at 8:00 p.m., (est). We will have many custom baits and guided trips listed. Last year’s auction was a tremendous success as we raised $5,545.00. The support from the muskie community has been nothing short of amazing and some of the premier guides, and baitmakers across the U.S. and Canada had provided us with guided trips and baits that made for one of the most impressive auctions ever put together. Many thanks go out to the following: Hugh C. Becker Foundation, Widowmaker Lures David Speed Jones, Jim Wilson Hughes River Baits, Chris Haley Buckhorn Guide Service, Matt “Catfish” Firestein Whopper Stopper Guide Service, Captain Larry Jones Retired, Bob Franko Blackjack Guide Service, Red Childress Allegheny Guide Service, Beaver Baits Brian Boyum, Scott Benson SB Lures, Brian Soares BCS Custom Lures, Vengance Baits Ricky Fichter, Blue Water Baits Paul and Lidio Azevedo, Matt Gillispie Custom Lures, Anthony Ashby Hot Tail Gliders, Johnny Dadson Dadson Blade Baits, Zach Baker Baker Baits, Dinver McClure Custom Lures, Red October Baits Josh Ketry and Mark Arena, Ownage Muskie Baits Jeff Cantley, Marshall Custom Tackle Josh and Kyle Marshall, Jeremy Wagner Tuscarora Tackle, Smuttly Dog Mark Smith, Amma Bamma Bill Looney, Crane Baits Bill Crane, Adams Custom Lures Adam LeMey, Kopper’s Live Target, Dale Wiley Wiley Lures, Corey Meyer Flowage Boa, Dan Moats Spanky Baits, Suick Lures, Cabelas, those who donated from their private collections and of course our generous bidders across the U.S. and Canada.

Visit our website at www.MI50.com/smf and sign on to our message board for auction details and to participate. You must register on the board to view and participate.

The auction is held each year to help MI50 Penn-Jersey Chapter of Muskies Inc. raise money to improve the local fishery in Southeastern PA. This is mainly accomplished by purchasing advanced pure Muskie fingerlings (12 – 20 inches) and stocking them into our local lakes. Thus far, emphasis has been on Marsh Creek Lake in Chester County, and Lake Nockamixon, Bucks County. The club has been stocking advanced pures

in Marsh Creek since 2006. Lake Nockamixon received its first advanced pure stocking in 2012, with additional maintenance stockings in 2013 and 2014. These stockings can only be accomplished by raising as much money as possible through fundraisers like this, club events such as monthly meeting raffles, Greater Philadelphia Sport show raffle and “Guide for a Day Program”.

On October 28th, 2014, members from Muskies, Inc. Chapter 50 met at both Lake Nockamixon and Marsh Creek Lake to meet the stocking truck from Wisconsin’s Gallon Bait and Fish Farm, and take delivery of 750, 12-14 inch advanced fingerlings. These fish were purchased with the funds raised through our generous supporters of the Online Auction, and with the assistance of the Hugh C. Becker Foundation - improving the muskie fishery in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Working along with the PA Fish and Boat Commission, supplemental stocking has been going on since 2007 on Marsh Creek Lake. To date, the results have been tremendous. We began stocking Marsh Creek with purchased advanced purebreds in 2006, and the lake has yielded pure muskies up to mid-40 inch mark. Lake Nockamixon was added to our list in 2012. To make for a perfect finish at this stocking event, one of our members caught two pures at 30 and 33 inches, likely from our stocking in 2012. Awesome! Thank you, to all of our sponsors and supporters, and the Hugh C. Becker Foundation. Collectively, we are making a difference!

On October 12th, 2014, eighteen members of MI50 participated in the Fall King of The Marsh Tournament, as well as a few of our brothers across the river from Chapter 22. Anglers fished on a sunny day with tough high pressure conditions. Lots of follows and one or two lost fish were rumored, but only two fish were netted for the day. First place went to the team of Mike DiGuiseppe and Chris DeSignor with a 38.5 inch pure muskie and second place went to the Team of Matt Smith and Treigh Mason with a 37 inch pure muskie. Big fish Calcutta went to Mike DiGuiseppe with the 38.5 inch catch. Food and prizes followed the event, organized by Tournament Director, George Roman

2015 Election Results/Officers are as follows:Our President is Tom Sabia, Vice President is Re D’Antonio, Regional

Vice President is Alex Cannariato, Treasurer is Greg Ridge, Secretary is Jenny Donaghue, Release Chairman is Silvia Spitzer, Stocking Director and State Liaison is Alex Cannariato, Club Librarian is Tom Cooley, Muskie School Director is Mike DiGuiseppe, Show Director is Tom Sabia, Online Auction and Fundraising is Silvia Spitzer, Cabelas Co-op Representative is Jeremy Kern, Show Secretary is Dave Little, Youth Day Director is Mike DiGuiseppe, MI Magazine Editor is Treigh Mason, Tournament Director is Matt Smith, and Webmaster is Archie Roche.

- Michael DiGuiseppe

Hello, I would like to introduce myself as the new President of Chapter 57, Brett Olson. Along with the New Year, our Chapter will have a new look. Because of the many miles between members, we are going to focus on social media to stay in touch with all our members and future members. You can see our links and contact information in our header above. I would like to personally thank outgoing President and Secretary, Miles McDonald and Mary McDonald. They went above and beyond for two years to make this an outstanding chapter. Their many, many hours of volunteering are greatly appreciated by all of our members; some great food prepared by Chef Miles, our culinary expert is appreciated as well. Our chapter would like to extend our condolences to Miles, as he has just lost his father, Larry.

Mike Fuller and his son Dan, our experienced Tournament Directors, have selected the 2015 Tournament Schedule: May 16 – Mayfield; June 13 – Mayfield; August 29 – Merwin; September 25-26 – Curlew; October 10 - Merwin. You will want to make reservations for Merwin at Lone Fire Resort – we all stay in the campground/cabins after fishing one of the best


Penn JerseyChad Theesfeld, President

4 Shull Farm Rd., Erwinna, PA 18920 • 610-294-9399 E-mail: [email protected] • Website: www.mi50.com

Meets 1st Wed of every month.

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NW Tiger Pac20204 9th Ave. S.

Des Moines, WA 98198206-870-0673 - Charles legarski, President

www.lscmi.com

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Judson Tharin holding a nice

John Fosness 52.5 inch muskie.

Zach Strickland 52 inch muskie.


willingness to make Mountain Muskies successful for another action-packed year.

First on the list is the biggest sportsman show of the year for the inland empire, the Spokane Big Horn Show. Yes, we know muskies don’t have horns, but you get to blow yours when you catch one! It is just around the corner on March 19th-22nd, 2015. We urge all members to get on board and help out setting up and manning the booth whenever you can for the busy week. It’s our big chance to get out the Muskies, Inc. message of Youth, Fisheries, and Research. We are amazed each year at the booth how many people have tried to fish for or want to learn how to fish for muskies. This is a great opportunity to get them off on the right foot and introduce them to our chapter.

Next is the Spokane Kids Fishing Day on May 2nd, where we assist in introducing approximately 800 kids to the fun and excitement of fishing; many of them for the first time in their lives. Next on the busy schedule is our first tournament of the year at Silver Lake on May 16th. Watch your emails for more specific information as the day approaches. We are skipping the Newman Lake tournament event this year and instead sponsoring two tournaments at Curlew Lake. We want to double our chances to tie into one of those monsters there. Jeff Newman got us up to #13 on the Muskies, Inc. hybrid list last year and we hope we can do better than that this year.

So it’s early March as you read this and the ice is coming off the lakes. Time to get the boats uncovered, buy some more necessary lures for your empty tackle boxes, and head for the lakes because “it’s Tiger Time” again.

- Chuck Gades


tiger muskie lakes in the west. Come join in on the fun.Note: ALL of our tournaments this year are going to be OPEN to all,

in hope that allows for more anglers to bring family and friends, especially if they are visiting from other states. The exception will be Curlew Lake, in September. It is the Annual Chapter Challunge ESOXAGANZA between the WA.M.I. Chapters 57 and 60. The Golden Bucket is on the line, help us bring that baby back to the west side! Please make your plans early to attend this event. Many of us stay for extra days.

As of this writing, we are still trying to nail down the dates in March 2015, for the Tiger Muskie Fishing Seminar to be held. It is tentatively at the Bass Pro in Tacoma and/or Sportsman Warehouse in Federal Way. That will be the same date as our Annual Awards Ceremony for 2014. The big PMTT style trophies will be awarded. All Members come and support the chapter – see you there!

I am looking forward to working with our Board: Vice President, Dan Fuller; Tammy Ramsell Baldwin, Secretary; Jani K., Second Vice President, Mike Haw; Tournament Director, Mike Fuller.

- Brett Olson, President

I would like to thank everyone who stopped by our booth at the Ultimate Fishing Show in Novi. We had a great time catching up with our current members, as well as meeting several potential new members. It was a great opportunity to introduce people to what Lake St. Clair Muskies, Inc. is all about and to drum up interest in the club. I especially enjoyed being able to swap fishing stories with those of you that stopped by, and reminisce about the past season on the water. After the show, we raffled off two free memberships to Muskies, Inc. Please join me in congratulating Allen D. King and Hunter Greene who were our contest winners!

I would like to remind everyone about the 2nd Annual Bowling Fundraiser, to be held on March 21st at 8:30 p.m. We will once again be at Harbor Lanes in St. Clair Shores. This was an incredibly successful event last year and we are hoping it will be even bigger this year. Please come out and support your local chapter of Muskies, Inc. The cost is $20/person and includes three games (no tap), shoes and pizza. There will also be prize raffles. Please contact Charlie at (586) 873-9154 to register or to request additional information.

Please see the below schedule of upcoming events: March 19th – General Membership Meeting; March 21st – Bowling Fundraiser; April 16th – General Membership Meeting; May 21st – General Membership Meeting

All meetings are held at the Sports Channel Bar and Grill on Jefferson Avenue just north of 10 Mile Road. The meetings begin at 7:00 p.m. Please check out our website at www.lscmi.com or Facebook at www.facebook.com/lscmi58 for more information on who the guest speakers will be at each meeting.

- Adam Penzenstadler, Secretary

As the 2014 season came to a close, we enjoyed fun and fellowship at an end of the year celebration at Doug and Alicia’s home featuring fun awards for various fishing categories, a scrumptious potluck meal, and officer elections for 2015. Officers elected are as follows: President, Doug Wood; Vice President, Chuck Gades; RVP, Chris Gades; Treasurer, Alicia Wood; Secretary, Jeff Wagner; Board Members-at-large are, Ed Hoyle, Karen Agnew, and Sandy Gades. Thank you to all of you for your

lake St. Clair Muskies, Inc.34047 Williamsburg Ct

Sterling Heights, MI 48312586-873-9154 - Charles legarski, President

www.lscmi.com

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Mountain Muskies6610 N. Hartley Spokane, WA 99208

509-263-7235 • Email: [email protected]

Meets every 4th Tuesday at 6:00 pm @ the VFW, 300 West Mission Ave., Spokane, Wash.

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New River has become a popular angler destination. Once again, we, the anglers of WV, have to thank Lila Warren, Scott

Morrison and the rest of the DNR for doing what they do to make WV a better fishery. I personally give them a big thank you, considering the New River, because that was where I caught my first muskie that led to this powerful addiction. Good luck to everybody in 2015!

- Robert Thaxton

Onward and upward! As I sit writing this, I’m proud to say that we’ve reached a chapter goal set back in June. We have hit the 50 members mark and all signs point towards more members to come in the New Year!

While the ice has certainly dampened our fishing efforts, things are buzzing within the chapter. On January 24th Patrick Krumenacker (President) and Matt Dixon (Chapter Representative) participated in the very first Region 3 meeting in two years, at the Ohio Musky Show. Hopefully the efforts of those participating in that meeting can get Region 3 back on the straight and narrow.

This year also brought to us the end of our logo design contest. Chuck Kelley submitted the winning logo that was selected by popular vote. Congratulations, Chuck, on the win! Chuck will receive a free t-shirt bearing his logo when we do our first run of them.

Finally, our chapter is extremely excited to announce that we have received approval from the State for the “Beast of the East, Musky Fly Fishing Challenge”. This fly fish only tournament will be held April 10th – 11th on a large stretch of the Allegheny River, Lake Tionesta and Tionesta Creek. There are two other large muskie fly fishing tournaments held in North America each year. We hope to host the third moving forward. Anyone wanting more information about this tournament should contact Corey Siple at [email protected]. Details are still developing, but this should be a wonderful event!

- Patrick Krumenacker

Our chapter has had great success for our first year. I would like to give a big congrats to Randy Allen on winning the Jack Cobb Memorial Tournament with a nice 38 incher; the only fish caught for the last tourney of 2014.

Division of Natural Resources biologists have launched a three year study of muskies seasonal movements in Southern WV’s New River. The research is being conducted between Sandstone Falls and Hawks Nest Lake and the information should tell biologists when and where they spawn and when they move up and down the river. Biologist Lila Warren and her colleagues will spend the next couple of months catching muskies and implanting acoustic transmitters in their abdomens. The transmitters emit signals that will be picked up by sensors scattered along a 44 mile stretch of the New River. Warren will retrieve the sensors and download the recorded data. She has an electronic ear, known as a hydrophone, and if a muskie is nearby she can detect its signal through the headphones. Five of the sensors have been placed between Sandstone and Stone Cliff. The other sensor was placed at the upper end of Hawks Nest Lake. Once her study is complete, Warren plans to share what she’s learned with the growing population of muskie anglers. The main interest to the anglers is the seasonal patterns of the fish and what time of the year they tend to occupy different parts of the river. The research is timely, because the


Nittany Valley Musky Alliance Chapter

175 Industrial Park Rd. Edensburg, PA 15931

814-421-6502 - Patrick Krumenacker

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This is an incredible opportunity to showcase your chapters, while bringing greater awareness to the sport of muskie fishing. We have finalized an opportunity for members and non-members alike to support the shows and Muskies, Inc.’s mission with a custom design of a Tournament Jersey that is available to you NOW. This jersey is on sale right now online at www.rayjus.com/muskiesinc and will be available in several retail out-lets, as well as at both of the Chicago and Milwaukee Muskie Expos. All profits will go to Muskies, Inc., to benefit our promotion of the great sport of muskie fishing. In addition to these professional quality jerseys, we will is also the option of long sleeve sweatshirts and hoodies which will also bear the company logos.Custom designed for each order with first and last names as well as Block 7 being your Chapters Custom Logo (this is the front of the shirt).

www.rayjus.com/muskiesinc

Dear Muskie Fishermen and Fisherwomen

South Central West Virginia Chapter

HC61 Box 39BFrame Town, WV 26623

304-364-8878 - Jake Flint

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Chapter 63’s Robert Thaxton

holding a 51 incher caught on December 14th, 2014. He named her, Mountain

Momma.

MuSkIeS, INC.1509 Stahl RoadSheboygan, WI 53081

MeMbeRS: Please notify [email protected] of address change.

ADDReSS SeRVICe ReQueSTeD

New Mexico Muskies, Inc.P.O. Box 65575, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87193

(505) 264-2999 • Matt Pelletier [email protected]

www.newmexicomuskiesinc.org

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Our chapter held a 2015 schedule and project planning board meeting on December 13th, 2014. Coming up in 2015, our next big project will be installing fish structures in Bluewater Lake. We have acquired a dozen Honey Hole trees and will finalize our installation plans at our next board meeting in March. Our chapter had a booth at the Outdoorsman Show in February. I am aware that this writing will be passed that show date, so I am hoping you all had a great time. We, once again, helped educate the public in smart tiger muskie fishing, tools and release technique. We continue to work with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF) to improve habitat and the muskie fisheries in New Mexico. NMDGF Sportfish Program Manager, Eric Frey and Coldwater Biologist, Shaun Green will be attending our March board meeting to discuss options for working together on future projects.

Late year tigers! Many years our open water time at Bluewater Lake can extend well into December. Here are some of the rewards experienced by some late year C59 fishers.

Muskie Smiles to all.- John Williamson, Secretary

Matt Pelletier releases a pretty one!

Dave’s very first ice tiger muskie!

Pictured here is our member, Doug, holding a nice tiger muskie.

Nice tiger, Jake!

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