DIY Musky Box

Spiritual Enlightenment

Opening Day Spiritual Enlightenment

By: Lawrence H. Balleine

It’s 5:30 a.m. The sun hasn’t yet risen. As I pack my fishing gear in the back of my small SUV for a couple of hours on the stream, I recall an assumption that is often made – human beings are of superior intelligence. But immediately a follow-up question comes to mind: “If that’s so, why are we still told to ‘think like a fish’ when we go fishing?”

Pondering this conundrum for a moment and then dismissing it, I remind myself that I have waited anxiously for this day. I’ve gone through my equipment, oiled my reels, replaced my line, organized my tackle, and – since I’m a “wormer” – I gathered a slew of squirming nightcrawlers for bait. It’s the first Saturday in May – the opening day of trout season in Wisconsin – and I am ready for action.

My goal for the morning – bring home my limit of German brown and rainbow trout to go along with a batch of fresh wild asparagus and morels I will secure immediately following my outing on the stream. It will be a meal provided by nature’s bounty, and I will have proven to be a proficient hunter-gatherer.

I am confident I will catch fish, for I remind myself that “I am of superior intelligence.”  Therefore, should I not be able to impose my will upon the environment and proceed to catch my limit?

I navigate to the nearby stream, hike to a favorite spot where in previous years I have caught fish, and begin my pursuit of a rainbow with its distinctive pink-lateral stripe or a colorfully-dotted German brown. I make sure to approach the water’s edge quietly so as not to spook my quarry. I try to read the water to ascertain where a nice native trout is hiding out, waiting to ambush the bait I will offer him. I make my first cast. No strike. I make a second. Again, no hit. I make several more attempts but fail to feel that desired tug on my line. After 15 minutes or so I move to another location a couple of hundred feet down stream. Still no success. For the initial half hour, I am intent on catching fish.

Success without fish

And then it happens. In fact, it occurs often when I go trout fishing and I fail to land a fish within the first 30 or 40 minutes. I find my desire for catching fish slipping away. I move from the eager anticipation of catching to a deep appreciation of just being outdoors as I get caught up in my surroundings.

I become fully cognizant of my environment as I feel the early morning chill on my bare arms. I try to determine the speed and the direction of the wind. I notice the variety of plant life at the edge of the stream. I look up and see the waning moon. I listen and hear the red-winged blackbirds. I smell the fresh country air. No longer do I feel I am standing apart from nature seeking to impose my will upon it, but I begin to feel myself as a part of the vast, complex ecosystem.

Rather than conquering nature, I have a renewed desire to live simply within its rhythms. I am content to let the experience of standing on the bank of the stream fill my soul with the assurance of my place – a position not superior to the rest of the created order, but rather a part of the beautiful web of life called nature. I not only feel at peace with my surroundings, but I begin to experience a wonderful sense of inner peace as well. My earlier plan to catch a limit of fish is replaced with a wonderful feeling of being “at one” with all that surrounds me. Furthermore, I begin to suspect that I am not smarter than the fish I am pursuing. For in this environment, they may well have the superior intelligence.

In the next hour I do land a couple of German browns and a nice rainbow. But since they are hooked by the lip, I follow my personal rule of keeping only those fish I feel will not survive the trauma of being caught. Thus, I release each catch back into the stream as soon as possible.

I leave the stream after a couple of hours without any trout. But I am not disappointed. For on this opening day, my eyes have again been opened to my surroundings, allowing me to see and fully sense things that I only experience on such outings to the stream. I return home satisfied for having again felt an intense, yet peaceful connection with nature.

Yes, it’s been a very good Opening Day. Certainly, all is not lost. Maybe I’m not bringing home any fresh trout, but I do know where I can get several stalks of wild asparagus, and I remain confident that I’ll find a few morels in the woods behind our house.

And instead of trout, I’m quite content to put a couple of burgers on the grill.

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Tips For A Musky Fisherman

Full blown, all out, head shaking, rod breaking musky power!

By: Jeff Frick

Let’s face it, it’s really what every musky fisherperson is seeking, right? Why else would we all spend so much time and money pursuing the king of freshwater? This article is going to cover TRANSITIONAL situations and hopefully help you get a little more M.P.H.—Muskies- Per- Hour– out on the water.

Speed

This is actually the only transition we can actually control. Lure speed can greatly affect our successes and failures. There have been many, many times when fish won’t even look at a lure if it isn’t moving at the certain speed they want it at. Sometimes, (generally in colder water temperatures) they prefer an ultra-slow presentation, with a generous amount of pauses during the retrieve where the lure isn’t even moving. Although I pointed to cooler water here, this can and often will occur in midsummer as well. Be versatile and always try different speeds! The best baits for the transitional situation in our boat are neutral buoyancy jerkbaits or walk the dog topwaters. It is tough to beat these two in this scenario. My wife, Tina, had an awesome boatside strike from a BEASTLY 48 ½ that came out of nowhere and crushed a Giant Jackpot as it lay totally motionless five feet from the boat. (see pic)   Water temp was 49 degrees and it demolished a topwater.

Then there is the opposite end of the spectrum when they want a nitrous fueled retrieve. We’ve had days (generally high water temps, but remember, be versatile!) when you simply couldn’t reel fast enough. There are lots of times when the term, “Speed Kills” certainly applies to musky fishing. This scenario will also allow you to cover a lot of water very quickly and game plan your hot spots accordingly. Long casts and fast retrieves will tell you a lot about the spots and the mood of the fish. If you are getting follows but no strikes, shift into an even higher gear and “make them” stop it if they want it. If more speed equals less or no follows, downshift slightly until you find the right gear they are looking for. It generally doesn’t take too long to figure out what mood they are in. 

Lure selection for high-speed muskies will be dictated by what type of cover or structure you are fishing. Most open water will open up an endless arsenal for you. Hot stepping jerkbaits, cranks, in-line blades, heavy spinnerbaits with medium to small blades and topwaters of all makes and models can be used here. 

Heavy cover such as weed, reeds, stumps, rocks and downed timber will change things dramatically for lure choices. The previously mentioned selection will still work here, but you will need to pick your shots more carefully; fish edges, openings and any “gaps or pockets” when using lures with treble hooks. My preferred weapons of choice for heavy cover are single hook style spinnerbaits and topwaters. 

Topwaters you say?

For fast topwater fishing this type of structure, we offer two lures that were performance tuned for just this situation. Our Musky Rattler dual-armed buzzbait can be burned over and through just about any cover you throw it at. We use them extensively in cabbage and just about any other heavy cover situation. A properly presented topwater over the thick stuff is simply deadly. In my opinion, there is simply NO better lure style for truly attacking and picking apart heavy cover than these single-hook lures. Most Northern Wisconsin lakes and rivers will offer abundant heavy cover areas and attacking them correctly can make or break your trip.

Single hook style spinnerbaits can be worked at many different speeds in heavy cover. For speedy presentations when fish are HOT, I recommend smaller blades and also the willow style blade. It has less lift and can be burned. Colorado’s and Indiana’s can also be presented with a fast retrieve and they also have the added affect of breaking the surface when coupled with high speed. This can trigger vicious strikes in heavy cover. 

Heavier spinnerbaits with big blades can also be “slow rolled” near bottom, even to the point of making bottom contact. They can also be dropped down rock ledges and weedlines. In the fall, this is a technique you don’t want to overlook.

Light to Dark and weather transitions.

     More often than not, musky fishing is a game of timing. When fish are in a neutral mood (seems like most of the time!), varying lure speeds will help. Weather and light to dark transitions are some of the very best opportunities for BIG fish and multiple fish. If you have been dealing with north/east winds, blue bird skies, wind shifts, clouds moving in and it just “feels” different, be ready. This is one of our top two favorite transitional periods. Local weather, in my opinion, has one of the biggest affects on musky fishing. Trust me, my wife Tina is constantly watching radar and the sky and looking for weather transitions. She knows what can happen. 

     When weather conditions are transitioning for the better, we don’t necessarily run and gun all over the lake. We choose a surprisingly small number of key spots and patiently work them over. I really think you would be surprised at how few spots we fish and also how much time we spend at good spots when musky weather shows up. Best transition is low humidity, east/northeast winds with no clouds to a muggy, low ceiling of clouds with southeast winds. Throw in a moonrise or set and you can bet your best lure you know where we will be!

Light to Dark.

     This is also one of our top two transitional periods. Pick one you say? I’d really call it a tie. When the sun starts getting close to the treetops, my adrenaline will begin to rise. The lower the sun, the higher the adrenaline levels. Muskies are low-light, ambush predators. They know how to take advantage of transitions, so you need to also.

The setting sun triggers a whole chain reaction in lake and river systems. Bait fish can often be seen surfacing with larger predators boiling the water in hot pursuit. We actually call 8 pm “The Witching Hour.” Over the years, 8 pm has been the key time to be on our best spots. Often it’s short-lived, usually until about 9:30 pm, but this magical hour or two can totally change your whole trip! Look for the very best shallow cover with deeper water nearby and break out your favorite topwaters and big blade baits. The two fish pictured, 46.5; 47.5 were caught in less than 4’ of water on Musky Rattler Buzzbaits over heavy cabbage. Times of catches? 9:10 pm and 9:25 pm.

Retrieve Speed  

The last “transition” I want to talk about here is retrieve speed. So often we see people just reeling in a straight retrieve, with a constant speed. This will work and often does, but when things get tough, or you are getting lots of follows, but no strikes, it may be time to switch gears during your retrieve. I’m not necessarily talking about boatside moves and figure 8 techniques here, but during the whole duration of your casting.

A bait getting followed could very well get crushed if it suddenly darts forward or suddenly changes course! We have seen this over and over again. Don’t fall in to the rut of cast—retrieve—cast—retrieve at the same speed and direction all day, especially if nothing is happening! Dropping a lure suddenly when it reaches the edge of cover can also have the same affect. 

Muskies sometimes (most-times??) need to be coaxed or triggered to get them to commit. All it really takes to change lure speed during your retrieve is a few hard reel cranks or sweeping your rod tip to the side and back. Another great trick is ripping your lure upward as it approaches the boat…just make sure you’re hanging on! 

I will come back to some other transitional opportunities in future articles, but for now, shift into high gear, hit the gas and don’t forget to downshift if you need to.

Remember- be versatile!! 

Tight lines. 

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Do as I Say, Not as I’ve Done

By: Jack Tucker

This piece is aimed at the 30 – 50 year old age group. I say that up front as I know as soon as I put forth my opening line, most in that group will assume there is nothing here for them and go on to the next page; but if you are in that slot, there may be some food for thought in my words for you. If I can dislodge just one soul from the rut of the seemingly endless days/months/years of monotonous middle life before them, then I would be happy. The gist of much of this piece can be found in the often repeated saying of an older, ner-do-well, nasty, scoundrel friend of mine who mentored me as a very young man in all of the things that my parents had previously protected me from; “do as I say, not as I have done.”

I am seriously thinking about retiring at the end of this year. I’ll be 64 and for many reasons, this has come to me as a good idea. Even though it was spawned from ‘bar talk’ amongst I and some buddies of mine, (usually those kind of discussions are forgotten by the next morning) I can clearly see it in my mind now and the perceived satisfaction of doing so is growing with me every day.   Aside from health issues, finance, insurance, and abilities, I think it is time; so I have begun the planning process and am finding out that ‘the plan’ should have started a long time ago.    

Although hindsight is considered to be 20/20, I’m thinking that adage should be upgraded to 40/40 as the sharpness of what I’m seeing is astounding.  There’s an old saying that I invented a short time ago; “the older I get, the more I used to do.”  At 64, I have a lot to look back over, not as much as some, but enough to realize more regrets than I thought I would have had.

I wish I would have gone on more fishing trips with my wife and later my children, as they all loved to fish. My wife and I went on a Canadian fly-in fishing trip on our honeymoon and then again to Alaska on our 10^thanniversary. We should have gone again to Alaska with our kids when they got a bit older as I do not think they will or could on their own now. It’s an experience everyone should have a memory of. We probably could have swung it, but it didn’t just happen.

In my late 50’s, I bought a good used Yamaha 4 wheeler and after I used it one time, I couldn’t understand why it took me so long to buy it; I had been thinking of doing it for years. I always wanted to go high country elk hunting when I was in my middle years, but had to skip the only opportunity I had and don’t see it happening now.   Although I know some hunts use horses, base camps, etc, there is still quite a bit walking and as I am starting a re-roof on my garage, my knees are killing me already and I can’t wait to get it done. And my asthma seems to be getting worse every year, so at my age, running up and down mountainsides chasing bull elk is losing its appeal.

I was fortunate enough to go to Wyoming hunting several times with my sons, but not until I was 60; it should have been much earlier. And although I was in good shape at the time, having gotten past open heart surgery at 50, a motorcycle accident at 52, and surviving cancer at 55, climbing those steep foothill canyons of the Big Horn Mountains, while carrying a pack and an eight pound gun, is a young man’s sport. And there is, as I now know, a big difference between 60 and 65 years as life is a cumulative experience of bumps and bruises and untimely mishaps and things just seen to begin to snowball at about that age.

I should have had more fast cars and ‘chromey’ things when I was younger, but the ones I have now I will sell to help finance my golden years. I’m a middle income guy and the thought of retiring has changed my mindset on how I spend my money now; a lot more wisely.  I walked through Wal-mart the other day, passing the men’s section and realized I will not have to buy anymore dress pants or shirts for work as I now have a life time supply. I will also probably not need any more new dress shoes, ties, or suits or many other things that are only occasionally used.

There are times when you realize that you have enough of some things or perhaps the need for them has passed…permanently; like when your last child is out of diapers and you know you will never have to buy another box. Or what you now have is good enough to last you so you can forever, so take that out of your budget. A few years ago when I was to go mule deer hunting in Wyoming for the second time, I told my wife I needed to buy a new gun that could shoot the vast distances that I found on the first trip out there. She said, at 61, I was too old for a new gun and as I could not come up with anything that held better merit for buying new, I found a nice 30 year old Ruger ’06 for 1/3 the price. A new gun can last a life time, so you might as well buy it when you’re young enough to get your money’s worth.

For all of those people who say age is just a number, never give up, and you’re never too old; that all sounds noble, but is less so in reality than in sprit. Knees do go bad, backs go out, various ailments arrive unwelcomed, and life changing events occur with dramatic speed as that ‘age number’ increases. In my younger days, I often had time but no money and then the reverse. And now I see it doesn’t change as you get older.

I should have done more but didn’t. I perhaps could have if I had planned better. Some things I just didn’t think were possible so I didn’t try; like moose hunting in Canada. Looking back now, I see many missed opportunities due to poor, or lack of, planning and wished I had forgone some of the flash for more important and lasting things and memories.

Just to be clear; I always felt and firmly said that family comes first and that is the number one priority for all things including money and time, but daydreams can come true and things wanted can be had if the thoughts of a plan can be laid out and followed. When we got married, my wife and I both had new cars, but as the family began, it was three kids and 25 years later before we could afford new ones again.

We do what we can, but I just wish I had put more thought into things when I was younger. So while you can, chase them bull elk and fish those high mountain lakes for trout. Go to Alaska and look around a bit or portage into a remote Canadian lake and fry fresh walleye on a campfire. Build your little shack up north in the woods and pass it along to the young ones.

Experience and age promotes the formation of wisdom; too bad it has to be in that order. Plan better; ‘do as I say, not as I have done.’                                  JDT

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