WISCONSIN 2003 PAGE 2
WEDNESDAY
(Drymal gets his 'ski)
It was time for Mason Evergreen -- the lake where I caught my first legal muskie. Full of anticipation and respect for the lake, I broke down and took a shower -- my first since Saturday. Ben was still working on his streak (though he had been changing underwear and wearing deodorant). Andy picked up Brandi, who claimed that she and Andy had fished for "hundreds" of times, and neither she nor he never caught a fish. But she had fallen in the water once....
The boats split up to Andy, Wayne, and Brandi in one, Ben and I in the other. We had action all day, with follows, hits, and scares all day. I got my first 'ski on the trusty suick, just as Ben had lit his victory cigar from the day before. It wasn't a huge fish, but boy, was it a fun fight. Then, not 30 minutes later, I had another 'ski on the suick, and Ben and I had 2 in the boat. During the trip along the shoreline, we were joined by either an otter or a mink -- we enjoyed the company.
My first muskie of the week
Our little mammal friend, and the release of another friend (click to enlarge).
Again, the wind whipped us around all day, and it was a constant battle to stay off the shore. Ben and I found a nice weedbed, and as we fought the wind, we cast out into the bay. Ben, who had been doing his share of studying the great fish, brought in his suick and began a slow figure-8 in front of the boat. Suddenly, the water was alive with another muskie! Ben's figure-8 had enticed it to bite, and he had his first muskie on a lure. It thrashed around on the top of the water for a few seconds, then pulled Ben's pole into a tight knot. It was also the first muskie he caught on his own rod and reel.
This muskie was no slouch either -- 33 and 1/2 inches
Back to the water...and Wayne showing off his catch (click to enlarge)
The day continued, and the action never slowed. We didn't get another fish in the boat, but we had numerous follows and hits. We also had some other bits of excitement -- Brandi fell in the water as she was attempting to get to shore to go to the bathroom, and I took a trip to the woods, only to see a Sasquatch running by with a dirty bandana. We ended the day relatively early, but with plenty of memories (minus 1 shirt and 1 bandana). That night we taught Andy how to play Cribbage, and we played for hours waiting for Matt's arrival.
THURSDAY
(The Day of Matt)
Matt didn't make it to the cabin until about 3am -- 2 hours after we had given up playing cribbage. However, we all got up relatively early, as we were heading back to Superior. Again, we weren't to be disappointed. Dad was looking down on his boys, and what a day we had. Matt, Ben, and I were in one boat, and Wayne and Andy were in the other.
Andy and Wayne, off to the hunt
Matt and Ben, eager for action
Matt started things off early, hooking a BEAUTIFUL brook trout -- we couldn't stop staring at its magnificent colors. After he was released, and after we all had a celebratory cigar, I caught a little splake. Then, Ben had a nice Steelhead hit, but after a quick leap and a spit, the lure was shooting back towards the boat. I had a couple dances with some other small steelhead, and then Matt yelled, "I got one!" It took one leap, then gave Matt a run for his money. Off it ran, and Matt held on with delight. I had told him how much Jenny would like it if he brought her home some salmon fillets, and he delivered perfectly. He fought the fish expertly, and we had another beautiful fish in the boat. Meanwhile, Andy and Wayne were having an excellent time of their own. Andy caught a 29 inch Lake trout, and Wayne caught some steelhead and made friends with Harvey (a little steelhead that followed them around that day).
A fisherman and his beautiful catch
Jen needed fish! Matt delivered.
Matt's beautiful brook, and my splake (click to enlarge)
Unfortunately, the day was not done. Brad and another one of Andy's friends, Bill, were at the cabin waiting for us, and Ben, Wayne, and Andy got spruced up to have a night on the town. Ben, who had overcome his fear of soap and water with an early-morning shower, just needed a little cologne, and Wayne ate, changed clothes, and slapped on a little cologne of his own. Matt and I stayed back for a little studying (although we both fell asleep after about 15 minutes), and we tasted some of the hard cider I had made earlier in the fall.
At about 3:30am I was awakened by loud conversation in the other room. Apparently, there had been a little tiff with a few deer -- or more specifically, 3 deer. Ben, driving the crew home, hit 3 deer in a span of an hour. Eye witness reports claim that he actually aimed for the first one (although this claim was refuted by the perpetrator -- he claims he was swerving to miss another deer). Nevertheless, a new Wisconsin record was born, hopefully never to be broken.
Ben surveys the damage...too bad the cans holding the right headlight fell out (notice the sticks holding up the driver's side light)
FRIDAY
(The Day of Rest)
Friday started off slowly, as Ben was recovering from his attempt to forget the deer Thursday night. Since it would be the seventh day in our fishing calendar, we took a rest from fishing and instead visited Copper Falls in Mellen.
Additional pictures of the beautiful falls (click to enlarge)
SATURDAY
(The Day of Wayne)
or
(Wayne gets walked on)
Due to the somewhat rough shape of Andy's jeep, we decided to get an early start on Superior Saturday so that we could get home early enough to not have to use the headlights. Wayne and I took the Lund, and Ben and Andy went in the Alumacraft.
Andy and Ben, ready for fish
After a slow start to the day, I had a hit off of steelhead point and brought in a fun little steelhead. Then, we saw some jumping deeper in the bay, and we scooted out to show them our lures. Wayne cast off the bow, when all the sudden he yelled out "got one!" and hauled back on his rod. An enormous fish cleared the water, and all I could do was curse. I told Wayne, "I hope you have some money for a mount, because that's the biggest steelhead I've ever seen!" Then the fish took off, stripping out line and emptying Wayne's reel. We started the motor to chase the monster, and Wayne kept the line tight through the numerous jumps and runs the fish used to escape. They didn't work. Wayne, who had been getting practice with the wily steelheads all week, outsmarted and outfought the fish, and after a gorgeous fight, he was in the boat. The excitement lasted all day, and the fish kept coming -- Wayne later picked up a nice Chinook and a pretty Splake. Wayne, now becoming quite proficient in the art of taming large fish, fought the Chinook expertly, weathering its runs and mastering its rolls.
She's goin' on the wall!!
Another nice fight!
Wayne's Chinook in the net, my steelhead, Wayne's Splake, and Andy's Coho
Views of Superior, and Wayne and his big slabs of meat
We celebrated our good fortune with a night on the town, a meal at Burger King, a bathroom break in Michigan (Ben), and a couple of foot prints on Wayne's chest. Yes, you might say a good time was had by all.
SUNDAY
(The Sad Goodbye)
After one more evening of fish fillets, stories, and lies, it was time to say goodbye to our guide, our cabin, and Wisconsin. We hopped back into the 4-Runner and headed west. We were tired, happy, and had a cooler full of fillets. And, in the whisper of the fall breeze, we heard the promises of more fish next year....
We made it!
