A couple of other fishing partners were brothers-in-law Carver
Davis (left) from River Falls, WI and Tom Housel (right) a local
resident. They have also been fishing together for years and
talked about the Halloween snow storm when they still went
fishing and caught a best Muskie for them. These two were a
pair for sure, and love the tradition every year. Tom placed third
in the fall tournament this year. During the spring 2015
tournament, they netted a Muskie that Tom described as being
over 50 inches… “I knew how big it was because I have a big net
and over a foot of the tail was hanging out of the net. I could
hardly pick up the net to reach the hook, so I rolled the net
hand over fist and then one flip of the tail, the hook was out
and the fish was back in the water.” He said he is going back after her again this year!
The overall winner of the fall 2015 Last Frontier Muskie Tournament was Tyler Janzen with a 47 1/4” Muskie, a close second was
Tiffanie Kohls with her first Muskie at 43”. Other first Muskies were Memphis Hulbert with a 33” and Tom Hundt with a 34”. A total
of eleven Muskies were verified for the tournament. Several were caught, released and not registered.
That is the thing about Muskie fishing; you can spend an
entire day having great fun and enjoying the scenery all while
not catching a thing. Generally it can take years to catch your
first Muskie, although some are by accident while fishing for
other game fish. For most, it is only after hundreds or
thousands of casts because most Muskie hunters are die-
hards. They love the hunt as much as the fight. They respect
the fish and preserve the breed for all generations. It is truly a
magnificent fish and one to be respected; with teeth that will
puncture, and gill plates that will slice your hand open if you
do not know how to handle them properly. There are clear
rules on how to properly handle them which I definitely
recommend for anyone thinking of trying their hand at
Muskie fishing. (If you are unfamiliar there are many books
and videos available.)
Once you have the basics down on how to properly handle a
Muskie, then begins the task of selecting your lures or baits.
There are hundreds designed for Muskie fishing with a wide
variety of brands as well. Selecting your lure or live bait depends
on the action you are looking for, the type and color of water,
time of year, and many other variables.
Mike explained a bit about the science behind the art of Muskie fishing
too. It is truly a sport fish like no other. There are a wide variety of lures
crafted with fantastic color combinations and designs to grab the
attention of even the finickiest Muskies.
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