Starting The Season with A Quack!

Ducks Galore.  Lets paint the picture.
It's the start of another Minnesota hunting season.  The anticipation is high as I rise from bed.  A start time that begins at 9:00 am forces me from my bed at 4.  I hustle for a cup of coffee and on the road we go.  I meet up with the hunting crew and start throwing on the gear.  The sky's are dark, but my hunting crew says we must hurry.
For ten plus years we have scurried to this same honey hole, and the catch.  It is public hunting land.  "We gotta be the first," says Bails my longest standing hunting buddy.  So we throw the dekes on our shoulders, duck calls, shells and a beverage tucked in the waders.  Through the catttails for what seems like forever.  The slough looks different than in years past, but the ducks are there.  As it starts to glow from the rising sun, it is very obvious that this would be another good opener.
Typical opening duck day.  A bunch of great buddies with great nicknames.  Bails, Whorl, D to the E, Alabama, Scotty, and Jiffy.  Not a cloud in the sky or a ripple on the water.  As we flush the ponds resting birds, it is very apparent that yet again, I could have savored a couple more hours of sleep.  For 10 plus years we have hurried to be the first, and nearly every time, we don't encounter any hunters.
That's ok, it's duck opener, and we must get out there early.  To miss on the laughs and the talks of past hunts would be a shame.  The wait makes it all the more sweet.
As 9:00 am rolls near, we throw out the dekes and watch the sky's fill with flight.  I look at Scotty and we both know that this is going to be good.  8:55, 8:56, 57 and with each passing minute the ducks become more frequent.  Finally!  It's 9 and the ducks are everywhere.  Bang!  Bang!  and my limit is full.  Woodies that is.  All this anticipation for a couple of reports from the barrel.  Yep, that's opener.
As the woodies flew from every direction, it became apparent to Scotty and I that we weren't gonna have any other species to poke at.  As we round up the troops and pack up the birds, the the smiles are endless from a each and every hunter.  The walk was worth it, and the sleep unnecessary, cuz another opening day story goes down as a success.  28 ducks in total for the seven mighty hunters, and yep, It was worth it!
Thanks boys for all the fun, without the laughs and remeniscing,it just wouldn't be the same.  The ducks are the bonus when I hit the slough.  I just love spending time with my duck hunting crew!

Muskie Maintenance...

I'll go ahead and start out with a quick recap of the past few days and its events.  While I have been doing my best to keep you updated on what has been happening, I haven't been able to get everything on the world wide web.  This past Tuesday marks the first day in over 3 weeeks that I have hit the water without landing a beast.  I'm pretty proud of this accomplishment, but it didn't come without a fighting chance.  Tuesday morning Tom and I hit the frigid waters early in the morning and had some close calls right off the bat.  If it weren't for a broken eye on my rod, and the frayed line it caused, I might still have a very long streak going.  However, the line broke upon the strike of the fish, and all I was left with was a sad story of the one that got away.  It wasn't surprising to me to only have a couple of chances with the intense cold front that moved in, but all good streaks must come to an end, especially when dealing with muskies.

During our outing on Tuesday, I noticed some issues with my motor.  Sometimes these issues aren't the easiest to describe to the mechanics at the dealership, so when Mark at R & R Marine couldn't pinpoint the issue at the dealership, we took it for a test run on the water.  Last night we found ourselves in the middle of the lake with the cover off and the computer hooked up to the motor.  A few minutes, and our thoughts were confirmed on the issue.  Since we knew what needed to be fixed, and we had some time before darkness, we did what any fisherman would do....We Fished!  It didn't take long to locate some big fish, and Mark was staring down a giant before he prematurely set the hook.  That's fishin I guess, and a leson was learned on the art of muskie fishing.  A few minutes later I was the recipient of a picture perfect strike, and we photographed another beauty.  While she wasn't huge, (44 inches) she was a great catch nonetheless and it kindof brought my spirits up from the motor troubles.  A quick maintenance check turned out to be an alright evening on the water, and Mark and I enjoyed one of those picture perfect fall evenings.  If only he could have landed Mr. Piggy!  Oh well, I guess there is always next time.  And that is what I call, Livin the Dream!

Travis Frank - Livin The Dream!

Solo Trip...And a Couple More...

Saturday I spent most of my day in the vehicle driving up to and then back from deer camp.  Our annual trip to make sure the hurricanes didn't knock our forest down, and make a few modifications.  As I wheeled back into town, I could see the sun about to set, and decided to jump on the lake for a little solo trip.  Knowing I only had a half an hour before dark, I didn't make a hard attempt to gather a fishin buddy, and set sail to see how it would go.  Since I am not very use to fishing by myself, I started to think about what I was going to do with the fish, and why I would like to catch it right now.  So I decided I was going to try to locate some fish for the next outing and put a "tag" on them.  I know this sounds foolish, however I just wanted to fish new waters and find some fish that might not be pressured.  I decided I would try to pull any lures away from the fish I found and return later with some clients or buddies.  I then grabbed my camera and fooled around with the timer to see what I could do if I caught one and wanted a picture.  The back butt-seat is almost perfect, and I have 10 to 15 seconds after I press the button to get in place.  This all sounds weird, but it was very necessary for what was about to take place.

Within the first 10 casts I found an absolute monster and just barely got the hooks away from her.  Minutes later I had another close call with another 50 plus incher, and decided to get out of that spot....I'll be back of course.  As I pulled up onto another spot I haven't fished this year, it took only 2 casts before I didn't have a choice.  The big fish grabbed the bait so fast that I couldn't have gotten it away if I wanted to.  This is where my preparation all came together.  I landed the beast.  Unhooked her, pushed the button and hoisted her in the air for a quick photo.  She was back in the water before I knew what I had, but I got most of the fish in the bottom corner of the pic, and she was a beaut coming in real close to 50 inches, however I never took the time to measure.  After that, it was dark and the bite was done!  Does it get any better than that???

I returned the next morning with Whorl to see how we would fare.  Well, it didn't take long to see that we were rolling yet again.  The first fish showed up after about 20 to 25 casts, and gave Mike his first perfect net job of the morning.   As the fog rolled in, it just had that feel of something special, and after a quick stop at spot number two, we were headed to a new favorite of mine.  This was obviously a good choice, as Mike was again able to put his netting skills to the test.  I only write the story this way, because that is how we talked about it all morning, and after each fish, it wasn't good job with that fish, it was good job with that net Mike!  Nothing but fun times when fishing with buddies.  Gosh has it been another great run this year.  I am just amazed every day at what keeps on eating the lures.  What a hoot!  Until next time, Keep on Livin the Dream!

Travis Frank ~ Livin the Dream!

A Night To Remember...

Some days on the water come and go and we hardly even remember the hours we spent chasing our favorite fish.  Some days are left stuck in our memories for a lifetime, and that is exactly what keeps us coming back day after day.  Last night was one of those Outings that won't soon be forgotten.  I sat at the access for about 30 minutes waiting for Matt Hennen to show up, and trust me, I almost left without him.  I could just feel the muskie smell in the air and I could hardly control myself at the access.  I can't explain that feeling of knowing a fish is ready to be caught, but if you have been there, you know what I mean.  With the motor running as he pulled into the parking lot, he pretty much jumped in while I was driving away.  With a quick fist pump, we were on our way.  We grabbed our lucky lures, and as we pulled up he said..."why are we fishing here?"  I just told him to cast, and as always he laughed and agreed.  What he didn't know, was that I boated two muskies on this particular spot the day before, and he has never seen me fish it before. 

Well, on his first cast he brought nothing back but his lure.  Cast number two however was the cast of the night, as his bait stopped dead in its tracks.  Instantly we saw the fish surface and realized that we were dealing with another giant.  Hennen's other two muskies for the year were 49 and 49.5 inches and all he could think of was here comes Mr. 50 incher!  The battle was intense, as the large girth seemed to give this big girl extra power.  As I scooped it up in the net, the hooks flew out and the fist pumping and high fives began.  I get to experience this feat quite often, and I would be lieing if I said that it gets old.  As he struggled to hoist his largest fish to date, we snapped some quick photos and got her measurement.  While 50 was the goal, it just didn't quite reach, and we had to settle for 49.75 inches.  Not quite the 50 club, but I told him he can't be dissapointed with his three fish this year being all 49 or better.  "What a rush" he said as we went to for cast number 3.  Our night was made, and nothing else needed to be caught to make it successful.  Still on cloud 9, and spot number two, He does it again.  Yep, Mr. Hennen was on for battle number two.  While it was clear that this fish wasn't quite as large, he has never had 2 fish in one outing, and boy oh boy was he excited.  The only problem was that he forgot to check his line, and the fish had ideas that didn't have anything to do with getting its picture taken.  The line broke, Matt hollered bloody murder, and the fish swam away.  Still a great night for this guy, and I am yet again able to write about the one that got away, and the one that didn't get away.  That's why I love this sport so much.  Until next time, Keep on Livin the Dream!

Travis Frank ~ Livin The Dream!

Fall Walleyes

By now it is very apparent that I love to fish for those darn muskies.  In fact, I don't think "love" is a strong enough word for the passion that I have for the big beasts.  While I get nuts when they are biting, I also cannot hide the fact that I love a meal of fresh fish.  In the spring I am busy chasing the walleyes, and once the water temps of fall approach, I once again find myself hungry for a smack on the jig.

This past weekend allowed me the first opportunity in months to chase after our state fish.  I put down the baitcasters, picked up the jig box and spinning reel, and headed for the bait shop.  Joined by my good friend Mike Ernst, we picked out a scoop of fatties (aka: fathead minnows), tied on my favorite fireball jighead, and we were off to the lake.  Knowing our evening was going to be short-lived due to daylight, we prepared for instant action as the sun was already setting.  Sure enough, the walleyes didn't dissapoint us, and Mike was on the board with fish number one.  Within 5 minutes, number two was in the boat, and I was beginning to wonder if he had a secret fish juice in his pocket.  After his 5 miss, I started jigging my lure with intense action, and the smack came very hard on the end of my pole.  Not a huge walleye, but a nice 18 incher, and for some odd reason, it was more rewarding to me than a 50 inch muskie. 

Some times it is all about the enjoyment of the company and the change of the seasons that really get me fired up inside.  This evening was exactly that for me, and while we only had an hour or so on the water, it was exciting to net a walleye again and feel the smack of a walleye taking the jig.  Even with the warmer than average temps, fall is here, and it is time to chase some walleyes!

And by the way...the next evening gave us the exact same results...good eatin!

Travis Frank - Livin the Dream