Fishing With Legends - Joe Bucher

What does it mean to be a legend?  I had to ask myself this very question last week when I left my office for a small town in northern Wisconsin.  I was venturing that way with one of our photojournalists, Cy Dodson, and we were off to spend a week with a man named Joe Bucher.  Our mission was simple - tell his story.  See, we produce this show on the Outdoor Channel called "Legends of Rod & Reel." We seek out fisherman across the country that have impacted the world of fishing in some way or another.  Anglers that are very well known and respected in their parts of the country, or fishing genre, and others that you and I might not have heard of before.  Regardless, they are all unique in their own way.  We spend time with them, fish with them, and really get to know who this person is and what makes them tick.  Then we share this with the rest of the country.  It's pretty cool.

For myself, it was more than an honor to be given the opportunity to help produce the show about Joe Bucher.  Joe has been muskie fishing, writing about muskies, and teaching about muskies well before I was born.  In the 70's he was writing articles in magazines when nobody else wanted to talk about muskies.  As Cy and I spent time with this man, it was really a pleasure to learn why he made the choices that he did in his life.  Like many of us, he has a passion for the outdoors.  A passion that spawned the creation of lures.  Muskie lures to be exact.  With the encouragement of Roland Martin and Al Lindner, he decided to start his own fishing show.  Soon after was magazine dedicated solely to the sport of muskie angling.  Muskie Hunter is still one of the only magazines focusing entirely on that Esox.  Joe has written thousands of articles as well, and as we reviewed some of them, I found it interesting to read words from the 70's and 80's that pertain directly to my life on the water today.  One of the unique phrases that stuck while Joe and I talked muskie fishing was, "if you think you have something new, just go back 20 or 30 years and you'll see someone else who has also done that."

Joe was a true legend in all aspects.  He was very humbled by the fact that we were filming a show because of all of his accomplishments.  We talked about the past, present and future of fishing, and bounced our ideas off of each other.  Also, I'm not going to give out too many details here, but I think you might be seeing some pretty cool new muskie baits in the very near future.  We met his unbelievably encouraging and wonderful wife Beth, his dog Raider, and several other key people in his life.  We heard him rock out on the guitar, which he does in each of his shows, and finally, when the rain cleared, we went fishing.  After all, this still is a fishing show!  We filmed two seperate pieces to the show.  One of Joe fishing with his good friend coach Kip, and the other on a solo mission.  The first trip was with Coach Kip, and boy were these two fishing pals a hoot.  It was destiny from the start the Coach would catch the first muskie, and par for the course, he did.  That was the only fish they saw that morning, but it was perfect.  Later that day, we returned to the water on a solo trip with Joe.  Like all fishing trips that guys take, the lake is a place to unwind and relive past memories.  We did just that.  As the sun set on our last day with Joe, the water erupted and our prayers for Joe to land a muskie were answered.  After all, what else would you expect from a legnd like Joe?  From the legendary waters of northern Wisconsin, Keep on chasing the dream!

travis Frank - travis@mnbound.com - www.trophyencounters.com

A Friendly Fishing Reminder...

It's a crazy world we live in.  Sometimes too hectic for our own good.  I am as guilty as the next guy when it comes to forgetting about what matters most to me and making time for everyone.  Sometimes there just isn't enough hours in the day, or days in the week.  There's nothing we can do about that, but I do know one thing for sure, we are positioned to make a difference.  One of my biggest passions in this world is to share my pleasures with the youth of our sports.  Taking kids out on the water or in the field can be one of the most rewarding pleasures we get to experience.  I only bring this up, because sometimes it is easy to forget, or get caught up in "my next big fish," or "when can I get out again."  It's very easy to forget about those unable to experience these joys on their own.

A few days back I was reminded of this when I had a very good client named Pete, and his son Danny out on the water.  Danny is 8, but if you ask him, he'll say he's almost 9.  While our mission was to land a big muskie, I found it more of an initiative on my part to make sure Danny had a great experience.  The fish would be the bonus on this trip.  Danny was a great steward at such a young age, and listened to my every word.  He was new to muskie fishing, but you could tell that he was ready for the challenge.  He worked on his figure 8 at the boat, and understood what was right and wrong.  It was just neat to watch him learn and improve.  After a short while, he soon found a beast of a muskie boatside ready to eat his lure.  The action proved too much for the beginner, and the fish didn't come in the boat, but that wasn't the point.  Just the fact that he put all the pieces together to have the trophy encounter made everything what it was.  A 35 pound fish flaring its gills on a lure at the boat will get anybody excited, and for Danny, it was beyond excitement.  His level of confidence went through the roof.  He began talking at a much faster pace, and you could see how things clicked for him about what just happened.  A short while later we were faced with another similar situation, and before our evening was through, a large bass exploded on his topwater lure.  Not the muskie we were searching for, but I can assure you the excitement was beyond words for this lucky angler.  What I thought was an excited fisherman was now on a whole new level.  A level that his dad informed me a few days later had made him want to fish again the very next day.

I was lucky to have this opportunity to teach and share in the muskie joys.  Danny was lucky to have a great father to bring him with.  For me, this was just a friendly reminder about how easy it is to grow our sport and pass it down to generations.  A few hours on the water has likely changed this young fisherman's outlook on fishing, and assured us that our passions are going to continue.  It also reminds me that I should make a little more free time for some other anglers that I have been forgetting to take out.  I won't let it happen again, I hope you don't either!  Until the next time the muskie strikes, keep on livin' the dream!

Travis Frank - Travis@mnbound.com - www.trophyencounters.com

North Country Muskies...

First off, I want to give you all a great big thank you for your kind words and encouragement as of late.  Some incredible things have been happening on the water, and the responses I've received from so many of you have really hit home.  It is for that very reason that I really enjoy what I do, and makes me continue to strive for greatness.  You all know who you are, and thank you so much!

Now on to the latest and greatest!  This past weekend I strapped up the boat and headed north.  I was invited to a wedding for two of my favorite people on earth.  Congratulations to Nick and Bryna the newlyweds!  With the wedding coming to an end on Saturday and having another day and a half to spare, two of my college friends, Noah Wendorf and his wife Michelle, decided that we would use that time to fish.  It was a great time on the water to say the least, and one that I won't soon forget.

Our goal was to learn a new lake and to obviously catch some fish.  Combined, Noah and I had about 3 hours of fishing on the lake in our lifetimes, so it was basically starting from scratch.  Right along on the journey was his wife Michelle, bringing her newfound passion for the muskellunge.  One of the coolest parts of the growing sport of musky fishing, is seeing the amount of women getting involved.  You could just see the passion that she had, and wanted that muskie encounter as much, if not more than the rest of us.  It was very cool.

Sunday morning we were on a search and destroy mission to locate fish and come up with a pattern.  It took about 10 casts to find the first fish of the day, but that would only lead into the rest of what we would experience.  That fish came unhooked, and so did the rest.  In fact, it was extremely good fishing, but left us with nothing each and every time we had a strike.  We fished Sunday morning and then came back out for the evening/night bite.  By the time our day came to a close, we had in the neighborhood of 20 plus encounters and several lost hook-ups.  It was cool, but actually quite disheartening that they all managed to get away.  Joining us throughout the day was Ryan and the newlywed Nick to experience some of the action we had.  Just a perfect day on the water, minus the fish of course.

Monday we were bound and determined.  We had found way to many active fish to go home empty handed.  We hit the water early and we had the muskie mojo going immediately.  This proved to be a good thing, and resulted in our first fish of the day.  Not huge, but a great feeling after being defeated so many times.  After a few more missed opportunities, our time was running out.  We were limited to a couple of quick hours on the water to allow for travel, but before we had to leave, we wanted to return to what we called "the pod" for one last shot at the big ones.  Wouldn't you know it, the muskie God's were shining down on us, and our last cast of the day produced a beast of a fish.  Noah had his second of the day, and all the work we put into learning that new lake will forever be remembered as an extreme success.  Its always great to experiment on new waters, and that feeling of success is all the more sweet once you put it all together.  The three of us shared this excitement at the end of our trip, and will likely go down as one of my favorites of the entire 2009 season.  I want to give a shout out to Noah, Michelle, Ryan, Jen, Nick and Bryna for a wonderful weekend.  From the muskie filled waters of the north country, keep on livin' the dream!

Travis Frank - Travis@mnbound.com - www.trophyencounters.com

This Muskie Legend Grows...

Last night was one of the most incredible experiences that I have ever had as a muskie guide chasing the big toothy fish.  I've certainly been blessed with a lot of them over the years, but as I sit down to write this journal update, I'm still slightly speechless.  I will do my best to explain what happened last night, and why it was so incredible.  I hope that you can enjoy!

It all started around 5 pm.  Cody Meyers of Norwood, MN and his workmate Chris met me at the boat launch.  Cody has fished muskies a couple of times in his life, and wanted nothing more than to top his person best, which was a 44 incher.  Chris on the other hand resides in Michigan, and although they have some famed waters up there, he has never targeted them before and only heard about the mystique.  Without us knowing what was in store for the night, we set sail with high hopes and a good attitude.  You see, there was a certain glowing ball that was soon to rise in the eastern sky, and this typically means that "big things" can happen.

To be honest, our evening was quite uneventful.  I got them all jacked up with the presence of the rising moon, and as I watched it come over the horizon, nothing happened.  Actually a few hours passed without much of anything.  In shock, I just kept encouraging the eager fisherman, and they remained about as positive as anyone ever could be.  I kept reminding them that just one cast will change the entire outlook of this evening, and maybe your life.  The moon rose higher and higher, and the brightness of the sun finally faded to darkness.  At that point we had only two miserable and lackluster attempts from the muskellunge.  What was going on?

As we talked about the lack of action, we switched locations and drove to the other end of the lake.  I was not about to let these enthusiastic anglers leave with nothing, and we went to some of my favorite old haunts.  That apparently was a good decision, and finally we found some active fish.  The only problem was that they were just following the lure in the bright moonlight, and they wouldn't eat.  It was a morale booster for the three of us to see some fish, and probably a good prelude to what was about to take place.  As we drove up to a small little honey hole, I joked to Cody and Chris that this is only a big fish spot.  I explained that I have only caught about a 10 fish on it in the last several years, but that 7 of them were over 50 inches.

At that point, we would have taken anything, but the fish that destroyed Cody's bait out of the moonlit waters was so large that it will forever be labeled as "The Legend."  A battle ensued that was out of this world.  Short, but sweet, I quickly put the fish in the net, and screams could have been heard from across the entire lake.  Cody had just landed the trophy of a lifetime!  Not only that, but it just happened to be the largest fish I have landed in that lake.  She was a giant, and came up just short of hitting that elusive 55 inch mark.

This is where the story gets even better.  Not only was the fish incredibly huge and girthy, but as I held her tail for the release, I also noticed a significant mark on her fin.  As it turns out, I successfully released that fish in 2004 and again in 2006.  The first time she, "The Legend," was 51 inches, and the second time she was 52.5.  All three times this fish was caught within inches of the same spot, and all three times she fell victim to the same lure.  Talk about irony.  I had no idea that this fish was still alive, but boy am I glad that she is.  This fish of a lifetime now quoted as "The Legend," will forever remain as one of my greatest accomplishments for me as a muskie guide.  Boy will it be exciting if she decides to show up for one more battle!

Congratulations goes out to Cody Meyers for landing the trophy of many lifetimes!  Thank you for the unbelievable night on the water.  Until the the next time the legend strikes, keep on livin' the dream!

Travis Frank - Travis@mnbound.com

Muskie on the brain....

What a week.  Since I don't know where to start, I'm going to take it from the top.  Monday was wild as you have previously read.  Phillip and I had too many chances to count that evening and boated some dandies including his first fish on the figure 8, which was a very healthy 49 incher.   I also struck gold with another boatside attack, and after the smoke cleared, I too was holding a picture perfect moment.

Tuesday I was joined on the water by Jeff Byrne.  We decided to have a small competition with his workmate Dawn.  She was in my partner, Mike's boat, and I had the privilege of showing Jeff a good time.  The weather was more suited for a lazy cruise around the lake, but we fished hard.  Our chances came and went throughout the evening, but we were determined to outfish the other boat.  As the sun faded on our evening we had two extremely close calls with fish hitting the bait and coming unglued.  Finally it all happened.  One of the muskies in the area I call "the pod" decided to pounce, and totally hammered my bait.  Yep, we also won the Cabin Fever contest with that guy.  A dandy to say the least.

Wednesday morning myself and a large group of fisherman got together on the shores of Wayzata.  I had lined up an event for Cargill, and they brought in people from all over the country, including two individuals from Brazil.  If you were in town last wednesday, then you knew that this wasn't the best time to show our Minnesota waters.  It rained, rained, and even rained more.  It was tough luck for the weather, but the fish were still responsive.  Some of us fished muskies, and others fished bass.  By the end of the trip, we had many bass, a few pike and even a 49 inch muskie to show for our efforts.  Congrats to all the guests and to the guides for a successful day in the rainy weather.

That evening I had a small window of free time, and my very good friend Matt Hennen also cleared his schedule to join me on the water.  He is Montana bound for the next two years, and the only thing he wanted to do before he left at the end of the week was to catch a muskie.  I wanted to send him off with that exact prize, and wouldn't you know, it took about 10 minutes to accomplish that goal.  It was a great strike on the lure that he wanted so badly to land one on.  He has been throwing it the last few times out, and it finally paid off for him.  Congrats buddy, and I cannot wait for your return!

Thursday the boys from Pheasants Forever were out.  This has been a trip in the making for quite some time.  Bob St. Pierre and Anthony Huack joined me to get some muskie slime.  Eager to show them a fish, I took them to one of my favorite locations on the lake.  Bob made it very clear that he wanted me to fish hard too, and that they just wanted to see a fish in the boat.  So, I guess that speaks for itself, and shortly into our outing I had a beauty to behold.  This was just the prelude to the nights events, and it wasn't long before Bob joined in on the action.  It was a strike and battle to leave a grown man speechless.  Luckily, Bob came out on the winning end of the deal.  Congrats buddy!

Friday morning I was joined by Jim and his son Allen.  These two muskie nuts join me every year, and our results have always been incredible.  If you would ask these guys what they thought of muskie fishing, they would probably tell you that it is really easy.  In the past three years we boat at least two muskies every time.  This day was to be no different.  Last year Allen took home two incredible memories, and this year it was his father's turn.  After a few misses and close calls, Jim scored first with his personal best.  Shortly after, it was Jim again with another airborn freak of a fish.  Great fish, and a great time with these two boys.  Can't wait 'til next year!

That afternoon I snuck in for a quick bite to eat, and was then joined on the water by a new muskie fisherman.  Sam was his name, and he was straight out of Alaska.  On vacation in our neighborhood, he heard about this muskie craze and had to give it a chance.  We hit the water and did the good 'ol tutorial that I always give.  After I felt he was ready to do battle we went straight to a spot that has been holding several fish.  Yep, you guessed it, the dream became a reality.  Sam landed his first muskie in his first twenty casts of fishing for them.  Is it suppose to be that easy?  I think not!  Congrats on the trophy of a lifetime Sam!

Well, the week flew by with tons of stories.  The encounters were everywhere, and the photo's came with them.  We saw fish, tons of fish actually, and landed many.  I was excited about it all, but I was missing just one thing.  While every trip gave us the prize we sought, we had yet to boat a 50.  I discussed exactlly that with Mike on Friday evening, and Saturday morning we were on the water looking to seal the deal on the perfect week.  A quick KFAN radio interview from the water, and we were soon casting our baits.  Spot number 3 was the spot to seal the ending of a great week.  Yep, you guessed it, the 50 incher came in the boat!  And with that my friends, I hooked the boat up and we went home.  From the muskie filled metro waters, keep on livin' the dream!

travis@mnbound.com