The Muskie Hunters

By Craig Amacker

Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow will deter the obsessive and determined muskie hunter. Those were the conditions Craig, 4 good friends(Dan, Ron, Nathalie, and Craig T), and 3 seasoned hearty guides(Brett, Cory, and Eric) fished in on Saturday October 19. Even though a cold front settled over the north country, the deserted inky rivers beckoned us to chase toothy predators. As we put the boats in, the rain started coming down harder and we joked that Brett’s cousin owned a tavern ½ mile down river and the day would be spent playing cards, eating cheese burgers, and drinking malt beverages. But we’re a tough lot with muskies on the brain and we thought things would turn on after a slow previous day. An hour and a half into the trip, I cast an 11” fly next to a log jam and a nice muskie (see picture) moved 6 feet, vaulted out of the water, and crushed my fly with a vengeance. After an eye-crossing hook set, and horsing the fish to the boat, the fish was in the net with smiles, high fives, and pictures all around. Here’s the thing with muskie fishing-it takes 1 fish to take you from singing the blues to saying it’s a great day, and this fish made my day awesome. The other folks in the group had some blowups (when the fish strikes and misses), and got some nice pike. The neatest fish of the day was the fish the other Craig caught shortly before the takeout and after the sun came out-nice fat fish that struck hard and fought hard - a great finish to the day. Next year’s dates for the Annual Muskie Trip are October 15-18, 2014 in Hayward, WI if anyone wants to be in these pictures.