Have I told you how much I love muskies?  The cool temps over the past few days have finally made this a reality again.  Prior to the cold snap, record water temps in the 90 to 91 degree range were reported in parts of lake Waconia.  Main lake surface temps on Tonka hit the mid 80's and everyone with a muskie sense shut it down for a few days.  That all seems like a distant memory now.  Current temps in the mid 70's mean it's game time once again!

Instead of sharing every detail, I'll just hit a few of my favorite moments.  My first day back on the water brought ideal conditions.  Clouds and a little bit of wind greeted Eric and I as we attempted to make it the ultimate "Eric" day.  I learned that the ultimate day meant a date with a muskie was to be followed by another with a special girl.  To land a fish would be the first goal, a solid first date with his sweets was the next.  About 8 muskie encounters into our morning he spilled the beans on his hot date, and said "it would be awesome if I could land a muskie and then have my date go well tonight."  That was all the fish needed to hear.  Moments later he was battling his first topwater muskie.  Shaking like a leaf, we headed for the next spot.  "If I get another fish today it's going to be the best day of my life," he chuckled.  As luck would have it, only a few casts later he was holding a slightly larger fish.  At that point our morning was pretty much through.  He spent the rest of the time texting his buds and sharing the news.  It couldn't have been any cooler.  It reminded me of my start to muskie fishing.  The reason why I'm out there every day, and  the reason why I continue to chase the dream.  You simply cannot beat the rush.  As far as the date with the girl, he checked in later that night with a facebook update saying. "Best day ever!"  I guess that was a success too.

In an attempt to beat the story of Eric's "Best day ever" comes another tale from the water.  A few weeks back I had a lucky man catch his first muskie at 53.5 inches.  Everything about the fish, the strike and the lucky shoes made it a story to remember.  For Jeff, it turned out to be the beginning of a very strong muskie career.  For myself, it was a moment I'll never forget.  Fast forward to the present time and we find ourselves back in the ring.  Jeff brought a new partner in crime, and as the evening went along, he jokingly grabbed his lucky shoes out of a bag he had stuffed in storage.  Laughing histarically, I lost it and I instantly I knew we were in for a treat.  It just so happened that the moon was going to rise 6 minutes after he put on the lucky office footwear.  It didn't take 4 minutes and we had the mouth of jaws trying to eat his buddies lure boatside.  While the fish managed to avoid our net, Jeff seeled the deal on muskie number two moments after on the very next spot.  A fish that shocked us senselss on a blind figure 8 strike.  Jeff is now 2 for 2 in his muskie quest.  I'd call that a good start.  It now leaves me wondering.  Was it the moon that triggered the strike, or the lucky shoes?  I'm leaning towards the shoes.  Stay tuned for more of the action and more stories as I recap on all the excitement happening in the life of a muskie crazed lunatic.  Until then, keep on livin' your dream!

Travis Frank - Travis@mnbound.com

Too hot for muskies?  That's fine.  The river levels finally dropped, and I can safely chase another freshwater beast.  Enter the sexiest fish in the river.  Aka: the catfish!  Since I personally haven't pursued any large fish for nearly a month, I couldn't have been more amped.  I have this urge inside that says, "Travis, you need to catch something huge today."  I can't control it and I certainly cannot explain it.  The only thing I know, is that I love every minute of it.

I could go into the details of the the catch, but I'll just sum it up right here.  There is nothing better than a bone crushing strike of a flathead catfish.  In the raging river waters, they have a mindset that if I don't get it right now, it will be gone.  With that said, my poor bait doesn't stand a chance when that big mouth decides to open.  In fact, I'm sure it's a terrifying situation to be in.  As the sun set last night I drowned a lively bullhead in a mass of sunken trees and logs.  It's been a while, but the incredible strike brought the past right back and I was able to horse the beast out of the log jam.  Man vs Beast, and this time I was the winner!

The cat last night was not a giant by flathead terms, but it was a good fealing to finally do battle again.  The heat and humidity that has sidelined the muskie fishing for most of the past month has made for a bit of a boring stretch.  I'm happy to report that a new option now exists.  The weather man says that the highs for the next several days will be in the mid to upper 80's.  It turns out that this catfish might be the best thing to hold me over until we get another break in the heat.  Either way, I just did battle again, so once again I thank God for spoiling me with another prize, and I will patiently wait for the next strike to occur.  Until then, maybe you should give catfish a try, or just keep on livin' your dream!

Travis Frank - Travis@mnbound.com

"I call these my lucky shoes!"  That was the quote Jeff stated before we left the dock last Friday.  He forgot his fishing shoes and was stuck with his office footwear.  We quoted them as the lucky ingredient but we had no idea what kind of luck they would eventually bring.

The morning started out with a mixed bag of adventures.  A group of several anglers and several guides gathered for a Lake Minnetonka Bonanza.  The goal of the day was to catch a bunch of fish and award one lucky angler with the coveted Rapala trophy.  The trophy was to be presented to the one with the biggest fish of the day.  With men and women from all over the country, we set out to see what would tug on the end of the line.

With a mixed bag in mind, the morning was a success and all the boats caught bass, pike, panfish and walleye like it was going out of style.  The amounts totalled in the hundreds and smiles were on the faces of every single angler.  There must have been something in the rainy air that day, because I haven't seen the bite that hot in weeks.  Even the guides were giddy with excitement.

After a lunch break, it was time for the second shift.  This is where the story really gets interesting.  My partner for the afternoon was Jeff.  Being an angler after the next big catch, he decided that he wanted to take a stab in the dark and chase the mighty muskellunge.  Knowing that the morning bite was very solid and the rainy cool temps were making the fish go crazy, he opted out of the multi-specie action and hoped for one big bite and his chance at a trophy of a lifetime.  Normally for this time of the year and the recent heat, this wouldn't have been an option for us, but the cool weather had dropped the water temps to a comfortable range and it was finally game on!

After a quick tutorial on the in's and out's, Jeff was hard at it.  Looking for his first ever muskie encounter, we had no idea what was about to explode from the surface.  About an hour and a half into his muskie fishing career, we were scared stiff when an absolute giant broke the surface and grabbed his lure within feet of the boat.  With a head like a monster it was an all out war between Jeff and the fish.  A battle that I'm sure felt like an eternity for Jeff, resulted in a muskie in the net in about 20 seconds.  In utter shock, we put the fish on the board to see the tail touch 53.5 inches in length.  A quick photo and the muskie dissappeared back to the depths.  Before we even knew what happened, the fish had already swam away.  To say that Jeff was excited wouldn't do justice.  As for the guide?  I was on cloud 9.  To have the opportunity to witness a fish of such magnitude is incredible.  To watch it happen on a first time muskie anglers line?  Lets just say that you can't put words to it.  It is the reason that I love what I do!

Jeff and I laughed and joked about the entire scenario over the next two hours.  We sent text messages to the rest of the anglers on the water, and created more hype than we knew what to do with.  It was one of the most enjoyable experiences that I can remember.  The clouds, rain and cool winds were exactly what the doctor ordered.  In all, we had 5 boats and 17 happy anglers that caught 2 muskies (both first timers), about a dozen walleyes, a 6 pack of pike, and too many bass and panfish to count.  While it seemed that the fish were almost jumping in the boat at times, Jeff only caught one, but it took home top honors and the the Rapala trophy too.  You could chalk it up to pure luck, but if you ask Jeff, he'll say that it was all in the shoes!  Congratulations Jeff, on your first muskie and the fish of 10 lifetimes!  Until the next monster strikes, keep on livin' the dream!

Travis Frank - Travis@mnbound.com

We say the phrase all the time - Take a kid fishing.  This past Saturday, we raised the bar and took it to a whole new level.  Instead of taking a kid fishing, we took about 40.  Thanks to the help of many volunteers and the Waconia Lions Club, we were able to bring joy to many young anglers that would normally not have the opportunity.  Judging by their smiles at the end of the day, it was a success.

This is not the first year of the Waconia 'take a kid fishing day,' in fact, I remember my father being a part of it when I was very young.  He brought me fishing and a couple of other kids too.  I remember it as a fun outing where I got to do my favorite thing, fish, and some other kids got to come too.  Fast forward 17 years to the present, and I am blessed to have opportunities to teach and take people fishing on a regular basis.  Remembering the trip that I shared many years ago,  I jumped when the call came looking for more volunteers.

The jist of the day goes something like this.  Local parents sign up with the Waconia Lions Club to bring their kids to the lake.  A large group of volunteers are gathered and local companies kick in some product to give to the kids.  The morning of the event, volunteers gather at the In Towne Marina and get everything ready to roll.  Boats, bait and tackle are all prepared and ready for the eager anglers.  This year we had several boaters and a couple of pontoons to accomodate the masses.  When the kids show up they are given a jiggle stick ready for action and the guides pair up with the as many kids as they can handle.  Some boats have several volunteers and several kids.  Since I was solo, I chose two.  Then we head out for a few hours on the water.  The kids catch fish, laugh, have fun and catch more fish.  The little fish get tossed back, but the keepers come home with each boat.  A group of guys are gathered at the end and all the fish are cleaned. A lunch is prepared on shore and goodie bags are sorted out for each child to take home.

When all is said and done each child walks away with memories of the fish they caught, the ones that got away and a bag of fillets for the frying pan.  Each angler also receives a starter kit with tons of fishing supplies and a new rod and reel combo.  With all the volunteers, we were able to spend time teaching many of the kids how to tie knots and rig up their rod and reels.  A morning on the water that will hopefully last a lifetime.

Looking back on my past, I couldn't imagine what my life would be like if somebody wouldn't have taken the time to teach me how to fish.  I guess it fuels my passion even more when I am put in a position to help someone else.  This is the reason why I enjoyed our morning so much, and why I encourage you to give it a try too.  It will make a difference if you 'take a kid fishing.'  Until next time, keep on livin' the dream!

Travis Frank - Travis@mnbound.com

MN DNR - When it comes to factory tours, Dirk Peterson, Minnesota’s new fisheries chief, figures his tour rocks, literally.      

“You won’t need a hard hat or ear plugs on my tour,” he said with a smile. “Instead, we’ll be on the water - casting lures toward lily pads, bulrush, rock rubble and the rest of the production facility.”

Though many folks don’t view lakes and rivers as factories, Peterson does. He knows they kick out the fish that contribute $4.8 billion a year to the state’s fishing-related economy. He also knows the lakes are incredibly fragile, comprising parts and processes that took thousands of years to evolve.

“You can’t fix a lake with parts from Fleet Farm,” said Peterson. “That’s why we, as a society, must keep nature’s fish factory intact.”

To Peterson, that means maintaining clean water, spawning sites, nursery areas, and the vegetation that provides shelter for some species and ambush lairs for others. “If any of these elements are missing from the production line, fish go missing, too,” said Peterson.

He added that Minnesota’s excellent fishing is not guaranteed and cannot be taken for granted. He said anglers can easily see physical changes in habitat - more lakeshore development, more urbanization of watersheds, more removal of underwater logs and brush in the name of swimming and boating - but it is difficult to detect the subtle interactions beneath the surface.

Peter Jacobson, a DNR fisheries research biologist, explains. “The person who peers into the water and sees rocks covered in a green algal slime may think nothing of it, other than don’t step there because that’s slippery. But a fish manager sees a very different thing in those same rocks. He or she sees the outcome of excessive nutrient-loading, the deterioration of walleye spawning habitat that provides Minnesota’s most cost-efficient way to maintain a walleye population, which is for the fish to simply reproduce naturally.”

Jacobson explained certain algae-laden gravel bars are useless as walleye spawning habitat because the eggs are suffocated in the slime.

“The connection between walleyes and water quality cannot be stressed enough, said Jacobson. “In the century ahead, the lakes that will continue to provide the best fishing are those that remain clean, resilient, and contain all the elements of a complex natural system.”

Peterson, the DNR Fisheries Section chief, agrees. He encourages anglers statewide to get involved in local water policy planning, habitat conservation projects and funding initiatives for water-related conservation. Closer to the water, he encourages riparian property owners to conserve habitat, and to take steps that minimize soil erosion or nutrient loading by maintaining buffer strips or planting deep-rooted vegetation. These actions, as well as helping educate others on the importance of habitat, are in the best long-term interests of the angling and fishing-related business community.

“Minnesota has a very popular and effective $3 million-a-year walleye stocking program,” said Peterson. “Yet we should never forget that 85 percent of the state’s walleye harvest is the result of naturally reproducing wild fish. Therefore, we need to keep those natural factories in good shape. They are the low-cost way to produce fish for they require no labor, no trucks and no gasoline to take fish from here from the eggs to the end of your line.”