One of television's most pristigious awards, the Silver Circle is lifetime achievement award given to individuals that have made a significant contribution to the television industry well above and beyond that required by their job.  It's an honor awarded for individual dedication and service to the industry, to NATAS, to the community and to people training for a career in the field.

Nominees answer to the highest standards of integrity and honor in all aspects of their personal and professional lives. Nominations are accepted from the performing, creative, technical or administrative roles within the industry or in peripheral areas directly related to television such as commercial production, journalism or education.   The Gold & Silver Award Committee reviews all nominees past and present to make a recommendation to the NATAS-Upper Midwest Board of Governors.  This year, our Governor's voted and approved Ron Schara/Ron Schara Productions.

Congratulations to Ron Schara and his lifetime committment to the outdoor world ad quality television production.  Thank you for sharing your love of the outdoors for all to enjoy.

Ah yes, this is muskie fishing.  A sport with so many rules that it seems painful to do.  After nearly 4 hours of perfect form, flawless figure 8's and precise boat control on prime structure, I was about to give in to the muskie God's.  I cranked the trolling motor on high and told the boys, "hang on, I am going to move us one last time for one more cast." Eric left his line hang out the back and I motored us across the area we just completed a solid 20 casts on.  With my headlamp shining on Eric, I watched his rod bend over.  "I think I have a fish," he said quietly.  "No, it's just weeds, never mind...wait, yes, yes it is a fish." I started laughing and expected to see a bass or a clump of milfoil.  To my surprise, the biggest muskie of Eric's life swam peacefully around the boat holding a bucktail in it's mouth.  That was the moment chaos broke loose.  But, it was already too late for that muskie.  This scenario proves that I would much rather be lucky than good.

The following morning I meet a couple muskie junkies at the boat landing.  The sun was still sleeping when I gave my usual muskie tutorial.  With proper casting form completed we moved on to the hook set and battle scenario's.  All things necessary to properly get started in muskie fishing.  It was during this time that a muskie grabbed my clients bait and took him for a ride.  If it wasn't the 6th cast of the day, it was his 7th.  That was a good start and the first muskie of Mark's life.  I can only chalk it up to luck!

That night I hooked up the boat and decided to fish the late shift.  My "lucky charm," Matt Hennen was eager and the conditions looked prime.  An hour into the wild goose chase, he hooked up on the figure 8.  I quickly reeled up my line and grabbed the net.  With pictures logged on my camera's SD card, we released the fish and head back for more.  But, there's a problem.  In a hurry, I failed to reel my bait completely into the boat.  Hanging over the side, the hook grabbed a weed during the drift and pulled the entire rig overboard.  Uh oh!  Upset at myself for the stupid move, I started adding up the dollars.  The Calcutta was only 5 days old, and counting up the rest of the rig just made me want to vomit.

I shined my headlamp into the wind driven waves in hopes of finding the needle in the endless hay stack.  For 20 minutes we drug baits across the bottom hoping to snag something at all.  I zoomed tight on my GPS trail and followed as close as possible.  Then, out of nowhere I spotted it.  The bait held tight to the milfoil, but the cork end floated upward giving a sparkle when my light flashed across the Calcutta gold.  I almost wet my shorts with excitement.  Still laughing about it all, Matt re-hooked his favorite lure and tossed it back out.  In 5 short turns of the handle, he was hooked up again.  If I wasn't there, I probably wouldn't have believed it.  This proves again, that I'd rather be lucky than good.  In the muskie fishing world, I'll take what I can get.  This point marked the 7th consecutive trip with a fish in the boat and the first double.  Maintaining a streak is something I am always proud of.  Will it continue?  Until the next muskie strikes keep on living your dream!

Travis Frank - travis@mnbound.com

Man,  the rods are piled up in the boat at the moment.  I've got wads of rods tangled with cranks tied, Lindys danglin', tube baits twisted, even a few bobber rigs bouncing around.  It's 'cause I'm a bit mixed up, maybe, like the fish this year.  We've had a cooooold, wet spring.  The good news? Water levels in many parts of the Midwest are back up where they need to be.  The bad news?  Fish aren't quite in their timely patterns yet and last week, that would prove to be a good thing for the Sherck/Swendra team.....

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Each June, I volunteer to guide a team of anglers as part of Camp Confidence's WONDERFUL Classic Tournament.  This was the event's 28th strong year in existence.  The tournament is a chance to raise big dough for the camp, which provides outdoor opportunities to literally thousands of people with developmental disabilities.   This year, I had buddies in the boat.  Rob Swendra and  I always seems to talk about going fishing, but just never seem to get around to it.   Rob anteed up for the event and brought along his wife, Karen (turns out she would be our ringer).   We pulled a good number for the tournament, #7 and we were one of the first teams to blast off on Saturday morning and head out onto Gull Lake's expanse.  Dead calm and heavy gray skies.  Perfect.   The tournament format is a fun one.  Three fish limit in separate bass, walleye, northern and mixed bag categories.  Rob and Karen hoped we'd find a few walleyes, so we took a fifteen minute trip to the north end of the lake and dropped a few Lindys over the side.  In the first two hours, we found and landed a couple of small wallies and I mean tiny, like 12-14 inchers.  Hmmmm.  Not the way I like to start a tournament.  We decided to move down the lake a ways and I noticed no one on another of my favorite spots.  We threw a few small Northland fireballs tipped with redtails into the weedy spot and soon had a 23 incher in the livewell.  "Good", I thought.  We had one good fish and had 2 1/2 hours to find a few more.  Walleye fishing on Gull can be a grind at times, so I decided to switch us up and head to a bass spot.  *Bang!* Rob's wife put a nic e 3 pound fish in the boat right away. A couple casts later, *bang!* another nice bass.  Suddenly, I wondered if we should ditch the walleyes and switch to the bass category.  After all, we had two nice fish.   Again, I decided to change things up.  We threw a few Rapalas on trolling rods and slowly headed down along the edge of a fishy weedline and settled into a few sandwiches.   Two bites in,  Rob dropped his turkey and swiss and grabbed the #1 port-side rod.   Moments later, we had a small pike in the boat.   I don't think Karen was halfway through her roast beef and cheddar before her rod popped and suddenly she had a nice pike in the boat. 

Karen's first pike!
The next pike would be our keeper.  Remember that Purpledecent Shad Rap I used to nab the big pike in Canada?  Well, I'd tied that on and had it down about 8 feet when a nice fish grabbed it.  Rob netted our pike and suddenly I smiled. "We're actually looking pretty good for the mixed bag tournament."  "What do you guys want to do the last hour?"  "I say we just fish for fun".  "Cool..."   We snuck over to another of my favorite areas and started throwing Rapala DTs and on Rob's first cast with the Crawdad Red, he put a 4+ pound largemouth in the boat! Rob!  Way to go! 
Karen and Rob's two biggest bass!
Suddenly we had a SOLID bag for the bass category.  Good Lord! Well,  we caught plenty of fish in that last hour and with roughly 10 minutes left, I put another 23+ inch walleye in the boat and decided we'd had an awfully good day of fishing.  As we zipped back to the weigh-in, we decided to pick the mixed bag category and enter Rob's bass in the lunker contest.   
Our fish just out of the livewell before weigh-in and release.
 Turns out, we would win the mixed bag tournament and Rob would also get the lunker award. 

  What a FUN day of fishing! Even my son got in on the action winning a new fishing pole after taking part in the kids casting clinic.  Does he look excited or what?

   All I can say is THANKS to the good people at Camp Confidence.  They put on one heck of a tournament and run the best darn camp in Minnesota.  PS:  Did I mention that the Classic weekend raised $100,000 for campers.  Amazing......

  They didn't look big in photo but weighed HEAVY on the scale!

"Muskies make bigger smiles."  It's a true statement, and it's the tag-line from a new campaign called "Big Musky Smiles."  A non-profit organization formed by a few muskie nuts (myself included) that have teamed up to help promote our sport in a positive light.  We're not looking to take a stance, stock fish, or talk politics.  We're simply looking to spread the excitement that is muskie fishing.  We want to change the image that they are "monster man eating" fish.  Ya know, share the "good" word.

There's a new website that launched today, called www.bigmuskysmiles.com. There, you can share photo's and memories of your big catch.  If you travel I-94 northbound, you'll likely see a billboard showcasing one of the biggest muskie smiles to date.  A 57 inch monster caught by 8 year old, David Jacobson.  That's just the start, we plan to expand.

What does all of this mean?  Truthfully, we don't know yet.  We just love muskies and everything that goes with them.  We think it's ok for us to be proud of the fish we chase.  Minnesota is easily the top destination in the world for big muskies.  It's a good time to reflect on that and share the positive side.

For more information, check out today's story in the Star Tribune Newspaper.  There's a cool write-up with the slimy details.  The next time you encounter a muskie, look around.  My guess is that everyone in the boat will have a smile on their face.  You probably will too.  Celebrate the moment.  It's why we fish.  Until the next muskie strikes, keep on livin' your dream!

Travis Frank - travis@mnbound.com

A few fishy fella's from Texas made a two day adventure to Minnesota in search of our state fish.  A tough road and some interesting storms made for a rewarding finish when Don, "the birthday man," hooked into the first walleye of his life.  His effort was worth gold and he took home his first "fresh walleye" dinner.

Crankbaits and walleyes continue to go hand in hand.  The cool weather has locked the lake temperature between 59 and 62 degrees.  The weeds have yet to grow tall, and the crankbaits are still kicking out fish after dark. This is still my favorite spring technique.  We continue to throw back the big ones and the walleye smiles aren't soon growing old.

After 11 trips, I managed to find the first skunk of the year.  No walleyes in the boat came as a surprise that night.  What appeared to be ideal conditions, were only true for the anglers.  But, that's ok.  It turns out that a walleye skunk isn't always a bad thing.  My favorite fish made an appearance, and that night I crossed my first muskie off the list for 2011.

Memorial Day weekend has also come and gone.  I spent the majority of it with my fishin' pals.  After nearly 2 decades of traveling north, I stuck around home for some local flavor.  With ridiculous results up north every year, my expectations were lower for the weekend at home.  Boy, was I wrong.  The bass were eager and several of them on the large side.  The walleyes were hungry and we mixed between big ones and perfect eaters.  Nobody was complaining!

Even though the walleyes and bass were both great, the biggest surprise came from a school of giant crappies.  It was easily the best action I've had on a metro lake in years.  The school of crappie was small, but they averaged a pound in size and bigger.  If we were "up north," this would be the norm, but on my home water this is a huge treat.  We hooked one after another and never found one under 3/4 of a pound.  Needless to say our fish fry was a memorable one.

As I look back on the first two weeks of the 2011 season, several things come to mind.  First, I am reminded how lucky I am to make my passion my career.  The people I meet and the fishy memories will never grow old.  Second, I think mother nature is out to make us better anglers.  Every day has had a twist and this funky weather has kept me on my toes.  I believe the experiences from this odd spring will only make me a better guide for the future.  Lastly, I am fully energized for another great season on the water.  In a few short days my favorite season will open.  I will close this journal by saying four short words.  Muskies, are you ready?

Travis Frank - Travis@mnbound.com

Our secret was very simple.  Crankbaits.  We didn't start fishing until the sun had called it a day.  The timing worked well, because darkness and crankbaits can be a deadly combo.  A  few casts into the evening and I was hooked up.  Walleye number one was in the boat and the skunk was gone.  A quick pic and she was swimming again.

Next, it was Eric's turn.  A couple of grunts from the back of the boat meant that he was in battle.  Sadly, it came unbuttoned and he was left wondering.  "It felt really heavy," was all he could say about it.  The dissapointment didn't last long.  Soon he another.  Then another.  Each one growing in size.  Back and forth we traded photographing duties.  In our very short time on the water we boated a handful of dandy walleyes and released them all.

One of the perks of a good crankbait bite is the fact that you may connect with some hogs.  Many times they are all too big for the grease.  Isn't that a sweet problem?  Good weather, good company, and good fishin'.  Does it get any better?  And to think, I am lucky enough to have this opportunity 2 minutes from my house.  I am truly blessed.  Congrats to Eric for his new walleye of a lifetime!  Until the next big walleye strikes, keep on livin' your dream!

Travis Frank - Travis@mnbound.com

My opener wasn't quite normal.  For the first time in years it didn't start at midnight.  In fact, it didn't even start on Saturday.  The reason?  I have been part of a team that was courting the Governor for the 2012 fishing opener on Lake Waconia.  The details of my mission kept me off the water Saturday and will be revealed shortly.  But, I will admit that there is a very happy ending!

Now, back to the walleyes.  I hit the water Sunday with the sun already high in the sky.  I have been working hard the past few seasons to find walleyes that I can catch during the middle of the day.  I feel that its the ultimate challenge.  My first spot revealed that last years honey hole was still a good bet.  Walleye number 1 for the season came around 11 AM and pushed the scales somewhere over 6 pounds.  Moments later a larger one broke the surface, and we were off and running.  Fish after fish and smile after smile.  There was just one problem.  We couldn't find anything small enough to keep.  All of our fish were larger than 20 inches.  Ha, what a problem indeed!

After an afternoon snack and a short break, I grabbed 2 new anglers, named Mikey and Erik.  We hit the water for Round 2.  This being the evening bite.  Again we hit Tonka and again we found action.  Only this time we got sloppy.  The first 3 walleyes managed to come unhooked, and the fourth made Mikey look foolish before breaking his line.  I actually found it funny.  He did not.  The fish was a giant.  A possible 10 pounder.  With a chip on his shoulders, Mikey turned his frown upside down moments later with one set of his hook.  After losing the walleye of a lifetime, he totally redeemed himself with the catch of the day.  Another tank.  A 9 pound walleye that took the crown for the day.  Holding it like a precious child, he posed for a picture and we released it for another battle.  His evening was complete and so was mine.  A good way to start the season?  Ha, I think so!  Between our entire crew, we finished the day with 13 walleyes ranging from 20 and 29 inches.  We were totally spoiled!  For more pics, check out the walleye photo gallery.  From the metro filled walleye waters, happy fishing opener 2011!  May you be blessed with big walleye smiles all season long.  Until the next walleye strikes, keep on livin' your dream!

Travis Frank - Travis@mnbound.com

Big Gull Lake Rollers...
   Long ago Dad taught me to rope up the boat between corners of the dock so it can move freely in big waves. The real plus? The boat never touches the dock, avoiding any dock rash.   When the wind howls like it did this weekend, it's nice to know the boat's properly tied up, although I laid in bed Friday night worried my 1/2 inch dock ropes might snap from all the pressure.  At one point I snuck a peek about 3 am just to make sure the boat hadn't washed up on the beach.  I woke Saturday morning to find the boat weathers the "inland gale" just fine.   As I idled out through the waves at 6 am, I was amazed at the wind.  Howling out of the north.  Chattering on the rough water.  Darn cold too for mid-May.   I fished a few of my normal spots and found spot-tail shiners on a Lindy rig was the ticket.  Didn't find fish very shallow, although I had a tough time controlling the boat in those spots. I brought plenty of walleyes to hand, even though I couldn't  feel 'em biting out in that wind.  You'd just kinda feel the wind pushing your rod around (and whistling through the guides) and then notice a bit of extra weight.  I'd  set the hook and fish on.... Ha.  Not really normal, but effective. 

         Nice "Eaters"The big highlight of opener this year was son Brady's first fishing trip.  Although we had to wait out the cold and wind Saturday, we finally got on the water Sunday."Jonesin' " to Fish I figured we'd go out and hit a few crappies and call it a trip in an hour.  In the morning, we hit a small pond connected to Gull Lake where we found the water temp 9 degrees warmer than the main lake.  We fished in there a bit looking for shallow crappies.  About 20 minutes in, Brady's bobber disappeared and I helped him set the hook.  He proceeded to reel in a heavy fish on his UL rod.  At one point, the darn tip of that rod was just about touhing the handle as the fish about pulled Brady out of the boat.  Ha.  First fish of the trip.  Nice bass B
rady!   

Bass...
  We have to throw that back! Bass season isn't open yet!  We zipped home in rough water to grab a little lunch.  After, Brady asked if we could fish again.   Mom gave us the okay so Brady and I headed up the lake to the smaller series of lakes on Upper Gull.  We snuck down to a favorite panfish spot and Brady caught more fish than we could count. 


Brady's Catch...
After about an hour of that, we took a cruise and Brady assumed his new favorite position in the boat. He likes to stand on the rod locker, inbetween the windshield and watch the world roll by.  Not a bad place to be.

As we all drove home last night, Mom asked Brady if he'd like to stop and get dinner. In a slightly pouty voice, Brady responded, "No Mamma, I don't wanna eat dinner."  "I wanna go fishing."  

Last night I was brought back to where it all began.  Meet young Eli Mau.  A future star in the fishing world.  He's the kind of kid that reminds me of me.  A true fishing addict.  If it swims, he wants to catch it.  His favorite television shows all have fish as the star.  Same story goes for his magazines.  If he has his choice, you'll find him at the lake.

When we hit the water last night, he threw on my polarized glasses and it was all business.  He checked my depth finder to make sure I had him on fish.  Next step was to set his bobber according to the sonar.  Where to hook the worm?  He already knew.  When to twich the bait and when to let it sit?  Yep, he made that part look easy.  When that bobber sank, he was ready for action.  A monster hookset would follow that would make any grown angler jealous.  And to think, he's not even 10 years old.

As the night drew on things only got better.  When the action slowed, Eli reminded me that he was after crappies.  Not pesky bluegills.  He said, "I can catch these from shore.  I think we should move."  Without hesitation I followed his command.  A quick boat ride indicated that he was right.

Eli found a new school of fish, and he proceeded to show each of them who was boss.  Bluegills, perch and eventually the motherload of slab crappies!  Some of them pushing a pound.  As darkness fell the action only increased.  Every cast resulted in a new fish and a new fight. 

Some might have called it perfection, but not young Eli.  See, he had school the next day and that part wasn't cool.  We had to leave and he was not a happy camper.  I can't say I blame him.  Truth be told, if it wasn't for his dad, I think we'd still be out there.  Catching one, after another, after another.  I think the future of fishing looks good.  Thanks to one star in the making!  Until next time keep on livin' the dream!

Travis Frank - Travis@mnbound.com

The Mighty Mississippi has been giving them up all winter and spring.  The only thing that slowed it down was mother nature's flood.  The Rainy River is always a good spring option.  Walleyes and Sturgeon make it a double sweet trip.  The Mississippi is now back in her banks and so is the bite.  Pools 2 through 4 never close.  Adding to the list, our border waters are now fair game.  The season is open my friends, in fact it's in full swing!

This past Saturday I celebrated another 2011 fishing opener.  This time it was my St. Croix river opener.  Funny thing is, I was late to the party.  Walleye dudes had been hammering them for the past week.  This is the 3rd year that I've fished that stretch of water, and every year I walk away more impressed.  When it comes to quality sauger and eyes, it's hard to beat the Croix.  Rumors of the hot bite were true, and it didn't take us long to fill our box.  Our method was simple.  Jigs tipped with minnows or plastics.  Honestly, they both caught 'em well.  The secret was finding the fish.  Judging by all the boats catching fish, it wasn't much of a secret, neither was the bait.

I realize the significance of the Minnesota opener in a few days.  Like you, I am growing restless.  I'm just happy that we never had to stop catching walleyes to wait for it.  If you are looking for a quick fix to your walleye blues, I strongly suggest you head to a border water this week.  The cool water has these fish on a feeding rampage.  Get out there and rub off the dust before the opener hits.  You won't be dissapointed.   Until the next season opens, keep on livin' your dream!

Travis Frank - Travis@mnbound.com