At this very minute, someone, somewhere is pulling a walleye through a hole of a Minnesota lake.  It is no secret that the early ice is the best time to land ol' marble eye.  For myself, I liken it to the opener of the fishing season in May, the deer opener in November or even the peak of the muskie fishing in the fall.  I simply love getting out on the ice for the first crack at a walleye dinner.  Not only is it new scenery, but the fishing is simply the best early in the ice season.  My escapades started as soon as we had walkable ice in Minnesota.  Well before most people even think about getting their shanties ready for water.  But I have to admit, I have landed a lot of very nice walleyes already this winter.  I used extra caution, and in this case, the early bird did get the worm!

While the early minutes of the 2009 ice season have already come and gone, it doesn't mean that "early ice" is necessarily over completely.  The next few days and weeks are going to offer up some of the best ice fishing of the season.  The ice has just now reached a point where anything is fair game.  I assure you that there are still spots on all lakes that haven't been fished yet, and that likely means first come, first walleye.  Here's where I have been, what I have heard and what I have found. 

I started my year on lake Minnetonka ice.  This metro gem is full of walleyes for anyone willing to work hard to catch 'em.  We found sizes either too big or too small for the frying pan so far.  If you want to head out there, focus on rock piles.  This is why I said "work hard" to find 'em.  You will want to drop a camera down there to see what you are on.  Generally speaking, the bigger bays offer plenty of the afforementioned goods that the walleyes love.  If you find rocks, sand and weeds near deep water, get ready for an overnight sit, because you are in for a treat.  Just remember your digital camera, because Tonka is full of trophies!

Two words - Mille Lacs!  This lake is back on again.  The last two winters brought iffy ice and lots o' snow and slush.  So far, the ice is growing fast, and there is no snow keeping you from any spot you desire.  What makes it all the better?  The walleyes are biting again too!  I have spent two days on that lake so far, and we have about 80 walleyes to show for our efforts.  Not to mention the bonus jumbo perch, otherwise known by my fishing crew as "BBJP" or Big Bellied Jumbo Perch.  Mille Lacs should be on every anglers choice again for 2009.  And like I said earlier, they are biting right now!

Lake of the Woods is once again an anglers haven.  I personally have not been there yet, but after talking with Gary from Ballards resort and a bunch of my fishing buddies, one thing is clear, they are biting!  Here is a very common phrase from everyone I have talked with so far.  "yeah, about 100 fish a day." 

I know it is early in the year, but the conditions have made travel such that anglers are now able to fish anywhere they would like.  The traffic from the vehicles will likely hit the ice within the next few days, so the early ice season is almost to the mid-winter point.  Whether you hit any of the lakes I just mentioned, or find one of your own, this holiday season I encourage you to wet a line for a fresh walleye dinner.  Who knows, you just might surprise yourself!  Good luck and Happy Holidays!

Travis Frank - travis@mnbound.com

If you haven't followed my quest in the past, here is a bit of info to get you up to speed.  Each fall, specifically the month of November, I begin a quest to land the next state record muskie.  I know this might sound rather stupid to think that I can just go out and catch a state record fish, but it really isn't that out of line.  See, in the fall these fish become larger.  Given the right lake with the right forage, these muskies can literally weigh an extra 10 pounds heavier during November than at any other time of the year.  Finding the right locations and timing things perfectly put the odds in your favor to land muskies exceeding 50 pounds.  This isn't simple by any means and it takes great patience and persistence in the worst elements mother nature can throw out, but the rewards can be incredible.

For the last two seasons I have been concentrating my efforts on Lake Mille Lacs.  It is no secret that this lake holds some of the largest muskies ever grown.  Coupled with the tullibee population, these beasts reach peak weight just before the ice forms.  It is cold, it is exhausting, but I have found ways to cope and I have found fish willing to strike.  Two years ago I landed a fish that still leaves me wondering.  She was a beaut that no doubt surpassed the 50 pound mark.  The next day I scored another giant that might have only been a few pounds shy of the record as well.  It was those two fish that fueled my fire to catch a fish larger than the current record.

Last season was another epic quest that gets me excited to start this years journey.  I located 3 fish that I figured would have topped the scales around that elusive 54 pound mark.  Two of them were near the record, and one of them totally blew the rest away.  I nicknamed her Diane, and we fished her hard when the weather would allow for the better part of two weeks.  I estimated her at about 60 pounds, and I am not making this up or exxaggerating.  Some days I could get her to follow and others she would have none of my business.  When she would come to the boat, it was a sight out of this world.  Picture a five gallon bucket nearly 60 inches long following your bait and you will understand what I am talking about.  She was almost surreal.  I don't remember the date, but there was one time that we got her to eat.  It was with my good buddy Mike that day, and after releasing a nice mid 40 inch muskie, we quickly drove to her location hoping the short window of opportunity was till open.  I pointed to her home, and Mike landed the lure spot on.  She devoured the bait the second the lure hit the water, and chaos broke loose.  It was a battle that I will never forget, and one that left Mike in tears on the back deck of the boat.  As the fish came around the boat, she did a barrel role and the over-sized lure popped free.  It was an experience that you literally had to be there to understand.  Sure it's only a fish tale at this point, but something so large and powerful still leaves me sleepless at night.  I know what we had, and we had the next state record inches from the net.

So with that, I hope you understand my quest for the one.  It is not made up, it is not exxaggerated, it is not a ridiculous feat to accomplish, but it is the most insane fishing one can imagine.  As the water temps continue to fall to the perfect degree, I will soon be trailering the boat north.  When you are in your deer stand, I will likely be on the water.  When you are ice fishing the first frozen lakes, I will likely be chipping the access free to launch my boat.  When the weather cooperates and the winds lay down, I will likely be somewhere on that big pond.  This year I will have more guests than ever before.  Clients, Newspaper writers, television crews and good fishing friends are all on the menu to join the insanity.  It's all gonna be a hoot!  What will we do when we land that beast?  I just don't know, but I hope that you follow along and join me for the entire experience.  Until the state record strikes, keep on chasing your dream!

Travis Frank - travis@mnbound.com

Wednesday morning we learned exactly how our week would be spent.  Mud was the word, and sloppy was an understatement.  We met up with Young Ben, and he took us to a mallard honey hole.  Hoping for that perfect mallard shoot in the "dry" field, Ben greeted us with the comment, "oh, and you guys need to bring your waders, leave the blinds in the truck." Yes, we were hunting a field, but the darn thing was flooded, along with half of the other fields in NoDak.  Oh well, we didn't care and followed Ben's orders to Mallard heaven.  Soon after we were reminded why we love hunting in the central of the flyway as we cut mallards that were tumbling into our meager little spread of 6 decoys and 2 spinning wings.

After the completion of our Wednesday morning hunt, we continued our drive to the final destination in the central part of the state.  It was about two more hours west.  Slowly we drove out of the insanely flooded field country and into the area that we had hunted for the past 7 years.  Well it took us two days for things to click, but while we enjoyed the dry areas in the middle of the state, the duck numbers were less and so were our results.  The ducks were enjoying the sloppy wet fields to the east, which meant that we too would have to suck it up and follow the migration the way nature intended it to be.  With a sigh, we packed our gear and headed back to scout the muddy field waters.  It took us about 5 minutes to find thousands of mallards.  We locked about a dozen locations in our GPS in a matter of hours, and obtained permission to the privately owned duck havens.

While this was quite a drive, it was clearly worth it.  The next morning we slopped through the mud to the waters edge and put out our small ducky spread.  Then we laid our nice looking coffin blinds in the mud and spread the goo all over the outside.  As the skies to the east started to glow, we were bombarded by ducks by the hundreds.  It really was the hunt of a lifetime, the reason for our trip and the reason that I will be back next year.  During the next few hours we picked out greenies and folded 'em like we knew what we were doing.  As we filled our limit we just laughed at the sight of everything we had just done.  The blinds were covered in mud, inside and out, and everything we touched had a layer of black somewhere on it.  It was crazy, but so worth it!

As I returned to the farmer that gave us permission, he chuckled at the sight of what I had become.  My face covered in mud and war-paint, I told him thank you for the hunt of a lifetime.  He obliged and continued to laugh.  Looking back at it all, I would have been laughing if I were him too.  We looked ridiculous, our white truck was brownish black and our gear the same.  If you are a duck hunter, it just doesn't get any better than that.  If you are a farmer, then you will laugh at the guy that pulls up to your front door.  That's just how it is, and I get it!  For us, all the work that we put in will be forgotten, but that hunt will remain in our memory 'til we retire.

The rest of the trip was more of the same, along with some "dry" pheasant hunts that kept us occupied when we weren't swimming in the muddy fields.  We laughed uncontrollably at times, and we got to watch Jeff's dog, Bella, retrieve her first ducks and flush her first pheasants.  The only negative part of the trip was that I chose not to bring the camera into the muddy hunts and the pictures will have to be remembered in our minds instead of on film.  Oh well, those memories will be stuck in my mind forever.  Thanks for the remarkable trip fella's, I can't wait 'til next year!  Until then, Keep on livin' the dream!

Travis Frank - Travis@mnbound.com

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

A few days back I was reminded of this when I had a very good friend 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

If you live in Minnesota and want to hunt upland birds, count your blessings. Minnesota grouse hunting opportunities are among the best in the nation.

It’s often said that Minnesota is to grouse what South Dakota is to pheasants. I’d argue that the grouse hunting opportunities in Minnesota are even better.

For instance, most of the best pheasant habitat and hunting opportunities in South Dakota are controlled by private landowners. In contrast, Minnesota county, state and national forests provide 11.5 million acres of grouse habitat - and each acre is open to public hunting. So, if South Dakota is the Pheasant Capitol of the World, Minnesota certainly is the Ruffed Grouse Capitol of the World.

Jay Johnson, with his English setter, Meg.
Don’t believe me? Well consider this. Each year the Ruffed Grouse Society, a non-profit conservation organization focused on grouse, American woodcock and other related early successional forest wildlife, hosts its National Grouse and Woodcock Hunt in th  e Grand Rapids area. So, if you aren’t hunting ruffed grouse, you are really missing out on the best upland bird hunting in the state.

Have I piqued your interest? I hope so. Here is some basic information that will help you find
a place to hunt and hopefully, find a few birds.

First off, you need to know that the season opens Saturday, Sept. 19 and runs through Sunday, Jan.3, 2010. The daily limit (how many you can have in the field) is five and the possession limit (how many you can have in the field and in your freezer) is 10. Cock (male) and hen (female) birds are legal game.

You do need a small game license, which you can buy separately or in combination with your fishing license.

Shotguns in 12-and 20-gauge that are light, easy to carry and have open chokes, such as an improved cylinder, are perfect for grouse. Standard target or field loads of No. 7-1/2 to No. 9 shot are all you need to effectively bring down a grouse.

A blaze-orange hat, a blaze-orange vest and a comfortable pair of boots round out the necessary equipment you need to get started. Cover may be thick and it’s crucial that others clearly see you through brush and trees.

Next, you need to know where to hunt. Top counties in the state include Aitkin, Cass, Itasca, St. Louis, Beltrami and Koochiching. But there are quality hunting opportunities across much of the northern half of the state. While not as abundant, grouse also are available in the hill country of southeastern Minnesota.

Once you decide on the general area you plan to hunt, do some Internet research, talk to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) area wildlife office, and the county courthouse and get yourself a plat book for that county that shows land ownership.

Next, you need to know where and what type of cover to hunt. Ruffed grouse are birds that prefer younger forests and really like the subtle seams and edges of those forests.
Many folks look at a piece of woods and say, “It all looks the same.” The key to being a successful grouse hunter is being able to see the subtle edges, seams and transitions within any given woodlot.

As a general rule of thumb, try to find places where tree sizes at the base are between the diameter of your wrist and your calf. Trees of this size will be between 15-30 feet high. The type of tree, although important, is less important than the size and how close they are together.
Try to hunt in areas where aspen are present and avoid areas that are solid conifers. While you may find grouse in such cover, your chances of getting a shot at them is slim.

When you have found a promising piece of grouse cover, where and how do you hunt? Well, if there is a trail that runs through the cover, that’s a great place to start. Remember, grouse are birds of edges and a trail provides two of those edges.

Growing up grouse hunting with my dad and others, we did the vast majority of our hunting walking old logging trails or “tote” roads as my dad called them. Many a grouse met their end as the result of their attraction to the clover, forbs and gravel that make these prime hunting spots so attractive.

If you are hunting without a dog, find a couple friends and put on the patented “partridge push”.  This tactic positions one hunter 20 yards into the cover on the left of the trail and one hunter the same distance to the right of the trail. The third hunter should stand on the trail and serve as the push coordinator.

The hunting team proceeds slowly down the trail stopping briefly every 50 or so steps. The push coordinator’s job is to make sure that the team members stay abreast of each other and no one gets ahead of the others. Constant communication among team members is the key to maintaining a safe and productive hunting experience.

On the other hand, an enhanced version of the push uses the assistance of a canine hunting companion. The dog quarters back and forth across the trail in front of the three hunters, flushing any birds that might otherwise try to sit tight and let hunters without a dog walk past.

If the piece of woods you selected to hunt has no trails, then you need to try to find any other type of edge or seam. These could include swamp edges, field edges and edges where two different tree types or sizes come together. You can hunt them much the same way as you would a trail but the walking will be more difficult. Hunting with a team in a trail-less area makes it more difficult to work together and stay in safe position. Be extra conscious of safety.

Hunting linear cover such as trails, seams and edges is a great way to begin your journey grouse hunting.

Have a great hunt and always remember to be sure of your target and what is beyond, before taking the shot.

Coming up on Saturday October 3, one of the most instrumental fisherman to our sport is being honored and celebrated by another instrumental muskie supporting organization.  I know that sounded like a lot of instrumental talk, but in reality, Muskies Inc. has really done a lot to give us the opportunities that we have to fish muskies in the metro area of our state.  Not only that, but they are having a fishing tournament to honor the legendary muskie angler named George Wahl who was an important part in bringing our favorite fish to our lakes.  This tournament is two-fold.  To remember and honor the legacy of George Wahl, and to continue the stocking efforts of our local lakes.  Yep, that's right.  The more people that fish this tournament, the more money is raised for local stocking efforts in our favorite muskie lakes.  It seems simple right?  Well Muskies Inc. needs our support to make it a success.  All we have to do is sign up to fish in the tournament.  All the money, that's right, 100% of our entry fee of $50 will go to stocking muskies in our metro lakes.  Once you are signed up, you will be able to choose between the top 12 muskie lakes in the metro, and there are $5,000 worth of prizes to win.  Catch a muskie, win a prize and put more muskies in our lakes!  Hmmm.... that sounds like a good day to me!

I know this might have sounded like a bit of an advertisement to you, but this is one of the few opportunities that we get as "muskie nuts" to help our own cause.  Plus I think it will be a fun day on the water.  Click here if you would like to learn more about the upcoming event.  See you on the water!

Travis Frank - Travis@mnbound.com

Let me tell you what’s going to happen on a Saturday morning in October, a day when the air is crisp, the aspens gold, and the sky as blue as a robin’s egg.

Somewhere, not far from your home, a kid is going to awake, look out the window, and then - since there’s nothing better to do - shuffle into the living room to begin the daily search for the remote control.

Next, he or she will click on the TV and possibly a Wii. If it’s the latter, the child will be able to play world golf class courses, participate in homerun derbies, or race speedy little carts against competitors from around the globe.

But really, the child is just clutching a brilliant piece of plastic. The youngster dash here for all of his or her illusions of achievement - will not have taken breath of fresh air.

Outside, a wedge of geese will wing by unseen. A hen pheasant will duck into a ditch and disappear.  Two deer, startled by an unexpected presence, will bound from a thicket and flee, their haunches rippling with power.

I like Wii. It’s fun. I play it with my nine-year-old. But the out of doors offers even more. So, if you get the chance, invite a kid to go hunting with you this autumn. Grouse numbers are up. Pheasant numbers are strong. There’s no shortage of places to hunt. No shortage of kids, either. Heck, you can probably find a partner just down the street. That’s the rationale behind Take A Kid Hunting Weekend, which is Sept. 26-27. Those are the days when adult residents accompanied by a youth under age 16 may hunt small game without a license but must comply with seasons, limits and other regulations.

A few thoughts on hunting. First, it’s as much about discovery as pulling a trigger. Hunting is an ideal way for children to learn about the outdoors and develop a conservation ethic. They can touch, smell, hear and see the building blocks of our natural world. Second, you don’t need to be the sage of the forest or prairie. Just be safe and be yourself. Follow the rules. Take breaks. Go home when it feels right. Don’t push it.

Oddly, when I think of hunting, I rarely hear the bark of a gun. Instead, my thoughts turn to red dawns over cattail swamps, geese honking in the distance, and dogs casting across the prairie, their noses buried in the brush and tails a-wagging. I’ve learned many things from hunting, and one of them is that coffee never tastes better than when drank in a duck blind. I suspect the same is true for a kid’s hot chocolate.

For most of today’s hunters, the “natural path” to becoming a hunter began when they were invited to go hunting. That will be true for most of tomorrow’s hunters, too. When current hunters share their knowledge with someone else the hunting tradition is passed along and stays strong.

So, if you’ve let your small game license lapse, take advantage of Take A Kid Hunting Weekend. For if you do, let me tell you what will happen on some future October day. A child will wake up, dress, and go to the window and look out in hopes of seeing . . . . you. And when that happens, the natural path of our hunting tradition will be trod again.

It all started around 5 pm.  Cody Meyers and his workmate Chris met me at the 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.  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.  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.

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 old favorite haunts.  Finally we found some active fish.  The only problem was that they were just following the lure in the bright moonlight.  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 grabbed 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, 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, and 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