I have some crazy friends with some crazy luck. Good friend and fishing buddy Taylor Schroer caught by far his Personal best just a few days ago! At around 4:30 A.M. this monster fish hit boat side while he was trying to stay awake. Night fishing is a great challenge but can pay great dividend as well. You get the lake to yourself for the most part, so all you have to worry about is which spot you want to fish! Taylor hasn't boated a ton of Muskies in hid day, but he now has a a fish that most people will never have a chance to catch. This beats measured right at 54.5 inches! Congrats buddy! "Get in here!"
Lee Zeman is that one guy who always has good action. He is a busy guy with running his own company which is http://truecallingoutdoors.com/ Check out their awesome website and company. They do some great things for the community! Lee does not get out on the water as much as he would want, but when he does he sure makes his time count! Lee fished all through the night, and at about 2:15 A.M. while struggling to stay awake, he had a giant hit his bucktail. After a fight in the darkness, this 54 inch beauty hit the net! What an awesome fish! Congrats Lee on another monster.
What an awesome day. Nothing beats getting on a pattern that no one else on the lake is doing. We arrived at our spot at about 5:oo a.m. We knew there was big fish here based on the previous day, and we have been having some good action. At about 6:40 I was working a pounder bulldawg and felt some weight so I set the hook, but nothing was there. I couldn't grasp what happened so I threw it in the same spot and was working it back to the boat, I gave it 2 "hops" as the bait came upwards towards the boat, just as I was thinking about what happened with the weird hit the previous cast, a MONSTER fish came from the opposite side and T-boned the bulldawg at my feet! Right away I knew I had one of those fish you dream about head shaking on the end of my line. It made some serious runs and had to free spool a few different times. I could see that she wasn't hooked great but knew if I kept the rod tip buried I would be okay. She came to the surface and my brother in law Andy scooped it in. I gave a pretty serious celebration along with a few high fives. We held her for a few quick pictures, slapped her on the tape and put her right back in the water in about 30 seconds. We work so hard for a fish of this caliber, and to have it out of the water for only 30 seconds seems like your wasting the moment, but you want that fish to be released successfully without harm. After the release I sat back, had a Mountain Dew and just said a few thanks and praises in my head to whoever was listening. Yes, us Muskie guys talk to ourselves. What a great day to be able to share with a few good buddies. It goes down as my 4th biggest fish, but it will not be forgotten about. Fish like this is what gets us up at the crack of dawn and the ones we think about all winter long. She ended up being a 54 inch fish, with a 24 inch girth, a true fish of a lifetime! Now for me, its on to the next one!
Thursday the 16th is a day I’ll never forget. Perfect Muskie weather, and not one other person on the lake. We went out and the fish were moving on every spot we went to. The pattern was easy, throw anything you wanted up against a windy island or point. It was just one of those days that you look back on and wish it never ended. 4 straight days of 75 degree weather which then turned into 59 degrees, blowing 20MPH, overcast and on and off rain. Most people tend to try and catch a nap or a movie on a day like that. Luke and I went out in search of a giant. From the first spot, we talked about how it felt like a 53 inch kind of day. After landing a super tank 48.5 inch on the 3rd spot, something just felt right as we moved from spot to spot. By noon we had boated 3 fish, and moved 4 others. As we pulled up to the next spot he told me that this was a big fish spot. It was one of those rare days where you feel like every cast could be historic, and this day, that was the case. As we worked around this rock outcropping, I bombed a cast downwind and reeled it in….nothing. He turned the boat so it positioned me to basically make the exact same cast, so I did. This time was different, about half way in to the boat I got that feeling that we all love to get, that dead heavy weight that stops your bucktail. As the fish came to the surface immediately after it hit, I knew it was big, and so did he. I knew it was hooked good and when the fish finally came to the boat and was swimming just below the surface, I started thinking of a number, 52 sounded about right. She made one hard run down deep but came right back up and as he extended the net I leaded back and pulled her into the net. “What did you say earlier!? 53? I think you got it buddy!” Luke yelled. A few high fives and actually a few hugs as well were appropriate for the situation. After getting the hooks out of the fish’s mouth, I slid my hand under it gills. You just know you have a giant when the size of the head is the first thing you notice. As I pulled her out and snapped just a few pictures, I was ready to measure her as I was unable to hold her up any longer. We put her on the bump board and he calls out “dude, 55!” I honestly couldn’t believe it; I looked back and sure enough it was just a shade over that magical 55 mark. I lifted her back up and gently put her back into the lake, that feeling you get catching, holding and then release a monster Muskie is unlike anything else. As she swam away, We shook hands, hugged the whole nine yards. I then just kind of kneeled down on the front of the boat and shook my head. I could not believe that I had just caught another monster. Having 3 muskies over 55 inches is amazing and almost not believable. I can honestly say I had the biggest smile in the entire world at that moment. The 55 inch Muskie hat-trick was complete! Going to track this queen down in the fall. With a lake like this, you can only imagine what she will look like in the fall!
Driving up after our Thanksgiving meal, Andy Gothe and myself were hoping that Vermilion had stayed open and that there was no ice on the lake in hopes of getting one more Musky on the year. We arrived around 10 that night and went down to the dock and noticed that we had open water! But we could see from the moon light what looked like ice 100 yards off from shore, we would have to investigate in the morning. We got up early and we went out in the boat to the ice. It was about 80 yards long, and if we got through it somehow, we would be able to get out into the main lake and fish. After an hour or so of hard work breaking through layers of ice, we made a canal with chisels through the ice sheet and into the main lake. Check out the photo, and also the video of us driving through the Canal we made into the main lake! As we got out onto the lake, we were already feeling pretty good about ourselves with just getting out to the main lake through the ice. We started casting a rocky point that dumps into deeper water, and with the temperature at about 40 degrees, we were lucky to be able to cast and maintain our warmth. After doing lots casting mixed in with some trolling it was getting close to dark with nothing to show for our efforts...yet. We decided to go back to that same rocky point we started on to finish up the night. With it now basically dark, we said lets finish up the drift and head in, as we got to the end, we said alright time for the infamous "last cast." Andy reeled in his Pounder, and I was reeling in my DoubleDawg when all of a sudden something crushed my bait boatside. "Dude, I got one!" He didn't beleive me, but then he turned and it was obvious that I had one when it was thrashing around right at the boat. After a short fight he netted the fish, and it was an awesome feeling after all that hard work, and fishing all day in the cold. When holding it for pictures I could believe how heavy it was, I knew it wasn't a long fish, but after eating Tullibees all fall, it was defiantly a fatty! A 45 inch is a big fish for many people, but when you throw a 22 inch girth on a fish like that, it looks a LOT bigger! What a great way to end 2011, I can only dream of getting back out there in 2012
Well Musky week in 2009 got me a 55.5, Musky week in 2010 got Lee his 56, what would Musky week on Vermilion bring us in 2011? Our good friend Matt Clauer got married on Saturday the 13th, and wouldn't you know it, but that night was the night of the full moon! We hit the road after the wedding and drove through the night and were out on the water by sunrise. After seeing a few fish we headed back in for a nap before the evening adventure. That night which was 1 day after the full moon, we went to the same spot that Lee got his 56 from the previous year. We were watching another boat slowly drift over the spot we wanted to fish, when they hooked up with a fish that we later overheard them say was 53 inches, so that was definitely disappointing for us as we were about to drift over that spot, another reason why that hurt was because they were not prepared correctly. They were using spinning tackle and did not properly handle the fish as they dropped the fish twice in the boat, hopefully it survived. Discouraged, we left that spot and heading back to the spot I got my 55.5 from 2 years prior. Well after sundown, it was about 10:10 and I was throwing my Double Cowgirl, I was slow rolling it when something heavy absolutely crushed my bait. "Got one!" I yelled, Lee grabbed the net and was in the ready position. The fish came to the surface and right away, I knew I had a 50 incher. It made one run and this time I was able to free spool and give it some line. The fished turned and I brought her into the net. We started yelling and celebrating as we netted another Vermilion monster. I guessed 52 inches while we were getting the hooks out, but when I grabbed her for some pictures, it had an enormus head, now I didnt know what to think. We layed her down on the bump board, and it stretched to 55.25 inches! A quater inch shorter than my biggest muskie. I was in shock as I revived her ion the water and watched her swim away, was it realistic for me to have to giants over 55 at age 21? I sat in the boat for a while as Lee continued to fish and took the time to be thankful for what had just happened. 3 years, 3 muskies over 55 inches for Lee and myself, what will 2012 bring?
Musky week in 2009 brought a 55.5 inch giant in my hands, what would Musky week in 2010 bring? It defiantly did not disappoint us! On the last morning of what we considered to be a slow week of muskie fishing with only a few muskies boated, we didn't loose hope as we left the dock at about 4:45 A.M. We got to the spot where we knew BIG fish like to feed as we have seen some monsters there in the past, and it is a spot that we rarely ever see people fish so that's also a plus. We started our drift and right away at 5:10 A.M. I launched a cast high into the air, before it even hit the surface, I hear Lee start yelling as a absolute freak crushed his bucktail boatside, with my cast still way out there, I reeled in as fast as i could and grabbed the net. The monster was thrashing around right by the boat, and as luck would have it, it didnt make a run, it just sat there and I scooped it up with ease. With is still being so early, it was hard to realize what had just happened, when the fish stretched out to 56 inches in length, I think the whole lake could hear our excitement. Talk about a great way to end Musky week 2010, we took some good photos for memories, and we let the giant swim back down into the Vermilion waters.
It was a normal summer day when my best bud Jack called me up and said, "Hey, lets go to Tonka in the morning and chase some skis!" Obviously I was not going to say no, and so that night I headed to his place for a little slumber party and we planned for the morning adventure. We got to the access a little after it got light and we jumped in the boat and motored over to the first spot. After fishing for a while and seeing a few lazy fish, we moved areas and got to the top of a weed point when Jack threw is all pink Double Cowgirl. I remember looking over at his bait as it was coming in, and at the same time I noticed it, he did also. This fish was hot on his bait as it followed the figure-8 more than once around. Finally as Jack sped up a little bit, the fish lunged forward and opened its mouth and inhaled the bait. I grabbed the net as the fish made its first run, as the fish came in for an opportunity to net it, I reached out and the fish turned and we had it halfway in the net when it kicked its way out and back into the water, We both got nervous that it was going to get off. After another deep run, she came up to the surface and presented me with another chance to net it. I reached out, and as I reached slipped on the floor of the boat and fell almost in the water but I was athletic enough to net the fish while on my stomach on the floor of the boat. I got up and looked at Jack and said "Dude, how close was I to blowing that for you" We laugh and unhooked the fish, after a careful measurement it stretched to 54 inches! We got a few pictures and released the fish of course. For us, Lake Minnetonka is usually good for a few follows and maybe a hook-up here and there, but Jacks 54 inch monster keeps us going back when we don't have the time to head up to Vermilion!
Jack Gavin, Lee Zeman, and myself all went out for the evening on Lake Vermilion located in northern Minnesota. After going to our normal hot spots, we only raised a few fish, and fishing seemed a little slow. With fishing seeming slow, it was no surprise and we stayed confident as we new the next cast could be historic. As the sun was falling behind the horizon, we started a drift in one of our favorite spots. With Jack and Lee both throwing blades, I thought i would switch it up and throw a top-water to mix it up a little bit. I was in the middle of the boat and also throwing off the back of the boat to create more room for them throwing the big blades off the front. I bombed out a cast and started my retrieve, as i was twitching the bait back and forth I remember turning around to say something to the boys when all of a sudden all I could hear was a huge eruption of water. I remember setting the hook, and during the fight I wasn't sure how big the fish was. The first time the fish came to the surface, we all got excited but none of us thought that the fish would be over the 50 inch mark. As the fish came up to the boat, it took a dive as expected and made a run, I tried to free-spool her, but the tension was to tight and I could not get the button to click down. Just as I started to get nervous that she might get off, she turned back towards the boast and slowly swam into the net. after a few high fives, we popped the hooks out, took a few pictures and we put the fish on the tape. We couldn't be believe it when it crossed not only the 50 inch mark, but it crossed the 55 inch mark! 55 and a half inches is what she stretched to, as I grabbed her one last time and put her in the water, we got the girth measurement and let the fish swim back down to where she belongs. With the length being 55 and a half inches, and a girth of 24 inches, I got a replica made that hangs in my cabin today as a reminder of what Lake Vermilion has given me, and what can happen when you stay patient .
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