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Put another blog on the fire...
8/12/2005 9:18:39 PM
Dear Blog:

I hope that no one thinks that I am "blowing my own horn" so to speak with the last post. I was just trying to relate the experiences, and my feelings about them, that I have had on my last couple of trips.

Heavens, a man who talks about his feelings? LOL! The world will come to an end. He just can't be a manly man when he talks about his feelings LOL

(Hey, if you can't poke fun of yourself and make yourself the butt of the joke on occassion then you can't poke fun at anyone else either.)

Also, I had a lot of help with the rescue, Dick H. my partner. Joe and Mike from our cabin that just happened to be going by and stopped, and a whole bunch of folks whose name I'll never know. So it wasn't just me. A team effort. Thanks be to God that they're all right.

Also, thanks to Esox Addict for his kind comments.

Put another blog on the fire
Cook me up some bacon and some beans
8/2/2005 6:40:47 PM
Dear Blog:

It's been a while since I've made an entry. So much to catch up on.

Over the 4th of July holiday some cohorts and I went up to the N.W. Angle. My first trip to that section of The Woods. Tough week for me and my partner Happy Hooker. Didn't boat a muskie. Didn't even have one on our lines. I'd been to Sabaskong Bay a number of times before and while this is similar to Sabaskong it is different. Much more wide open water areas. Not as many small islands. Fished weeds, rocks, the usual stuff and only saw 3 fish in a week. H.H. did get a couple of blow ups on a surface bait and a nice pike, but it was a tough weeks fishing.

It was tough for me emontionaly also. This was my first trip to Canada since Mary passed away. Although a different area than where she and I went it was so similar as to bring back so many wonderful memories of our trips to The Woods. Very hard to be there without her. But I'm glad I went, I had always wanted to see the Angle and now I have.

Last week I went with other cohorts to Lake Vermilion. This was more of a family trip rather than just the guys. Had a good time. But still couldn't put a muskie in the boat. Must be snakebit or something. I partnered with a guy from my M.I. chapter. He had a solid mid 40 inch and girthy on the line and lost it, later that day he lost 2 other fish, and saw 3 more one of which he said was huge. I did manage to see more fish on this trip than last year (none) or my trip to The Woods. I lost count over the week but saw maybe 8-10 fish. All were nice 40 inch class fish and solid, no small fish but no giants either. They seemed only to move on bucktails. We couldn't get anything to move on glidebaits, topwater, or cranks.

Did have a unique experience while there. My partner and I managed to save 2 lives. We had just passed a very small lund with a man and woman in it and I looked back only to see him in the water and her hanging on to the side of their boat while it was still circleing. They said that they had got caught in the wake of a pontoon boat that passed them after we went by and tossed out of their boat. Of course they weren't wearing life jackets and the man was exhausted when we reached them. I don't think he would have made it more than a couple of more minutes. I pulled my boat in close and Dick, My partner threw him the floating seat cushion and used my boat hook to pull him to the side of my boat. We tried to pull him in but he was to large for us to get into the boat. Dick and I are large men but this guy made us look small. I got him into a life jacket and helped him hang on to my boat and the using the trolling motor we got close to their boat and Dick jumped in and shut down their motor and helped her into their boat. Meanwhile a restorted Chris Craft came by and they had a boarding ladder and we used them to get the guy back into his boat with her. They were in scared out of their minds. The first thing they did was put on their live jackets. I offered to tow them back to their resort but they turned me down. Neither was seriously injured so we let them go. Never did get their names and they didn't ask ours. All I know is, if I hadn't spotted them when I did one or both wouldn't have made it. If her strength had give out she would have been sucked under the running boat and cut up in the prop, and as I said he was so exhausted that I don't think he would have lasted much longer before going under.

Since Mary passed I've struggled with questions about life and death and my purpose here on this planet. I've wondered how I would go on without her and if there would be any kind of future for me. Well, I view this as a sign from God that he still has things for me to do. I don't have a clue what they are but now at least I know in my heart that someday I'll find some happiness again.

To those who have never suffered a loss and haven't experienced real grief in their lives, they might think that my taking this as an answer to prayers as a bunch of bull. "I just happened to be in the right place at the right time," they'll figure. But to those who have, they know the emptiness that comes with grief and the search for meaning and understanding that one deals with during such times. They will understand that 3 people were saved that day, the 2 in the water and myself.

Put another Blog on the Fire
Cook me up some bacon and some beans
6/26/2005 10:24:48 PM
Dear Blog:

Well after all that foolishness, and this being a muskie website and all, I suppose I'd best get down to business and blog something about muskies.

My first ever encounter with a muskie was in July of 1978. Yes, if memory serves, the earth was cool then. I graduated from High School that year and my present from my folks was a 3 day guided fishing trip on Leech Lake. which for me was the perfect present. I'd much rather of had this than a car.

We weren't really going after muskies. Dad, when he did have sometime to take me fishing, was a panfisherman. He wanted fish to eat. This trip was supposed to be a walleye and northern fishing trip, which we did spend most of our time doing, but I was able to talk him into a little muskie fishing. We had never fished muskie before but I had this grandious dream of catching a 30# pike. Silly me, as I was to later learn that 30# pike were pretty rare even back then.

But I had a Garcia 6000c on a Shakespere Wonder rod. I still use the reel. I have it on my heavy jerkbait rod. That old and it's still stronger than the reels on the market nowdays. Not as smooth as the new ones but a lot more muscle.

Dad had hired an old time guide by the name of Marv Utke (sp?) He worked out of Huddles resort on the South of Leech Lake. Dad and I had never been on big water before and the first morning the lake was really rolling. Marv had a 18 foot flat bottom bench seat crestliner boat with a 25 horse tiller evinrude. This was a big fishing boat back then, but by todays standerds it was small, my new boat is bigger than this.

The waves were bigger than anything we had ever been in before and in reality I can't say after this many years just how big they were but suffice it to say they were scaring the P**s out of us. I looked at Dad and he at me and it's hard to say who's eyes were bigger. I know I was wondering if it was safe to be out, i'm sure he was also. Later that day we did get chased off the lake by a tornado that touched down near the Annex area of the lake. We had been fishing near there and Marv said it was time to get off the lake and just as we tied up at the boathouse the weather radio said a tornado had touched down out where we just were.

The next day we drifted for walleye and trolled for pike. We were doing ok with some fish on the stringer and an 10 pound pike caught. So I asked if we could try for a muskie.

We started casting for them and I was given a green cisco kid crankbait to use. I was told to figure 8 and shown how to do it, but of course being an 18 year old kid I knew it all and didn't bother to do so. After awhile with nothing happening I started to get bored and didn't pay attention. I would just lift the lure right out of the water at the end of the retrieve and start my next cast. No figure 8 and wasn't watching for follows. ( You guys know what's about to happen, don't you?) It did!

I lifted the lure out of the water and when it was about level with the top of my head, I'm 6'2", a muskie explodes out of the water after it. It jumped so high out of the water that to this day I swear that I was eyeball to eyeball with this fish. Scared me almost to death. My heart litteraly skipped a couple of beats. I jumped backwards and almost jumped right out of the boat! The fish, of course, missed the lure by a mile and fell back into the lake. Marv and Dad saw what happend and they were laughing their butts off. My heart was pounding and I was pantting for breath. My hands were shaking and I had to sit down. I asked Marv how big he thought the fish was, he estimated about 15 pounds or so. Back then everything was measured by pounds not inches like today. Different era and fishing ethics and culture. So not a big fish by anymeans but it was the biggest fish of any species that I had ever seen to that point.

Well, I didn't catch that muskie or any other for that matter. But it planted a seed and I supppose you could say, that after all these years, it caught me and hooked me so well that while humans may be catch and release with muskies, muskies don't catch and release humans.

Put another blog on the fire.
Cook me up some bacon and some beans.



6/23/2005 10:41:50 AM
Dear Blog:

More random silliness.

To blog or not to blog, what a dumb question!
Billy Shakespere

I shall reblog
Gen. D. McArther

I'm not a Blog
R.M. Nixon

Friends, Romans, Countrymen, Lend me your Blog
Marc Anthony

Ask not what your blog can do for you, but rather ask what you can do for your blog.
J.F.K.

Never before in the course of Human history has so many owed so much to so few blogs.
Winston Churchill

The only thing we have to fear, is the blog itself.
F.D.R.

I have never blogged with that woman.
B. Clinton

We have evidence that Saddam Hussein had wepons of mass blogs.
G.W. Bush

Purple Blog, all in my brain.
Jimi Hendrix

We will defeat the evil blog
R. Regan.

Go blog, young man, go blog.
Horce W. Greely

I never forget a blog, but in your case I'd be happy to make an execption.
G. Marx

Come up and blog me sometime big boy!
Mae West.

Oops, I blogged it again.
Briteny Spears

Statistics show that 90% of men blog, the rest are liars.

That is one small blog for a man, one giant blog for mankind.
Neil Armstrong

Blogs on first.
Abbott and Costello

I have not yet begun to blog.
John Paul Jones

I regret that I have but one blog to give to my country.
Nathan Hale

No dumb s.o.b. ever won a war by dying for his blog. He won it by making the other dumb s.o.b. die for his blog.
Gen. Patton (Blood and Guts)

Vini Vidi Blog ( I came I saw I bloged)

Cogito ergo Blog ( I think therefore I blog)

Set Blogs on stun. Or
Lt. Uhura open a Blogging frequency
Capt. Kirk

Highly IllBlogical Captain. OR
It's a Blog Captain, but not as we know it
Mr. Spock

It's worse than that. He's Blogged, Jim OR
Damn it Jim, I'm a Doctor not a Blogger
Dr. McCoy

I Kanna change the laws of Blogs, Captain OR
I Gotta have 30 more Blogs Or
The Dilithium Blogs have cracked, I gotta have new Dilithium Blogs
Mr. Scott


And after all of this, I'm sure you wish that I'd stick this blog in my pipe and smoke it.

And in the end, the blogs you take are equal to the blogs you make.
The Beatles

Put another blog on the fire.
Cook me up some bacon and some beans


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6/21/2005 12:58:51 AM
Dear Blog:

From the seriously disjointed mind of a lonely man, and with sincere aplolgies to the Allman Brothers Band, and everyone else for that matter, comes this little ditty.

Lord I was born a Muskie Man.
Trying to make a trolling pass and doing the best I can.
When it's time for casting, I hope you understand, that I was born a Muskie Man.

My father was a fisherman from Minnesota.
He wound up on the wrong side of the boat. and
I was born in the back of a Lund Pro V
Waves so high, it could hardly float.

Lord I was born a Muskie Man
Trying to make a trolling pass and doing the best I can.
When it's time for casting, I hope you understand, that I was born a Muskie Man.

I'm on my way to Mille Lacs lake this morning
Leaving out of St. Paul Minnesota
Their always having a good time on the north end, Lord.
Those muskie women think the world of me.

Lord I was born a Muskie Man
Trying to make a trolling pass and doing the best I can.
When it's time for casting, I hope you understand, that I was born a Muskie Man.

Lord I was born a Muskie Man.
Lord I was born a Muskie Man.
Lord I was born a Muskie Man.


Put another blog on the fire.
cook me up some bacon and some beans...




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6/18/2005 7:01:22 AM
Well, if I got the concept of a blog right, it's nothing more than an online diary thats open to the public.
So:

Dear Blog:

As a sneek announcement for those who actually read these things, I'm announcing,

The First Annual Mary Villnow Memorial Womens Muskie Award.

This fall, a new prize catagory will be included at the Twin Cities Chapter of M. I. annual
Frank Schneider International Muskie Tournament. Which is held every Sept in the Walker Mn. area.

As a way of remembering my wife, Mary, and to encourage more women to get into muskie fishing I'm donateing $1000. to be given to the top women finishers in the Tournament. Details of the award are still being worked out with the Tournament committee. This award is eligible to women, of all ages, only. Sorry guys you can't win even if you show up wearing a skirt. I plan to make this a yearly prize.

When I met Mary she had never been fishing or camping or anything in the outdoors. I soon changed that and taught her to love it. Her biggest muskie is 49 inches, mine is 46 inches. In 1999 she won the womens division of the members only contest for the North Metro Chapter of M.I. I was so proud of her. Still am for that matter.

Mary wasn't famous in the muskie world. Most people have never heard of her. But she was a 6 year survivor of breast cancer when she was diagnosed with Gliosarcoma, a very rare form of brain cancer. The two cancers had nothing to do with each other, they were completely different forms of cancer. Mary beat one only to lose to another. She fought both with dignity and grace. Never once feeling sorry for herself or her fate. She even managed to muskie fish when the brain cancer was causeing her to lose control of the left side of her body. Her left arm wouldn't function properly at times due to the increase in brain pressue, but she went fishing anyhow and did all her own casting too.

I wanted to tell her story and inspire other women to get out in the boat and fish with their men. Mary was the best fishing partner I've ever been blessed to share a boat with. Oh sure, some of the guys I've been out with were much more skilled at reading the weather and water, or working a bait. But nobody had her level of enthusiasm (sp?) Rain or shine, hot or cold, she would come up to me and say, "Lets go fishing this weekend." Gotta love a gal like that.

So I hope that more men and women can share the joys of being fishing buddies and to encourge that to happen I figured that a prize package for women just might get a few more in the boat.

Later this summer as the Tournament draws nearer and details of the prizes are finalized I'll post an announcement on the message boards to get the word out. But for those guys and gals who read the blogs you've got a heads up to start making plans to get the special women in your life out in the boat with you. You wife, mother, sister, daughter, aunt, neice, girlfriend, girlfriend on the side (LOL) get their casting arm in shape and enter them in the Tournament, they just might win a bigger prize than you.

Put another blog on the fire
cook me up some bacon and some beans...

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6/17/2005 9:37:40 PM
Well here it is June 17 and I haven't been out fishing. Bought a new boat, motor, trailer this spring and it's sitting at the dealers waiting for parts for the trailer. AAAARRRRGGGGHHH!

Got it all rigged and the break in time done and last Sunday while headed out for my first trip of the season I didn't even make it to the lake. The *#$@ wheel on the drivers side almost came off. Sheared off 2 of the lug bolts, widened the mounting holes on the wheel and did some other damage. Dont have more than 150 miles on it and this happens. Lug nuts come loose. What the *&%# is up with that? Put different tires on your car or rotate them and the lug nuts don't loosen up.

So this was going to be my summer to fish my arms off and make up for the last couple of years when I didn't fish much due to my wifes brain cancer and passing. Some things are more important than muskie fishing. But I thought that this summer it would help heal my heart to get out and pound the water and here I am stuck on shore.

Did I mention, AAAARRRGGGUUUHHHH? Still it's only June and I know I'll get out fishing.

A few days before Mary passed away, I tucked her into bed and kissed her good night. We were very open about her illness and both knew she had no chance to beat it. I told her that when she got to heaven that she had a couple of jobs to do for me.
She looked at me in puzzlement and asked what? I said that when she got there she should say hi to my Mom and Dad and then use whatever pull she has there to get me a 56 inch muskie. She laughed and laughed until we started to cry and then said she would see what she could do. Mary then asked why 56 inches? I told her that a fat 56 fish should hit near 50 pounds and I didn't want to be greedy and ask for the next world record. I think a 50 pound muskie is a good enough accomplishment.

So the fix is in, I've got a Muskie Angel on my side. Now if I could just get my new boat in the water so my Angel can go to work for me I just might put a BIG fish in it.

But knowing her, she'll tease me for a few years. She'll show me the fish or have it strike and not get hooks or get tangled in the landing net and lose it. But I know that sooner or later,when she's done laughing at me, she'll have mercy and that fish will be in the bottom of my net. I'll look up to heaven and say, "Thanks Hugmuffin, even though we're apart you still find ways to show that you love me."

People die but True Love never does.

Put another Blog on the fire
Cook me up some bacon and some beans...





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