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Posts: 2091
Location: Stevens Point, WI | I'm planning a trip to Mille Lacs in June or July this year before our first little muskie hunter is born and I'm looking for suggestions for top notch guides that might have dates open yet. Thanks. |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | Steve Jonesi.
I fished with him last year and am again this fall. Top notch guide and just a cool dude to spend a day with. |
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Posts: 1237
Location: South Portsmouth, KY | Gregg Thomas no doubt. He is a fish catching machine. Jason Hammernick i hear is tops also. |
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Posts: 84
| I don't know if they have dates open still but Luke Ronnestrand, Jason Hammernick and Greg Thomas put more big fish in the boat than anyone I have ever heard of on that body of water. And they are all great guys to fish with. You cannot go wrong with anyone of them. |
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Location: Eau Claire,WI | I would call Steve Jonesi,he isn't doing the insurance gig anymore and might have some days open.One more preson to try is Lee Tauchen.The others previously named are worth the $ too...Be prepared to pay for a quality guide...I know,I have 3 different guides for 5 days in November...  |
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| Steve Jonesi all the way. |
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Location: Latitude 41.3016 Longitude 88.6160 | STEVE JONESI is your man !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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Posts: 457
| Jonesi, but be warned you may hear a couple Duuuuuuude(s) throughout the day. Or...so I've heard. The guy really was on fire last year, I don't know HOW many 50" fish he had clients boat but it was a few for sure.
All the guys listed are SUPER guides, for sure. I think you should call them all, get a feel for the one that has a personality you can get along with. |
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| Personally I would go with a guide who is on the lake as a full time guide, not to knock any of the others mentioned above as they are good fishermen but I would put my money on a guy who is on the water 7 days a week, not one part timing it.
For the money you will get your best shot at big fish with Luke, Greg and Lee Tauchen. The numbers of big fish in their boat are hard to argue with.
my 2 rubles |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | Whoolligan - 3/23/2008 10:07 AM
Jonesi, but be warned you may hear a couple Duuuuuuude(s) throughout the day. Or...so I've heard. The guy really was on fire last year, I don't know HOW many 50" fish he had clients boat but it was a few for sure.
All the guys listed are SUPER guides, for sure. I think you should call them all, get a feel for the one that has a personality you can get along with.
Good point about the personality. Last year looking for a guide to take me out with a flyrod, I got a couple of "well...I'm kinda full that time of year....I'm not real sure about that....are you sure?" (Disclaimer- I didn't get that from any of the other guides mentioned here; I don't recall contacting any of them.) But Steve came back with, "hell yeah!!! I'm pumped! We're gonna do this! This is gonna rock!" His positive attitude is off the charts. My Dad boated a fish, but it didn't happen that day for me, as a cold front rocked the lake and the water temp dropped 12* in 24 hours. Steve wouldn't have it. He said, "we gotta try this again. I want you to come back next year. We've gotta get a fish in the boat on a fly. We gotta do it. Call me."
See ya in September Steve! |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | Rick M - 3/23/2008 6:17 AM
.....Jason Hammernick....
Is he a young dude; like in his 20's? |
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Posts: 2427
Location: Ft. Wayne Indiana | I would suggest Hamernick, Lee, Luke, Gregg or Jonesi. All great guys. Oh yeah...I'll be on Mille Lacs in Late June as well!!! |
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| I highly recommend Lee Tauchen. He is an excellent guide and fisherman as well as an all around good guy. Whoever you choose, good luck as there are some BIG fish in Mille Lacs!!!
John |
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Posts: 2427
Location: Ft. Wayne Indiana | Jason is in his mid 30's, not 20's...he just looks like a little kid!!! LOL |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | MikeHulbert - 3/23/2008 11:34 AM
Jason is in his mid 30's, not 20's...he just looks like a little kid!!! LOL
Maybe the same guy I'm thinking about then. Steve and I got pushed off the water by a storm, and eating lunch we ran into another guy who was meeting his clients and I think Steve said his name as Jason; but he vouched for him as being a great guy to fish with who really knows his stuff. |
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Posts: 1295
Location: WI | Just watch the videos Hammernick has on his website. HOly cow!!!!!!!!!! Can you say BIG? |
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Posts: 181
| Fished with Jonesi last fall on what I hope was his worst day of the season, and we all still got out of the boat with a smile on our faces! Never met any of the other guys mentioned, their reputations speak for themselves though. Steve is guiding full time this year and I will guarantee you will learn alot from him and have a great time.
Either way I truely believe any of the guys mentioned are at the top of their game and you would learn alot from them, the hardest part of all this decision making probably will be finding one of them with an opening that will work for you.
Another name that is worth a call would be Steve Scepaniak with Predator Guide Service. Some of my friends have fished with him and claim that noone could know that lake any better than he does. I think he has been fishing that lake for over 20 years for musky!
Can't wait for June 20th when I get my second shot out of Jonesi's boat! |
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Posts: 27
| I do know that you will want to act quickly. I just booked with Luke at the Expo and he had very limited availability left. |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | jnelson - 3/23/2008 3:37 PM
Another name that is worth a call would be Steve Scepaniak with Predator Guide Service.
Can't wait for June 20th when I get my second shot out of Jonesi's boat! :)
Forgot about Scepaniak. Jonesi and I fished out of Isle and Scepaniak was down there with some dude who was also flyfishing in the same bay. Steve said it was probably the first time on the history of the lake that two fly tossers were fishing the same bay at the same time.
And Steve J. mentioned Steve S. being top notch as well.
I think you'll find that any reputable, established guide on that lake will be worth his weight in gold. JMO.
Jeff |
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Posts: 9
| was out with the hammer 4 times last year he is the best, don't mess around with the other guys just give him a call right now and tell him kaner sent ya. Have fun, catch a 50 I think he had close to 40 over 50 in 2007. |
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Posts: 999
| My question would be what is it worth to you? All these great guides are charging different prices, the highest I have heard of is $500. And I know there is a few others that have mentioned themselves are alot cheaper. Also one guy who hasn't been mentioned is Steve Genson out of www.fishhunts.com he gives package deals if you book more then one day but his base rate is $375 a day. I guess it's all in what you want to spend and what it's worth to you.
Mr Musky |
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| Mille Lacs has 5-6 great guides, I will say one thing for Steve Jonesi, Cool Under Pressure, I was fishing with him under some pretty bad circumstances last October, his big motor had a tantrum,lol, I cant think of many guys that would have done what he did, we fished and had a blast in light of the situation, Steve gives back to Muskies 10X what he receives, fish with him you wont be disappointed. |
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Posts: 556
| JONESI he is the man |
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| I am gonna have 2 say GREGG THOMAS that guy taught me a ton!!!!! caught 4 fish with him one 50" and for a guy who puts so many fish in the boat he still gets very excited good time fishing with him!!! |
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| for those big girls Hamernick is without a doubt the guy!just click and see for yourself.
http://www.muskiebreath.com/pages/articles-amp-news.php
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Posts: 2091
Location: Stevens Point, WI | Thanks for all the responses eveyone! With the baby on the way it's sort of a last hurrah trip for a bit. |
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Posts: 697
Location: Minnetonka | Hamernick, Ronnestrand, Jonesi... all great guides! Here's a guy of the same caliber that knows what he's doing on Pond.
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| It is absolutely amazing how many new "guides" show up every year on Mille Lacs and all over with absolutely little to no experience on the water. To have a buddy of a new guide post that his friend is the "caliber" as the above guides without a day of guiding even under his belt is insulting to the guys that have been busting their tails to earn a good reputation by putting clients on fish year after year.
Ronnestrand, Thomas, Hammernick, Jonesi, or Tauchen would be the way to go no matter what the price compared to the new guys. They are all on the water between 5-7 days a week from june through November and have all been through multiple seasons on Mille Lacs. And for those of you that have fished Mille Lacs a lot, you know that things can change drastically from year to year so book someone that has the experience.
Sorry for the short rant but people need to know that some "guides" have never guided a day in their life.
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Posts: 697
Location: Minnetonka | Guest - 3/24/2008 11:26 AM
It is absolutely amazing how many new "guides" show up every year on Mille Lacs and all over with absolutely little to no experience on the water. To have a buddy of a new guide post that his friend is the "caliber" as the above guides without a day of guiding even under his belt is insulting to the guys that have been busting their tails to earn a good reputation by putting clients on fish year after year.
Haha... nice rant. The paradox is, you'll have to fish with John to find out he's got what it takes. I'm sure he'd love to hear from you with any questions/concerns.
No insults intended... but I trust Jason, Luke and Steve will let me know if they're offended.
Edited by Hammskie 3/24/2008 12:30 PM
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| Experience on a given lake is overrated....especially as the "guest" points out that it "changes drastically" from year to year. Take a Lebron James with little experience compared to veterans and put him on a new team or even send him to Europe and I bet he does okay. You can either fish or not, you either can entertain or not, you either can teach or not...the water doesn't make the guide, the guide makes the water... Ben |
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| did you really say experience is over-rated and then compare fishing to basketball/lebron james? wow |
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Posts: 2024
| I say take the names of all the guides on the lake (you can probably find out a TON by talking to someone in a Muskies Inc. chapter from MN), write them onto pieces of paper, take your luckiest fishing hat, drop them in, shake them up, have a friend pull one out and whoever he/she pulls out is your guide. My point is they are ALL good and you will ALWAYS learn something on the water (given an open mind of course). People are going to have their favorites because maybe that guy hired Lee or Jason, but another guy hired Gregg or Jonesi. "Brand loyalty" essentially. Get a list, check them out on the web, call them if you so choose and base your decision on your own research/communications... Not on what a bunch of guys tell you on the internet.
The other cool thing I liked when we hired a guide on Mille Lacs was that he and several other guides networked all day. Everyone calling everyone to get the latest reports, etc. MY experience is that with the majority (if not all, but I don't pretend to be that naive) of these guides the CLIENT comes first and that each one will bend over backwards to make your trip all the better.
Good luck and remember you simply can't go wrong!!!! |
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Posts: 158
| Sweet rant guest, I do hear what your saying,,, but I am onboard with Hammskie on this one. I fished several times with John Hoyer last year and I completely agree that he is of the caliber of some of the other great guides on the pond and metro and a heck of a nice guy. |
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Posts: 697
Location: Minnetonka | I agree... Hoyer is the "LeBron James" of Muskie Guiding. :-D
Edited by Hammskie 3/24/2008 12:55 PM
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| esox you have a good point about the networking I have also been out with a few of these guys and the phones dont stop ringing between them. They all seem 2 work as a team since every one is refering to basket ball I will go with the dream team that was cheezy!! kinda hard 2 get in the guideing game with all those guys up there!!! |
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