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Posts: 2
| Dave and Barb were great friends of mine. They were die hard muskie fisherman.
Dave was proud of what he accomplished with his snodlow muskie bait. I remember shortly after I first met Dave he called me at the station and I drove over to Daves house in a squad and he had a muskie lying by the back door and he proudly said thats what you call a fish. He knew how his baits worked and how to tweak it by ear. He knew I was not infected by Muskie fever and our friendship was more important. Dave gave me a tour of his bait making room and he showed me all the hardware which he either made himself or ordered it special. He laughed when he showed me a case of spinners he ordered special. Dave died of cancer first and was shortly followed by his wife Barb. I often wondered if it was because of all the unprotected spraying of finishes he did or the garden they had near the Wisconsin River below the Mill.
Dave loved to fish at night. I often commented on how his bait made the sound of a coffee perculator commercial. Dave related a story about when he was on Lake Tomahawk one night. He said a fishing women on the point complained that their were not having any action. Dave said he shined a flashlight behind the incoming bait and he said that he knew it was a state record by the space between the eyes. He said it just sunk when the light hit it.
One spring we were fishing the Rice in upper Boom lake David gave me a guick course on making your own leaders and how he would take a surf rod and fill the end with bird shot until the rod was balanced. He lectured me on never horsing a fish and how that was a sure way of loosing a fish. He also told me if the fish jumps put your rod tip down to the water so they can't throw the hook. He said if the line is level and the fish shakes it head; hes probabely going to throw it.
One night Dave called and asked me if I had a camera. I said that I had a reflex so he came over with two muskies over 20 lbs.. He said Barb took the first one off of a rock bar on Minocqua and then they went on the other side of the bridge and his daughter Arian hooked the second one. He was keeping them for Bills Muskie club in Wausau for their Musky feast. Dave used fish to supplement his meals and to provide food for his wife and daughter. They were the love of his life.
One spring Daves relative hooked a huge musky in the rice of Boom lake. Dave said it would have measured longer if he would have kept it wet. His relative was from Wausau. I can't remember the size but it was close to a state record.
Dave was unemployed for a long time but he would give you his shirt off his back if he knew you needed. Dave was always jerry rigging things that broke. Dave shared his innovative ideas with others who respected him and who he trusted as close friends. I was very fortunate to have fished in the same boat with this Muskie guru. Our highlight after a night muskie fishing was to pull the boat up to Bosackis for a hot fudge sunday with the wives. |
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| Dave said that if a lure is tuned right you can see them come up from the depths to check it out. He said that he watched it happen on his fish graph many times. |
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Posts: 32880
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Dave was a good friend, and a great guy. |
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| Dave and I were regular fishing partners for twenty years. glad some of you remember the most talented fisherman I ever met. Some of Daves innovations were:
Night fishing for muskies in the 60's when no one had ever tried it. almost exclusively with surface baits he made. We loved clear lakes with lots of boating traffic during the day. Big muskies moved at night, especially on a dark moon.
Long rods before they became popular. Dave fished with 8-9 ft. salt water spinning rods.
He always beleived in fishing from the shallow to deep.
The list could go on and on. I still see his daughter occasionly. I miss him and Barb every time I go fishing muskies. We often spent hours in a boat with few words spoken but, we about as close as two friends get. I'll be seeing you and Barb one of these days. I know you'll have a big spotted for me.
John Clark
John Clark |
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Posts: 2
| Dave challenge was to help my wife catch a musky. I did some ducking in the dark. You would here the splash and she would yank in response. Dave would calmly smile and say another little one. Then he would reinerate that the big ones don't make noise. She never hooked one but it was fun.
Craig Strid |
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