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Message Subject: A Sincere Thank You to Nielsen's Fly-In Lodge

Big Perc

Posted 8/18/2013 7:22 PM (#658086)
Subject: A Sincere Thank You to Nielsen's Fly-In Lodge

Posts: 1185

Location: Iowa

August 10-17, 2013, I had the pleasure of spending a week fishing with my father. We were fortunate enough to spend that week at one of the best run lodges and with the best group of people we have ever been around. Let me tell you about this place. A place where a short plane ride takes you to a secluded 60,000 acre lake known for its clear water and abundance of world class fish, a place where a smiling face meets you on the dock and make you feel like you’re right at home, a place where a hot shower is waiting for you after a long day on the water, a place where home cooked meals meet you for breakfast and dinner, a place where the lodging is spacious and comfortable, a place where you can escape from reality and venture to tranquility. Where is this place you ask; Nielsen’s Fly-In Lodge operated by Don and Lynn Pursch. From the minute you step off the plane till the minute you step back on the plane, the staff at Nielsen’s makes you feel like you are one of their own.
Being that the lake is a fly-in only; the fishing pressure is next to non-existent. The only boats on the lake are those from Nielsen’s. Muskies act like muskies having seen very few lures, with the possibility of seeing a world class muskie on every cast. Deep shoals give way to rocky reefs, shallow bays create lush cabbage beds and huge neck downs create massive water flow. Loons sing out their harmonious cry, eagles soar over head and giant muskies roam the waters.

Day 1 of our trip brought a day on the water with the legendary Don Pursch. Just fishing in his boat is a learning experience in and of itself. Yet being able to joke and talk with Don as though you are one of his great friends shows the true character of a great man passionate about muskie fishing and living life to its fullest. We saw about 10 fish shile fishing with Don and had a few swings and a miss, but being able to share the boat with such a true pioneer of muskie fishing was a joy in and of it self.
Day 2 brought dad and I venturing out on our own to spots we had seen fish from the day before and some spots we had seen fish on trip to the lake 3 years ago. We saw a few fish in the morning, nothing terribly big though. So we go to the fabled spot from the original In-Fsherman production of “The Greatest Muskie Film Ever Made” where Don and Larry Dahlberg catch an enormous muskie late in the evening and where Don and Jim Linder catch another enormous muskie in another segment of that video. Having fished this spot multiple times in the past and not seeing any fish, we knew it was a huge spot and a must stop every time you go by. So we start fishing and see a small fish in the weeds. As we come around the outside of the jug I cast my squirrely phantom toward the spine and who shows up: Gigantopithecus of the muskie world. This fish is probably 55-56 inches and wider on the head than my stretched out phantom by a good distance. So big you could set a frying pan on her head and fatter behind the head than her head is wide. She closes the distance on the bait with one flick of the tail, I speed it up and she comes right to the boat only to keep swimming right under it never to be seen again. The GoPro was running though and got the encounter with this 50 pound class fish. So as the super approaches we eat dinner and head back out with the anticipation that the coming sunset and major feeding window may get this fish to eat. We stopped at a spot we raised a 50-52 class fish on the way out just to kill some time before heading to try for the bigger girl. We fish around the first spot and see this 50-52 inch class fish twice but she won’t eat. So we go to try for the 50 pounder, she doesn’t show herself at all. So on the way in we stop to see if the 50-52 is still active, I make a couple casts and her she comes, goes around the figure 8 about 6 times and crushes my cowgirl. A few seconds later we slide her into the net and she goes 52 x22.5 and is my second biggest fish ever.
Day 3 brings bright sun and calm winds, back to the milk run from the day before and a little exploring. We fish all morning and see 4-5 fish with one being around the 50 inch mark. We eat lunch and head back to the fabled 50 pounder, who doesn’t sow herself. So we head south to a weedy saddle with a rock bar in between 2 islands. Dad raises and 48 inch class fish, then a 44-45, then a 38-40, then a 50+. The fish are loaded in this weed bed, so we make a second pass and nothing shows. So we go inside out and cast shallow to deep and here comes the 50+, dad goes around about 6 times and she looses interest. So I try to teach him how to figure 8 a little better and out of the weeds a 44.5 blasts my bait and into the net. Day 3 ends never seeing the 50 pounder again
Day 4 brings bright sun and flat calm again. So we go to a spot I lost a 40 pounder from 3 years ago, dad makes 2 casts and a 36-38 inch class fish comes out and eats the bait on the figure 8 and then proceeds to go vertical and throw the bait before I can get the net under it. We fish the rest of the day seeing about 10 fish, stopping to try the 50 pounder every time we pass by, still no dice.
Day 5 brings bright sun, flat calm and hot. We go back to the same starting spot from Day 4 and get a 35.5 that blasted my squirrelly phantom when it hits the water. We fish all day and see about 12 fish with a couple swings and a miss and got a 35 inch pike and a 17 inch largemouth that was built like a football but no other muskies. As we begin to fish a couple more spots for the day, dad hooks a small pike. We get it in the boat and start to unhook it only to have it put a treble on the depth raider into dad arm passed 2 of the barbs and buried all the way to the shank. Big problem and time to go find Dr. Don, who performs the string removal technique and we are back fish.
Day 6 brings the final day and dad still has yet to catch a muskie. We started much the same as the day before, with a few fish seen and some scrambling to find and active fish for dad to put a bait in front of. The started clear and windy with a substantial cloud bank on the horizon. As the day progressed I raised a 50+ on a depth raider, saw another 48 inch class fish and a few smaller ones to add to the count. We ate our lunch then decided to stay around the area where the most active fish had been. We began fishing around a point the led into a weed bed and raised a 45-46 inch class fish, so we fish into the weed bed then back to the point and she swings and misses. Dad throws his shallow invader right back and another swing and miss. So we fish into the weed bed and all I hear is a muffled there is a different fish. 3 turns on the 8 and she takes it on the GoPro camera. While I grab the net about 8 bucktails get tangled in the net, hooked to the boat and the net at the same time. After what seemed like a 5 minute struggle to free the net, I decided to net the fish with the bucktails in the net. We get her unhooked and she measures 42 inches. This in the final hour of our trip to Rowan Lake and Nielsen’s Fly-In Lodge.
We ended the week with 4 muskies and another lost at the net, having never seen the 50 pounder again. We managed a 17 inch largemouth built like a football, a 17.5 inch smallmouth, a 16.5 inch smallmouth and a 35 inch northern all fishing for muskies. The fish all came on Cowgirls or Squirrely Phantoms. What a trip this was with a few hiccups that were overcome to make it even more memorable.

I would like to send out a huge thank you to Don, Lynn, Paul, Chris and Jennifer for making our trip such a memorable one and for showing such great hospitality and kindness. We will be back in the near future.

Edited by Big Perc 8/19/2013 9:49 AM