| My family and I had arrived at our summer cabin | | | | I stood up on the back seat of the boat and |
| in Mercer, Wisconsin the night before and I was | | | | prepared to cast my Pikey minnow lure to the |
| determined to be one of the first fishermen out | | | | edge of the reeds. I cast that lure about a foot |
| on the lake that morning. | | | | from the edge of the reeds. Patting my self on |
| I rolled out of my sleeping bag and because itwas | | | | the back for such a great first cast, I began to |
| still dark, grabbed my flashlight and proceeded to | | | | reel in the lure. |
| untie the boat and push it down the ramp into the | | | | All of a sudden the water broke and I saw this |
| water. I tied the boat up to the pier and went | | | | large tail come out of the water. Instinctively, I |
| hunting for the oars. I found them in the cabin my | | | | gave the pole a big jerk and when I did that the |
| parents were sleeping in under my mom and dads | | | | pole almost bent in half. It was obvious that I had |
| bed. My parents weren't into roughing it by | | | | hooked a pretty good size fish. I was determined |
| sleeping in a tent like me. Outdoor camping was | | | | to get that fish close to the boat so I could see |
| not their thing. By the time I found the oars and | | | | how big it was. The fish and I fought each other |
| got my ice chest filled with ice and a couple of | | | | for about 3 or 4 minutes before I was able to |
| sodas it was light out. If I was going to be the | | | | get him close enough to see how big he was. The |
| first fisherman on the lake I had better get going. | | | | fish was huge, so I hollered for help from the |
| The boat was a metal row boat and the motor | | | | neighboring boats. One guy hurried over near me |
| was my back,legs and arms. My mission that day | | | | and lashed his boat to mine and climbed into my |
| was to catch a Muskie. Of course let it be known | | | | boat. He was obviously an experienced fisherman. |
| that there had only been a dozen or so Muskie | | | | He not only had a net, but a small gun also. He |
| caught in Long Lake in the last 2 years. Long Lake | | | | netted the fish and then shot him in the head. We |
| was not exactly a Muskie hot bed. But, at age 12 | | | | hoisted him into my boat and stuffed him under |
| I was one determined young man. I didn't know | | | | the wooden floor grate in the bottom of the boat. |
| Muskie didn't bite in the morning or when the wind | | | | My helper asked me if I knew I had just caught a |
| was blowing. Well, it was morning and the wind | | | | big Muskie. I answered "yes" and thanked him for |
| was blowing. | | | | his help. He got back in his boat and I rowed for |
| I headed for a small island that was off shore | | | | home. |
| about 250 yards. There was a large patch of | | | | My parents and I took the fish to the Long Lake |
| reeds from the shore of the island out about 50 | | | | Lodge to be weighed and measured. He measured |
| feet into the water. When I got about 20 yards | | | | 46.5" long and weighed 28 lbs 6 oz. I was a real |
| from the reeds I decided that was the perfect | | | | happy camper and my parents were very proud. |
| spot. It turned out I wasn't the first one on the | | | | I crawled into my sleeping bag that night knowing |
| lake that morning. There were already two boats | | | | that I had met The Great Muskie Challenge. |
| about 50 yards away from me. | | | | |