Flatlander's Tails
Meetings: 7:00 p.m. ~ Fourth Thursday ~ Loves Park VFW ~ 2018 Windsor Rd ~ Loves Park Illinois
December 14th
December Meeting
As you know the December meeting moves up one week to the 20th and is the meeting when we
have our chapter election of officers. This month will be the same as we need to have leadership
to take us into the upcoming year. The officers and charimen put together the events and organize
the chapters activities. We welcome anyone that would like to join the Executive Committee and
help out with running the club. “Many hands make for light work” as they say, so the more the
merrier. We will also do the traditional finger food thing. Please bring a small dish to set out for
all to pinch into. Nothing major, just finger food that can be shared. Please include any necessary
plates, bowls or toothpicks your food may need. This is also the night we usually do our famous
wrapped lure swap. We’ve seen some pretty interesting wrapping over the years and we hope to
see more, so be creative. The lures MUST BE A NEW LURE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO
RECEIVE YOURSELF...NO JUNK OR CLEANING OUT YOUR BASEMENT...that’s for the
spring garage sale. Let’s make this the best swap ever! There will also be a $2 card raffle for a
commemorative lure, don’t miss that one. See you at the VFW on Thursday night the 20th of
December at 7:30 PM.
“Musk ie Lew ”
On November 10, Jerry “Muskie Lew” Lewis passed away. First and foremost Jerry was a true friend, not
only to me, but also to many others in the chapter. All that knew him enjoyed his company and had
nothing but respect for his dedication to our sport. I don’t think there is anyone in the chapter that
worked harder at chasing muskies than Jerry.
I believe I met Jerry in 1985. I was attending one of my first Flatlander meetings. As is often the case,
the newbie (me) sat at a table by myself. Jerry introduced himself to me and we found out that we both
had a strong connection to the Hayward area. Jerry asked me if I wanted to fish the Hayward Fall Muskie
Tournament with him. I accepted and ended up fishing many more tournaments with him. I think we
both started a nice collection of hats and buttons, but no fish! But it was fun!
In 1986 we planned a trip to Lake of the Woods. I had fished Canada, but never Lake of the Woods and
I had not fished for muskies much at all north of the border. The first night of the trip, he guided me to
my first “trophy” muskie. He had fished the exact spot on another trip and took us right to it, about 12
miles from camp. That was before GPS’s were around!
One year, we took a trip together to Eastern Ontario. I had the privilege of netting what was his largest
muskie to date on that trip. I will never forget that fish as it put on an aerial show, not only for us, but
for a group of spectators on shore as well.
On future trips to Lake of the Woods, we each topped our previous biggest fish and played netman for
one another. And we celebrated a little too! I’m not trying to boast about the fish, but it was our
common interest in fishing that we became good friends on and off the water. I will forever have many
fond memories of time on and off the water with Muskie Lew. I know a lot of other guys will also!
Jerry was a dedicated supporter of the chapter. He advertised the family business ( Lewis Heating) in our
newsletter for many years, probably because he wanted to help the Flatlanders more so than really
wanting new customers! After all if you wanted air conditioning he was fishing or if you wanted heating
he was hunting! He was always one of the top contributors when it came to the annual fundraiser. But
again, most of all, he was a friend, a friend to be remembered.
We’ll miss you Jerry, but we’ll never forget you. And we’ll fish again some day!
Jack
Members Only Contest
The Members Only Contest is pretty much wrapping up for 2007. I only know of a couple people
that fish into December and there could be a few forms that have not been turned in yet, but the
standings are pretty much set. What a great season it’s been to this point. A couple new entries
were added to the list this month. Brandon Wilary caught his first musky which was a nice 45
inch fish. I guess he had one on earlier in the season but lost it so this was a nice way to wrap up
his season on Deer Lake. Frank, Brandon’s dad is on the list for fish he caught this year . Frank
had some fish from Mille Lacs, Forest and Deer Lakes. Nice job Wilary boys! The race to the
finish of the Men’s division was a good one for most of the month and then Steve Ruhmann
pulled away to take the lead with trips to Twin Valley and Wingra. Steve had a great fall with
multiple fish days almost every outing he went on. The top 10 list is a pretty impressive one with
149 points finishing 10 th place. Bob Bunch bumped Dave Jack from the 10th place spot into 11th
on the last Sunday before the Wisconsin season closed...BY ONE POINT! It was a close one
with one more point to the 12 th place spot where Brock Jack ended. Tight race! Stay tuned for the
final official standings in the January newsletter.
Standings (as of 12-12-07):
Womens: Fish Lengths Longest - Lake Points
Kim Martin 4 37, 44, 43, 39 44 - LOTW 59
Sue Letherman 1 35 35 - Big Sissabagama 9
Juniors:
Luke Carlson 19 34, 34, 40, 45, 40, 44, 47, 51 - St Lawrence, Riv 278
47, 47, 40, 42, 42, 36, 38
40, 30, 30, 45, 51
Dan Blanck 17 35, 51, 47, 47, 44.5, 44, 44 51 - LOTW 264
43.5, 43, 41.5, 41, 38.5, 37
36.5, 34.5, 33.5, 41
Kyle Scruggs 13 31, 34, 38.5, 50, 47.5, 47, 50 - LOTW 174
42, 40, 38, 33.5, 40, 37, 32
Alex Ruhmann 2 40, 39 40 - Wingra 27
Brandon Wilary 1 45 45 - Deer 19
Cody Ruhmann 1 41 41 - Wingra 15
Dillan Smith 1 38.5 38.5 - Eagle Lk, Ont 13
Alex Bunch 1 32 32 - Pierce Lk, IL 6
Masters 300:
Mark Carlson 47 42, 42, 45, 50, 38, 44, 45 58 - St Lawrence Riv 884
51.5, 58, 50 , 53, 47, 42, 53
34, 38, 47, 47, 48, 50.5, 51
38, 44, 44, 46, 56, 38, 45.5
46.5, 41, 38, 38, 52, 48, 38
40, 40, 45, 45, 42, 44, 47, 42
46, 42, 42, 40
Jerry Oestreich 43 30.5, 32, 44.5, 49.5, 35, 42, 49.5 - LOTW 620
31, 40, 48, 42, 41, 42, 45, 41
34, 32, 31, 44, 41, 40, 36, 36
39, 39, 36.5, 34.5, 45, 39, 37
45, 42, 40, 36, 35, 35, 32, 33
40, 41, 37, 34, 42, 39.5, 35, 46
44.5, 38, 42
Russ Hoernecke 45 38, 36, 39, 32, 32, 38, 40, 53 - Lk St Clair, Ont 525
33, 40, 32, 38, 39, 43, 36, 53 - LOTW
41, 35, 37, 32, 36, 35, 31,
35, 30, 35, 34, 41, 32, 41,
36, 38, 40, 53, 33, 47, 35
53 , 43, 41, 36, 36, 35.5, 36,
37, 44, 40
Derek Ward 8 39, 36, 41, 35, 43, 42, 41, 37 43 - LOTW 108
Womens Masters
Mary Hoernecke 28 41, 35, 35, 34, 36, 35, 40, 44 - Canyon, Ont 297
38, 35, 34, 32, 30, 42, 37,
34, 39, 36, 40, 44, 31, 38,
37, 34, 40, 38, 36, 36, 38
Mens Masters:
Jeff Blanck 20 48.5, 48, 47.5, 46, 43.5, 43 48.5 - LOTW 290
41, 40, 39, 39, 39, 38, 36.5
36, 35, 30.5, 46, 37, 37.5, 35.5
Jim Lavern 15 47, 46, 45, 44, 43, 41, 50 50 - LOTW 287
48, 48, 45, 42, 41, 47, 44, 45
Duane Nichols 20 39.5, 31, 33.5, 39.5, 37, 34 46 - LOTW 256
44, 40, 39, 39, 38, 30.5, 46
46, 45, 44, 42, 41, 40, 39
Mike Bowers 12 30, 38, 43, 43, 40, 36, 38 43 - LOTW 140
34, 34, 37.5, 35.5, 42
Mike McClammer 7 41, 41, 41, 30, 41, 38.5, 36 41 - St Clair 87
Craig Born 5 37.5, 31, 40, 40, 38 40 - Big Sand 57
40 - Apple River
Dick Alton 4 46, 32.5, 32, 30 46 - Vermillion, Mn 37
Chuck Heidt 3 39.5, 37, 36 39.5 - Bone 35
John Pfaff 1 34 34 - Irving 8
Mens:
Steve Ruhmann 34 33, 30, 49, 44.5, 40.5, 39 49 - LOTW 426
38.5, 37, 36.5, 36, 40, 35.5
34, 37.5, 38, 39, 39, 39, 39,
40.5, 40, 40, 40, 37, 35, 36.5,
40, 41, 33, 39, 39, 34, 43, 43
Phil Blanck 21 36, 48, 46, 44.5, 42, 41, 41, 48 - LOTW 297
39.5, 39, 36, 35, 34, 45, 40, 48 - Mille Lacs
43, 48, 34.5, 41, 40, 36.5, 30.5
Mike Leombruni 16 32.5, 36.5, 40.5, 49.5, 36.5 52 - Mille Lacs 237
52 , 38, 39.5, 30, 39.5, 35.5
43.5, 51, 43, 37, 43.5
Scott Grabow 18 38, 47, 42, 41, 39.5, 38.5, 37 47 - LOTW 223
41.5, 41, 39.5, 36, 36, 34.5, 34
33, 36, 39.5, 33.5
Allen Tracey 20 40, 35, 44, 41, 38, 35, 36.5, 44 - Redstone 216
35, 35, 33, 33, 40.5, 37, 34
31, 38, 38, 36, 36, 39
Tim Scruggs 13 54, 50.5, 50, 50, 46.5, 37.5 54 - LOTW 210
36.5, 30, 35, 38.5, 36.5, 44.5
36
Dick Estes 14 37, 40, 49, 40, 38, 38, 38, 33 49 - LOTW 170
31, 40, 39, 39, 38, 34
Jerry Larson 13 46.5, 43, 37, 33, 37, 35, 42 46.5 - Kinkaid 166
42, 35, 38, 40, 36, 39
Kevin Stenzel 12 45, 45, 39, 41, 38, 38, 35.5, 45 - LOTW 151
30, 40, 34, 39, 38
Bob Bunch 13 39, 38, 35, 37, 39, 38.5, 36 39 - Wingra 149
35, 37, 35, 38, 37.5, 41
Dave Jack 10 43, 43, 41, 41, 40, 38, 37.5 43 - LOTW 148
46, 39, 39
Brock Jack 11 45, 43, 42, 39, 39, 38, 37.5, 45 - LOTW 147
37, 36.5, 34, 40.5
Dean Rahn 8 50, 50, 43, 41, 39, 39, 37, 38 50 - LOTW 129
Mike Sullivan 9 50.5, 50, 43.5, 39, 36, 36, 50.5 - LOTW 126
36, 35, 33
Tom Pellant 10 34, 41, 39, 35.5, 43, 38, 41.5 43 - Eagle Lk, Ont 122
40.5, 35, 33
Gene Seuring 9 33, 36, 46, 31, 46, 31, 39.5 52 - Lac Seul 116
52 , 35
Terry Reints 9 39, 37, 35.5, 44, 42, 38.5, 38 44 - Chippewa Flow 112
31.5, 39
Brian Wienski 7 35, 47, 35, 39.5, 36, 39.5, 36 47 - Monona 87
Dave Reed 8 36, 33, 36.5, 38, 38, 34, 39.5 39.5 - Wingra 85
37
Steve Bourbon 8 36, 32, 42, 40, 36, 38.5, 31, 37 42 - Monona 85
Jeff Gayhart 5 48, 43.5, 43, 42, 35 48 - Mille Lacs 82
Doug Martin 4 45, 50.5, 48, 37 50.5 - LOTW 77
Jason Penticoff 5 43, 31, 45.5, 43.5, 37 45.5 - Deer 71
Ted Ustich 3 51, 51, 41 51 - LOTW 65
David Estes 5 38, 36, 42.5, 38, 37 42.5 - Deer 62
Stu Adrian 4 31, 46, 44, 42 46 - LOTW 59
Jack Pertz 6 38, 38, 33, 33, 32, 38 38 - Indian Chain 56
Charley Wilhelmson 4 36, 45, 40, 37 45 - N. Twin 54
Larry Ohda 4 41, 40.5, 38, 38 41 - St. Clair 54
Kenn Blair 5 39, 39, 37, 34, 34 39 - Lake Sule, Pierce 53
Wally Haas 4 41, 39, 37, 31 41 - Twin Valley 44
Harvey Gustafson 3 41, 41, 38 41 - LOTW,Lac Seul 42
Jay Lindquist 2 48, 45 48 - Vermillion, Mn 41
Steve Cerutti 4 40, 40, 35, 30 40 - Eagle Lk, Ont 41
Frank Wilary 4 31, 46, 30, 38 46 - Mille Lacs 41
Jerry Lewis 2 51, 36 51 - LOTW 35
Mike Kanaval 3 43.5, 36, 31 43.5 - LOTW 34
Kevin Bunch 6 30, 31, 31, 32, 32, 30 32 - Pierce 30
Curt Daniels 2 41, 38 41 - Wingra 27
Dean Stoehr 1 49.25 49.25 - Lac Seul. Ont 23
Mike Smith 1 48.5 48.5 - Rowan, Ont 23
Darin Pinne 1 37 37 - Big Siss. 11
Lunker of the Month :
March Jerry Larson March 10th 46.5" Kinkaid, Il.
April Doug Martin April 1st 45" Shelbyville, Il.
May Mike Leombruni May 19 th 40.5" Waubesa, Wi.
June Mark Carlson June 23rd 58" St. Lawrence Riv, Ont.
July Tim Scruggs July 19 th 54" Lake o the Woods, Ont.
August Russ Hoernecke Aug. 29th 53" Lake o the Woods, Ont.
Sept Doug Martin Sept 10 th 50.5" Lake o the Woods, Ont.
Oct Gene Seuring Oct 5 th 52" Lac Seul, Ont.
Nov (so far) Jim Lavern Nov 11 th 47" N. Twin, Wi.
A total of 659 fish have been turned in for the year so far, up over 100 fish from last month.
Mail your forms to :
Release Chairman - Jeff Blanck, 6259 Walnut Grove Rd., Loves Park, IL. 61111
Outings Contest Results
1 st Place - Dave Estes - 41 pts
2 nd Place - Kyle Scruggs - 26 pts
3 rd Place - Dick Estes - 11 pts
4 th Place - Jerry Oestreich - 10 pts
Nice job guys! I can’t wait to see the 2008 schedule!
Lake o the Woods 2008
July 19 - 26 th is set for the LOTW outing. The deposits will be due as usual for the Chicago
Musky Show in January. Please get $100 to me before ASAP so I know who is going and how
many spots are available. This should be another great trip! Please call me if you’d like to get on
the list to go. Jeff Blanck 815-282-3334.
2008 Upcoming Events
January 24 th - Flatlander General Meeting featuring Chad Cain
Jan 12 th - Chicago Musky Show
Feb 28 th - Flatlander General Meeting - Speaker TBD
Feb 29 th - Rockford Fishing & Outdoor Expo
Mar 8 th (?) - Flatlander Banquet (stay tuned)
Mar 9 th - Garage Sale - Hoffman House (awesome sale - $2 admission fund raiser)
Mar 27 th - Flatlander General Meeting featuring Rob Manthei
April 24 th - Flatlander General Meeting and Fund Raiser Drawing
Muskies, Inc Calender
Remember to send in your donation for the Muskies, Inc International calender. This is an easy
fund raiser for the International and the calender is definitely worth a few bucks. There is a
wealth of information in it for the entire season.
Buying A Boat??
Dear Clubs Members
In keeping with Heckels Marina ’s long standing tradition of supporting fishing clubs we are excited to
announce the “Support our Clubs” sales event starting December 15th, 2007 and running thru May 1st,
200 8. Purchase any boat/motor/trailer package from any of Heckels 3 locations in Eagle River, Wausau/
St. Point; Sun Prairie Heckels will donate $100 back to your club in your name. Fishing clubs like yours
truly do make a difference. And Heckels Marina wants to help.
To qualify you must be a current member of the club you wish to receive the $100 donation and only one
donation of $100 dollars per boat package sold. The fishing clubs must be a legitimate club and Heckels
has right to refuse payment if club can not be validated.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Newsletters From The Past
LEE TAUCHEN JANUARY 25TH SPEAKER
On Thursday, January 25, our speaker will be Lee Tauchen from Madison, Wisconsin. Lee is one of the top musky guides in the Midwest. He is owner of Lee Lures Musky Baits and guides in Wisconsin and Minnesota. His favorite Minnesota lake is "Mille Lacs". He has caught many huge musky out of this big body of water. He had a great fall on this lake last year. Lee is a writer for "Esox Angler" magazine and you can catch him on the TV show "The Next Bite."
Be sure to bring your Mille Lacs lake maps to mark spots that Lee describes. This should be an outstanding seminar. Bring a friend or two. There will be a $5.00 donation at the door. Also we will have several raffles going on including a rod and reel combo. Mark your calendar now for Thursday, January 25 at 7:30 p.m.
2006 Awards Banquet
Stay tuned for information about the 2006 Flatlander awards banquet. The insert in the newsletter gives the information, dates and food choices. Please return your tickets to Russ and Mary Hoernecke as soon as you can to allow them to get a count of attendees. If you have any photos for the slide show, be sure to contact Steve Ruhmann or Amy Shackleton so they can be included. The slide shows add a lot to the presentation, so please join in.
2007 Chicago Musky Show
The Chicago Musky Show has come and gone...bummer. Once again, it was a great place to be during the off season. Many seminars to learn techniques and many more lure manufacturers to sell the latest baits. My favorite is the pool demonstrations where the latest lures are casted/retrieved by the inventors for all to see to assist in the decision process. I found a few that I didn’t know about and some that I did know about but couldn’t make up my mind on whether or not to buy them. One of the highlights of the show was the gathering of Bear fans around the Sterling Guide Service booth (Dennis Radloff) where he had hooked up two flat screen TVs for all to enjoy. Talk about a sales tactic!!! Anyway, the crowd cheered when that final field goal kick went through the uprights. It doesn’t get any better than that...Chicago Bears win at the Chicago Musky Show!!! I think Pete Maina scheduled his seminar at the wrong time since more people were at the booth watching the game than at his seminar. His agent must be a Packer fan, no offense Russ. Anyway, we sure had a blast and I ended up buying a few baits even when I said I wasn’t going to...you know how that goes. It was nice to see many Flatlander faces, even some that I hadn’t seen in a while. I hope you all found what you were looking for, and I’m sure there were plenty of people that spread out there purchases when they got home, just to see them in one bunch on the floor, I know I did. The only problem is that you can’t roll around in them, trust me!
January 2007 Musky Man Laws
As you may know, I’ve started our own version of the ever popular “Man Laws”. I just made a little twist with it to relate it to our ever loved sport/hobbie. Each month I will add two new laws that finish the sentence, “As a musky fisherman, I will ....”. I welcome new ideas for the laws but they need to be submitted for official review.
This month’s additions are:
“As a musky fisherman, I will”:
*”...always abide by the rules of the lure swap by bringing a bait that is NOT a piece of crap that I found at the last minute with a value less than the required amount!”
*”...try to use the Mike Sullivan measuring technique UNLESS there is too much math, which is as follows: measure the fish, double that number, divide by two and add 5.” (contact Sully for any further details of this technique or addendums to this law)
So let it be written...so let it be done!
Month of March
The month of March is going to be extremely busy for the Flatlanders. The first weekend of the month we will be running our booth at the BRAND NEW Rockford Fishing & Outdoor Expo March 2-4. This new event will be held at the Indoor Sports Center and is going to much more musky orientasd than the previous shows at the Metro Center. Esox Angler and Pastika’s Bait and Tackle Shop are both going to be major sponsors of this event. There is also going to be a tremendous line up of free seminars! This year, 4 of the 7 speakers are going to be focusing their seminars on musky fishing and they are not your average Joe speakers either. The show will be featuring Jack Burns, Rob Kimm, Spence Petros, and Bob Mehsikomer! The subjects of these seminars are also going to be TOPICS EXCLUSIVE TO THIS SHOW ONLY! The show will also be featuring many musky baits with colors that will only be found at this particular show. On top of everything else, there will be lure demos going on throughout the day! This looks like it is going to a TREMENDOUS event and a great opportunity for the Flatlanders to sign up new members, get our mission statement out to the public, educate the public about musky fishing, and interact with some of the top pros in the sport! The coordinator of this show is also a Flatlander! Duane Nichols is the man that is organizing this entire event for the city of Rockford. I expect everyone to give the club and Duane their full support to make sure that this event is a succesful one! If you could please contact Jeff Blanck about working the Flatlanders booth at the show for a few hours we would greatly appreciate it. We need the support of the club to put the Rockford Fishing & Outdoor Expo on the map for years to come!
The next weekend in March will be the Outdoor/Fishing Flea Market at the Hoffman House. Everyone was surprised last year at just how well this show went over with the public and we are expecting an even greater turnout this year! The club will be purchasing a few tables for members to use to sell some of their fishing/outdoor related items that are taking up to much space in the garage. All that the club is asking for in return is that 10% of whatever you sell comes back to the club. That is it! This is going to be, without a doubt, a great weekend for anyone who enjoys the outdoors and it will also be a great opportunity to make a little bit of money while you clean out the garage! If you plan on attending the event and would like to bring some items to sell, could you please contact either: Steve Ruhmann, Jeff Blanck, or Jack Pertz so that we have an idea of how many tables the club will need to purchase. Thanks a lot and I hope to see you all at the Outdoor/Fishing Flea Market on March 10 and 11 at the Hoffman House!
Annual Fundraiser
It is time once again for the Flatlander’s Annual Fundraiser! This is the main source of income for the club and will be used to improve local fisheries and make our meetings better than ever before! You should all be receiving your tickets very soon and we like to see all of you sell as many tickets as absolutely possible. This is your best opportunity to help the club reach new heights and on top of it all you can win major prizes for selling your tickets. We will keep you posted on all of the prizes that can be won, but all I am going to say is that the prizes will be better than ever before! The drawings for these prizes will be held on April 26th at the general meeting. That means that you have a little under 3 months to sell as many tickets as possible! We will appreciate all of your support and help in selling these tickets for the 2007 Annual Fundraiser! If you have any questions at all, please contact Amy Shackleton and she will be glad to send you more tickets or answer any questions that you may have about the Fundraiser. Thanks a lot!
Spread the Word!!!
This year the Flatlander’s will be trying harder than ever to spread the word about our great club and try to get others involved in this great sport. The Executive Board of the club is going to be doing everything possible to make this year a memorable one, but we will also be asking for your help in this matter. Get on the message boards and spread the word of our great speakers, meetings, outings, and any other event that the Flatlanders will be hosting/attending! Spread the word on www.flatlanderschapter.com, www.muskyhunter.com, www.muskies101.com, www.frvmuskie.com, and on www.capitalcitymuskiesinc.org! Spread the word at the grocery store, at work, at your favorite restaurant, at Gander Mountain, and anywhere else that you can think of! I am proud to say that the Flatlanders have some of the best musky fisherman in the country on our membership list. Every year this little club from Northern Illinois is at the top of Muskies Inc., in total releases for the year. This little club from Northern Illinois has recorded some of the biggest fish in Muskies Inc., history! This little club from Northern Illinois caught over 80 fish in one week on LOTW in 2006! This little club from Northern Illinois is one of the best musky fishing clubs in the country! Be proud of this club and let everyone know that you are proud to be a Flatlander! Get as many of your friends, family members, neighbors, and anyone else to attend our meetings so that they can hopefully learn to love this wonderful sport. In short, spread the word that it is 2007, and the Flatlanders are back and stronger than ever before!!!
December General Meeting
The year is winding down now for must of us now and we will be holding our last meeting of 2006 on December 21 at the V.F.W. We will be having a holiday lure swap at this meeting. At this lure swap you will need to wrap the lures that you bring. You can use any kind of a creative wrapping, call Scott Grabow if you are having problems thinking up a way to wrap your lure! We will also be having our elections for 2007 at this meeting. If there is anything that you would like to run for make sure and come to the meeting, or if you would just like to see just how the club is run, you can join the executive board. We will also be asking everyone to bring a little something to eat to this meeting. A little munchie like a bag of chips, cookies, or anything else like that will do just fine. We will once again be holding a Christmas Blowout Sale on Flatlanders merchandise at this meeting. We still have many shirts and hats that would make a great stocking stuffer for anyone on your list this holiday. Finally, we will begin selling tickets for our next rod and reel combo this month. It will be a St. Croix rod fitted with a Calcutta 400 reel. There is no better rod/reel combo on the market and at only $10 a chance it’s a steal, so hurry and get your tickets because we will only be selling 50 chances! This will be a much needed laid back meeting that will come with a ton of laughs and some good food. I hope to see you all at the V.F.W. on December 21!
Musky Fishermen Are Nuts!!!
The average Musky Fisherman has a sixteen to eighteen foot boat with a fifty to hundred and fifty horsepower motor. Next to his outboard motor is an electric motor with enough pounds of thrust to water ski two small children.
On the front of his boat is another remote controlled, laser guided, bottom tracking, auto pilot electric motor large enough to chop up six to eight inch floating logs into toothpicks.
Next to this motor is a LCR locator with its multi-directional transducer attached to the bottom of his electric motor reading in all directions including straight up to detect flocks of feeding seagulls.
His boat will have two bass chairs to sit in while fishing which are more comfortable than any chair in his home, in which his wife sits while waiting for him to come home from fishing.
Seated behind the leather-covered steering wheel looking at the console he will have a speedometer, tachometer, in dash locator, air and water temperature gauge, and compass. You will also find an AM/FM Stereo Radio with a built in FM Marine radio and an array of switches for other various toys in the boat equaling the number of switches found in the space shuttle. On top of the console is another Graph/Locator with built-in GPS capabilities not to mention a bracket to hold his cellular phone.
Looking into his rod box we will see at least eight rod/reel combos all set up with various fishing lines from store string to the new multi-woven gelded polyethylene no stretch super braided lines. In his four tackle boxes he will have one hundred and twenty eight baits of which he will only use two.
The live well will be long enough to hold a sixty-inch fish but will be used primarily for keeping musky suckers alive. This Fishing Machine will be towed around on top of a trailer with a power winch, carpeted bottom and side bunks, air brakes and chrome wheels. It will be towed behind a four-wheel drive Suburban, Tahoe, Explorer, Sierra or Expedition.
The total value of this fishing package will run approximately $77,479.60 all to catch a Musky. Now I ask you, what do Musky Fishermen do with a Musky after they catch one? They get out their camera, take a picture, and then throw it back in the water. Musky fishermen are nuts!!!
Outings Contest Money
Just a reminder that we will be paying the top 3 finishers of the Outings Contest during our meeting this month. Please prepare to pay Mr. Richard Estes so he can distribute the awards to the winners. Thanks to everyone who participated & congratulations to the winners. The season is over and the winners are as follows:
1. Scott Grabow
2. Stu Adrian
3. Brian Wienski
Please call Dick Estes at 332-2307 if you need to know what or if you owe any money for the 2006 Outings. Great job Dick and Mike!
Musky "Man Laws"
As most of you have seen on TV or heard on the radio, "Man Laws" are being introduced to the public with an array of topics. We will now incorporate the man laws to musky fishing. Starting this month we will establish musky man laws that we shall abide by when on the water or in a musky fishing related situation. Suggestions for monthly musky man laws are welcome from the membership, to be submitted to Jeff Blanck, in writing, for consideration and publishing. We shall start out with two laws to get things rolling. One will be fishing related and the other is an off water law. All rules will be read aloud as a group during regular monthly meetings to act as our pledge of allegiance, starting with the phrase: "As a musky fisherman I will..."
Rule #1 - ...Always complete my Christmas list with the request for a gift certificate or cash to be used for the Chicago Musky Show.
Rule #2 - ...Never...ever figure 8 my boat partner’s follow unless we are in a team money tournament.
So let it be written...so let it be done.
2007 Muskies Inc. Calendars
I am sure that by now you have all received your 2007 Muskies Inc. Calendars. Please remember that this is Muskies Inc only fundraising project so please donate whatever you can. The donations for the calendars will go directly to future projects for the International.
December Food Drive
The Flatlanders have in the past organized a long term food drive. This was an idea from Mike Sullivan a few years ago. Usually we would start to collect non-perishable items during the December meeting and distribute them to a food pantry in February. This year we are going to do a one month collection that will happen at this month’s regular meeting on December 21st. Please take a look in your kitchen cupboards or pantry at home and see if there are any non-perishable items you can spare for someone that might need them. If we were all to use that one bucktail one more season before buying another one, and put that money towards this cause, we could make a difference. Please bring your item to the meeting for collection and I will distribute them to a local pantry before the 1st of the year. If you cannot attend the Flatlander meeting, please consider dropping off a food item to any local shelter or pantry as a good gesture for the season. We are very fortunate to be able to enjoy this great hobbie of ours and it would be nice to share with those less fortunate. Merry Christmas and be safe this winter. Jeff Blanck
2007 Chicago Musky Show
Mark your calenders for the annual Chicago Musky Show. This year’s show will be January 12, 13, 14, 2007. This year’s seminar schedule will include the nation’s best fishermen and speakers. This is the chance to find out about new tactics and products relating to our sport. The Flatlanders usually make a presence at the show proudly wearing our club’s colors for all to see. I hope you can make it to this event. This definately is a kick start to the upcoming season. If you would like to go and would like to car pool to save gas, be sure to contact me to set up partners. Jeff Blanck 815-282-3334.
FINALLY!!!
Finally...A TV show for us musky fishermen. The Musky Hunter Television Show airs it’s first show on TV January 6th, 2007. This show promises to be great with many big fish catches caught on film from all over the midwest to Canada. Check your local listings for channels. In the Rockford area, Insight cable channel 78 will show it at 7:30 AM on Saturdays. DirecTV channel #641 and Dishnet channel #436. Don’t miss it_
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November 16th General Meeting
We will be holding our general meeting for November on the 16th due to Thanksgiving later in the month. This month we have decided to hold one of our famous lure swaps! These meetings are filled with strong competition, backstabbing, and overall just general chaos! However, we will have a ton of laughs and all who participate will walk away with a new bait to try! All lures that are brought to the swap have to be new or at least in very good condition. All baits must have a value of at least $10 as well. Also, preceding the lure swap will be a sucker demonstration by our very own Jeff Blanck. He will take us through some of his ideas on sucker fishing such as: how he rigs a sucker, hookset techniques, as well as answering any questions that you have for him. We will also be taking any donations that you have for the 2007 Muskies Inc calendars that you recently received. All in all this will be a great meeting and I hope to see all of you at the V.F.W. on the 16th!
2007 Muskies Inc Calendars
All members should have received a 2007 Muskies, Inc calendar by now. These calendars are mailed to each member household and are a major fundraiser for Muskies, Inc. The profits from all monies received will support Youth, Fisheries and Research. While there is no obligation to pay for the calendars, Muskies, Inc can use the support from as many members as possible, so please try and donate for this worthy cause. Remember the gifts that are associated with different levels of giving. Or just donate whatever you feel even if the amount does not qualify for a gift. Muskies, Inc wants to sponsor more in the area of Youth, Fisheries and Research. With your support, it can be done. Thanks for your support.
St. Croix/Calcutta 400 Raffle
For the benefit of those not able to attend the October meeting, we sold out this raffle and drew for it. The lucky winner was Derek Ward. Congratulations Derek! Thanks to all who purchased tickets. We will be starting another St. Croix/Calcutta 400B combo raffle soon. Tickets will be $10 per chance with a maximum of 50 chances sold. Get your tickets early and maybe we can sell out early enough that the lucky winner will be able to use their prize at the beginning of next season.
Outings Contest
We are going to have our final outing of the year on November 25 and 26th on the Madison Chain. This is a great time to make that last final run at gaining some outings points. This outing has traditionally been very good to the club with many fish being caught. With the end of the year coming up our Outings Chairmen need to collect outings money. You can check the list that has been started on the website under the OUTINGS headline to see what you owe or you can call Dick Estes at 815-332-2307 and he will let you know what is owed. Thanks to all who participated in the 2006 Outings and good luck in your fall fishing!
Christmas Blow Out Sale!!!
The holidays are coming up fast and the Flatlanders want to make sure that everyone has a chance at a great deal on a stocking stuffer. We will be selling all hats and T-Shirts at a 25% discount at the November and December general meetings. This is a great deal on some great items that everyone would like to have!
Book Review: The Complete Guide to Musky Hunting by Jim Saric and Steve Heiting
The Complete Guide to Musky Hunting is a great book for the up and coming musky hunter. It is written by two of the most well respected musky fishermen in the sport today: Jim Saric and Steve Heiting. They also happen to be the editors of Musky Hunter magazine and are the moderators on the www.muskyhunter.com message boards. They took the time to take you through all aspects of musky fishing and explained everything in great detail. They talk about the ideal type of boat for musky fishing, different types of rod/reel combinations, line, all different types of baits, the different presentations such as trolling and casting, boat control, fighting the fish once you hook them, and the proper handling and releasing of muskies. You can also take all of the information in this book to the bank, seeing as it is coming from two of the smartest musky fishermen today. This book is more of a teaching tool than a book about big fish stories. However, seeing as no musky fisherman knows everything about this sport, it is a good idea to read this book and apply the knowledge that you gain from it. All in all I thought that this book was a great read. I learned quite a bit and I would recommend it to everyone.
Regional Vice President Report
The Fall Board Meeting of the Muskies Inc Board of Directors was held October 21, 2006 in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. The Fargo-Moorhead Chapter sponsored the event. Friday, the 20th was a guided fishing day on area lakes, with the host chapter members guiding board members to what turned out to be a bit cool and wet day of Minnesota Muskie fishing. However, there were some nice fish caught. Jim Bunch, from 1st Wisconsin Chapter and the Lunge Log Chairman, boated a 50.25". Past Muskies Inc President Paul Framsted (Colorado) boated two 46 inchers and a third smaller fish. Gerard Hellenbrand (Capital City) got skunked, but his guide released a 50" and a 44". Bob Bunch tell us that nephew Jeff Bunch boated 4 fish during the board meeting on Saturday, all over 40 inches! Most of the fish that were caught were decent fish! I would recommend trying the Detroit Lakes area if you are thinking of fishing Minnesota. Oh, I did not fish so I can’t say I got skunked, but I sure missed out on some good action.
The board meeting was, as usual, full of heated discussion and debate. Muskies Inc President David Cates challenged the board to decide if we are just a fishing club or a conservation organization. We want to be more than a fishing club. We want to support Youth, Fisheries and Research, but a lack of funding has limited out abilities.
We welcomed two new chapters. Southern Crossroads Chapter (Minnesota) and Mid-Iowa are our two newest chapters. Also, Title Town Chapter (Green Bay) was removed from probationary status and is now a full fledged chapter. Title Town was instrumental in helping with the Best of the Best Muskie Tournament, which although was not well attended, did probe to be rather successful fish-wise with 47 fish being caught by about 15 boats.
Much of the meeting was focused on the budget. The finance committee put together a realistic budget and presented it to the board for approval. The magazine may be cut by a few pages each month in order to balance the budget. Jim Smith, the editor, feels that he can bring more advertising revenue into the magazine so that the number of pages can remain the same. However, until those monies are realized, the budget will dictate magazine expenses. One thing we can all do as members is to renew our memberships in a timely manner. This will save repeat mailings and save Muskies Inc some money. It will help with cash flow as well. Also, everyone is encouraged to go out and sign up one new member if possible. An increasing membership also contributes positively to the budget.
Jack Pertz, Chapter RVP
Also I would like to thank Jack for all of the trouble that he goes to to make sure that the voice of the Flatlanders is heard on the International level. Thanks a lot Jack!
Flatlanders General Meeting September 28th
****** Meeting time for this month’s meeting is from 5:30 - 7:30 at Rock Cut State Park ******
This month’s meeting we will be doing something a little bit different. During the Kids fishing day event this year, we had some girls from the local Girl Scout Troop 421 in attendance along with their mother who is a Co-leader of the troop. They enjoyed what we provided so much that they have asked if we would be interested in helping them earn their fishing badge. We have agreed. So on September 28th at 5:30, we will be putting on a fishing seminar to take them fishing, (we will ask that they bring rod and reels, but we will provide some rod and reels we have left over from the kids fishing days) teach them about the different types of fishing tackle, the different species (specifically what can be found locally) and build a small fish crib from the crates we still have available. There will be approximately (10) girls in attendance. I ask that if you can make it, please come and help out this wonderful cause. If we can have enough volunteers, we can make sure that everyone has a chance to fish and we have people there to help bait lines, tie hooks, etc. Please give me a call if you plan on helping. This is a good cause and a great way to teach our future sports people about this hobby we all enjoy passionately.
Steve Ruhmann
Home Phone # 815-389-4622 or Cell # 815-558-3666
Flatlanders Rod and Reel Combo!!!
We are still going to be selling tickets for the St. Croix/Calcutta 400 rod and reel combo at the September meeting. This is one of the best rod and reel combos that one can have and at only $10 a chance it’s a steal. The tickets are going fast so make sure that you get some at the next meeting!
Lake of the Woods 2007
The dates for next year's outing to Bay Store have been revised and confirmed. The dates are from July 14th to 21st, 2007. The price is the same as this year, $282.00 per person. As always, those that went in 2006 will have first shot at the spaces available. Please let me know if you are interested so I can get your name on the list.
MAN! This list is changing everyday. Pass the word...get on the list!!!
So far I have these people signed up for the trip in 2007:
Jeff Blanck / Dan Blanck
Steve Ruhmann / Mike Sullivan
Tim Scruggs / Kyle Scruggs
Dave Jack / Brandon Jack / Blake Jack
Phil Blanck / Brock Jack Allen Tracey / Mike Cann
Ted Ustich / ?
Rich Estes / ?
Stu Adrian / ?
Mike Kanaval / Scott Grabow
Dean Rahn / ?
I will update this list as names are added. As always, deposits will be due for the Chicago Musky Show in January. Get your place on the list ASAP for available space! Jeff Blanck
2006 Outings Contest Info
There are still plenty of outings left to make a dent in the Outings Contest. If you would like to see a complete list of the remaining outings, either go to our web site at www.flatlanderschapter.com or consult your last newsletter. Good luck guys!
Here is who I show as being in the Outings Contest for 2006.
4/28/06 Pierce Lake Outing.
Mike Kanaval -$5
Scott Grabow -$5
Curt Daniels -$5
52" D Estes -$5
Dave Jack -$5
Brock Jack -$5
5/6/06 Mad Chain Opener
Big Man PD$5
Steve Ruhmann PD$5
Bob Bunch PD$5
Steve Bourbon PD$5
Stu Adrian PD$5
Mike Kanaval -$5
Scott Grabow -$5
Mad Chain 5/7/06
Jerry Larson -$5
Big Man -$5
52" D Estes -$5
Curt Daniels -$5
Mad Chain 5/13/06
Jerry Larson -$5
Big Man -$5
Mad Chain 5/14/06
Jerry Larson -$5
Big Man -$5
Twin Valley 5/21/06
Jerry Larson -$5
Big Man -$5
Mad Chain Night Outing 8/12/06
Jerry Larson - $5
Steve Bourbon -$5
52" D-Estes - $5
Curt Daniels - $5
Flatlander Open 8/26 & 8/27
Steve Ruhmann in for 8/26 - $5
Jerry Lewis in for 8/26 & 8/27 -$10
Scott Grabow in for 8/26/06 -$5
Twin Valley Outing 9/9/06 & 9/10/06
Big Man -$5
Scott Grabow -$5
Jerry Larson -$5
Steve Ruhmann -$5
The -$5 indicates un-paid for the outing but they did call me to let me know they were in the outing. The PD$5 is cash that was paid to me for the outing. I will give 52" D-estes the $25 Pd to me, so he can distribute the winnings at the end of the year, after everyone squares up with him. For those of you whom caught fish during an outing, please post that info.
Standings as of 9/12/06
Scott Grabow 55pts
Big-Man 43pts
Jerry Larson 25pts
Steve Ruhmann 18pts
History of Rock Cut
I thought that this was a pretty interesting read mostly because it deals with a body of water that the Flatlanders have had a great impact on. This little write up was provided to me by Steve Ruhmann and his step son. Thanks guys!
The settlement of Winnebago County began after the Black Hawk War. The region that is now Rock Cut State Park was settled partly by Scots around Argyle, named for their Scottish home of Argyllshire, partly by Canadians, New Yorkers and New Englanders around the town of Harlem, which was named for New York City’s Harlem. The Illinois version of Harlem was moved in 1859 when the Kenosha-Rockford Rail Line was built. The dammed waters of Pierce Lake now cover much of the railroad bed within the park, although portions of the railroad grade are visible along Willow Creek below the spillway. However, blasting operations in a rock outcrop that railroad crews conducted during the 1859 construction left lasting impressions here. As they cut through the rock to provide a suitable roadbed they were giving Rock Cut its name.
Book Review
I thought that this would be a pretty cool idea for the newsletter. There may be some of you that would like to read some of the books, but don’t know which ones to spend your time on. I thought that I could at least give you an idea of what is in some of the books out there. This month I figured that we could start with one of my personal favorites: Time on the Water by Bill Gardner. This book is all about the dream of one man to catch a record musky. Every year Vilas County holds a contest called the Vilas County Musky Marathon. In 1980 Bill Gardner decided that he was going to catch a fish worthy of the Top Ten in that contest. He decided to take a year off and sold his home in Los Angeles to move to Boulder Junction, Wisconsin with his wife. This book is all about his success during that year. He kept a journal of almost all of the 200 days that he spent on the water that year in northern Wisconsin and it was turned into this book. Many readers can identify with this book because of Garnder’s humor, success, and sometimes frustrations. This book is also a fairly easy read with somewhat large print and only 228 pages. Time on the Water will keep you flipping through the pages excited to hear about Gardner’s next day on the water and it will leave you only wishing for your next trip to northern Wisconsin to come sooner! “There comes a time in a man’s life when the thing to do is go fishing...” Bill Gardner
25th Anniversary of The Flatlanders Chapter
Wow guys, 25 years! This is a great accomplishment for this group. I am proud to be a part of this club and I hope that all of you are just as proud. We have come a long way in the time that we have been a club. Mike Bowers described it best at the Awards Banquet when he said how he placed 3rd place in the Members Only Contest years ago with only 55 points! Now it took him 44 fish and nearly 450 points to win it all! We truly have some great fisherman in this club and I can’t wait to see what we can do in the next 25 years! Great job everyone!
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