Location, Location, Location

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Cecily Griffin
5 years ago
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March 2016 Location, Location, Location After five years of pursuing whitefish on Green Bay I didn t know whether to title this article location or I hate pin bones.

After a very nippy ride out to the shacks on Saturday morning with Dean Gordon s Hooked Up Charters crew, Eldon Boehm and I were settled in a shack with a wood stove.

1 March 2016 Location, Location, Location After five years of pursuing whitefish on Green Bay I didn t know whether to title this article location or I hate pin bones. The major conclusion I ve come to is location and timing are as important as anything and location is very specific. After a very nippy ride out to the shacks on Saturday morning with Dean Gordon s Hooked Up Charters crew, Eldon Boehm and I were settled in a shack with a wood stove. The initial problem was keeping the fire going in the stove and it was entertainment, as the fish didn t seem to be biting. However, things changed quickly. I started catching fish and I limited out in the next three hours. I thought maybe, after all these years; I finally climbed the learning curve. Eldon, fishing a hole six feet away, using the same techniques had only two fish. But then he started catching fish and limited out by early afternoon. Karlette Schoen wasn t having much luck in the shack she was fishing in so we invited her over after lunch. After some advanced instruction she put nine fish on the ice by quitting time. The fish were biting and we were in the right place. We had 29 fish for the shack on Saturday. We caught them on Slip Jigs and minnows, Swedish Pimples and wax worms, slider hooks and wax worms, and even a gold Kastmasters. Dean put Eldon and I in a different shack on Sunday rather than monkey with the wood stove. Again fishing started out slow, but Eldon began catching fish. I fished every hole in the shack, using the same lures, techniques, etc. as Eldon and he outfished me at least two-to one. The holes we were fishing were never more than eight feet apart. I ve had the same thing happen twice before. A couple of years ago I limited out on Saturday. I went back to the same shack, same hole, and same 1 technique and couldn t get a fish there on Sunday. I switched shacks and caught five more fish on Sunday. Last year I only caught three fish all day Saturday and up until 11:00 on Sunday. On Sunday I was fishing Tom Klein with son Garrett and their limit. with Eldon and his friend Gary. Gary was in the middle and Eldon and I on the outside. Gary was catching fish early and Eldon and I got nothing. About 11:00 Eldon and I started catching fish and Gary was getting nothing. I got five fish in the last hour I fished. This was all from holes not more than five feet apart. Go figure! If I could I would probably catch more whitefish. Pin bones, I still hate them. I can fillet northern pike and make them boneless with no problem. I haven t figured out pin bones. This year I fillet the whitefish and then let them sit in the refrigerator over night. This help as it firmed up the soft flesh. Also stripping the bones from the tail towards the head seemed to work better, but many of the results still weren t pretty. Lucky I use whitefish in chowder or as a fish boil where chunky doesn t matter. Charley Grimm says he pickles whitefish, which should take Continued next page

Whitefish, continued Yahara Fishing Club care of pin bones.

Frying them in hot grease may also help.

small bones. I tried that once and can t say I had good results.

To chef Tom Klein for on the ice lunches, as I told Tom he should start a

The Quality Inn puts on one of the better continental breakfasts and if you are

2 Whitefish, continued Yahara Fishing Club care of pin bones. Charley also says he makes fish patties from whitefish. I might try that. Frying them in hot grease may also help. There are rumors that by scoring suckers and frying them in hot grease gets rid of small bones. I tried that once and can t say I had good results. A big thanks again goes to Dean Gordon and the Hooked Up Charters crew. To chef Tom Klein for on the ice lunches, as I told Tom he should start a restaurant some time. The Quality Inn puts on one of the better continental breakfasts and if you are ever in Sturgeon Bay at suppertime on Saturday night I recommend Sonny s Pizza Parlor and Italian Restaurant. They have a pizza and other goodies (salad bar, chicken, meat balls, sausage) buffet for ten dollars. Karlette and YFC club member Lot s of whitefish 2

3 Yahara Fishing Club 2016 Fishing Expo Pictures Club members in action on Friday 3

4 Before After 4

Notes From The Prez Here it is, early Sunday evening, just before the arrival of Leap Day, and I m sitting at my kitchen table, mindful that Tom Raschke is patiently (no doubt thank you, Tom!

I ve been tuned in to the radio, listening to the latest chapter (a win over Michigan) in the remarkable season of the Badger Mens Basketball Team.

NCAA tournament once again this year. But I digress. Time now to gather my thoughts on paper.

I have come to look forward with great anticipation to the annual YFC fund-raising auction, and this year s auction did not disappoint.

It would have been hard to resist bidding on at least a couple of items (and I did not resist!).

5 Notes From The Prez Here it is, early Sunday evening, just before the arrival of Leap Day, and I m sitting at my kitchen table, mindful that Tom Raschke is patiently (no doubt thank you, Tom!) waiting for me to send him some inspiring assemblage of words to fill a space in the March newsletter of the Yahara Fishing Club. I ve been tuned in to the radio, listening to the latest chapter (a win over Michigan) in the remarkable season of the Badger Mens Basketball Team. Thanks in great part to a terrific coach, with an even more terrific name (I ll let the readers figure that one out), the Badgers have far exceeded expectations, and will apparently be off to the NCAA tournament once again this year. But I digress. Time now to gather my thoughts on paper. What strikes me at the moment is that fishing has brought me a tremendous amount of pleasure in the month of February! And this has happened mostly without even wetting a line. I have come to look forward with great anticipation to the annual YFC fund-raising auction, and this year s auction did not disappoint. That was in large part because the Club this year received so many donations of quality fishing gear to be auctioned. It would have been hard to resist bidding on at least a couple of items (and I did not resist!). And my sources tell me we had more than twice as much in sales as last year, and therefore a lot more income from the auction to support our Club s good works for kids and the fishing community. Then came the Fishing Expo this past weekend. It s always fun to wander around the Alliant Center and be tempted by all of the must-have fishing gear, to be a part of the Friday morning set-up crew helping the arriving vendors, to spend time working in the Club s booth meeting the public, and to see and visit with fishing friends, new and old. I think too of all of the enjoyable hours spent I have spent these past four weeks organizing and reorganizing my salt-water fishing gear in anticipation of next month s long-awaited vacation trip to the Florida panhandle. This year brought some fresh excitement in February as I pondered the purchase of a fishing kayak, and the new fishing opportunities it would bring. That kayak is now sitting in my garage, waiting for me to figure out how it works and how to equip the thing, and to get it launched somewhere to do a little early spring fishing in some new place. On top of all of this, tonight brought me a call from Jim Pankratz telling me that the Club had apparently raised a rather exceptional amount of money with our restructured raffle, and what s more that one of my raffle ticket stubs had been pulled from the tumbler at the end of the Expo, making me a winner of one of the prizes! It was a very fine conclusion to a February of unconventional fishing adventures. One thought still sobers me a bit as the month ends. It is the thought that our Club continues to depend on a too-small core group of members who volunteer their time and energy, and who have for so long volunteered their time and energy, to do the work that has to be done. This work includes managing all of the tasks needed to make our kids fishing day events successful, organizing other Club events and outings, running the day-to-day activities of the Club, and doing all of the things little and big which have made membership in our Club attractive to local sport fisherman for so long. This year we celebrate the Club s 70th anniversary. Yes, that s 70 years! Your Board of Directors and I hope to find ways to get more of our members giving their time and energy to the Club s purposes, and being involved first-hand with the Club s community activities. We need all members to be dedicated, and rededicated, to this task, as we move beyond the enjoyment and excitement that February always brings, and as we try to keep our Club vibrant, relevant, and a prominent part of the local fishing community for the next 70 years. To do this, we need everyone to pitch in and help get the work done. Gard Mary Regel Helps Us Again Once more Mary has donated $ towards the Kids Fishing Days from the Rod Regel Memorial Fund. Thank You Mary! 5

UPCOMING YFC OUTINGS: ALWAYS OPEN TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS! March: Fox River in Depere- The river is open and people just started fishing itt while we went to the Fishing Expo this past weekend.

Possible outings are March 12, 13, 19, 20 or 26th for Depere and then ideally the Peshtigo after that. We will be chasing big walleyes and big numbers.

If you re interested and especially if you have a boat that you re willing to bring please let me know. We will make final plans during our March 9th meeting or contact me.

Opening day on the barge catching perch, walleye, sauger, northern and more. Anything is possible on the Mississippi river and no boat is needed.

6 UPCOMING YFC OUTINGS: ALWAYS OPEN TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS! March: Fox River in Depere- The river is open and people just started fishing itt while we went to the Fishing Expo this past weekend. This run may last a few weeks and then the Oconto, Peshtigo and Menomonie rivers will start after that. Possible outings are March 12, 13, 19, 20 or 26th for Depere and then ideally the Peshtigo after that. We will be chasing big walleyes and big numbers. With better current flow hopefully than last year this could be an amazing trip. This can be a day trip or full weekend. If you re interested and especially if you have a boat that you re willing to bring please let me know. We will make final plans during our March 9th meeting or contact me. March 19th: Clements Fishing Barge- With warm weather the barge may open on March 12th. I will send out a special if this happens and for those interested this trip can be done a week early. Opening day on the barge catching perch, walleye, sauger, northern and more. Anything is possible on the Mississippi river and no boat is needed. This will be an early morning departure trying to be in line for the first group before 7 AM. Adult cost is $18 and kids $5. This is a 2 hour trip each way. What a great trip to start out your fishing season! March-April-May: Milwaukee Harbor- this will be an open water trip chasing brown trout, steelhead and possibly lakers or even coho. This will be highly weather dependent with winds under 10 mph. NO heavy tackle is needed for this trip as we will be fishing with medium spinning or casting gear trolling, jigging and casting. Be flexible and ready to fish as we give you an update on the possible dates during those months. This trip will likely be during spring break week March but can happen for you anytime in March as the harbor is open. Contact me for details otherwise wait for a special on when club members plan on going. April 15-17: Kentucky Lake- explore this famous lake in Kentucky in mid April in 60 degree water temperature chasing your limit of jumbo crappies, bonus bluegills, big largemouth, smallmouth bass and stripers. License cost is $30 and lodging only $20-30 per night based on shared rooms or lodge. This is an approximately 7 hour trip from Madison. Experience early warm weather and great fishing! We have people wanting to go on this trip and need you to confirm to arrange car pooling and reservations. May: Big Bay du Noc/Nahma Michigan- this trip will be one of your favorites. Step back in time staying at a bed & breakfast inn while chasing big numbers of inch prespawn smallmouth bass. Dates are May 20-22, or during the week around that time. The rooms are cheap, the food and bar plentiful and the chance of getting a sore arm from catching so many smallies is possible. May-July: Green Bay- we will chase the big walleyes that the Bay of Green Bay is famous for! July: Eagle Lake, Ontario Canada- want a chance to experience a famous Canadian shield lake fishing for walleye, northern, perch, small mouth bass, lake trout and world class muskie? Here s your chance and we have 2 great resorts for you to choose from but don t wait because they will fill up for the summer over the next few months. I will be there the week of July but you can go any time during the summer or fall. Camping costs about $250 per site (your whole group not individual), housekeeping packages around $500 per person, kids 16 and under free at one resort and 12 and under free at the other, and American Plans starting around $800 per person. All prices are for an entire week folks! Truly a trip of a lifetime and get the advice of club members who have already gone to help make your trip more memorable! Check out the links mentioned in the newsletter . Contact me with questions. Jim Pankratz jimannepan@aol.com

7 PLACE STAMP HERE 7

8 15th Intermediate & Advanced Muskie Fishing School To Be Held March 12, 2016 in Waunakee! Contact: capitalcitymuskiesinc.org, Geoff Crandall o ( mobile) or Steve Reinstra at or The Capital City Chapter of Muskies, Inc. announced today that the 15th annual Intermediate and Advanced Muskie School will be held on Saturday, March 12th This unique all-day training opportunity will be held at the Waunakee High School and is open to the public. The faculty this year has over 300 years of combined muskie fishing experience. Students have many classes to choose from including some not offered before. If you want to accomplish a new personal best muskie in 2016 this is your opportunity to pick up some new tricks to help you accomplish that goal. Find out how at this intense all-day school. Then more than two-dozen classes will be offered including trolling, setting up for digital photography and GoPro systems, lure demonstrations in the pool, Canadian muskies, making leaders, Green Bay Muskie Fishing, Madison Chain Muskies, Making Lures, Basic Muskie Fishing and many more. The next YFC meeting is Wednesday, March 9th at the VFW Hall 301 Cottage Grove Road. Speaker Lee Tauchen The general meeting starts at 7:00 Calendar of Upcoming Events March Events March 9th, Regular Club Meeting, speaker Lee Tauchen. See note page 3. March 12th, 15th Intermediate & Advanced Muskie Fishing School. See note above April Events April 13th, Regular Club Meeting Board of Directors Gard Strother, President, Tom Wilke, Speakers, Rich Conner, Phil James, Vice President, John Pribek, Secretary, Colleen Marsden, Gary Schutte, Treasurer, Gerald King, Roger Matiasek, Larry Reed,

Stan Nichols

February 2 0 1 6 Editors: Tom Raschke (tomraschke50@gmail.com) or 608-219-9243 Stan Nichols (sanicho1@facstaff.wisc.edu) Ode to a Gummy Reel At the January meeting Cory Steil of Badfish Creek Reel Service