Big-D to Big-V for Big Ski By Bob Chochola for Tne Fishing Network Part One: “Lake Vermilion-Paradise Anew” We were three days into our annual trip before we got good news from the local forecast. Storms would be moving through in the afternoon and evening and we knew that if there was ever a time to find a big muskie, it would be during the instability of a front. The first couple of days of our trip were rough as expected and we spent a great deal of time doing the scout. It was our first attempt at conquering LakeVermilion near Cook, Minnesota. We did our homework ahead of time: marked maps, web site print-outs with tons of information, phone calls and e-mails to vets of Big-V pumping them for even more information, and countless meetings of the minds, to discuss strategy. We were stoked and ready the second we launched the boats. On day one, staring out at the massive 41-thousand acres (Big-V certainly earns her nickname), we scrambled to get settled into our cabin. Duffle bags were thrown into bedrooms to stake sacred claim to sleeping quarters that would be used later – much later. Canned goods were stowed in available cabinets as quickly as eight hands could fireman-drill them away. Perishable items made it from cooler to fridge in record time. Then it was time to get rigged and ready. Of course, rig time is usually accompanied by a cold brew (or three) and stories of past triumphs, as if the muskies were all gathered at the end of our dock impressed by our prowess. But in spite of all the fire power, all the experience, and all the confidence we arrived with, we were in awe of the lake and the wonder of what lies beneath. It was clear to us by the time we finished day two that there was simply too much water to cover in one or two weeks, so we began to focus on hot areas we marked near camp. We raised a few small muskies here-and-there and began taking a bite out of the abundant population of northern, walleye, large mouth, and small mouth bass. Every spot, it seemed, was classic muskie habitat where you could also tangle with multiple species to break-up the day. Some spots were massive – two football fields of weed bed with docks, boat ramps, stumps, and rocks galore. It all looked good to us, but we found a few “spots-within-a-spot” that really stood out as prime targets in a condition change. And so we got that change. By late afternoon on day three the early morning forecast proved right and clouds were forming to the northwest and it was getting dark. We pounded water until the lightning became too dangerous and we took-off for the safety of camp, still without a serious sniff from a muskie. That was about to change. We had to stay on land to duck the electricity for about an hour, as a thin line of thunderstorms made its way through from north to south. A steady two-day light southeast wind finally shifted hard from the northeast and the front plunged through camp. Soon the storms passed leaving behind a period of dead-flat calm on the huge lake. Big-V was like glass. The first set of storms moved away to our south and we had yet to see signs of the heavy weather still several hours away to the north, moving in the same direction as the first outburst and aiming straight for us. It was a perfect setting for a monster strike. We grabbed our rain gear and best confidence lures, jumped in the boats and swiftly ripped across the suddenly still LakeVermilion to one of the areas we had been working and moving fish. It was near sunset and the break in the storms revealed a beautifully painted neon sky – a perfect backdrop to a big strike. We worked a shoreline that had been productive from the moment we parked on it early in our trip. We had found at least six different species there and that fact just made it feel like a great place to be at prime time. We figured with that much activity, muskies may move into the area to feed now that the weather patterns were shaking things up a bit. The theory worked like a charm. Pat positioned the boat about a cast away from a rock reef that stuck straight out from the wall. I took aim with my jerk bait to the left of the shallow water marker at the end of the reef and began to work it. About half way back to the boat a 55-incher came charging from the reef and took a mighty swipe at the dodging and darting lure. The side and belly of the massive Lunge came clear of the water and she “porpoised” (a term the guides use up on Big-V, as it seems this sort of thing happens quite frequently) right over the top of my bait. I never had a chance. She was gone before I even realized what had happened. She probably wouldn’t have returned either, for the knocking of my knees was making far too much noise. Lake Vermilion is a great fishery and a great place to go no matter if you are a hard core muskie hunter or you are looking for a place to take your family on the outdoor adventure vacation of a lifetime. It has the best of both worlds. I got a lot of feedback from my Dryberry article last November and just wanted to set a few things straight about that. Dryberry is an incredible lake and the fish we have put in the boat up there speak volumes of truth about a body of water that has on occasion been shrouded in mystery and misinformation, but has been very good to us. We love her and consider her to be one of the best muskie lakes in the world. That said, it is indeed “Xtreme Fishing” up there. We coined that phrase to describe a trip that is not for inexperienced anglers or family vacations – the “hard core” need only apply. And it is a hefty trek to get there or really anywhere beyond the Canadian border in our post 9-11 world. In early 2006 we were looking for a place that would eliminate growing border hassles, save us from a poor return on our US dollars (on my last Canadian trip the official conversion rate was over 30% - I was getting 10% or less in town), and we wanted to cut miles from our overall round trip in order to conserve fuel. LakeVermilion was a logical choice as it was a dead stop just before the border. Big-V reduced our normal Chicago to the lake cabin run by about eight hours (four coming - four going). That was considerable. We saved a lot of money too. In addition to that, a stay on Dryberry can be rugged to say the least. We had to bring everything with us including gas for the boats and food. As far as resorts go, good luck finding one these days. After we decided on Big-V, we had to find a resort. Naturally we narrowed the search to about a million places and then put out an A.P.B. for recommendations. A number of people suggested Vermilion Dam Lodge (www.vdl.com) and so we gave lodge owner/operator Ed Tausk a call. To make a long story short, we settled on VDL and wound up very happy with the decision. The accommodations were five-star and we found most of the necessities right there in camp – a roll out of bed and stone’s throw away. More about that coming in part two. How’s the Muskie Fishing on Big-V? I’m glad you asked! In a word: PHENOMINAL. For the first two weeks of September we faced conditions that were very unkind. In fact, I can only think of one other time that the conditions on our entire trip were as bad as what we faced in Minnesota in 2006. To put it into perspective, there was a big fall tournament going on while we were up there – 120 boats, 240 anglers, and only 15 muskies boated. In addition to that, a very well known TV muskie angler/personality (who will remain nameless) was up there for a week with us and only boated one muskie. There are many theories about conditions and one of mine is that a southeast wind is bad for fishing. I don’t know if it’s that way for anyone else, but I have very bad luck in a southeast wind – period. It has been that way in Canada fishing muskies, in Illinois fishing king salmon, and even back home around Dallas, Texas chasing large mouth bass. We had wind out of the southeast all but the few hours on day three, then later in the trip it shifted for a day and we bagged a 42-incher and had quite a few blow-ups on baits during that stretch too. But 95% of our trip was in SE wind and big blue-bird sky. In spite of conditions beyond our control, I have never seen so many big active fish – not even on Dryberry. We were moving huge fish all the time – multiples on some spots. And they were every bit as big as the heralded Canadian muskies too. No doubt about it. The monster I had blow-up was one of at least ten fish I raised over 52-inches. They had length and girth and were as aggressive as a fish can be without actually killing a lure. No lazy follows – they charged hard most of the time and made no bones about rolling over and even brushing against our lures. It was intensely frustrating and cool as hell all at the same time. You can check out what anglers did on Big-V the rest of the season in 2006. Just logon towww.lakevermilion.com Trust me, I have been in constant contact all year and were it not for the lunker-fest of pictures I have been opening in my e-mail, I would not believe it. It was an INCREDIBLE year on Big-V in ‘06 and it’s only gonna get better folks. Such is life. We picked the only two slow weeks all year to go. Duh! Making plans to go muskie hunting? Go towww.vdl.comright now and check out the Vermilion Dam Lodge. Don’t take my word for it, call Ed Tausk(800-325-5780) and tell him Bobzilla sent you. See you on the water soon!
Ed Tausk (right), Owner & Operator of Vermilion Dam Lodge with his client and a beautiful 53-inch (26" girth) BIG-V Ski. Click this image and go directly to the Vermilion Dam Lodge web site.
KISS MY YAMAHA!
Chris Bogdan, who caught the 55-incher, says he loves Mercury motors & hates Yamaha. When Ed took Chris out that day, Chris made a comment about not having any confidence that he would catch a fish, because they were going to be trolling with Ed's Yamaha. Ed told Chris that if he caught a 50-inch muskie he would have to apologize and then KISS that Yamaha motor.
Chris said, "F#@$ you... the only way I would kiss your Yamaha is if I caught a 55-inch muskie."
Well, guess what? It happened. The above picture is a photo of Chris kissing Ed's Yamaha. Ed says, "It really killed Chris to do this." The picture is worth "I'm sorry" a thousand times over.
Ed's been busy... here he is posing with a client and a HUGE 55-incher (27" girth). Between Ed, Marty, & Brett (Ed's guides), they have boated 49, 2x51, 52, 53, 54, 55-inch muskies in the last week of October 2006. GREAT WORK BOYS!
Big-V Has It All By Bob Chochola for Tne Fishing Network Part Two: “Lake Vermilion-Wilderness Made Easy” In Part One I told you a little bit about our decision to fish in the US rather than travel to Canada in 2006. Allow me to elaborate. We have been traveling all the way into Northwestern Ontario for a long time chasing the mighty muskie. No matter what, we have made time two weeks a year to do what we love to do best – the annual get away from it all trip with our close friends and dads to just kick-back and fish muskies. What a wonderful time it has been battling more than our fare share of 50-inchers and sharing great memories that even the best digital camera in the world couldn’t capture completely. For our fun, you just had to be there – for the mystery that would reveal itself right before our eyes every day and the magic that would happen with every lunker we put in the boat. It was a world unknown to explore and conquer – at least it felt that way to us. Years ago it was no big deal to hike miles through the woods carrying all our gear on our backs. Years ago we camped in tents and slept on the ground and braved all kinds of foul weather - yes we did get wet, real wet – to pursue the toothy beast. Years ago it was “cool” to spend twelve, fourteen, or even sixteen hours straight per day in a rented boat – with a curved metal “beer can” bottom, wooden bench seats, and barely enough food and water and sun block to make it through the brutal daylight hours of “dog days,” only to find out the grand finale was to be eaten by swarms of bugs after the sun went down. Years ago it was almost a requirement that we not only feel like we’re leaving all of civilization behind, but that we did indeed actually part company with anything resembling modern life and human comfort on our way up through the winding roads that took us to the Mecca of fresh water fishing – The Canadian Shield. LakeDryberry has been very good to us over the years, but times have changed, we have changed, and so too has our vision of the hunt. Last year the time had finally come for us to explore new terrain. Gas prices were through the roof in the USA. In the summer of 2006 it would have cost us a small fortune to run and gun a boat with a 90hpw on it for two weeks anywhere, much less north of the border (where it would have been cheaper to pour Starbucks coffee in our gas tank). And speaking of the border… Two years ago, in 2005, our crossing into Canada was a real pain in the saddle bags (if you’ll pardon my Texas showing please). It took two guys with NO criminal record or DUI convictions four hours to clear the check point at International Falls - we were carrying state ID’s and I had a valid passport (now a requirement, but not back then) in addition to my Texas ID. Two men in a pick-up truck full of fishing rods, tackle boxes, coolers, pulling a trailer with a boat on it, and carrying more than the required forms of identification, I’m quite sure can be mistaken for a whole bunch of trouble by some folks (we both do have long hair). But heck, we didn’t have any alcohol, no fire arms, and I didn’t even have any worm dirt this time (remind me to tell you that border story someday, it’s a real hoot). So, to make a long story short, we decided to spend our US dollars for US accommodations on US soil and started looking for a destination – south of the Canadian border. Naturally our search quickly took us to Minnesota, where these days the muskie action is really jumpin’. Reading magazines like MUSKIE we knew that we didn’t necessarily have to go to Canada anymore if we wanted to catch world class muskies. We also knew that any new lake, be it Vermilion, Mille Lacs, or Leech, would be a challenge the first time out. Something told us Vermillion was our best bet. Heck, that choice cut about one-third of our trip out completely (not counting the four-hour border interrogation) and it was about as close to Canada as you can get without actually being served back bacon on a bun and a glazed donut the size of a truck tire for breakfast. “In the 1940's the National Geographic Society declared LakeVermilion one of the top ten most scenic lakes in the United States. And it still is today. With its 40,000 acres of water, 365 islands and 1200 miles of shoreline, it stretches 40 miles across the heart of Minnesota's Arrowhead Region.” I actually have a friend down here in Texas that used to vacation on LakeVermilion when he was a kid in the 1950’s. We have compared notes and relatively speaking, Big-V hasn’t changed all that much over the years. I must admit that her forty-thousand acres was a bit intimidating, although Big-V isn’t too much bigger than Dryberry. She is pristine – a real beauty – with just enough human element to make things convenient and just enough wide open space to make her feel like home. We knew we were on the right track on the way up when we ran out of paved road about twenty miles from camp. “Ah-ha! Now we’re heading in the right direction” I thought to myself, as the blacktop turned to dirt. I don’t want to get too crazy with the “civilization” thing. Once we got to camp we found an unexpected blend of vacation paradise and local flavor all over the place. Our lodge had full service everything and a big screen TV in the bar (where I got to watch my Chicago Bears beat the Packers in game #1 of their Super Bowl XLI trek). We even had a nice pub within walking distance that served-up tasty munchies, our favorite spirits, and a live band. Smack in the middle of all that forty-thousand acres: a bait store, marina, gift shop, grocery store, and local hang called… are you ready for this? Timbuktu! It’s very charming and doesn’t gouge customers buying fuel. How’s the fishing on Big-V? If you have had success anywhere on The Shield, you will find fish on this lake too. She is very much like her big sister to the north, Lake of the Woods, and although the term “deep water” means something totally different to a guy who has been on Dryberry for a long time, LakeVermilion isn’t too different from the deep, clear Canadian lakes either. Structure ranges from long weed lines that hold all species of fish to a great collection of rock reefs and long rocky shore line drops that seem to hold muskies all the time. In the weeds, watch the sudden transition from thick cover (slop that you can’t even get a bait through) to deep weeds – seems to be the sweet spot, at least it was while we were there. Here’s a little factual information you may find useful provided by Duane Williams, Large Lake Specialist for the DNR Area Fisheries Headquarters in Ely, Minnesota: “Muskie were originally not present or were very rare in LakeVermilion. The first biologist who worked on the lake reported in 1943 he had been unable to verify the presence of muskie, however he had heard a couple reports of them being caught. The first recorded stocking of muskie on LakeVermilion occurred in 1968 when 475 fingerlings were planted. Other small stockings were done in 1969, 1972, 1984 and 1985. These initial stockings were done with a strain of muskie that originated in ShoepacLake in VoyageursNational Park. Research on other lakes eventually showed the ShoepacLake strain of muskie rarely exceeded 20 pounds. The Section of Fisheries then switched to the LeechLake strain of muskie for its statewide stocking programs to insure stocked muskie would have the capability to become trophy-sized.” Mr. Williams continues: “The current muskie stocking program started in 1987 when nearly 5,000 LeechLake strain fingerlings were stocked. About 5,000 muskie have been stocked every year since 1987. These intensive stockings have apparently been successful, as reports of muskie being caught are increasing each year. Reports indicate the larger muskie now exceed 40 inches, which is the new minimum length to keep a muskie. Once muskie are well established, stocking every other year may be sufficient to maintain the population. The next step-in the muskie management program for LakeVermilion is to evaluate the stocking and determine if they will reproduce naturally.” Speaking with Ed Tausk, Owner & Operator of Vermilion Dam Lodge (www.vdl.com 800-325-5780), I had a chance to get an update on the aforementioned DRN information. According to Mr. Tausk, last season the DNR put a significant number of 50-inch-plus muskies in their Vermilion nets, while they also determined that the species may have indeed begun to reproduce naturally. This is good news for all concerned. If I can confirm and back it up with official DNR numbers, I will do so on my web site. But until then, the official “scuttlebutt” is that things are looking pretty good for Big-V in the years to come. We’ll be there in October and I can’t wait. SOURCES: Duane Williams,. Large LakeSpecialist DNR Area Fisheries Headquarters Ely, MN55731 (218-365-7280) Web site:www.lakevermilion.com
VDL GUIDE BRETT WITH CLIENT & A 48-INCHER
A NICE BIG-V 51-INCH SKI - CLICK ON THE PHOTO AND GO TO VDL TO SEE MORE HUGE FISH
Ed Tausk, Owner & Operator of Vermilion Dam Lodge with a 51-incher caught the first weekend in November 2006 - the pooch is lookin' a little hungry, Ed.
Ed with another beautiful 51-incher caught the same day - GO ED, GO ED, IT'S YO BIRTHDAY!!!!
Mike Moschell, Ohio (48-inch Lake Vermilion Muskie)
