Musky Marauders’ 2003 Hunt: ESOX EXPEDITION

Reflections of an UMA Winner

 

 

…hitting the Bucher Top Raider from the right and beneath, she launched herself out of the water like a Polaris missile from a submerged submarine. It was then that I knew I had a sure-fire UMA winner if I could just hang on and somehow GET HER INTO THE BOAT BY MYSELF!!!

But I’m getting ahead of myself in the story. Let me backup and take it from the beginning. I was born at a very early age…oh, that’s probably too far back.

It was mid June, and with only a few exceptions, the Musky Marauders had assembled their very best to compete for the coveted UMA trophy. The likes of the Founding Members, who were all prior UMA Champions: Tek Neek Tom, Jerk Bait John, Marabou Mike, and Stalker Steve; previous UMA winners Dacron Dennis, Jackpot John, and yours truly Free Spool Frank…and many others with plenty of ability and desire who just had not yet connected to that hog surely awaiting them in future hunts.

Marabou Mike had planned an aggressive agenda for the week, and with a record turnout of 24 Marauders and a record number of 10 boats, Marabou rose to the challenge. We needed a traffic controller brought in from O’Hare Field just to get all those boats in and out of Tek Neek’s compound. Marabou had planned all the usual events in their traditional venues: a cookout on Star Lake, an initiation at Black Oak, chicken picata and pasta by Stalker and Marabou at Tek Neek’s, and Lomo with enough chorizo to fuel a battleship at Jerk Bait’s.

The weather was not cooperative. We had blue-bird weather all week. But on the 3rd day of the full moon, all that changed for a brief period. On June 17 at 4pm it clouded over, and started to drizzle lightly, the only rain we’d have all week. Jerk Bait, my normal guide, had left me alone for a day and a half. With some trepidation I went out alone on Long Lake knowing this might be the best conditions we’d get all week (no sane musky hunter hunts alone; what if you catch a monster; who will net it for you?!).

The winds died down, it was 5:00pm, and I chose a Top Raider and started tossing over a weed bed along some boat docks at the south end where Jerk Bait had previously hooked a momuska. Throwing the lure right up to some bobbers an elderly couple had floating just off their dock, I’d cranked the reel about 3 times when she smashed the Top Raider. I set the hook, then set it again, then set it again, then set it again (all I could think of was Jerk Bait shouting: “Set the hook right through her cerebellum!!!”, so I set it again. She jumped four times, and each time I took up the slack, and each time I was cheered on by the elderly couple. She was now about 10 feet off the port side. I was terrified; how in the hell was I going to get her into the boat?!!

I leaned to starboard bending back to get the net. At that moment she decided to jump again…in my direction. With that she came flying into the boat, striking me with her tail and the boat seat with her head. I’ve heard how powerful these monsters can be, but had no idea just how powerful until she began thrashing around in the back end of the boat. That’s when I decided I belonged in the front end of the boat! The old man shouted, “Grab her by the eyes that will immobilize her.” I responded he was welcome to come out and do it for me. She turned somersaults and flipped around eventually throwing the hook, and tiring herself out. I donned the Kevlar glove, held her up for the old couple to see (asking if by any chance they’d video taped the whole thing), then measured her. 49 ¾ inches. The old man said “fifty inches.” I said “No sir. You don’t understand. This evening 23 other Marauders are going to be calling you to verify this story and measurement. So I will need your name and number, and a photo of you.”

I was getting worried about my fish. She’d fought hard and long, had been out of the water way too long. This is where I made my mistake; I did not get a photo of me with my fish; a mistake that will haunt me a long time. I got her over the side and started reviving her. It took a full 8 minutes before she gave three twitches, then a strong swish of her tail which took her down into the weeds from where she’d come, and told me she’d live to fight another day.

She’s the biggest UMA caught in our 16 years of Musky Marauder competition. She’s currently #2 in the Adult Released Division of the Vilas County Musky Marathon (www.vilas.org), Ron Lax is creating a replica of her which should be hanging on my wall by mid winter, and the trophy is being engraved as I write this. Life is good! Now if I’d just held her vertically to measure her, Jerk Bait would have some company in the 50 inch club!

Marauders all together caught 4 legal muskies on the 2003 Hunt. Think how many casts 24 Marauders made over a week’s time to catch those; why do we do it?! Here’s to next year when we do it all over again!

 

2003 UMA Winner,

 

Free Spool Frank