ICAST Calling
Scott Lewendowski’s 52-inch musky was one of several monsters taken and released this week with OWO columnist and Wisconsin super guide Phil Schweik. Read the details under Inland Fishing on this website.
Lori and I will be in Orlando for ICAST 2017, the world’s largest sportfishing trade show. ICAST is the premier showcase for the latest innovations in fishing gear, accessories and apparel and the cornerstone of the sportfishing industry, helping to drive recreational fishing product sales year round. Could you tell I stole that right from their website? Who knows better than ICAST to say it like it is?
One of the two nesting eagles is in no hurry to leave his roost watching over Lori and Dick Ellis fishing pannies in the backwaters of the Manitowish Chain.
This is a first for me. I have attended several SHOT Shows (Shooting Hunting Outdoor Trade Shows) in Las Vegas, but never waded into literally tens of thousands of booths and exhibits representing hooks to boats and everything in between from the world of fishing. This should be fun, and I know it will be overwhelming. At SHOT, you can’t walk through, say, the gun section or any other section in less than a day. The gun manufacturers probably represent 100 countries, and trying to make a dent in everything there is to see is a useless endeavor.
Grant & Tate Ellis stand ready to man the rods while row trolling in the event of a strike…that never came under the oar-power of their dad, Luke.
I am really looking forward to meeting many of the Wisconsin-based companies from the industry that will be on hand showcasing their products. Hopefully we will be showing off On Wisconsin Outdoors a little bit right back. Hopefully, they already know us too. The July-August issue currently on the streets of Wisconsin is our 60th issue, with our official 10th anniversary coming with the September-October 2017 issue. Because it’s our advertisers that allow us to hand the paper and website (www.onwisconsinoutdoors.com) at no cost to you, many thanks to them for that. We literally couldn’t do this without them. Thanks to you too, for reading, and for looking at our advertisers’ products and services first before you decide what to buy.
Jim Ellis and grandson Sam Klick are still waiting for that elusive strike on the Manitowish Chain while row trolling.
We had a flotilla of row trollers working the waters of the Manitowish Chain this week, including great nephews from ages 5 to 10 riding shotgun with rods in hand in our attempt to put some first muskies on the board. We never had a strike over three separate trips around the lake, but that will come in due time.
Bob Johnson makes four boats (including this writer) without a musky strike while row trolling.
Lori and I also eventually abandoned the muskie baits and picked up the nightcrawlers for a few hours of floating around the backwaters of the chain looking for panfish. We caught perch and bluegills, with some of the gills measuring in at a surprising eight inches. That’s not a really common occurrence on this chain. It was fun catching perch below an eagles’ nest with both birds hanging around right over our heads as we worked the worms. One small perch wasn’t going to make it when released, and one of the eagles really wanted to take the meal off the water but at just 10 yards from the boat it never did commit.
Bluegill action was fast and furious with some decent fish cooperating for Lori and Dick.
We have a pair of loons in front of the cabin with a newborn of spring, and those adults don’t welcome the arrival of the eagles nearly as much as we did. There is a lot of loon racket on the water whenever the eagles show their beaks in the skies above, and I’m sure the baby loon will be breakfast if the parents give the eagles the slightest opening.
Matt & Emma Klick are in no hurry to return home to Minnesota while relaxing near Boulder Junction in northern Wisconsin.
That’s it for now. We will return home from ICAST and head to the Bob Ellis Row Trolling Classic in Presque Isle with many of our family and friends. It’s never too late for you to enter. And the price is right. No entrée, no prize money. Just fun. Connect with www.row-troller.com.
Thanks for connecting with On Wisconsin Outdoors. Shoot straight.
Dick Ellis