Boulder Junction Area Fish Story Contest
“Life’s So Good in Wisconsin—and So’s the Fishing” Story Contest
Winnning entry by Richard Kohn:
Boulder Junction has always been reputed to be a GREAT fishing place, but I never believed it. I’ve blanked world class fishermen and women, including the legendary Porter Dean, who once was reduced to chasing Crappies with me and my wife, Lynne Holtan Kohn, just so my mother-in-law had something to cook. Yuk! Ever eaten overcooked fried crappie? So when I became a regular summer resident in 2000, I decided to learn our own White Sand Lake with another legend: my friend and neighbor, the great Musky and Walleye guide Tom Swanson. Tom grew up on the lake; he knows every crib, corner, bay, and water lily on and in that body of water (as well as every other lake in our area). My purpose wasn’t fish, however: it was the lowdown on the Holtans. Tom knew my spouse and in-laws from childhood, since his family’s resort was next door to them. I figured the conversation and the history I’d learn would be fascinating, priceless, and fun. And if a fish bit, well, that’d be gravy. We went out on a cold, blustery June 4, my mother’s birthday–we had to celebrate her being 91, and she loved to fish. Sure enough, I found out about how the land changed hands in card games, how Tom’s grandfather came to own a gorgeous stretch of the southern coastline, who built what when, and other tidbits of “gossip” (my brothers-in-law have yet to receive the blackmail letters; I’m still cataloging all the information to maximize my profit). To top it off, we were fishing for Musky, and I knew, just knew, it was an errand in arm exercise. Wham! At 11AM, Tom hooked a Musky right in the middle of the lake, and after a short struggle (the water was still very cold and the fish were pretty sluggish), a beautiful 36 incher came into the boat. After we let it go, and my adrenaline subsided, we went back to the skeletons in the closet. Was I shocked forty-five minutes later when Tom hooked another. When he handed me the rod, it felt like Jonah the whale had lost his temper. That fish wigged and wagged, sounded and flopped–but the water was just too cold, Tom’s equipment too good, my determination too much--and she must have been tired from spawning. Into the boat came what Tom later guessed to be a 48 inch, 27 pound Musky. Tom held it up for the picture I still have proudly on my mantel, and as he worked–very, very carefully--to get the hook out of those formidable jaws, he murmured words to that frightened fish that still stick with me: for their gentle reassurance, and because they capture so well the simplicity of the situation and the mutual respect we have for all the creatures of these fabulous north woods. “I’m OK and you’re OK. I’m not bleedin’ and you’re not bleedin’. I’ll get you home soon.”
| Boulder
Junction Chamber of Commerce, Inc. |
1-800-GO-MUSKY
(1-800-466-8759)
Local: (715) 385-2400
Fax: (715) 385-2379 |
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P.O. Box 286 W
Boulder Junction, WI 54512-0286
E-mail: boulderjct@boulderjct.org |
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