On August 27th the Milwaukee Chapter of Muskies Inc. had the honor of taking 14 Veterans out musky fishing on Pewaukee Lake. The weather broke just for the event; we had a little rain to deal with, but it turned out to be a perfect day. Some fish were lost, a few “non muskies” were caught, but we ended up with 5 muskies for the group:

Ken Guild/Roy Hinkforth 32”
Mike Burns, Jack Michel/Chad Larson 33”
Del Halverson, Bob Yust/Joel Walczak 34”
Nick Thompson/Geoff Vergas 37, 38”

Special gifts were awarded for the top 3 fish. We had an awesome lunch, and no one went hungry (you can be assured of that). Good conversations and recap of the mornings events occurred, and then we gave each of our Vets a nice gift bag. Jo-Anne and her crew even had gourmet popcorn for the attendees, as an additional “Thank you for your Service.”

It is great to be able to do what we do. A Big thank you to all our sponsors and the Captain’s that provided a great time on the water.

Donations/support:
Koshere Realty – Dennis and Susan Koshere
Jean Koshere Ponfil and Scott Ponfil
Jo-Anne Koshere – the queen of coordinating the event
John, Karin Bagley and Jim – cooks
Master Lock
Sport Clips
Smokey’s Musky Shop
Chaos Tackle
Musky Armor

Thank you all!

The Chapter’s June Member’s Outing was hosted out on Okauchee Lake (June 21st). The weather may have not been the most conducive for catching muskies (fish were seen, not boated), but it was just gorgeous enough for those involved to meet up afterwards for food and drink at Foolery’s–a bar & grill on the Okauchee channel. I’m positive that everyone there can testify when I say that it was a fantastic time. In moments like these, seeing everybody enjoy themselves hanging out and talking with all of their fishing buddies is priceless; it is a reminder of why we have clubs such as are own. That’s why Brian Mirek deserves huge props for putting on these events this year. He knows the importance of having these outings, and he took it upon himself to ensure that our Chapter would once again have them. Make sure that you attend these events if you can! They are such a blast, and a they are great way to become acquainted with others in the club.

All in all, 26 Bigs and Littles were loaded onto 5 separate pontoon boats rented from Good Time Rentals on Pewaukee Lake. The boats were paid for by a generous donation from the Hays Companies.

Our host for the day was Smokey’s Musky Shop and man were they ever nice. It was a very busy day for them, and they allowed us all the space we needed to run this fishing outing. In fact, one of the workers even found a little time to show a youngster how to cast and fish off of the piers. Rumor has it that a bass was hanging around……and was properly exercised.

A very special thank you goes out to all of the volunteers from Big Brothers and Big Sisters who showed up to assist with the event. Another very special thank you goes to all the volunteers from Muskies Inc. Some of these people include, Jennifer Verges (and her ice cream sundae booth donation), Roy and Nancy Hinkforth, Bryan and Sue Blanke, Bob and Daelyn Petzke, Mark Miller, Jeff Spraggon, Greg Sieren, Mike Phelps, Craig Ader, Jo-Anne Kashere and Lynne Dembiec. Apologies to anyone that I may have missed.

I don’t know if the pontoons found more smiles or fish on their outings, but we did hear that most pontoons caught 50 fish or so while on the water. We heard from many of the fishermen that these were the first fish they have even caught, and some of them even got to kiss their first fish.

To wrap up our outing, after lunch, two grand prizes were awarded to two lucky kids those being a razer scooter and a huge (55 inch) kite.

The first Member Outing for our chapter took place on Pewaukee Lake on Tuesday, May 17th. Fishing from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the evening, 21 people attended. Two fish were caught (Brian Mirek with a 35.5” and Bob Petzke with a 37”) during the outing. Those who were able to stick around met up at Curly’s Waterfront Bar & Grill to talk fishing. Everybody had a great time, and if you have been unable to attend any of the other Member Outings thus far, you should really make an effort to do so! These outings take place every month (dates listed below), and are a great way to become acquainted with other people in the Chapter.

The 32nd annual Pewaukee Classic was held on Saturday, May 14th. We had over 95 anglers fishing in extremely tough cold-front conditions. Multiple times throughout the day, the anglers in this tourney got to fish while it was sleeting. Nonetheless, a total of 5 fish were registered from 30 – 39 inches with over 65 fish seen (follows). 1st place was Rich Vono with a 39 incher, 2nd place was Steve Berg with a 36-1/2 incher and 3rd place went to Mark Hartwig with a 35-1/2 incher. Raffle tables were as follows: musky rod was won by Mike Czaplewski, Just Encase box with baits was won by Scott Schuit and our grand prize winner Michael Gapiepy won the Minn Kota Terrova trolling motor. Thanks goes out to our many donors and sponsors for the wonderful gifts and another successful tournament. The sponsor list this year includes: Minn Kota, Pheasants Forever – Dale Burhardt, Cabela’s, Smokey’s Musky shop, Just-EnCase, Threadsetters, Sussex Bowl, Craig Ader, Eric Croatt (Baits), Jim Dembiec (Baits), Marty Forman (musky rod), George Kasch (Baits), Sig Kaminski (wood fish carvings), Geoff Verges (signed Packer football), and Rob Rehbein (musky baits and books). A special thanks also goes out to Bryan Blanke (chair of the event), as well as everybody else who helped out or participated. This event serves as a major fundraiser for our chapter, and was a great success this year–having one of its most successful results as of recent.

In an effort to produce a sustaining and thriving musky fishery in the Greater Milwaukee area, two clubs—The Muskellunge Club of Wisconsin (MCW) and the Milwaukee Chapter of Muskies Inc. (MCMI)—are stocking Okauchee Lake with extended growth muskies on April 12th 2016. Both groups are very excited about the potential of this stocking project, and the larger-than-normal size of the muskies that will be released into this trophy-fish producing lake.

Gollon Bait and Fish Farm, a family-owned business in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, will be the source of the muskies provided. Among the fish raised at this facility are panfish (bluegill, crappie, and perch) and baitfish (suckers, fatheads and golden shiners). Since the early 1990s, Gollon has also been deeply rooted in the business of raising gamefish such as small-mouth bass, large-mouth bass, channel catfish, walleye, northern pike, and musky. Their business focuses on supplying bait shops throughout the Midwest, as well as stocking both public waters and private ponds.

Okauchee Lake would not be receiving this wonderful opportunity without not only the successful fundraising efforts of both clubs, but also the generous donations given to each organization to ensure the longevity of musky angling. This stocking project also received a very nice contribution from Waukesha County, who used grant money made available to them.

MCW would like to thank Bill Schwartz and Slammer Tackle for their donation towards the effort of stocking Okauchee Lake this spring. Slammer Tackle, founded in 1989, is based out of Pewaukee, Wisconsin, and specializes in the production of high-impact (and high quality) plastic crankbaits. MCW would also like to thank Mike Ebert, Mike Phelps, Nancy Nedilsky, and Emily Guduyron.

MCMI would like to thank Team Rhino Outdoors for their donation toward this stocking effort. Team Rhino is a business that has found a niche in specializing in the sales of custom musky lures, selling a diverse selection of unique paint schemes.

Both clubs want to share their appreciation for all the anonymous donations as well. This project would not have been made possible without the financial support of everybody involved. This stocking event is truly an opportune occurrence, and is aimed at creating a flourishing fishery for the future of our sport.