Fishing Trips

This is a start of a new series of trip reports focusing on fishing. Over the years have done my fair share and will expand this to include future and past trips not accounted for in other sections in this site.

I have fished in Wisconsin before on the shores of Lake Wisconsin but that was many moons ago. George's dad has a standing reservation in May at the Shorewood Resort on Lake Chetek and I was invited to join George Sr, his good friend Freddie, Ranger (George) & John. Flew into Chicago for the drive up to the lake and we settled in. The cabin rental came with a boat and George Sr was our Captain for the days. Pretty laid back routine. Wake up and fish, grab lunch, go fish, grab dinner, go fish off the dock at the resort. Reds Grill and Bar was close by and was good spot to grab decent bar food with friendly staff. We were also treated to Brat's that John brought along and a fish fry by the master chef (George Sr).

Fishing was good and all of us caught a decent amount. No final totals (we kinda lost count) but the haul included Crappie, Blue Gill, Largemouth Bass, Perch, Walleye and Northern Pike. George Sr pulled a Northern Pike whopper off the dock at the resort, claiming the biggest caught by a wide margin. George took the crown for most caught, so congratulations all around. I was fortunate to catch my share but spent a good portion of my time doing what I love the best, catching some good shots. Enjoy the images!

This was our third trip to Alaska for summer fishing. George, Rich & I had been at the same spot in 1988 and just killed it! Oops, not this time as we mis-timed the salmon runs and really struggled to catch anything. Still was fun with good friends.

For a few years, Rich, George and I were into Salmon fishing off the coast, thanks to Rich and his boat. We helped refurbish it and added outboard motors to make it go. One memorable trip in late 1989 I hit the jackpot with a 30 lbs monster that took a lot of effort to get it to the surface (and dive down several times), not to mention two of us needing to haul it on board. When I got it home, I had to just about empty the refrigerator to make it fit and then slice it into 19 mega steaks!

The late 80's was a time for fishing. Whether it was getting up before dawn to get Rich's boat down to the harbor ramp heading out the Golden Gate, or backpacking in the high Sierra for trout or discovering Alaska and all she had to offer, it was all about the adventure. This trip was born out of our constant telling of fishing tales at work (PSA) and getting enuf victims (I mean friends) to join us in a trip north. As I look over these images 40+ years later, it brings a smile to my face and a fond remembrance of a great trip with great friends.

This particular trip was all about connections. One of my partners in crime, Rich, was good friends with an IT manager from Hawaiian Airlines, who in turn was a good friend of a Marlin fisherman in Big Island Kona. And off we went with First class passes and two days of marlin fishing on a commercial boat, not the fancy cruisers. Main caveat, anything we caught he would keep and as it was his main source of income, it was a fair trade. We trolled for Ahi bait and then went after the big ones, which I was lucky to catch after an exciting struggle to land it. It was exhilarating but years later I regretted the take down of this magnificent creature (even though it was respectfully harvested) and have not returned to big time fishing since. I am still a fisherman, but take only what I can eat and catch and release the rest.

First fishing trip to Alaska with George, Rich and Mike (fellow USAir employee). We flew into Anchorage, rented a car to catch a ride down the Little Susitna River to a 'cannot fail to catch fish bend in the river'. True to his word, the fishing was off the hook and the boat service dude kept us supplied and took back our catches to be kept frozen until we had to leave home. We ended up with about 60 lbs of salmon filets (days when you could check in up to 75lbs!) and a lot of friends when we got home. Good thing, as we collectively could not have consumed all that fish.