Up to that time, my musky experiences had been almost entirely on small to medium size lakes in Wisconsin. Locating fishy spots was a challenge, particularly before sonar. But to explore a small lake and locate weeds, rocks, logs and points took a matter of hours and provided a good starting point to pinpoint musky locations. These spots were fished repeatedly and the winners eventually were evident.

On that day my buddy, Kevin Schmidt, and I caught 16 muskies ranging in size from 34 to 45 1/2 inches in length. Eight of these fish were over 40 inches, and another two were just shy at 39 1/2 inches. It was the kind of day every musky hunter dreams of experiencing, yet few do.

In the years since I’ve tried to understand what went right that day in an attempt to duplicate the success. Sure, the muskies were hot and we didn’t see another boat containing musky anglers all day, so we were able to take full advantage of the feeding spree. But what set the fish off?

It was not because there wasn’t a diverse selection of lures. While the musky department of yesterday couldn’t rival what is now available, there certainly was a complete array of lure styles and weights. Small, lightweight bucktail spinners, weighing no more than 1 1/2 ounces, were certainly the most popular in northern Wisconsin, but we also had plenty of 4 to 6 ounce heavyweights. Large wooden jerkbaits were even more popular than they are today.

I really wanted these guys to get a fish!

The distant hum of a small outboard motor creeps into my consciousness as I deliberately make my way around the shallow, weed-covered point. All sounds seem to be amplified by the unruffled surface of the water. The occasional bluegill slashing at a caddis fly trumps the whir of my electric motor. The gurgling plops of my surface bait almost seem too much as it leaves a noticeable trail of bubbles on the otherwise motionless water. I consider switching to something a bit more subtle, but then I hear the water erupt.

The first spot we fished had been holding a big musky, that we had seen twice the day before. So as we cast the spot my adrenaline was rushing in anticipation of what might happen. On about the third cast a 45-incher hit at boatside and after a quick battle she was quickly released. I breathed a sigh of relief, relieving some pressure of at least getting one fish on film. Then it was back to trying to get the big one to strike. As we approached the tip of this large point, I made the first complete turn of the figure-8 with my bucktail when the water exploded. Unfortunately, the explosion was two feet way from my lure, as the big musky obviously misjudged my bucktail’s location. I continued to figure-8 feverishly, and my heart rate was certainly aerobic. However, the fish did not return and strike the bucktail.

To Bill Crane, it’s no surprise. “I figure people look at me and say that if Bill Crane can do it, then I can too,” he laughed.

As a “resort kid,” I got to know several of the old-time musky guides who fished the Chip. When I look back on it, many of the guides were the gruff, rough-hewn outdoorsman type, but they generally seemed to have time to answer many of my questions. And as an curious kid, I’m sure it seemed like I had a million questions!