Lake Country - SE WI

[esox_xtm]

Took a spin around the Oconomowoc area today. Coming along but nothing like north of Hwy 10. Ice forming at the beach on LaBelle, in the protected bay on Fowler, Forest 85% ice covered, a little ice @ the landing on Pine and around the edges on Ashippun. Not much to get excited about here. We need more cold and less wind to get things locked up.

I've got the weekend and will probably head to Oneida/Vilas Co., there's plenty of options there. 

[Old Goat]

Cherokee is fishable

[esox_xtm]

Cherokee is fishable

Thanks OG! About 45 minutes for me. 

[52isntbigenough]

I'm musky fishing Pewaukee on friday. I need some luck to see open water.

[esox_xtm]

You'll be fine 52. Based on what I've seen around here you won't even have to break ice at the launch. Seems like it might have been November when Joe Ehrhardt set the bar for Pewaukee. Good luck, whack a fattie!

[52isntbigenough]

You'll be fine 52. Based on what I've seen around here you won't even have to break ice at the launch. Seems like it might have been November when Joe Ehrhardt set the bar for Pewaukee. Good luck, whack a fattie!

I was good friends with John Laimon from Smokeys, havent been in since he passed. Looking forward to getting out on PeeWee. Havent caught a sucker fish out there since fishing/managing the IMTT years ago

[esox_xtm]

I was good friends with John Laimon from Smokeys, havent been in since he passed. Looking forward to getting out on PeeWee. Havent caught a sucker fish out there since fishing/managing the IMTT years ago

I miss John too. Didn't get out there much but always stopped in when I did. You ran IMTT? How long? Buy you a Pounder if you can tell me who named it the "Iron Man". 

[52isntbigenough]

I miss John too. Didn't get out there much but always stopped in when I did. You ran IMTT? How long? Buy you a Pounder if you can tell me who named it the "Iron Man". 

Myself, Dan Johnson, Billy Vierkandt, Rick Hess and Kevin Mahlberg. did for 2 years. We HQd out of Johnsons taxidermy shop, which was the old Musky Mikes. This was 13 years ago.  I was always under the impression Musky Mike named it.

Dan and I did the muscle musky logo and got FigRig, Frabill and Sprecher to sponsor it

[esox_xtm]

Sorry, no Pounder for you! 

Waaaay back, somewhere in the early to mid 90's there was a tackle shop in Ocon that was known at that time as Pat's Pro Shop. I started there when it was Fish Doctors, what a mess that was. Anyway, Pat bought it and after the first year or maybe two thought he'd run a local musky tournament. He did a number of summertime weekly bass deals, an ice fishing gig or two also. So he schedules this for the first Saturday in November on Okauchee.

It was always on the cool side, maybe a time or two it was light jacket weather. One year it was particularly ugly. I was the last one to launch @ Breezy Point because I was helping get things going. It was so cold I almost lost it going down the drive to the launch because it was all froze from the trailer dripoff. No way was I making it back up. Had to park out of the way at the bottom until later that afternoon. Did the slow/no till 10am or what ever it was and then hit it to go to the other side of the lake in a 14 foot Sea Nymph with a 25 Yammie. It was a pretty sporty rig for its size. Well I hit a swell dead-on, never saw it coming. Water came over the bow, clear over my son sitting there and completely drenched me. Froze to my outerwear on contact. Didn't thaw until after lunch when the sun came out

I remarked to Pat afterward that the new name for his tournament was "The Ironman". He used that till he sold the shop. The new owner had no interest in running any competitions so there was probably a year, maybe two there was no tourney. All of a sudden the "Ironman" pops up again out of MM. Since those first ones were on Okauchee and the same Saturday I'm takin' credit for creating the name. Eventually, as you know, there were four events on that "trail" I think. Fished a few of them, good times and good folks.

Bump into Bill occasionally in Eagle River and Rick before they ran the WMT into the ground. Incidentally, I am the only one to catch a legal fish in Pat's event on an artificial lure, everything else was caught on suckers.

[52isntbigenough]

Sorry, no Pounder for you! 

Waaaay back, somewhere in the early to mid 90's there was a tackle shop in Ocon that was known at that time as Pat's Pro Shop. I started there when it was Fish Doctors, what a mess that was. Anyway, Pat bought it and after the first year or maybe two thought he'd run a local musky tournament. He did a number of summertime weekly bass deals, an ice fishing gig or two also. So he schedules this for the first Saturday in November on Okauchee.

It was always on the cool side, maybe a time or two it was light jacket weather. One year it was particularly ugly. I was the last one to launch @ Breezy Point because I was helping get things going. It was so cold I almost lost it going down the drive to the launch because it was all froze from the trailer dripoff. No way was I making it back up. Had to park out of the way at the bottom until later that afternoon. Did the slow/no till 10am or what ever it was and then hit it to go to the other side of the lake in a 14 foot Sea Nymph with a 25 Yammie. It was a pretty sporty rig for its size. Well I hit a swell dead-on, never saw it coming. Water came over the bow, clear over my son sitting there and completely drenched me. Froze to my outerwear on contact. Didn't thaw until after lunch when the sun came out

I remarked to Pat afterward that the new name for his tournament was "The Ironman". He used that till he sold the shop. The new owner had no interest in running any competitions so there was probably a year, maybe two there was no tourney. All of a sudden the "Ironman" pops up again out of MM. Since those first ones were on Okauchee and the same Saturday I'm takin' credit for creating the name. Eventually, as you know, there were four events on that "trail" I think. Fished a few of them, good times and good folks.

Bump into Bill occasionally in Eagle River and Rick before they ran the WMT into the ground. Incidentally, I am the only one to catch a legal fish in Pat's event on an artificial lure, everything else was caught on suckers.

Billy is up in Phelps. I actually made the logo for his guide service. I'm fishing with him on the Twins over Christmas. I loved the IMTT, maybe too much.

Fished Pewaukee on Friday. WIDE OPEN. We didn't see any ice and we went up to around Chester. Water temp was about 36. One thing we did see? Freaking idiot kids shooting a pellet gun as we trolled by.