For a first hand view of our recent Chigger adventures, be sure to check out this video clip!
Muskie Matt (famed local fishing guide, remember him from my last post?) does a weekly fishing segment for the NBC station out of Rhinelander and picked our Chigger fishing excursion for his latest topic! The lake trout you see on the video is 31.3" in length....what a beauty!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Chigger Fishing 7/18/08
"Did you ever wanna go and do some fishing? Get away from everything around here......"
And so goes the Chigger's tune, Fishing, and that's exactly what we did!
The good Captain and I spent the day Friday with Sid Chigger, Big Daddy Chigger (along with yorkie Bucky Badger and our pooch Buttons) and famed local Muskie Matt for a beautiful day on the water in hopes of hauling in a respectable catch of lake trout.
Mother Nature graced us with fair winds and a bright sunny day. Sounds great, right? Sure.....if you're water skiing or suntanning. Fishing.....a nice cloudy day with a little chop on the water is what tends to roust the masses out of the water and into a cooler full of ice. For fishermen new to the Big Lake the conditions were ideal though, so we headed off toward a favorite fishing spot. After the fish finder failed to find fish, and our lures weren't producing any better, we pulled lines and headed for yet another popular locale (but they're both secret!!) Sporting a set of new lures (another secret!) recommended by a local sports shop, our second attempt proved to be much more fruitful.....by mid-afternoon we ended our trip with smiles on our faces and fish in the box. The fish were down deep, seemingly unaffected by the weather, although I seriously suspect some other factors were at play, particularly the footware of choice by Muskie Matt (those'd be camoflouge fleece slippers, by the way). Not that I'm superstitious or anything.....but he might be on to something!
Our canine friends gently reminded us that a trip to shore was in order, so we left for Big Bay on Madeline Island. Anchored in 14 feet of water, we dinghied ashore to let Bucky and Buttons take care of business and romp about the beach before setting a bead on the marina.
There's nothing like ending a day of fishing enjoying the fruits of hard labor, so Captain Matt grilled some filets to perfection. Mmmmmmm.....nothing like fresh grilled lake trout (well, maybe fresh grilled salmon, but that's another trip!).
Our most respectable guests are certainly welcome back aboard Blue Ayes anytime, and I suspect we've not seen the last of this crew!! Stay tuned!!
And so goes the Chigger's tune, Fishing, and that's exactly what we did!
The good Captain and I spent the day Friday with Sid Chigger, Big Daddy Chigger (along with yorkie Bucky Badger and our pooch Buttons) and famed local Muskie Matt for a beautiful day on the water in hopes of hauling in a respectable catch of lake trout.
Mother Nature graced us with fair winds and a bright sunny day. Sounds great, right? Sure.....if you're water skiing or suntanning. Fishing.....a nice cloudy day with a little chop on the water is what tends to roust the masses out of the water and into a cooler full of ice. For fishermen new to the Big Lake the conditions were ideal though, so we headed off toward a favorite fishing spot. After the fish finder failed to find fish, and our lures weren't producing any better, we pulled lines and headed for yet another popular locale (but they're both secret!!) Sporting a set of new lures (another secret!) recommended by a local sports shop, our second attempt proved to be much more fruitful.....by mid-afternoon we ended our trip with smiles on our faces and fish in the box. The fish were down deep, seemingly unaffected by the weather, although I seriously suspect some other factors were at play, particularly the footware of choice by Muskie Matt (those'd be camoflouge fleece slippers, by the way). Not that I'm superstitious or anything.....but he might be on to something!
Our canine friends gently reminded us that a trip to shore was in order, so we left for Big Bay on Madeline Island. Anchored in 14 feet of water, we dinghied ashore to let Bucky and Buttons take care of business and romp about the beach before setting a bead on the marina.
There's nothing like ending a day of fishing enjoying the fruits of hard labor, so Captain Matt grilled some filets to perfection. Mmmmmmm.....nothing like fresh grilled lake trout (well, maybe fresh grilled salmon, but that's another trip!).
Our most respectable guests are certainly welcome back aboard Blue Ayes anytime, and I suspect we've not seen the last of this crew!! Stay tuned!!
Photo: Sid Chigger, Captain Matt, Admiral Becky, Muskie Matt, Big Daddy Chigger
absent: Bucky Badger and Buttons
absent: Bucky Badger and Buttons
Monday, July 7, 2008
Better late than never?
Hmmmm....how time flies, even when you're not necessarily having THAT much fun! Seems a bit of time has passed since my last entry.
After a successful "splash" in mid-May (yep, "splash" is the technical term used to describe a 50 ton travel lift gently picking up a large boat and placing her back home in the water), the start of our boating season was continually stalled by mother nature, followed by a couple of weekend activities including a graduation and two weddings. Seriously, why does anyone get married in the summer?!??? There's absolutely no utility in it whatsoever. The weather is far to unpredictable anyway, so if an outdoor wedding is truly coveted, head to Jamaica or Mexico in February when everyone is itching for a break anyway. Otherwise, leave the summer months alone.....my boating time is too precious! Pick the third or fourth weekend in March. Think about it - you can't ski, snowboard or snowmobile anymore. Ice shacks are no longer legally allowed on the lake. Yet it's too cold and crummy to be doing anything outdoors, including yard work. There's not much on for professional sports that can't be Tevo'd. It's perfect.
In any case, life on the boat picked up quite a bit later into June, and this latest fourth of July celebratory stretch presented the finest weather yet this year in the Apostles. We spent two days on the boat while my husband completed five dives for his Advanced certification. His instructor Mike, brought along his lady friend who turned out to be none other than favorite author Victoria Houston! What an unexpected treat! In addition to the company, the weather was phenomenally cooperative. Rich conversation and a warm sunny atmosphere provided for yet another glorious experience aboard Blue Ayes.
Photo: Mike, Vicky, Becky
A culminating event to the holiday, Matt and I, along with our daughter Brittany and her boyfriend Anthony, enjoyed the fireworks display seated on the bow while at anchor outside of the Bayfield harbor. The clear night quickly gave way to thunderous cracks and booms that lit the sky with vibrant showers of all shapes and colors. (I suspect most of the canines in Bayfield county were going completely bonkers that evening....if only they could enjoy it, too!). Now that July has been appropriately ushered in, let's see if summer follows suit.
After a successful "splash" in mid-May (yep, "splash" is the technical term used to describe a 50 ton travel lift gently picking up a large boat and placing her back home in the water), the start of our boating season was continually stalled by mother nature, followed by a couple of weekend activities including a graduation and two weddings. Seriously, why does anyone get married in the summer?!??? There's absolutely no utility in it whatsoever. The weather is far to unpredictable anyway, so if an outdoor wedding is truly coveted, head to Jamaica or Mexico in February when everyone is itching for a break anyway. Otherwise, leave the summer months alone.....my boating time is too precious! Pick the third or fourth weekend in March. Think about it - you can't ski, snowboard or snowmobile anymore. Ice shacks are no longer legally allowed on the lake. Yet it's too cold and crummy to be doing anything outdoors, including yard work. There's not much on for professional sports that can't be Tevo'd. It's perfect.
In any case, life on the boat picked up quite a bit later into June, and this latest fourth of July celebratory stretch presented the finest weather yet this year in the Apostles. We spent two days on the boat while my husband completed five dives for his Advanced certification. His instructor Mike, brought along his lady friend who turned out to be none other than favorite author Victoria Houston! What an unexpected treat! In addition to the company, the weather was phenomenally cooperative. Rich conversation and a warm sunny atmosphere provided for yet another glorious experience aboard Blue Ayes.
Photo: Mike, Vicky, BeckyA culminating event to the holiday, Matt and I, along with our daughter Brittany and her boyfriend Anthony, enjoyed the fireworks display seated on the bow while at anchor outside of the Bayfield harbor. The clear night quickly gave way to thunderous cracks and booms that lit the sky with vibrant showers of all shapes and colors. (I suspect most of the canines in Bayfield county were going completely bonkers that evening....if only they could enjoy it, too!). Now that July has been appropriately ushered in, let's see if summer follows suit.
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