The Release

St. Cloud Chapter of Muskies Inc.

November, 2019 Issue # 23

Upcoming Events
November : Ryan McMahon Seminar

Date/Time: November 19th, 2019 at 7:30 PM

Board Meeting starts at 6:00 PM, all are welcome!
Location: Waite Park American Legion

www.stcloudmuskies.com

Message from the President

Ken Smith

Greetings everyone,
I hope you were able to enjoy some fall fishing. If you haven’t heard, our two past Presidents Bruce Kitowski
and Paul Amberg made a journey across our northern border and WOW….. did they put some impressive fish in
the boat. CONGRATULATIONS to both of you. I was the luckiest of all, by having my daughter home for the
first time since May. And yes we made it out fishing last Saturday with her boyfriend. The two of them were
tossing baits while I took care of the sucker hanging between them. I guess sometimes prayers don’t get the
answer you hope for (Erica catching the Muskie of a lifetime) but, sharing the boat with the two of them,
talking about everything that came to mind was what my answer was. I learned a lot by that experience. It’s not
all about catching fish, but the memories made while trying. However, Erica did have three follows that day
and we left early enough to get back before sunset. We capped the day off with s’mores around the bonfire.
So…. even though we all want that fish in the net, there is a bigger picture sometimes to look at.
Ok so…. I’m looking forward to our speaker on November
19th . Swing by if you haven’t been to a meeting recently.
And put December 17th on your calendar for the annual
Christmas Party. Bring a wrapped lure to pass. Lots of
2019 St. Cloud Muskies Inc. Board
stories will be passed and I’m still working on getting some
President: Ken Smith
of the past Officers to stop in and share some of theirs too.
Vice President & Magazine Reporter: Eric Poissant
Elections will be held that night and I know of some
Secretary: Scott Wold
switching and swapping that might be taking place but we Treasurer, Youth: Eric Kohn
sure would like to see some of our open positions filled. Membership & Contest: Nick Kuefler
Come on by in November and we can talk about it. Take it Seminars & Outings: Justin Sharer
home and think about it. We have a fun bunch of Board Political & Stocking: Aaron Meyer
Members and we’re looking to add to that. We will not Advertising & Newsletter: Scott Wold
have a General Meeting in November as we’re in the Merchandise: Mike Ruff
process of booking our typical big speaker for a date in
February that will work for them. Fish Dinner (non-voting): Ken Schmitt
MMPA Rep (non-voting): Bruce Kitowski
MMPA Rep (non-voting): Ken Schmitt
From the President continued on page 2
From the President continued:

Unfortunately I will be putting my boat to bed

this weekend. It got more of a workout this year
than last and I had some new people in the boat
fishing with me that caught fish. I enjoy nothing
more than netting someone’s fish. I had been
working through some back and leg problems
and finally feel more on the mend. Next year I’ll
be tossing more baits than I did this year. Hope
you’ve had a wonderful Halloween. Please feel
free to give me a call - 612-703-6239 - if you have
interest in becoming more involved with the
inner workings of the Chapter.

Respectfully,
Ken Smith

Opportunities Ahead!
By Eric Kohn, Treasurer and Youth Director

OUR fishing club is only as successful as the

participation of its members....Now that seems
like a simple concept but the importance of it is
immense. If YOU want YOUR club to get better
You have to help improve it. The days of a
passive membership are behind us. We need
members to be more active. Again, this is YOUR
club. Start out by trying to make it to the
meetings. Interact with members to improve the
club. There have been some great seminars and
outings that you missed in the last months. If
you are unhappy with the way the club does
something..make suggestions for change. But
most importantly show up.., this is your club run
by its members. There will be opportunities to
be more apart of the club upcoming from as
simple as volunteering to help share your passion
of fishing with area youth to becoming a member
of the board. Take advantage of these
opportunities. The St Cloud Chapter of Muskies
Inc is a great club full of very good fisherman
and women and above all good people that share
a bond of the love of fishing. Participate to make
YOUR club better. Get ready for some more
great seminars and more opportunities ahead to
volunteer and we will see you at the next
meeting.
 November Seminar Ryan McMahon

Check out twincitiesmusky.com. Also, check out Ryan McMahon at November's meeting. He's our
featured speaker! There's a very good chance you already know all about Ryan and the fact that he's one
heck of a guide. Ryan has owned McMahon's Musky Guide Service for about 10 years. He focuses
primarily in the Twin Cities and Detroit Lakes area and also fishes a lot in Lake Of The Woods. Ryan has
also appeared on Musky Hunter TV, Keyes Outdoors and In Depth Outdoors. He also writes for Musky
Hunter Magazine! It's fair to say he's got some heavy street-cred in the muskie world. I'm not sure I've
seen credentials like this nor have I been this excited to see a speaker before. Aside from him being a
fountain of wisdom when it comes to catching monster muskies, Ryan is a great guy to get to know and a
personality you will want to interact with at the meeting or on the water. See you on November 19th.
Outings
By Justin Sharer, Outings Director

2019 SCMI annual fall and monthly outings are officially in the books. It was a great year with increasing
participation. I just wanted to thank everyone for joining in the fun because it seriously is my favorite part of
being a member of our chapter. We saw new members, non-members, and the old faithful familiar faces that
seem to make it to every adventure.
We ended the "meet at the access" outings with a bang up day in October. The conditions were constant
snow, big wind, and we were rewarded with a few big fish. It was a day where you look at your fishing buddy
and laugh out loud wondering "why are we out here?" Then you bump into another boat of SCMI members
and exchange the same looks. Then the pictures started coming in:
I'll be working on the annual fall outing for next year and also putting together the list of monthly outings
for 2020 after we get through the holidays, so stay tuned. Consider joining us next year if you haven't before,
it's a good time.

Pictures from the October outing

Tom Ardolf with the big fish of the outing Brady Grundhoefer with a 47.5 inch
And the Lunker of the month at 52.75 inches Musky
 Pictures from the October outing

Alex Smith with a pretty 31.25 incher

Right:
Pat Lehner with
48.5 that hit a
Sucker
Contest Standings
By Nick Kuefler, Contest Director

Contest Standings October 31st 2019

Lunker of the month

Contest and Membership Report
By Nick Kuefler, Contest and Membership Director

October was an absolutely insane month. From the giant fish caught during our last monthly outing of the
season to the weather it has been a roller coaster for sure. Water temps are in that range where big baits,
suckers and trolling are turning into the best options so hopefully everybody has been prepping their gear
for the tail end of the season. I know personally I have been dying to try some new baits I picked up for this
fall season. It looks like Brad got into quite a few fish jumping from the middle of the list to the top with
ease! It just goes to show that getting out and really dedicating the time to figuring out the patterns can
really boost your numbers and produce plenty of quality fish. Congrats Brad! Those numbers are going to
be tough to beat.

For October we picked up 2 new members! Please be sure to provide a nice warm welcome to Tim Jeffery
from Cold Spring and Richard Matthews from St Joe. Remember to keep mentioning the chapter and all the
good we do to your friends and family and maybe consider signing up your kids or spouse. All the money we
take in from memberships goes right back into Muskies Inc. to help grow our sport and to preserve and
expand our fisheries. Members up for renewal in November include: Ron Cruser, Nick Deboer and Gulnara
Deboer. If you know any of these guys be sure to remind them that they need to get on the website and
process their renewal to keep that membership going.

As the weather continues to turn and the season changes be sure to remember your safety gear when you
are out doing whatever it is you are doing this season. Whether it is fishing, hunting, camping or otherwise
a little forward thinking and planning will go a long way to ensure that you have a great time and not a
tragic time. This time of year the cold and the sudden changes we can see in weather conditions can really
prove to be hazardous. Be sure to dress warm, wear or have handy your flotation devices and if your in the
woods keep that gun on safe and your “booger hooker off the giggle switch” (sorry, some things from the
Army just stay with you forever) until you’re ready to shoot. Thanks for taking the time everybody! Be safe
and have fun, its what life is all about.
 Article
Author

Message…

Article
Author

Message…

We want to see your pictures

I would love to feature more pictures from our membership. Most of us are avid hunters and fisherman.
Whether it’s hunting, fishing for any species, shed hunting or even morel mushrooms you're after, we want to
see your pictures. Please send in your pictures with a few words, if you would like and I will feature them in
the monthly newsletter.

Scott Wold
scottwoldmuskie37@gmail.com

Tom Ardolf with a chunky 48

that he caught on a sucker
"As I passed car after car on my way to the lake
tonight, I could see all the passengers look at the
boat that I was pulling in strange curiosity. The rain
beat down, the winds blew and the sky was the
darkest grey, and I knew my smirking onlookers
were all on their way back to a cozy home with a
warm supper awaiting. What are these animals we
call Musky? We don't eat them, we don't bring them
home to show our loved ones, we don't kill them for
sport? As I pushed cast after cast into thundering
waves, with everything around me dripping, damp
and cold (including myself), I realized the answer to
my question was something that I'd known all along.
It is the 'pursuit' that drives us, it is the chase that
justifies our eccentric behavior, almost manically.
The King of the water requires what most care not
to give. I will give, for it is the chase that drives me.
The reward can't be measured in gold or silver but
only in priceless memory. There is something very
special about these beasts... something very special
indeed.."

M Williams-
Milk Run Pro Staff
Corey Nazer 715-456-5531
www.NazeBaits.com
SCMI ℅ Scott Wold
65 Claremont St
St. Cloud, 56301