"The Luckiest Fishing Day of My Life"
 It all began, like any other July trip, with a 4
hours road trip up to Lake Vermillion. My buddy Scott Rosin and I were celebrating our
40th birthdays together, and this was one of the only trips our wives would agree to let
us go on. The thought of us landing in jail in Las Vegas seem to worry them!
Anyway, we arrived, got settled, and met up with
our guide, Jim Roerig on the very next morning. An average day of average walleye and
some big bass gave us a taste for what was to come the next day. Night then fell with
one of the most beautiful sunsets God has ever made. It is indescribable to anyone who
has not seen one of these in person, but I was lucky to see it.
The sun then rose, and we entered the water
just around 7:00 am to a small island spot that Jim decided to park at. Now was the
time for the big daddy lures to come out. Massive lures, huge razor sharpened hooks
and unbreakable leaders impressed both my friend and I. You see, we had not fished
for muskie in our entire 80 years combined, but we anticipated it to be an experience
to remember. With Scott at the bow and I at the stern, we began to heave these monster
lures into the glass top water. It was then, on only the third cast of my morning, that
I experience the moment in every muskie fisherman's life that keeps him/her coming back
for more. A strike like no other I have ever seen. It matched that of a cable show
I saw on TV when a tarpon thrusts itself out of the ocean, attacking a lure. With
one big jerk of my rod, the monster was hooked! Now, being in the summer heat,
it was not a long fight. Approximately 10 minutes of solid fun. Coming along side
the boat, I was astonished by the size. The comment from my friend, being the humor
expert was, "That's the biggest catfish I ever seen!" After minutes of landing,
unhooking with pliers (by the way, who uses pliers. This was a big fish!) and taking
some quick photos, we began the screams and high-fives in the air. I was now part of
the elite. A 48 inch muskie was on record, and I made sure my friend Scott knew
that ALL DAY LONG!
Now, what makes this story fit the title
is this. We ended up heading to the casino for breakfast, and being in the state
I was, I felt lucky. $200.00 bucks later in my pocket, I left the casino a richer
man. But it gets better, we then began to fish for lunch, walleye to be exact.
I brought in a 25 inch and a 27 incher. Not to mention the dozen plus others as
well. I actually out-fished my friend by 18 to none. That's right, he was skunked,
fishing the same holes, same lures, and even my rod at one time to help him out.
Nothing but skunk-ola for Scott.
Now, being the friend I am, I should point
out that he did hook into a larger muskie than mine that same day, but lost it.
But as for me, it was the luckiest fishing day of my life, and one I will never forget,
and probably never beat. What a day ....
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