TRG SPORTS/NEWS An Outdoorsman’s Journal: Big gills and the Ritchie Hotel Hello friends, As you are about to find out, I once again pegged out the fun meter. I hung out with my good buddy Paul Bucher, who owns the Cumberland Advocate, and had some quality campfire time as well as caught a mess of very large bluegill. Mark Walters Friday, May 30 — High 75, low 44 Each spring and often winter, Paul Bucher and I try to get together for some sort of fishing experience. Generally there is a ton of laughter and pretty much always, we catch what we are after. Today would be no exception to the laughter part, as Paul and I had to check out my lodging before we hit the water. The plan was a unique one. Paul’s good friend Chris Ritchie, who is in the 30ish bracket, owns the prettiest 40 acres in the area and on his property he has a deer stand fit for a king, or, in this case, fit for a marsh rat named Mark Walters, and this would be my home. Before we went fishing, the plan was to move into my home, and as we pulled onto the property Chris was mowing. Pretty soon, lawn chairs were pulled out, then a tasty beverage; hours later, it was getting dark and a campfire was lit, silly games were played, laughter was constant, and “oopsie,” we forgot to go fishing. In reality, Paul just finished his graduation issue and also his summer “Laker,” and I have been running hard since April 1. Two good buddies decided the gills could wait till the next morning. Chris’s shack is built for hunting but in all honesty could be lived in. Saturday, May 31 — High 74, low 45 Time to get serious and catch some “pigasaurus” gills like we have for about 20 springs. There is a lake with larger-than-average bluegill. It is so secret, you cannot even see it with a satellite, and if you try to put it into your GPS, it will blow up. Paul, Red the dog who thinks she is human, and MGW are on a fish whackin’mission with a pretty casual attitude. Mr Bucher would be tossing a 1/32nd-ounce hair jig, bobber with a waxie setup. I would go bare hook, half a red worm, and a bobber. As always seems to be the norm, my buddy had a few fatties in the live well before I was fishing, but, to put it simply, “I don’t care.” We caught so many 8- to 9.5-inch gills that there was a ton of “you get to live” releases on some fish with a pair of beautiful fillets. We spent the day in Paul’s 17.5 Alumacraft Competitor and it was an easy-peasy kind of day. Sunday, June 1 — High 78, low 49 My good buddy is gone till the next campfire and today I was given an assignment. I was chosen to wrestle my 17-foot canoe into a lake that is even more secret than the one we fished yesterday. This lake has the potential for 25-inch, 10-pound gills, and I was just the man to check it out. That might be a stretch, but the rumor mill had it that there were some real pretty fish in it. For the first two hours I could not go over 10 seconds without catching a fish. Normally that would be pretty neat, but in this case not a one was over 4 inches and small fish bore me. I had made the decision to try fishing by a beaver’s home and if I stayed in Smallville, I was going to paddle to shore, portage out, and head to yesterday’s honey hole. As soon as my red worm hit the water, my bobber vanished and the fish I had on was just over 9 inches. Just to make sure it was not a fluke, I casted back to the same spot and it was “sumo” on. Though it took some work, two hours later I was paddling to shore with a cooler of top-of-the-line gills and that evening had a very satisfying time eating fresh bluegill and having as much fun as a pig in a mud puddle. My job is killing me; on the other hand, we’re all dying! Sunset If you would like to advertise your business while sponsoring this spot on Mark Walter’s column, An Outdoorsman’s Journal, please call 715-223-2342 TRG SPORTS/NEWS An Outdoorsman’s Journal: Big gills and the Ritchie Hotel Hello friends, As you are about to find out, I once again pegged out the fun meter. I hung out with my good buddy Paul Bucher, who owns the Cumberland Advocate, and had some quality campfire time as well as caught a mess of very large bluegill. Mark Walters Friday, May 30 — High 75, low 44 Each spring and often winter, Paul Bucher and I try to get together for some sort of fishing experience. Generally there is a ton of laughter and pretty much always, we catch what we are after. Today would be no exception to the laughter part, as Paul and I had to check out my lodging before we hit the water. The plan was a unique one. Paul’s good friend Chris Ritchie, who is in the 30ish bracket, owns the prettiest 40 acres in the area and on his property he has a deer stand fit for a king, or, in this case, fit for a marsh rat named Mark Walters, and this would be my home. Before we went fishing, the plan was to move into my home, and as we pulled onto the property Chris was mowing. Pretty soon, lawn chairs were pulled out, then a tasty beverage; hours later, it was getting dark and a campfire was lit, silly games were played, laughter was constant, and “oopsie,” we forgot to go fishing. In reality, Paul just finished his graduation issue and also his summer “Laker,” and I have been running hard since April 1. Two good buddies decided the gills could wait till the next morning. Chris’s shack is built for hunting but in all honesty could be lived in. Saturday, May 31 — High 74, low 45 Time to get serious and catch some “pigasaurus” gills like we have for about 20 springs. There is a lake with larger-than-average bluegill. It is so secret, you cannot even see it with a satellite, and if you try to put it into your GPS, it will blow up. Paul, Red the dog who thinks she is human, and MGW are on a fish whackin’mission with a pretty casual attitude. Mr Bucher would be tossing a 1/32nd-ounce hair jig, bobber with a waxie setup. I would go bare hook, half a red worm, and a bobber. As always seems to be the norm, my buddy had a few fatties in the live well before I was fishing, but, to put it simply, “I don’t care.” We caught so many 8- to 9.5-inch gills that there was a ton of “you get to live” releases on some fish with a pair of beautiful fillets. We spent the day in Paul’s 17.5 Alumacraft Competitor and it was an easy-peasy kind of day. Sunday, June 1 — High 78, low 49 My good buddy is gone till the next campfire and today I was given an assignment. I was chosen to wrestle my 17-foot canoe into a lake that is even more secret than the one we fished yesterday. This lake has the potential for 25-inch, 10-pound gills, and I was just the man to check it out. That might be a stretch, but the rumor mill had it that there were some real pretty fish in it. For the first two hours I could not go over 10 seconds without catching a fish. Normally that would be pretty neat, but in this case not a one was over 4 inches and small fish bore me. I had made the decision to try fishing by a beaver’s home and if I stayed in Smallville, I was going to paddle to shore, portage out, and head to yesterday’s honey hole. As soon as my red worm hit the water, my bobber vanished and the fish I had on was just over 9 inches. Just to make sure it was not a fluke, I casted back to the same spot and it was “sumo” on. Though it took some work, two hours later I was paddling to shore with a cooler of top-of-the-line gills and that evening had a very satisfying time eating fresh bluegill and having as much fun as a pig in a mud puddle. My job is killing me; on the other hand, we’re all dying! Sunset If you would like to advertise your business while sponsoring this spot on Mark Walter’s column, An Outdoorsman’s Journal, please call 715-223-2342
Gilman running back Alex Copenhaver gets into some open space and eyes up a potential tackler from De Soto during scrimmage sessions held Friday in Cornell. Gilman has a big one to start the season Friday, hosting defending WIAA 8-Player state champion Owen-Withee at 7 p.m. MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS
Makenna Tlusty bounces a tennis ball and Bayley Metz prepares to backhand it over the net during the Medford Raiders’ first practice of the season on Aug. 12. Tlusty and Metz, both seniors, are two of the handful of Raiders who bring varsity experience into the new season which, after Saturday’s quad in Amery was postponed, will start today, Thursday, at new GNC opponent Merrill. Medford hosts Ellsworth at 11 a.m. on Friday. MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS
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