YELLOWSTONE LAKE STATE PARK - Eleven-yea-old Adam Meeker of New Glarus was looking to hook up with another carp when he tied into the fish of a lifetime recently below the dam at Yellowstone Lake. Adam and his father, Elijah Meeker, had gotten into fishing as a hobby only recently and were making their third trip to the Yellowstone Lake area.
"I honestly thought it was a medium fish that got caught in some rocks," Adam said. "Then it gave a huge, massive tug," he said in describing the incident.
The tug was a 42-inch musky with a 16-inch girth, as measured by Conservation Warden Jeff King who happened to be on patrol in the area with Deputy Warden Chuck Earhart around 7:45 a.m. on Sept. 21.
Excitement grew among the crowd when they realized it was a musky, Warden King said, "It didn't take long for every person fishing to drop what they were doing and come to watch the action. "People were offering advice and running for nets."
Landing the fish was not without difficulty. Adam watched as it took off to the other side of the river.
"I hit the button to release the line but it wouldn't release," he said, explaining that his entry-level rod and reel aren't very high tech.
"It leaps about three feet out of the water. That's when I really panicked."
The father/son team took turns working with the giant to get him in, according to Warden King. The fight went on for approximately 20 minutes before the two fishing companions finally brought the fish to shore.
The pair decided the musky should be released and put the fish back in the water for someone else to enjoy another time. After a few minutes in the water, it recovered nicely and swam away. The musky was caught using a night crawler for bait.
Considering his early success at landing a trophy fish, Warden King surmises that Adam will be forever "Hooked on Fishing."
requirements
or blaze orange clarified
MADISON - A recent Department of Natural Resources press release informed hunters of a blaze orange requirement for the exterior of all ground blinds.
The memo seemed clear enough until my brother, Dick, and I began discussing the purchase of a new blind for the upcoming deer season. The debate centered on whether the rule applied to private land as well as public land.
On cue, another DNR press release quickly surfaced that set the record straight. The blaze orange requirement applies only to land "under the ownership, management or control of the Department of Natural Resources."
The rule does not include any federal, county or municipal lands open to public hunting, or to private lands. The law does not apply to blinds made from dead vegetation, nor does it apply to tree stands or other elevated stands.
It also does not apply to privately owned lands enrolled in the state's Managed Forest Law or Forest Crop Law programs.
When applicable, the blaze orange material must be at least a12-inches by 12-inches patch visible from all sides of the blind, according to Tim Lawhern, DNR Hunter Safety Program administrator.
The new law also contains requirements regarding blinds left unoccupied. Owners must post their DNR customer identification numbers or name and address somewhere in a conspicuous spot on the outside of the structure and near its entry point, Lawhern said.
- Lee Fahrney is the Times Outdoors writer.
He can be reached at (608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net
"I honestly thought it was a medium fish that got caught in some rocks," Adam said. "Then it gave a huge, massive tug," he said in describing the incident.
The tug was a 42-inch musky with a 16-inch girth, as measured by Conservation Warden Jeff King who happened to be on patrol in the area with Deputy Warden Chuck Earhart around 7:45 a.m. on Sept. 21.
Excitement grew among the crowd when they realized it was a musky, Warden King said, "It didn't take long for every person fishing to drop what they were doing and come to watch the action. "People were offering advice and running for nets."
Landing the fish was not without difficulty. Adam watched as it took off to the other side of the river.
"I hit the button to release the line but it wouldn't release," he said, explaining that his entry-level rod and reel aren't very high tech.
"It leaps about three feet out of the water. That's when I really panicked."
The father/son team took turns working with the giant to get him in, according to Warden King. The fight went on for approximately 20 minutes before the two fishing companions finally brought the fish to shore.
The pair decided the musky should be released and put the fish back in the water for someone else to enjoy another time. After a few minutes in the water, it recovered nicely and swam away. The musky was caught using a night crawler for bait.
Considering his early success at landing a trophy fish, Warden King surmises that Adam will be forever "Hooked on Fishing."
requirements
or blaze orange clarified
MADISON - A recent Department of Natural Resources press release informed hunters of a blaze orange requirement for the exterior of all ground blinds.
The memo seemed clear enough until my brother, Dick, and I began discussing the purchase of a new blind for the upcoming deer season. The debate centered on whether the rule applied to private land as well as public land.
On cue, another DNR press release quickly surfaced that set the record straight. The blaze orange requirement applies only to land "under the ownership, management or control of the Department of Natural Resources."
The rule does not include any federal, county or municipal lands open to public hunting, or to private lands. The law does not apply to blinds made from dead vegetation, nor does it apply to tree stands or other elevated stands.
It also does not apply to privately owned lands enrolled in the state's Managed Forest Law or Forest Crop Law programs.
When applicable, the blaze orange material must be at least a12-inches by 12-inches patch visible from all sides of the blind, according to Tim Lawhern, DNR Hunter Safety Program administrator.
The new law also contains requirements regarding blinds left unoccupied. Owners must post their DNR customer identification numbers or name and address somewhere in a conspicuous spot on the outside of the structure and near its entry point, Lawhern said.
- Lee Fahrney is the Times Outdoors writer.
He can be reached at (608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net
