Some years ago Jerry Hnetynka and I hired guide, Dave Williamson for a days musky fishing on Minnesota’s West Battle Lake. Dave supplied the lures, rods and reels, and I became acquainted with the Shimano Calcutta big casting reel- the finest fishing reel I have ever used. Though I don’t like spending a lot of money on equipment, I bought myself a Shimano Calcutta. That reel has proven invaluable in recent years and I look at it as a precision instrument. That night Jerry and I took trophy muskies, myself using that Calcutta reel.

A second item I see as one of my precision hunting/fishing instruments is my Franchi 20 gauge over and under shotgun with 26” barrels and variable choke tubes. To me, this shotgun points like my finger and I don’t believe I have yet missed a pheasant with this gun. I like nice tools.

Of all the fish and game I have taken in my life, my favorite trophy is large northern pike. On two recent trips to Canada, one to Lake Besnard, Saskatchewan and the other to Kwinogans Lake, Ontario I spent the vast majority of my time targeting large northern pike. Although it was difficult for me to watch my partners continuously haul in walleyes while I went after those big pike, I was satisfied to catch fewer fish but more northern pike.

To do this, I either trolled large daredevil spoons or continuously cast with my Calcutta reel for northern pike. Though this technique worked for me, the only drawback was that I caught too many little pike. On Kwinogans Lake during the week of August 4th-11th, I did catch two large pike- one a 16 pound fish and the other a 14 pound fish. I have also learned through experience, and this is extremely important, that big pike move into deeper waters as August progresses. I was very happy and if I never fish again I feel like I went out in a blaze of glory.

That Calcutta reel mounted to a two-piece trolling rod and equipped with 30- pound test braided line performed miraculously for me and I never had a single backlash although I’m far from being proficient with a bait-casting reel. While at Besnard, I fished with the Gene Kisch family and at Kwinogans I was guest of Francis Doom of Wagner.

In last weeks column I told of my big toe accident that resulted from a fall in Pickle Lake Ontario the night before we flew into Francis’s cabin. Though the toe injury was very serious and amputation was considered, I chose to spend the week on Kwinogans and I was very happy with my decision. While at Kwinogans, I lost my balance a number of times and fell. I also became very weak. After returning to Wagner on Friday and heading to our second home in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin on Saturday this balance and weakness problem led to my hospitalization at UW Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin on Monday. At the UW hospital, I learned I have cancerous tumors on my brain that caused my balance and weakness issues. The people at UW hospital have been marvelous as well as my family and friends and I plan to continue my column just as long as I am able. Friends, family and I pray that my days with my Shimano reel and Franchi shotgun remain in my future. Like my hunting and fishing, I will keep you posted on my health. If you would like to follow along with my journey, I have a caring bridge site.

See you next week.