Thank you guys for the info! I really appreciate it

I’m traveling up to Ghost Lake Lodge on Ghost Lake in Hayward Wisconsin in a couple weeks. I have never fished it, but I have fished the Chippewa Flowage many times. Has anyone out there fished this lake and have any pointers?Some of my family members are also going including my 79 year old mother who doesn’t fish much anymore, but I would love to show her a great time and show my brother and sisters why I’m still the favorite child! Thanks guys for any help

Thanks guys, it really was a blast! I think that the long one was a bowfin, that was the first one I saw in real life so I’m going from pictures.

The 3 best fish of the day. We had a blast on a beautiful day and caught a bunch! First Bowfin we ever caught.

Channahon is a great little town full of new subdivision ponds, up and down Rt.6 and Ridge road, perfect for little kids. I used to live just south of there in Coal City. Some of the subdivisions are HOA, but no one has ever said anything to me especially when my kids were with me. Also depending on how old your grandkids are and how you are looking to fish, the Dupage river is just North up Rt. 59 from you and has a great canoe launch. The river is basically a large creek, but I used to take my Jon boat up and down it, and most of the season it is very easy to wade. Goodluck hood this helps

I bet that poor ice fisherman anchors in the same spot in the summertime in his small aluminum boat and says the same words four letter words to that same skier

I agree that a guide should help you in filling a limit, and also learning a technique or two never hurts. It all depends on what kind of experience you are after. If I used a guide for a musky trip, I wouldn’t be happy if they were crossing a big Ski’s eyes and I was still waiting for my 10,000 cast bite

Sorry about your family’s loss, that’s great you are going to keep it in the family. What is your plan of attack when you start dissecting a new lake? Do you target a certain species or structure first?

I’ve never owned one, but have only heard good things about them. I also have a Mercury mechanic friend that talks very highly about them. He jokingly says that’s why he doesn’t stock them because he’ll be out of the service business!

Hahahaha! Great stories! I had a Vizsla who couldn’t swim very well either. She would try, but she looked like a slip bobber, straight up and down with her front paws throwing so much water all over the place and back legs barely moving! She loved to retrieve, but if you threw her ball into our above ground pool she would run around the top of the metal skirting and bark until the ball floated close enough for her to reach without jumping in. Thanks for the memories and stories!

Big o’ grandma baits fished slow, or a old school souix or reef hog. All good old jerk baits. I also agree constantly drag a sucker or two behind the boat, one shallow and one deep always worth a shot

Yes, there are plenty of liars out there with plenty of stories, but muskies are like a big old white tail, they get smarter and bigger as they get older. I have landed plenty of 40”+, never a 50” yet, but have seen some creatures that look like the size of your boat on the Big Chip in Northern Wisconsin. I do believe there are multiple 70+ pounders out there, but good luck hooking one. I think the new world record will be taken from the St. Lawerence sea way. You’ll never really know unless you try!

I had back surgery in ‘08, so Kayaks don’t work for me either. I would go with the widest Jon boat you can find and slap a sheet of plywood and some carpet down and have some fun. Plus you’ll have plenty of room for all your rods and a companion now and then, even if that’s a 6-pack

I actually just moved to Arkansas, I hear the crappie are going strong in the cedar trees on the Mulberry river, but I haven’t found any yet! The minnows they call crappie minnows down here are small bass shiners in Illinois! I think I just need to change my tactics a little.

I agree with a lot that has been said about looking into pitting. I had a pontoon when we lived in Illinois and our lake had a ton of iron in it. Our lake was made from them mining coal until they hit natural springs. Every year we pull the boat and clean the brown stains off and the toons were pitted after the first season, but they never leaked. Good luck, hopefully it’s a good boat!