Fishing: Operation Muskie salute to veterans

[Spiel]

Fishing: Operation Muskie salute to veterans

 

 

WED. MAY 27, 2009

PATRICK DURKIN / Wisconsin State Journal

 

 

Army veteran Michael Winther of Portage, foreground,

holds a large muskie caught on Lake of the Woods while fishing with his brother David, background.

Winther family photo

 

 

For as long as men and women have left home for distant wars, they’ve ached for loved ones and yearned for familiar pleasures they’ll never again consider routine.

 

Much as they reread letters and e-mails until nearly memorizing each line, today’s service members also pass around hunting magazines and fishing DVDs until the pages fall out or the disks fail to function.

 

Words, photos, sounds and videos stir memories long kept dormant. It’s odd how people barely notice a balsam’s aroma or a muskie’s olive-drab back until they’re a half-world away, with no firm date or promise of return.

 

But it’s interesting, too, how people empathize with distant service members and want to help where they can, no matter their means or views.

 

One such example is Operation Muskie, (operatiomuskie.

embarqspace.com), which took root last year after muskie-fishing legend Dick Pearson sent several fishing DVDs to soldiers in Iraq.

He received a thank-you from Army Staff Sgt. Bret Wold, and several e-mail conversations followed.

 

Pearson invited Wold, a fellow Minnesotan, to go fishing when he returned from Iraq. That invitation soon blossomed into Operation Muskie, a four-day getaway to Lake of the Woods — between Minnesota and Ontario — for 20 service-members and 10 guides in August of 2008.

 

The guides and veterans were mainly from Minnesota and Wisconsin — the veterans served at least one tour in Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo or Afghanistan. Besides Pearson, the guides included Pete Maina of Hayward; Norm Wild of Antigo; Steve Jonesi of Rhinelander; Jason Schillinger of Wisconsin Rapids; Paul Klein of Van Dyne; and Doug Johnson of Warroad, Minn.

 

Wild considers Lake of the Woods the world’s best muskie water — and the lake backed him up. In slightly more than three days, the 30 anglers landed at least 50 muskies, including several between 47 and 52 inches, mostly with buck-tail spinners and top-water baits.

 

“Everyone knows the muskie is the fish of 10,000 casts, but these guys did much better than that,” Wild said. “Some of the vets were experienced muskie fishermen and some were green, but only one guy didn’t catch a muskie and almost every boat had multiple fish. They also caught some northern pike up to 42 inches long, so they had fun.”

 

The group fished from Walsh’s Baystore Camp in Warroad, and Frank and Laura Walsh housed everyone for free. The guides also donated their time and expenses, and rounded up donations to cover the veterans’ licenses and expenses.

 

“It’s the least we could do for such a great group of guys,” Wild said.

“They presented the guides and organizers with battle flags from places they served. It was a very moving experience.”

 

Among the veterans were David Winther of Sobieski, who retired from the Navy as a senior chief petty officer in 2007 after 21 years; and his brother Michael of Portage, who served as an Army infantry sergeant from 1999-2003.

 

During the event, David Winther landed a 491⁄2-inch muskie, the largest fish caught by the vets, and 38- and 40-inchers. These were his first muskies, maybe because he was seldom home during his Navy days.

 

“We had a good time, but it was also therapeutic,” David Winther said. “Some of the guys were severely injured, so it was good for them to get out and enjoy the fishing and camaraderie. You always hear people saying, ‘support the troops,’ but in all my years in the Navy I never experienced something like this.”

 

Operation Muskie returns to Lake of the Woods next month, June 29 through July 3. Michael Winther has helped with fund-raising to ensure the event continues. The group has already solicited donations from guides, resorts and tackle manufacturers, and auctioned the items to raise $17,500 for 2010.

 

Perhaps the most striking sign of the event’s success, however, is the mutual gratitude between vets, guides and organizers.

 

“They really appreciated the chance to go muskie fishing,” Wild said. “I’m sure they’re representative of everyone in our armed forces, which means we’re in very good hands.”