Ed Tausk responded by saying he would like to see the respect and consideration displayed by today’s muskie angler to continue, especially as the size of the fish increases. “Vermilion has a rare opportunity with its muskie resource and we want to see it remain far into the future so future generations can enjoy what we hold so dear today. This is a precious resource that didn’t even exist twenty years ago and it’s up to us to maintain it. My hat’s off to our local Muskies, Inc. chapter for all they have done and [I] wish them continued success as they move forward regarding their efforts on Vermilion and muskie fishing in general”. At this point, you may be asking yourself why I never asked the owners about television’s impact on their respective lodges or the sport in general, since this was the preface for this article in the first place. The truth is there have been many contributors to the growth of the sport of muskie fishing. Simply Fishing, Joe Bucher’s Fishing with Joe Bucher and In-Fisherman have all contributed to a degree, but the true contribution comes in the form of you the anglers – the people who have supported larger minimum size limits, practiced sound catch and release habits and, in short, helped bring muskie fishing to its current level of popularity. You are the reason we have more fish in more systems, more lodges to frequent, and more loved ones to fish with. You are the reason our equipment is better today that ever before, with boats designed to fit the task. You are the reason we have less mortality, better reproduction and a stronger understanding of environmental conscience. You are the ones. All we are as producers, hosts and writers is a conduit to provide an exchange of information, and for me, that’s good enough. Here at Simply Fishing, we’re proud of our success. We have produced almost 500 episodes, with many of them devoted to muskie, and we adopted a total catch and release policy on our very first program and live today to continue to promote it. And thanks to the support of the viewers, our program and others have access to some truly incredible fishing. Because of you, our friends the lodge owners welcome us with open arms. It’s now up to you to seek these people out and show them how much you appreciate their investment in our future. I know some of the lodge owners’ responses seem a bit on the commercial side, but that is to be expected. If they are to remain in business to service our needs in the future, they must sell their facility and services at ever turn. But, did you recognize as I did that during every attempt to pitch their lodges, they never lost sight of their passion for the sport, the fish, or the anglers? I did. These are the people who in some cases have risked everything to provide for us, and I’m happy to return the favor by giving them this forum to share with us how much they would like to continue to do so. The rest is up to you. Bob Mehsikomer is the host of the Simply Fishing Television Series, seen weekly throughout the United States, Canada and abroad on many networks including Fox Sports North, Fox Sports Wisconsin, WFN, the World Fishing Network, TLN, PAX, and more. For more information on Bob Mehsikomer or Simply Fishing, contact them at: www.simplyfishing.com We also invite you to contact any of the following Lodges for your next muskie experience: Pehrson Lodge Resort – Eric and Mary Hanson 2746 Vermilion Drive Cook, MN 55723 1-800-543-9937 www.pehrsonlodge.com vacation@PehrsonLodge.com Century Lodge - Randy Tyran Winter: 23777 North Shore Drive Edwardburg, MI 49112 269-699-5792 Summer: PO Box 785 Dryden, Northwestern Ontario, Canada P8N 2Z4 807-938-6863 www.centurylodge.com info@centurylodge.com Vermilion Dam Lodge - Ed Tausk PO Box 1105 Cook, MN 55723 800-325-5780 www.vdl.com vdl@vdl.com Wiley Point Lodge - Eric Brown Jr. Box 180 Sioux Narrows, Ontario, Canada P0X 1N0 807-226-5275 www.totemresorts.com info@totemresorts.com

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