I wasn’t an easy sell though and decided to split my next trip between the standby and this new mysterious seductress that my friend seemed to have fallen in love with at first sight. After the first nine days on ol’ reliable battling party boats, speedboats, wave runners, water skiers, tubers, and unbearable fishing pressure, we hit the back nine on Dryberry and only encountered two other boats in more than a week’s time. The fishing was good too in spite of the fact that this was our first solo navigating the twenty-seven thousand acre lake. We didn’t know our way around and we didn’t know the spots, but we still raised more fish in nine days than in ten years at the other place. These were fat fish too, unlike the anemic variety we were used to seeing. Hogs!

This fall I will travel fifteen-hundred-and-three long miles to make her acquaintance once more - Dallas to Chicago by air and then Northern Illinois, through Wisconsin and Minnesota, and on up into Ontario’s Sunset Country by car. This is a journey I have been making for the last nine years and, God willing, I will experience many more great adventures to come on Dryberry Lake. The allure isn’t her big muskies alone, although the thrill of the hunt and the probability of a powerful strike make the long haul well worth it for me. Were it not for the big muskies I guess I would probably be tossing spinners for large mouth bass on Caddo Lake, but the total experience on this Canadian treasure is so phenomenal that the wonder of it all takes me back to my childhood when everything was a mystery.

Today my Muskie Mistress awaits my arrival and in twenty-eight days I will be with her again to challenge the Queen of Dryberry Lake prowling the deep (and the shallow) with a reckless abandon like only such an aggressive fish can do. Those big toothy critters have captured the heart of this muskie man, but it is the true outdoorsman in me that gets carried away upon the waves. Her natural beauty; towering cliffs and rich vegetation are the perfect setting to escape the stress and pressure that life so often brings. I enjoy the boat ride maybe more than the stops we make along the way to cast. I feel free and at home – a million miles from “the real world.”

When she gets angry she shows me her dark side; I’m wise to respect her fury when this time comes. In an instant the peaceful pool can turn into a raging sea, but she always comes around to reveal her beauty to me again. This is what comes naturally for her and it’s what I love about her. The proof is in the pictures I take and in the memories she makes. It is evident on my face when I speak of her, I’m told. My Muskie Mistress’ big fish and awesome wilderness make me feel like a Sunset Country Superman every time we’re together.

________________________________

Bob Chochola is a freelance Writer and Photographer based in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area. Read more of Bob’s articles and check out his photo galleries at WWW.BOBZILLA.TV
Send Bob fan mail at  \n This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
On MySpace  myspace.com/muskiebob