Well folks, as you know I was invited to go to LOTW this week with the infamous Denny O from right here in IDO land.
Firstly, thanks to Denny O and each of you that posted well wishes for my kid brother and that our trip would go well.
In fact, it went very well, another adventure of a lifetime even though fishing wasnt that great until the last day, ya, it was cold, windy, raining when we got there, and a couple of minute long snow showers the next day or two.
My trip started with a lot of worry about John, the work load, etc so I went to communion just to ease my soul a bit, I gotta
tell ya, that is the first time a preacher ever kicked me out of communion, He kicked my out because I carried in my forty ounce big gulp cup from kwik trip, he didnt understand that I had a lot of things that needed righted so to speak.
( please Lord forgive me, I was only trying to humor the folks here )
Denny O brought supper for the first night and breakfast the next morning, man, what a treat it is to eat something made from scratch!!
I also got to meet Denny’s friend Jay that went along with us,another self made man that is an absolute blast to be around and getting to know him for a few days was nothing short of fun and an honor for me, I knew he was going to be a good guy
when I found out he drank Jack as well, and I will go ahead and mention we both emptied our jugs and ended up spending too much in the bar lol.
I gotta tell ya, I have been tinkering with a few issues with Denny’s Optimax, most of it was due to being several years old with very few hours on it and poor rigging from the original dealer.
I was a bit worried about it being cold weather, going out many miles from base camp and knowing it only had a couple of shake down runs on a local reservoir, but my MEDS unit, pressure gauges and my noggin said we were good to go.
Denny proved that when he crushed the throttle to ludicrous speed and the hole shot dang neart flung my fat butt out of the back of the boat!! Wholey crap!!
we were on plane instantly and with three persons in the boat and a ton of gear that girl was singing at 50 per! I can only believe it will get better the longer he runs it.
The first couple of days was fishing in the river only as the lake was just too dang rough, around four hours the first day and we had had enough so we came back in.
The third day we tried to get out on the main lake, about a mile out and too many rough waves did Denny in, we hit a very large wave that caused the air ride seat he was in to bottom out and slamming the vertebrae in his back into the storage lockers in the floor,
Folks, I didnt know human beings could make the kind of sounds from pain that he did that day, heck, I thought I was hurting from a broken back from years ago on top off crashing my plane a year ago, but I know I didnt hurt like he did.
The only good that came from it was that I was handed the helm a couple of times so that he could lay on the floor on the way out and back but dang that luck! I didnt get to feel what crushing the loud handle felt like nor did I get to run it WOT
The luck also ran out when both solix units quit linking to GPS halfway out to our 25 mile run but fortune was on our side when I stopped to wait for it to link back up and we realized we were further out than thought and on target within a few hundred yards.
I have no clue how I got us there and thankfully Jay recognized an eagles nest on an island he and Denny fished before.
On the way back I was told to look at an antenna that appeared to be four inches tall on the horizon and to aim for it, being an old farm boy that was how we plowed and planted in a straight line, pick a fence post and head straight for it.
I got us to the bouys and Denny took us in from there as I had no clue as to where the deadheads were, experience shined there I tell ya!!
On one of the first days, I dont remember which Jay caught a snot rocket and I caught a 20 inch walleye and a 21 inch sauger, it was then Denny told me I could not measure a fish by running the tape from the mouth to the tail and back around to the mouth,
well, so much for huge fish in that lake!! I mean, come on !! a ten and half inch sauger and a ten inch walleye!!??? someone is always trying to ruin my day HA HA.
The last day each of us put keeper fish in the live well along with a crappie I caught, what in thee heck is a crappie doing three inches off of the bottom??
Denny and I also had to put back an over at 21 and 23 measured Denny’s way.
I thought I was going to be able to see Godzilla pulled from the river but it was a 50 plus inch sturgeon caught by a fellow in the boat next to us, his first of two that day, congrats to him!
I also thought I had sasqautch sighted but it was Denny coming from the woods, haha, just kidding, had to make this last line up for Glen57!
Okay, long story I know and I am sure I left some of the highlights out but hopefully Denny corrects, uh,er, ahem, adds to this and fills in the missing parts.
Again, thanks to everyone, to Denny,Jay and the opportunity to see part of the big north woods for the second time in six years and I am looking forward to next year.
A huge shoutout goes to Sparklesonthewater for packing everything that I needed for the trip, Sparkles, you are something else and I am honored to have you in my life!!
i didnt think a woman could swear like that!!!!!! 
