The only thing that I would add to the good advice that has been posted thus far is to remind you not to be afraid to make a little contact with the structure you’re fishing, whether it be weeds, rocks, sand, etc. Found this to be a very valuable bit of advice I got from a fellow musky nut last summer/fall as we spent more time trolling. Yes, you may spend a little more time cleaning baits, but we found the reward to be worth the effort.

Good luck in your musky hunting….please post your results throughout the year. As someone mentioned earlier, don’t get discouraged if you don’t have success right away….muskies are a different ballgame altogether and patience is often your best friend out there.

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Long driving golf game can be found at pinnaclegolf.com….almost as good as the real thing.

Travis,

Recovery time is next to nothing…the only discomfort I had was when the numbing drops wore off after the surgery, and this lasted all of 90 minutes. My vision was a little cloudy the rest of the day, but by day two it was like a whole new world. You’ll truly be amazed by how much crisper your vision is without lenses. The only thing that takes a little time to go away (a few months) is the halo effect around lights at night. It’s not bad enough to make driving dangerous, but you will definitely notice it for awhile, but it does go away.

I’ll sign off now, as I fear that I’m going to be labeled the “poster boy” for this surgery….good luck.

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I was seeing 20/20 the next day…was, and am still, seeing 20/10 at my 10 day checkup.

I was the same way…wore contacts for years and then got tired of them and stuck to glasses. Got tired of that and decided to get things taken care of for good, and have been a happy camper every since.

By the way, Travis, did you live in Austin,MN for awhile when you were growing up (across/down the street from a school)? If you are, I think you and I used to hang out together in that neighborhood…does the name Eric Elwer ring a bell at all? Saw your name on here awhile back and have been curious to know.

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One more thing…here’s where I had mine done (Maple Grove, MN location). There is a bunch of good information here, as well as a description of how the “warranty” (acuity plan) works.

http://www.lasikplus.com

Holler if you have any questions….

My surgery was $2400, with another $400 for the “warranty”, bringing the total to $2800. This was within $100 of the lowest quote I got for my prescription….highest was about $3300 without the warranty.

Do you know what your current prescription is? That’s what is ultimately going to drive your cost, as well as any astigmatism that you may have. My situation was one eye being -6.5 w/ an astigmatism, and the other being -7.25. The higher the correction (prescription), the higher the cost.

If the Cities are too inconvenient, you might want to look at Rochester as another alternative. I’m really surprised that you’ve only got one provider…that could explain the higher cost.

Hope this helps…

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Short of marrying my wife, this was the smartest thing I’ve ever done. I had been wearing glasses/contacts for 23 years before I had it done last winter and I can tell you that it’s better than advertised. I can’t tell you how liberating it is not to mess around with glasses and contacts, not to mention how much crisper my vision is since the surgery as compared to my “corrected” vision with lenses.

I don’t mean to sound like a raving idiot, but it really has been a wonderful experience for me.

That said, I’ll offer a couple of additional suggestions for you to think about.

1. Shop around…go to a few providers and gauge your experience in each office. I went to 4 different offices before settling on mine, and the difference was amazing. In two of the offices I felt like livestock just being pushed throught the process, with little or no concern for my individual questions and concerns.
2. Cost…here in the Twin Cities everyone is now in the same ballpark on cost as the competition has gotten stronger and wider. It’s still worthwhile to call around and see what you can find out. If you have your prescription, you should be able to get a pretty detailed quote, as the price changes based on the amount of correction.
3. On-going care….ask to see if you can get a lifetime adjustment plan. It may cost you a few bucks (mine was $400 more) but it covers any adjustment I may need for life, rather than just one year as most of the typical plans offer. Seems $400 is worthwhile if you can avoid having to dole out another couple grand to have an adjustment in 5-10 years. Additionally, I’m only 31, so I’ve got a few years to go and my eyes are likely to change at some point.
Paying the bill….if you haven’t already, talk to your employer about cafeteria plans that allow you to save money from your paycheck on a pre-tax basis to use for medical expenses such as this that are not covered by regular employer health plans. Going this way is an immediate savings of 20%+ by using pre-tax money. There are also a lot of providers that have 0% interest financing plans available as well.

Hope this helps…if you have any further questions, please post them here and I’ll be happy to help out where I can. I’ve sent 3 people to the same Dr. I went to up here and each one has had the same experience. Good luck…

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Fishing gear for Christmas? I can’t think of a better gift…count me in.

We were out for about 3 hours this morning with no action…we trolled and spent a little time casting a few breaklines to no avail. The only hook up we had was pulling a big Tracker boat off the landing as they got a little hung up with the wind blowing in. You’d think that the musky gods would be forgiving after helping another boater, but it wasn’t to be. I’m saying my prayers that we get another shot at hitting the open water, but it’s not looking real good in the immediate future….the thought of winterizing the boat nearly has me in tears. Let us know how you make out tomorrow with the walleyes and muskies if you take time to throw for them.

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I’m still carrying around the ‘rookie’ label myself as this is my first full year of musky fishing.

I’d throw big stuff…Jakes, Believers, Suicks, Reef Hawgs, etc. in the bigger sizes. The fish we’ve caught recently have come on bigger baits as the fish are stocking up for winter. We caught a fat 42″ last Thursday on a 10″ Jake trolling in about 7 feet of water. I tried to post pics, but still can’t get the stupid pics under 100K bytes. If I ever figure out how to downsize the pics, I’ll post them here. I’ll post info on our trip tomorrow….good luck on Friday…looks like the last decent open water day for awhile.

Is the walleye fishing pretty decent on Indy? In my recent musky trips I’ve consistently seen boats sitting on the humps in the middle, as well as the point on the west side of the lake. I’ve heard there is a pretty aggressive stocking plan in place, but have never talked walleyes with anyone I’ve run into there….just curious.

There are two baitshops that I know of that are on your way…

There is little strip mall about a mile or so east of 494 on Bass Lake Road with a bait shop on the east end of it. The only other one that I know of is on 394 by the car dealers. Again, it’s in a little strip mall on the north side of the road…I’ve never been to this one, but it’s easily visible from the road…not sure what exit to use to get to it.

The pass is offered by the Three Rivers Park district and is good at about a dozen or so lakes around the metro area that you otherwise have to pay for. I think I paid $26 for mine this year.

The docks are out of the landing and the lake is very low right now….shouldn’t be a problem, but you might want to take a quick look before dropping your boat in. I’ll be out on Thursday in a black C-liner chasing toothy critters that are fattening up for winter.

Good luck on the water…

I’ve been messing around with Microsoft Photo Editor but can’t figure it out…darn technology.

Throw another one on the list…I’m ready to go.

Weather permitting, I’ll be on the north/west side of the lake somewhere. I’m still a little giddy from seeing those fat walleyes a week or so ago, and would like another crack at them before the end of the year.

I would also like another opportunity at picking up a rogue musky….I’m dying to get my hands on one of those slimy beasts on the big pond.

While not an expert, I have spent a large amount of time chasing muskies, particularly this year, and would guess that fish to be in the 32-34 inch class, weighing around 10-12 pounds (hard to guess weight without a girth measurement).

As far as the coloring goes, it typically has to do with the strain of musky you catch. The spots on your musky are consistent with the Leech Lake strain, whereas a musky with bars on its side is more typical of a Wisconsin strain of fish. I’ve seen a number of bigger fish come out of Leech that still have their spots as they’ve reached the mid to upper 40″ class. Leech has also served as the stocking source for a number of lakes in Minnesota, so it’s quite likely you’ve hooked into one in this instance.

Congratulations on your first musky….keep at it, as the excitement and challenge only gets better (and more frustrating) with bigger fish.

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I use the “miner’s lights” that have an elastic band that goes around your head…Gander Mountain has them for a few bucks a piece. They’re really nice, as they allow you to work with both hands free when you’re changing lures, taking off fish, pulling line out of your motor (yes, my brother pulled this stunt last year), etc. Between my boat lights and the “head-light”, I generally have enough light to get my work done. I also carry a big flashlight just in case, but rarely use it.

As far as navigational lights, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to have a big light, but I think you’ll be close enough to the shore most of the time that you may not need it. Again, follow the breaklines, and if you find a fish, don’t be afraid to go back over the spot and see if he/she had any companions down there.

Hope this helps….be sure to check out the reports from James and others before you go, as they’re very helpful in giving you the details of what’s working and where.

Did you have any luck fishing the rocks, aside from finding the rocks themselves? Sorry, couldn’t resist….did the same thing earlier this year and will be replacing my prop at year end. Did you happen to come across any green, toothy critters while you were at it?

The biggest concern I would have if I were you is getting yourelf into a location where you’re halfway protected from the wind if it’s blowing…in my opinion, the rough water is the most difficult thing about fishing the lake, particularly if you’re on the lake for the first time at night. Otherwise, it’s pretty straight forward…this time of the year you’re bound to find fish on the initial break lines where the water goes from 7-9 feet to 12-16 feet. These spots are typically within a couple hundred yards of shore, so you don’t necessarily have to run to the middle of the lake to fish Mille Lacs effectively. If you can find a spot like this with weeds, gravel, etc. then better yet. The north end of the lake has some real nice sand/weed breaks around the Wealthwood landing. If you decide to give this a shot, be very careful backing your boat away from the dock, as it is VERY shallow for the first hundred yards or so. Trim up your motor and you’ll be fine. I’ve also caught fish between the Garrison landing and north to the Harbor Inn which is just up the road a mile or so.

While I haven’t fished it much, the south/southeast end of the lake is loaded with rock piles, some of which come up pretty shallow. First time out at night I might stay away from this area until you can get a look at it during the day.

Otherwise, just be careful of the weather and try to find a relatively protected area for your first time out at night. If you can get a night with the moon out, you’re going to love it…it’s an amazing experience, particularly if you find a few willing walleyes! Good luck and let us know how you make out.

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More tackle? By God, if I have to then so be it!!! Add me to the list, please.

As long as I’m going to be with you on the 12th, we may as well make a weekend of it….count me in.

Eric

Thanks for the information….I appreciate it.