Bassmaster Classic Champion Justin Hamner stops by the show to kick off his monthly podcast residency. We talk about the Florida Elite Series events, his name on a NASCAR and Roll Tide Willy. But that’s not all – next up friend of the show and Musky Master Pete Mania returns to the podcast and shares his thoughts on fishing technology and how he sees it changing musky angling, turkey hunting, prepping and much, much more.
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so we got another two Banger for you this week first we are joined by the reigning and defending Bassmaster Classic Champion Justin Hamner joins us with this month’s Hamner time and then we are joined by Mr musky himself that’s right Pete Maya joins us to talk about all things going on in the fishing industry and how it affects the musky world this week Justin Hamner and Pete Mana join me on [Music] I’m Bob Cobb from the bassm Welcome to Mercer welcome one welcome all friends family freeloaders fish and freaks humpers of course you’re are all welcome here at the awkwardly honest fishing podcast that goes by my last name which is Mercer welcome into the 159th edition of the Mercer podcast I hope you are having a wonderful week and a happy hump day to all of you hard to believe it is May 1 already um which I mean is a great time of year I mean that they birds are chirping the sun is out in most parts of the world this is when the uh when the world comes to life so um come on out of hibernation and while you’re doing it hey tune into this podcast which you already have if you’re hearing my voice I thank you guys for watching each and every week I’ll be honest there’s some parts of this job that that I I’m not very good at and one of those is the asking a pro a question at the end to ask the next Pro I was enjoying doing that but I’ve forgotten to do it and I forget to do it again on this show but I promise that will be back for those of you that keep messaging another thing that I’m going to bring back is I’m going to bring back way back in the original part of this show we used to read one comment every single week and uh I’m going to Dawn the glasses and read a comment from last week’s show be clear this is not my words these are comments I’m reading from somebody else but they they are somewhat humorous this is from bass and fun in this week’s edition of mercer the camera wizard goes for a ride of a lifetime two days in a row Dave breaks the rule and orders the egg fu yuck and well he pays the price two days in a row in the glory story of the week and our boy Cory Johnson wins his first blue trophy by a whole day leaving him the option to go nurse on Dave if need be or go swimming with the kids maybe shop around town in any event he leaves Cooper Galant as the only Canadian still without a blue trophy that was that was a little mean in lunatic’s Corner Ontario denies kids the rights to slay creatures in the Mist until they’re 12 Hell by that age white tail won’t be the first tail to come to mind come on Ontario get with the program and last but oh not least some Nob balls Looney Tune that can’t catch him wants to spend his free time stalking dudes who can catch him only to jump the gun and protest these Anglers he only wishes he could be only to learn he’s still an idiot great show as always Dave so there’s this week’s news according to uh what was his name again I mean he’s very very talented newswriter um bass and fun so thank you bass and fun it won’t be his stuff I read every single week but I will read a comment every single week I’ll remember to do that and I will remember to do the ask a question answer question stuff that I had getting going but let’s just jump right into this week’s show because we are starting with none other than our reigning and defending Bassmaster Classic champion barely has a voice but he’s here for Hamner time it’s happening the first ever Hamner time segment yeah you’ve been waiting for this haven’t you I’ve been waiting this is the only reason I Dido good in that tournament just so we could do this get that yeah try to get that residency hey well you got it now you got it now the first one I don’t have a voice awesome what’s going on with your voice you got me sick no no I think you’ve been podcasting around if you ask me you’ve been I’ve been seeing you all on all those different podcasts getting that voice B out yeah because I’m usually not one to talk so now everybody’s making me talk it’s terrible are you tired of telling that story about searching for change yes I am hat it and now for this segment we’re gonna make Justin hemmer cry I don’t even believe you’re really crying anymore I believe you just you’ve told it enough times that I mean The Show Must Go On hey y’all want to talk about how broke and poor I was let’s go not anymore though not any more I’m so rich you uh I mean you have your name on freaking NASCAR bro I mean well you had it it’s what happened to the name like do you get that part of the car they’re actually yeah so they he actually wrecked right there at the end I don’t know if you saw that I I was busy at a bass tournament is what I was doing oh you still do that yeah okay you were part of that weekend no I was not it was uh but no dude so like going into the like whatever to the Finish Line everybody’s like V him for the spots and all this stuff the dude that’s let it for like 20 or 30 laps he like he’s trying to fend everybody off and like barely bumps one of the dudes spins him out so everybody behind I mean it was just like chaos it was so cool but anyways I got the they’re actually getting like it’s not the piece of the car I think I think it’s just the laminate that they had over it but Ross Chastain the driver like sided it and there framing getting sending it to me G be wow freaking sweet wow I was a little let down I thought it was going to be your face but it was just your name I mean I really thought it was gonna be big old teeth just shining at you so how was that whole experience I mean that’s Al T was Taladega I mean doesn’t get much more alabamian than that it don’t roll TI um I’ve never been before like it’s embarrassing to say been from Alabama you never been to DEA it was insane like just the crowd F Alabama’s finest was there I can promise you that and their cousins they were there in full force but they actually like I mean I can’t go to another race now without being in the pits like that was that was too cool like what in the world they literally had us like in the pit stop like we’re just sitting there like hanging out with the guys that’s changing the tires and stuff and they have like the pit box that raises up above it and actually have the headsets on and listening to the driver talking with like the people that’s directing I don’t know there’s a bunch of logistics into it that I did not expect but it was cool and then like two boost down whatever was Michael Jordan okay Champions like to hang out with Champions did you apparently even though he just like ignored me but um he loves fishing though I know that’s what you said I was like I didn’t know he loved fishing cat’s 23 he’s got a boat cat’s 2 three I mean he I missed my opportunity you did he had some big body like Miche Jordan’s a big dude but his bodyguards bigger pretty big yeah they bigger they big whenever they told me the back you know just like okay I’m sorry I know it looked feisty and all but yeah you’re wiy I needed I needed you I need did you well you needed me for more than that that that week I mean we made a deal on this show where I was going to gentleman start your or drivers start your engines I guess gentleman’s not we go back to gentleman’s now that what’s her name’s not there anymore so well hey they them start your engines so do you think somewhere in the world Michael Jordan like he’ll see this podcast and be like are you kidding me I was that close to the back Master Classic Champion that happens reach out I’ll come we’ll meet I’ll sign your I’ll sign your forehead if you want me to I don’t care did did anyone recognize you there do did you get recognized I actually did like it was weird there was like other pit crew I don’t know I think it was the monster car like one of their pit guys like saw me it’s like oh dang dude started talking to me and gave me a few energy drinks that was cool but yeah there was like several people it was awesome I don’t know it’s weird I ain’t used to that what I’m just the guy that’s like always been like in the corner just like hey guys I like fish now it’s like they just shove you out there oh okay cool my name’s on that car let’s go I think I mean fun though I guess guess I guess I mean how long were you there for the whole race like you got there early and stayed to the end absolutely just I mean there ain’t no missing that wreck at the end no crazy no and yeah and then the you know Michael Jordan’s dude wins it so they like pull us around back to the big victory thing that they had set up it was it was awesome so you went around to the victory thing yeah oh yeah wow wow I mean like it was legit they sitting there I don’t know popping champagne I wanted a bottle popping bottles that’s what we need to do for like we need to I love the classic celebration and everything I wouldn’t mind if you had a bottle of champagne and just spray me down with it that i’ have been time with that let’s make a deal I mean if you win it next year I I’ll I’ll buy the bottle of champagne I mean it won’t be great but I will buy it and and when you’re just all adorned with all that confetti I will just spray you and it’ll be a sticky mess oh I’d still be picking off confetti that stage would never be the same again hey all you got to do is win the class again that’s easy yeah nothing to it Florida swing went good for you I mean you you’re still in the top 10 for angler of the year you what 20 something in the first one Harris chain then um I was sick for part of the St John’s river but so were you by the looks of the I know what happened I was sick like three or four days later um you know who knows how I got that you never even saw me how could you didn’t get it from me you never even saw me the whole tournament I mean you didn’t make the weekend I was you interview me that morning well that I did we did have a we we did not get close enough I’m just joking Dave you didn’t get me sick it was Swindle um yeah why was it Swindle because he was sick yeah okay there was a lot of people sick lot like going around I think it was a lot of like the leftover classic stuff just been like slowly making its through way through everybody it’s like a lot of the guys that you know that have work the Expo and stuff they all get sick and then started slowly getting the some didn’t have to work yeah got us got us but Florida was fun dude I like it was haris chain it was tough I mean it was tough but it was fun fishing yeah it was it was like back to the swim jig I thre swim jig and frog and flip both weeks actually that was that was cool but at St John’s I I had such a good practice like I hate good practices it’s what happens every time I like found some fish way off like off the beating Trail they was like I think it ended up being me and Paul Mueller we’re like the only two guys in there um I mean massive fish on bed like big ones and how I I don’t know I still don’t understand these title Fisheries enough but that’s what kind of kills me is all always waiting for that tide to like drop or come up or whatever they’re supposed to bite in it’s like okay they’re not doing their thing now it’s because the tide isn’t right so I just wait around wait around and that’s what happened that first day I was like okay there there was massive ones on bed here the day before maybe the tide ain’t right and no they were just gone and I mean obviously it was too late before I figured that out they just bailed so uh yeah the next day I just went back to that same area and just pulled out and heck yeah I can do that now I qualify for the classic I could do stupid stuff like that right yeah I can’t believe the guy that always says Roll Tide is blaming the tide like I mean if all people how can you blame the tide I’m not blaming the tide I just don’t get that T I get the other tide okay they just win they used to we’ll see what happens now but that’s a different story speaking of I I went down U you know sometimes you get on the internet and you go down like a rabbit hole or Mole Hole whatever they’re calling but I mean I did go down a hole and and I’m I’ve become obsessed with somebody and I need to know do do you know Roll Tide Willie oh my god do you want him on here come on you don’t know him do you I think we can make that happen come on I don’t give a piss about nothing but the tide he Ro tide Willie’s a dude he’s he went from having no teeth now he’s got all fake chicklets he’s got all brand new oh yeah he was on Theo Von’s podcast and uh I mean he’s looking good he’s H your life is not the only life that’s changing in Alabama let’s just put it that way that dude is hilarious he really is oh my gosh yeah no we need to make that happen we’ll make that happen so I mean you you’re good at making promises and not following through so I mean might next time we do Hamner time are we gonna have you could bring a special guest you can bring Roll Tide Willie yeah now we’re getting somewhere Dave yeah now yeah I like that have you ever met interview him let me interview met him yeah I’ll just be like here’s our special correspondent Justin Hamner for hammer time and I’ll just sit and watch oh my gosh I I just want to get him so fired up about s and leaving oh he gets emotional he does how was that for you that be a fun interview was that a dark day in Alabama when Sabin announced that he was retiring like can we talk like not for me yeah I don’t care I mean I I just look at it as we’ve had a freaking amazing run and I’m glad we had what we had to worry about is that over now that now that these players are getting paid and going all over the place now things are I mean sain kind of come out and said that was he didn’t want to just like straight up call it out like all this sucks but you hear like some of his deeper interviews yeah that was a big root of why he left now that I don’t get 10 first round draft picks every year this job not near as fun this job sucks oh but no I mean I think that new coach D Bo Deal whatever however you say it it’ll be all right but anybody following sa it’s tough act to feel bad for him that’s a bad one feel like winning the classic next year if you don’t win it like having to follow you is oh gosh I feel sorry for that good yeah didn’t mean if it’s me again for him G up yeah that g up all right so Roll Tide willly is gonna be on next month’s show on Hammer Time y all right you got the um we’re going to Lake Murray here in a week’s time right that where we’re going next what month is this what do you not you’ve lost connection I mean this I don’t know I it’s been wild I’ll say that day it’s wild ham time has been Hammer has no time I did think that we had three weeks off and I was like planning stuff out and and then my wife’s like you know you’re going to be in South Carolina that week I was like oh crap okay we got a month after that got like a month after that I’m looking forward to that we’re going to Disney during that of time so you should bring Roll Tide Willie with you no I won’t well come on I mean it’s you your wife and your beautiful daughter in rown Willie that’s three only two go each ride you need to bring somebody you I guess my wife can ride with him oh if you get Roll Tide will like I feel like if the Bassmaster Classic champion who used to cut the freaking Lawns at the University of Alabama can’t get Roll Tide Willie who the hell can challenge accepted we’re going to have M yeah yeah it’ll be good it be good okay all right I mean that’s a party yeah this residency’s off to a hot start hey it’s gonna be as soon as I get my voice back is that what’s holding me back this week you think your voice I mean how many podcasts have you done oh it’s not I’m I’m sick like it’s just I’m sick so sorry if I didn’t bring the great energy that I normally have just I’m just happy you showed up yeah but I’m on the rebound of it so hopefully yeah yeah just left it all on the line for that one oh oh well hey it was good but Murray’s gonna be Murray’s gonna be fun Dave is it okay we’re talking about fishing again this is a different oh yeah I mean we don’t have to no I like it I mean some people might enjoy it it is a fishing podcast after all um but how’s Murray gonna fish uh the have you did you see you probably don’t even look at it but like they had that big bass tournament there this weekend okay last weekend uhhuh and it was like 40 something fish weighed in over six pounds and then like hund and something over five and then like an insane number of over fours wow like in the hundreds like it was it was wild so wild I mean it should be good top water blowups hering deal it’s gonna be awful good times good times and then we’re to Alabama for two sweltering hot events where does will be just something yeah don’t even know what to say about that kicking off the second half of the Season let’s see how much you don’t like bass fishing yeah oh this is like one of those just triath what is it the triathlon yeah that’s it we’re definitely going into the tough but then we get to Coast at the end okay why need you to go find Roll Tide Willie because then this will work out perfect because then I mean then we’ll become friends you’ll become I mean I mean you’re the bassm classic Champion you and rdd Willie will be friends and then I’ll kind of become his friend through you and then I’ll have on bass life when I’m in Alabama sweating I don’t give now about nothing but the tide nothing but the tide don’t you have like a hockey putt dropping what do they do they throw it in the air is it the tip off yeah yeah the puck drop it’s happening right now already lost Dave probably probably thanks you gotta be more like supportive get get excited I’m to me earlier you’re just like yeah they’re about to play but we’re gonna lose but we’re gonna that’s what we do we haven’t won since 1862 it was 1967 thank you it doesn’t matter that that long ago come on da I wasn’t alive were you even alive then I wasn’t even alive I wasn’t even alive my older brother wasn’t even alive gosh there was six teams in the league no joke there was six teams in the league I mean no wonder we won L you’re gonna win all right how much do they still like try to ride that that Championship ah they don’t talk about it a lot I mean the banns are up there but I mean none of the pict in color if you can’t have a colored picture of your Championship yeah hey but listen the Chiefs used to be that team the Chiefs used to people were like why are you a Chiefs fan and now I stuck with them and now it is glorious now people think I’m a bandwagon jumper so I’ll stick with the leaes all right just just like I stuck with you you weren’t always a champ yeah they the Leafs the Toronto Maple Leaf they don’t win yeah yeah I know how do you cheer for a leaf Come On Dave that’s rough I I feel for you go LEF this has been Hammer Time BR time I don’t give a piss about nothing but the time nothing but the time that was mean mean stuff you said about my team the leavs I don’t even I’m sorry Dave I’m nothing against him but it’s a leaf is that the best they could come up with so that was the very first edition of Hamner Time Justin Hamner the reigning and defending Bassmaster Classic Champion will be here once a month every month for this entire year and I thank him for doing that and um maybe that’s what we’ll turn this segment into maybe I’ll just challenge the classic Champion to go accomplish things to help this show like do you think he’ll pull it off will Justin hemmer get Roll Tide Willie on this show I mean I think I think he can do it I have faith in him let me know in the comments what you think and um if you haven’t checked at Roll Tide Willie go check him out and and and put aside about an hour cuz it’s going to take you down a little rabbit hole or mole hall or whatever it’s called um Old Tide Willie is a character I and I like dealing with characters and this next guest is a character as well I’ve known him for a long time now and um he’s never changed not his hairstyle not his his way of life he is um he is the genuine article as they say he is a big deal in the musky world and it’s very interesting to get inside his head get under that incredible Mane of hair that he has and get inside his brain and see what’s going on in his mind the one and only Pete Mana Pete Mana how are you dude I am great Dave actually it’s spring so I’m pretty excited about that what what what happens to you in the spring do you come out of hibernation like is but where are we finding you right now is this this your home this is actually home yeah yeah well a bird sing Dave and uh actually I’m really into turkey hun and that’s one of the birds that I’d like to listen to singing I guess it wouldn’t necessarily be described as singing uh gobling but uh hey it’s close right what is it about turkey hunting that drives I mean people get obsessive about turkey hunting like they I mean half the Elite Series I think would quit if they had a chance if they start an Elite series for turkey hunting they’d be gone now see that’s that makes me love you Bas guys even more that that many people are addicted to that yes I mean especially a guy like me who’s stupid enough to fish for muskies you know they’re hard to get that’s it’s the same challenge to me you know you wanna you want to fool them and you know make them think you’re a sexy hen and you know call him right on in and kill him that’s a whole idea but they got they got amazing vision and there’s a million things that can go wrong and uh one thing about it though for sure if you’re you know kind of a addicted to excitement that’s I don’t know my my heart gets popping we’ve uh I will call a turkey for just about anyone so Dave you need to come down sometime I’d love to call one for have you done it I’ve not done I’ve I’ve I’ve I never grew up hunting my family never hunted I mean I’ve got a ton of buddies who hunt and I’ve gone out I’ve actually you know sat in trees and and I think it’s cool but I’ve just I’ve never actually um Hunted myself so that makes me feel unmanly talking to you right now that’s okay Dave the world needs people like me um or turkey hunting would be a lot harder because everyone would be doing it but no it’s something I think I’d like to get into but I’m I it’s always just time like everything in life is you know finding the time to do it but but it it amazes me like how obsessed people are with I mean it’s white tailed turkey the two things that like people will destroy everything in their life just to just to H those it’s yeah is it as a the way you feel about turkey hunting now would you compare it to how you felt about Musky fishing when you first got into it exactly I was just going to say I I could easily write the book turkeys suck now after you know muskies basically controlled my life for decades now and I obviously wrote muskies suck but uh yeah it’s just one of those things when the time comes and spring you know I mean I’m torn obviously I love to fish and not just muskies and uh you know I’m excited to be able to get out and chase some bass and panish and and walleye and whatever else but uh yeah it’s a it’s a tug-of-war and I got to be perfectly honest if if I was told I could either turkey hunt or fish this time of the year when it’s i’ I would say turkeys really if I only do one or the other yeah yeah why well what I told you they’re a challenge I don’t know there’s just there something something so addicting about it you know you have some memorable uh telling the stories about turkey hunting is as much fun as doing it too with the other people that are into it I’m sure you could get into those kind of conversations in fact you’ve overheard those kind of conversations with the crazy bass guys you said that would leave everything else in their life to go turkey hunting that it it’s kind of like that and uh just that that kind of excitement there’s there’s nothing quite like it you know when you when you finally have everything go right if you’ve done it a lot and and you fool one at there’s a a split second period where if you’ve done it a lot you know they’re coming and a lot of times there’s more than than one coming and it’s just a matter of where and when and when they come they usually come fast so it’s that’s that’s excitement all right all right I if if I get if I try it ever I’m coming up I’m I’m coming you can you can call them now do you do you do like the mouth call or the Box call or what what kind of caller are you I’m more of a mouth caller because I don’t have to be moving so okay when I do it so and it’s uh it’s a lot more versatile to me sometimes I like to move around to actually act like a live hen that I’m changing positions so it’s a lot easier to to do that well I hunt in the woods a lot a lot of people hunt in uh fields and and open blinds here in Wisconsin where I’m at I’m mainly in the woods okay I mean you don’t yeah you don’t see them coming from a long distance this that and the other so uh you’re able to move around and that’s a tactic that I’ve figured out in when you’re Woods hunting is very effective and a lot of guys can’t do it in places where they’re more wide open but I can move around and act like an actual turkey I can I can get them mad because I’m going away or I’ll come towards them a little bit and then I’ll go away fast and you know I mess with them so Zona likes turkey hunting sure yeah he loves to shoot things um yeah so when you’re acting like a turkey is it just it thinks you’re a turkey cu the sound is moving or are you physically acting like a Turkey Pete well I try and act like a turkey too just in case they get close enough to see me but no it’s a it’s the whole concept is the actual sound of it right because most of the time the turkey guys are stagnant now see in nature Dave the gobler actually expects the hand to come to him they normally display they and they gobble their butts off and the H’s supposed to come to them so that’s that’s a game you get into sometimes as well they they generally in a lot of cases they’ll get to a particular spot they like to strut and they gobble and they want the hand to come so you got to convince them that you’re you know you’re sexy but you’re little bit of a [ __ ] and they’re going to have to come to you right so you got to play hard to get hard to get I got it I got it yeah I’m so intrigued I’m so intrigued how do you sorry I’m just getting over pneumonia but how does um how does one act like a little bit of a [ __ ] well you walk away plain and simple bab all right all right you Screech you Screech and you sound sexy but the thing is you’re walking away you’re not coming to the guy where he’s strutting you’re moving on over you’re going to go find find somebody else right so when it when when okay so the the gobler gobler is the the hen is the female and the gobler is the male right that is correct okay so when the gobbler comes in he’s ready to rock or or it’s the hen that comes in correct comes in well technically they’d both be ready to rock because you’re making a a hens sound that generally is I’m ready to rock okay okay so what is it can you make that sound now or do you need apparatuses do you need like a I don’t have an apparatus with me otherwise I could but uh yeah they’re out in the truck okay I gotta I gota wow wow okay this is intriguing me and I’ve never even done it um I’m seeing why there’s such interest in this oh okay games Dave it’s kind of like fishing you know you got uh you got fish especially pressured fish you got to play mind games with them man you got to make them eat one way or the other same thing with the turkey well I guess it isn’t really related to food it’s related to sex but whatever either would work you get a you know you get a big guy hungry it’s it’s the same effect to a certain extent certainly goes with the fish right I don’t know Pete I’ve got a different when I’m hungry it’s a little different I I think but yeah I got you I got you people will do dumb things for two things in that’s food and and sex right exactly oh this is already off the rails and we just started Pete yeah that happens how’s things in the musky world because I’ll be honest the bass fishing world right now I’ve never seen a time where there has been more seemingly disgruntled people about and it’s not just forward- facing soner it’s just everything it’s is it the time we are living in like is it just how how are things in the musky world are people happy in the musky world uh to be honest D no no they’re not you know we fight a lot and this that and the other there’s uh there there’s egos involved and all these different things that go on but yeah it’s uh you know it’s been a little fired up I guess worse than normal uh lately but uh who knows it might be the just the general climate too you know we can we can talk whatever Dave we can talk Freedom politics money you want to talk fiat currency you got any of them Canadian maple leafs up there Dave tell that you got any of that silver do you collect any of that you got pretty big beliefs on yours no no I’m not I’m not prepared I’m not I’m not I know you I know I know you’re prepared you’ve always been prepared and my way of being prepared is I’m just going to show up a p yeah we’re going to learn how to turkey hunt and the way we go um do you think that’s just the way the world is right now where everybody has an opinion on everything like you think it’s always been like this or and is it worse now or or has it always been like this before it was just three guys in a circle at a tackle shop complaining about stuff and now now now the tackle shop has gotten a lot bigger cuz people can talk to the world yeah no well I I don’t think there’s any doubt Dave that social media has a big part to do with it you know there’s the the the fast sharing of information this that and the other and then obviously people can talk not looking at one or another right eye I think unfortunately that makes a big difference too but uh yeah it’s just a you know the the hopefully we can figure out a way to to turn it around but the uh I I would say overall the instant uh communication instant gratification to some degree may be a may be a big part of it and uh you know on the on the whole forward- facing thing it’s a big deal in the musky World it uh but you know what what I’m hoping to you know concentrate more on is just the Fisheries themselves uh you know everybody’s divided I guess on uh you know me personally I’m oldfashioned I you know if you if you look at Fair Chase I guess I I I would argue it isn’t but that doesn’t matter there’s nobody I’m mad at it’s amaz it’s too good Dave you know it’s awesome stuff so you can’t blame anybody uses it and there’s no sense arguing on it because everybody’s got a got a different opinion on that the only thing that I uh that’s interesting to me is that I’ve had quite a few guys which generally that you know you don’t get this kind of stuff publicly but just a lot of conversations on uh or the Fisher is going to be able to handle it to some degree and I and I would add quickly which I’m sure you would agree with it’s funny how forward-facing son are you know can kind of get the blame for all of this all of a sudden because it was a big leap but obviously it’s all these years Dave it’s been the it it’s been the map chips you know that comes out and then the Imaging and all these different things and then uh you and I what what have we been doing for years zaa you know a lot of the people we know uh I’ll never forget this I had a buddy of mine by the name of Dick Pearson which uh kind of an icon of mine that I fished years ago probably the uh the most prolific Explorer of the Canadian Shield all the different musky leges up there way back when and I remember one night we’re sitting there possibly it was morning I don’t remember for sure but we were discussing how there was getting to be a little more Musky fishing pressure in all areas and even up in Canada and he said something very profound at one point we were complaining about this extra pressure because we like the legs to ourselves right yeah says we see the enemy in the mirror every morning and I’m like yeah cuz he you know he he was a guy that was written up years AG go as like one of the guys in in fisherman magazine for musky stuff right so we were both essentially into it so I you know laying laying blame there’s all kinds of blame I guess you could say but uh you know if we obviously we all want to grow the sport we hear that out of the companies obviously the companies that you know make the electronics and I guess everybody in fishing whether it’s guys like us or whatever level guides whatever it might be the companies that produce things to make it easier we all want it to be better and we all want to grow we always hear about grow I guess uh you know the one the one thing obviously the the Fisheries are finite in size and uh I’m one thing here in Wisconsin we actually see reduced stocking I don’t know if that’s true of every state and I don’t even really know how much stocking goes on and in in Canada anywhere but uh uh you know that’s that’s something that to me needs to be somewhat considered especially if we want to grow up right yeah yeah I mean it’s it’s it’s the number of bodies do you hear any of the that kind of stuff you know talked about out there yeah I mean it gets it it all gets talked about um I I think in you know in Ontario specifically and I mean it all depends on the species but there isn’t a lot of stocking you know Ontario has a great resource because it has a great resource I’ve always said you know it it it I mean then there’s I don’t want to get in a war with the ministry of Natural Resources um they they do some great things but I I just think that we live in a great part of the world you know like there’s a lot of of that that is the it’s the way it is because it’s the way we live where where the fish are you know what I mean like the these Lakes haven’t gotten a lot of pressure getting more pressure now I don’t think it’s to the point where it’s too much pressure but are you seeing in Musky fishing are you seeing the same because in bass fishing right now like 10 15 years ago people would say well where are the kids like are kids going to get now it is all kids like it is 19yearold kids I mean we just had the youngest Elite Series champion ever you look at the nine guys who qualified through the opens this year and it was it’s you know the oldest person is 34 years old we haven’t we haven’t had a tournament won by somebody over 40 this year are you seen that same sort of thing happened in the musky World absolutely yeah there’s a lot of young guys that are really into it and uh and generally and I like them all generally all of them use the forward- facing sonar embrace it it’s interesting I I’ve talked to some who say they would rather not but the reality of life is especially if you’re a guide you don’t have any choice because you’re not going to be able to compete it is it is that effective in in certain situations right so uh but yeah there if if we and you’re right we were complaining about not enough youth in the sport we got it now uh we got we got youth we got women we got it’s growing and and that that’s the interesting thing now some of the people and again this this part of it you know with the Fisheries being able to handle it and believe me I’m not saying I have a handle on everything but overall I I fish quite a few different places compared to most people overall musky fishing’s gotten tougher uh you don’t see as many follows uh as you used to I remember when you and I fish together I was always on you about figure eights and so but anyway the you know some of some of that kind of stuff is slowing down I don’t think the I don’t think the Fisheries are knocked down all that much I I think that’s that that’s somewhat learned avoidance just from a lot of fishing pressure so it’s hard to put a gauge on all of that but overall it’s it’s tougher to catch them and if you’re having a private conversation with people that’s that’s what you hear and in including you know Canada Ontario Sunset country has got tons of tremendous musky legs you’re you’re hearing that and you’re hearing a little bit of concern of maybe even the populations as well that’s one thing about up there with those Lakes are all huge and whatever but there’s you know there there’s no stocking that I’m aware of and boy it would take a lot of stocking you certainly don’t want to get behind on on anything like that but uh yeah over overall it’s uh it’s a little tougher and I think the Learned avoidance too is that the real tight windows it’s always been that way with muskies but uh but now it it almost seems to be even worse you go through these long periods where nothing’s going on at all and then the fish fire up and you can lit miss one whatever in about 15 minutes and all of a sudden they’re they’re trailing off again in activity so it’s it’s changing it’s it’s kind of been an interesting thing to watch and and deal with it I you know I sound like I’m complaining to some degree but it you know all of this stuff creates new challenges trying to figure out you know how to work it and how to how to work around things and take advantage of the windows when they happen and try all kinds of different things but uh it is it it is realistically uh you know something that because there’s so many more Anglers and so many young Anglers and the young ones embrace the technology uh I I think there is a legitimate concern for you know can the can the Fisheries handle it because even if everyone is catching and releasing there’s still some mortality Rel to a whole lot of catching you know some fish are just going to get damaged and possibly die and you know just because of the Heat and this that and the other obviously stress related stuff is a lot worse when the water’s hot so and people love to fish and there there is a lot more fishermen and they’re so much better I mean I I’m almost amazed when I think about 15 20 years ago with what I used to see on the water what I see on the water now is 95% of people maybe a little less but they’re good yeah really good yeah they know what they’re doing they’re on the fish all the time well and it and it’s and it’s not like you said it’s not just forward- facing sonar it’s it’s every technology and it’s it’s also the fact that everybody’s got a phone that they can just quickly hey you like literally you can be on the water and some you know you you used the example figure ating years ago I mean if you’re on the water and you hear someone say you got to figure out and you have no idea how to do it like you got to go read an article and that just wasn’t an now you can literally just without even punching you can ask your phone how do I figure eight musky and multiple videos will come like and it’s that with everything it’s it’s that with fluorocarbon leaders it’s that with how do you use your electronics it’s it’s everything so I mean there has definitely been an education boom um to play Devil’s Advocate and and dude you know me I mean I’m I literally don’t have a side um I I see the great stuff in technology I’ve embraced a lot of the great things about technology for many years um but isn’t this what when I sat and listened to you know the old guys talk when I was a young guy they said the same thing that fishing isn’t what it used to be it’s not quite as good as it once was how is it different now yeah well I you know that’s a good one I I mean I’ve I’ve never seen a topic like this that I’m not you know usually I’m kind of a black and white you’re on one side of a or the other definitely not a fence Rider but yeah this is this is tough and I I I agree with that and I don’t I don’t really know again I don’t you know how bad how bad are the are the Fisheries you know getting damaged really or the fish getting smarter the fish just getting spread out between more people I you know I I honestly don’t know uh you know a lot of that uh I I had thought of this uh that I I thought would be interesting to you know kind of keep everybody involved but just you know what I would think is interesting about this having having lakes that a few here in Wisconsin we’ve got tons of little different Waters we could actually do it here where you would go and you could not use your electronics didn’t matter you know we’re not uh we’re not saying people that got totally loaded boats can’t fish but you can’t have your screens on period nothing end of story and everybody goes now to me it would be kind of interesting to see if after it would take a few years but to see if there was any difference with learned avoidance or anything with the way the the fish react and then the other thing on the topic of how we used to listen to the old-timers and they said the fishing was better than and all of that were they were they just grumpy old guys or whatever I would I would be interested to see how many people choose to try it I mean I I I’m I I totally have no idea if it would be unpopular Dave or if a lot of people would want to have that opportunity to go to a lake where you couldn’t use any of the electronics how do you Patrol something like that I mean people don’t keep speed limits I mean literally they have signs like every however distance what the speed is your GPS nowadays actually shows you if you’re speeding and people don’t keep speed limits so how are we GNA how are you going to expect Anglers to be like yeah no I turned it off I didn’t use it you know what I mean I and I I’m not you know there’s GNA be cheating however however with the screens today I I mean especially guys that got bolts that are kind of maxed out I mean you’re you’re going to get busted by the other Anglers yeah I think it’ll self police it it’s a great point you make I mean it’d be horrible for a warden to have to go try and you know check everybody and obviously somebody’s you know going to cheat and turn their their GPS on long enough to find a spot in the middle of the lake and this that and the other but you know to whatever degree it would just be uh you know the for the most part uh people would would be able to Hotel easily and self police obviously you’re not going to see people cruising around using Side Imaging or forward-facing sonar that would be completely obvious and you know again there’ll be a little cheating here or there but those screens light up pretty good even in the day so the tree cops are going to be out there looking for screens now um yeah yeah I mean yeah send some drones out to check people’s boats we could have drones we have technology for that now too that would I honestly don’t have an answer like I’ve really and i’ just like everybody in the fishing industry it’s not once a month it’s not once a week it’s literally every day I have this same conversation with people and it’s like what is the future of this because there is part of me that looks at it like I mean 20-year-olds don’t know how read a map but I don’t judge them any different for getting to my house through their GPS versus if somebody shows up and says hey I did it the old fashion way pulled out the pearlies and I so I I I don’t but I don’t but I do I understand the people that are like yeah it takes something away from fishing it takes away that whole part of the Allure of Musky fishing is part of the thing that frustrates me about Musky fishing and me and you’ve joked about it but it’s just that like that tireless quest of non-stop throwing baits the size of your shoe and you just but then finally that Dragon appears and it happens you know but you don’t know it’s it’s going to happen so that mystique and that excitement is kind of missing from it but it’s been going that way for a long time with all the different Technologies like it it’s I I don’t know what where the cut off valve is you you know and I and I I get it yeah it’d be cool to have a case sample where you have some likes where you can use it in tournaments people are saying it’d be cool to have some tournaments where you can and some terms where you can’t that’s hard to police but it’s a lot more realistic to police than actual full Lakes you know what I mean I mean these guys are competing um I don’t know where it goes the M where would you say in the musky world would you say the majority of people are for or against it oh uh I would say it’s about half and half uh right now and and I really really honestly I I don’t personally have a problem with anyone that uses it the only the only personal problem I have is there are some that use it in in deep water and warm water to get after some big fish that they wouldn’t otherwise you know be able to Target and and for the most part they they know they’re they’re going to lose at least half the fish they’re targeting but they want that picture uh there’s only a handful of people doing that but that’s horrible as far as I’m concerned other than that you know everybody else using it you know I I understand I get it and and what you talked about Dave I uh I’ve kind of shifted my fishing to be more heavy heavy structure related and plac just just trying to Target fish where the forward- facing sonar isn’t that big of a deal and try and pattern things in different ways because I don’t like looking at the screen that’s just a personal thing and you if you’re going to be good at it you have to look at the screen I love where I’m at I like looking around a little bit and I’m hoping to hoping to see a Musky coming once in a while here and there and and and yeah I do want the shock factor it’s I you know I I I don’t it’s dumb as it sounds to some people probably I don’t I don’t want to see that fish coming on uh on electronics I mean I just you know but but everybody’s different with that so uh it’s it’s really to me the only thing uh worth worth talking about all that much is is is whether or not you know the Fisheries are are going to be significantly damaged or whatever however you want to say it can you know with all the increased uh you you know people that we have and and technology and this that and the other we’re we’re seeing it to some degree around here especially stat side so people chase them around on the ice a lot in the winter panish mainly yeah but uh yeah yeah crappie bluegill uh you know and and and catches are still pretty good and and most people use it it’s not by the way it’s not like I haven’t used it I haven’t my boat I generally don’t use it for musky but I’ve I’ve used it a couple times in a pinch and it’s pretty amazing uh I I had a tough Musky show going with my buddy Mr gpie last year and we decided to we decided to switch gears he said I need a show and I got to finish this thing we only got two muskies so with with two hours left we got to catch some waly and I mean we we started the oldfashioned way and then I plopped that forward facing sonar down there and started cruising and found some fish and we so I you know hey it’s you know I I I guess I’m a hypocrite in the way if if I was a complainer about it I’m I’m not really against it again the only the only my main concern is you know with with just the whole picture uh you know do we need to do we need to stock more fish now I know I assume the Ministries are the same way I know our dnrs around here Dave are are more or less like they like to they do some supplementary stocking they do some introductions and this that and the other but they like to keep it that way they’ve always said that you know they want you know they they want natural reproduction natural situation this that and the other I you know my big question now and no you know it’s not like I’m attacking them either but if we want it to grow and continue to grow the way it is and then what’s going to slow down the technology it’s amazing now I can’t imagine you know they’re stopping I I would suspect if anything it’s probably going to get better easier maybe even cheaper yeah you know it’s all going to be installed probably on trolling motors and whatever sooner or later you’re not going to need any extra devices probably or anything and they’re going to make it easier to use because that’s what they do so uh you know do we if if we have this many people who want a fish and are good at it do we need to throw a few more fish in the water regardless of wanting to keep it natural yeah let people catch them I get that I mean and and there’s put and take Fisheries you know there’s places where they they stock and they know people take you know you know what I mean it’s it’s part of what funds the the future um and I agree with you totally on the technology it’s going to be cheaper that’s kind of my argument when people are like well well it’s pricing people out I mean everything about fishing has priced people out for a long time but the cool thing about fishing you can do it whatever way you want um but technology always goes that way it starts high and it gets lower and it it you know you take a reel I mean a new feature on a reel it’s starts at the highest price point and before you know it in five years it’s on the lowest PR Price Point Reel that feature so I think that will go that way I just don’t know how it changes just because if you if you say there’s 50% of musky Anglers that like it 50% of Anglers that don’t like it I don’t think anybody’s goingon to argue on on how that’s skewed younger Anglers are very embracing of it Anglers a little bit older aren’t well in 10 years that 50 is going to turn into a 30% versus 70% just because people will age out of the sport yeah as so it’s kind of a SK you know and I don’t I mean I I honestly hardly ever talk about it on this show anymore because it gets people so angry but I don’t know that there is an answer like for people to say just stop it I mean that that’s oh how how do you you know how do you st how do you stop technology it’s never it’s never ever stopped you know in the in the history of man good bad or indiffer you know that’s just the way the world the world is and um it’s just real weird it’s a weird time in the sport Pete like I you know I and it it’s weird how people it’s black or white to people like if you’re for it you’re like you tell somebody you’re archaic if you don’t like it if you’re for it you’re like oh you’re just not with the times and if you’re against it like well you just don’t understand but it it’s the first time in history we’ve been like that like I fly Anglers have felt that way about people like me for years and you you know what I mean they look at the way we fish we use gear ratios and modern lines and and we buy lures and they’re tying all their stuff and they don’t use a gear ratio they don’t everything is very primitive I mean if you take the West Coast the way they use mooching reels I mean they look at us as archaic we look at them as archaic and it’s the same battle but this time it’s a lot more public it’s weird it’s a weird weird time I I don’t where do you think it is 10 years from now like how do you think this battle ends I don’t know I that that’s the only reason I’m talking about the Fisheries because I don’t want it to end uh badly which could be you know obviously if if Fisheries got depleted enough then every the the sport ain’t growing then Dave if the bobber sto sinking I agree you know I mean and that’s the companies and everyone actually actually know that so and and there is potential for that just because it is realistically growing I you know that’s why I think it’s a good conversation I think you and I even though we uh we haven’t talked in a while we’re pretty much on the same page here with all of this you know it’s it is really all of a guess but uh I you know the the fact that I’ve seen that many more people on the water every year and there’s a lot of young ones which is great you could argue right that’s what we’ve always wanted growing that sport but it is it is extra pressure and they’re good and they’re younger they can they I used to stand there 16 hours a day and cast I don’t anymore but now they’re they can go 16 hours and they’ve got technology all the knowledge uh so so it’s you know it’s realistically a concern and when you’re starting to see some of the signs of it you know not being absolutely certain again how how bad anything is but uh to try and get in front of it rather than you know if if fishing starts to slow down frankly because fishing sucks because there’s hardly any fish left that’s something we want to avoid I think I I might be a grumpy old man who doesn’t personally like to use forward- facing sonar Musky fishing but I still love fishing I want to go fishing but once in a while I I have fun because I do like to look around and it’s beautiful places and all that kind of stuff but I do want to catch a fish once in a while Dave I hear you so how do you get ahead of it I don’t know I just uh well we’re we’re having this convers Dave you and I are going to be leaders in this we’re going to figure this out and get something done you’re the Canadian version right I’m I don’t know if I’m a leader in much H you know I yeah I don’t have all the answers but uh to to some degree I mean obviously the uh the funds could easily be raised I think from Anglers if they know exactly where it’s going you know and there would there would have to be obvious viously collusion with uh dnrs Ministries whatever it is depending on on where you’re at and be willing to do that I guess it’s just a i i to me and and I don’t mean any disrespect at all to any Fisheries people but at the end of the day from what I see that we’ve talked about and it and it currently growing and realistically everything’s going to get better I don’t see any way in hell Dave I I’ll put it exactly like that the Fisheries especially these smaller ones Stateside anyway could actually keep up if it continues to grow in bodies and technology and knowledge like it has for the past five years I don’t know I I think I’m I’m pretty close in saying we need to try and get in front of it somehow that’s either reducing the pressure which we don’t want or trying to figure out a way to you know keep enough fish in the bodies of water so are you is this are you is there any studies that you’ve got which are saying that the fish because that’s that’s the argument you get back from people is yeah is you know where are the facts because I mean outside of Texas I don’t know anyone that’s putting in the I mean Texas opened a new Lake two weeks ago like literally a brand new Lake that they have stocked with Sher lunker Largemouth and have been getting it ready and it literally was closed for it just opened literally two weeks ago and that to me is amazing like when you hear that that there’s a state that’s investing that much and they’re they’re opening new Lakes I mean when’s the last time you heard about that that I mean and and where we live we’re lucky that there’s tons of natural lakes but yeah just uh I don’t know I don’t know where it goes I don’t know I mean other than saying yeah they should stock more fish I mean I I guess we need to do some studies and uh I don’t know Pete this it kind of goes around circles like I’m I’m totally with you I I want fishing to be better for years and years to come but I also don’t know if they’ll change anything until it gets too late you know what I mean like I know in Ontario I mean we we’re pretty good at waiting till it’s a big problem and then we the lake I live on I mean had depleting walleye for years and rather than put a slot limit in like they’ve done in other lakes around here and it really worked it was the only Lake you could ice fish close to Toronto one of the only Lakes you could ice fish close to Toronto got way too much pressure so they just put a Walle moratorium in and they’re like but but they waited till the fish were so depleted that I don’t know if naturally the fish will ever get back maybe they will maybe they won’t only time we’ll tell but it’s not going to be quick like what you see happen when you get slot limits and things like that that affect lakes and but I mean on those slot likes that are fishing great you get people screaming to be I can’t catch a fish to eat so you you know what I mean because they’re all just bigger fish that you have to let go it is a I don’t know I avoid topics like this because I’m not smart enough to talk about them well the problem is there there are no set answers you know there there’s no doubt about that but uh and and and studies to some degree you know you gota you know you got to have your uh your DNR people accepting of what’s going on but that’s a you know very very simply the one point you made is you know really important you don’t want things to get horrible before anything gets done whe whether it’s a management type situation or this that and the other nobody likes a lot of stuff I mean if I you know for me personally what I like you know I I guess I could jump on the bandwagon and say well we ought to Outlaw forward- facing sooner because Pete doesn’t doesn’t like to use it for M well you know that’s that to me it’s actually stupid but uh you know you if if you don’t like stocking uh I I or you know think the L should be naturally done what uh what’s the solution though if again if we’re going to if we’re going to grow the sport and to a certain extent the studies usually uh take too long yeah to some degree the one thing I’m wondering is and I’ve only talked to a couple local guys here and and they haven’t really started using it all that much yet but I’m thinking forward- facing sonar would be a way better tool than some of the ways they currently use to assess fish populations because I know with all the netting and different things that they do uh you know there there’s there’s weather and all these different fish moving a little bit changing their patterns a little bit I know they’ you know they have situations where they just end up you know based on prior experience with putting Nets here and there but things change in Fish World and the fish don’t show up there so I you know I I I think most of the biologists would agree that you know that’s certainly not a perfect science that’s one thing about forward facing if you you know if you can get to the point where you can you can actually you know see the species and obviously spawning times and stuff like that are going to be key with certain species but uh to to to try and assess the you know because I I agree with that if it’s doable you definitely don’t want to throw a whole bunch of certain species in a body of water that’s got plenty of them obviously you can overdo it too I always say though there’s always a solution to that Dave because there are people who like to eat fish including my dad text and myself and you know what if you throw too many in I think we ought to just catch them and eat them you can you can manage things that way too hey there’s too many of those largemouth bass in there start eating them Dave would you ever do that have you ever eaten a bass Dave I have yeah yeah I have uh dude I have I have nothing against people eating bass in one way excuse me I I think that the whole Catch and Release thing in bass fishing has gone too far in some ways you know where you know you see people who go away on a camping trip and they post a picture of these two pound smalles they caught and they’re filling them up and people start roasting them in the comments and I’m like hey there’s a reason you’re allowed to keep fish like if you don’t remove fish from a fishery it’ll actually get bad you know so I I’m not one of those guys who I mean I have a hard time eating a big bass or anything like that but but I mean I I haven’t in years but I I don’t hold it against anybody who eats a bass I you know that why that’s one of the weirdest things about our fish to me like to me a fish is a fish like how people are like well you can’t eat that fish but this fish you better never release them like a crappie if you release a crappie people are offended by it it it’s um it’s kind of weird that way but yeah no I I I’ll eat a bass Pete why why would you think I wouldn’t oh well I just I I I threw it at you being Mr Bass guy like that you know I I I I wasn’t really trying to be a jerk Dave but just a little C where you’re at on the whole thing and I totally agree with you it is kind of weird like in Wisconsin here I assume it’s the same way there I guess but uh yeah I mean you can’t let a crappie a wall I go well you can obviously but boy you kill bass and and we’ve got we’ve got plenty of lakes around here that actually you could argue there’s there’s too many bass and I think it’s as simple as that eat what there’s a lot of if you like to eat fish and you know a lot of people have their you know their personal little deals with this is good and that’s good that’re pretty much they’re all good I’ve eaten rock bass bluegills CRA you name it I remember I was down in Florida here this last winter and I was catching these sail finin cat fish off the off the pier at the place I was saying and couple of locals said ah you can eat them but they’re not very good and if you do eat them you should deep fry them and that’s that of course I immediately thought well I’m I’m definitely going to eat them and I’m going to broil them with some onions and bacon they were unbelievable in my well you had them with onions and bacon most things I mean you could get spam in a can and it’s good with onions and bacon no it is and and I mean then that same matter I mean you can’t even take a picture with a Musky because I’ll tell you this you catch a Musky no matter how you call hold it somebody’s going to tell you you held it wrong you did something like it is it is it’s wild but it goes back to what we started talking about the beginning like it’s just a time where people everybody’s got a voice and sometimes those voices you know go in weird Direction c s because uh I think it’s great that we’ve got a lot of people loving fishing I think it is incredible that that I mean as somebody who’s made their living from this sport I’m thankful that this Sport and the companies in this sport are doing well you know but but I think you’re right we got to care about the resource but I don’t think anybody doesn’t do you do you feel that there’s people like are there people that are just putting blinders on and IGN in it oh no no I don’t well I think there’s a handful that that unfortunately will abuse it for money I’ve seen it I know it I you know I’m not going to mention any names but there’s a little bit of that that goes on but uh no for the most part I I I think to a certain extent you know people people appreciate it and understand it you know to some degree it’s just a you know a matter of uh you know see and I guess encouraging people to uh you know be more more thoughtful about it and under understand it it may be uh uh you know a bit of a problem it was really interesting to me Dave how many people reached out to me after we did a little piece on the controversial subjects in musky Dum you know musky world and forward- facing son aren handling and obviously that’s where you get the you know you get the most opinions uh and and there was a lot but was most interesting to me was how many people contacted me privately and we had a phone conversation or we were back and forth messaging whatever it might be and and there’s there’s more and I think it’s realistic more more concern out there than ever of what we’ve been talking about and and you know and it makes sense right I I mean to me when you when you do talk about how much the sport is growing how much better everybody is every you know that it does make sense I mean and so it at least you know I guess I haven’t studied it but from a common sense standpoint and then when you hear it from that many other people you’re thinking it a little bit yourself and I’m as was being honest with myself I don’t I don’t fish the 16-hour days like I used to but I still fish a lot and I’m pretty good at it and I think overall you know it’s it’s gotten a little tougher everywhere I’ve been realistically but when you hear it from that many other people kind of along the same lines and you know you got to pay attention a little bit I don’t think anything is uh in you know super bad shape yet or anything like that but it is it is interesting how quickly people get information too like around here we have some stocking I would argue probably not enough but you in musky world around here the Wisconsin Minnesota the lakes that that get the stocking people know about it before it happens and they’re kind of ready to pounce on it and then the word gets out social media texting whatever it might be and and every year you can see certain bodies of water just so quickly get hammered and unfortunately they usually get hammered back down to a point where they’re not that good anymore in a matter of a year so you know to to some degree I think there’s a lesson in that you kind of got to spread the stocking out yeah so you don’t get you know one one body of water too good compared to the other ones all the pressure goes there you literally see situations like that where there’s there’s five times the pressure on a handful of lakes for certain species it happens with small malth and large Malou too probably more smalles and smalles are real popular around here but yeah you’ll you’ll literally see that much more pressure on bodies of water that get hot when there’s all kinds of other bodies of water around you know with Swan mouth B in them so yeah it’s wild and techniques are like this like there’s stuff I mean I’m certain in the musky world I’m certain you had things that you had secret stuff you did for years that no even when making TV shows and everything nobody got to see it and now it’s like it’s it’s it’s a race to get technology out there again I’m part of the problem you’re part of the problem we’re all part of the problem because we’re we’re all just doing the same thing but it’s the way it’s evolving now like you look at simple simple things that in the bass fishing world that like stuck around for years where people would be like okay that person knows you know what I mean like it’ be the they know you know know what I’m talking about with this technique or whatever where now it’s like literally name a technique I mean people become experts at it really really quick um which again I think is amazing I think it’s I think it’s one of the coolest things to watch my kids and watch how they’ve evolved through life you know where I you know as a kid wanted to get into something and you you know it would take a long time to learn it well now you just literally whether it’s skateboarding BMXing Bic ball fast fishing it doesn’t matter you literally just how do I do an Olie on a skateboard you can literally a video will come up and show you and you’re going to hurt yourself a few times but you’re going to become a lot quicker and better at it than your forefathers so all you’re really asking is that is that the resource keeps up to the evolution because the Evolution’s not going to slow down anytime soon by the looks of things no no I yeah i’ I’d like to have like a at least a two three month period to try it Dave to get rid of all the technology I remember blissfully the old days when a Canada trip was actually a Canada Trip there was no phone there’s no internet there’s a you know you kiss your wife goodbye your mom goodbye you say to everybody gosh I may not see again I could get lost in the jungle up there mosquitoes May suck all my blood and all these different things that could happen on a trip like that and you’re never going to know until I get back supposedly 10 days from now and now it’s uh you know it’s all changed there there the kind of kind of the excitement and the and the risk is is all gone but uh pesky emails keep coming yeah yeah there’s no break in it you know and I I got the stupid phone in my pocket Dave even turkey hunting and I got to make sure I turn it on silent but you hear little buzzes and or feel should say all said there’s just constant communication I agree with you so you’re just wanting to turn back time on everything then yeah but I unfortunately you’re right and I’m wrong it’s it’s almost impossible these days so I’m I’m not right I just it’s the evolution I mean I’ve compared it a lot of times to now the big difference is before I even make this analogy is we’re talking about a resource here we’re not just talking about a sport SP we’re not just talking I mean they can build more golf courses they can do other things but we’re talking about a resource that for the most part it isn’t being they’re not building new Lakes not everywhere is Texas um so but the bit but the it’s the same as when digital cameras came around I mean you were involved in TV and stuff and you I mean I’m sure in the magazine world you heard people who were like that is not photography I take pictures I develop them I go into my dark room I you know there’s the risk and I remember people just being like this is ridiculous these kids comeing along and they just spray and prey and but they never miss those kids those kids now the guy who you stuck with the film camera is most likely doing it for a hobby you know what I mean he’s out of that line of work anymore like it it’s it’s how the world evolves like I mean people used to get in arguments about how to hook up a boat now everybody has a backup camera on their truck no matter how old it is you still go and buy yourself the cheap little backup camera system to use you know what I mean like it’s the world is evolving um and I agree there’s there’s tons of faults in it I use it all the time I’m like I don’t think people are really learning anymore like when I was a kid when I explained to my kids that you know we used to have to go to people’s houses that had encyclopedias because we were broke and you’d hope they’d have that you know you wouldn’t get one a month uh you’d only get one a month if you could afford them and you wouldn’t have all the letters but if you wanted to learn how to musky fish you had to have that encyclopedia and you had to you know you really learned it well now my every day uh I’ll be with my kids and and I’ll be like you know how how big do you think that lake is they’ll ask Siri or whatever system they’re using Siri will give them an answer but they don’t really remember like a week later if I say how big was that Lake they don’t remember because they didn’t really search it out they just it was just kind of given to them but when you make all those analogies it’s hard not to sound like an old guy just bitching true true but I do get mad at myself Dave because I I uh I started using a damn phone and whatever they used to be in the car now everything I guess is on the phone and it runs through the car but I don’t I don’t remember how to get to people’s houses any I don’t I I look at that damn little arrow and the damn line and you end up at somebody’s house and you couldn’t get back there to save your life no no it’s true yeah I go to events and people are like what highway did you take I’m like I if I mean if I was on it for a long time I know you know what I mean it was an I75 or whatever I was on but for the most part I mean when that voice says turn left now I do when it turns I mean I trust it more than anything I mean I use ways which is you a GPS system I don’t know if you use it but it connects to other people so it’s so it tells you when there’s cops it tells you when there’s traffic like I trust it more than me like it’s taken me off the highway through Hills and Valleys and I’m like this is ridiculous there’s no way this but always you come out the other side and you’re like oh there was a big wreck it it avoided all that for me but it’s it’s how the world is is changing and it’s a weird weird time you know and it it it is I mean I don’t see how it ever slows down or changes just because I mean ask a 20-year-old why they don’t read a map well why would I you know why why don’t you there’s a lot of things that and that’s the answer that you get from them and again there’s tons of things I forward facing sonar specifically that I love there’s tons of things that I hate about it um but I I honestly think long term five years from now 10 years from now look at how quick things have changed in the last 10 years 10 years from now it’s going to continue to change even quicker and I I don’t know how it how it stops I mean even if tournaments people want them out of tournaments okay they’ll be out of tournaments but it’s I mean if I I don’t I don’t how do you tell somebody not to embrace technology like I just don’t know that that ever happens I don’t know if it’s right or wrong but I it’s just a wild it’s a wild time and we sound like Grumpy Old Men we do it’s a bizarre topic though at least we’re at least we’re honest in that we I guess don’t have the answers I you know I because I get disgusted myself for what I just talked about that I use the jeep s to go to places and I couldn’t remember and get although I don’t change I don’t go back to the old paper map and actually pay attention to where I’m going I I keep using it myself so I’m I’m definitely a hypocrite here and there my first grumpy old man moment with all the technology was the maps when those those Maps first came out you know I had so many places Dave where I had such an advantage over people because i’ put thousands hours in finding all these different things the most profound one at the end was I had like six years of fishing The Rock Reefs on on maax Lake alone nobody else was Musky fishing and most people were in Weeds blah blah blah blah blah and then all of a sudden uh a map chip came out for 200 bucks and everybody was smarter than me just like that and I was like wow that sucks really sucks so but you’re not gonna yeah so that’s that’s why I guess uh so we don’t ramble too far I guess on being grumpy probably already have yeah we probably have but uh do we do we need to get in front of it I guess to to some degree and uh you know I I I certainly I don’t even know exactly what I’m going to do but I’m G try and pay a little bit more attention to it and uh contact the uh uh the DNR people around here and see if I can get some thoughts and and work with them and I I know it’s a hard thing for them to uh you know probably you know get get away from the old traditional thing of you know natural resource and keeping everything natural but uh to some degree I I I I think realistically just like you and I are saying the technology isn’t going to go away the you know it I don’t know I selfishly Dave I say we just put them fish in there let’s raise crap the water I want dumb ones too Dave I want dumb uh you know they can be fast that’s okay because fast is exciting but but dumb is good I you know yeah we could maybe you know with all the technology we have we could maybe figure out how to have a breed that gets bigger but Dumber those I would really like but why not why why don’t just put triploids in every Lake like you know those those is that what they’re called triploids fish that can’t spawn there you see that in the trout world and stuff and they get just gigantic they become these just stock the lake full of triploids I mean so we have just giant ridiculous fish put the fish on steroids I mean but as soon as you do that people are going to be like yeah but you’re not catching natural fish you’re catching triploids you’re catching stock like it’s people are just going to be pissed off Pete that’s what I’m certain about they’ll always argue that’s why it’s probably safer to just keep put the same old small mouth and the same old musky and this that and the other that way people can’t fight over that we certainly don’t need anything extra for people to fight about we don’t want to we don’t want to contribute to that but I you know I think it’s a good idea you had about those triploids or whatever they’re called I wouldn’t mind catching one I’ve never caught one so yeah all for it I mean giant fish um and people will that’s proven people will travel many many miles to catch giant fish they don’t but again that would be all of those Fisheries where that kind of stuff has happened gets exposed really quick it’s just how the world works now I think like it’s just oh W it’s just a it’s a crazy time you’ve been telling me to be prepared for years Pete and I’m still not prepared so can I come to your house if stuff goes was bad let me tell you a true story I thought about you a couple of months ago um so I have this friend who was kind of a friend of a friend but he’s got this really um successful YouTube called my self-reliance so basically during Co he basically and he’s always been a guy who you know wants to live off the grid but but he started a YouTube channel called my selfreliance he’s got millions and millions of followers I bet and and like he lives off the grid and he’s some of the videos mean you watch some of his videos it amazes me how many people watch him but he’s like he’s not even talking he’s just out like today we’re chopping Lumber and it’s 20 minutes of him chopping Lumber and dog running around and people I guess just want to be immersed in nature so anyways he called me and said hey we were correspondent he said will you uh will come on my podcast and I said sure you know he had started a podcast and we still haven’t done it but I after I said yes I said I better listen to his podcast So I listened to the podcast and they were talking about prepping for when things go bad and they have dude they are were so prepared he is so prepared and they started talking about these idiots that have nothing and I’m listening to this the whole time I’m like I’m the idiot I am the idiot that has nothing and then but the whole time I’m like as I’ve always told you I’m going to just show up your house or one of my buddies house who oh I know who’s got prepared and and Sean in this podcast talked about having a Year’s worth of food and these barrels and all this stuff that you have to have prepared and communication system with his family because communication Grid’s going to go down and where are they going to meet and all this stuff I had to stop listening to the podcast dude because I am so ill prepared it I I started sweating I’m like I can’t I’m not prepared for anything are you prepared Pete I don’t think from what you just described that I’m quite as prepared as Sean but I’m uh let’s just say I’m probably more prepared than most we we have a lot of food around here and we have a lot of food walking around and this that and the other yeah yeah chickens I I I can’t remember the last time I ate a store-bought egg Dave well that’s good that’s good so you you you have your own you your own chickens and you shoot turkeys and it’s I mean it in time it’ll all just go back to no forward face and soner things will be simpler oh yeah we eat it all too so and and I’m not laughing at it trust me trust me that’s there’s a reason I stopped listening to the podcast because I’m like I’m not prepared for nothing like I’m literally I’m the I’m the idiot who’s uh ends up in a bad situation but um hopefully it’s not something I have to deal with soon because I’m not prepared what else is going on in your life Pete well that’s that’s really about it it’s turkey time I’m excited to get back out fishing and I’m I’m always plotting in my head Dave about how uh let’s see how I can out Fox uh some of these some of these young guys with their forward facing sonar and just be smarter than them with the way I go after which is actually realistically impossible but that’s what I you know move around on my head how to you know there’s I guess with the Fisheries especially being kind of smaller but I that’s that’s my new Focus I guess I mentioned you know somewhat to a certain degree heavy heavy structure situations you know it’s it’s it’s so weird I was one of the first guys I certainly wouldn’t take claim to be the only guy first guy whatever but open water muskies was like a thing that so few people did and I used to talk about it spring all the time now here’s a thing you can do that nobody else is doing you can go out and cast in The Open Water next to the spawning areas and blah blah blah now I’m now I’m like that’s the last thing I want to do because you’re competing against guys that I’m like okay so I don’t I don’t want any part of that so everything’s everything’s switching with my strategies and this that and the other but uh uh a lot of it it’s actually visual to a certain degree with the you know the oldfashioned eyeballs too in a lot of cases what I’m doing I I do think fishing pressure does push fish to a certain extent some you know weird and different places sometimes shallower and thicker cover than they would ever used to go into you know so uh do you think there’s a chance because you always hear people say that you know as this technology continues to evolve the fish will evolve with it I mean we’ve seen them adap to many different things do you think that there’s a chance that they those fish that are being picked off out deep now do you think that there’s a chance that they stop going out there and it becomes a goes back to being much more instinctual yeah yeah I I think all of that’ll happen and and and and that’s a factor too it’s just uh I’ve I I’ve seen I’ve seen people driving around finding them I’ve seen people literally finding Big Fish and camping on them and and this that and the other using it but uh a lot of the guys that uh well there’s too many now that I trust that have told me they’re positive the fish are getting used to you know feeling it it’s a it’s different signal it’s feel and and uh and and they’re actually running away from it I I think I’ve seen it ice fishing uh the crappies just seem to move way more and way faster than they used to it’s still unbelievably effective but you know you drill you drill holes on top of a couple fish and and you catch one or two next thing you know they’re gone and they’re pretty far so I think all of that’s going on too so that’s going to change to a certain degree I mean there you know the the thing I talked about earlier about having some bodies of water where you shut your electronics off I mean that that that’s a tactic that a lot of people are thinking in in in in doing now you know a lot of guys are going through and they’re trying to find fish but then they turn everything off and then come back through drifting um I I I do I do think it’s changed you know the the the fish have always felt the signals but to me it to me it makes sense that the forward facing is you know it’s immediate you know in a lot of cases when they feel that something drops on their head right away I mean the Side Imaging the people that are good at it uh you know they generally will cruise through fine fish come back fish later now when they now when they feel that there’s crap landing on their head just about immediately so they may they may learn that avoidance there’s certainly a possibility it could be a detriment after a while as far as getting the fish to actually bite yeah yeah who knows who knows how smart they can be yeah you got a lot of shallow water Bass Anglers that turn their graphs off when they’re shallow because of the pinging you you know what I mean they don’t but it it it is definitely at a time right now where it’s it’s it’s going to get people well we’ll hear about it in the comments after this show Pete I think oh I suppose yeah yeah yeah fish definitely learn from bad experience I always use the analogy of the beautiful hamburger the beautiful Angus steak you know the the the guy that likes to eat sees that but every time he just about taking a bite of that beautiful steak or beautiful hambur he gets swatted in the face with a baseball bat well sooner or later he’s not going after that hamburger or that steak anymore so I maybe the you know forward facing turns into the baseball bat and you know who knows it’ll be interesting only time will tell only time we tell and ironically we use technology to talk to each other about technology here today and we did it wasn’t smooth at the begin took a little while for our technology to work Pete it’s amazing I get anything done well if my my wife wasn’t here we’d never even talk today Dave yeah guess we did talk but you couldn’t see me I couldn’t see you I wanted to see you tell me your greatest turkey hunting story to bring things full circle right around you said you love the turkey stories where is your most bizarre awesome turkey hunting story okay that was actually uh last year myself hunting alone for me personally anyway I had the longest uh I guess hunt and craziness of things happening and basically being on edge for about three hours so there was lots of turkeys around and most of the turkeys are on the other side of a black top Road where I can’t hunt Okay but I’m calling these turkeys and there actually was some turkeys on the property I could hunt that I was on but they were far away and it’s hard to describe all of this stuff to people that you know haven’t done a lot of it but it was for the most part I was getting ignored but they were answering me all the time and the toms had hens they tend to not come to you Dave when they’ve got their own hens that are actually alive and walking around you know you can understand that you might sound sexy but they got a sexy girl right in front of her so this goes on for quite a while and then I start having henss answering me and calling and coming towards me and everything just gets more and more exciting and ramps up but it was a long time and oh here’s the part I can remember never in my life turkey hunting had I changed position this many times and they have unbelievable Vision Dave yeah so you got you know they can nail you from a long ways away so you got you know everything’s kind of slow and painful so I’m literally laying on the ground in the pine needles with the ticks and I’m slithering this way because the closest Gober sounds over there and then I oh son of a [ __ ] they’re coming from over here so I I did that I don’t know how many times and then the gobblers that I’d heard that were far away on the same side of the road all of a sudden they start coming and I mean hard the Gobles are getting closer and Loud I’m half deaf but I can hear they’re thundering in my ear and they’re they’re doing the same thing on the other side of the road there’s gobler standing in the road Dave I can hear them druming and they’re gobbling and they’re all coming and anyway I I shot one after all of that but I I have to say my level of excitement was uh peaked for a long time it was pretty exciting so while you were trying to excite them they actually excited you yeah they did they did well sounds like fun Pete I think that’s uh I think we’ve pissed off enough people for this week though here here’s my last thought on all of these things in life okay as as long as decisions are made with fact what drives me crazy about all these things is everybody and and YouTube’s a prime example of people that get on and use opinions as fact and they say I believe this and and as long as we make decisions based on facts I think we’re making the right decisions it’s when people start making decisions based on opinions that it’s a problem and um that’s all I got to say about that it’s been a weird podcast Pete yeah it has it hand yeah I W argue with your final statement uh I’ll just tell you that I’m going to go uh turkey hunting with my wife in the morning it’s her season so we’re gonna see if she gets one all right all right get get it you and the wife get excited to get the turkey I don’t want to ask what happens out there in the woods with you and your wife oh Pete thank you very much for your time this has been uh like I said an odd podcast because it’s not often that I’m in a podcast and I’m like what what why are we still talking about this but we’re still talking about it because that’s literally what that topic is like there’s no right answer and we’re going to hear some in the comments from people but only time will tell but um it’s always good to catch up with you absolutely true I enjoyed it sir and uh yeah next year you’re going to get down here in turkey hunt with me you’re too busy running around doing all that stuff you’re doing you may have to relax a little bit you know for your health and then that way Dave you can get prepared so your buddy Sean will think much more of you you know I I don’t want to talk about it makes me so nervous I am not prepared for anything I mean I it’s and again I am not making fun of people that are I I’m just making fun of myself because I’m an idiot um but uh it was been fun talking with you hopefully hopefully we made people a little smarter or maybe made them feel smarter because we’re not that smart Pete one or the other yeah we might have made them feel better SE dollar Ram we make a hell of a lot more sense than those two guys so we do whatever we can right we can but I did enjoy it man thank you always good Chad always good to catch up with Pete and of course just and Hamner this week both are incredible guests I thank them for being open for being honest and and for taking the conversation well in a direction I didn’t even expect it to go in either of those but I thank you guys for tuning in now do me a favor go out there and make the world a better place just be nice to somebody it’s way more fun and it’s needed in today’s world have a great week enjoy being and as always Bob cob why don’t you go ahead and take it away thanks for watching please like comment and subscribe because Bob Cobb of the Bass Masters told you to you hear
24 Comments
Heck yeah! Pete is awesome!
We need to pair roll tide willie with justin for next years classic pro am lol
Great show as always Dave! Wouldn’t be a good week without it! Dedicated Humper!!!
Some of my favorite podcasts are of Pete and some old timer musky guys talk about all the controversy of old musky records.
What happen to the butt bot comment? I had to leave came back and it's gone that was the one I wanted you to read next week.😀🤣Good show Dave .👍👍👍👍👍
Mercer..the multi species podcast…hamner is a hoot
Don't give a piss bout nut'in but the tide blitz bama blitz!!🐘🏆 love it Dave!👍 Justin is a hoot to 😆
great one!! nice to have the occasional non bass anger on cheers!!
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Sweet, monthly Hamner time! Good conversation as always good sir.
Hamner time
Here in Georgia they are building new public fishing areas but they just don't fish like a natural lake or a reservoir
Dave,what a great show. It's one of my favorites you have ever had. I enjoy all the shows but Pete was great! I could listen to him everyday!!!
“How do you cheer for a leaf. Cmon Dave. That’s rough. GO LEAF” Justin has a point.
Great Podcast….been a follower of Pete’s for years…nobody can spin a yarn the way he can…gotta love it!
I love the Hamner time. I look forward to this podcast every week. This some of that positive mental attitude every one talks about. Thanks Dave for all you do.
Think I have a solution for the policing issue for Pete’s screenless lake, staff boat ramps and don’t allow anyone to launch their boats with a screen. Sure, you could sneak one in but this would make it more difficult
I join 7 th Day Adventist, Mormons and others in the county. They are required to save 6 months of food or more. Most important are having 5 sniper rifles with scopes and a minimum of ten thousand rounds of ammunition. Trust me my family will not starve. Just Saying. Peace brother. ❤❤❤❤
Y’all don’t be hating on Stray Cast the ones of the most funniest bad ass podcasts out there. They are very underrated I wish he would boom to a 100k. This was an awesome show roll tide Willy would be so awesome haha
Hump day!!!!!
I don't have electronics but would like to understand it
Go Leafs Go …. 🙁
Dave, thanks for always bringing great content. I will eat bass. I fish many ponds around my area & if I’m catching nothing but small fish I cull on them . Keeping anything 14” and under. I usually cull them at least 2 times a year. We have to manage our fishing waters if we want the sport to thrive.
As a kid that grew up in the south, I thought Pete was this crazy, mystical dude 😂. You need a Pete Maina Bobble Head!