I thought I'd submit another page in my annual leave odyssey. Once Again I returned to an old standby: Evergreen Resv. I've been having a great deal of success fishing the back water shallows, mainly with crankbaits and an occasional jig. Here it was around 0500 and I was reflecting back on the evening before. I had arrived late afternoon from Sprague Lk. where I had limited success with Walleye. I had hit the back water and picked up a small 'eye lost a very decent Bass and boated a fat 22" 'eye. The sun had gone down, and one of my last casts brought a strike that damn near ripped the pole out of my hands. It was one of those experiences that often result in a WOW!! and a rush of adrenaline. Here it was nearly the same place and this was the first cast of a new day. Just a reel crank or two into the retrieve I felt a freight train hit, Could this be the same monster from the previous evening? Finally, after a good and lengthy battle I got a good look at my advisory, possibly the biggest Tiger musky I've taken to date. Since I often fish alone, controlling the boat, holding the Tiger and netting it was a real chore. Finally after, a couple of heart stopping misses I finally got the Tiger on board, measured and in the live well. Its 38" didn't leave much head room in the live well. The next problem was how to record this experience. I had a camera, but have had little or no success in delayed shots. By now it was about 0600 and I was the only one out. I knew this was a keeper but didn't want to go that route. Finally a pickup appeared, as it turned out it was Grant Co. irrigation employee. He probably thought I was some sort of wild man waving my arms at him, but he stopped and readily agreed to snap a couple of pics., making my day and the tigers, for he was set free. It's always nice to have ample proof when spinnin' a tale. So fellow fishers, the freight train is out there getting bigger and stronger, maybe you'll be next. Good luck! I'd like to acknowledge Joe Iwan of Quincy for his photographic assistance.

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