By Thomas Allen
The splashing water began to freeze on the windshield and I was grateful I was sitting behind it as the November wind gusted over water that hovered near 35°F. I snapped back and quickly shook my head after burning my mouth on hot coffee contained in my Yeti mug while dancing between 2 1/2-foot rollers—think Air Boss Johnson in Top Gun after Maverick buzzed the tower.
We were headed to a very special destination—Big Narrows on legendary Lake of the Woods. I had fat cold-water muskies on the brain. A very special group of men, including my then 16-year-old son, had come together for a week-long adventure at an unbelievable location that perhaps you’ve heard of.
Jay Siemens and a band of fishing fanatics collectively built an awesome off-grid cabin just a few clicks down the lake from Big Narrows proper. We reserved the final week of the season at Uncle Mark’s Outpost for a late-fall muskie trolling expedition. It’s truly a special place deserving of a top spot on your bucket list—five stars by my account.
How did we end up here? It’s a good story that would require an article all its own, but the abbreviated version requires us to step back some 25 years to when I discovered In-Fisherman’s Great Muskie Hunt II, a classic educational video that lit a fire in my gut to become a muskie hunter. Along life’s road I met a few good men who also had a burning desire to troll the tannic waters of Lake of the Woods for giant fall muskies.
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