I live in Minnesota. I won't hear of anyone saying they have bigger or smarter muskies than we have here at home.
Why, to demonstrate -- just the other day, on my lunch break on the shoreline (everywhere in MInnesota is shoreline), I was sitting there feeling the freeze, enjoying the sun, and listening to waves softly lapping at the limbs of a tree that had succumbed to shoreline erosion and was lying at a low angle, supported by huge branches that were likely propping it up from the sandy, weedy bottom.
Along comes this crazy little pine squirrel, just a chirping and scooting, and studying this acorn that was out on a far limb. Little by little he made the treacherous tight rope walk out there, five, six inches at a time, shaking his tail, looking warily around, and moving in little skitters.
Finally, he made it to the acorn. But just as he was bending to get it in his teeth -- WHAM!!! A huge ol' muskie burst from the water, sucked him in his maw and sank back down like a gloating Great White shark.
I had fumbled my pipe, I was so startled by the thing. Ash got between the web of my hand and the pipe, singed me a good one.
I was just getting it tamped and refreshed good, when out of the corner of my eye I saw a motion by the limb. Here comes the acorn again, gliding along like it had a motor and a sense of direction. Then I saw what the issue was: It rose up out of the water on that same muskie's nose. He sat it on the limb, pushed it this way and that to center it, then slowly sank down again to lie in wait for the next squirrel.
True story. And if you heard it before, it was stolen from me.
Pups
(Smeigs -- nice looking fish, you devil!)