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PCCA Journal|4

th

Quarter 2014

23

I

spent a year in Minnesota one winter. But as an avid

fisherman, the opportunity to take the prize catch of

the Northlands off my Bucket List was one I could

not pass up. So when Marty Ferguson of FS3 put a

premium Walleye trip to northern Minnesota up for

bid at the PCCA Auction in St. Thomas, I was on it like a

Muskie on a hooked Walleye.

This pilgrimage to the north is an annual event for Marty

and a select group of customers and suppliers. But having

heard the stories (or tall tails) spun by Past PCCA Presidents

like J.R. Spalj and Greg Johnson of the monster Walleyes,

Northerns, and Muskies lurking in the frigid lakes of the

north, I had to see for myself. I was not disappointed.

The adventure started upon my arrival in the Twin Cit-

ies and finding Indian summer in its full splendor. Lucky

me. Marty picked up me and the other non-Minnesotans at

the airport and escorted us to his office/warehouse facil-

ity and home in Annandale, west of the cities. After a spin

around Clearwater Lake on his pontoon boat, we were wined

and dined at the lake’s best steak house.

The next morning, we headed north. A caravan of SUVs

took 14 of us up through Brainerd, Bemidji, and on to Bau-

dette and Lake of the Woods. There we were meet by Sports-

man’s Lodge staff and captains who loaded us onto 30-foot

Sportscraft Cruisers for the next segment of our journey—two

hours across the lake to Oak Island, the home for the great

Walleye adventure. The Sportsman’s Lodge knows Marty

well, and the red carpet comes out when his group hits dock.

The lodge’s accommodations were more than comfortable.

The evenings were spent feasting on truly memorable meals

followed by ceremonial Duck Farts and tales of the one that

got away. The days were spent two to a boat with highly

skilled local guides whizzing us through the lake’s Canadian

islands to one spot and the next to catch Walleye, Crappie,

Perch, Small Mouth Bass, Northern Pike, and the occasional

prize monster Muskie.

While strict limits on all varieties of keepers were ob-

served, the daily group shore lunches were something to

write home (as well as the PCCA

Journal

) about: fresh catch

prepped on shore among the pines and the bald eagles. Each

evening we were back to the lodge enjoying happy hour on

the balcony while the guides cleaned and packaged our catch

for us to carry home.

The PCCA was well represented on the expedition, with

participants from suppliers Condux, Lewis Manufacturing,

and Dura-Line, from contractors Bonneville, Telecom Con-

struction, and MP Nexlevel, and of course our most gracious

hosts from FS3, Marty and Laurie Ferguson. They really put

on a great event, and it more than met my expectations. If

catching a hundred fish a day per boat is something that

grabs your attention, this is the place you want to go. But

first you will have to out-bid me at the auction in Aruba!

PCCA Connections

Lead to a Big Fish Story

By Stephen Spears, PCCA Past President

Bonneville Contracting & Technology Group, Inc.

Andy Lewis, Lewis Manufacturing, and Marty Ferguson, FS3, cruise across picturesque

Clearwater Lake. FS3 donated the fishing trip to this year’s PCCA Auction.

Steve Spears' purchase at last year's PCCA Auction not only greatly benefited the

association, but it also landed him the big catches that he had dreamed of—a

Northern Pike (left) and aWalleye.