Outdoorsman’s Journal-,

An Outdoorsman’s Journal-,

By Mark Walters

A Couple Days with Musky Joe

Hello friends, One of my best and most successful buddies, is an antitechnology guy like myself. “Musky” Joe Flater is the owner of Flater’s Resort, which is located where the Chippewa and Flambeau rivers meet, and has been owned and operated by the Flater family, since Joe’s grandpa, Harry Flater, started it in 1938.

This past week, I spent two days running bear baits, running a chainsaw, hanging bear stands, fishing and hanging out around a campfire, with my pal, Joe.

Monday, May 11 • High 58, Low 28

The only way Musky Joe would let me come visit him, was if I offered to do some work. The entire Flater Resort/guiding service operation is shut down, because of COVID-19 and I could see Joe took me seriously, when right where I parked my truck, there were two chainsaws, and enough fuel and bar oil to clear cut a 40-acre forest.

I was promised some fishing time if I was a good boy and followed Musky Joe’s orders. Six hours later, Joe let me have a glass of water and told me it was time to go fishing.

Joe’s son, Andy Flater, is camping at the resort’s campground for two weeks, with his family, and would join us for a very cool float down the Chippewa River. Our plan was to try to catch some walleye for a fish fry and a cold north wind really put the bite on hold. Joe did catch a walleye and made a point of telling everyone we passed, that he caught a fish, and that neither Andy nor I did.

I was the anchor dropper and puller, and noticed my duty was physical and did not give me the positioning for the good holes which Musky Joe seemed to get EVERY TIME. I also noticed Musky Joe gets snagged A LOT.

Tonight, we had a super cool experience, as Andy had put together family movies over the last at least 35-years, and it was epic, watching the go-for-it attitude of this entire family and how from the Flater hay rides, to Joe’s pa, Tubby, running the chains for his three grandson’s football games at Lake Holcombe High School, to all the deer and bear hunting footage, to the fish catching and one of the funniest taverns in the world, everyone is always laughing and active.

Tuesday, May 12 • High 69, Low 34

Joe told me this morning, if I was a good boy and split a lot of firewood, clear-cut another forest, re-roofed a cabin and mowed the lawns, he would take me fishing again. We had a great time and got a bunch done, and hung some two-man bear stands on private land, and that can be a physical job.

In reality, Joe and I live the same kind of life, we are in the outdoor-oriented people industry and we are both “old school.”

Joe’s boat is a 14-foot v hull that he rows and the outboard is a 9.9 horsepower. There are zero electronics on board and the way he guides, is by rowing/floating down the Chippewa and Flambeau rivers. I had the honor of speaking at what was one of the biggest/funnest shin-digs I have ever witnessed and that was when he was inducted into the Fishing Hall of Fame.

Tubby is 88 years old and probably the most active human I have ever known in this age bracket. Tubby starts off his day with a 5-mile bike ride and ends it with a cold beer(s) at someone’s campfire, or in the tavern when it is open.

Today, Musky Joe and I had about 40 minutes to fish, and unfortunately, he caught all the fish, which makes him VERY, VERY happy!

There were a lot of laughs at the campfire experience at Scott and Tina Litkowski’s camp, which is a permanent site at “Flaterville,” and in the morning, before Musky Joe found another forest to clear-cut, I got the hell out of Dodge!

Life is fun if you let it be! Sunset