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Landing the big one

Bismarck angler Mort Bank's introduction to muskie fishing came in possibly the weirdest way imaginable, in that his very first muskie was a world record. Here, in his own words, is one of the most remarkable fish tales ever cast into the "true" category:

Bank: I went to Brainerd, Minn., to fish with Al Lindner. Al said the walleyes were hitting below a small dam on the Mississippi. I took several rods with me, all with different test line. Al said use the six-pound, so I heeded his advice.

We caught lots of walleyes and some smallmouths. Just before dark I set the hook on a fish and Al turned to me and said, "You got him?"

I said no, I'm snagged. A couple of seconds later the snag started moving and I told Al this is no snag. This is a big fish. A really big fish.

Ten minutes later it kind of porpoised on the water. It was getting dark but you could tell it was long. Al said it was either a big northern or a big muskie. I said I've caught lots of big northerns and this must be a muskie. Another 10 minutes or so we got the fish up to the boat and saw it broadside. The three of us stood there and could not believe what we had seen. Then the fish took off again.

All we had in the boat was a little walleye net, which was no solution to our problem of how to land that fish. What we decided to do was to have me backcrank on the spinning reel, maintaining enough pressure so the fish wouldn't get unhooked, and then back the boat to shore where one guy jumped out. He drove to town to buy a bigger net while Al and I stayed with the muskie.

Forty-five minutes later he came back, but by then we were on the other side of the Mississippi. We told him to drive across a bridge and come around to our side. There was a paper mill where the bridge was located and the guard at the gate wouldn't let him through. He told the guard the story about me fighting a big muskie for an hour and a half and showed him the net he just purchased. The guard told him he would turn his back and let him through.

We were glad to see him running down the bank, a net in one hand and a flashlight in the other. We got him in the boat. Remember, this was November and it was well below freezing. The bottom of the carpeted boat was covered with ice. We could hardly stand. It helped that the moon was bright. The fish finally came up and looked like a submarine. Lindner netted it and got it in the boat. The fish was exhausted. We were exhausted and high-fiving and whooping and hollering. It was unbelieveable.

The first thing we thought about was that it might be a world record for six-pound test. We wound up wrapping that fish in a sheet and putting it in a big cooler at a friend's gas station and went to bed. When I woke up the next morning, I thought the whole thing was a dream.

Anyway, we went to the gas station and there must have been 100 people there including TV, radio and newspaper. Everyone had heard about this possible world record. It officially weighed 44 pounds, 1 ounce. My line was eventually verified as six-pound test and I had the record. It was the first and biggest muskie I've ever caught!

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By KIM FUNDINGSLAND, Staff Writer, kfundingsland@minotdailynews.com

He holds the world record for muskie caught on six-pound test line. His winning total in the 1980 North Dakota Governor's Cup Walleye Derby is still 20 pounds more than any winner in Governor's Cup history. He still fishes year-round and can't get enough of it.

Oh yeah, and he is as accomplished in business as he is on the water. He can answer questions smoothly about the ingredients of his favorite barbecue sauce or the working depth of any crankbait in his arsenal. He's just as happy catching crappies as he is northern pike. He can usually be found working in a restaurant on weekends, but during the week he'll likely be found on the water.

He's Mort Bank, and he can lay claim to the title of North Dakota's most avid fisherman.

The Bismarck angler remains an "A" student of the sport. He reads all he can about fishing and records his favorite fishing shows off television so he can analyze the tactics and presentations.

One more thing -- if you see him at the boat dock, don't ask him if he's had any luck.

"When somebody asks if I had any luck today, it just drives me insane," Bank said with a broad smile. "Luck has nothing to do with it. Luck has zero to do with fishing. It's all knowledge, it really is. Talk to the guys who tour. They are all really good and know exactly how to fish."

Bank's fishing credentials speak for themselves. He set his first hooks on whatever would bite, mostly smallmouth bass. His office on the water for several years was a myriad of walleye tournaments where he learned how to catch fish in high winds and during nasty cold fronts. He teamed with Bismarck's Dave Jensen to pull in a monster catch of walleyes weighing 83 pounds, 10 ounces to win the 1980 Governor's Cup -- a record that will likely never be broken.

"I fish for anything that has a head and a tail on it," Bank said. "I love crappie fishing. I love trout fishing and do a lot of saltwater fishing. I love fishing for everything. I like fishing top-water. I like fishing jigs and I like fishing all kinds of other lures."

Bank doesn't fish for walleyes anymore, at least not to the extent he once did. Smallmouth bass, northern pike and muskie rank at the top of his list today. It has been years since Bank has purchased or used live bait, preferring to challenge fish with artificials.

"To me, there's nothing like it," Bank said. "Youve got a fish in a natural habitat. All I do is cast artificials, so I'm trying to convince a fish that a hard plastic lure or piece of metal is something that should be in the water and I have to fool them into hitting it. To me, that's one of the challenges of fishing."

Fall fishing is something Bank looks forward to like a young child waiting to open Christmas presents. According to Bank, just when the fish get active after the tough fishing days of late summer, most fishermen are putting their boats and tackle into storage. That suits him just fine.

"It's some of the best fishing of the year until it ices up," states Bank. "Fish come up shallow to feed. Another nice thing about it is, a lot of fishermen are hunters as well and hunting usually takes priority. They put their boats away after Labor Day and I've got most of the lakes and rivers all to myself. It's a prime time of year. The fishing is good and there's hardly anybody out there."

Except Bank, that is. He fishes and fishes and fishes. When the ice covers his favorite fishing water, he'll drill holes and fish some more. He lives for the challenge.

"Every time you go to a new lake it's a challenge," he said. "You've got to find the fish and convince them to bite. I just don't think there is any sport to compare to fishing and you never know what the next fish is going to be. It could be a world record. You just never know."

After several years of owning McDonald's restaurants, Bank had an idea that would allow him to pursue a theme decor and remain in the restaurant business. He sold his McDonald's and Space Aliens was born. There are eight of them now spread across the Dakotas and Minnesota. Bank's success in business has allowed him ample opportunities to pursue fishing.

"I've got good people working for me," Bank said with confidence. "I work weekends when we are busy and when we're slow, I go fishing. I go out usually, no matter what the weather is."

If there is a lure on the market today, it's a good bet than Bank has tried it out, or even perfected it. He is fascinated by lures and their actions and what they might do to fish, any fish.

"I love it when I hear about a new lure on the market," Bank said. "I can hardly wait to try it out, try a new technique or a new way of fishing. That's what keeps me going. A lot of fishermen will do the same thing over and over and over again. After awhile that gets so boring that they might give up the sport of fishing."

Although he can successfully fish a dizzying array of methods, Bank especially enjoys working magic on the water with surface plugs -- those sometimes goofy-looking lures that seem better designed to catch fishermen than fish. Bank sees them quite differently.

He can "walk the dog" with a Zara Spook like few fisherman can. The side-to-side action he imparts to that surface lure enrages northern pike. The toothy fish will suddenly rush the surface plug with a thrashing attack that is almost as scary as it is exciting. Not only does Bank's rhythmic pattern with the lure on the water make for successful fishing, but it is infinitely entertaining.

"To me, there's nothing more exciting than having a fish explode on the surface and come two or three feet out of the water. There's just nothing like fishing a surface lure and certain fish that jump out of the water," says Bank. "For fishermen who have never experienced that, if they ever get into it, boy, there's nothing like it. It's exciting!"

Northern pike

Bank said northern pike are one of his most favorite fish to catch.

"Without a doubt," Bank said. "You can catch them on virtually anything and you can always count on a northern pike to bite no matter what the conditions are. They'll hit surface plugs.

"They're good eating, but you need to learn how to clean them to get the Y-bones out. Then you can put them up against a walleye as far as eating quality any day of the week. I think people are missing the boat by not fishing more for northern pike."

Bank calls spring the prime time of the year for catching pike. He waits for the ice to break on his favorite northern pike lakes and then heads for shallow water, sometimes as little as two feet deep. The reason? Pike usually lay their eggs in the back sections of bays in less than six feet of water and then hang around the area for two or three weeks after they spawn.

"You can catch a lot of northern pike in a relatively small area and just have an absolute blast casting small Rapalas and crankbaits and spoons and surface lures," Bank said. "Those pike will be shallow, shallower than people would ever dream. Typically I'm catching them in two feet of water."

According to Bank, once a fisherman learns how to fish through and over weedbeds, his chances of participating in memorable pike fishing trips will increase dramatically.

"You need to know how to fish weeds effectively," Bank said. "I think that's what's missing most as far as northern pike fishing goes. In the summer months pike will move out to the mouth of the bay or the points near the mouth or an island. I think what's missing the most is that people don't know how to fish weeds and that's where a northern pike lives. If you use lures designed to fish weeds, you'll catch a lot of northern pike."

Smallmouth bass

Smallmouth bass fishing has only recently began to gain popularity in North Dakota waters. The strong fighters rank as one of the best tussles a fishing can hook into, especially when a fishermen using a light spinning reel locks on to a rushing smallmouth. The fish may run deep or break the water with a spiral into the air. Even a three-pounder can put an anxious bend in a typical walleye rod.

"Look at Lake Darling," Bank said. "There was a new state record out of there. That's a fish the size (6 pounds, 13 ounces) that you might hear about coming out of the southern United States. North Dakota has a lot of smallmouth fishing. The Game and Fish has done a great job with that. Sakakawea has exploded, Audubon has been really good and New Johns, Hecker's and the McClusky Canal has some of the best smallmouth fishing in the state. You've also got James-town Reservoir, Pipestem and Spiritwood Lake."

Muskie fishing

Yes, North Dakota provides some opportunities to catch muskies. Not many, but the fish are there. And if there's a species to be caught, Bank will give it a try. He more than holds his own with the most persistent muskie fishermen anywhere, pulling numerous muskies from North Dakota waters. The last two state record muskies were pulled from New John's Lake, a place where Bank has had numerous encounters with feisty muskies.

"A couple of state records in the mid-40-pound range were caught in New Johns," he said. "Those are impressive muskies for anywhere in the country. Muskies are not very prevalent, so to catch one is one of the toughest accomplishments in fishing that there is.

"They are similar to a northern," he added. "They like weeds. They like points. They like rock bottoms, but are usually a lot smarter and a lot tougher to catch than a northern pike. They are famous for following a lure and not opening up their mouth to get it.

"Of course, if you do get one, you are talking about a big fish and trying to land it can be a challenge as well," Bank said.

Bank makes several fishing trips a year to New Johns in the hopes of hooking into a big muskie. He's caught numerous muskies from that water, but none in the 40-pound class. He has, however, hooked into a couple that have pulled his boat around a bit. To him, that is part of the thrill of muskie fishing -- a chance to hook into an absolute brute.

Recently Bank spent a crisp, autumn day on New Johns churning up the water with surface lures and burning big spinnerbaits. Despite hitting his best-known muskie haunts, the only action of the day was the fleeting flash of a northern pike.

"What's unique about muskie fishing is that it is a lot of work," he said. "You are using lures that are heavy, rods and reels that are heavier than normal tackle and you are casting all day long for maybe one or two fish or maybe just follows. For a muskie fisherman, that's a successful day."

Another aspect of muskie fishing is that the muskie cult employs a myriad of lures with unique names recognizable to muskie fishing only. Almost anything with a hook and a wobble might make a good muskie bait. In a pinch, a garbage can lid with a treble hook attached might do the trick. Crazy lures with crazy names is all part of the muskie fisherman's world.

"Today we used the "Franken-Spitz," which is a $59.99 lure that creeps on the surface and walks back and forth. It's got a big blade on it so the water shoots up. That's certainly unique and different," Bank said. "I've got one lure that resembles a gopher, another that is a mouse -- "Nicky Mouse" -- and another that looks like a rubber ducky that comes in different colors.

Then there the bulldogs, sort of a giant lizard with a twister tail. I'll use giant-bladed spinners with double spinner on them. You

throw those all day long and your arms and shoulders are aching, but it doesn't stop you from coming back a second and third time in the hopes of catching that muskie."