Mississippi River guide Jeremiah Luhmann of Lake City, Minn., holds up a trophy walleye caught on Pool 4. (Doug Newhoff/correspondent)
DUBUQUE — It's 4:30 a.m. when the alarm interrupts a refreshing night's sleep for Jeremiah Luhmann and Steve Kopp.
It's early June, the walleye bite has been fast and furious up and down the Mississippi River, and Luhmann and Kopp have a bounce in their step as they prepare for another promising day of rod-bending action and perhaps the fish of a lifetime.
These two lifelong anglers are fishing guides who love their "jobs," and it's time to go to work.
Luhmann, a Lake City, Minn., native who spent 18 years as a waterfowl hunting guide, is now in his sixth season of hunting fish for his clients primarily on Pool 4 of the Mississippi with an occasional visit to Pools 2 and 3 and iconic Mille Lacs Lake.
"I guess I just like to share what I do with other people," he said. "It's fun to see other people's reaction to things I kind of took for granted because I get to do it so much."
Kopp is from Dubuque and works mostly on Pools 11, 12 and 13 of the Mississippi, although his background as a tournament angler has given him extensive knowledge and experience on the river from Trempleau, Wis., to the Quad Cities area. He decided to secure his captain's license (a U.S. Coast Guard requirement) and take up guiding eight years ago.
Steve Kopp of Dubuque, who guides for multiple species on Pools 11-13 of the Mississippi River, shows off a dandy walleye. (Doug Newhoff/correspondent)
"I love it," Kopp said. "Whether it's kids or really anyone, when somebody catches a good walleye you have a tendency to ask them, 'What's the biggest walleye you ever caught?' You wouldn't believe how many times that's the biggest one right there."
The path to a successful day is a little more complicated for Luhmann and Kopp than it might be for the average recreational angler.
One of the first and ongoing considerations is the weather. Lightning and thunderstorms can mean rescheduling a trip, while wind plays a key role in where Luhmann and Kopp will take their clients.
"I like to fish Lake Pepin if I can, but some days it's so windy you can't because you just get beat up too much. Then we'll end up in the river at Red Wing or Wabasha where we can kind of hide from the wind," said Luhmann, who did an entertaining April television show with John Gillespie and his daughter, Blake. "I contact customers the day before and let them know where we're gonna meet."
Kopp tends to climb into his boat early to get ready for the day.
"I usually clean up the boat and get all my rods and bait ready in the morning," he said. "I have three or four people a lot of times. My rod holder holds 12 rods and I'm trying to stick at least 20 or 24 in there because of all the different stuff you might have to do. If they're not going on one thing, you've got to try something else."
Luhmann typically takes care of everything he can after the previous day's outing (or outings if he has two trips on the schedule).
Luhmann and Kopp also have to figure out the best way for each day's customers to catch fish.
"You don't always know how skilled the people are, where they fish a lot or fish some," Luhmann said. "You've got to figure out an easy way for people to catch fish. A lot of the time, it ends up with some type of trolling, whether it's crankbaits or three-way rigs with live bait. You just feel it out when you talk to them the night before to see what they can and can't do."
As experienced guides with a lifetime of knowledge on the river, Luhmann and Kopp put together a plan for the day based on where they've had success the previous few days. They also have a backup plan in mind, and they always seek out areas where they won't have to compete with dozens of other boats.
"You are constantly searching," Luhmann said. "For me, the biggest thing is where I'm catching fish I always try to figure out why the fish are there. What are holding the fish there? What kind of bait is there? What are they eating? It's like, 'OK, this spot has this, why are the fish there and can I use that to find another spot that is similar?'
"What can I do to duplicate that? If the fish dry up in this spot, is there another spot like it I can fish?"
Guides also are coaches.
"You are kind of a teacher all day long," Luhmann said. "That's a fun aspect of it when it finally clicks and people start to catch the fish. I get a lot of enjoyment that way teaching people stuff."
After a half day or a full day on the water, Kopp and Luhmann take a few photos, clean and package their customers' fish and part ways.
However, their day isn't complete. Once they return home, plug in the boat, repair any equipment and tend to their bait, they'll take inventory of their tackle and restock or re-order. They'll document everything about the day — from water levels and weather to water clarity and results — for future reference. Then it's on to returning phone calls and emails, maybe networking with fishing friends, scheduling future customers and contacting the next day's group.
The days can be long.
"That's one reason I do four-hour or seven-hour trips," Kopp said. "By the time you get back and clean fish and put the boat away and all that, that's a long day. You're wiped out. I had a couple of other guides tell me that eight hours will turn into an 11-hour day for you."
You won't hear Kopp or Luhmann complain about any of that. They have a passion for fishing — maybe even an obsession. When they don't have a guide trip scheduled, there's a good chance they'll be on the water with their wives or friends.
"Pretty much from March and still sometimes in December, I'm still on the river," Luhmann said. "It's at least a couple hundred days a year, I imagine. Even on my days off, my wife likes to fish so when she's able to go I take her out for the day.
"I enjoy being out there so much. I've got some type of mental issue ... I don't know."
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