The Central Wisconsin Chapter of Muskies, In. got its start on June 30, 1987
when ten interested anglers met with At Large Director, Kermit Benson, at the
Black River Sportsman’s Club in Withee, WI. Kermit explained the structure and
purposes of Muskies, Inc., the group elected Tom Reinke as their president and a new chapter was born.
Meetings were originally held the first Monday of the month, with the location
alternating between J.T.'s Pub in Medford, WI and the Black River Sportsman’s
Club in Withee. But due to poor attendance at the Withee location, the meetings
were held at J.T.'s Pub, and now Happy Joes in Medford.
This chapter never did grow much but what it lacks in numbers has been made up
for in enthusiasm by its members. The chapter's membership has stayed at about
30 over the years but is now growing.
Some of the early members of the chapter were: Tom & Tim Reinke, Gary Kallberg,
Dave Peissig, Dan Parker, Garth Kallberg, Mel Niemie, Rick Sowieja, Greg Bender,
John Zarns and family, Andy Finnala, Larry Arndt and Orlando Olsen.
The Chapter fishes in the Taylor County area usually Little and Big Spirit, Rib Lake,
and the Holcombe area. The chapter contributes to these waters by holding fundraising
events to raise money for muskies to stock in the waters. They have held the fundraising
events at various sporting events over the years, but then decided to raise money in other ways.
The chapter's members have always been real good about supporting other chapter's
activities, such as tournaments, sports shows, etc. We hope that this chapter will
continue to grow like it has in the past couple of years and continue contributing
to the Musky Fishing Community.
