Guest profile….meet the Z-men

Meet Jeff and Andy Zwieg.  This father/son duo is from Wisconsin and they love to fish.  Most people who visit the lodge enjoy fishing, but these guys take it to another level.  You have probably seen their name all over the catch & release boards at the lodge.  Or you possibly saw them on TV recently fishing with John Gillespie on his fishing show (you can view a short clip here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_IKLizE59U).  These guys aren’t professionals, but they are about as close as you can get.  So, why do they catch so many fish and so many big fish?

A big part of what sets these guys apart is the statistics they keep.  They started coming to Eagle Falls Lodge the same year I did – in 1995.  They have tracked every fish caught at the lodge during every trip since.  Notes are recorded about productive areas of the lake and lures/colors that worked along with what didn’t.  They also break their fish counts down to morning, afternoon, evening, and late evening.  They have been able to use this information to adjust their baits, where they fish, and what time they fish.  The results are pretty astounding.

Their first trip to the lodge they caught 158 fish with 3 guys or about 53 fish per person for the entire week.  Last year they caught 902 fish with 2 guys or 456 fish per person for the week.  But the most amazing stat may be this – in 18 trips to Eagle Falls over the past 20 years Jeff and Andy have combined to catch over 7,500 walleye, pike, sauger, perch, smallmouth, and rock bass!  That’s a LOT of fish.

Here is Jeff with a 38″ Northern Pike caught this year.

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Here is Andy with a 26″ Walleye caught this year.

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In a couple more seasons these guys will be closing in on the 10,000 fish mark which is a pretty remarkable feat.  We’ll be ready to celebrate when they hit that milestone.

Want to see what fishing adventure they are currently enjoying?  You can follow them on Twitter @ZmenOutdoors.

4 Comments

  1. Wow. I almost need to get a twitter account just to stalk the Z-men’s fishing exploits. Those are some pretty awesome stats.

  2. This almost makes it worth joining twitter to follow the Z-men on their fishing adventures. Incredible stats, gentlemen!

  3. Hope to be back up there In a few years to rejoin the Z-Men. Have had some great times with them at Eagle Falls! Maybe an ” Indian ” will steal another one of there buoys.

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