(guitar music) - Let me get, I'm trying to get in and then I can paddle us over there.

- Good.

(water splashing) Wow.

- [Rust] I know.

- [Don] You see that?

- [Rust] Yeah.

- [Don] That's not the norm for northern pike to jump out of the water like a muskie.

(man laughs) (serene guitar music) - This is a show.

About the men and women that serve in our military.

It's a story about life as a soldier and now a civilian.

It's a story about honor, courage and sacrifice.

Join us as we make friends, catch fish, and give back to some of the bravest people there are.

These are their stories.

This is Fishing Behind the Lines.

- Fishing Behind the Lines is brought to you by... (upbeat dramatic music) - Hi folks, I'm Don Meissner and I wanna welcome you to this week's Fishing Behind the Lines.

This is a pretty special show for me and you'll find out why as we go along.

But, uh, I'm gonna be the guest today.

And Rust is going to sort of serve as what I usually serve as.

And we're gonna talk about my feelings of what the show has meant to me, how it's, how it's affected me, how it's changed my life.

My feelings about not only what fishing can mean to a person's life, but also what our military means to all of our lives.

And helping us today is Charlie Maccabee.

And Charlie is going to be keeping Eric in position in his boat and uh, also just giving that big smile to make us enjoy our day, even more.

So Rust?

The pressure's on.

(Rust laughs) - You know, Don when uh, when I think of, and I'm sure what everybody out there thinks of Fishing Behind the Lines.

It's a fishing show and it's a thank you show.

And what I think about and I know all you folks out there think about how many times over the years have we heard Don say, thank you.

He said thank you to all those soldiers and all their families.

And to all of us that have helped so much on the show, it's been a pleasure and a joy.

It's my privilege and honor to be here today.

On behalf of everybody out there watching, you're the guest of honor.

And we wanna say thank you to you today.

We're gonna have some fun.

We're going to tell, walk down memory lane, tell some stories and hopefully catch some fish along the way.

(laughs) - That's a, that's a big key.

We still got the pressure in catch fish.

So, I hope you stay with us.

(mellow music) - You know folks, realizing the show was gonna be about me, put pressure on what water do I pick?

There's so many places I love to go, but this is one of my favorite places where we can put little boats in and we can fish sort of the fingers of the St. Lawrence River.

And that was our plan.

And again, when you begin any day's fishing, any show that you do, you never know.

So we had our tackle box full of different tackle and it wasn't long before we were in the water.

And didn't I miss the first fish of the day?

(birds chirping) - Weeds.

- Oh!

That was a fish.

How in the world are we missing him?

- That's got four hooks in it, a treble and a stinger.

- I know.

- How does that happen?

- I don't Know.

I honestly don't know.

It's, it's a mystery to me this year because I've been doing this (chuckles) for most of my life.

And I've never had so many fish.

There's one.

(grunting) - Right.

(Don grunting) - Good.

- Okay.

You got this motor off?

- It's off.

- Is it?

- Yup, yup.

Oh, that's a nice one too.

I'mma get, I'm trying to get in and then I can paddle us over there.

- Good.

(water splashes) - Wow.

- Here we go.

- You see that?

(fish jumps) - Yeah.

- That's not the norm for northern pike to jump out of the water, like a muskie.

(man laughs) And I want you to see something.

- Oh, that's nice.

- Do you see my lore?

- [Rust] Yeah.

- Barely.

- [Rust] Yeah.

- [Don] He has sucked that.

- [Rust] Yeah.

- [Don] Let me see if I can turn them and maybe we can get a shot of him.

He has sucked that lore in so deep that uh, (rod whirring) it's going to be tough to get it out.

Do you have pliers, Rust?

- [Rust] Yeah, I do.

- [Don] Now this is a small Northern and I'll tell you what.

I can see blood, coming out of his, out of the back of his gills, which is a sad thing.

Which means, it doesn't necessarily mean he's gonna die.

I have to look here.

- (laughs) The art of being in a canoe.

Okay.

I think this fish is gonna live.

Even though we saw some blood.

That's a nice Northern pike, as you can see.

That's probably 24 inches, would you say?

- [Rust] Yeah, absolutely.

(paddle rowing) It's a beauty.

(paddle rowing) - Now, you see how I'm holding him.

That keeps him from wiggling.

But I wanna make sure when I let him go, that his gills are released back where he can, he can breathe properly.

(water splashing) And there he goes.

I wouldn't have put him back if thought he was gonna die because Northern pike are delicious.

They're absolutely... A lot of people think, "Oh, there's so many bones "and I'm not gonna keep 'em."

You learn how to filet 'em and you, and you have them fresh like that.

You don't let them sit around.

And what I always do is soak 'em a day in ice-cold milker or half and half or something in the fridge.

And that just takes, just make some meat even tastes better (laughs) and then cook 'em, so.

But if those fish can live, I'm gonna let them live way before I'm gonna eat 'em.

So, I'm happy now.

We've broken the ice we've had, Russ has had two strikes.

I've hooked two fish and had another strike.

And I finally caught one, but that's good.

Let me show you-- - [Rust] Look, look right in front of us.

- Let me show you.

- [Rust] Look right in front of us, guys.

Somebody came to say hello.

- Oh!

Look at, look at, look at, look at.

That's a beaver.

And if it isn't, then we're in trouble.

(laughs) - [Rust] Great finish, Don.

- [Don] Okay.

- [Rust] Great start.

Let's go get another.

- [Don] Yeah, let me show everybody what I caught in.

- [Rust] Yeah.

Since we're in perfect position here.

This is a, this is a lore I'm using.

It's made by Storm.

And again, I'm not promoting anything, but what happens is, and you can see you've got a hook on top and on kind of bottom.

And if you can't hook a fish that strikes at, then there's something wrong with you.

(chuckles) But I already lost one on this, but it's a going through the water, that tail wiggles like that.

And I fish it where I'm not just reeling it in.

See if I can show you here by the boat a little bit.

I fish it where, you see how its tail wiggles, when I do that, that's how I reel it.

I reel it in, so it's doing that and it must look pretty good to the fish because it's one of my favorite lores.

(calm guitar music) - Boy.

I don't know what it is.

It almost.

- [Rust] Wow.

- Ooh.

It's a nice one.

It's a nice one.

Holy!

It is a pike, I thought for, for a minute is this is a much bigger one.

(water splashes) I thought for a minute it might've been a bass.

(water splashing) - [Don] Oohh!

(fish splashing) Oy!

You know it's, it's funny.

(fish splashing) All this time trying, not a strike.

You know, it's, it's hard.

Well, it's a nice, nice pike, beautiful fish.

And you know what?

There's not a mark on it.

Years ago and, I guess I got the pliers.

I'm waiting for my buddy Rust to perform for me to get the hook out.

The biggest problem here now is getting his mouth open.

So that I can get this out, he doesn't wanna open.

- Here I've got a tool for that very thing.

- If he only knew we're trying to help him.

- You ever hear a teamwork?

- No doubt.

(grunts) - This is military teamwork right here.

Now here's my, my biggest challenge, is getting these gills back.

(fish jumps, water splashes) Whoo!

- [Rust] (laughs) Sometimes they decide for themselves.

- That was a nice pike.

Now, if we could catch pike like that all day, you wanted to leave here?

(both laughs) - Just a minute, just before that cast.

I said, "Well, let's go to the other place."

(laughs) - It's amazing how this little, this little bait is so effective when they're not really hitting you.

There's days when the pike are so aggressive that you could catch them on a lot of things.

But today they don't really seem to want to strike.

And yet, he took that right in on the strike.

There was no mistaken that he wanted to eat that bait.

He didn't want to just see what it was.

(buoyant guitar music) - There we go.

- A fish?

Yeah.

- Yes!

- Finally.

(grunts) - There.

- Why.

- Now you got it.

- Yes, it feels good.

(water splashes) - It is a good one.

- It's a good one.

Yeah.

- Now in the last five minutes, you had one hit right at the boat that you had hooked for one second.

Had another strike, you didn't get, in three... That's three fish.

- In-- - In five minutes.

- That's right.

- On your pink, wait that's a nice my pike.

- Yes it is.

(water splashing) - Want me to land in for you?

- Sure I let you land in for me.

- Let me get this in, that's a nice pike.

- Yeah.

That feels good.

A lot of fishing with Don Meissner is sitting in the back of the boat, watching him catch fish.

And this feels good.

(laughs) Here we go.

I'm gonna let you land it, Don.

- This should be an easy get out too.

- Wow.

- It's a single hook.

- This is a big fish.

This is bigger than the one I got.

Wow, that's a beauty.

- Yeah.

Well, I love these Northern pike.

- Do you?

- I mean I, I love catching them.

They, they attack with such aggression.

- [Don] Now, this is what Rust is using, a chatterbait with a pink ta-- Muskie loves pink.

It's its favorite color for muskies for everything.

And, you see why.

So, wow that's a beautiful pike.

That's a 30-incher.

That's a, that's a beauty.

Oh, my gosh and not remotely hurt.

- [Rust] Thank you pike.

(fish splashing away) - [Rust] Thank you, Don.

- This is fabulous.

This is fabulous.

- It feels great.

It's amazing.

Right here in our backyards.

(laughs) - Well, I'm happy for Russ getting that.

- Yeah.

That was great.

- Although.

(chuckles) (upbeat cultural music) - [Rust] Tuck in?

- [Don] No.

Yes.

- [Rust] All right.

It was well-- - [Rust] Well.

- Boy, - [Both] the beaver didn't like it.

(laughs) - If you could turn this.

- I'm reeling in so I, (grunts) yup, got us now.

- Exactly.

Well, they're up here.

We didn't think there was any up.

Now this one, if you can see 'em in the water, he doesn't have an awful lot of that lore in his mouth, does he?

- [Rust] That's a good thing.

- [Don] But, he's got uh, (fish splashing) he's got the treble.

(fish splashing) See how they like to jump?

This is about half the size of the one Russ caught last, but we go... Now again when I hold 'em.

(fish splashing away) I was gonna say by pres-- - [Rust] Slippery, aren't they?

- By pressing in on the gills, you can, you can keep them from moving.

Don't do, as I say, now he's got my wire leader all mixed up too.

(fish splashes) Okay.

Now, Rust.

- [Rust] Right under your right hand and right there.

- Is the pliers?

- [Rust] Yeah.

You need a, the mouth.

- Now, let me take my glasses out, - [Rust] Pry it open.

- in case, he flicks 'em into the water.

I gotta get his mouth open enough, so I get the pliers in there to get that treble out.

This is not like catching bass, believe me.

It's not the same as catching bass.

Number one, you can't stick your hand in the mouth to move your hook around because you end up with a million lacerations if you do.

He, this is, he's making this far harder than it has to be by...

I done right now.

I got to somehow get his, - I'd give us a little space.

- gill.

Yeah, his gill is good now, so.

(chuckles) You can see I'm laying right down here, my seat's broken.

Okay, now you're, you're good to go now, buddy.

Once you realize it, (water splashes) there he goes.

There he goes, geez.

He it, the hook actually didn't penetrate, any part of his vitals.

Didn't get in his gills or stomach.

(sniffs) When you said the hook spreader went through his, skin.

- The top of hook spreader went through the top of its jaw, which I've never had happened.

I guess I didn't get it in there because the jaw is really hard on the upper.

- So do you think he's okay?

- Oh yeah.

Oh yeah.

It's just like a hook going through the, through the top of the jaw.

- Oh yeah.

We do that all the time.

(Rust laughs) Don't we?

(laughs) They don't hurt a bit.

(Rust laughs) - I mean, I'm sure it hurt, but I'm sure he's okay.

- All right.

Well, we're getting, we're getting near our goal of showing you folks enough fish to keep you interested to listen to us talking.

(chuckles) It's kind of what it's all about.

Give you some action and then pass on some thoughts.

(serene music) Well, I gotta tell you, we did wonderful in the first spot.

You know, we cast an awful lot, but we've come to another one of the little waters, on the other side of the road from the St. Lawrence.

This doesn't get fish a lot because it has an access place here.

If you've got a canoe or a small boat, but you can't put a big boat in here, not legally.

And it's also protected that you can't use a motor, sort of loon sanctuary.

Now it's a big lake and it's, there's a lot of acres here and it has most of the fish that live in the St. Lawrence river.

Come under there's tubes under the road and come in here.

So I know there's bass in here.

I know there's pike in here and there's all kinds of panfish.

I've never caught a walleye, but there's always a first day.

So we're gonna try it now and see if we can catch some more fish.

(dramatic music) By the water, isn't it?

You don't know what to believe.

- Oh, something moves.

- Where?

- Well, my lore splashed and then there was a splash off to the right.

- Was there?

- Might've been a turtle, I don't know.

- Yep, could've been.

- Oh, it's fish.

- It's fish.

- It was fish.

(laughs) - It, on your worm?

- Yup.

- Oh my God.

- As soon as it splashed, as soon as it splashed, there was another movement off to the right.

And I, you heard me tell you.

- [Don] Yes.

- [Rust] And I didn't know what it was.

- [Don] Well.

- [Rust] And it is fish, just like that.

We put in this new water three minutes ago.

I cast twice.

(water splashes) - That's very interesting.

And they tells us something too.

If there's bass in here, they're gonna be tied up.

- [Rust] It's not very big.

- [Don] Oh, it's fine.

It's a beauty.

- Yeah.

I'm happy.

- Remember beauty's in the eye of the beholder.

- Beautiful.

- [Don] That's a great start, Rust.

- [Rust] It's a great start.

- Once upon a time, not too long ago, I didn't recognize the difference between a large mouth and a small mouth, but fishing with him, I quickly learned.

(Don laughs) (water splashes) - That was a large mouth.

There's some really big, large mouth in here too.

(guitar music) - [Rust] Me, thinking I'm bringing him worms.

That's what you've done to me.

Wo-hoo!

- [Don] Woow!

- [Rust] What was that?

Was, I was, I was-- - [Don] It's a good one.

That's a good one.

Don't lose him.

Holy cow!

- That's a Northern.

- Is it really?

- Yeah.

- It is?

For sure?

- [Rust] It's a Northern and I don't have a wire leader, so this'll be interesting.

And it's not a giant Northern, but yeah, it a Northern.

Come here.

- [Don] I thought it was a bass.

- [Rust] Come on.

Oh, good he's hooked the right, the side of mouth.

- [Don] Is it?

- [Rust] Yup.

Look at that.

Not quite as clean as the other ones.

It's got a few parasites on it.

- Well, 'cause it's in a whole different environment.

This is pond environment compared to basically river run in.

- I had it, just in the corner.

I love it, when you can catch a fish that has a mouthful of teeth and the hook comes out just that easily.

- [Don] Yeah, it's just lucky.

- Oh yeah, very lucky.

- Whoah!

(fish flipping) - And... - What happened?

- There we go.

(water splashes) (laughs) Slipped out and kind of grabbed my thumb by his gill.

(chuckles) But.

- It get caught?

- No, no, I'm good.

(serene music) - [Rust] Oh!

- [Don] You believe that?

- That was a big one.

We're hooked up.

- [Don] On!

- We're hooked up.

- (grunts) Oh, ho.

May lose him, it's a Northern.

(water splashes) Oh my gosh!

There.

Holy cow, what a strike, huh?

(water splashing) - [Rust] Yeah, that was terrific.

- [Don] What a strike.

- This is, I was questioning my worm, finesse-fishing style.

Oh, when he's barely.

- [Rust] Oh, beautiful.

- [Don] He's hooked beautifully we're not gotta kill it.

Look at that.

(fish splashing) Isn't that something?

Well, we know the Northern tibek here as well as the bass.

We have had some of the most monster, large-mouth bass come out for Rust's worm (chuckles) and we haven't hooked up.

- That's a beauty.

- It's a nice pike.

- [Rust] That's a beauty.

- That is a very nice pike.

Now, I mentioned one earlier and I said to Rust.

I said, that's a 30-inch and later.

I said to me, "Yet, it wasn't 30."

Well, let's just see there's nine.

And my hand has been measured a hundred times.

There's nine, to that part on the fin.

There's 18.

There's 27.

- [Rust] And mine was bigger than that.

(laughs) So I guess it was a 30.

(laughs) - [Don] So this is about a 28-inch or 29-incher.

That's a nice pike.

Especially when you're back in using worms, now we don't have any more of those magic worms, you've got one.

We only had two because we, we weren't planning to use worms today.

(upbeat cultural music) - God, there's just.

- Every, every one of these, I'm just anticipating another-- - There's you got one.

- There you go.

- Here's one, I missed him, err back again.

- That's a Northern, that's gotta be, right?

- Gotta be, got him this time.

Oh my gosh.

(water splashes) Yeah.

That fish.

That fish chased this, all the way from way over on the shore.

Kept, I kept missing him (Rust laughs) or he kept missing it.

He wouldn't quit.

Kept coming and coming, he was persistent.

I hate the way I've got him hooked around his gills.

I mean, hook is in-- (fish splashes) - The line had wrapped around-- - [Rust] That's better right, isn't it?

- Yeah, the line had wrapped around his gills.

And again.

- [Rust] Oohh.

Gotta be real careful taking this out.

I think I'm gonna get it out.

I did.

Buddy, you don't know how lucky you are (chuckles) and that if a fisherman's gonna catch you, (fish splashing away) it would be me trying to save your darn life.

Boy, this is something else.

(optimistic music) Oh, I gotta tell you folks, this has been quite a day.

It's been a wonderful day.

Like all the other days through the years that we've been filming Fishing Behind the Lines.

And the one thing that stands out for me today, is not all the pike we caught or not having Ross, who was one of my greatest friends, be able to share this day with me.

But it's a day that will mark an end of an era, an era where I've got to share my thoughts with you and take fisherman that... Take soldiers that had probably never had a chance to go fishing out for a day of just pure fun.

I hope you've enjoyed the series.

It's meant a lot to me.

And while I can say goodbye for now, I hope I see you one day along the water.

Thanks for everything.

- Fishing Behind the Lines is brought to you by.

(upbeat dramatic music) - You know folks, the fishing was really fantastic today.

But that's only the beginning of the attractions to see and do around here.

For more information about this, go to our website, WPBSTV.ORG.

(upbeat country music) - [Narrator] If you would like a copy of this episode of Fishing Behind the Lines for $15, including shipping and handling, visit wpbstv.org and click on the shop WPBS button.

Please ask for the episode number on your screen.

(calm optimistic music) (uplifting music)