Das Boat

In the first episode of Season 2, Steve introduces you to the new Das Boat—Dos Boat. After a bumpy start, Steve gets to South Haven, MI, where he recruits the help of local charter captain Grant Gully. Steve, Grant, and a local fabricator put in 10 hours of work getting the boat ready to fish for lake trout in 100 feet of water. With good reason, Grant is somewhat skeptical about the 14 foot, 50-year-old boat’s ability to handle the big water of Lake Michigan. Luckily, the conditions are perfect allowing them to deep water troll for the native char better known as lake trout. Along the way, they discuss Jon Gary—Steve’s fishing mentor and the original captain of Dos Boat—the young anglers Jon influenced, the decline (and comeback) of the lake trout, and a whole lot more. They might even catch some fish

In the second episode of Season 2, Steve hauls Dos Boat to Boyne City, Michigan, where Janis Putelis assumes the helm. Jani connects with local trout fishing guide Brian "Koz" Kozminski. Together, they try to get the boat prepared for a nighttime river expedition by removing the outboard and setting it up for rowing. Nothing in this episode goes as planned—the weather turns from lovely to wet and stormy, and the guys spend multiple nights in the cold getting their asses handed to them by brown trout. Along the way they discuss: the history and fish of the Iconic Au Sable river, the giant hexagenia mayflies that hatch there, whether or not fish give a damn how pretty your cast is, the shit load of fishing options in Michigan, the ability to pivot when conditions suck, and a hell of a lot more.

Dos Boat crosses the Straits of Mackinaw and heads west to the Wisconsin, U.P. border. There, MeatEater's Senior Fishing Editor, Joe Cermele, teams up with local guide Tim Landwehr. First, they have to resolve some of the busted-ass, janky modifications made by the last crew. Once that’s done, they can focus on the real task at hand: burning Tim’s home river on a fishing show. See, Tim’s been keeping this place sort of quiet for the past couple of decades, trying to avoid too much pressure on his favorite river. So, why did he invite MeatEater to make an episode featuring the place and its giant, wild smallmouth? Because a proposed sulfide mine threatens the future of this fishery, and he wants you to know about it. Other topics discussed: finding big fish in skinny water, how delicious northern pike are, losing a bass but catching the “follower,” and a hell of a lot more.

Dos Boat heads west to meet up with Oliver Ngy and Kevin Harlander in North Central Wisconsin. Oliver and Kevin are here for two things: big musky and delicious panfish. These targets represent opposite poles of the fishing spectrum: Musky (also known as muskellunge) are one of the largest, most difficult freshwater fish in North America. They are a coveted prize for dedicated fisherfolk. Panfish, on the other hand, are seen as entry-level—too small, abundant, and easy to fool to merit the attention of “serious anglers.” Oliver and Kevin show that fishing is fun, plain and simple, no matter how serious or laid back you want to make it. Before hitting the water, they give Das Boat a serious lake fishing upgrade with state-of-the-art electronics and a powerful trolling motor. They also convert a cooler into a livewell to keep bait and fish alive. Along the way they discuss whether or not it really takes 10,000 casts to catch a musky, losing the fish of a lifetime right at the boat, the figure 8, how bluegills make you feel like a winner, and a hell of a lot more.

In this episode, MeatEater's Ryan Callaghan and Miles Nolte travel to Minnesota to learn more about, and even try to catch, big mouth buffalo. The guys build a raised casting platform on Das Boat, using supplies scavenged from the trash heap behind a local hardware store. After that, they meet Alec Lackmann, the world’s foremost expert on a fish that few people care about. Alec studies big mouth buffalo in the Detroit Lakes area and has discovered some fascinating facts about these fish: First, they live a long time. No one actually knows just how long, but the oldest specimen he’s dated was 112. Second, in the Detroit Lakes, and probably other places as well, these fish have not consistently reproduced in over 80 years. Cal and Miles tag along with Alec to help release some buffalo that he was studying in a capture pen; he fills them in on why these are such cool fish; Miles tries—unsuccessfully—to catch one of these octogenarian fish in the lake; and then they sit down with some local bow fishers to share a conversation and some beer. From there, Cal and Miles head over to the Mississippi River to try their luck on a population of river buffalo that don’t get hunted with bows and are successfully reproducing. They cap off the episode with a delicious meal of fried sucker balls.

For the finale of Das Boat Season 2, MeatEater Wild Foods Contributor Danielle Prewett and longtime fishing guide Frank Smethurst, head to Red Lake, Minnesota. Red Lake is one of the most celebrated walleye fisheries in the country. But we’re not after walleye. We’re after the one fish out here that no one seems to like: freshwater drum. The locals call them sheepshead, and curse them as a nuisance by-catch, useless fish that steal bait and waste time. The thing is, freshwater drum are related to red fish and black drum, two gulf coast saltwater species that just about everyone agrees are delicious.