A different kind of fishing for a different kind of fish

The surface of the our calm lakes and rivers in East Tennessee may seem serene and tranquil.

But below the surface, lives a huge freshwater fish that feeds on fish, ducks, frogs, and the heavy lures fishermen like Steve Paul use to catch these monstrous creatures called muskellunge.

More commonly, these fish are known as "muskie."

"I'll have the worst back in the world and not be able to walk when I'm 60 after doing this crap," Paul said with a smile.

Yet Paul fishes for these creatures almost every day, working at times as a guide from his day job as a studio musician in Nashville.

"I've been fortunate to have been a successful studio musician in Nashville for about a decade and made a living at it," Paul said.

Commuting from his home in Maryville, Paul travels to Nashville whenever he needs to sit in on a recording for one of the hundreds of stars in Music City.

But when he's finished, it's right back to East Tennessee and right back to the muskies.

Paul stresses that people will pay thousands of dollars to travel north to Minnesota and Wisconsin for the thrill of catching muskies that are available right here in East Tennessee.

"Most people are going to go to Lake of the Woods (Minnesota), and it'll be thousands," Paul says. "Most lodges are 25 or 35 hundred dollars per person, per week."

Visitors will spend more than $80 million a year traveling to the great white north in Minnesota. The industry is even bigger in Wisconsin, where muskie is the state fish and a more than half a billion dollar industry.

Travel farther north, and expect more prestige and greater cost.

"It's going to be costly and a lot of travel when we have the same caliber of fish here in Tennessee," Paul said.

It's not clear how muskie impact Tennessee's economy yet, but we do know investment in these monster fish is not a priority. State officials send crappie and striped bass to Kentucky and North Carolina, while Tennessee receives a few thousand muskies a year in trade.

Paul said Tennessee's moderately cold water lakes are just the right conditions for muskies to grow to trophy size.

But these fish are difficult to catch. The most recent Minnesota state high school muskie tournament resulted in no fish.

Paul however, owns the state record in Tennessee. A 51 inch, 43 pound giant on Melton Hill Lake.

For Paul, however, it's all part of a love/hate relationship with the fish he lives for.

"No, I hate 'em. Haunt my dreams on the regular."

His laughter echoed off the smooth, peaceful lake waters.

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