Big Musky Smiles Launched

Muskie First
Published June 8, 2011

Jack Supple and Stephen Dupont are self-described nuts of muskie fishing.

"I love muskies," said Supple, 59, of Deephaven.

The affair began at age 3 when his father and uncle took him on a muskie fishing trip to Spooner, Wis.

"They caught a small muskie and put it on my rod and told me to reel it in," Supple said. "From then on, I was in."

Supple and Dupont, 48, of Mendota Heights, wanted to do something to nurture and encourage their favorite activity. So the two advertising executives have launched Big Musky Smiles -- a nonprofit organization with one purpose: To celebrate muskies and the joy of muskie fishing. They just got their website, www.bigmuskysmiles.com, up and running. And they have put up a billboard on Interstate Hwy. 94 near Monticello, the first of many, they hope.

"Everyone you see who catches one holds it up and is beaming ear to ear," Supple said. "Muskies make bigger smiles. We turned that into Big Musky Smiles."

And Minnesota has become ground zero for muskie fishing, offering some of the best in the nation. "If this is the amusement park of fishing, muskies are the biggest roller coaster," Supple said. He's concerned that the long-term trend of fishing is flat at best, and he wanted to do something to encourage the activity.

The pair, along with Travis Frank of Waconia, a muskie guide, founded the group. They have a Facebook page and plan to put up other billboards around the state and place print ads, encouraging anglers to share photos of themselves with the muskies they have caught.

Big Musky Smiles will differ from other groups, including Muskies Inc., in that it won't take political stands or get involved in muskie issues, such as stocking.

Supple is managing partner at Pocket Hercules, a Minneapolis advertising agency. Dupont is vice president. The Big Musky Smiles campaign was donated by the company and is being funded through contributions and grants. It's a 501(c)3 nonprofit. The group isn't affiliated with any fishing organization, company or government agency.

"It's a pretty low-budget deal right now, but I think it will grow," Supple said.

Click link to see billboard:
http://www.startribune.com/sports/outdoors/123398223.html