Last August (2010) while at my place on Mercer lake I had a strange experience. I'm sure my story can be topped, but here goes anyway.......... It was really warm that August night and I couldn't sleep, as my mind raced back and forth thinking about those muskies I'de be snagging in the morning. After lying in bed tossing and turning not being able to sleep, I decided to get up and go outside. My watch read 1:50 a.m. A quick pit stop, then to the garage to fetch my rod and reel and the bait of choice, a (jitterbug) as I like the gurgle sound it makes in the calm and quiet of a nice summer night. Anyhow ........ I quietly tip-toed to the end of my dock and after several casts and several puffs on that nasty cigar I had the strangest thing happen to me. I reared back to make another cast, and just as the rod tip flexed a huge, and I mean huge white owl (I think it was an owl) came out of nowhere and missed my head by several feet and grabbed that "jitterbug" flying away at full speed. I'm guessing I had 200 yards of line and that giant bird took every bit of it. I was sure I hooked it....... I pulled as hard as I could watching my St. Croix rod nearly bend in half as I tried to subdue that giant flying thing !! After flying the distance the huge owl, or whatever it was let it go in the trees and I was able to get my "jitterbug back ...... whew !!! Needless to say I must have looked like a damn fool at that hour smoking a cigar in my underwear, nearly catching a huge white owl .......... oh, I forgot to mention the lure was hung up in the trees, I jerked the pole so hard the darn lure nearly hit me in the forehead @!@! ........... NEXT TIME I'LL WAIT TILL MORNING !!!!! Regards, Larry F.