A complaint filed Tuesday with the Wisconsin Fishing Guides Association against Scott Stokes, President of Campanoe, has been dismissed by the association as "nothing more than parental whining".

    The complaint, filed by Scott's father, Bill Stokes, a worn out journalist and former outdoor writer, claimed that Scott made misleading and false statements regarding the fishing on the Willow Flowage, which convinced the senior and senile Mr. Stokes to accompany Scott on an over-night trip.

    During the course of this trip, which took place on a very interesting body of wilderness water complete with osprey and eagles, Scott displayed a shocking lack of fishing expertise which was topped off when he dropped his fishing rod over the side just as darkness and mosquitoes descended. That Scott then deftly buttoned up the Campanoe to keep out the mosquitoes and sudden rain storm does not detract from his incompetence as a fishing guide. Nor was the situation improved by the fact that he fed his father an outstanding meal of marinated grilled portabella mushrooms and red peppers, covered with melted mozzarella cheese on a fresh baked foccacia which had been pre-prepared by Scott's wife Kim. A good night's sleep to the gentle rocking of the waves also did little to enhance the fishing fiasco.

    Even after Scott dove over the side the next morning and found his fishing rod, and after a peaceful sail across the flowage and an exploration up the river to the rapids and waterfall, and after a delightful day of sun and breeze and water, the fishing failure still loomed large. It did not help matters that Scott caught a bullhead--one medium sized bullhead, and that was it for fish for the entire weekend.

    In a note accompanying his complaint, Stokes the elder said that in the event that Scott does not hold a fishing guide license, the Guides Association should make sure he is never issued one.

    "I am accustomed to fishing trips that produce fish," Stokes senior said.

    Asked by a smart-mouthed granddaughter why he himself had not caught any fish, Mr. Stokes said, "Mind your own business, Sunny."

    Now that my dad has exposed my "shocking lack of fishing expertise" here's another Campanoe fishing story.

Hello Friends,

    Two years ago a friend of mine first told me about Scott Stokes of Mazomanie. Six months after our first conversation he told me I had to meet Stokes and check out the boat he had invented. I gave Scott a call last summer and then spent two days with him on the lower Wisconsin River exploring and camping aboard one of his Campanoes, one of the sleekest inventions to hit the outdoor world since the Coleman Lantern. This week I spent two days camped in Madison on Lake Wingra, chasing muskie, and most importantly having a good time with Stokes, and one of his Campanoes.

    It was a scorcher when Scott and I met at Wingra Park which is located near Vilas Zoo, in the heart of the city.

    Neither of us cared as we both knew we would be swimming soon and hopefully catching muskie.

    It's hard to believe that a lake located in the ciy of Madison could be one of the State's top muskie lakes .

    After reading Stokes' newsletter "CampaNews" about an adventure he had on Lake Wingra last May, which included a lot of big muskie experiences, I was chomping at the bit to spend 24 hours throwing lures and soaking bait fish in an attempt to catch a wall hanger.

    During the heat of the day we put the top up on his boat which consists of two We*No*Nah white water canoe hulls side-by-side with front, back and center decks. The top works for protection from the sun and rain and when the sides are attached, a complete weatherproof tent becomes your home.

    Stokes has had the Campanoe on several of the Great Lakes as well as the Gulf of Mexico. Today he showed me how the canvas top can be used as a sail and a canoe paddle is used for a rudder.

    We spent our afternoon sailing, swimming and fishing. The swimming was the most enjoyable part for myself, although there was a bit of uneasiness when I thought about the big muskie that were no doubt close by.

    To be honest with you, fishing muskie on Lake Wingra is not the only reason Scott and I got together, it's not even half. After spending time on the Wisconsin River with Scott last summer I realized we are out of the same mold. Both of us are trying to earn a living in completely untraditional ways, and in each case it is due to the close tie we each have with nature. The fact that Scott is a heck of a fun guy is a big bonus.

    We spent our evening tossing everything in the tackle box. We didn't get a hit, and didn't care.

    After dark we watched a storm pass to the north from our home on the water. Lake Wingra has less development than a lot of lakes in the northern part of the state. Sometime after midnight we rigged up the cots, unrolled our sleeping bags, and hit the rack.

    This morning I was up an hour before first light. There were fish surfacing, and I was hoping they were muskie. They ended up being carp. I didn't care, the big trophy of my dreams will come some day. We spent the early morning fishing then hit a local coffee shop, and drank a half gallon of high octane java apiece.

    Then we went sailing, swimming, and fishing once again. We ended our trip by helping out a canoer who was in big trouble in a strong wind with his very young daughter.

    The Campanoe can be paddled, sailed, pushed by the current or motored with an optional 2-10 horse Honda or electric trolling motor. Scott posts his monthly CampaNews newsletter on his website: www.campanoe.com