For Ryan Rasmussen and Chase Clover, there's no better adrenaline rush than catching a monster musky.
"You can't explain the feeling. It's just something that's amazing. I don't know how else to explain it. It's just crazy," said Rasmussen.
The two fishermen met three years ago when organizers paired them up for the first-ever Lure for a Cure musky tournament.
"It's just been growing. It's been getting really competitive too. The guys have a good time doing it," says Clover.
His former neighbor, Laura Hollister, helped create the competition to raise money for the Ribbon of Hope Foundation.
"We help with doctor bills, gas expenses, mortgage payments," explains Hollister.
She's a nine year breast cancer survivor. Ribbon of Hope gave her monetary and emotional support when she needed it most.
"They were there for all my appointments, my surgeries, and they helped us out financially. We just told them that we would give back to them what they did for us."
Jeff Tilkens, owner of Smokey's on the Bay bait shop, wanted to help Hollister start Lure for a Cure after seeing close friends at the Green Bay Yacht Club battle the disease.
He says, "It's something that everybody's aware of and everybody's been affected by it, and so we feel that it's a good cause and that's why we're supporting it."
Lure for a Cure reeled in about 400 participants last year. Through the musky tournament, dinner, silent and live auction items, they raised $12,000.
"All the fellas that come out and fish, they're just like one big family for us, and we love them all," says Hollister.
Rasmussen and Clover hope to improve on last year's third place finish, but for them, it's about something much bigger than prize money or landing a trophy fish.
"We're having fun fishing, doing what we love. We're also helping other people, and doing two things at the same time like that is just great," Rasmussen explains.
Clover adds, "If it [breast cancer] ever affects my family in a personal way, it's nice to know that I've helped support the community with whatever I could do, and hopefully they'll return the favor for future years."
While their hopes of catching a record musky are high, that's not what has them hooked on the tournament. It's knowing they're making a difference in the fight against cancer.
Lure for a Cure is on Saturday, September 10th from 7:00am to 10:00pm at the Green Bay Yacht Club. Click here to register.
