Chad Paffel is a family oriented fishing fanatic. As owner of Muskie Metal Lures since 2006, he shares his passion for the sport by creating unique lures for fellow fishermen.
A large wooden muskellunge carving welcomes you at the entry to his home. Inside you find kids that love to play and build with LEGOs but would rather be on the water building memories with dad. According to Chad, “Jackson, age 4, has more patience while fishing, however, his twin brother Reid enjoys fishing just as much”. Big sister, Claire, age 7, never says no to time in the boat. His wife, Dawn, grew up fishing with her dad and loves to fish. “She actually got me hooked on muskie fishing, when I was primarily a bass and walleye guy”.
Chad remembers catching his first fish, a bass, on Beaver Dam Lake when he was 5 years old. He thinks he used a Twister tail for his first conquest. Later living on a trout stream and the Kinnickinnic River reinforced his love of fishing. It also didn’t hurt that his grandparents lived on a lake where he could make daily trips to chase pan fish and walleyes.
We originally met as fellow outfitters at Cabela’s. He assisted customers in the marine and fishing departments while I was a mentor in the fishing and fly fishing depart-ments. Chad is a no-nonsense guy with a friendly demeanor and is happy to talk fish-ing anytime, anywhere.
