Joe Bucher has spent his life mastering two passions — fishing and music — and finding creative ways to bring both to audiences across the country. A Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame inductee, he’s widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in modern musky angling. Long before that, though, Bucher was already making a name for himself as a “Teenage Bassin’ Wiz,” later guiding full-time for walleye and musky throughout the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s. His innovations on the water have shaped the techniques many anglers consider standard today.
Beyond the boat, Bucher is a seasoned communicator and storyteller. He has authored six books, contributed hundreds of articles to major outdoor publications, and founded Musky Hunter Magazine, cementing his reputation as both educator and pioneer. His television series, Fishing With Joe Bucher, combines his teaching with a personal touch — including original instrumental tracks he writes and records himself.
Music has always been a driving force in Bucher’s life, and in recent years it has taken on new shape through his popular Cabin Jams, a daily series of guitar improvisations streamed from his Northwoods log cabin studio. These spontaneous performances – ranging from blues and jazz to rock and worship – have found a loyal audience online, reconnecting him with fans of both his fishing and musical worlds.
Whether teaching a seminar, casting for big game fish, or picking up a guitar, Joe Bucher continues to inspire people to pursue their passions with creativity, persistence, and joy.
Can you talk about your new Cabin Guitar Playing Series? How did this come about?
Well, with my days of playing at public events like The Northwoods Blues Fest coming to an end, I kind of began recording video of my own in-the-studio solos initially as nothing more than a “practice and play” to various music styles as a way to rehearse daily. This kept my chops up, challenged my inner self to spontaneously create and play daily to a wide range of styles that not only were bluesy, but also jazzy, as well as jazz/rock/blues fusion styles and even some country.
I have always enjoyed the challenge of — grab a guitar, listen to the music, and then jump on and be part of it. This doesn’t always work, but it sure is fun to try. When I hit on something worthy, I started posting a few on Facebook and Instagram. Surprisingly, they quickly found an audience and I was back performing daily to hundreds, actually thousands of folks.
Now all of this was occurring at my log cabin, which is now my studio. Thus, the title Cabin Jams became a thing. I will generally warm up and play daily and record about a 10-minute solo session. I then edit the piece down to what I think is the best :60 to :90 piece since that seems to fit the social media format overall. Since these Cabin Jams started, I have actually created daily themes to enhance the experience for viewers. Telecaster Tuesday, Wes Wednesday, 335 Thursday, Funky Friday and the most popular Santana Saturdays are now a daily/weekly happening. Heck, I have even created my own Cabin Jam Worship series on Sunday.
By the way, I used to also play in a Sunday worship team band and have even recorded and released some Christian stuff worldwide on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spotify and more. Put Your Trust In God would be my most popular of this genre of tunes. Anyway, the whole Cabin Jams concept on social media is now very much entrenched and I intend to keep it going. Joe Bucher Music on Facebook is my signature page for this stuff.
How many guitars do you have and what are your favorite models?
I have about a half dozen with several Strats, a Gibson ES335, a Telecaster, and an incredible Les Paul I bought years ago in Memphis. It’s a cherrywood 68 Custom Deluxe. What a guitar. On the acoustic side, I have a Taylor and an old Gibson Chet Atkins electric acoustic. I’m not sure what my favorite is, but I can tell you this: that little Tele I bought at a pawn shop sounds as good as any of ‘em. I have tweaked all my guitars personally to settings and playability the way I like ‘em to play.
My strings are a big part of my sound. I am a huge fan of DR Blue pure nickels 10 x 46. They are so warm and rich with incredible tone. They last forever too. Rarely if ever do I break a string even though I bend the daylights out of them. I am an aggressive string bender for sure and think it is a big part of the blues expression. So is finger vibrato.
How do you prepare for a big musky fishing day? Any rituals similar to how you prepare for a musical performance?
Musky fishing particularly for big fish is a very demanding sport both physically as well as mentally. Frankly, the grueling task of casting large lures for hours on end doesn’t bode well for my old hands and it takes its toll. But I can’t give it up even though I am now in my 70s. I have to pace myself. But a big fish is always only a cast away so you just have to keep casting.
Have you ever had a musky encounter that inspired a song or musical idea?
Funny you should ask this. I have actually created many tunes and music scores to fit my fishing scenarios. Just visit my YouTube channel Fishing with Joe Bucher and click onto any episode and you’ll see it and hear it for yourself. Perhaps the most listened to and watched episode of them all was The Hunt For Goliath. A giant musky that created this tension from cast to cast. And, when that fish finally hit — WOW! The Hunt for Goliath. Another great example is Monstro, the biggest Musky of the Season. A third would be Brusus the Bould Beast! All music pieces that were created around the fish and the scenario.
Are you working on any new music for your fishing show?
Always. I also have this brand-new Facebook/Instagram video format that is much shorter but really hard-hitting stuff that helps anglers get the meat of info they need to be successful and I bump and leave these short vids with brand new music created from Cabin Jams.
What’s next for you?
Well, I am 71 years old. So, I am supposed to kick back a little more and let the young guns do their thing. But I am still very active playing my Cabin Jams daily. Just check out my Joe Bucher Music page on Facebook and you can catch up at any time. Fishing wise, I am now creating these short clips on social media as well as helping my friends who run JBO (Joe Bucher Outdoors) with lure designs and marketing. Fishing and music. I will fish and play guitar until the day I die.
