Tyler Guerriero of Lock Haven had just one wish before heading to Marine Corps boot camp on Parris Island Aug. 24.

He longed to catch a muskie.

"I've always fished ... mostly Bald Eagle Creek," said Guerriero, 18. "I've had a few [muskie] chases ... but never a hit."

That changed a couple of weeks ago, when an online hook-up with Rich and Tammy Whiteside of Sewickley -- a couple he'd never met -- led to an all-expense-paid weekend in Western Pennsylvania, and his first encounter with a 40 1/2-inch freshwater king.

"I was posting on the Muskies First Web site about how I had yet to catch a muskie and how I wished I could catch one before I had to report to boot camp," Guerriero said. "Next thing I know, I'm getting a private message from someone about how he was going up the Allegheny River camping and fishing with a bunch of friends, and I was welcome to come along."

It was an unusual offer, although Whiteside loves to fish and has a soft spot for folks in the military. He had donated a guide trip earlier this year to benefit Iraq war veterans.

"I asked him to call me if he was interested and he did," said Whiteside. "I liked what I heard on the phone, so we made a plan."

The Whitesides bought Guerriero a bus ticket. They also put him up in a motel the night he arrived, then picked him up the next day and headed to Tionesta. All went well except the fishing. Rain had blown out the river. So on Sunday, they headed back to Pittsburgh to target catfish on the high and muddy Ohio River, stopping at Lake Arthur to catch bluegills for bait.

The late night river bite yielded a dozen flatheads up to 11 pounds, along with, said Guerriero, a few snags on sticks and other floating debris.

"I was having such a great time ... the whole weekend was so much fun. ...Catching a muskie didn't seem that important anymore," he said.

Whiteside, however, was determined. With one day left in Guerriero's trip, they headed to Lake Tamarack early Monday morning.

"I told him, 'Dude, we're gonna get you a muskie,' " said Whiteside, who gave him an emerald shiner-patterned 7-inch natural jerkbait, which had produced on Tamarack before. "We started casting into the stumps and couldn't have been there an hour, when his big muskie hit."

Both men were excited. Guerriero was also nervous.

"I wasn't sure what to do," he said. "So we kept the fish in the water in a net, and Rich showed me how to release it."

Guerriero grabbed his camera but it didn't work. Whiteside's did.

When he boarded the bus back to Lock Haven the next day, Guerriero had photos of his big catch, the lure he caught it on, and memories of an adventure with new friends. For his 18th birthday Aug. 3, Whiteside sent him a new lure handcrafted by Rich Newman of Ellwood City.

"I told him, 'You're going to the Marines. You're making a big sacrifice for me ... for all of us,' " said Whiteside. "Besides, I had as much fun as he did."