January’s Winter Hatches
Few people consider 21 degrees an ideal time to hunt for bugs deep within a valley in southeast Minnesota. See what you are missing here.
2011-01-23_PossuhmCreek
Winter trout angling successes come in numerous forms. Today I found those successes during a three mile hike with my good friend Justin Carroll, winonaflyfactory.com. I have spent countless days on the water with Justin and have watched his fly angling addiction grow into a wholesome goodness that is unique to him. The drive took [...]
Winter Creek Rainbows; how to video.
This is the first episode for the 2010 season of On The Water. Filmed entirely in southeast Minnesota. January brings ice and snow to Minnesota however the few of us that are smart enough to know where to go to fish trout in the dead of winter typically have a successful time. This video shows [...]
2009-01-31_DuscheeCreek
After a long week at school and life there is nothing finer than being in the forest with circling Eagles, chirping Nuthatch, flying Kingfishers, dabbling Wood Ducks, slurping Trout, flying Midge, crawling Spiders, and friends. We spent the day in our usual Winter haunt as we have gotten to know the fish a bit better. [...]
2009-01-23_FilmoreCounty
Its the dead of winter. Many anglers are choosing to stay home and watch television instead of being on the water. I for one am out on the creek busy with hatching Midge and feisty Rainbows. Click on the video below to see what is going on deep in the valleys of southeast Minnesota. Having [...]
2009-01-11_StLouisRiver
Today Mikey and I made a four hour drive north through Wisconsin in search of migrating Eel Pout. We arrived, with the help of GPS and Google Earth, around 2pm. The Sun was beginning to dip over the ridge of the river valley. The poor road conditions had me worn and ready to fish. [...]
2009-01-01_SouthForkRootRiver
Ahh yes, the ephemeral Winter Trout opener. If one is keen this day means very little save for the day where tradition requires you to stomp through the snow in search of freezing fly line, icy edges, long hikes, and bath tub clear creeks. I was able to convince Justin, WinonaFlyFactory.wordpress.com, Shell, and Bella that [...]
Clear Creek
My friend Chad at Clear Creek asked me for a few photos from New Zealand to consider for their annual catalog. I bet he is just super bored at work today and needs some new pictures to look at. Either way here they are.
2008-02-08. Hammer Springs. Day Twenty-three.
Today I barely made it out of the hostel in Hammer Springs by the 10am check-out time. I spent two night in Hammer, fished the Waiau River and caught nothing but myself. I put a #10 tungsten bead head nymph though my shirt and my right nipple. Thankfully the hook was barbless. I met several [...]
2008-01-31. The Crossing. Day Fifteen.
I woke several times in the middle of the night to the sounds of the city; sirens, race cars, people screaming and shouting however still managed to get up in time to be the first one in line for the bus. Being the first in line does not always mean that you are the first [...]
2008-01-30. Mangawenka. Day Fourteen.
Mangaweka was the next stop on my list with my travels with Pacific Challenge group 4. I have been grateful for the leftover food for dinner and for the extra spot on the tour van that would eventually take me to Wellington where I would make my crossing into the South Island.The road to Mangaweka [...]
2008-01-29. The Tongario Crossing. Day Thirteen.
The Tongario Crossing is located just south of Torangi and is in the central North Island of New Zealand. The track of 18.5 miles is said to take 7-9 hours depending on your ability to overcome difficult climbing trails. The group of 18 students divided into to groups. The plan was to have a van [...]
2008-01-27. Taupo. Day Eleven.
Taupo. I couldn’t come here without fishing even just for one day even if it was lake fishing for trout, something which I know nothing about. I started the day with a van ride to Huka Falls. Huka Falls are a great powerful falls in the Waikato River. The area was extremely busy with tourists [...]
2008-01-26. Waitomo to Taupo. Day Ten.
Today I began to travel south through the hills into the Volcano fields of crater lakes and hot springs of the Taupo area. Breaking camp was easy. The Marae caretakers made it a point to wish me luck on my journeys to the south. According to the local tour guide operation owners I was gifted [...]
2008-01-25. Waitomo. Day Nine.
Otorohanga is a town whereas Waitomo is a village with a populaiton of 42 people and 350,000 annual tourists. I got dropped in downtown and got some cash form the ATM. I stopped in the sports store and checked out the spinning rods, there was nothing worth buying and then checked out the fly selection. [...]
2008-01-24. Waitomo. Day Eight.
Today I woke up and had a coffee, undid the trailers from the vans, and got a ride from Holly, an Aussie, to the end of Ngatapuwae Road where I walked solo into the bush in search of Moakurua Stream at 8.30am. I found a track to the left today however did not take it [...]
2008-01-23. Waitomo. Day Seven.
I woke and had a cup of coffee and got set to walk about an hour an a half to the east in search of Moakuraua Stream. According to the locals this stream is rocky bottom and holds larger fish than Waitomo Stream however is about a 5-6km walk from the Marae. I am not [...]
2008-01-20. Waitomo. Day Four.
I took the walk from the Marae to to the Ruakuri Bush Walk. I had my fishing rod along and walked the creek looking for Browns. I found none. Two-thirds the way through the walk I crossed a pasture that was holding calves, cows, steers, and bulls. I did not get good vibes from them. [...]
2008-01-19. Waitomo. Day Three.
I started the day with instant coffee and mixed berry jam toast. I prepared my fishing gear and headed down to the creek to find that it was stained enough to not be able to site fish for the Browns. I need to site fish this creek not knowing the creek and the fish in [...]
2008-01-18, Waitomo. Day Two.
My day started with two hours to fish before my appointment to take a blackwater rafting tour. I walked the same section of creek that I walked the evening before with the hopes that I would find and catch one fish. I spotted a fish in the same run that I saw one the night [...]