2009-05-18_BackcountryCreek
I had to walk the dogs as they were going crazy in the house. I decided to take them to the forest for a romp while I could hunt mushrooms. We headed down into Filmore County to get on a piece of state forest. There is a trout stream on this patch of [...]
2009-05-09_RootRiver
About this time every year Eagle Cliff campground gets crowded with anglers. Some would describe them as Roughfishers, others as non-traditional anglers, but to us we are native species anglers. As a walleye or smallmouth bass is native to some parts of our state redhorse and suckers have a wider native range. The Roughfish round-up [...]
2009-05-08_RoughfishRoundup
About this time every year Eagle Cliff campground gets crowded with anglers. Some would describe them as Roughfishers, others as non-traditional anglers, but to us we are native species anglers. As a walleye or smallmouth bass is native to some parts of our state redhorse and suckers have a wider native range. The Roughfish round-up [...]
2009-05-03_StCroixRiver
The St. Croix border water Walleye opener happens a week before the rest of the state opens for the species. Dad and I had the itch to get on some Walleye. Even though I can fish Walleye year round on the Mississippi River in Winona we decided that a metro area angling day would suit [...]
2009-04-28_HoustonCounty
Conditions: Sunny, 65 degrees, light breeze. I accessed the creek at a bridge on a gravel road that shoots east off the highway. My intensions were to scout the creek downstream to the confluence with the river. This hike is about three quarters of a mile. I know the upper section of this creek intimately. [...]
2009-04-27_RootRiver
The world record Golden Redhorse was caught in the Root River in 2007 by Andy Geving. In this video I target Golden Redhorse with crawlers in a plunge pool. Golden Redhorse are often incorrectly identified by anglers. Most anglers accept them as carp. In southeast Minnesota most call them suckers. Only a keen few can [...]
2009-04-25_RootRiver
A master angler catches fish for mental health reasons. Typically the larger the fish the more mental health one gains. This time of the year in SE Minnesota’s Root River an angler can catch 40 fish over two pounds in one day. Of course this angler must be able. This video shows a few tricks [...]
The mayflies are off.
here is a bit of video from Friday. 50 degrees and windy afforded me a creek to myself catching 64 trout in the afternoon.
2009-3-22_SpringCreekWeekend
The heat was on for air temps, we found 52 degree water, hatching mayflies, and willing trout. Where were you?!
2009-03-07_PossumCreek
Contrary to reports from the MNTU board that “the creeks were in tough shape(suggested to pay $20 to go to the Great Waters Expo),” I found a creek that was running clear and hatching midge that were loosing to feeding trout. I have worked the fly fishing conference tour for many years and do not [...]
2009-03-02_Rods
This weekend I found the time to glue two rods that I had built last weekend. The rods are fine moderate action three piece rods. Both rods feature a Rosewood insert reel seat with 7-inch, Portugese cork, half-wells handles, a hook keeper, a rod sock, free shipping, and are IM6 graphite. I take payments [...]
2009-02-22_PossumCreek
Today I scouted some new water with my girlfriend, her dog, and my buddy Justin, his girlfriend, and his dog. Since we were scouting we did not care to catch fish merely to see them. We saw them. Picking rocks I found that I should, prior to my return, tie up some size 16 scuds [...]
Great Ragweed
Great Ragweed, Ambrosia trifida, Sunflower Family (Asteraceae) Description: A tall, rough, hairy plant with nodding heads of minute green flowers arranged in elongated clusters. Flowers: similiar to those of Common Ragweed; clusters 1-10″ (2.5-25 cm) long. Leaves: up to 8″ (20 cm) long, opposite, palmately 3-lobed. Fruit: beaked, with 4-10 short points. Height: 2-15′ (60-450 [...]
Jack-in-the Pulpit
Jack-in-the pulpit, Arisaema triphyllum, Arum Family (Arcaceae) Description: Distinctive “Jack-in-the pulpit” formation grows beneath large leaves. Flowers: curving ridged hood (the spathe or “pulpit”), green or purplish-brown, often streaked or mottled, envelops an erect club (the spadi or “Jack”) 2-3″ (5-7.5 cm) long. Spadix bears tiny seperate male and female flowers at the base. Leaves: [...]
False Nettle
False Nettle, Boehmaria cylindica, Nettle Family (Urticaceae) Description: Tiny greenigh flowers are in small, head-like clusters, arranged in continuous or interrupted spikes in the axils of opposite leaves. Plant lacks stinging hairs. Flowers: less than 1/12″ (2 mm) long; males flowers usually in interrupted spikes, with calyx 4-parted, stamens 4; female flowers mostly in continuous [...]
Virginia Bluebells
Virginia Bluebells, mertensia virinica Forget-me-not Family (Boraginaceae) Description: Erect plant with smooth gray-green foliage and nodding clusers of pink buds that open into light blue trumprt shaped flowers. Flowers: about 1″(2.5cm) long; corolla 5-lobed. Leaves: basal leaves 2-8″ (20-60cm) long; stem leaves smaller, alternate, oval unthoothed. Height: 8-24″(20-60cm). Flowering: March – June Habitat: Moist woods; [...]
Wood Nettle
Wood Nettle, Laportea canadensis, Nettle Family (Urticaceae) Description: Clusters of small, greenish flowers are in the leaf axils on a stout stem with stinging hairs; female flowers are in loose, elongated clusters in upper ails; male flowers in shorter clusters in lower axils. Flowers: about 1/6″ (4 mm) long; female with 4 sepals, 1 pistil; [...]
Stinging Nettle
Stinging Nettle, Urtica dioica, Nettle Family (Uriticaceae) Description: A 4-angled stem, covered with many bristly, stinging hairs, has slender, branching, feathery clusters of minute greenish flowers in the leaf axils. Flowers are unisexual, with either male or female on a given plant, or on the same plant with males in upper leaf axils, females lower. [...]