2010-06-13_MississippiRiver
Wes and I launched by canoe from McNally Landing on the Upper Mississippi River Refuge confident that we could find active fish in between squalls on weeds edges in the slough. I had two spinning rods rigged and Wes was set up with a casting rod. Rod one was rigged with a 1/2-ounce chartreuse spinner [...]
2009-07-03_RootRiver
I shook the stick earlier this week by finally catching a Longnose Gar. I have had the stick before and am aware that once its gone good things can happen. With that I have never caught a Sturgeon. It has been something of my imagination for nearly 20 seasons. Today I set out to conquer [...]
2009-07-02_CrookedCreek
On the hunt for mayflies today I found none at the usual spot at the Brownsville lookout. Since I was in the neighborhood I decided to hit the lower section of Crooked Creek for trout. I was stopped by the landowner, who was on top of his tractor, and asked if I was gonna float [...]
2009-06-30_ProjectGetOutdoors
Every Tuesday I volunteer at Winona’s Maplewood Townhomes. It is called Project Get Outdoors and we cater to all youths. Today was my program day and we were set to go fishing in the backwaters. Many of my kids had never fished before. We started with how to cast and bait a hook and [...]
2009-06-29_mississippiriver
Today Chad and I were host to master anglers Andy Geving and Andy Nordquist. Geving holds the current world record for Golden Redhorse of which he caught out of the Root River a few years ago. We set out to our backwaters current for several species, Shortnose and Longnose Gar and Sauger. Nordquist [...]
2009-06-23_MississippiRiver
Today I began my hunt for Hexagenia Limbata mayflies on the Mississippi River. I have reports that the hatch has begun in the northern reaches of the river nearer to Brainerd. Mayfly hatches typically begin upstream and hatch in succession down the river like falling dominos. I have a control site at Prairie [...]
2009-06-22_That dang stick….
The sturgeon are still jumping however there were less today in the sweltering heat. Chad talked me into getting on the water at Bass Camp with his success in landing a Sturgeon in the morning. We cooked through six dozen nightcrawlers in a few short hours. I got skunked. Chad caught the Channel Cat, in [...]
2009-06-19_That dang stick….
The Mississippi River sturgeon are active. They are busy porpoising and breaking drum anglers lines. Thankfully, they take the time to give me the fin when they break. Being sturgeon, they like to jump, these particular sturgeon jump like porpoise when a standing wave rolls from the dam gates over them. I counted [...]
2009-06-14_MoneyCreek
I have a bike that I can ride to the creek instead of driving my car. Today I chose to take it up over the freeway ridge and down into the valley on the south side of it in order to hit a section of creek that is rarely fished. The drive took me 45 [...]
2009-06-05_StCroixRiver
We had planned to fish Mille Lacs today however the forecast appeared to be undesireable for the day trip north fishing a lake of that size. We instead opted for the St. Croix as we knew it was going to rain all day. Dad arrived at Jim’s house at 8am. he had news [...]
2009-06-01_MoneyCreek
I got out to scout a bit today finding a creek that had no paths on the edges of the water and no other anglers about.
2009-05-28_MississippiRiver, That Dang Stick…
That Dang stick. Chad Wenzel and I headed to Bass Camp on the Whitman Dam on the Mississippi River to chase fish. We were not after anything specific save the rewards of trying to catch fish. We blew a tire on the boat trailer on Highway 61 on our way to the boat [...]
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. [...]
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.