Catching Up

This is a long over due update and post...  Finding the time to do much of anything other than work, guide, and fish...not in any specific order has been challenging.  It is a busy time of year and I apologize I have been tardy to the party.  That being said, I am going to do my best to get everyone up to speed and get back to doing what I do best-catching fish and telling people how and where.

Let's start off with a recent afternoon on the ice with my girlfriend Jen!  After I had been in Vegas for a week(for a work show), Jen thought it would be fun for us to get on the ice together and spend some time catching up.  I could only agree, and figured it would be a great chance for us to enjoy one another and the sport we love.  After getting off my red eye flight, I grabbed the shack and Jen and we were off to Lake Mille Lacs.  Little did we know that when we arrived the wind would pick up and blow 50 mph gusts, but we were already at the lake and figured we would make the most of it....and that we did.  We proceeded to smash the fish with many big fish in the mix.  The bait of choice has continued to be a large golden shiner on a plain #2 gamakatsu colored hook.  I don't even think it matters which color hook, just get it 18" off the bottom and get ready.

As you can see, the "walleye whisper" was at it again and was showing us all how to do hand over hand combat with some quality gravel lizards.  The fish seem to bite very good late in the day even though we had gusts up to 50 mph.  More info on recent outings; including a day on the water filming a MN Bound episode coming soon.  Until next time, Fish On and get out and stretch the string!  

In Need Of A Bigger Wash Plant

This winters gold rush seems to be as good as I can remember.  Although I always say that when I am in the midst of the bite, whether summer or winter.  When I am in the trenches and the fish are biting it always seems to be the best it has ever been...at least for that very moment it is!  

This past few weeks I have had the honor to fish(mine for gold) with many great folks.  One of which is the beast of a man pictured above with a nice walleye.  When you stand a short 6'3" and run about 250 you can make any fish look "small" as did Dustin Byfuglien in this photo.  I understand why he is one of the NHL's premier players after watching his skills on the ice.  This guy can get around and just about beat anyone to a tip up!  Since the NHL is still in lockout it gave him and other players time to get out and enjoy a winter sport they rarely get to take part in.  Buff landed over 20 fish on this outing to Mille Lacs.  The gold rush was so good on this outing, at one time I was thinking I was going to need a bigger "wash plant" to handle all the gold!  Every time we turned around we had a flag up and another nice gravel lizard on the end of the line.  

For those of you wondering about his sweatshirt.... Yeah, that is the name of an ametuear hockey team and Buff was able to get a hoodie.  Needless to say, I have tracked down the place to get these things and you too can be the proud owner of a killer "Walleye" Hoodie!  

Until next time, Fish On! Get out and stretch the string.  

Pay Dirt

What can I say....I hit the "pay dirt"!  I spend endless hours and many days over the past 20 years mining for "gold" in December and I was handsomely rewarded this week with 2 giant gravel lizards.  This was the first of the 2 fish I landed on #2 gamakatsu octopus hooks tipped with a golden shiner.  The fish were in a rather negative mood so we opted to set down the jigging rods and let the set lines/tip-ups do our work.  As you can see that adjustment worked out great.  

This was the 2nd good fish I was able to catch and release on Lake Mille Lacs on the very same day.  This fish measured in at 27.5".  It was a beautiful fish that also fell victim to the plain orange #2 hook tipped with a golden shiner.  This fish didn't have near the girth of the first fish but still put up a great fight.  

Most the areas we have been fishing on Lake Mille Lacs have 3-6" of ice.  With the cold temps coming in tonight for the next few nights I assume we will have the wheel houses parked on fish in the next couple days.  But for now we have just been using 4 wheelers and clam portables.  I will be running trips every day next week and will have more fish and ice reports to come.  Until next time, grab your rod and stretch the string!  Fish On!  

Freshwater Gold

A long anticipated season is upon us and to many anglers here in the upper midwest it is their favorite time of year to fish-ice fishing season!  Since much of our weather has been above average the last few weeks I had to travel a few miles in search of safe fishable ice and my share of the "gold rush"!  Not like me; as most of you know I am usually the first guy out on Lake Waconia and Lake Minnetonka fishing and checking ice conditions.  This freshwater gold known as walleye have been known to take me over this time of year, there are only so many days I can attempt to get in on my share of the "gold rush"!  I don't like to miss many days this time of year.   

This time around I opted to "for go" that since early last week Lake Minnetonka was still open in areas and I headed north to Red Lake, Lake of the Woods, and made a guest appearance at Leech before returning home.  It seemed like I could do no wrong and managed to catch great fish at every stop along the way.  The ice conditions on all the lakes were great for 4 wheeler and wheel shack which made for a fun few nights of rattle reels going off.  Now that the weather is starting to show signs of cooler conditions I fully expect to be guiding Mille Lacs in the next few days with Minnetonka to follow shortly there after.  I will have ice reports from Mille Lacs, Lake Waconia, and Lake Minnetonka in coming days.  I will also have a fishing report; but if the way this season has started off is any sign of what is to come-things are looking good!

All the fish I caught fell victim to either a jigging shad rap or a bobber/set line with a shiner on a #2 gamakatsu octupus hook.  Colored hooks worked great.  

As many of you know I spend endless hours on early ice in pursuit of big walleye's aka freshwater gold.  I feel there is no better time than right now to be on the ice somewhere trying to get your share of the "gold rush"!  Stay tuned as I will have both fishing reports and ice reports in the coming days.  As my friend Travis once told me, "Get your rod and fish!".