Journal of a Minnesota Angler

After failing miserably as a spin casting river trout fisherman, I decided it was time to try being a full-fledged river trout fisherman. That would mean picking up fly rod. Brenda and my cousin left our reunion to meet up with some friends on the East coast, so on this outing it was me, Vince, my dad, and one of my other cousins, Julie. Julie’s mom came along for the ride so she could take pictures (of scenery). Vince had his own gear, but the rest of us rented fly rods, waders, and boots.... (more...)

I spent last week in Sunriver, OR attending a family reunion. Vince (my brother) attended as well and we, of course, had to do some fishing. The problem was, I’m a bass fisherman. And a lake bass fisherman at that. And the only thing around us was rivers. So I had to buck up and pretend I was something I am not: a trout fisherman. I had packed a spinning rod in the hopes of getting to some sort of bass haven, but in our first available day of getting out, we only had about three hours.... (more...)

Since I had the week off before my new gig, my family and I were able to drive up to my in-law’s cabin a day earlier than we had planned a few months ago. We spent Thursday afternoon and evening leisurely driving up to the Gunflint Trail. We didn’t get to see everything we wanted (stupid state government), but we still enjoyed the drive. It was after dark by the time we arrived, so I wasn’t able to wet a line until the next day. My first day of the July 4th weekend (Friday)... (more...)

Monday night, I went back to Gervais Lake where I tied my personal best largemouth last weekend. I was hoping the magic would strike again. I threw a couple of different jigs with trailers, bubble gum super fluke, and super craw, but the power worm was the only lure that even got a nibble. And only one. I also trolled with a bluegill swim jig for about 15 minutes with no interest. I was out for about an hour and a half and came away with nothing. But my excuse is that my attention wasn’t... (more...)

On day 2 of Memorial Weekend, I opted to go to a lake I’ve been told has a lot of large bass. My friend’s grandmother was the sole resident on the lake for many years. I’ve fished it twice before and have yet to catch a fish on it. I wasn’t as gung ho as the day before and didn’t get on the lake until after 9am. I brought my tube along as the lake didn’t have the same restrictions as the previous lake. I was surprised to see a full parking lot when I arrived.... (more...)

The hardest part of Spring in Minnesota for a bass fisherman is waiting for bass opener to come around. It finally arrived this past weekend. I was supposed to go up to my father-in-law’s cabin on the Gunflint, but my wife scheduled her garage sale for this week, so I was stuck at home helping to get the garage ready. That, however, wasn’t going to keep me from wetting a line. I decided that I would try a lake I haven’t fished since before bass opener last year. I landed a 16″... (more...)

Last Saturday, I got a call from Mark wanting to go fishing Sunday morning. He wanted to meet at 7:30am so when I woke up at 7:10am a bit more groggy than most weekday mornings, I had to drag myself out of bed. We were on the water a little after 8:00am. Ever since catching my muskie in late October two years ago, I’ve been itching to try fall muskie hunting again. So while Mark lindy rigged for walleye, I pulled out my muskie rod and hooked up a 9″ bulldawg I brought home from my... (more...)

After getting back from successful outings in Boulder, I was psyched to find some small lakes or ponds in The Cities to use my float tube on. I spent a goodly amount of time last week doing research and trying to decide where to go for a short outing during the weekend. Since I had an appointment in the Western suburbs late Sunday morning, I thought I would look for a lake in the area. I found a small lake that would work nicely. My appointment was at 11:30 so I took my time and got on the lake... (more...)

Date: 9/12/2010 Time: 11:00am-noon Body of water: Lake Demontreville Location: Lake Elmo, MN Weather Conditions: few clouds, light wind I went fishing this last weekend and have been debating with myself whether or not to write a post about it because 1) I wasn’t out for very long, b) I got skunked, and 3) I’m embarrassed about something that happened. But the point of this blog is to journal my adventures so that you can learn from my mistakes. So I told myself to “suck it up,... (more...)

Date: 8/7/2010 Time: 8:00am – 5:00pm Body of water: Lake Mille Lacs Location: Isle, MN Weather Conditions: overcast, windy It appears, that since I’ve become a true avid angler, I’ve lost my mind. Because no one in their right mind would willingly get up at 5:15am in the morning, let alone on a Saturday. But that’s indeed what I did. I got a call from Mark Friday and he asked if I wanted to go back to Lake Mille Lacs with him. I had been itching to get back since the Minnesota... (more...)