Journal of a Minnesota Angler

Now back to our regularly scheduled blog subject… So I’ve been having an internal debate with myself and would like to get the opinion of other anglers. I have been using spinning reels all of my fishing career and had decided last year that it was time to start learning on a baitcast reel. I had heard it was more accurate and more fun to use. But because I am used to spinning reels, I was looking for a left-handed baitcaster. For those of you not familiar, you generally reel with your... (more...)

We interrupt our regularly scheduled blog subject to bring you a special post. The State of Minnesota insists we let the fish use their heart shaped beds and metaphorical mirrors on the ceilings these next few months so that the proverbial fish stork can bring new fish babies to the lakes. In the meantime, I’ll be informing you of stories like yesterday’s post as I find them, but today I thought I would come out of left field and post something completely unexpected. Sorry if I’m... (more...)

Having been on a roll (get it? “Blogroll”) by publishing five days in a row, I thought I might go for seven. Fortunately for you, I thought the better of it. I didn’t want to burn you (or me) out. Nor did I want to get branded as a spammer to my email subscribers. So after a few days rest, I’m back. Did you miss me? I came across this video that told the story of a 14 year old Kentucky girl, Sarah Terry, that caught a new Kentucky state record muskie last fall. View... (more...)

Ah, the wonders of modern technology. Who says you have to be famous to get on the cover of a magazine? Many of you will recognize the picture below as an avatar for my many social media accounts. Looks much better as a magazine cover, don’t you think? I created this fake magazine cover at MagMyPic.com after The Fisherbabe posted her fake cover. They also have fake covers for non outdoor magazines as well like VAGUE and ROCKSTAR. I think I need to create one for NERD. Share this:FacebookTwitterRedditEmailLike... (more...)

Tami Curtis’s recent post got me thinking about Internet abbreviations/acronyms and what they might mean in the fishing world. Here’s what I came up with (with the real meanings in parentheses in case you didn’t know it): BFF (best friends forever) – Bass Fisherman Forever BRB (be right back) – Bass, Real Big! BTW (by the way) – Bass, Trout, Walleye FTW (for the win) – Fish The Walleye, Fly Tying Wizard IDK (i don’t know) – I Dropped a Keeper IMHO... (more...)

If you read one of my posts earlier this month, you know that I love getting things in the mail. My Lifetime Angling License was exciting, but I paid for it myself. Today I got a true present. A few weeks ago, The Hunter’s Wife was holding a contest for a $50 Dick’s Sporting Goods gift card. I had no expectations that I would win, but I completed the contest steps anyway. After all, you can’t win if you don’t play, right? Well, I won! She had picked a winner on Friday,... (more...)

I hit another milestone today. According to WordPress Stats, as of today I’ve had as many pageviews in 2010 as I did in all of 2009 (beginning in May when I started). So I essentially doubled my traffic in less than half the time. If the trend continues, I should have 100 pageviews by my blog’s anniversary. Woohoo! In the 10 months my blog has been active, I’ve gotten some great comments, met some very interesting people, and have been “published” by the Chicago... (more...)

I have one final post related to winter before daydreams of open water consume our thoughts. Earlier this week, the Basspastor pointed his readers toward a great blog post that explained why fish die in the winter. Obviously, fish die because they run out of oxygen. But there are many reasons why the oxygen level in a lake or pond can get too low. The author of the post, Nate Herman, does a great job explaining the causes of low oxygen and what you can do about it. He also explains what “turnover”... (more...)

With the memories of below zero (F) temperatures, 12 inch snowfalls, and 6 ft snow drifts quickly fading away, so go the stories of winter. But not before a few of us sneak in a couple more. My friend and colleague who caught his “Fish of a Lifetime” last summer sent me this video of an 18 lb walleye being pulled out of an ice hole in Manitoba. View the video on YouTube if you don’t see the embedded video below. Is it just me or does that walleye look fake? I have several problems... (more...)

As I was driving home today, I saw my first open water on a nearby lake. So begins the thaw that gets all anglers itching to get out their boats, kayaks, or float tubes to wet their first line of the season. “Ice out” is defined differently by each person, but is generally the term we Northerners use to indicate that open water fishing season is back. Kayakers and float tubers, especially, jump in the water as soon as there is enough open water to get around. The University of Minnesota... (more...)