Journal of a Minnesota Angler

My family decided to go on a fishing outing with me, so I got all the gear together, got us in the boat, and shoved off. I got the kids all set up and as I got ready to get my own pole, I realized I didn’t have any of my lures with me. In my haste to get us going, I forgot them on shore. I managed to find a larger version of a beetle spinner that I could use, so I attached it to my line. The boat was only a few feet from shore and I could see a ton of fish swimming around. I dropped the... (more...)

[Walleye art by Joe Tomelleri, americanfishes.com] When talking about fishing in Minnesota there is one date that is important above all others: the Minnesota Fishing Opener. In fact, it’s probably just as important to non-anglers, even if they don’t know it, because of its psychological and economic impact on the state. This year it falls on May 15. The Minnesota State Fish is the walleye. We live, breathe, and dream about walleye in Minnesota. The fishing opener is all about this... (more...)

No matter how experienced of an angler you are, you can always learn something new. That goes for any skill in life really. I attended a community ed class earlier this week about Fishing in the Twin Cities. As part of that class, the instructor, Sybil Smith, gave tips on how and where to find fish in any body of water. Most of the information were things any seasoned angler should know, but I still picked up a few tips. Here is a summary of some of her tips: Fish will always look for three... (more...)

A few weeks ago I was at my in-laws to celebrate my brother-in-law’s birthday. To my surprise, my parents-in-law presented me with an early birthday present (it’s not til later this month). It was for a community ed fishing class titled “Fishing in the Twin Cities” that my father-in-law and I could attend. It sounded like a great deal because ever since I started fishing the local lakes with Mark, I’ve been wanting to see what else is around the area when Mark was... (more...)

Every first weekend of May, if you listen carefully in the State of Minnesota, you can hear a soft sound in the air not unlike that of a vacuum cleaner. It’s the sound of money being sucked out of the state. Similar to air rushing toward from high pressure to low pressure, money rushes toward more lenient wildlife conservation laws. The first Saturday in May is the Wisconsin Fishing Opener. With the Minnesota Fishing Opener being the third Saturday in May, thousands of restless anglers cross... (more...)