Journal of a Minnesota Angler

Last Friday was my last day at a job I held for nearly 11 years. I found a new improved gig and took a week off before diving into new challenges. Monday was my first day of freedom. It was the third straight day I didn’t have to go to work and the third straight day I got up earlier than I would normally to go to work. Sometimes I wonder about my own sanity. I told Mark about my time off when I first decided to make a jump so that we could hopefully go to Mille Lacs for the day. Unfortunately,... (more...)

Sunday morning I once again got up a little after 6am to be on the lake on my float tube by 6:30. This time I followed the Northern shore toward the channel only until the shore turned. The curve of the shore hid water beyond the curve from the morning sun and I didn’t think it was warming the water enough in that area for fish to want to congregate. I started with the Slurpie worm I had success with the morning before, but nothing bit on my first pass. I then decided to switch to an orange... (more...)

After a somewhat productive Saturday morning, my 6 year old son wanted to join me in fishing. Up until now he only play-fished by casting off the dock with a casting plug that came with his Spiderman rod and reel set. I thought it was time for him to throw a real lure. So I hooked him up with a scum frog. The hooks are somewhat protected so there would be less of a chance of him hooking into someone and it would also be less likely he hook into a weed where someone (me) would have to get him... (more...)

I went to my dad’s cabin in Northwest Wisconsin this weekend and started off the weekend early. I got up at 6:15 Saturday morning to get my float tube in the water by 6:30. Apparently it was too early because when I sat down in my float tube, I went, “Ah!” when water went down the back of my shorts. I had brought my old float tube (due to space constratints) and it sits several inches in the water. That, in combination of forgetting to buckle the shoulder straps of my waders... (more...)

Today my blog turns 2. I’ve mentioned many times before how I am in disbelief in how my blabberings have been received. Just this week, my traffic this year has matched all of last year, so I’m on track to meet my goal of doubling last year’s traffic. Thank you, all, for coming by to visit. I hope to continue to keep you entertained, or at least interested. Which means I have to get out and fish more. This year has been a bust so far for me, sans 1, but I’m off to my... (more...)

I got a chance to go out on my tube on Father’s Day. I was going to go panfishing with my kids, but they were engrossed in their activities for the afternoon, so it was an opportunity for me to explore a new local lake. The lake I had in mind is a bass catch and release lake, so the theory is that there should be some lunkers in there. I launched off the swimming beach at the Southeast corner. As I got away from shore, the bottom showed a shallow grade. I spotted some reeds about a thousand... (more...)

The Outdoor Blogger Network had another great photo prompt that I had a good answer for: Show Us Some Action. Last fall, my brother finally got me out on the float tube that he bought for me several Christmases ago. At the same time, he introduced me to jig and pigs (jigs with plastic trailers). We were at my dad’s cabin in Northwestern Wisconsin and headed out about an hour before sunset. I bottom bounced my jig and trailer as we kicked our way toward a channel that leads to another lake.... (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...)

Last weekend, when I went fishing with my father-in-law (Ken), brother-in-law (George), and his friend (Greg), we all told our own fish stories. This one was particularly entertaining: Greg owns a cabin outside the Twin Cities metro area. He has a neighbor that routinely asks him about how he’s doing and what he uses when he’s fishing. Being a little annoyed at this, he created a special lure and put it in his tackle box, ready to take it out when the time was right. One day, he saw... (more...)

My brother-in-law, George, was in town for a wedding and he invited me out fishing with one of his friends. It happened to be a day where my son had his Cub Scout model rocket launch, so I told him I couldn’t make it at his scheduled time of 8am. However, if he made it earlier, perhaps I could make it. After a flurry of text messages, we settled on a 6am start and my father-in-law, Ken, was joining us as well. Whenever I get up that early to go fishing, I tend to question my sanity when... (more...)