Journal of a Minnesota Angler

Earlier this month, I was contacted by Simeon Chambers of the Replica Toy Fish company. He said he had a product that kids love and parents really appreciate. Not sure of his claim, I checked out his web site. His story was very interesting. One summer his 7 year old son asked him for a toy Northern Pike. He searched one of the big stores for 20 minutes before finally buying a fishing lure that looked like a Northern. He gave it to his son (after taking off the hooks, of course), and his son... (more...)

A year and a week ago, I saw my first open water of 2010 and hence began my wait for open water season. Given the winter we had this year, it’s no surprise that open water has yet to appear on any local lake, especially after we got 3-4 inches of snow/slush/sleet mix in the last 24 hours. I had to pull out my snowblower for (hopefully) one last time. We are currently in the 5th snowiest winter on record with just another 0.3″ needed to crack #4. Unlike most other Minnesotans, I haven’t... (more...)

A couple of months ago, I reported on a story of a gentleman who went ice fishing on his 101st birthday. He caught two very nice bass. After my post, his granddaughter contacted me saying he would get a bigger kick out of being on a Minnesota fishing website than on TV. While that was nice of her to say, I can’t imagine anything cooler than catching keeper bass on TV. A few months later, as I was considering topics for the lull of the winter fishing season, I thought it would be fun to interview... (more...)

I was at a neighborhood gathering tonight where the guys were in the living room talking fishing and the ladies were in the kitchen playing Yahtzee. I was definitely in the right room. During our conversation, one of the guys mentioned that one of his co-workers brought in an article for him about a local panfish fisherman known as Bluegill Bill. Much like Kermit Wick, Bluegill Bill has been fishing for most of his life. And he’s been ice fishing for 75 years. He’s seen a lot of changes... (more...)

Today is the first day of the 2011 fishing season in Minnesota. You can buy your 2011 fishing license starting today even though 2010 licenses are good to the end of April. This year I get to pick up my first free license. I’m excited about what the new season will bring. Being the first day of March, it marks the mental transition to Spring and Mother Nature obliges with warmer weather. As such, it also mentally marks the end of the ice fishing season. Realistically, we here in the frozen... (more...)

Muskie lures are among the most expensive lures around, but this one is hook, line, and sinker craziness. Assuming a muskie would go after this thing. The size of it would suggest a killer whale might be a more likely target. Maybe one of my saltwater fishermen readers can tell me what else would attack this squiddy looking lure. I have a hard time buying $15 lures because of fear of snagging them on something on the bottom that won’t let go. Can you imagine losing this one? How many would... (more...)

Not too long ago, my colleague and fishing buddy, Dan, walked into the office with a bag that his dad had given him. It was originally owned by Dan’s Great Uncle, a Benedictine monk and avid fisherman. His name was Angelo Zankle (isn’t that a cool name?) and lived to the age of 106. The bag was full of some really cool, antique fishing equipment. I’ll get to the equipment in a second, but I had to point out that the bag it all came in wasn’t a bag you would get at a grocery... (more...)

Welcome to 2011! As I mentioned last year, I prefer to do goals rather than resolutions. And this year, it happens to fall right into the Writing Prompt that the Outdoor Blogger Network posted earlier this week. Last year, most of my goals focused on the size of the fish I wanted to catch. But as with most things in life, it’s the journey, not the destination, that makes the adventure worthwhile. In keeping with that theme, my goals for 2011 are much more about trying to catch the fish... (more...)

This year was very good to me, fishing-wise. Here are some of my 2010 stats courtesy of Fish Swami: 2010 Stat Summary     I said at the beginning of the year that if I accomplished 6 of my goals for the year, I would consider it a successful year. That implies that it would be an unsuccessful year if I accomplished less than 6. Fish 40 days out of the year (only 39) Have patience to try new lures and new techniques Start float tubing Catch an average of 1.5 fish per day Catch an... (more...)

In the spirit of the season and in keeping with the topic at hand, I created this new twist on a familiar poem. Enjoy. ‘Twas the night before Fishing Opener And all through Minnesota Not an angler was sleeping Not even a wink The slip bobbers were rigged The lindy rigs, too In hopes that Mr. Walleye Was hungry for food. The minnows and leeches Were all purchased fresh They have to be lively Mr. Walleye expects no less Mama will keep sleeping As I get up at four To launch and park the trailer Lest... (more...)