Did I mention I'm tired of winter? I'd love nothing more than to jump in the truck with Wahoo, drive south to the first open water we can cast in and re-aquaint myself with the fishes, any fish.... However, the early season in WI is a month and a half away and I guess I'll just have to suck it up. I'm not much for the winter fishing season in MN, especially with all this snow on the ground, getting around on the streams would be a chore and I'm a terrible midge fisherman anyway...
My love/hate relationship with winter/ice fishing has taken on more hate than love this winter. The fishing has been pretty poor, our usual harvest spot is overrun with micro perch and only when your willing to stay till 10pm is it worthwhile, to catch a couple crappies anyway. Last weekend 6 of us ventured to Mille Lacs for the one overnight weekend of the winter. My expectations were not high to say the least, it's that doldrums time of the season and I was just hoping for enough perch to bag and cook for Jennifer. We were greeting lakeside by pea soup fog, finding the shack was a total mess and eventually we had to run back to the lodge to get an escort. Once we found our shack we realized we had been stuck in the no man's land of shack placement, literally 1/2 mile from any structure and 1/4 mile from any humanity, thanks Hunters Resort for the shit sammy. Despite the shitty location, I had not lost hope, yet....
We pulled up the shacks on my utility trailer, which turned out to be another mistake. On our way to 3 mile bar I noticed the right rear wheel throwing up a ton of snow. I alerted Fred who was at the wheel and went out for an inspection... Sweet, broken leaf spring, that's a helluva good start. This group of 6 mustered just enough ingenuity to make a fix with load straps, chunks of 2x4's and lots of heavy lifting. Surprisingly we only had to make one more adjustment and we managed to get this thing home to the garage in one piece.
Tally for the weekend: 3 perch, 1 small eelpout. I could have done better at the park. or maybe even in the front yard for that matter. It is nice to get away but I think my overnight ice shack days are done, makes for a pretty expensive beer drinking outing.
Way to go Pack! Had to throw that in there, I barely made it home for kick off. The later stages of the game had me on pins and needles but Rogers found a way to win. Pretty exciting stuff for this packer fan.
The big Boat is gone and now in the hands of a nice fella from Perham MN. I'm turning my attention to finding a jon boat with a 20" transom, which will someday have a 30hp jet hanging off it. I think in the short term I'll add a small prop motor and am really getting excited about fishing the smaller waters and finding some virgin muskie spots on the upper croix/apple/zumbro and a couple other local waters. The small waters get ignored by most, but mostly because of the boat choice. I have realized a fancy big boat does not make a good angler and I think I can make more of my season with success on less pressured waters.
Gotta roll, go bait the squirrels who live in the eaves to come out so I can blast them, city style with sneaky high powered pellet gun shots out the window. little bastards are keeping me up at night. Urban Hunting at it's finest. might have to take a bunny or two as well, they have eaten my bridal veil bush down to the nubs...mmm bunny stew.
think warm thoughts.
BigPikeMike
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
winter! enough already....
It's January 20something and winter is already grinding on my nerves. perhaps I'm not as hardy as I once was, in fact I know I'm not. I know about living in MN, one has to make an effort to get out and make the most of it. Aside from some limited ice fishing ( and limited success) I've been a bit of a shut in. Jennifer has been lobbying for XC skis, once I get the boat sold this week I'm going to surprise her with a trip to REI and some new boards.
On the boat, yes it's for sale and I've been fielding calls all day today. WTF you say? I am sad to admit it never even left the garage last summer, with my time in AK and a busy work schedule it just never happened. What boat fishing I did do was from my shitty 12' "little boat" and honestly I enjoy the skinny water opportunity it affords. It looks like the big boat will be gone by the weekend so I need to start thinking about it's replacement. I think when I get home from AK this summer I'll be investing in a jon and hopefully a 40 horse Jet outboard. While it's a pretty limiting rig, it would provide us with a kick ass rig that goes both down river and up, could be a big asset for fall muskie guiding in the north woods.
It looks like I got me a part time job! it's been a while since I've actually worked for someone other than myself but it's been a bit slow this winter and I like to work. I'll be doing a couple days a week for a glass guy I met with last night, does some interesting stuff and it's another skill I can add to my set.
Alaska has been on my mind alot lately and we'll be fishing off a new boat this year. Curtis had a number of good things fall into place last year (and a few bad things too) but overall was good enough to sell the Salmo and his sternpicker so he ordered up a custom bowpicker from Anchorage. It'll be a 34 foot diesel twin, 12 foot wide and flush decks. All this means big, fast, efficient and comfortable. At my request he added an gear locker outside the cabin so I don't have to slog in all my stink and fish slime and wet raingear. I'll be leaving MN around the first of June this summer, home end of July. I'm really excited because Jennifer is coming up for a couple weeks at the tail end of my trip. She's never been to Alaska and I'm hoping some of Cordova's charm rubs off on her. It's no secret I'd love to live there and could make a good living with fishing and my carpentry skills. Will I be able to convince her? Time will tell.
As you can tell this is hardly a fishing report and to a certain extent I feel like less than a fisherman sometimes. Jennifer has been complaining about the lack of flaky white fish in the freezer and I've been pretty inept at satisfying her craving for bluegills. I guess we'll have to have another slab of red salmon, rats!
VENISON RULES!
Those who know me know I'm not much of a carnivore, at least when it comes to beef. This was not a conscious decision, I just kinda quit eating red meat about 20 years ago. I think it was the weekly steaks my father prepared, regardless, it was off the menu for a long time. But alas, I have a new found love for Venison. Fred, Don Herschleb and I killed 4 deer this fall on Don's land and after much butchering/brat making and patty slapping we have a freezer full of delicious Venison. It's a nice feeling to know that these animals were harvested and cared for with much respect, fred was insistent on maintaining proper hanging temps so the end result was nothing short of spectacular. As it stands we now have a freezer full of venison and red salmon, so rewarding.
For those with I tunes check out Boot Liquor Radio. Not quite XM outlaw country but still enough to inspire me to crack a beer at 1:25 as I sit here and catch up with ya'all.
The picture up above is one my budding photographer of a bride took. It was a rock bar on Avalanche Creek in Glacier NP, the bar was covered in over 100 rock cairns made by visitors over time. very cool stuff, she never fails to impress me. Great wife, great teacher and good woman. Love you Jennifer.
I'm out, not for so long this time. I promise.
bigpike
On the boat, yes it's for sale and I've been fielding calls all day today. WTF you say? I am sad to admit it never even left the garage last summer, with my time in AK and a busy work schedule it just never happened. What boat fishing I did do was from my shitty 12' "little boat" and honestly I enjoy the skinny water opportunity it affords. It looks like the big boat will be gone by the weekend so I need to start thinking about it's replacement. I think when I get home from AK this summer I'll be investing in a jon and hopefully a 40 horse Jet outboard. While it's a pretty limiting rig, it would provide us with a kick ass rig that goes both down river and up, could be a big asset for fall muskie guiding in the north woods.
It looks like I got me a part time job! it's been a while since I've actually worked for someone other than myself but it's been a bit slow this winter and I like to work. I'll be doing a couple days a week for a glass guy I met with last night, does some interesting stuff and it's another skill I can add to my set.
Alaska has been on my mind alot lately and we'll be fishing off a new boat this year. Curtis had a number of good things fall into place last year (and a few bad things too) but overall was good enough to sell the Salmo and his sternpicker so he ordered up a custom bowpicker from Anchorage. It'll be a 34 foot diesel twin, 12 foot wide and flush decks. All this means big, fast, efficient and comfortable. At my request he added an gear locker outside the cabin so I don't have to slog in all my stink and fish slime and wet raingear. I'll be leaving MN around the first of June this summer, home end of July. I'm really excited because Jennifer is coming up for a couple weeks at the tail end of my trip. She's never been to Alaska and I'm hoping some of Cordova's charm rubs off on her. It's no secret I'd love to live there and could make a good living with fishing and my carpentry skills. Will I be able to convince her? Time will tell.
As you can tell this is hardly a fishing report and to a certain extent I feel like less than a fisherman sometimes. Jennifer has been complaining about the lack of flaky white fish in the freezer and I've been pretty inept at satisfying her craving for bluegills. I guess we'll have to have another slab of red salmon, rats!
VENISON RULES!
Those who know me know I'm not much of a carnivore, at least when it comes to beef. This was not a conscious decision, I just kinda quit eating red meat about 20 years ago. I think it was the weekly steaks my father prepared, regardless, it was off the menu for a long time. But alas, I have a new found love for Venison. Fred, Don Herschleb and I killed 4 deer this fall on Don's land and after much butchering/brat making and patty slapping we have a freezer full of delicious Venison. It's a nice feeling to know that these animals were harvested and cared for with much respect, fred was insistent on maintaining proper hanging temps so the end result was nothing short of spectacular. As it stands we now have a freezer full of venison and red salmon, so rewarding.
For those with I tunes check out Boot Liquor Radio. Not quite XM outlaw country but still enough to inspire me to crack a beer at 1:25 as I sit here and catch up with ya'all.
The picture up above is one my budding photographer of a bride took. It was a rock bar on Avalanche Creek in Glacier NP, the bar was covered in over 100 rock cairns made by visitors over time. very cool stuff, she never fails to impress me. Great wife, great teacher and good woman. Love you Jennifer.
I'm out, not for so long this time. I promise.
bigpike
Saturday, July 24, 2010
a different kind of fishing trip
It's been a crazy summer, in fact it's been unlike any I've had in years, or ever for that matter.
Now I can't say I haven't been spending time on the water. By all accounts less than most years but this has been a unique season to say the least. I had a great early trout guide season, a wonderful 5 day trip to the Brule and some, albeit limited personal fishing time. The big focus coming into June was Alaska.
The second week of June found me back in Cordova, Alaska. This time I was there with a different mission, no more house building I was going fishing! I was hired by longtime friend and commercial salmon fisherman Curt Herschleb. I was to be Curt's deckhand for the next 6 weeks or so, leaning the ropes of being a gill-netter and man was I stoked! People always seem to ask me if it was like the deadliest catch? Not hardly really, while we had some big seas for the most part the weather was shitty but manageable. There was one deadly side I can address, fatigue. The hardest work I've ever done was over those 6 weeks. Long hours with little or no sleep, adverse conditions and labor intensive work all added up to a couple worn out fisherman. It's pretty common for these guys to go 50-60 hours without sleep, remember it is only dark for maybe an hour a day that time of year, so your ability to stay up is falsely enhanced. We did that shit, 54 straight as I recall, fishing the heck out of the reds over in Main Bay, Prince William Sound. When your making money it's easier, we did OK in that department as well.
Despite the obvious fatigue, I had an extra boost due to the fact I'd never spent that much time on a boat, on the ocean mind you....All that which was eye candy to me, was old hat to most of the guys who fish. Whales are an obstacle to be avoided, killer whales especially. Sea lions are cool unless they are eating your fish, which is usually when you see them. Otters a-plenty, they are cool and don't eat your fish, good otters. We killed a lot of Salmon, not sure of the final poundage, but it was substantial. The primary target was Red's / Sockeye's, they fetch the best price at market and are fun to catch. The other salmon had their day, Chums in abundance at Esther Island and Pinks as the season wore down.
37 days on the boat is what I ended up with and it's true, pictures do not do Alaska justice. If you can, put Prince William Sound on your list of places to visit, it's just that cool. I have a lot of good friends there and Cordova has a place in my soul. I'll be going back next year but this time bringing my bride for a few weeks as well.
Oh ya, I almost forgot! I got to see the west this summer too! A few weeks ago I flew out to Sacramento to meet Jennifer, who was just finishing up school. We took the opportunity to put together a road trip from CA back to MN. I arrived a few days before the official end of school, which gave me an opportunity to learn a bit about striper fishing on the American River. This time of the year, the stripers start to show up in numbers, following the run of Shad. Numbers wise, it's not a huge fishery but gives the local anglers an opportunity at some pretty big fish. After about 3 days of wading and walking I did stick one, about a 20" fish or so. I had a couple other grabs and felt like I was fishing good water, despite my lack of knowledge on the area. A local shop helped out with some intel, albeit cryptic at best. Special thanks to Jimbo & Michelle, Jen's host's in Cali for the amazing gift of being able to stay, totally above and beyond the call of duty.
We waved goodbye to Sac town and headed north. Jennifer had never seen the Redwoods so we were off to Arcata and a drive up 101. Nor Cal is great, but there's so damn many people. We did our best to avoid the major crowds, got in an amazing 10 mile hike in Prairie Redwoods State Park and met a really great family camping there. Having decidied we were going to take the northern route, we headed out for Stevenson WA, on the Columbia, to visit Jen's brother Jeff and his family. Turned out it was his birthday, which provided an excuse to stay up till 2am and drink beer. A long drive up the Columbia, through Spokane and to Couer d'Alene Idaho for the night. From there we made our way to Montana, flanking the Clark Fork for quite some time. All I could do was look longingly at the river, it was drift boat water and we had neither the time or the money for a boat ride, so on the Glacier N.P. it was. Neither Jennifer or I had been to Glacier since we were kids and we both looked forward to the visit. We had no aspirations of going into the back country, but we packed bear spray anyway and stuck to the well used hikes for the most part. We were lucky enough to secure a good site for a couple days, I got to catch a couple Cutty's at Avalanche and Hidden lakes and the hiking was amazing. For those who've never been, go now. Glacier is pretty much out of actual glaciers, only 25 remain and most are only accessible from back country hikes. If you go, make sure to drive the going to the sun road, unless your like me and have vertigo, in that case have the wife drive! I made it 2/3 of the way up before succumbing to the panic. Jennifer on the other hand just cruised right up and kept trying to point out the bighorn sheep, panoramic views and the like. I kept my eyes glued to a map to occupy my brain. Funny thing is, it only bothers me in a vehicle. I could ride those rods on a bike or hike even, no issues. Put me behind the wheel and yikes! Vertigo aside, we loved Glacier and cant wait to visit again. Two long days on the road followed, with a night at Teddy Roosevelt N.P. in Medora, North Dakota and here we are, home again after 2 plus months away.
I missed my dog, I'm awful happy to have her back home. Elsie is 11, getting a little slow and had the great company of 3 young boys for a couple months. She was pretty worn out.
Record flooding in the area last week kept the trout streams in rough shape. I attempted to fish last night but the willow was still raging so I drove to the Rush for a look. The river looked terrible, scoured and lifeless even. I never bothered to wet a line, had a beer at streamside and cruised home. I just got a call from fellow wednesday nighter Rob George and he informed me the Willow River is back down and looking good, so I think I'll give it another shot this evening.
Hope Ya'll are having a good summer.
BigPikeMike
Now I can't say I haven't been spending time on the water. By all accounts less than most years but this has been a unique season to say the least. I had a great early trout guide season, a wonderful 5 day trip to the Brule and some, albeit limited personal fishing time. The big focus coming into June was Alaska.
The second week of June found me back in Cordova, Alaska. This time I was there with a different mission, no more house building I was going fishing! I was hired by longtime friend and commercial salmon fisherman Curt Herschleb. I was to be Curt's deckhand for the next 6 weeks or so, leaning the ropes of being a gill-netter and man was I stoked! People always seem to ask me if it was like the deadliest catch? Not hardly really, while we had some big seas for the most part the weather was shitty but manageable. There was one deadly side I can address, fatigue. The hardest work I've ever done was over those 6 weeks. Long hours with little or no sleep, adverse conditions and labor intensive work all added up to a couple worn out fisherman. It's pretty common for these guys to go 50-60 hours without sleep, remember it is only dark for maybe an hour a day that time of year, so your ability to stay up is falsely enhanced. We did that shit, 54 straight as I recall, fishing the heck out of the reds over in Main Bay, Prince William Sound. When your making money it's easier, we did OK in that department as well.
Despite the obvious fatigue, I had an extra boost due to the fact I'd never spent that much time on a boat, on the ocean mind you....All that which was eye candy to me, was old hat to most of the guys who fish. Whales are an obstacle to be avoided, killer whales especially. Sea lions are cool unless they are eating your fish, which is usually when you see them. Otters a-plenty, they are cool and don't eat your fish, good otters. We killed a lot of Salmon, not sure of the final poundage, but it was substantial. The primary target was Red's / Sockeye's, they fetch the best price at market and are fun to catch. The other salmon had their day, Chums in abundance at Esther Island and Pinks as the season wore down.
37 days on the boat is what I ended up with and it's true, pictures do not do Alaska justice. If you can, put Prince William Sound on your list of places to visit, it's just that cool. I have a lot of good friends there and Cordova has a place in my soul. I'll be going back next year but this time bringing my bride for a few weeks as well.
Oh ya, I almost forgot! I got to see the west this summer too! A few weeks ago I flew out to Sacramento to meet Jennifer, who was just finishing up school. We took the opportunity to put together a road trip from CA back to MN. I arrived a few days before the official end of school, which gave me an opportunity to learn a bit about striper fishing on the American River. This time of the year, the stripers start to show up in numbers, following the run of Shad. Numbers wise, it's not a huge fishery but gives the local anglers an opportunity at some pretty big fish. After about 3 days of wading and walking I did stick one, about a 20" fish or so. I had a couple other grabs and felt like I was fishing good water, despite my lack of knowledge on the area. A local shop helped out with some intel, albeit cryptic at best. Special thanks to Jimbo & Michelle, Jen's host's in Cali for the amazing gift of being able to stay, totally above and beyond the call of duty.
We waved goodbye to Sac town and headed north. Jennifer had never seen the Redwoods so we were off to Arcata and a drive up 101. Nor Cal is great, but there's so damn many people. We did our best to avoid the major crowds, got in an amazing 10 mile hike in Prairie Redwoods State Park and met a really great family camping there. Having decidied we were going to take the northern route, we headed out for Stevenson WA, on the Columbia, to visit Jen's brother Jeff and his family. Turned out it was his birthday, which provided an excuse to stay up till 2am and drink beer. A long drive up the Columbia, through Spokane and to Couer d'Alene Idaho for the night. From there we made our way to Montana, flanking the Clark Fork for quite some time. All I could do was look longingly at the river, it was drift boat water and we had neither the time or the money for a boat ride, so on the Glacier N.P. it was. Neither Jennifer or I had been to Glacier since we were kids and we both looked forward to the visit. We had no aspirations of going into the back country, but we packed bear spray anyway and stuck to the well used hikes for the most part. We were lucky enough to secure a good site for a couple days, I got to catch a couple Cutty's at Avalanche and Hidden lakes and the hiking was amazing. For those who've never been, go now. Glacier is pretty much out of actual glaciers, only 25 remain and most are only accessible from back country hikes. If you go, make sure to drive the going to the sun road, unless your like me and have vertigo, in that case have the wife drive! I made it 2/3 of the way up before succumbing to the panic. Jennifer on the other hand just cruised right up and kept trying to point out the bighorn sheep, panoramic views and the like. I kept my eyes glued to a map to occupy my brain. Funny thing is, it only bothers me in a vehicle. I could ride those rods on a bike or hike even, no issues. Put me behind the wheel and yikes! Vertigo aside, we loved Glacier and cant wait to visit again. Two long days on the road followed, with a night at Teddy Roosevelt N.P. in Medora, North Dakota and here we are, home again after 2 plus months away.
I missed my dog, I'm awful happy to have her back home. Elsie is 11, getting a little slow and had the great company of 3 young boys for a couple months. She was pretty worn out.
Record flooding in the area last week kept the trout streams in rough shape. I attempted to fish last night but the willow was still raging so I drove to the Rush for a look. The river looked terrible, scoured and lifeless even. I never bothered to wet a line, had a beer at streamside and cruised home. I just got a call from fellow wednesday nighter Rob George and he informed me the Willow River is back down and looking good, so I think I'll give it another shot this evening.
Hope Ya'll are having a good summer.
BigPikeMike
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