Mend Provisions, my local fly shop, is the reason I’m into fly fishing. I was given my first spin casting rod and reel when I was three and began fly fishing when I was six or so. My form was awful, but the panfish didn’t seem to care how the fly got to the water. That’s all it was. I would infrequently use my dad’s … Continue reading Fly Tying. Not For The Impatient.
So. We thought the Minnesota trout season was over. We were wrong. Thanks to some new regulations, fishing in state parks is catch-and-release all year. It seems we’re in for for more adventures. But first, to close out a stellar weekend on the Whitewater. Temperatures in the campground hit 25F that night, which was fun because the forecast said the low would be 38F. *takes … Continue reading Whitewater River. One last hurrah: Day Two
When you spend a lot of time on the river, you receive questions. What is it like to fly fish? What is the biggest fish you’ve ever caught? Have you ever seen “A River Runs Through It”? No, I have never seen said film. But thanks to Topo Designs, you can get a feel for fly fishing in a short video. Very little about … Continue reading Everything Except The Fish
Well, kind of one last hurrah. But more on that later. While I was fishing Skunktown Creek in Iowa, my buddy Phil had a productive weekend on the Whitewater River in southeast Minnesota. He posted a photo of one of his fish, a 16″ brown that was more orange than anything else. It was a gorgeous fish and it was in that moment I decided … Continue reading Whitewater River. One last hurrah: Day One.
Driftless is a region covering far SE Minnesota, SW Wisconsin and NE Iowa known for deep valleys, fast rivers and exposed limestone bluffs. It is an area untouched by glacial drift during the last ice age. If you travel there, you’ll find incredible scenery and some of the best trout fishing in the country. Decorah, Iowa lies on the western border of Driftless. Audra has … Continue reading Enjoying Driftless Iowa
Yep. Skunked. On the last day of the season. The closest quality trout rivers from Minneapolis are just over the border in Wisconsin. Rivers are lined up from west to east. The first river Minnesota fishermen come to on their journey east is the Kinnickinnic. It runs through River Falls, WI and is known for its abundance of browns. The second is the Trimbelle. It’s … Continue reading Wisconsin Trout Season Goes Out with a Meh
In my last post, I mentioned encountering the BIGGEST SPIDER I’VE EVER SEEN while fishing on the Rush River. It was even written in all caps to illustrate the largeness of said arachnid. If Minnesota and Wisconsin had a tarantula, this would be it–hair, stripes, long legs and all. I knew my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me. There had to be images online of … Continue reading The Fishing Spider
The trees around Minneapolis are a sea of green broccoli with red and orange sugar maples sparsely mixed in like a seasoning for the autumn we are about to enjoy. It’s a different story just over the border on Wisconsin’s Rush River. Fall, it seems, has already arrived. I picked up my buddy Phil for a Saturday afternoon trip. That’s him in the photo … Continue reading Fall has hit the Rush River
Birch & Flannel 