It’s been four years since I started regularly fly fishing for trout. The handful of times I picked up my dad’s fly rod and caught panfish as a kid don’t count. Every time I fish, I learn something new. Sometimes I learn many new things. And sometimes I learn them the hard way. On a recent trip, a few lessons were learned. Here they are. … Continue reading Fly Fishing: Still Learning
Always bring a tent. Even if you think you’ll sleep in your car instead. Even if you’d rather not set up said tent at 11pm. Even if you’re just lazy. I learned this lesson because mosquitos can squeeze through cracked windows, bite you in the night, and leave blood spots on the interior roof of your car when you rage-kill them all at 3am. Always … Continue reading Overnight Getaway
I bought Audra a Wisconsin fishing license online without her knowing it. It wasn’t my proudest moment, but I live life with no regrets. Well, she kind of knew because she handed me her drivers license and told me her social security number, but the payment, that was all me and she was in the other room when I did it so I’m considering this … Continue reading It Might Be Illegal
We all need time spent in the place that gives us energy. The place that replenishes drive, creativity and inner peace. Introverts crave time alone. Those who love the outdoors crave fresh air and living things. As an introverted outdoors-lover, I crave solitary time where the trees move in the breeze and the rivers flow with a determination unchanged in 10,000 years. My need for recharging … Continue reading Rush to Recharge
When you’ve got a mean case of stircraziness, any chance to get outside is an opportunity you seize. (Yes, I know that stircraziness isn’t a real word, but if you felt it, you’d understand.) So we made a plan to head east on I94 and fish the Rush River. It’s been warm around here lately. Spring is slowly showing its lovely face. Days have been … Continue reading Winter Trout
When you spend a full winter without a fish on the line, you can understand why I would question if bringing my fishing gear to Montana is worth it. My trip was meant for skiing and breweries. Adding waders, rods and reels, a net, boots and fish food to a compact car full of three people (including myself) and ski gear wasn’t on a list … Continue reading Winter on the Gallatin
Not more than 36 hours after getting home from Montana, I found myself driving east to spend some time with Rush River trout. This is the first year that the Wisconsin trout season opened at the first of the year. In previous years, we had to wait until March. I’m OK with an early season. Last year was not a good year on the river. … Continue reading Get To It
Or, Why I am Looking Forward to 2016. I started writing this post in the passenger seat of my Subaru on January 1 while speeding back to Minnesota from Big Sky, Montana. Now it is two weeks later and I’ve had more time to think about 2015 and the year ahead. We had a good year, 2015. A great 12 months. I fished in four … Continue reading 2015
The posting read “Cabin Available.” We scanned vacation rental sites for hours. State parks were booked. A few of the Lutsen ski condos were open, but we wanted something smaller, something rustic, something away from everything. Then we found it. A tiny cabin on the shore of Lake Superior in Grand Marais. It was three miles east of town, three miles further from Minneapolis. “Private … Continue reading Cabin Available
“How deep is the water we’re on right now?” I asked the dude driving the water taxi from the landing to the resort. “Oh, about 500 feet,” he answered. My interest was piqued. Ross Lake is a lake because of a dam. The Skagit River was dammed for hydroelectric power in 1949. With that, 24 miles of river valley was flooded, from Diablo to the … Continue reading Paddling Ross Lake
Birch & Flannel 