The drive to the river took twice as long as normal. I waited in traffic on long, boring roads. A friend was kept waiting as I toiled in traffic. Work email was hitting my phone nonstop. The river was blown out from two inches of rain the day before. Few fish were rising for bugs. Water levels were 8″-12″ higher than normal. I was sweating … Continue reading Skunked and Happy
Driving to a fishable trout river means at least 45 minutes in the car from my place in south Minneapolis. That’s at least 90 minutes total both ways. To make such a trip worth it, I need 2-3 hours on the water. If I suddenly find myself with an urge to fish at 7pm on a weeknight, I’m screwed if it is trout I am … Continue reading Backyard Fishing. Almost.
Winter never seemed to begin, and it never seemed to end. The copious snowfall we usually see never arrived and the chill that most associate with Minneapolis was more cool than cold. The cool lingered until the middle of March. Minimal snowfall means good things for fishing, but bad things for rivers. Without snowmelt, rivers don’t overflow their banks or run fast. This makes for … Continue reading Finally.
Where there is death, there is new life. That’s what I told myself when I sold my Masi Speciale CX to buy a Salsa El Mariachi. Selling the bike reknewed memories I had atop my black Masi, the best of which was the 2014 Almanzo 100. This is a race in southeastern Minnesota. Aside from the starting line, the course is entirely on gravel roads. … Continue reading Race Bikes. Catch Trout.
Another Friday morning began at 9:30 am. The text from Phil read “I’m a little tempted to hit the river this afternoon.” A quick glance at WxUnderground showed the day to be the warmest in the next two weeks. If we were to get in a day on the river before the Wisconsin early season opens, it would have to be now. Temptation also hit … Continue reading Little Oscar’s Makes Everything Better
Music. New Belgium beer. Dam busting. Fly fishing. What more do you need? The night was advertised as such. New Belgium is launching their new Slow Ride Session IPA. Friends of the Kinni are in a pivotal time in tearing down two infamous dams on the Kinnickinnic River in River Falls, Wisc. Music by Gabe Douglas needed to be played. Mend Provisions, being the best … Continue reading Dam Busting, Beer and Rock and Roll.
If this trip were a menu, I would order everything. But not that I need a menu to eat. Angry Catfish is now our traditional starting point. They serve up stellar hot caffeinated beverages and sell pastries from Baker’s Wife, a bakery two stores down. Between the two is Buster’s on 28th, a bar that has an extensive tap list. We set off at 7:30 … Continue reading Fly Fishing. Now With More Brats.
“All you need is a credit card and you can be an outdoorsman on Instagram.” If you look at a cache of photos on any given hashtag–#campvibes, #camptrend, #liveauthentic, whatever–you’ll find a few photos of people doing cool shit. You can see people hiking the PCT, traversing glaciers or camping in Trolltunga. But most of all, you’ll see people standing in a field with their … Continue reading Slow Fishing
The Subaru was loaded up and ready to go at 10 a.m. on Saturday. I picked up Phil from Angry Catfish shortly after. He was waiting for me with two sprinkled cake donuts as requested. It was a wonderful way to start the morning. We were off and rolling to Whitewater State Park, one of the few areas in the state to fish trout this time … Continue reading One Fish
If you’ve wondered why I haven’t been posting much lately, it’s because I came down with pneumonia a couple weeks ago. It knocked me on my ass. Literally. During the worst of it, two weeks ago, I had a fever of 103F for four days and energy was at an all-time low. While at the doctor, the simple task of holding my arms above my head … Continue reading An Outdoorsman (Me) with Pneumonia
Birch & Flannel 