October 15th was the last time I touched a trout. It was also the last time that I hiked a stream. With Minnesota opening the state parks to off-season fishing I could have fished quite a bit but I enjoy and prefer this short separation. I spend more time with …
I woke to Ryan packing up camp. We had plans to be packed and hiking back to the boat before 10 am and I was behind schedule. Did I feel pressure to move quicker? No, not really but we had discussed the night before that the heat of the day …
It’s 2:30 pm on day two. Ryan and I have been hiking through the Northwoods for a mile and a half and it’s taken over four and a half hours. This is slow slogging. Sore and likely dehydrated despite our efforts to continually drink fluids, we are sitting on the …
A quick recap of the initial plan. Drive 7hrs to the Northwoods, get the proper permits needed and stay at a campsite outside of the BWCA to wake early the next morning. At 5 am paddle 8miles to a remote lake, paddle across that lake and ditch the boat. Hike …
When I found out I was going to be a father I made a few changes in life. One was to commit to my wife and daughter more time and effort at home. Another was to commit to a yearly trip to the boundary waters canoe area. I had been …
I met David Nash a few years back when him and his father got out with me on an excellent late April day. I’ll never forget the fish his dad landed on his tenkara rod while we were out, a beautiful full bodied brown trout that made the day. If …
A couple months back I sat down with Assistant Professor of Biology at Winona State University Dr. Jennifer Biederman to discuss trout, trout streams, invertebrates and the research going on in the driftless area. Dr. Biederman lives near Winona on a local trout stream I am quite fond of. She …
Over the years I’ve changed and adapted my gear for wet wading to better suit my needs in the driftless area. Wet wading here for me doesn’t mean I’m in the stream all the time, often I think most of us try to avoid being in the water for the …
Long leaders, tiny flies and rising trout. This is what I remember about my first few years as a trout angler in southeast Minnesota and I was fortunate enough to catch it again yesterday. Nothing except my daughter (she’s 14 months old now) is as challenging to film and photograph …
After the opening weekend and recent discussions with other anglers I wanted to post what I use as “guidelines” to practice the responsible harvest of trout on our southeast Minnesota trout streams. Some anglers are turned off by the idea of harvesting trout but I believe that some of our …
