More From Shore! Still Waiting On Opener!

Well I would have to say that this has been the longest spring EVER! I say that because the weather has been pretty fantastic for the last month, and all I want to do is to chase around those darn Walleyes, but we can't yet. Ughhhh! Oh well it is almost here.  To pass the time, last Saturday we managed to sneak away for a couple of hours and throw our Crawlers in the river.  I hadn't done this for many years until a few days prior, and it kinda got me interested again.  I love that I can just hang out on the shore and leave my pole jammed in a stick waiting for the massive tug of whatever may grab it.  The funny thing about watching it, is that as soon as you look away for a split second, the darn rod is being pulled so hard that it is airborn, and it's such a ruckuss to catch it before it goes in the drink.  We caught many fish, including the obvious Carp, along with Catfish and some Bullheads.  Not too much variety that day, but still fun and hard fighting fish. 

Monday evening was Whorl's birthday (Happy Birthday Mike), and we spent the evening out on Waconia catching anything that would eat our crappie minnows.  We battled a couple of extremely intense rain showers, and extremely intense fish.  Instead of only catching crappies and sunnies, this time the Bucketmouths were mixed right in, and we caught several of them as well, including a few over the 4lb mark and 1 absolute giant.  It wasn't that we were fishing for them, but they were up shallow with the panfish preparing to spawn, and they were taking our teeny tiny jigs as well.  Nothing but fun!

I am getting absolutely pumped for this years fishing opener which is only days away.  I haven't quite decided where I'm gonna spend the weekend yet, but I do know that it should be a great one.  The weather is suppose to stay decent which is unheard of for the fishing opener, and with the warmer than average spring, the walleyes should be more than willing to snatch up something swimming past them.  I want to wish good luck to all of you on your quest this weekend, and hope to see you all on the water very soon.  You all have my digits, call me and let me know how it went for ya, or create your own post in the chat room, and tell all of us how you did on your opener.  Good luck, and be safe!

I also want to give a shout out to the great guys over at the All Saints Lutheran Church in Norwood.  I was invited to speak for them last night, and enjoyed all the questions and fun from last night, not to mention the awesome fish and food at their fish fry.  Thanks again guys!  Fish On Fellas!

It's Nice Out, Get Out And Enjoy It!

So I suppose I should fill in the gap from the past week or so.  Our outing last Wednesday including Jeff, Johnny and myself, once again trying for the Mighty Mississippi Walleye.  Well, we tried, but didn't fare quite as well in our morning outing as we had the previous couple of trips.  We managed to land several of the bass that I have pictured here, along with a few other rough fish, and only 2 walleyes.  The water went from 32 to 54 degrees in less than 2 weeks, which lead to a lull in the action after the big spring spawn.  The fish just weren't done recuperating from the spawn and ready to eat when we were there.  Oh well, it was a fun time while it lasted.  And whose to say I won't be back.

Friday lead us to Waconia for some panfish action, and the fish didn't disappoint us.  Bails brought his lovely lady out on the water to catch a few as well and as you can see from the pic, they enjoyed the weather and the fishing.  Guys, if there has ever been a good time to get out on the water with your lady and spend time, this is one of them.  The weather has been fabulous, and the fish are real easy to catch, which makes for an enjoyable time and plenty of action.  She won't get bored with watching you troll over half of the lake and catch nothing, and you can look like you know exactly what you are talking about.  Plus, the fish are quite tasty with this cold water.  Oh, and definitely a great time for the kids as well.  Showing them action is how they will get more interested.  Just my opinion, but I think I may be on to something.  Plus you can always catch a bonus fish or two like Mike did when he landed this above average Eye'.  Nice fish buddy!  Boy I can hardly wait for the season to open in a couple of weeks.

Monday I hit the water again, This time it was with my dad.  It has been a while since he's been out because of his motorcycle accident last year, but it sure was a good relief to see him hopping around in the boat again.  No monster fish on this outing, but a lot of good eaters.  We sat around catching them most of the evening and listened to our Minnesota Twins on the tube.  A nice way to end a day! FishOn Fellas!

And it Starts!

Since I posted last, there have been many changes taking place.  In a matter of just over a week we have gone from frozen lakes with people ice fishing, to 80 sunny degrees, to rain and wind, to open water, to just one decent day to hit the water, and as I look out my window right now, I can see some fluffy white crap sitting on the ground.  UHHHH!! Only in Minnesota!  Well the official ice out on Waconia this year was on March 31, which is a little ahead of schedule, but you'll find no complaining.  Monday afternoon we cut loose from work early enough to get some slabs in the boat and slow the itch that seems to be overwhelming me. 

Since the ice literally just left the lake, the water was cold, and it took a lot of searching to find the fish.  They weren't in their typical shallow spots just yet, but they were very close.  We tried all depths, starting shallow and working our way deeper until we ran into a school.  Once we found our fish, it was easier than taking a walker from a 100 yr old lady.  We landed Crappies and Sunnies until we couldn't handle it any more.  (Actually, we had to leave cuz Mike forgot a jacket, and when the breeze started coming through, we couldn't handle his whining) This frigid weather we have now is suppose to stick around for a few more days, but as soon as it leaves, look for the action to start heating up even more.  IT'S OPEN WATER TIME!

Thank You Mother Nature!

I do believe this picture says it all!

The last few days have been absolutely spectacular if you are anybody who doesn't live in bunker without windows.  The weather has been as good as it gets if you enjoy spring ice fishing, or anything outside for that matter.  A group of us were able to take advantage of the weather and the recently extended hours of daylight thanks to the time change, and enjoy all that the metro panfishing has to offer.  We all scrambled out to the ice after work and had more than enough time to throw some real dandies on the ice.  The best part about it was that we weren't stuck in a fish house, and we were free to move from hole to hole catching fish and making jokes of whoever happened to be standing the closest at the time.  After all, isn't that what fishing is all about?

The size of these pannies cannot compare to that of some of the larger ones I often come across on my northern ventures, but they were plenty large for the fun we were having.  To be completely honest, I was very impressed with the size of most of the fish out there that particular day, and the bluegills were larger than any that I had seen out of Waconia in almost 10 years.  I don't know if they decided to grow up finally, but I do like what I have been seeing coming through the hole.

We capped off our evening of fishing with what can be called "another perfect sunset."  Get out there! Catch em' and Have Fun. Fish On!

It's That Time Of The Year Again!!

Well it's about darn time I updated this site!  I apologize for the lack of information that I have been sharing with all of you.  It most definitely is not intentional, and to be completely honest, it has been driving me crazy that I have not been out gathering events and stories for your viewing pleasure.  I have had quite a rough couple of months lately, with a lot of bad luck, which has kept me from doing what I love.  I also have been working hard to get things set in place for a new business venture that I am starting up very soon.  This has require nearly all of my attention recently and allowed the fish a few weeks of safety before I get back out there and put sore mouths on everything that swims.  I fully intend to share with all of you just exactly what I am up to once I have everything where it needs to be.  But not to worry, I will be working my new venture right alongside Trophy Encounters, and the stories will still be written along with any trips that you all wish to take with me.  I am super excited, and cannot wait to get everything flowing like I feel it will!

With that being said, we managed to blast through the insane snow drifts last night out on Waconia, and harvest ourselves some dandy crappies.  Drew, Dingleberries (aka: Dingwall) and myself couldn't handle the nice weather and decided to see if the bite was on.  We didn't have the best evening of fishing that I have ever experienced, but we did land enough to fill my belly and keep us occupied for a few hours. 

Although the game fish season is over, and fish houses are no longer allowed to stay on the ice, we are now entering into my favorite time of the year to be on the ice.  With the snow melting and water running into the holes, the panfish seem to have no choice but to eat everything wiggling in front of their face.  Not only do the little ones still bite, but those big boys that have soaked up all the oxygen that the weeds have given them all winter long decide that they want to come out and play as well.  If you are experienced with the spring panfish bite, you know what I'm talking about.  If not, I suggest that you make some time to hit the ice a few more times before it is gone.  It can definitely be your best action of the year.  I will hopefully be making a few trips northbound in the very near future, and if any of you would like to tangle with some monster panfish, I would love to enjoy the trip with you.  Until next time. FishOn!