Did Somebody Say Open Water???

Check out this sweet view of a foggy morning on the Mighty Mississippi.  I was not along on this particular trip, but I just had to post this.  The boys that made the journey to Red Wing found themselves as usual, with hundreds of other eager fisherman.  The only problem was that they didn't find quite as eager fish!  The recent report was that there had been a few biters in the previous days, but everything can change in seconds when you fish the rivers in spring.  On this particular day, the dam in Red Wing was let wide open to allow water to flow through, which had its normal effects and turned the fish off completely.  It's a good excuse for my buddies to bring home as to why they didn't catch em'  on their first attempt of the year (heeeheee).  Don't worry Mike and Sean, I won't tell everybody it was you two who were down there!

One of my favorite parts about fishing the river is that you never know what you are going to catch or snag, and while they didn't catch the walleyes, they did manage to haul in a rare Sturgeon to take a few photos.  It wasn't enormous, but always fun to fight.

In all honesty, the river can absolutely awesome this time of the year.  It is a good chance to get out on the open water before the lakes loose all of the ice.  The numbers and size of the walleye and sauger can be spectacular, with many of our trips last season netting 50 - 80 fish per day.  I will be getting my lines wet in the next few days, and posting my stories when I can.  If you or anybody you know would like to be part of the stories, get in contact with me soon to set up a day that will work best.  The action will be heating up very soon, and it doesn't last long. Until next time,  FishOn!

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!

Bringin' a Little Dakota to Minnesota!!!

This story started many years ago, but is finally being told. 

For the last few years a group of friends from South Dakota have been coming to Waconia with the same purpose in mind each year.  Camp out on the frozen ice, try to catch a few fish, and stuff their bellies full of all the wild game that is provided at the local Wild Game Dinner here in town.  We ran into this group of guys last winter when our curiousity got the best of us and forced us to stop in.  It wasn't like they were hidden out on the lake or anything.  They have a very large tent and a 20ft pole stuck in the ice next to it which sports our nations colors, and they can be seen from just about anywhere on the lake.

We ended up spending quite a bit of time chatting with these boys last year, and were anxious to see them out on the water again this season.  Well, just as planned, the phone rang prior to their arrival and we met them for another weekend on our lake.  We set them in an area that had been producing quite a few Panfish and an occasional Walleye, but the cold made fishing nearly impossible.  The temps were well below zero for the second year in a row and the fishing was not exactly spectacular.  With their tent not suited for fishing inside in the warmth, the only fishing that could take place was in holes drilled outside the shelter.  A few fish were caught by them the first day, including panfish and a smaller eye', but nothing to write home about.

With the conditions not so good, it was still a pleasure to have a few beverages with these boys again and to talk foolish and tell jokes.  Just the atmosphere of standing on frozen ice inside a tent when it is -30 outside makes these guys a conversation piece for just about everyone who see's them.  Unlike other years, these men didn't really have any peace and quiet, and their zipper was almost constantly going up and down from people who wanted to come inside to check them out.  At times I think it was almost too hectic for the guys, but I hope a good time was had by all of them.  Heck, they even made front page of our local Waconia Patriot.  If you get this paper you already know what I am talking about, but if not, I suggest you check it out to see more about this great story.

A special thanks to Erik, Kent, Chris, Ken and Dan from South Dakota.  Hope to see ya'll again next year!

Fishers of Men

Last night I was offered the opportunity to talk to a group of men that belong to a local fishing organization called the Fishers of Men.  I was brought in to be the guest speaker for one of their gatherings, and to discuss some different fishing techniques that I use and also to answer any fishing related questions that they had.  I talked with this great group of men for roughly an hour and enjoyed every second of it.  We covered topics ranging from early season walleyes, to late summer muskies. 

The main reason for writing about this evenings events, was the learning experience that I encountered when I saw what a lot of these men were all about.  They spend a great deal of time working with organizations throughout the cities to promote FISHING FOR KIDS.  They have banquets, charities and gatherings that get more kids into the sport.  I talked with many great guys about what they do and gained a lot of insight from several of them including Tom, Mike, Gary &  Dave, just to name a few.  These guys have many events coming soon that are directly related to keeping kids interested in the outdoors and fishing.  A couple of links that have more information than I can describe are, www.fishingforlife.org & www.fishersofmenclub.org .  There are a few events that I think we all should consider helping with if the time will allow. 

Thanks again guys for being a great audience, and feel free to put any comments to this article or email me any other information that I can pass on.  Keep up the good work!  Fishon!