"Images of Whorl"

This is one sweet picture that will some day be a part of what we are now calling "Images of Whorl."  That title comes from my buddy Mike, (aka: Whorl) who has found a new passion that he is going to hopefully pursue in the very near future.  His love of taking photographs everywhere that we go is starting to grow, and a new camera and equipment is soon to be in his arsenal.  While he doesn't have the billion dollar setup just yet, he has been taking several sweet photos over the years, and many of them I have shared with you over time.  I will continue to share his "Images" as they come in, but hopefully soon we will be able to type www.ImagesOfWhorl.com and have it take us to a site full of his pictures and stories.  Keep it up Mike, you've got talent (I know, I can't believe I admitted that either) and I cannot wait until the day that I get to check out your website. 

These duck shots were taken yesterday December 12th as Mike raced around following a flock of ducks back to this random open water creek.  I bet that was a site to see after coming over that ridge.  Very cool, and I cannot wait for the next Images.  Until next time Y'all, Keep on Livin The Dream!

Toby's First Hunt....Awww Aint He Cute!

This past weekend was the normal ritual for many hunters across the state.  Eat a whole pile of turkey on Thursday, sit on the couch and watch a football game or two with a cold one in hand and try to figure out if the body will allow you to get off the couch in time to hunt in the morning.  The ladies head to the local shopping center the next day(some of them earilier than even us hunters rise from the wrapper) and the men head out in search of a rooster or two.  This year, Dingy and I continued with our now 2 year old ritual of heading out west in hopes of bagging a rooster or two.  The new companion on our trip is this cute little fella named Toby.  He just might be the best looking pup that I have ever laid my eyes on.  I have had the pleasure of seeing this peeing machine from its first couple of weeks of life and watching it grow the last 4 months.  I think I am in love with this dog, and Tim, if you don't look out, I just might take it home with me.  Our hopes on this adventure was to see if Toby would be able to understand what it means to "Hunt Em Up."   The day before we headed for the 2 hour hike out west, we stopped at a local spot of mine and had this future Pheasant huntin machine run around in search of some roosters just to see what he would do.  The result was totally awesome.  While he didn't understand exactly what had happened, he was running around through some brush for the heck of it, and a rooster got up right in front of him and I.  Officially I get to say that this gem of a pup jumped his first rooster in front of me and I was able to knock it down.  Only so special because of the unknowing puppy that was now playing with the feathers on the bird that he officially flushed.  I think it hit a soft spot in me, and now I am left wondering how long I can wait before I have my own puppy dog.  The picture of us is kinda blurry, but one that is very clear in my memory.  Thanks Dingy and Toby for that bird, it was maybe the coolest hunt of my life even if it only lasted for 20 minutes.

The hunt out west didn't treat us the best for some goofy reason.  We had a proven dog in Nelly (Nates Dog) and Toby fresh of his first hunt.  Nate, Dingy and myself met up with my cousin Nate out in Benson, and we hunted some of the best looking property that I have ever touched in MN before.  The birds were there, but they were skittish and just found every way imaginable to stay out of range.  Oh well, it was still a great hunt, and Toby spent most of his time eating every weed, stick, or cattail in sight.  The weather was perfect and we had the laughs that are always expected on a trip like that.  On the route back, Toby reminded us of the small bladder he has, and dribbled on not only me, but Nate and our sweatshirts that we gave him to use for a pillow.  Hahaha, still laughing about that darn dog. 

I want to give a shout out to Lynn Schulz and his hunting crew out in the Dakota's.  Lynn traveled all the way up from Arizona to spend some time with his family and a long overdue trip out to the prairie lands for some pheasant hunting with friends.  Hope it went great for you boys! 

Brrrrrrr!  That Ice will be here before we know it.  Stay tuned for a conclusion on another great season of open water fishing.  I will try to recap the greatness that we accomplished in our many trips across the state.  I also will send out as many thank you's as I can along with what is on tap for our quest of more Trophy Encounters.  Until Next Time Y'all, Keep on Livin The Dream!

Recent Happenings....

I wanted to post this goofy picture so I can look back years from now and remember that on October 6th of 2007 it was 89 degrees on the water and we were fishing with our shirts off getting a tan.  Not to mention the awesome time the 9 of us buddies shared on the water that evening.  It was picture perfect, we had two boats (mine and Dusty's) and we filled 9 of us in them.  The list of friends included Dusty, Wags, Miky, Jeremy, Vans, Whorl, Scotty, Nate, and myself.  We slayed a pile of above average Bluegills and Crappies for the local landowners that let us hunt their property throughout the season.  That was our goal and we accomplished it to the fullest.  Thanks boys!

While I haven't been out putting any beasts in the boat the last couple of days, I want to share with you what some of my readers have sent me, and what has been happening on the "big pond" up north.  My tourney partner and good friend Mike has been continuing his streak of giants this year, and has some real hawgs to show for it.  Kent landed this 52.5 incher the other evening and they also tied into a couple of others.  Man  they some fat fish on that lake this time of the year.  The story behind the 52.5 was awesome!  This fish chased the bait on the figure 8 for several turns before it latched on and went airborn with a foot of line out.  If that doesn't give you a heart attack, then I don't know what will.   

Also, You just have to be the happiest man in the world when you get to hold a fatty like this one.  I was sent this pic a few days ago from a past guest in my boat.  His co-worker was up on the "big pond" also and got himself one heck of a hawg.  Just look at the belly on that beast.  Another giant that this lake has been known for over the past several years.  Very, very cool guys!  Keep up the good work!  More pics and stories coming soon.....Who wants to be in them???

The Drought Is Over....

Talk about a picture drought on this website.  It has been a few days since I have been able to post a picture of one that came in da boat and didn't manage to shake the hooks.  This morning Derek and Craig joined me for a chance at the snaggle tooth critters, and we did get the chance for a Kodak moment.  This 47 incher could not have come any sooner.  The fish have been cooperating very well the last week, but I just cannot get over the amount of fish that we have lost during the process.  Every single outing the past week or so has given us several chances at the big guys, and we have simply found ways to quickly release them without any photos.  Heck, just yesterday Derek and I were out with one of his buddies John, and he battled one almost to the boat only to watch it scream away for his life and snap the 80 pound test.  How the heck does 80 pound test snap???? Well, I am still shaking my head, and last night we did battle with 3 different muskies that slipped away from our grasp.  The first one came at the boat soooooo darn fast that keeping up with it was impossible, then it spit the hooks.  The other two we battled to the boat, and since I don't like to instantly put them in the net, while we were wearing them out, they simply just let go and the bait came right back to the boat in what seemed like slow motion.  Yes we got our fun out of them, but they don't count as a legitimate catch unless you physically release them.  We saw roughly 20 fish yesterday alone, and another 40-50 last week.  During last weeks outings, I believe this same scenario was played out at least one or two times every day.  I was beginning to wonder if we would ever photo another one.  Great fun during every outing for sure, but it just feels good to get that musky slime on the hands again. 

I personally want to thank Seth and Destiny for the amazing fish feast that I had last Friday.  They returned from Alaska with fresher than fresh Salmon and Halibut, and they were kind enough to give me some samples.  Holy Connolly that stuff tastes amazing on the ol charcoal grill.  By far the best meal I have had all summer long.  Thanks again guys!  You Rock!

Keep On Livin The Dream Y'all!

Friday's Success Was Actually On Saturday!!!

Friday I jumped in the boat with some Wisconsin natives, better known to us Minnesotans as the "Cheeseheads" (sorry guys, I had to take a poke:) ) to tackle with the Ole Muskellunge.  As it turns out, our success from that day wasn't determined until Saturday was finished.  We spent the entire time on Friday chatting about different presentations, and I explained to them some approaches that I often use.  It was kindof an eye opener of sorts for them as they had another day on the water after we were through, and they took full advantage of every second of it.  As you can see from the photos, these musky gods landed themselves a 45, 45.5, and a 49 incher on Saturday, and Yes, it was their first time ever fishing Tonka by themselves.  I am absolutely extatic when I get to see the results turn out so good.  Unfortunately we didn't land anything on Friday, but  although we had our chances, the real success came in the lifelong and life changing fishing tactics that they learned.  It was very obvious to me that these guys were taking in every bit of information that I was spitting out to them, and I loved explaining everything I could to them to help their fishing future in any way.  Friday didn't produce fish, but Saturday was a day of fishing that this father son combo of Mark and Dean that they will never soon forget.  I enjoy the teaching process almost as much as the catching process, and when I get to see the results that I am posting, it really makes me feel great about what I do.  The sheer excitement in Mark's voice when hearing about the fish that they caught truly makes me feel good, and appreciate the amazing resource that we are so fortunate to have.  Up until this point these boys fish waters in Wisconsin that don't have this caliber of fish, and as Dean explained it, he has fished up to 5 days just to see a fish.  Mark obviously shattered his 42 inch mark with his healthy 45.5 incher, and Dean landed the monster of the day at 49 inches.  The best part of this whole story....they caught these fish all within 15 consecutive casts of each other.  NOW THAT"S HOW ITS DONE GENTLEMEN!  Congrats on a great day on the water Mark and Dean, I hope your success continues, and I hope to get you boys back on the water soon!  Lets hope for more pics in the next few days as the muskies aren't in the clear just yet! Fish On Y'all!

P.S. they took that fish to shore to make sure it had proper time to recoupe before releasing it....Mark said it swam away fine, so there is still one 49 incher left for us to catch!!