Opening Hours of 08

It is now a few minutes after 3:00 AM on opening morning.  Myself and the boys just returned home for a quick nap before we head out again in another hour or so.  So far the 2008 season has been another one for the books.  7 minutes into season I landed eye number one for the boat.  Nothing huge, but too big to eat at 21 inches.  A few minutes later number 2 grabbed hold.  A very nice 28 incher that I just figured would be big fish of the night.  Well as quickly as I was getting jacked up about that fish, number 3 came in the boat, and Dusty stole my thunder with this very long and recently spawned out 31 incher.  So in a matter of a few minutes, we landed some really huge walleyes out on Waconia.  The events continue here in about an hour as daylight is fast approaching.  I will obviously give the full report soon.  Good luck if you are hitting the water soon!  Maybe see ya out there, Livin the Dream!

IT'S OPENER BABY!!!! GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY!

Opner is just hours away!  What has seemed like years to get her is now just minutes away.  As I write this article I figure the majority of you are feeling just as antsy as I am to hit the water.  Many have skipped out of work and are hitting the roads heading northbound.  The rest of you, I feel your pain, cuz its gonna be a few hours before I get to start my yearly ritual of events.  A few last minute pieces of advice.  Fish shallow this year if you are heading north, or just fishing locally.  The water temps will be cool, and any shallow lake or warmer bay should produce better.  Also, focus on areas with running water.  These are places the fish congregate around to spawn, and they won't be far from it at this point.  Fish slow, and when you find one fish, odds are you'll catch several.  With the ice still covering many of our lakes, its going to be a different bite than most years.  With that said, we may be surprised to hear some great stories and hot bites in lakes that aren't typically hot on opener, and also a  few that probably stunk it up.  That's fishing, and that's what keeps us coming back.  For me, I will be staying local and fishing my home waters of Tonka and Waconia.  I anticipate a great bite, and I look forward to the camaraderie that always takes place with the opener.  I wish everyone the best of luck in the next few days, and as always, I will report back with my results.  Good luck, and remember, we are livin the dream out there this weekend.  Let's go enjoy it!

Killin Time Before the Opener, And, A First TImer!

I have to start this one out by giving a shout out to Katie for her very first fish in a boat.  She will not be happy with me posting this, cuz it wasn't exactly a giant, and she didn't even want to take the picture, but I don't care, it was her first fish.  Any first fish is a great first fish, and even though most of us have caught that by age 2 or 3, you have to start somewhere, so congrats.  Look for this new Ranger Model to be stealing the show here very soon!  She claims she is going to be landing muskies by the end of summer, so I'll keep you posted.  But I have a slight suspicion that her need to succeed will get her one before the year is through. 

The next Ranger Model is my mother, and we snuck out last week for a short time on the water.  Man, it seems like it has been forever since she has been out with me, but her and I had to take advantage of the warmer temps and catch a few fish.  This is the perfect time of the year to get everyone on the water.  With the warmer temps, the panfish action can be fast and furious, and it will start getting much better in the next few days as the water warms out of the 40's. 

The last few years, many of my travels have been quite random, and I just keep on looking for new species to catch to scratch my itch in the off-season.  I think for myself, it is all about a good challenge and a good battle, which is why those darn rough fish have been the object of my affection with more and more regularity each season.  When you throw some current and a hard fighting fish on light line, you have yourself a battle.  Last week me and "da boys" hit a local river for some river bank action.  Yep, we did the ol, lean the pole up and sit on the banks.  The only thing that would have made it more redneck would have been if we had Beachnut chew and a 30 pack of some kind of skunky beer.  But seriously, it was a great time.  We pretty much had non-stop action with the carp and suckers, and landed a few dandies along the way.  These are a few of the activities that I have found to help cure the walleye blues.  Luckily for us, the opener is only a few days away.  Boy oh Boy, am I getting excited!  I will have more for y'all very soon.  Until next time, Keep on Livin' the Dream!

Wisconsin Opener With A BANG! BRRRR!!!

Well now check out these two studs!  Mitch and Ron were willing to brave the elements this past Saturday morning for the good ol' Wisconsin Opener.  Saying that I had anything to do with this story would simply be a lie, but I felt the results were worth sharing.  Ron has been heading out for this event for many years, but he brought with him a good friend and rookie walleye angler Mitch.  The excitement and anticipation was very clear for Mitch as we chatted before he left.  He kept me in the loop via cell phone while over the border, and the excitement in his voice made it come alive for me as well.  With temps in the 40's and blustery North West winds, they fought through the elements, and guess what???  The rookie scored with the catch of the weekend.  We won't tell Ron that he was outfished that morning by a rookie, however we'll just say that Mitch caught his limit that morning, and well, Ron caught a nice pike.  All in good fun, and just what fishing opener memories are suppose to be.  You might call it beginners luck, but what a great way to spend it with a Hall of Famer.  Nice work Mitch!  Now I want a rematch from the whooping you gave me a couple weeks back!

With our opener only days away, the anticipation is building at an incredible pace.  I will be spending my hours in the new hot-rod on a few local lakes.  I anticipate a good bite this year even though the water is colder than average.  I will more than likely be fishing Tonka or Waconia, so if you see me runnin around, please stop by and say hello.  Without spilling the beans completely, I anticipate jigs and minnows doing the trick in waters less than 10 feet deep.  See ya on the water soon!  Until next time y'all, Keep on Livin' the Dream!

Kids Fish For Free!

How is this for thought?  Lets get those kids out fishing this summer.  I have always been greatful to the mentors that I had growing up.  They introduced me to the sports that I now love, and they took me early and often.  I feel I now have a great chance to do that for others.  This season, I am offering a special to anybody that wants to take advantage of it.  If you are booking a guided trip with me and want your son or daughter to experience the thrill, I will allow them to join at no extra charge.  I get no better enjoyment than watching a kid catch a whopper, and will do my best to make it happen.  Who knows, if this is a success, possibly more will follow this path.  Until next time, keep on livin the dream!