Wait...That's not a muskie!

Where are all the muskies???  Trust me, your questions and emails are not going unnoticed.  I apologize for the lack of toothy critter reports, but don't worry, the time is fast approaching for the big girls to come out, and then there will be no lack of reports coming in.  Thus far I have made it out a couple of times in the last few weeks for an hour here and an hour there.  I've seen some real dandies come flying up, just nothing in the boat on my short outings.  I look for that to change soon.  In the meantime, everything else has been biting really well, and we have been taking advantage of some awesome walleye action and bass action on Waconia and on Tonka.  It has been one of the better years for walleyes for me, and it seems easy to go out and catch 10 walleyes.  When can a guy remember saying that???  Hmmm...I think I'm going to go catch a dozen walleyes quick!   Well, that has been par for the course this season, which is why I haven't been too stressed from the lack of muskies in the boat. 

In the next few days I am going to introduce to you a new fisherman to the Trophy Encounters world.  His name is Young Ben.  Well, actually it is just Ben, but I call him Young Ben, and he is as wacky over fishing as I am.  Look for his grand introduction very soon!  Until next time Y'all, Keep on Livin That Dream!

A Trip With "The Man About The Woods"

Tuesday night I found myself on an adventure that was very new to me.  Certainly I was on the water fishing, but this time I did it in a way that I am not accustomed to.  I tagged along with our "Man About The Woods" Bill Sherck as we used his drift boat to fish Smallmouth Bass on the Mississippi River.  I have heard so much about this stretch of water over the years, and jumped at the chance to hop on board.  We had a few different weapons in the boat, and the plan was to catch a few conventional style, then switch to the fly gear.  It was a whole new experience for me, and I can honestly say that it was the first time that I actually felt like I was being guided.  It was great!  He had the same half hour's worth of chatter that I give to all my guests as they come on the boat.  Not that I haven't caught numerous smallies in the past, but it was a whole new feel, and the drift boat seemed to set it all in place.  How we would work the spots, and most of all, the use of a fly-rod is very new to me.  The fish weren't jumping in the boat on this afternoon, however it didn't take too long for me to land a couple of dandies.  My first fish went about 19 inches and the next two followed very similarly.  When you add the current into the equation, you are really in for a treat.  After my third fish, I decided it was time to find out what this fly fishing stuff is all about.  After a quick tutorial from Bill, I was slinging back and forth trying to get dialed in.  With the strong winds, it made things interesting, but I got it figured out and it was go time!  I pictured myself stripping a huge popper on the surface as if I was Tarpon fishing in the keys, and waited for the explosions.  Well, they came, and I missed all 4 explosions on my popper.  Oh well, Can't catch em all the time, but it sure would have been nice to say I conquered that Smallie on the Fly.  We had a great time on the water, and although the fish weren't flying in the boat, we had some great laughs, and a few of what I call "kids Messes."  For those of you who don't know Bill aka: Man about the Woods, he is a regular guest on our shows, and the host of Due North Outdoors, which if you aren't too busy after reading this, you can check out the new site that I just created for that show.  Looks strikingly similar to this site, except it's Bill Sherck and Laura Schara.

Bringing Back Some Good Times...Thanks Jack!

So I have been tinkering with many features on many different websites lately, and I have learned a few things.  This video isn't new by any means, but it is very special to me, and I have wanted to share it for some time now.  The great man Jack Popowich made this DVD for me last summer and it is a great battle of his buddy Bob and the mighty Minnetonka Muskie.  The work he put into it is quite spectacular, and as you watch, you will realize that this fish should not have come into the boat.  This is not a typical muskie battle, and I recall many times throughout this fight as I tried to coach Bob through it, that the line was rarely tight.  let's just say that this muskie should not have come into the boat...However, I'm glad it did.  Enjoy!

Until next time...Keep on Livin The Dream!

1,500 kids...Yep, that's right!

A couple weeks back I found myself doing exactly what I love…Fishing! To me, there is nothing better than a day on the water, but this day was slightly different than most of days on the water for one reason. I wasn’t the one doing the casting. Yep, that’s right. I was lending a hand to a huge group of kids that came out for one special day on the water.

The event is called the “Fishing Clinic For Kids” and it is a major part of Buffalo Days, a festival held in where else… Buffalo, Minnesota. Like most towns in Minnesota, there is a weekend dedicated to celebrating their town, but the exciting part about this town is that they focus on teaching kids how to fish, and providing them a time and a place to do so.

The fishing clinic was established in the mid 90’s, growing in popularity each year to the current level of 1,500 + children. Not to mention the thousands of adult spectators that turn out to see what is happening.

While I was just a small part of this great event, I was able to see the results first hand. My job, to get the kids out in a fancy boat and teach them the basics of catching a fish. The ages of the kids ranged from 4 – 13 years old, and each one of them were a delight in every way. While I found the struggles of many tangled lines, I also saw the smiles of happy kids that found themselves out enjoying the great outdoors. To me, there is nothing better than the smile of kids learning what I love so much.

Besides my 20 minute fishing excursions with the never ending line of children, there were hundreds of rod and reels given away, speaking engagements from some of my professional fishing buddies, Mike Tengwall and Eric Guddal, prizes were given away at nearly all of the hundred plus booths, and the fishing focus on the kids brought smiles at every turn.

While this was my first year participating in this event, I can see why it has grown to such a huge success. I can guarantee that this won’t be the last time that I partake in this well run kids fest, and I strongly encourage you to attend or bring your kids next year. For more on this event, click here to go to their website, or contact me directly.

That’s all for now! Until next time, Keep on Livin’ the Dream!

Father Son Trip To Remember...

Well it is clearly time that I get something new up here.  My apologiies yet again for the lack of reports.  I guess that first rain day will have to be spent pouring the pics and stories out.  Ah heck...who am I kidding, I love fishing in the rain!  I guess I am too busy livin the dream to sit down and write about it, which is good and bad.  Right now I have a few hundred photos and about 25 stories that I want to share.  I will keep pushing along and try to get as many of the stories up very soon.  In the event that I have slacked lately, I have a cool story that came from a gentlemen and his son last week.  His name is Mitch..He's a stud...and so is his boy Theo!  I hope you enjoy the read as I have.  Thanks Y'all!

As Travis is busy "Living the Dream" and clearly struggling to find time to blog, I thought I'd share the experience my son Theo (9) and I had with Travis last Thursday evening on Lake Waconia.

Our trip was planned on short notice; I didn't tell Theo until we were in the car on the way to the lake around 5:00 PM. Needless to say when I told him we were going out with Travis to chase big walleyes and bass, he was pretty excited. Theo sat in Travis' boat several weeks ago while it was trailered at Cabin Fever so he knew that we were about to be treated to a first-class experience! We eventually made it to the marina and Travis was ready to roll. He gave Theo a Ranger hat which Theo proudly wore and then it was off to our first walleye hot-spot.

If you've ever fished with Travis you know it didn't take long for us to boat our first fish. In fact, Travis had a nice walleye hooked on the first cast but was a little cocky trying to swing it into the boat and it came off.

A few casts later travis set the hook and handed the rod to Theo. We were all pretty excited when Theo fought the fish and boated a nice 17" largemouth bass. It was the biggest bass of Theo's life by about 6"! A few casts later we caught another 15" bass followed by a couple monster sheephead. As nasty as the sheephead are, Theo had a blast reeling them in.

We set off for a new fishing spot that Travis new would generate more action for us....he was right! Theo caught the second 17" bucket mouth of the night and then hooked the largest Northern of his life (6#)!

While the walleye never really turned on, Travis still managed to put Theo on his first ever walleye!

While Theo was clearly the star of the show, I had a minor milestone as well landing a 15" crappie....the largest of my career!

As the sun set on our perfect evening of fishing it was clear that Travis had provided a fishing experience that neither father nor son would soon forget. Thanks Travis for sharing your passion for fishing and life.