Hello...Now That's A Muskie!

My Oh My, it has been a while since this website has seen a new muskie uploaded into its contents.  I thought this morning would be a good time for me to loose a couple of hours of sleep and make some magic happen.  Young Ben, (who you will get to know real soon) joined me at the access at 4:30 this morning to give it a go.  For heaven sakes, my new boat is a virgin when it comes to the muskies, so our mission was to get the muskie stink on it.  Spot number two for the morning at about 5:00 am took only two casts.  One backlash from me, and one muskie from Ben!  It was a great feeling to start throwing for the big girls once again, and proved that loosing a few hours of sleep was well worth it.  A couple more casts and the sun was rising on the day, we stuck it out for a short stint longer then it was off to the office to continue livin the dream again.  Great morning for sure.  I anticipate a few more big ski's in the boat in the next few days.  This weekend finds me up on Mille Lacs aka: the Big Pond for some action that I hope is a continuation of last year.  We will soon find out!  Until next time, Keep on Livin The Dream!

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!