Kids and the Cabin...

It is something that is hard to find, and something that is even harder to beat. It is that unique kind of enthusiasm that little kids will demonstrate while they are catching sunnies off the dock with reckless abandon. Catching them faster than I can pull 'em off and rebait those hooks. It is quite magical to be sure, and most definitely something that they will not soon forget. To this day, I still remember those mornings from when I was that little kid, effortlessly catching so many fish, and how much fun it was, and how much fun they still are....

Scenery....

Just a few of the many beautiful backdrops we fish up on in the Twin Cities here...


See if you can come and find us, suckas!

Regrets...

After going through and posting all of these pictures, I can't help but get a little bummed out that I didn't get out fishin' more this last year. So many nice fish so little time, hopefully these guys will help fill in the blanks with some fun stories, intimate details, and some solid measurements...

How 'bout a muskie...

Quick shout out to Tim who made the trip up from Chicago to grab one out on Minnetonka. Tim chartered that boat, drove that thing and put himself on that fish...That is what it takes, some serious, do it yourself stick-to-it-tiveness...

Diversity....

Ain't nothin' like a quick little trip to one of the Great Lakes for some salmon and some steelhead...Brandon and extended family showin' off the goods!

...and reaping the rewards...

The Holy Grail

I am pretty sure that these pictures will speak for themselves. If you can't hear them, they are saying "This is what it is all about!" Brandon has trumped everything else with this beast here...

Here be Monsters!

New boat, new fishing waters, new monster fish...Flathead fishin' on the Minnesota... Raising both the bar and the expectations all around. Not necessarily monstrous in size, but this little hammer handle most certainly looks ferocious up close. This one was caught way up in Bemidji....

This one is a tad bit bigger...and a tad more monstrous...


I honestly don't think that there are very many things that can look quite as gnarly as snapping turtles...


Here's two nice late season channels, late enough to be the last two cats landed in 2010. Maybe they're not necessarily "monsters", but they are both certainly nice...Especially when you are out there braving those cold, dark Minnesota fall nights.


I would have to say that, in my humble opinion, these two channels certainly fall into the monster category for sure.

Local Wildlife...

All those trips to the river just wouldn't be complete without running into these guys as well...

Carpblood!

Not only Matt's nickname, but a universal truth. Carp can bleed like nuthin' else...

Check out just how gnarly the mouth is on this handsome fella...

Springtime Carp...

Springtime up here means carp, and man, it is certainly hard to beat the sheer thrill of horsing an angry carp up onto the rocks...

Just a few of the fish we met this past spring...

River Rats

A quick introduction to the rest of the cast of characters, and I do mean characters....
You probably remember most of these guys.

Brandon....

Matt...

Teddy.....

Nate...

and introducing the Silver Shadow...

First River Trip 2010

An ill fated night of ice fishing ultimately led to the first river fishin' of 2010...A bit cold, and no fish in hand, although we both did get picked off and missed a couple of fish by the end of the night...

Playing Catchup....

As much as I hate to admit it, I slacked terribly on both fronts this past year, fishing and keeping this blog up to date. I'll do my best to bring it all back together and get everyone all caught up. It will be a quick summary, mostly of all the fishing everyone else was doing, with a few personal accounts thrown in. So without further ado, here we go....