For Sale!

 Well, the 2009 Due North Outdoors Triton Allure is up for sale.  Your chance to get an absolute steal on a "like new" 2009 model.  This 19 foot fiberglass boat is loaded!  Hummingbird electronics on the dash and up front, GPS, 175 Mercury Verado, Mercury Smart Control (for trolling), Minnkota trolling motor, livewell, dual baitwells, 6 movable seats (4 pedestals), custom trailer w/brakes, ski tow pole,. cd am/fm stereo, boat cover and bimini top.

You'll find boat specs here: http://www.tritonboats.com/boat_detail_new.asp?bid=306

The Due North Walkaround here: http://www.duenorthoutdoors.tv/due-north-outpost/

You can see the boat at Crystal Pierz Marine along Highway 10 in Anoka.  Sale price coming soon!

It's Sunday. Why Not?

Well,   Yesterday I had planned to chase late season muskies, but after walking outside and checking out the weather, I decided my fishing partners might not be up for such an intense experience.   28 degrees and a pretty stiff wind. Downright cold.   Most folks aren't up for standing still in a boat for five hours in that kind of weather.  So, buddies Aaron, Jacob and I decided to wade the ol' Mississippi River for a few hours.  A good choice.  We zipped out and walked up river just north of Monticello. Our fishing adventure started slowly, with only one or two fish in the first hour.  Things were so slow, I kept switching up rigs, trying to figure out what the fish might want.  I started with a jig and minnow.  Then I went to tube baits.  I even tried a spinner for a bit.  No luck.  Meantime Aaron was having some luck on his jig and minnow combination.  funny, but when I eventually switched back to a simple  1/4 ounce jig tipped with a minnow,  the fish turned on.  In all, we caught a couple dozen smallmouth and a few were in the two pound range. What a great feeling to wrestle bronzed-back bruisers, standing waist deep in fairly warm water. Yep, that first stretch of water below the power plant up there runs warm, twelve months a year.  Don't worry, the water's clean. The power plant simply uses river water to cool its turbines. Eventually, Aaron found a pod of small walleyes and decided to take a few home for dinner.  Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  Certainly better than sitting at home and watching the Vikings lose to Tampa Bay.  Oh, and we never seemed to notice the cold wind and the cold.  Funny how that works....

Four Seasons, At Least One Is Wicked....

Those of us who live in Minnesota live by an unwritten rule.  We must "embrace" our weather. We pass our days amidst four very distinct seasons.  Fall being one of my favorites, at least most of the time.  Let me explain. Last week, I had a chance to do a little bird hunting with a few, new friends.  In our hunting party, Mitch Petrie, who is our new company president; Sheryl Gallup, who works with Scales Outdoor Group and Teresa Chiniaeff of the Outdoor Channel.  Mitch and Sheryl have both walked pheasant fields before, but Teresa, who lives in Southern California, had never had the opportunity to pull the trigger on a shotgun or jump at the cackle of a flushing rooster pheasant.   So, we headed south to Traxler's Hunting Preserve down in LeCenter, Minnesota to bang a few clay birds and hopefully get a shot or two at flushing pheasants.  Sounds like a perfect day, right?  One catch. Remember, I mentioned Minnesota's four seasons?  Yea....  We pulled into the club about 10 a.m. in a cold, 38 degree, fall rain.  The four of us made a smart choice and sat inside for a half hour watching the weather radar, waiting for the rain to clear.  That did eventaully happen and we scampered out to the trap shooting range where Teresa got a quick shotgunning lesson and then Mitch, Teresa and Sheryl took a few pot shots at clay targets.  Turns out Teresa had a knack for hitting targets. She turned to us and exclaimed, "This is so cool!"  Perfect.  Mitch and Sheryl also had a chance to crack off a few rounds before a gust front smacked us with a cold wall of wind and heavy rain.  Within a minute or two,  the knarly weather soaked us and we had no option but to retreat to the lodge.  Strike One.  We clicked on the fireplace and settled into a few cups of hot coffee and a plate of warm cinnamon toast (which I found out is one of Traxkler's specialties).   We traded outdoor tales and talked about the outdoor industry until the weather broke and we saw a few rays of sunshine pop in the window.  Wow. Like the old cliche proclaims; If you don't like the current weather, just wait ten minutes.   We grabbed out wet gear, sloshed it on and quickly headed for the pheasant field.   Daisy, Mitch's hunting lab for the day, jumped out of her Kennel and we lined up and headed into the wind.  Quickly, we flushed two roosters.  Teresa watched as a ringneck booked past her.  No shots fired.  A few moments later, a second rooster flushed.  Teresa watched again as the cackling rooster flapped past her. This time, Mitch was able to snap off two shots. No bird.  Sheryl and I laughed and kept walking upwind.  We would see half a dozen other birds fly that afternoon, though no one got a solid shot at any of them.   Really, it didnt' matter much.  We had a chance to watch a new bird hunter excitedly break her first clay targets.  We also got to see birds flush.  The best part? As we drove back into town, no one seemed to remember the nasty weather we had just weathered.  I guess getting outside tends to do that to a person....

Roosters!

'Tis the season.  We have a full harvest moon on the way, cool fall temps, pheasant season is well underway and now, with the corn finally starting to finally come out of the fields, the hunting forecast looks pretty good. Here's my only catch;  My wife Katie is 8 months pregnant and the baby is due, essentially, any day now. Holy smokes.... I'm coping.  How?  Well right now, I'm trying to get outside as much as I can.  Last night I was bass fishing.  A few nights before that it was fall muskie hunting.  Saturday, I walked a few fields with my hunting buddy, Rob Swendra.  Rob's a great hunting partner. See, he's in the insurance business out in the Dassel and Cokato areas. That mean he's friends with a lot of locals and those folks are happy to give Rob hunting access on their land. Like I said, Rob's a great hunting partner. Saturday, we walked into the field right after 9 and didn't see a single bird.  We still had corn up around us and I figure they birds were still fat and happy out in the standing fields. On the property we were hunting, we found one strip of corn and I volunteered to walk it.   We watched quite a few birds get up, although we didn't have many shots at them. I never got a change to try and pull the trigger.  Field number two proved a better option.  Rob and I went to visit Ron Beckman, our other hunting buddy.  "Hey Ron, want to go hunting" No luck. Ron was too busy trying to get 240 acres of corn out while the combining was good.   Can't blame him. During harvest season, getting in the field during decent weather is what the game's all about.  Anyway, Rob and I took Ron's dog, Rio, to the field.  Rio is, without a doubt, one of the best dogs I've ever hunted behind.  As soon as her collar and vest were on, Rio bolted to the edge of the habitat and locked up.  "Rio, hunt 'em up!"  One hen up.  Back and forth Rio worked, not more than ten yards out front of Rob and myself. Her wagging tail went stiff and the dog locked up a second time.  Hen number two.  Almost immediately after, Rio broke down a fence line and a rooster popped up too low to shoot.  A few moments later, Rio locked up a fourth time and I quickly worked into position to shoot should a bird flush. Sure enough, a rooster flushed and I took in on a clean crossing shot at twenty yards.  A first-year bird with short spurs, but a very long tail.  A beautiful bird.  The rest of the afternoon, we would flush only two more hens.  No matter, I got to walk a field with friends, the sound of combines in the distance, and the periodic pop of a shotgun off in the distance; Just what I love about fall.   A side note, shinny buddy Mike Grzeskowiak dropped me a note this week that he and son Luke were out for Luke's first pheasant hunt that same day.   They were down walking fields in LeSueur at Traxler's.  When I asked how the hunt went, Mike reponded with a few pictures.  Based on what I see from Mike's errant slapshots on the ice, I'd say son Luke was the guy hitting the birds on this day! Way to go guys. I'm glad Luke had a great day in the field.

What An Adventure

Boy, Fall is a tough season for me. It's my catch 22 time of year. Think about it. You have serious choices to make. Ducks, pheasants, grouse, woodcock, geese, doves, turkeys and deer. Oh, and don't forget the fishing. This is a great time of year to chase big muskies, bass, pike and fall walleyes. Many of my biggest walleyes of the year come right now. If you are too dialed in on hunting right now, #1: Shame on you. #2 Don't sweat it; I've got the perfect spot for you to still get in a little open-water fishing, even in December and Janurary. Just make sure you own a darn warm parka and comfy pair of insulated winter boots. Ever heard of Nelson Lake? No? Well, most folks haven't. If you know where Bismarck is, you're getting close. Draw a line 45 minutes straight north and west of Bismarck and your finger will stop on Nelson Lake. If you're driving, just look for the smoke stacks. See, Minnkota Power Plant sits along the banks of the lake and uses Nelson Lake water to cool its turbines. That means the lake never freezes over. That also means you can take a boat out all winter long and do a little open-water fishing, even at -10 below zero. Buddy Jason Durham and I love that lake. Dozens of bass and crappies each time we go. Oh, and did I mention North Dakota's state record Largemouth came out of Nelson? Yep, like I said, it's quite a lake. If you do go, plan to run on battery power. Sub zero temps can screw up your outboard. Also plan on using spinning gear. Baitcasters tend to freeze up in cold temps. Tube baits, cranks and spinner baits all work well on Nelson. I've even been known to cast a fly rod there. If you go, don't forget your camera. Cold air meets warm water and creates severe fogging conditions most days. That fog sticks to absolutely everything. We normally grab a hotel room in Bismarck and drive up from there. If you've got even an ounce of Huck Finn syndrome, you need to try Nelson Lake, at least once. If you are in need a fishing partner for the trip, drop me a note. We'll fish it together!