Whadda Walleye Spring!

  A Beauty!

Whadda ya say besides, "Whadda Walleye Spring!"  Seems the fish have been biting non-stop since opener four weekends ago.    We started the open season in the Brainerd Lakes Area of Minnesota.  Fish were biting well on spottail shiners on Lindys or Northland Fireballs.  Rapala's new Clackin' Minnows have been the trick trolling at sunset on the flats. 
My Favorite! #9 Clackin' Minnow in Silver!

Heck, even my 3 1/2-year-old got in on the action.  Way to go Brady!

Two weeks ago I spent a week up in Canada at Kabeelo Lodge and, of course, we caught more walleyes that we could count.  Up there, I LOVE the jig bite on a Fireball tipped with either minnows or Northland's Impulse shad patterns.   The other favorite of mine is draggin' #9 Rapala Shad Raps.  Boom!  Fish on!

Dad with a Canadian Dandy!

The last two weeks, the absolute hot bite, without question, has been on Mille Lacs Lake.  We've been up there every free moment catching amazing numbers of walleyes.  The good news?  They're biting.  The bad news?  They're biting. See, I'm convinced the bait fish are not in Mille Lacs and the walleyes are getting kinda desperate.  They're acting like they're willing to eat about anything.  

A Mille Lacs Beauty!

For us,   Two techniques have worked unusually well.  First, Lindys tipped with leeches.  I've been focusing on 20-30 feet of water on the edges of the flats.   The other has been a newer technique called slow death.  Ever heard of it?   Essentially, you rig a bottom bouncer (my choice is a 1-2 oz Northland Slick Stick) with a 10 foot snell tipped with a slow death hook.  They're odd shaped hooks that you thread smaller nightcrawlers onto.

Slow Death Hooks

   As that rig drags through the water, the shaped hook makes the crawler corckscrew.   One tip, don't hang giant crawlers.  I'll nip the tag end of the crawler to keep it no more than six inches long. 

 The walleyes LOVE it! So did our guests last week.  Fellow Rapid Marine/Lund Pro Perry Good and I took Rapid Marine dream trip winners Doug Meyenburg and his buddy Jerry Hobbs out to Mille Lacs to teach them slow death. 

By lunchtime,  Doug was absolutely blown away.  He'd caught so many walleyes they'd eaten right through his red slow death hook!  

My Poor Hook!Jerry and Doug with a Mille Lacs Monster!Perry with Another Trophy!

Sunday,  we were back on the lake and fishing buddy Brian Bitzan and I had the same good luck.
One of Brian's Biggest Fish

I think I've seen more BIG  walleyes this spring than any other I can remember.  That is a good thing!  How about you?  Next time your walleye bite goes cold,   try a slow death rig.  Something different to wake up the fish!  Up next, The Brainerd Classic!  One of the region's most popular annual tournaments.  I'll keep you posted on results!

The Fish of a Lifetime!

Mississippi River Pool 4

Holy smokes! Our ice is gone.  Like that, "winter" blew by and the weekend wind blew away our ice.  That means open water fishing NOW!  I picked up the 2012 Rapid Marine Lund and fell in love at first sight. 

2012 Lund Pro V 1875

It's the new 1875 Pro V decked out with a 200 Mercury Verado,  two 900 series Humminbird units,  Two Minn Kotas, including a Terrova w I-Pilot up front and 101 Vantage in back.  All the bells and whistles you'd expect from a Pro V,  plus that darn bright green Rapid Marine wrap.

The boat sure looked good on the Mississippi River last week.  Pool 4 is open for business, judging from the number of darn boats out there.  We didn't find a lot of walleyes, but got our paws on a few fat saugers. 

If you plan on fishing the river, do me a favor.  Look closely at the following photo.  See anything?

 

The two poor guys in the little boat in the middle were hooked into a giant fish and it was pulling them all over the place.  Notice, no one bothered to get out of their darn way.   Good golly, give your fellow anglers a break! By the way, 45 minutes later, they landed a paddlefish that was wider than their boat! Very cool....
Holy Smokes!
Oh, and look at the Humminbird.  Talk about a pile of fish.....
Actually, Humminbirds have been my best friend twice in the last two weeks. Number one, on the river and two, up north in Saskatchewan.   I was sitting on Tobin Lake shooting a walleye story when I saw the biggest red blob on my Humminbird 55.  Here's what happened next...

On Thin Ice, Kinda....

I know I'm probably preaching to the choir on this one, but it's been a strange ice season, to say the least.   Ice conditions are literally historically "goofy".   That said, if you are smart (and I'm taking liberty with that. After all, we are ice anglers), you can find good ice a fair amount of spots.

I started the year up around Grand Rapids with Northland pro Greg Clusiau and buddy Blake Liend.  We found plenty of nice crappies on good ice.   Heck, it was 40 degrees out too.  An amazing day on the ice with good people!

         Nice fish Greg!
Wher e did we find them?  You'll have to ask Greg!   

               

IBill and Blake with dandys!

I followead up twith a Christmas trip down to Southern Minnesota.               a    

 St. James Lake

The Otter Pro Thermal looked a little lonely out on St. James Lake!   My sisters-in-law proved St. James still has fish, even after the big winter kill a year or so ago! 

Ellie and Zoie with a Whopper!

The best part about fishing with Zoie and Ellie? I've always got plenty of help getting the Otter off the ice, well, at least from Zoie...

 This week, we snuck up to Mille Lacs with buddy Chris Kuduk and Woody Sankey and, of course, we found plenty of nice perch.

  Woody and ChrisWhere exactly on Mille Lacs?  Ha!  You'll have to ask Chris!  But, check this out!  Here are a few quick snapshots from the new Aqua-Vu Micro underwater camera.  Amazing clarity in the palm of my hand. 

I could see finicky takes neither my electronics nor my rod could pick up and I caught a pile of fish using
the camera.  Thanks Aqua-Vu!    

Ringneck Roadtrip

As we drove west towards the blaze orange glow of the disappearing sun,  buddy Jacob Gibb giggled from his passenger seat.  Minutes earlier, we jumped out at the country gas station to load up on dried-out slices of lamp-heated pizza, weak coffee and old Dolly Madison dessert cakes.  Jacob had also insisted we swing through the taco drive-through we passed on our way out of town. 

Our quick "grab and go" dinner had become something quite foul and Jacob laughed as he was first to share his less than desirable reaction to the food.  In the rear-view mirror I could see photojournalist Aaron Achtenberg's sour look.  Soon enough, he giggled too and we drove on, all four truck windows cranked wide open.

Months before we had brainstormed an upland road trip.  Why not try and hunt three states in three days and document the whole thing for our television shows?  We'd pack the truck with hunting gear,  Jacob's 3-year-old black lab and drive.  Our plan was to hunt far-western Minnesota, then drive up to North Dakota where we'd camp behind the truck and then hunt sharpies and pheasants on public land.  Our final stop would be Daybreak Lodge in South Dakota where we'd walk fields alongside our Aberdeen Million Dollar Bird Hunt winners.  Aaron would document the trip with his video cameras.  Jacob would do the same with his still cameras.   Last Wednesday, we packed the truck, threw in a big tin of Tums and hit the road....
Our Road West

First stop was the Montevideo area to hunt alongside Pheasants Forever Biologist Eran Sandquist and local Pheasants Forever chapter president Tom Brusven.  We hunted both private and public land, kicking up just enough birds to keep the hunting slow, but steady.

Good Retrieve Tucker!

We called that first hunt mid-afternoon and headed north and west towards Hankinson, North Dakota.  The plan was to set up tents behind the trucks on the national wildlife refuges and get up early the next morning and hunt.  Our first challenge came moments later when a text came in from Jesse Beckers, our North Dakota buddy and Pheasants Forever Regional Biologist.   It read, "We can't find a single bird."  "Change in plan."  "Head west!"  So, we did.  Three hourse later, we pulled into a motel in the small farmtown of Edgely, North Dakota.   The good news?  We traded in sleeping bags and cold tents for motel beds...
Edgely's CafeNext morning, we filled up on hearty breakfasts at the local cafe and hooked up with Jesse and his buddy Matt Olson, who also works for Pheasants Forever.  Together, we decided to hunt two or three PLOTS properties, which are privately-owned, but open to public hunting.  We moved just outside the area where hail had been a big problem all year and started hunting.  We found a few roosters and even a couple sharptail grouse. 
Jesse Beckers and His Hunting Buddy
 For sure, the bird numbers were down.  Was it the tough winters?  Maybe the wet, cold spring and summer hail?  What about the burning slews all around us as farmers tried to milk every inch of their land to make a few extra bucks?  Whatever the reason, we could clearly see bird numbers down in Minnesota first, and now North Dakota.
More Pheasant Habitat Burning Up!

North Dakota Birds!
Our last stop would be Daybreak Lodge just north of Aberdeen, South Dakota.  There, we hooked up with Eric Mathiowetz, winner of our Aberdeen promotion.  He'd signed up online to win a two day hunt at the lodge.   Eric brought along his brother, Todd Dahna, another diehard bird hunter. 
The SD Hunting Party
We all awoke our first morning to the smell of fresh-baked cinnamon rolls and thick bacon.  After downing a few mugs of hot coffee, we loaded the lodge bus and headed out to one of Daybreak's best draws. 
Morgan and Mark Haglin
Mark Haglin and his son Morgan run Daybreak.  They also guide and run some of the best English Springer Spaniels we've ever seen. 
Excited to Hunt!
Morgan directed the dogs as we walked prairie draws and bottoms along the Elk River.  We found plenty of birds, although we never really saw classic South Dakota numbers, yet another sign that the bird population is down. 
Rooster!
 After harvesting a good number of roosters, we finished our Daybreak Lodge hunt around the campfire.  Lots of talk about missed birds, jammed guns, badger holes, all the stuff we love about hunting.
An Evening CampfireWhile the campfire flickered in front of us, Jacob happened to notices something up on the rivge above camp and snapped a quick shot. 
    The Hillside Above Daybreak Lodge
  Funny, but as we drove home on Sunday, Jacob, Aaron and I were still laughing outloud.  I guess that's aJ good sign that our first ringneck roadtrip was a success.  Guess we'll be planning another for 2012.  I'll keep you all posted...  
 

 Enjoy all  the photos from Jacob Gibb Photography!  Watch for a spread in Pheasants Forever's Magazine sometime in 2012!

 www.jacobgibb.com

I Need Aspirin...

I wasn't hoping for much as I stepped off the airplane in Idaho.   Granted, we were headed to North America's deepest canyon, Hells Canyon, on the ultimate upland adventure, but it was the phone call I'd taken two days before that had me a bit worried.  My buddy had called to tell me he had several friends out scouting the area we'd be hunting pheasants and huns and they hadn't seen a single bird....Not a single bird.  My stomach dropped.  Four months of planning and my Hells Canyon adventure was about to completely bomb.
A Lewiston, Idaho Sunset
First evening in Idaho, photjournalist Aaron Achtenberg and I drove to Lewiston and hooked up with local contact and Fish and Game worker Jim "JJ" Teare.  We snuck out of town to get a few sunset shots  and gameplan our first day of hunting.   JJ had us set up on a ranch just east of town.  I fell asleep that first night dreaming we'd at least see a couple of birds....
Pre-Hunt Carbs!
I was up before the sun and a bit birdy as we gulped down hot mugs of coffee and chowed on lumberjack-sized breakfasts.  JJ made sure his wirehair had eggs too!
Bess Likes Her Eggs Scrambled!
We hooked up with a few others in our hunting party and geared up to hunt.   We snuck up a few coulees and draws and darn if the pointers didn't lock up in the first twenty minutes.  A second later, I recognized that all-familiar cackle as two hens and a rooster flushed from the thick cover.  
Idaho Habitat All day long, we had slow but steady action and ended up seeing forty or fifty birds, including a couple coveys of huns.   But really, I was more focused on the coming days.  We were headed to Hells Canyon to chase chukars high in the mountains and maybe hook a steelhead in the river. 
Day One Take...

Hells Canyon is North America's deepest canyon.  I always thought that title went to the Grand Canyon, which is about a mile deep.  Turns out Hell's Canyon is about 8,000 feet deep. 

Hells Canyon

We zipped upriver through rapids in JJ's jet boat and pulled up on a sandy beach where the dogs hopped out and we geared up to hike to elevation and hopefully find a few wild mountain chukars.  The first five-hundred feet were a piece of cake. Slow and go as we moved up a brushy draw.  That's when I hit the star thistle. Waist-high plants with giant thorns on top.  I trudged through wide spreads of the stuff, cursing the stars and thorns poked me on every step. Within the hour, we made it up to roughly 1,300 feet above the river and started walking steep, brushy haunts, listening for the the cackle of chukars.  Every once in awhile, you'd be hanging from a pile of shale rock on a steep mountain side and a cover of birds would suddenly blast off.   It was downright tough to get a shot off without falling 500 feet!  That's the lure of chukars.  Tough birds that live in tough places.

Aaron Shooting

As we came off Craig Mountain,  I was happy to have gravity dragging me down the mountain.  Our legs were all pretty rubbery after seven hours up there.  The highlight was to dunk our hot, burning feet in the Snake River's cold, healing waters.   Looks like that mountain shale did a piece of work on my tired legs! 

  By evening, we had a handfull of birds and settled into the fish and game guest house along the river. Tomorrow, we'd be fishing steelhead in the Snake River's fast runs.  This trip was suddenly turning into the adventure I had dreamed up...
Mountain Chukars
The View Behind Our Cabin
Fall morning's in Hells Canyon tend to get a bit chilly.   As we zipped up the river in moring haze to one of JJ's favorite steelie runs, the bite of the cold air pinched at our cheeks.  

Aaron had both cameras along, just in case we needed to ditch the fishing and hike up a hill to cackling chukars.  In three hours, we hooked two fish, but landed neither.  Guys got a little short as the fishing slowed.  Finally, just before noon, I hooked and landed a nice 8 lb. fish on camera.  We had just a few hours to get back into the mountains and find a few more birds on camera.
                  Steelhead!
  As we stepped away from the jet boat and up on the first flat,  the dogs locked up.  A cover of huns flew and JJ and I knocked down two individuals.  Over the next 90 minutes, we would several more coveys ofWhat had been a trip that looked so dismal became one of the most profound television shoots in my 18 year career.    Hells Canyon

That night, as I packed my bags and laid down to get a few hours of sleep before the early morning flight home,  I winced in pain from two days hunting Idaho's mountains. I had blisters on my feet, my legs stung from the remote mountain climb and the fields of prickly star thistle, but I smiled as I popped a couple aspirin.  This kind of pain, I like….