Goin' Solo...

Sometimes we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives. Work, family and activities can cause us to lose sight of who we are and what we love. Not that the previously mentioned items aren't important, but it can cause us to forget to take time for ourselves, reflect, and appreciate all the great things we are blessed with in this life. I am extremely guilty of that myself, which is why I cherish the times that I get to spend all alone. I know this may sound selfish, but I truly feel that everyone needs to take some time to just breathe and rejuvinate themselves. Mentally and physically. While this may seem foolish to some of you, I do this by going fishing. The one on one feeling of being on the water is something that I cannot explain. I truly love fishing with all the great people that I have met over the years, but that one early morning or evening on the water alone can just fill me up inside. No cell phones, no music, and no conversation. Just me, God, nature and the fish. It doesn't get any better!

Last night I took that opportunity for myself. It wasn't a long opportunity, but after a long stretch of days filled with running every single direction and never stopping, it was much needed and incredible. I hit the water at about 7:45 for the last few minutes of daylight. The sun was setting and the weather was beyond perfect. The sounds of boat motors in the background and a few passing cars on the streets could be heard, but I was at peace. What makes this all the sweeter, is that I am totally zoned in on the fish and the elements. I find these few times each year to be some of my most rewarding trips. So much so that I am still excited to talk about it the next day, here in my journal. As the sun started to set I could just sense the greatness of the evening. After a tough stretch of days on the water I felt that I would do well and find those elusive walleyes. After snapping some epic shots of the sun setting I picked up my rod and pitched the jig into the center of the hotspot. My favorite walleye hole on the lake was full of fish. Almost like it was God's reward for my efforts, the fish started to bite. And boy did they bite! The first cast gave me a bucketmouth bass. Same result on cast number two. Cast number 3 was a beauty of an 18 inch walleye. The following was almost a carbon copy with another 18 incher. Then a hard fighting sheepshead on the next cast, followed by another 20 inch walleye. This scenario played itself out over the next 20 minutes. Simply incredible! I caught fish and released them as fast as I could. Once the sun finally set, I put the rod in the locker and slowly motored back to the dock. Not that it was a long trip, but I can tell you that I will remember it for quite some time. A one on one night is something I try to fit in whenever possible. Next time you are feeling mentally and physically drained, give yourself the experience to rejuvinate and refresh, mentally and physically. Take a walk in the woods, or jump in the boat to watch the sun set or rise. Turn the phones off, and if possible just sit in silence to reflect on how fortunate we all are, regardless of your current situations. I gaurantee you will not be dissapointed. From the walleye filled hot spot on Lake Waconia, Keep on Livin' the dream!

Morel Mushroom Madness

Crazy is a good word for this topic. Never has there been such a craze over a certain kind of edible object. For the last week or so I have seen some pretty generous friends become very selfish. I have heard lies from individuals that would never stretch the truth. It seems that this Morel Mushroom craze is effecting everyone, and nobdy wants to share! I too am guilty of this craze and I don't know why. The good mushroom hunters become quiet when the conversation is started. The bad mushroom hunters can't ask enough questions on where to find them, and the lazy mushroom hunters always want everyone else's freshly picked gems.

For about 2 weeks every spring this entire scenario plays itself out. Sometimes I am in on the action, and others I am just a wishful onlooker. This year, I happened to strike gold! I suddenly have more friends than before, and everyone seems to remind me of the favors that they have done for me. It's pretty funny, but everyone wants a sample of my fungi. To be honest, I can't blame 'em! They are the tastiest appetizer that you will ever find.

The time is now, and you must act quick. The morel mushroom season is nearly finished. Last week was the start of the season in the central and southern parts of Minnesota, and this week will likely be the end. I searched high and low last week and found a few pods. Once you find one, you typically find many. Dead Elm tree's are the ticket from what I've seen. Area's with several dead elms and extra sunlight tend to be good. I've heard other diehard hunters say the exact opposite, so who the heck knows. These little buggers can pop up anywhere. Add in a rain shower and sunny weather, and they tend to sprout instantly. These are the rules that I have learned in my young mushroom hunting career. Sometimes they work, and sometimes they don't. Just gotta keep on lookin!

This past Sunday I put them all together and made a trek to my father's known mushroom territory. He use to pick'em as a kid growing up on the farm. He was inspired when I brought som over last week, and early Sunday morning we were on our mission. A mission that was successful and flavorful. We found the motherload and filled the sacks. Some 350 to 400 mushrooms filled our bags by the end of that day. Dead elms were the ticket, and some were better than others. Once we found the right bottom content mixed with the elms, it was a mad dash to pick em. An incredible day if you are a mushroom hunter. A day that is similar to winning the lottery. Once you win, everyone becomes your best friend! From the hills of mushroom heaven, Keep on Livin' the Dream!

Dang Wind...

Seriously, What the heck is going on here? I feel like if the wind drops below 15 mph that I should consider it calm. I am so sick of this wind that I could scream! Mix in some incredible cold fronts, and you have yourself ingredients for dissapointment. This may be the reason for the slower than normal start across the metro. Regardless, I have to fish, and the weather can only hold us at bay for so long. Friday morning I snuck out on the water before the sun got out of bed. I've mentioned this many times in the past, but there is simply no better way to start the day than watching the sun rise over the water. Pauly met me on the dock and we only had about 2 dozen minnows. This proved to be a mistake, because we caught about 10 walleyes and missed just as many in only a few short minutes. Fun, but neither one of us anticipated running out of bait so quick. We switched to cranks and pulled a few more before we left the lake. We returned that evening to try it again, but found 45 mph wind gusts blowing across the lake. This made for tough boat handling, but was worth it when we found the walleyes again. This time they were hugging the wind blown shoreline in 2 feet of water. Cranks and jigs landed another 7 or 8 eyes. While this may sound pretty good, I have to admit that they were all running on the short side. Oh well, still a fun friday for Pauly and I!

Saturday I was doing maintenance on the boat and household chores, and I decided to watch the waves instead of battle them. Sunday took us to the greatest morel mushroom hunt of my life. I will enlighten you all with this story soon. The fishing part comes into play later that evening when Matt Hennen and I jumped out there just as the sun was setting. The wind was only about 15 mph, so this was a treat. Fish number one was a very nice eye for me, and Matt soon followed with his own and larger. The technique that we were using was new to him, so he was pretty jacked to score on a big fish. A few big bass and the infamous "One that got away," and the sun had set on our short outing, literally! A great way to close the weekend and an even better sight to see for the coming week. The forecast calls for high winds through the week, but I don't care, I'm gonna be out there. I'll get you the update as it comes in. From the blustery shores of Lake Waconia, Keep on Livin' the Dream!

Monster Largemouth Bass

Ok, I know it is walleye season, and I know that bass season isn't open yet, but this is truly a remarkable fish. Last night I was joined by Alice and her father Charlie. It was daddy - daughter day, which is their yearly tradition. This year I was the lucky recipient to host their special day. Walleyes were our targeted specie, but our first spot, and first fish of the day stole the show. Charlie was talking about how lucky Alice is when it comes to fishing. She was chuckling about outfishing him when she got her first bite. Little did she know that when she set the hook that she would be battling one monstrous bass! The battle was intense, but this huge fish was almost too large to put up a fight. It stayed down like a walleye, and certainly couldn't clear the water like a normal bass. When it came boatside we were just blown away. Charlie, Alice and I all looked in amazement at the huge bass she had just caught. Without a scale to weight it on, and from the measurements of the beast with the huge belly, I put it somewhere close to the 8 pound mark. Considering the state record bass weighs 8 lb 15 ounces, this is a tremendous feat. After that fish she proceeded to catch 4 more before her father got in on the mix. I guess Charlie was right when he said that she's lucky when it comes to fishing. Our evening got a little hairy with the 45 mph winds, but with a trophy of a lifetime already in the boat, not much else mattered. Congrats to Alice on the fish of a lifetime! From the windy shores of lake Waconia, Keep on Livin' the Dream!

Pre-Opener Opportunities!

Who the heck needs the fishing opener? Ok, that's a bit of an exxageration, because I more than anybody cannot wait for the opener tonight, but there's other options. To cure my itch to catch the biggest fish possible I have been hard at it again. The more I fish the many rivers we have, the more I love it, and realize that I never have to stop catching big fish. The season literally never closes any more, and there is always big fish to be caught somewhere.

Last weekend Mike and I enjoyed the Wisconsin opener on the St. Croix River. A new experience for both of us, but we had goals to conquer another body of water. To shorten the story up (read mikes journal), we were happy with our afternoon and filled the jar up for our fish fry on Sunday. To hit up a new river for the first time and succeed is a big deal for me, and just opens up another can of worms for the future. One more opportunity for the always growing list. Just a few weeks before that we were hauling in giant Sturgeon on the Rainy River, and the mighty Mississippi gave us some pretty decent walleye action again this year.

With so many opportunities, I had to add another one to the list. This week we hit up the Minnesota River for a battle of the beasts. A beast of another kind that just rocks your world when you hook up. Word on the street was that we were about a month too early to start fishing for flathead catfish, but for Matt, Sean and myself, it didn't matter. "We can't catch 'em on the couch," was the phrase that inspired us, so with that in mind, we were off to conquer the river. Our experience is limited with this creature, but we are learning with every trip. Like in Muskie fishing, we don't expect to catch one every time out, but so far this year we are 3 for 3, or 100%, which we feel really good about. Matt is the guide in this excursion. I cannot say I'm comfortable taking the Ranger on these shallow waters, so he drives his new fangled catfish rig. From there it's a team sport as we study the bottom, find the sunken logs and structure and choose our spots precisely. We have found this to be the most important piece to the puzzle.

With all the preparation and high hopes we settled into our first spot for the year. Matt had scored his first cat a few days earlier, but for the records, we were calling it "our" first trip of the year. Just as the sun started to fade on the first evening chaos broke out. Bails was hooked up! It wasn't a giant, but it had some dandy wiskers and 15+ pounds of pure strength in its shoulders. A perfect way to start out our year. In need of sleep we left shortly after that battle. Fast forward to the next night and much of the same results, only this time it was my turn, and the wiskers were bigger! Shortly after dark and our second spot of the night, came a throttle that almost pulled me out of the boat. I'm not exxaggerating when I say the strike will almost rip your arm off. The beast and I went into heated battle. With logs and trees surrounding us, it was intense and power against power. I gave everything I had to keep him out of the cover for fear of loosing him. It was intense and awesome! Shortly after, I was hoisting the beast for the photo gallery. I don't know the exact weight on her, but frankly I don't care. She was big, strong and beautiful! And, she had some nice wiskers! This addiction is almost as strong as the muskie curse that I have, so I plan on having many more pics on here this year.

Here's to a great opener filled with whatever bites your bait! The reports are going to start flowing with regularity now, so check back often and feel free to join in on the action. I am excited for all that this year brings. If the first few weeks of spring are any indication, it is going to be a blast! From the muddy banks of the Minnesota River, Keep on Livin' the dream!

Travis Frank - Travis@mnbound.com