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After a 3-week absence from fishing, due to hiking events and basement issues, it felt great to hit the shores again for some action. I invited my friend Beau with me since it's always more to fish with friends and he doesn't open water fish too much and thought that Sylvan Lake would be fun to fish at and enjoy the views. It was a very nice morning for the trip and the fishing wasn't half bad either, with numerous rainbows caught on Northland Tackle Buckshot Rattle spoons. S

Decided to do something different. Try fishing from shore at the dam in Northfield MN, but first we stopped for breakfast. Looking for a big carp was our goal, though we didn’t catch a carp we did catch plenty of sheepshead and bullheads. We even managed a smallmouth and a walleye. Any jig with a tail caught about anything, but I used my pole set up for sturgeon, as it had a 5-ounce weight already on it. Well that thing caught most of the fish as the bait would just stay in p

Mille Lacs is an awesome lake. You can catch quality fish of every species here. My favorite is catching smallmouth bass. Bed fishing in June is so much fun. Finding rocks and sand in 6-7 ft is key. On calm days, you can see black rings in the water. Some days you can see fish and others like today, where it’s windy, you look for the beds and cast into them. They can be very aggressive if they haven’t been caught before. Just remember to release them. They will be on the beds

You can pretty much say that the spawn is on. It’s taken a couple weeks to get here but the crappies,bass and bluegills are flooding the shallows to get their business done. The weather is stable and the water temps. are between 62-65 degrees, and the crappies are in tight where the developing weeds are. It was funny watching the crappies today protecting there nest and when a bluegill or bass came close they weredarting out after them. It was like a black streak that would c

Fishing Mississippi Pool 4 has been hot! Pulling cranks in 12-14 ft of water moving out to 20 feet as it gets closer to noon. Lots of nice fish being caught. Don’t let the high water stop you. Get down there!

What a site is was to behold, even if it was our tenth time! The annual Crazy Horse Volksmarch, a 6.3-mile hike up onto the arm of the in-progress monument and back to the visitor center, was this past weekend and we were blessed with some great weather and a very content 11-month old baby. Our preparation hikes had given us an idea of what to bring along for Aurora and both of us as well. But we had a plan in case she got fussy. There is a spot where the path heads up to the

The last couple of years, I have been fishing river systems and even though there are days that you can’t seem to figure anything out, there are other days that the fish are on fire. One thing that I have been noticing, is that the speed of the river flowing does make a difference. The section that I fish is above a dam and when driving over that dam to the landing, taking notice of the water flowing over it is a gauge as to how the fishing will be. There aren’t many waters t

I always keep a couple 18 ft telescoping cane poles in my boat. They come in handy like today. Casting bobbers into shallow crappies can spook them sending them into hiding. Using cane poles, you can slide right up in the heaviest cover, drop the jig into little pockets that would be impossible with bobbers. Another advantage is you can dangle a jig right in front of them without causing a splash. This is a more natural presentation that triggers some of the pickiest fish int

Anticipation was at an all-time high as I recently got my hands on the new Rattlin Sting suspending jerkbait by Salmo. I had a great initial impression of the bait as I opened one from the package; they come with an amazing finish and are equipped with high quality Mustad triple grip hooks. The baits have a chamber filled with ball bearings that are sure to make noise and draw some attention in addition to helping with casting distance, especially in the wind. We launched on

My wife and I have always liked going for hikes in the Black Hills. With a plethora of options for trails to go on, we've enjoyed going to new places and finding new natural treasures and whether we've gone on new trails or went back to ones we've done several times, we always pack for things we might need as a precaution. That involves some light or easily packable snacks, sunscreen, bug spray, ponchos, and a change of socks since wet feet can ruin an excursion in a hurry if