What a Year! 2011 trout Season

Male Brown Trout

The 2011 trout season is in the books and for me it was filled with many  events that will make for great campfire tales for years to come.Wading through chest high snow to get to the stream, I started the season with a grand 20 inch male brown trout on my third cast and proceeded to land at least another 30 trout that day.  It was a great day on the river, tucked away in the pines, the wind howled on that day and the fish were really biting .The celebration would be  short lived ,for on my  way home my foot was heavy which landed me a nice speeding ticket.  It kind of brought me into the cellar for the day  but I was still excited and looked  forward to  my next trip to the stream . The very next outing in the same area I wound up driving into a four foot ditch that was marked as a road to the parking area .We ended up needing a wrecker to winch us out and adding  insult to injury ,we never caught a fish all day. Revisiting my  recent trout fishing memories,  I was very alert obeying all traffic signs on the way home and thank goodness because officer friendly was waiting at the same intersection for me .I smiled and waved with all my fingers extended as I passed.

Opening weekend went fine with many trout  caught and it was fairly uneventful. The boys and I camped and we were greeted with sunshine and mild temps the entire weekend. Between us, we must have caught over 200 trout over a three day span and my son landed his first fish on a fly rod at the ripe age of twelve .Both my sons have become very savvy trout anglers and I always look forward sharing a piece of the stream  with them .
 That brings us to Fathers day  weekend. Fathers day weekend started low key but by Saturday night, after 5 inches of rain , we ended up in the middle of a flash flood in Vernon county . It was a near panic situation for me and two boys as we abandoned the tent and sleepng bags as the river rose to a trechorus level in a matter of minutes. We ended up sleeping the night in a parking lot in Virouqa, Wi and traveled home the next day .

Flash flood

As  I sit here and recount my tale of trout I realize that it was a fairly wild year for me .No broken bones or horrific accidents but enough added stress to put a few more gray hairs atop my head.  I'll consider myself lucky but I will do it again and again until every last hair on my head is silver .  So how do you put a exclamation point on a year as such?One last trip and  a quad super slam of course! A rainbow,brown, brook and a tiger trout all in the same day,Saturday September 24.

 It has been a year of great highs and lows but as I put my gear away tonight I can't help but think what stream I will hit first come February.

One Last Shot

Going to hit the stream one more time before it closes. Soon we will be counting the days until we can fish again and I will be struggling though the snow banks to catch a glimpse of trout that have been untouched and resting in their deep dark log filled holes in the off season. That is also a peaceful time on the river so its something to dream about after that last day of September . I think its 8 days to go.

I'm off......

Yes, fish bite twice!!!

I have on occasion thought I have caught the same fish twice  in an outing in my many years of fishing but could never really prove it other than saying I did. Well I  had a surprise when cleaning fish yesterday. I was perch fishing on Lake Winnebago and I was using a technique called dead sticking. Its nothing more than hanging a bait over the side of the boat and watching your rod tip but now days everything has to have a fancy name. Anyways, I saw a bite and set the hook and my line broke. Images of a monster perch swirled in my head like a kid on Christmas Eve night. I proceed to catch a nice bunch of  perch and headed home to clean. I was on my 5th perch when I saw a line out of one's mouth. Sure enough,there was my tube bait and red hook swallowed by a perch.
 When I started to think about it and how odd it might be, its really not unusual for a fish to bite twice. The hook feels no different than sharp spiney fins and the soft tube body must feel no different than a minnow. I did ,however, set the hook hard and thought I rocked him pretty good . I was wrong.

Lake Winnebago remains strong in September

Fisherman on Lake Winnebago  will remember  the summer on 2011 as one of the best on record for ALL species. Anglers have been blessed this year with perch, bluegills and a great walleye bite that has lasted through September. Years ago the lake  bite for walleyes would start around mid April and by the 3 week of June it was tough going for walleye fishing. We have always had a  strong shad and trout perch hatch and by the third week of June  they would be perfect eating size for the walleyes thus the bite died . Many things have happened since then to change how and when fish are feeding on the lake.  The shad  and trout perch are still here but competition from whitebass, smallmouth and a huge Largemouth presence might be making it harder for the walleyes to find a meal.Don't forget the ever present sheephead and perch are also at the buffet table competing for food.  The spring hatches have to last all the species  into next spring when the young of the year arrive once again . Besides some competition for food, Lake Winnebago simply has tons of fish in it right now. We are in great shape on the lake and I think ice fishing will be just as good if not better. I would look to areas not often fished because new patterns are emerging on the lake every day. Look for perch,bluegill and white bass to provide great  early ice action .  Here are some pictures of  2011 catch

EASY CANVAS PRINTS REVIEW

Wow people , I've been slacking . Its been at least a couple weeks since my last chance to really sit down
and give a meaniful post.The last few weeks I have always felt rushed or had poor content so I opted to not post at all .Fishing hasn't been on the top of the list ,kids back to school, and redecorating the living room, the fishing poles have been neglected. Oh, the damn priorities. Well, in the past weeks I got the opportunity to do a review for http://www.easycanvasprints.com/   The great people there contacted me so I jumped at the chance. The idea is that you provided them a photo and they   turn it into a piece of art on canvas. A few weeks back you might have looked at  my  "Lighthouse in a Storm" picture. I took 50 photos that night and I got a couple gems out of the batch that I thought would work great. So I went to their site   Followed the diretions and within a week I  received my print.
 They shipped UPS and the box came well packaged, nice and neat. I was awestruck when I opened my box.  . I chose the 16 X 20 canvas and It is absolutely gorgeous . Cant wait to get it hung in our newly painted living room.  I know my buddy Trout Magee would love this stuff. He has so many great pieces of art work just screaming to jump on a canvas. http://fishing-catchingchronicles-troutmagee.blogspot.com/.
 Cofisher at Windknots & Tangled Lines got a chance to review this product as well  I believe. This would make great stuff for family portraits and gifts for Grandma and Grandpa . Hoping to get out fishing again soon and maybe get a photo of a monster trout or walleye
for another canvas. Well until next time,
Good Fishin!!!!