Walleye???

Yes, i am well aware that this thing that i am holding, is the beloved Minnesota Walleye! Sometimes i feel the need to give the Bass a break.....It was good eatin'.

Smallmouth In The Reeds.....

 Well, this fish has an awesome story. My guide, Patrick, has fished this lake DOZENS of times....in the same spot.....for years......and NEVER caught a smallmouth on ANYTHING in this certain location in the reeds. He has fished this lake for 10 years and i surprised him!  My rookie debue on " a certain lake " and i caught a good lookin smallmouth.

Length : 15 Inches

Girth : 11 Inches

Weight : 2.26 Lbs

Rod : Berkley Lightnening Rod 6'.6" Med/Hvy

Reel : Abu Garcia Low Profile Ambassador

Lake : Ha Ha....Still the same answer

This big Bass-tard was caught out of the same lake that my 7.0 - 7.5 lb Bass came out of. Ill give you a hint.....somehwere between Minneapolis and Canada. Caught one day prior to the big-dawg, came this fish.

Length : 19 Inches

Girth : 15 Inches

Weight : 5 3/4 Lbs

Rod : PKO Custom Rod

Reel : Quatum 1310 MG

Now compared to the one i was going to catch the next day....i don't feel the least bit sorry that i let THIS baby go.  But all in all...a very nice fish.

ILL SEE YOUR BASS.....AND RAISE YOU ONE......

Well, what can i say?  I let her go.....and now im kickin' myself in the ass for it. Because according to the Minnesota DNR Length and Girth Poundage finder....She was about 7.0- 7.5 lbs. But definatly over 6 3/4 lbs.  

Length : 21 1/2 Inches

Girth : 18 Inches

Lure : DT-10 Crankbait (Rapala)

Rod : PKO Custom Rod

Reel : Quantum 1310 MG

Lake : Ha Ha...Im a Fisherwoman

I figure if i catch and land another one like her i will get it mounted. But if i never do, then there will definatly be a Graphite Reproduction made in her honor.  It is awesome to think that the fish I CAUGHT was less than a pound away from the Minnesota State Record.  This would have made an awesome trophy. But i had a blast and thank all the people who Walleye fish. You've been a great help.  My guide was Patrick Kealy Olson.  Everytime we go out on this "certain" lake (lol) the wind blows harder when he goes to cast so today ( 08-23-08 ) he was MY boatman. And let me tell you.....he knows where the fish are. So thanx Patrick.

THE CRAPPIE SONG: Parody to the famous song JOLENE BY DOLLY PARTON
Parody created by Stephanie

chorus:
Crappie, crappie, crappie, crappie!
Im beggin' of ya please don't steal my bait!
Crappie, crappie, crappie, crappie!
I can't wait to get you on my plate!

verse 1
Ill fry you in a frying pan,
you won't stick 'cause ill use pam!
and a little lemon pepper its, good man.
a little hint of salt for you,
and just a pinch of pepper too
its whatever i decide to use! crappie!

chorus:
Crappie, crappie, crappie, crappie!
Im beggin' of ya please don't steal my bait,
Crappie, crappie, crappie, crappie!
I can't wait to get you on my plate!

bridge:
You can have your choice to die,
leeches, minnows, tubes, or fly's,
whatever you see casting by, crappie.
I had to come and fish for you,
my hunger pains depend on you,
its whatever you so choose for food! crappie!

C.P.R. and Selective Harvest

Having not lived in Minnesota for 8 years or so, the fishing is still amazing! While in Kentucky I did not do much angling but, the little that I did do was not impressive. 

The conservation effort in Minnesota's waters is much stronger and practiced with great care compaired to Kentucky. I'm not saying that Kentucky is poorly managed. It just seemed to be just there, not talked about. Now there is not a lot of water (public lakes). A great amount of fishing takes place in private farm ponds, that the land has stocked themselves, with their own money. This may have to do with the above statement that I made about "not talked about".

The one thing that I noticed that hasn't changed is the number of people fishing in Mn. Let's face it, we fish and fish hard! This brings me to my next point. Catch-Photo-Release(C.P.R.) and Selective Harvest. I do a lot of C.P.R.. I'm out there to have fun and make some tall-tales, if you will. I do trophy hunt. I do keep some fish to eat as well. For trophy hunting, I have set my standards why high. Examples: Largemouth Bass-6 1/2 lbs (which was broke), Smallmouth Bass-6 1/2 lbs, Crappie-2 3/4 lbs, Bluegill-12 inches (which was broke), Pike-26 lbs, Walleye-13lbs, Yellow Perch 15 inches, Muskie 55 inches. These are all minimum weights and inches. If I'm lucky enough to get a Largemouth Bass that tips the scales at 7 lbs I will get it mounted as well or a 13 inch bluegill, it will go up on the wall. But because I set my trophy standards so high to begin with the chances are rare that I catch another that is bigger.

Selective Harvest is a term that In-Fisherman issue a lot and I whole hearted believe in it. It is ok to take a few fish for dinner. Set slot limits for yourself and now what it takes to make a meal for you or your family. I grew up with a family of 5, including myself, I knew if I kept 7, 12 inch crappies that would feed my entire family. Keeping a limit would be way too much. Now I live with my girlfriend and it's just the two of us and just 4 nice crappies is plenty.  

What I'm getting at is that you don't necessarily have to get the bag limit all the time. Just because you can doesn't mean you should! Releasing all fish is not always a good thing either. It can cause your favorite fishin' hole to be come a factory of stunted fish. Be smart out there. Enjoy your time with Mother Nature, keep a few to eat, and get the trophy of a life time. Remember to set your standards high so it is a true trophy! I tell myself that I may never get a fish big enough to mount, of the species and some records are never ment to be broken!

A Booger in the Weeds!

This "Booger" was hiding deep in the jungle! I'm not kidding! I casted so far back in the grass and wild rice that I couldn't see the lure. A matter of fact I didn't hear it hit the water either because, the cover was so dense it didn't make contact! As I was working the Northland Jawbreaker back this bad-dog followed and hit right on the edge of the weeds, where it started to thin out a bit. I was lucky that she decided to hit then and not back there or this would be a shorter story!