Well, this will be kinda fun!  Our good friends at Rapid Sport Marine have a fun contest going.  If you happen to see the Due North Outdoors boat out and about, snap a quick picture and post it on Rapid Sport Marine's website. http://www.rapidmarineboats.com/photo_gallery.asp      You'll have a shot at a $100 gift certificate.  That's kinda cool!

Well,  I'm getting ready to head up to the lake this weekend for a couple days of rest.   Might get out and do a little bass fishing, although bass have been my focus the last week or so.   Last Wednesday I spent much of the day pre-fishing for the Minnesota Bound Invitational.  The tournament is slowly becoming Minnesota's premier two-day event.  Anytime you get the Lindners, Mark Fischer, the Petersons (of Northland Tackle fame), Rich Boggs, Ron Schara, etc, etc, together for a tournament it's bound to be a good time.  Wednesday I found fish in a couple of my regular spots and left them be for the Friday and Saturday tournament.  In the afternoon I crank baited the weeds in the wind.  Just about 2, I felt quite the tick.  For a few moments I figured I had a five to six pound largemouth.  When I got the fish closer to the boat, I realized I was fishing for the wrong tournament!  A 25 inch walleye in 8 ft weeds on a hot, sunny summer afternoon.   Figures.  

 A Nice Catch and Release Fish

 On Friday and Saturday I fished against many of Minnesota's best bass anglers.  It's so, so cool to head out first thing in the morning, surrounded by all those boats and so many good souls...

 Blast Off!

 By the time the final weigh in finished up,  Rich Boggs had won the tournament for the second time in two years.  His bag was right at 29 lbs.   A big pile of bass for Gull Lake!   I finished with just under 23 lbs.  Respectable, but not quite in the money!

The Due North Boat at Weigh-In

   Proceeds, last year, went to the Minnesota Fishing Hall of Fame.  This year, the money goes to Minnesota's Fishing Museum.  Should be a nice boost for that organization.  You can find out more about that destination at: http://www.mnfishingmuseum.com/

Sorry for the delay getting a new update online.  Truth be told, I've been on the road four weeks now.  The good news?  I've spent much of that time fishing and shooting fishing stories.   My run started with the annual trip to Kabeelo Lodge up in Canada with Dad.  This year, along with the Zielinskis, my brother-in-law and cousin came along for the adventure.  Our trip started with a bang, so to speak.

The Blown Trailer Tire!

We blew a trailer tire just north of Brainerd.  What a way to start a fishing trip. Once we had the flat taken care of, we proceeded north all the way to Kabeelo. Next morning, we flew out to a quiet cabin on Perrigo Lake where we caught stringers of fat walleyes and even a few big pike.

Another Bill Sims' Pike

Fred Zielinski with our Lunch!

 I nabbed this monster our last night on the lake right out in front of our cabin.  He came on a topwater and swam away with quite the chagrined look after posing with me for a few pictures at the dock.

A Giant Pike!  The Release! Cousin Mark with a nice Pike!

Last week, we kicked off a new relationship with the good folks at Rapid Sport Marine.  Here's a peek at the 2010 Due North Outdoors Lund.   A beautiful boat with all the bells and whistles (Be sure to stop in and see Garett Solberg if you'd like to check out the boat)! 

The 2010 Lund Explorer

Garett, was also nice enough to let us use another Rapid Marine Lund for quite a cool shoot up along Lake Superior's North Shore. 

 Rapid Marine Lund

 We actually took the boat in to a remote walleye lake behind a Polaris Ranger.  Although the ride from the gravel back to the lake was only three miles, we spent hours on the gnarly and tight trail cutting dead branches and clearning downed trees.  Talk about a tight trail!  

 Can you see the boat behind the Ranger?

The good news?  We found a gin-clear and quiet wilderness lake and, sure enough, the walleyes were biting.

Our Destination

Most of the fish came on jigs and minnows in about eight feet of water.  At sunset, we had quite a moment.  We moved to shallow water and watched a giant hex hatch.  Walleyes were coming up and sipping the two inch bugs off the surface.  I ended up cacthing several fish feeding on hex flies in 2 1/2 feet of water.   Talk about awsome....

 Dinner

This week, we shot fishing stories in both Grand Rapids and Crosby areas.  We started with Hall of Fame angler Tom Neustrom up on Big Winnie.  Boy that guys knows how to catch walleyes!   Later in the week we also fished with Hank Ebert, on of the Brainerd Lake's most storied guides.  Hank's a bass fishin' machine!

 Hank Ebert with another nice Largemouth

 I got in on a bit of the action too! Watch for these stories and others coming up on Due North Outdoors!

A nice fish!

Walleye!

Man, I can't wait to feel that first *thump* on the end of my rod this weekend!  The Lund is packed and I'm ready to head north to Gull Lake.  I had hoped to get up there early on Friday to do a little crappie fishing, but it sounds like I won't be headed up until mid-afternoon.  I expect to sit in traffic all evening!  My friends over at Fox Sports North asked me to put together a quick list of favorite baits for opening weekend.  I chuckled, because I have literally three baits and three baits only that I use the first few weeks of the season.  My "go-to" baits are both for a slower presentation on opening day. Rod #1 will have a Northland Fire Ball 1/4 ounce jig tipped with a shiner minnow.

Northland Fire Ball Jigs...

I don't say that because Northland is a sponsor of ours. I say that because I've used Fire Balls the last five or six years and I am convinced they outfish other jigs.   Chartreuse/green is still my favorite color.  Rod#2 will have a simple snell rig.  Years ago, I got tired of paying for pre-tied rigs, so I started tying my own.  I use about a three foot section of 6 lb. fluorocarbon and tie on either a size 2 or 4 red hook using a snell knot.  With the opener shaping up to be a good one with warmer water temps,

Snells

 Rod #3 will have a big spinner in some goofy color.  Tying spinners (some anglers call them crawler harnesses) has become an off-season hobby of mine.  

Notice I Store Them On Foam Swim Noodles 

 Not only does it save money, but it's pretty fun.  I like BIG #5 and #6 blades and lots of different colors of beads.  I use quick-switch clevises so I can change blades. 

Big Blades!

   Give these three baits a try and see how it goes.  Just don't call to complain when you have to spend all evening cleaning fish!   Good Luck on opener and be safe!

Well, it's Monday morning and I'm in the office planning my fishing season.  That means my 2010 turkey season is over.  That is a good thing.  

My Field...

Saturday afternoon, I snuck out to the property I hunt each spring to do some last minute planning before my Sunday hunt.   I scoped out three or four ambush points where I might sneak around should the gobblers be on the move.  I knew their roosting trees and set up my first spot about a hundred yards to the south.  Each year, I like to take the time to also clear a few spots next to good-looking hiding spots.  I take the time to clear any dead brush around a big tree where I'll tuck in.  I also snipped

 My Hiding Spot....See the Chair? any low-hanging branches that might block my view.   I think a little planning before the hunt can make a world off difference.   My alarm chirped at 3:45 am and I hopped out of bed, showered and threw on a couple extra layers of camo.   The thermometer in the truck read 30 degrees and I drove in darkness to my hunting spot.  I passed through several pocket of cold, looming patches of fog.   I pulled up to my spot, quietly hopped out and clicked the driver's door shut.  I took a moment to look at the stars.  A couple of bedded down pheasants gently crowed as I watched a single satellite buzz by far overhead.  I walked through the pre-dawn darkness over the field, up a hill and into my turkey woods.  I set up a single hen decoy about 20 yards out front of my hiding spot and then settled in.  I leaned up in my turkey chair against the barbed-wire fence, laid out my calls, and fumbled new batteries into my earpieces.  They made just a tiny bit of noise, but in the silence of the turkey woods, I always wonder if roosting birds can hear my pre-hunt antics.

My Spread...
I sat quietly, all gear in good order and right at 5:20 am, a pack of coyotes came howling by.  Their morning calls woke every farm dog within a mile.  A few minutes later, gobbles in the old oak trees right in front of me.   Still in the darkness of dawn,  I yelped back gently.  Even so, I  probably called just a few too many times too early.   The turkey gobbled back and I actually thought it was out of the tree and down on the ground.   Just a few minutes before 6:00 am, three birds blew down out of two old oak trees right in front of me.  Gone....  How do those birds sit up there without us being able to see them?  It still amazes me.  Over the next 30 minutes  I heard a few distant gobbles, but nothing that sounded of much interest.   Just after 7:00 am I  decided to hop up for a quick moment to take a quick peek around.  I wanted to know if those birds had dropped into the lower field to get that first morning sun.  That's the toughest part of turkey hunting.  Being patient.  I snuck out of my hiding spot and peeked down the hill into the sun-covered field.   Nothing there.  I stood in the shadows and hit a generic yelp on my call.   A return gobble from a bird well off the property and way to the south.  I guessed about 400-500 yards away.  I quickly threw down a long yelp and got a quick gobble back.  I repeated twice and got two more gobbles.  I quit the calling for a bit as the old gobbler kept whailing.  Soon enough, I realized he was on the move and headed my direction.  

The Trail The Bird Walked To My Field...My heart pumped as I listened to the gobbler continuing to hammer away and keep making progress towards me.  I gave another setof slow yelps.  The gobbler again responded.   I don't know that I've ever hunted a turkey that gobbled as much as this guy.   He was hot!  It was downright awsome to listen to.... I kept an eye on the lower field expecting to see that bird pop out.  Never did happen.  In fact, it sounded like he was headed west of me.  I snuck back into my hiding spot and kept still.  It sounded like the bird was heading further west.  

  A Bird Behind Me!I twisted my head and looked down the barbed-wire fence line in the tilled field behind me.   Nothing.   More gobbles.   Finally, I saw his head pop out and he stood on the edge of the tilled field about a hundred yards away.  He and I spent the next 45 minutes talking back and forth.  Problem was, that darn bird hung up.  He would just not make a move my direction.   I stopped calling.  No movement.  He just paced back and forth and continued to gobble.  I thought about trying to make a move on him, but I had already been out of my spot once and decided patience was the best play.  I decided to hit a few quiet calls that I would muffle and point away from him, trying to get the old gobbler to think I was a hen headed another direction.  Sure enough, he made a slow move my direction.  I threw in a few purrs and realized he was closing ground rather quickly.  I put down my slate call and positioned my Browning between the strands of barbed-wire.  It would be an odd shot, my body twisted and bent.  I lost sight of the bird and he stopped gobbling.   I felt my neck tightening up as I sat, frozen in my goofy, contorted position.   I wondered if he had snuck back through the fence and might pop out right in front of me.  Crap.  I couldn't just swing my barrel. 

  My Sight Line...Suddenly, a head popped up right behind me.  I cringed to twist further around the tree and focused my barrel.  That bird slowly moved my direction.  I clucked my mouth call, he stopped and I gently squeezed the trigger.    By 9:00 am, I was back home cleaning a 21 pound gobbler.  I don't care that he's 4 pounds smaller than last year's bird. 

  My 2010 BirdI don't care that he's only got an 8 inch beard.   What matters is I spent six weeks laying out a plan to hunt my 2010 bird.  I picked the property, watched it religously (and the birds), planned my hiding spots, practiced my calling and eventually made good...  Now we fish.  Five days to opener and counting....