GLACIAL LAKES AREA OF NORTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA

Monday, May 17--Left home early morning, headed for northeast South Dakota.  We had hoped to get there in April, but weather and scheduling conflicts prevented that.  Our fishing partner for this trip, Les Rowland, was confident we would be able to catch fish.  Walleyes and northern pike were the goal. 

Arrived in Waubay, South Dakota, met Les, got bait, and headed for one of the local lakes.  What were marshes and duck ponds five years ago are now large lakes with lots of flooded timber and some farm buildings.  This flooding has created many challenges for the local population, but has created some fabulous fishing. 

We hit the water with Les about three that afternoon.  Pulled Rainbow Float’N Spins with crawlers and Power Crawlers.  Power Crawlers are proving to be just as good as the real thing behind spinners.  Windy conditions allowed for perfect drifting with 1-1½ ounce Rock-Runner bottom-bouncers and spinners.  Tried several humps, with most holding a fish or two.  Some humps provided several walleyes.  Extremely fat fish, most going 1½-3½ pounds.  One walleye jumped just like a bass.  Took northern pike and perch also.  Going after pike tomorrow.

Tuesday, May 18—Les Rowland has us on the water around 8:30 am.  No need to get there early, the water needed to warm up some for the pike to get aggressive. Got a little nervous when Les said action was “going to be fast”.  Assurances of fast fishing usually turn out to be a bad deal, but Les had always been a straight-shooter in the past, so we were hopeful. Started on another former duck pond lake casting for northern pike.  Les threw a spoon; I threw a half-ounce Reed-Runner spinnerbait.  Les caught a small northern on about his third cast.  We then went approximately five minutes without a fish.  Les said we should move down the lake to a point that had flooded timber.  I caught pike on my first five casts.  Not big, but good fighters.  The Reed-Runners tipped with three inch Power Grubs were best.  Color didn’t matter.  Caught pike in bays, along fence-lines and backyards that were flooded, virtually everywhere we tried.  No big ones, five pounds at the biggest. Great action though.  Went through lots of spinnerbaits and Power Grubs.  Les said he knew of another body of water that might have bigger pike, so we loaded the boat and headed to that lake.

Twenty minute drive to the same lake where we fished walleyes the previous day.  Headed into a flooded forest, found an opening in the trees, and started casting.  I continued with the Reed-Runner/Power Grub combo, Les switched back to the spoon.  The weedless feature of the spinnerbait allowed me to stay pretty much snag-free, and the pike liked the spinnerbait.  However, they liked the spoon better.  Les got snagged more:  Les caught more and bigger fish also.  Northland’s new Forage Minnow spoon is going to be a real winner.  Looks great and really catches fish.  We really only fished one shoreline and took probably ten or twelve pike up to about eight pounds in maybe two hours.

Wednesday, May 19-Left for home.  Great weather, very good fishing.  Lots of potential for northern pike and walleyes in this area.  Hope they manage these populations effectively.  This is a relatively new fishery and could be fished down very fast if it isn’t managed well.  This area of South Dakota is four hours almost straight west of the Twin Cities.  Walleye season opens early out there.  We will be back there soon!!
 

LEECH LAKE AREA OF MINNESOTA
 

 Sunday, May 23—Departed home mid-morning, picked producer Brian Dellis up in the Twin Cities, and headed to Leech Lake in north-central Minnesota.  Would be fishing with former University of Iowa and current Olympic wrestling coach Dan Gable.  Coach Gable is an avid angler.  He really likes to chase walleyes and crappies.

 We were staying at Buck’s Oak Point Resort on Leech Lake.  Very clean resort, perfect for anglers. Buck and Patty, the resort owners are great people who are committed to insuring that their guests have a good time.  While Buck and Patty were showing us around the resort, Charlie Osland, who owns a cabin just down the shoreline from Buck’s Resort, pulled into the dock.  Charlie was a wrestler in high school, so he knew who Dan Gable was.  Charlie also watches Fishing the Midwest.  Charlie offered us some fishing tips, and also invited us to stop by his cabin the next day at noon.  He said he would fry some fish for us.  Fishing the Midwest guys hardly ever turn down fishing tips or food, so we very carefully noted where Charlie’s cabin was and told him we would see him at noon tomorrow.

 Met with the Coach later that afternoon, made a plan to be on the water about 7:30 the next morning.

 Monday, May 24-Hit the water right at 7:30 a.m.  Windy day, but the area we were fishing was protected somewhat.  We need to be careful with camera gear.  Can’t subject it to a lot of water or pounding.  If the camera goes down, we can’t make t.v. shows.

 Caught a few small walleyes in the morning.  Attempted to run out into the main lake where the fish had been more active, but too rough.  Returned to Charlie’s for those walleyes he promised.  Charlie didn’t fail us.  Great fish and potatoes!!

 Fish bit better that afternoon.  Took numbers of 14-16 inch walleyes on sixteenth and eighth ounce Fire-ball jigs tipped with large shiners.  The larger shiners kept the perch away.  Stinger hooks helped us catch more fish that would have been missed without the stinger.  Parrot and watermelon were the best colors.

 The Coach knows his way around a fishing pole and took his share of fish, including walleyes, northern pike, and perch.  He also shared many stories about his experiences wrestling and coaching around the world.  He still maintains a very aggressive workout regimen.  I’m looking forward to sharing a boat with Coach Gable again. 

Tomorrow we’re with two of the Midwest’s best anglers and really good guys, John and Duane Peterson from Northland Tackle.  Will meet them for breakfast in Cass Lake, Minnesota around 7:00 a.m.  It’s time now to clean the boat, charge batteries for the camera and the boat, and to eat a late supper.

Tuesday May 25—On the road at 6:00 a.m., meet John and Duane at a café in Cass Lake for breakfast.  Producer Brian Dellis has to return to the Twin Cities at noon, so our other producer, Don Koshiol, will meet us at the boat ramp on Cass Lake at noon.

Fished with John Peterson on Cass Lake in the morning.  Not much action.  Made the decision to go over to Lake Winnibigoshish when Don arrived at noon.  Winnie has been good the past couple of years for walleyes.

Don arrived, Brian departed, we followed John and Duane to Winnie.  Had dinner in the form of sandwiches on the way to Winnie.  Hardly ever do we take time-out to eat during the day.  We eat lots of sandwiches, chips, and candy bars while traveling between lakes or between fishing spots on the lake.

We drive a long way on gravel to get to the boat ramp.  I couldn’t find this ramp again without a map and a lot of time.  Fortunately John and Duane know where they are going.

John and I start off pulling eighth ounce stand-up Fire-ball jigs tipped with minnows.  Again, watermelon, parrot, and bubblegum are the hot colors.  Action is immediate and continues for several hours.  Lots of 1½-2½ pound “Winnie Walleyes”.  Also catch some walleyes on Roach Rigs and Gumdrop Floaters.  Leave the lake about 8:00 p.m.  John and Duane are going back to Bemidji; Don and I are going to find some supper before we go back to the resort.

Arrive back in Cass Lake about 9:00 p.m.  Can’t find a place to eat:  Everything’s closed.  The only place is the casino west and north of Cass Lake.  We go there for a cheeseburger and fries.  Enroute back to the resort a porcupine has an unfortunate encounter with my Expedition.  Arrive at resort shortly after 11:00 p.m.  Get boat cleaned up, batteries charged.  Bed feels really good.  Will be meeting John and Duane in Bemidji tomorrow  about 7:30 a.m.

Wednesday, May 26—Don and I leave the resort about 6:00 a.m.  Hook up with John and Duane and head for Red Lake, about 1½ hours north of Bemidji.  Convenience store muffins and orange juice for breakfast today.

Red Lake is an interesting story.  The lake has been closed to walleye fishing because of over-harvest.  Walleye populations are very low, creating a void in the predator fish population.  That gap has been filled by crappies.  The crappie numbers and size in Red Lake are reported to be very good.  We are going to investigate.

A very nice day for weather.  Red Lake is huge and bowl-shaped.  Any wind can create difficult and dangerous conditions.  Today the lake is flat and the sky is bright.  While Don and I prepare camera gear and load it into my boat, John and Duane head onto the lake to check things out.
Don and I catch up with the Peterson’s on the north shoreline of the lake.  As we move closer to them via electric motor, I pick up my crappie rod and make a quick cast.  A northern in the six pound range grabs the jig.  The fish is landed about ten minutes later.  We might have to check this northern thing out later.

Duane gets in the boat with Don and me and we start fishing for crappies.  We catch a couple of crappies and a small walleye, then Duane hooks a big one, really a big one!!  We see the silvery flash at boatside and get really excited.  Then we get a better look at the fish.  A three pound drum.  Not a crappie, but still fun to catch.  We end up catching lots of drum up to about five pounds until we figure the crappies out.  As we move around we find that the crappies are generally within three feet of the surface, while the drum are below them.  We are casting sixteenth ounce Whistler jigs tipped with small Power Tubes.  If the Whistler jig is within three feet of the surface, we catch crappies;  If it gets deeper, we catch drum or walleyes.  Eventually we get onto a drift/cast pattern and hammer the crappies.  I become very proficient at netting crappies for Duane, as he catches several legitimate two pounders.  None of the crappies I catch require netting, although there are a few that top the one pound mark.  A two pound crappie is a very large crappie.  I believe these are the first two pounders I have ever seen caught.

We get all the crappies we need for the crappie segment and decide to see if we can catch some pike.  I don’t have any northern pike gear with me, but John loans me one of his pike rods/reels.  John and I begin casting Reed-Runner spinnerbaits along shallow rushes and almost immediately have action.  We catch two or three pike in an area, then nothing for fifteen minutes.  We keep moving and casting.  The pike are in the eight to thirteen, maybe fourteen pound range.  Really strong, really fun fish.  Finally we run out of daylight and head back to Bemidji.  Have supper at Perkins about 10:00 p.m., back to the resort after 11:00.  This was the last day of the trip so we can charge the batteries when we get home.  Long days on this trip, but very productive ones.

Thursday, May 27—Leave Buck’s Oak Point Resort at 7:00 a.m.  Have to get home for a Hawkeye I-Club Banquet in Mason City tonight.
 
 

EAGLE RIVER WISCONSIN
 

Tuesday, June 1-Leave home early, pick Don Koshiol up in the Twin Cities, drive to Eagle River, Wisconsin.  Will be fishing with Yukon Jack that afternoon and evening, Marty Papke the next day.

Have never met Yukon Jack, but have spoke with him on the phone.  He comes highly recommended from several industry personnel.  We arrive in Eagle River and meet Yukon.  He says air temperature has dropped 30 degrees in the past 12 hours.  Thinks fishing might be tough.  We hit the water and take several walleyes up to about eighteen inches on 1/16th and 1/8th ounce Fire-ball jigs.  Yukon knows these waters very well, and is also very well spoken.  Good afternoon and evening. 

Wednesday, June 2-Cold front continues.  Really cold in the morning, in the 30’s.  We shoot some footage of some of the attractions around Eagle River, then hook up with Captain Marty Papke.  Marty is a charter captain on Little Bay de Noc in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, but maintains a residence in a town near Eagle River.  We get on the water in late morning.
Start off throwing Reed-Runner spinnerbaits for largemouth bass.  Marty hooks a musky on one of his first casts, then he and I both have several more follows.  Catch a small musky and a few bass.  The cold front has pushed the bass out of the shallows.

Thursday, June 3-Leave Eagle River around 6:00 a.m.  Arrive home in mid-afternoon.
 
 

Thursday, June 10-Arrive in Twin Cities early evening.  Meet musky expert Dick Crail for supper and discuss tomorrow’s musky hunt.  Cold, drizzly conditions are what the weather man is predicting.  We will be on the water at 7:00 the next morning.

 Friday, June 11-On the water at 7:00 a.m.  The weather man was right.  Producer Tim Johnson arrives and wraps the camera in a rain slicker designed for cameras.  We start fishing.
Dick caught several muskies up to 46 inches on this body of water on the Opener.  We are throwing Bionic Bucktails tipped with 3 inch Power Grubs.  Overcast is good for muskies, but the cold is slowing them down.

Mid-morning I have a nice one follow my bucktail. On the next drift I catch one.  About a 42 incher.  Didn’t fight at all hardly.  Had a fungus or something on it’s tail.  Don’t know if that was the reason for the lazy fight.  Released the fish quickly.  Dick then lost a larger one right at the boat.
Northern pike turned on after that, muskies were done.  Took several pike in the 7-12 pound range.  Good fighters.

Used FireLine for muskies for the first time today.  50 pound test was absolutely great.
I guided for muskies on Leech Lake for two years.  This was my first musky trip since I quit guiding.  I now remember why I quit guiding for muskies.  I had a great partner today, it was fun catching another musky, but I really do like more action.  However, these metro-musky lakes in the Twin Cities are a great opportunity.  I will be back. 
 

LAKE THOMPSON SOUTH DAKOTA
 

Monday, June 21-Depart home early, arrive in Brookings, South Dakota around noon.  Meet producer Don Koshiol in Brookings.  Have been hearing lots about Lake Thompson in South Dakota.  Supposed to be a hot walleye lake.  John Topping, a Avis Sports rep and avid North Carolina outdoors-guy, will be attending the Outdoor Writer’s Association of America conference in Sioux Falls, so will be a good opportunity for us to try Lake Thompson.  I will fish with LaVerl Ryerson this afternoon and John tomorrow.

LaVerl works with the South Dakota Parks Department and fishes Lake Thompson frequently.  Wind is blowing pretty good out of the southeast, so we head for a northwest shoreline.  Catch a fish here and there.  We’re drifting, pulling Rainbow Float’N Spins with crawlers and Power Crawlers and Rainbow Spinners with leeches. We are each using two rods.  Eventually we get into a pocket along the shoreline that is catching the full brunt of the wind.  Action gets really good.  Walleyes are running 15-18 inches, action is so fast we can only use one rod apiece.  Ride back to boat ramp is rough, but we stay dry by taking it easy.  Have the Alumacraft Tournament Pro 170 tiller with Mercury 60 on this trip.  Might have been a better choice to bring my 175 Tournament Pro with console.  Console boats seem to be more comfortable in the rough stuff.

Tuesday, June 22-John Topping meets us at the Super 8 in Brookings.  Yesterday it was windy, today it’s even windier.  We get to the boat ramp and look across the lake.  “It doesn’t look that rough”, one of us comments.  “It never looks that rough from shore”, the others think.  My definition of “rough” is questioned by my partners.

Wind is from the same direction as yesterday, so we figure the walleyes will really be active where we caught them the previous day.  We will never know.  Just can’t drift effectively in four and five foot waves.  We get to yesterday’s hotspot, attempt a drift, go a few yards, decide this is a bad idea, and head back to landing.  Really, really rough.  Camera gear can’t take the abuse, Don can’t hold the camera on his shoulder steady enough to get the shots anyway.  We try pulling crankbaits in the calmer areas, catch a couple, but not enough to work with.  We pull the plug on this trip and begin making plans to hook up with John later in the summer.  Don heads back to the Twin Cities, I go to Sioux Falls.  Speak with John later that day at the Outdoor Writer’s Conference.  We agree that that was some of the roughest fresh water we have ever been in, so far anyway.
 

ALEXANDRIA MINNESOTA AREA
 

Monday, June 28-Arrive in Alexandria, Minnesota in a rainstorm.  Supposed to do a show with Mike Frisch and his daughter Sara.  As we arrive at the boat landing, clouds part and sun comes out.  Mike, Sara, and producer Tim Johnson head out onto the lake while I go to town for some supplies.  I’ll meet them back at the boat landing in an hour.

Meet back at the boat landing in an hour, Tim says they’re almost done.  They have just hammered walleyes and pike on Frenzy crankbaits.  We go back out to put the finishing touches on the segment.  Mike has these fish really figured out.  Constant action from walleyes and pike.  Not big ones, but great action.  Sara is about seven years old.  Does a really good job.  Back to the resort to make plans for tomorrow.  Tim goes back to the Twin Cities, Don Koshiol arrives.  Will be fishing with Barry Day from the Pure Fishing Co.(formerly Berkley).

Tuesday, June 29-Barry Day is the Field Services Manager for Pure Fishing.  One of the best bass guys around.  If Barry devoted his full energies to tournament fishing, he would excel.  We will be using Sqwormers, a new soft plastic bait, and Vanish, a new fluorocarbon line.  Will also be trying the new Center Drag reels from Abu Garcia.  Barry has heard of a lake in the Alexandria area that is supposed to have a good bass population.

Start out working a deep weed point.  On my second cast I take a bass.  Not a big one, but a good omen.  We continue to catch fish up to five pounds throughout the day.  The Sqwormers seem to have more action that other plastic baits, and are impregnated with Bio-Salt.  The bass hit four inch Sqwormers as readily as the ten inchers, although the mid-sizes seem to be most productive.

The Vanish line proves to be very tough.  Can feel it slicing through weeds as the bass fight.  Interesting stuff!  Center Drag reels perform flawlessly and smoothly.  These are going to be nice reels.

We catch more than enough fish with Barry for a t.v. segment, so LeRoy Ras hops in the boat with me for a segment on fine-tuning a plastic worm presentation for bass.  LeRoy is one of the most accomplished bass anglers in the Midwest.  He was chasing bass in central Minnesota before other anglers even knew they were there.  Got several nice bass with LeRoy.  Just as we finished, it started raining.  We got really lucky on this trip.  Lots of fish, and the weather cooperated nicely.
Wednesday, June 30-Shoot some still-photos, then head for Iowa.  Arrive home late afternoon.
 

WISCONSIN DELLS AREA
 

Tuesday, July 27-Time to start making shows again.  Typically take time off from shooting in July and August to attend industry shows and sales meetings.  We get started shooting again today in the Wisconsin Dells with Big Dave Ehardt.  “Big” is a well-known Wisconsin guide.  I’ve never met him, but everyone says he’s a good guy.  They were right.

Meet producer Brian Dellis and Big Dave in the Dells.  Hottest day of the year so far.  Dave says river is up three feet, but don’t worry, fish will still bite.  When someone says “Don’t worry”, I usually start worrying.  No need to in this case.  Dave put us on lots of walleyes and smallmouth bass in the 15-19 inch range.  Most of them come on Buck-Shot Rattle Jigs tipped with Power Grubs.  Got back to the resort about 9:30, had supper, made plans to be on the water early the next morning.

Wednesday, July 28-Started fishing just as the sun came up.  Got on a white-bass topwater bite for a while, then tried a smallmouth spot.  Caught a couple, moved to another walleye spot.  Took a few there.  Then headed uptown to see what the Wisconsin Dells is all about.

Took a spin around a go-kart track, checked out a miniature golf course.  Visited Tommy Bartlett’s Water Show, but were too late for the on-water stuff.  Saw a comedian who did a good job.  We were going to visit one of the Water Parks, but lines were really long.  Getting ready to leave town when producer Dellis spotted a giant sling-shot thing.  I smelled trouble immediately.  This thing was called the Ultimate Rush.  You get strapped into a basket and get shot 200 feet into the air in less than 2 seconds.  The basket then turns over and you plummet back to earth head-first.  Speed up to 70 mph, G-Force of almost 4.  Brian thought it would be a good idea if Dave and I experienced the Ultimate Rush.  Dave and I knew that wasn’t a good idea.  Dave and I did it anyway.  We’re still not sure if it was a good idea.  Great trip!

Took off for home about 3:00 p.m.  Was hoping for an earlier start so I could watch our high school baseball team, the Spartans, play in the state baseball tournament.  Got to listen to them on the radio once I crossed into Iowa.  Pulled into my driveway just as the Spartans won the game.  I will be home for the next few days, so will get to go to the Spartans next game.

Friday, July 30-Spartans lose to eventual state champs.  Great group of youngsters though, and we return all but one player for next year.
 

Wednesday, August 11-Attended Alumacraft Dealer Meeting this morning in Mankato, Minnesota.  New boats look really nice.  The Navigator will be especially attractive to Midwest anglers.  Left meeting mid-morning, drove to Lake Mille Lacs to try to get a show with John Topping again.  John and I had been blown off Lake Thompson in South Dakota earlier this year.
Met John and Aaron McQuoid at McQuoid’s Resort.  Aaron is one of the top guides on Mille Lacs.  Weather dictated that we fish on a small lake nearby for bass and pike.  We don’t care what we catch, we just wanted something to pull back. 

Found lots of bass to about 3 1/2  pounds and pike to about 8 pounds that were willing to pull back.  Hammered the fish on Frenzy crankbaits, both the rattlers and the divers.  Lots of action.  Really late supper that night.  Got back to the resort about 11:30 I think.  Will get out on Mille Lacs tomorrow morning early.

Thursday, August 12-Overcast day.  Aaron thinks we can catch some walleyes on the flats.  We are out for just a little while and catch one that goes about 25 inches.  Then the wind and rain starts.  This is even more miserable than Lake Thompson.  Fortunately, this time I have my 175 Tournament Pro console boat.  We have a long run in heavy, heavy rain and big waves.  It’s a good thing we had Aaron and GPS with.  Couldn’t see shore much of the time. 

Decided that if we want to get a show featuring wind, John Topping was a good guy to have along.
Aaron won a big tournament on Mille Lacs a little later that year.
 

MISSISSIPPI RIVER NEAR RED WING MINNESOTA
 

 Monday, September 6, Labor Day—Leave home in mid-afternoon to meet Bruce DeShano in Red Wing, Minnesota.  Bruce is the guy who manufactures and markets Off Shore planer boards.  I’ve been using planer boards a lot in the past several years.  They really add a new dimension to trolling.  I’m looking forward to fishing with Bruce and picking up some of the finer points of trolling with planers.  Have supper with Bruce and his wife, decide to meet for breakfast at 6:00 the next morning.  Producer Don Koshiol will be driving down from Twin Cities to meet us for breakfast.

Tuesday, September 7—Don has truck trouble enroute.  We leave his truck at dealership in Red Wing and head down to Lake Pepin.  Lots of wind from the south.  We troll around several hours and get a few fish, mostly small, but conditions are too inclement.  Camera is getting wet, and Don can’t hold it still for good shots anyway.  We take the camera to the truck and troll around a little more.  I learn a lot about some of the little things relative to board fishing that will help me be more successful with them.  Go back to Red Wing to get Don’s truck.  Technicians don’t know if they have it fixed.  Head for home.  Get back early evening.  Don experiences more trouble with the truck enroute back to the Twin Cities.
 

 Tuesday, September 21-Depart Sheffield 7:00 a.m., pick up producer Don Koshiol in Twin Cities, travel to Ely Minnesota.  Ely is one of our favorite destinations.  For smallmouth bass, walleye, and northern pike, it is a great area to visit.  The lake trout and crappie is reportedly very good also, we just haven’t had the opportunity to try for them.  Maybe this time we will get after the crappies.  Arrive in Ely mid-afternoon.  Shoot some video around town.  Lots of nice shops with the northwoods flavor.  Wolf Center is interesting.  Ely is a wonderful place to visit.

 Have supper with our fishing partner Rob Nelson.  Rob is a transplant from the Twin Cities.  Came to Ely to attend college and never left.  Rob shows us walleye action on one of the local lakes.  We take some 1½ to 2½ pound walleyes on Roach Rigs.  Action is steady, but Rob knows of a small lake we can canoe into that has been providing good crappie, smallmouth, and northern pike action.  We load the boat onto the trailer and get into canoes.  Paddle 10–15 minutes into another lake and have smallmouth action almost immediately.  Paddle another 10-15 minutes and find nice crappies.  Northern pike are also present, but they win the battle by biting us off everytime they’re hooked.  Long but productive day.  Supper is really good that night in town.  We’ll be back on the water for awhile tomorrow.

 Tuesday, September 22-On the water about 7:00 a.m.  Very cold this morning.  No need to start too early.  Catch a few more walleyes and call it a wrap.  Leave Ely about 3:00, get home about 10:00.
 

IOWA GREAT LAKES
 

 Tuesday, September 28-Leave home about 8:00 a.m., meet producer Brian Dellis in Spirit Lake at Pure Fishing headquarters.  Take a look at some new products and collect videotape of products being tested for durability, fishability, etc.  It’s amazing how much research goes into developing products at Pure Fishing.  These people really are serious about producing rods, reels, line, lures, and other stuff that will make our fishing experience more pleasurable and successful.
 Meet the Fishing Professor Jim McDonnell at Burger King.  He suggests we start on Spirit Lake because West Lake Okoboji has been really tough.  Spirit hasn’t been great, but he feels it’s a better bet.  We always go along with Mac’s feelings.

 Hit the water about 3:00 in the afternoon.  Put out boards and a variety of crankbaits.  We troll, and troll, and troll some more.  Action is non-existent.  Finally we take about a 13 incher.  Then we troll and troll some more.  We start to wonder what time the restaurant back at the resort closes.  We don’t want to miss supper.

 About 7:00 a board indicates a strike.  Nice fish.  Really a nice fish, about a 7 pounder.  Just as it gets to the net, it comes off.  There are 2 anglers and 1 producer in the boat who are really disappointed.  No time for disappointment though.  Another board is being pulled  back behind the boat, and another nice walleye is brought to the boat.  We get this one.  It’s a twin to the one that just got off.  For the next hour, action is non-stop and the fish are all in the 19-26 inch range. 

Firetiger Frenzy Minnow Medium Divers are the best bait by far.  We could really have used the little lights that clip onto the Off Shore Boards on this trip.  We get plenty of walleyes for the show, and make it back to the restaurant with 5 minutes to spare.  Mac comes through again.  Great show.

Wednesday, September 29-I Leave Spirit Lake 6:00 a.m.  Producer Dellis will shoot a little more video of the resort where we stayed, then meet me, my nephew, and my Dad to shoot opens for the show at Clear Lake Iowa.  Arrive home about 8:30 a.m.  Pick-up my nephew Sam and my dad Bob, Sr.  Return to Clear Lake.  Shoot several opens.  Brian takes off for Twin Cities, Dad, Sam, and I go home. 
 

MISSISSIPPI RIVER NEAR LaCROSSE WISCONSIN
 

 October 5, Tuesday—Jim McDonnell and I leave Sheffield about 6:00 a.m.  Mac will be running camera boat on this trip.  Will meet Scott Golden and Zach Boudreau at rest area on Interstate 80 in LaCrosse about 10:00 a.m.  Scott and Zach are two of the guys that ram-rod walleyecentral.com and Walleye Central Magazine.  Hope to get a walleye segment.  Zach lives in LaCrosse and fishes the river extensively, Scott will be flying in from Colorado.  We hope to get a walleye segment.

 Zach has delivered beautiful weather.  Temps are in the 60’s.  Mac and I arrive at the rest area about 9:30 a.m., producer Brian Dellis arrives shortly after, Zach and Scott arrive shortly after Brian.  Have only met Zach and Scott via e-mail and telephone.  Zach is optimistic about our chances for catching a few fish.  He has been out quite a bit and action has been good.  We head to the boat ramp.

 As we get to the boat ramp, I begin to recognize the area and remember that I have been here before.  I’ve been lots of places, but don’t always remember until I get there again.  We load camera gear and fishing equipment into the boats and Zach directs us to the first spot.
 Scott catches a small flathead catfish right away.  We are using willow-cats, a local bait.  It looks like a small catfish.  They are pretty hardy.  Zach says they will outproduce any other type of minnow most of the time on the river.

 We rig the willow cats on modified Roach Rigs.  I am using Eagle Claw Circle Hooks for the first time.  They look odd, but I have heard good things about them.  You don’t need to set the hook, and all the fish are supposed to be hooked right in the corner of the mouth for easy catch and release.

 We are casting the rigs to the upstream side of a wingdam.  Don’t get bit after Scott’s flathead for five minutes. Zach says we should have caught a walleye by now.  A fish takes my willow cat, I set the hook in the traditional manner and miss the fish.  “You’re not supposed to set the hook with a Circle Hook,” I remind myself.  I vow not to next time.  That felt like a pretty good fish.
 I get bit again a couple of minutes later.  Point the rod tip at the fish, just start reeling, then lift the rod gently up.  Fish is there.  Feels like another good one.  Zach nets it.  About a four pounder.  Hooked right in the corner of the mouth like it’s supposed to be.  I start to like Circle Hooks.  Like them even better after fishing with them more.  I don’t miss another fish all year when fishing Circle Hooks the way they are supposed to be fished. 

 We hang around a little while longer, then start hopping from wingdam to wingdam.  Zach obviously knows the river.  Water is down.  We take a fish or two from some of the other spots.  Catch smallmouth, white bass, and get bit off by northern pike.  End up on wingdam where we started.  Action is fast for a little while.  We take a couple more nice ones, three to four pound range, as well as a couple of “swingers”.  Weather was wonderful, Scott and Zach were great guys and excellent anglers.  We head for Buzzard Billy’s for cajun supper.  That was really good too.

 Wednesday, October 6—We meet for breakfast, discuss walleyecentral.com, Fishing the Midwest, fishing in general.  Producer Dellis heads back to the Twin Cities, Scott has a plane to catch back to Colorado, Zach has fish to catch.  Mac and I have a meeting in West Bend Wisconsin, which is near Lake Michigan.  We depart for West Bend about 11:00 a.m., arrive  about 3:00 p.m.  Have some time to spare, so go over to Port Washington on Lake Michigan.  Huge salmon are jumping and cruising in one of the harbors.  People are fishing for them from the shoreline.  A few being caught.  Amazing sight.  Head back to West Bend for 6:00 p.m. supper meeting.

 Thursday, October 7—Attend meeting that begins at 8:00 a.m.  Meeting winds up about 3:00 p.m.  We return to Iowa, arriving about 9:00 that evening.  Really a nice three day trip.
 

HOLCOMBE FLOWAGE WISCONSIN
 

 Monday, October 11—Leave Sheffield about 7:00 a.m. for St. Cloud, Minnesota.  Will attend C.S.I. distributor show.  This is where fishing tackle dealers come to see new products and to order their fishing tackle inventory for the next year.  One of the biggest distributor shows in the country.  I see lots of friends in the tackle industry at this show every year.  I always look forward to the C.S.I. show.  Lots of nice people and fishing equipment.

 Arrive in St. Cloud about 11:00 a.m.  Lunch is being served.  My timing is perfect.  Have lunch with friends, then check out the new tackle.  Lots of conversation with friends.  Great time, and lots of business stuff accomplished also.

 Back to the motel.  Catch up on my reading.  These overnight deals when I can get back to the room early are wonderful for catching up on reading.

 Tuesday, October 12, depart St. Cloud early and pick producer Don Koshiol up in Twin Cities.  We arrive at Holcombe Flowage about 1:00 p.m.  If all goes well, this will be the last open-water show we need to shoot for the season.

Holcombe Flowage is just northeast of Eau Claire Wisconsin.  It’s a little known flowage, but we’ve heard good reports.  We will be after walleyes.

 Meet with our host, Pep Simek, and fishing partner Bob Ewer.  Bob caught a thirty pound range musky a few days ago, but hasn’t been on the water since.  Weather is cold, threatening snow, and windy.

 Pep is the guy who invented Tombstone Pizza.  He now owns a resort on Holcombe Flowage, and is also marketing a new pizza.  We hit the water and get a few fish: walleyes, smallmouth, and northern pike.  Really cold, but we stick it out till sundown.  Have a nice supper, then call it a day.  We will be out again tomorrow morning.

 Wednesday, October 13 we skip breakfast and hit the water early.  Really cold and windy again.  We’re limited to where we can fish because of the wind.  We have been using bottom bouncers and 3-way’s with straight rigs.  Fish have not been real aggressive and we are missing quite a few.  I switch to Eagle Claw Circle Hooks and don’t miss another fish.  However, most of them are small.  We need to get back to Twin Cities; Pep is getting ready to leave on a business trip.  Drop Don off in Cities, I get home late afternoon.

 Open water shows are done for the year.  Now all we need are three ice-fishing segments.  With this cold weather, we should have them all shot by December 15.

 Sunday night, December 12— Another mild winter.  Very little ice anywhere.  Haven’t been able to get an ice-fishing segment and we are scheduled to start editing first show of the year in a few days.  Need an ice segment for the first show.  Mike Frisch calls.  He knows we need an ice-fishing segment, and he has been on a lake in the Alexandria area of Minnesota that has just frozen over.  Walleyes are really going.  I have a meeting in St. Cloud  tomorrow.  St. Cloud is just a couple of hours from Alexandria, so timing would be great.  However, none of the producers are available to shoot on Monday.  We schedule to shoot on Wednesday the 15th of December.
 I return home from meeting in St. Cloud.  Mike Frisch calls and says the fish bit real well today and the weather was nice. He’ll go back tomorrow and see if they’re still going.

 Tuesday, December 14th-Frisch calls again.  Fish bit really well today, nice ones too.  Hope they keep going one more day.
 

ALEXANDRIA MINNESOTA AREA
 

 Wednesday, December 15th-I leave home about 6:00 a.m.  Producer Don Koshiol and I leave Twin Cities about 9:00 a.m.  It’s snowing and the wind is blowing about twenty miles per hour.  It’s going to be cold.

We meet Frisch and his fishing partner Mike Flint shortly after noon near Alexandria.  It’s snowing, windy, and cold.  We head for the lake, arriving about 1:00.  Best bite has been starting around 4:00 p.m., so we have plenty of time.

Walk about two hundred yards onto lake, get set up, start fishing.  We get very cold.  If it wasn’t for our portable shelters, this would be unpleasant.  We have a Frabill Cub and one of the new Ranger XLTwins.  The XLTwin is a really nice unit.  Lots of room, comfortable to fish from.  We can’t keep camera warm in the shelters because it will fog up when we bring it outside.  This is a severe test of equipment and anglers.

Catch a few fish and get very cold.  We stick with it to the very end.  Fish freeze almost immediately after they come through the hole due to strong winds and cold temperatures.  Can’t expose skin very long.  It’s hard to talk when you’re this cold, and equipment is taking a beating.
We walk back to trucks.  When we get back, fingers are on the verge of frost-bite.  They are really cold and hurting.  Finally, circulation starts to come back to fingers.  That hurts even more.  Ice-fishing is fun, but this has been a little much.  Ice was maybe three inches thick, wind chills were recorded at 55 below zero.  Hope we get better conditions for remaining ice shows.  Leave Alexandria about 7:00 p.m., drop Don off about 9:30, I get home about midnight.  Long day.

Monday, December 20—Producers Brian Dellis and Tim Johnson begin editing new open for Fishing the Midwest 2000.  Takes about fourteen hours to edit an approximately one minute open. 
Wednesday December 23-Producer Dellis begins editing first show for 2000.  This will be a preview of the shows to be aired and an ice-fishing segment highlighting jigging spoons.

Tuesday, December 28—I receive copy of first show of 2000.  The open looks great, video for shows is superb, lots of good stuff coming up on Fishing the Midwest in 2000.  Shows start airing in Sioux Falls, Fargo, and Chicago the first weekend of January 2000, everywhere else the second weekend except in Cedar Rapids where we start the first weekend of February. If we can just get the final ice-fishing stuff, we’re set.  Will try to get shows on Devil’s Lake in North Dakota on January 5 and 6.
 

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