Grow up, folks in Mille Lacs. Get over yourselves. You
don't like folks fishing on your lake, but not spending a fortune
in your community? Get friendly. Make your resorts, restaurants, and
bars so inviting that folks will want to come there. Don't call us
"prostitutes." Prostitutes take money for their
services, you know. If that doesn't sound familiar, have another look in
the mirror.
7/23/07
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Me!
Update (7/24/07). I am informed that Larry showed up at
8 PM for the show, so only the first hour was a rerun. I shut it off as
soon as I learned that it was a rerun. The bulk of the rest of the show,
apparently, was a reaction to the Mille Lacs story I detailed above.
==================================================
OK, it's July 22nd, 2007. It's 7 P.M. What do you
expect? Mark and Larry's Bear Facts and Fish Tails on KSTP, AM1500? Not
tonight. Mark and Larry are nowhere to be heard. They're running an
undated "Best of" program.
So what does this rerun start with? Why, the weather, of
course. What weather? When? Well, it's sometime in the past. It has
nothing to do with the weather this week.
C'mon you two! It's the heart of fishing season, and
you're nowhere to be found. I mean, I'm not sure it matters all that
much. It'll be the same old fishing report from Mille Lacs, and Rainy
Lake and other places most of us aren't fishing. Same old call-ins from
your loyal sponsors. Same old...same old.
Mark and Larry: Are you tired of this fishing show? Do
you only care, now, about your sponsors. Is the only bait shop of any
quality the one you so prominently mention on your show? What of the
other several dozen bait shops in Minnesota. Are they chopped liver?
I've called in several times. I'm George from Saint
Paul. What about fishing in the metro? What about the local lakes, for
those of us who will never get to Rainy? How's fishing here? Any tips?
Or is your show all about your sponsors, from resorts and guide
services, to the one and only bait shop you ever mention?
There's more to Minnesota fishing than your sponsors.
Let's talk about that for a change. What about the guys who can't afford
to hire The Griz or Fairly Reliable Fishing? What are we to do?
I'm a fisherman. I have a 12' aluminum boat. I fish
lakes in the northeast metro. I don't hire guides...heck, I can't even
afford an outboard that runs reliably. But, I fish. I shop at the local
bait shops, including my favorite, Blue Ribbon Baits. Have you heard of
them? They're close to the Metro lakes...they have a complete selection
of bait plus everything else you need. Are they chopped liver?
I'm not surprised that you guys have lost your affiliate
stations. You don't seem to care all that much. Larry has retired, and
Mark, well, you're so busy promoting Rapala that you seem to have forgotten all those folks who have listened to you for all these years.
Are you bored? Are you tired? Then give up your show.
Don't come on and talk about the weather two weeks or two months ago.
It's not helpful.
How's the fishing at White Bear Lake? Are the muskies
hitting at Bald Eagle? How's Pool Two doing? We ain't fishing Mille Lacs.
We aren't even going over to Minnetonka all that much. We're fishing our
local lakes. What's working on those lakes?
Give us real, useful information, or get off the
freaking air, boys. If you're bored, quit and give the air time to
people who fish in Minnesota. Don't sell us a boat. Don't sell us a
Dodge truck. Don't sell us anything. Tell us how and where to fish
better.
I'm tired of your tired show. I'm a fisherman. I want to
find out how to be a better one. I will never fish Mille Lacs. I will
never fish Rainy. I will certainly never fish any lake where my boat
might get confiscated, like Red Lake..
Either give us useful information, or give it up. I'm
sure there are dozens of folks who would love to take over your show. So
show up! Don't run a rerun during the peak of fishing season. Get
real!
7/22/07
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Me!
While browsing around on eBay the other day, I
encountered something I'd forgotten about for a long time. Someone was
selling a copy of a 1974 Herter's Catalog. Remember Herter's? They were
probably the largest mail-order source for outdoor equipment, hunting
and fishing gear, and more, in the world back in the 50s, 60s, and 70s.
Located right here in Minnesota, in Waseca, to be
precise, Herter's was an eclectic company, run by George Leonard Herter.
The Herter's Catalog went out all over the world, and was a dream book
for hunters and fishermen, not to mention trappers and others, for
decades.
I remember poring through the Herter's Catalog when it
showed up in the mail each year. I was out in California back then, and
that catalog, full of overblown hyperbole, made me envision life in the
far North, trekking through the backwoods, fighting off mosquitoes and
black flies, in search of huge muskies and other exotic game.
Well, I finally moved to Minnesota, and soon discovered
that Waseca is closer to the cornfields of Iowa than it is to Rainy
Lake. Oh, well...it doesn't matter. Herter's was the book of dreams in
my youth and early 20s.
Herter's is gone now...sold to Cabela's sometime in the
late 70s or early 80s. The big Cabela's store near Owatonna isn't all
that far from the original Herters locatin in Waseca, really. Herter's
had a store in Mitchell, South Dakota, too. Sure enough...there's a
Cabela's there, as well.
George Herter is gone, too. He was a flamboyant fellow,
prone to exaggeration and flights of fancy. Reading his catalogs...all
written by him...you get a feel for the man's enthusiasm. In fact, he
had so much enthusiasm about his products that I remember being kind of
disappointed when my package would arrive and the contents were just
ordinary fishing lures, instead of the bejeweled wonders he described. I
got over it, though, and went fishing with them.
Everything in the Herter's Catalog was ultra modern, and
of the best quality, or so claimed George Herter. He took credit for the
design of things he didn't design sometimes. He copied lots of stuff,
then gave it names that were reminiscent of the actual producers. He
sold copies of the famous Mepp's spinner lure, made in France, and
renamed it the Pepp's spinner. His Finland Minnows were dead ringers for
Rapalas, produced in Finland. He didn't fool anyone, and probably didn't
really mean to. It was all marketing, and he was a brilliant marketer in
his day.
George Leonard Herter was also an author, and the same
flamboyant style in his catalog was evident in his books. Probably his
most famous was Bull Cook And Historical Recipes And Practices,
a recipe book laced heavily with his odd, and sometimes bizarre,
philosophy. In that book, you'll discover that the favorite recipe of
the Virgin Mary was spinach, sauteed in butter. Really! If it were not
so, George L. Herter would have told you.
Herter was a survivalist, of sorts, evident in his book,
How to Get Out of The Rat Race And Live on $10 A Month. He even
wrote a marriage manual, of sorts, called, How to Live with A Bitch,
which isn't quite as misogynistic as it sounds.
Herter's motto, as printed on the bottom of every page
of his 1974 catalog, was: "Where wildlife cannot live, humans
cannot survive." You can't argue with that one. There's no
biography of George Leonard Herter, but his life is in his catalogs and
his books. I've just bought a few of his books from used booksellers.
I'm looking forward to reading them.
We have too few flamboyant iconoclasts around these
days. George Leonard Herter was one such person. Perhaps it's time for
someone to write a biography of him. I'd think a good place to start
would be Waseca. I'm sure the older residents there could tell some
stories.
7/3/07
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Me!
Bald Eagle Lake, just north of White Bear Lake, is
pretty much my home lake. I fish in other spots, but I keep coming back
to Bald Eagle. Yesterday (6/5/07) looked pretty promising, so I hitched
up the NOTLUND and headed for the lake in the morning. It's time for
fishing to pick up, and the lake didn't disappoint.
I spent a little time with a ScumFrog in the lily pads
near the boat launch, and hooked up with a nice (if a bit small) bass in
a great surface strike. Not much luck after that in the lily pads,
though, so I motored over to Cigar Island. North of the Island is a
fairly broad expanse of weeds in depths from 8-10 feet of water. I
noticed a lot of surface activity from small baitfish, probably golden
shiners, and figured it might work out as a fishing spot.
Casting a variety of crankbaits and running them just
over the weeds brought in three largemouths, with the largest being
about 2.5 lb., and three Northerns. The largest northern was close to
30" long, and gave my medium spinning tackle with 6 lb. test line a
good workout. I was the only one fishing that area, and got watched by
the other anglers in different locations. I'm sure the spot got hit by
some others after I left, since I didn't see a lot of action elsewhere.
As I always do, I released all the fish to be caught again.
To cap the day off, I got to watch a bald eagle come off
the island and lift a 10" largemouth out of the water about 50 feet
from my boat. Add that to a perfectly calm day, beautiful,
non-threatening clouds overhead, the sound of loons, and it was a
perfect day of fishing. There was even a nice landing by a float plane
that a resident of the lakeshore keeps tied up to his dock there. I
could have been in northern Minnesota.
We Minnesotans are blessed beyond measure with beautiful
lakes right in the Metro. Less than a half an hour from my home, and I
get to fish on a great lake. I'm so glad I moved here. Go fishing,
everyone! It doesn't get any better than this!
6/6/07
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Me!
This past week, I ventured down to the public dock on
Harriet Island for some Mississippi River catfishing. I didn't have much
luck, but it was a good day, nevertheless. Several nice folks wandered
down to inquire about my luck, and I enjoyed talking to them and sitting
on the dock in the sun.
Later in the afternoon, around 1:30 P.M., about a dozen
teenagers came bustling down to the end of the dock where I was fishing.
I'd guess they ranged in age from 14 to 16, and it was a mixed group of
boys and girls in a rainbow assortment of skin colors. One boy had
spiked hair, tinted red. Trousers hung low on the hips of a couple
others. A motley crew, to be sure.
They were boisterous, noisy, and carried fishing poles
of various vintages and qualities. The oldest (I think) of the group had
a large tacklebox, full of tackle, looking like it had been assembled
from castoffs from relatives, etc.
Now, I do like my solitude while fishing, since it's a
contemplative activity for me, But, hey, I'm in a public place, and the
kids were talkative, asking me about my luck and asking questions about
my tackle. How could I be annoyed when all that energy was out there on
the dock?
After lots of confusion, teenage bantering, and general
hilarity, the fishing began. One kid had a bobber on with a fluorescent
yellow plastic worm. Another was casting a red and white Daredevil.
Another one, with an ancient closed-face reel, barely had enough line to
drop his hook in the water. None of that mattered. Advice was exchanged
between the kids, some new line was wound on the ancient Zebco, and the
fun went on.
One of the girls, a kid about 15 or so, wasn't fishing
and came over to where I was and asked what I was using for bait. I
showed her the jar of my usual stinkbait (the one that will make your
nose wrinkle even with the lid on) and told her it was stinkbait.
"Huh?" she said. "Stinkbait?" I explained about
catfish and their penchant for eating things that were long dead.
"Can I smell it?" she asked. "Sure,"
I said, "but it really stinks bad." She opened the lid on the
jar, took a big whiff. "Whoa, man! That stuff's rude!" She
then took the jar around to all of the kids, each of whom smelled the
stuff. I almost fell off my folding chair, laughing. The kids were all
laughing, too.
Well, I had been there for about three hours already,
and it was time for me to head home. I gave the kids some of the stink
bait in a styrofoam cup, and gave a few 1 oz. sinkers to the kid with
the tacklebox, since he had complained about not having big enough
sinkers. I added a brand new package of catfish hooks, and took my
leave, to a bunch of friendly goodbyes.
I hope they had better luck than I did. I don't think
they cared any more than I did, though, about actually catching fish.
They were there for the fishing, just as I was.
That afternoon got me thinking, though. We say nice
words about encouraging our youth to take up angling, and form
organizations to "Take a kid fishing," and the like. For a lot
of anglers, though, the appearance of this brash bunch of urban kids
would have caused some consternation and annoyance. Sometimes, we say
one thing, but only in lip service to the idea.
These were good kids. They didn't look like nice,
suburban kids, though...the ones you see in the DNR brochures, fishing
with their dad in the boat. They were, however, anglers, just like the
rest of us. Young. Inexperienced. Eager. I thoroughly enjoyed my
encounter with the group, and I suspect they thought I was this nice,
funny, old white-haired dude with the stinky bait. We got along just
fine.
I wonder, though, what will happen when they get past
the age of 16. Will they continue to fish when it means spending $20 or
so to buy a license? I doubt it. I think it may well be time to raise
the age for license-free fishing to 18. Let the kids graduate from high
school and get their first jobs, so they can afford that fishing
license.
Unlike a lot of anglers, I still find pleasure in
fishing from the shore, or from a fishing pier here in the Metro. For
many urban anglers, that's their only place to fish. Boats are
expensive. I've encountered lots of very nice folks fishing on the
public docks in the cities. I hope to meet more of them over the
years.
If you readers happen to find yourself on a fishing pier
or fishing from shore, and a group of rowdy kids shows up with poles, I
hope you won't pack up and leave. They aren't there to bother
you...they're going fishing. Talk with them. Listen to them. Give
away some stuff to them. Teach them a trick or two to help them catch
fish. These kids are our future anglers.
6/4/07
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Me!
Every year about this time, we hear about a boating
tragedy. This time, four people died when their 12' aluminum boat was
caught in the heavy current below Lock and Dam No. 7. Two adults and two
children were the victims.
Tragedies like this are horrendous for the victims and
their families, and affect fellow boaters. We all love to go on the
water, for recreation or fishing, and we all expect to come home safely.
I use a 12' aluminum boat myself, complete with a small,
semi-reliable outboard. I think about safety even more in my tiny little
boat than I would in a larger craft, and with good reason. Let's look at
this tragedy and see if we can figure out how it might have been
avoided.
First, my 12' boat is rated for three people, and it's
crowded with that many. I won't ever put more than one other person in
it. Second, it does not go on rivers, especially below a lock and dam.
It's just too darned small and slow for that use. I'll use it during the
week on Lake St. Croix, but I keep near the shore and am always on the
lookout for larger boats and their wakes.
The Mississippi? Not a chance. I've seen the wakes the
barges throw up. Not for me.
Part of the reason for this boating accident was that
the boat was anchored quite close to the dam. Fishing's good there, no
doubt, but it's a dangerous spot for a tiny, overloaded boat. When the
boater pulled up his anchor, he may have gotten the anchor rope tangled
in the outboard's prop. For whatever reason, he couldn't get his
outboard started and the boat got sucked in by the current near the dam.
Fishing on the river is exciting. It's a great place to
catch numerous species of fish. It's a horrible place for small aluminum
boats. There are many lakes in this wonderful state, and the smaller
lakes are ideal for outings in 12' aluminum boats. That's where I take
mine.
I'm so sorry that this tragedy occurred. I'm deeply
saddened by it. I'll be especially careful this season, and hope all my
readers use extreme caution while boating.
5/13/07
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Me!
A guy and his dog had to swim for it yesterday in the
Minnesota River south of Bloomington. The boat got slammed by a barge
while the guy was trying to get his motor running. Both the guy and the
dog are OK, but the boat isn't.
Fishing the rivers is fun, but it's no place for a boat
with a balky motor. Barges can't stop or steer around you, so you need
to make sure your boat's engine will start whenever you need it to
start, or limit your fishing to the lake.
Those of you who read this blog know that I have a funky
boat, with a funkier outboard. The outboard will always start, but it
can take numerous pulls. I'm working on it, but there it is. So, I stay
off the river. I'll continue to do that until I have an outboard that
fires on the first pull...everytime. It's not just a good idea.
It could save my life.
As we enter the boating season for this year, we're
going to hear about lots of boating accidents, almost all of which could
be prevented with some common sense and by following the boating rules.
We have several tragedies every year from boating accidents. Don't be a
statistic, please. I need all my readers!
4/15/07
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Me!
Like every other open water angler in Minnesota, I've
begun thinking about getting ready for this Spring's fishing season. I'm
already sharpening the hooks on my lures, spooling new line on my vast
accumulation of rods and reels, and re-reading all the fishing books in
the house. It's time for anticipation, especially with the weather
starting to warm up.
There's just one thing, and it's potentially a real
problem for this year's Opener. As regular readers know, I fish from a
small, 12' aluminum boat, for reasons of economy. Back in November, I
emptied the boat out, put the outboard in the basement, along with the
battery and charger for the electric trolling motor. Then, I turned the
boat upside down on the trailer so it would shed the snow that was supposed
to show up.
I have all sorts of plans for the boat this year. I'll
be installing some carpeting to quiet my footsteps, and a new seat in
the back to support my back while I run the outboard. So, yesterday, I
went out and looked longingly at my boat, yearning for open water.
Suddenly, a small gray shape burst out from under the
boat, ran between my legs and headed up the big maple tree in the yard.
What!?! Once I settled down from the surprise, it occurred to me to look
under the boat.
There's a squirrel nest under the bow seat of the boat.
A squirrel nest! Now, this is precisely the time of year when the pesky
little tree rats are playing sexy little chase games, leading to...wait
for it...lots of fresh little baby squirrels.
So, what to do? Those young squirrels often don't make
an appearance away from the nest until after the Opener. I
mentioned the nest to my wife, who reckoned I might have to start my
fishing late this year. Yeah...right!
Now, I like squirrels. I do. I even fed them all winter
on peanuts in the shell. I like to watch them scramble around. But...I
have no interest whatever in teaching squirrels to fish, or in giving
them rides in my boat. Never mind that a young squirrel might make
decent muskie bait.
So, I think I'll head out this week, when the weather's
warm, and remove the next. Mom will just have to find another place to
raise this Spring's brood, I think. I just won't tell my wife, who might
get all worried that the poor little critter won't have time to build a
new nest.
Yeah...that's the ticket!
2/19/07
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Me!
Minnesota state senator Gen Olson (R) of Minnetrista has
introduced SF0506, a bill regarding lake weeds and their removal by
lakeshore property owners. The contents of this bill have the potential
to drastically impact the littoral plant life in lakes throughout the
state, and not in a good way.
The main provision of the bill would require
the DNR to issue permits, on the request of lakeshore owners, to destroy
weeds in an area 100' wide by 150' long in littoral waters adjoining
their property. That's 15,000 square feet that would be denuded of
vegetation. On lakes heavily infested with lakeshore homes, this could
easily mean that most of the weedline could be destroyed by adjoining
property owners.
For anglers, this would be a catastrophic disaster,
destroying the very nursery for the fish in these lakes. No baby
fish...no fishing in the very near future.
I'm betting that Senator Olsen has one of those lakeside
homes there on Minnetonka. And those pesky weeds, you know...they are
just nasty. The grandkids can't swim off the dock because those
weeds...well...you just don't know what diseases the kids might get,
right? Plus, you try to take the cruiser out for a day of wakeboarding
and the like, and the water intakes for the engine just get all clogged
up. It's a darned shame!
Senator Olson: The lake is not yours. Yes, you
own the land down to the mean high water line, but the rest of the
citizens of the state of Minnesota own that lake. Not you. Not your
neighbors on the lakeshore. Not your campaign contributors. The lake,
its waters, and the lake bottom belong to the citizens of the state of
Minnesota.
I'm sure it's very nice to have a home on the shores of
Minnetonka. I can't afford such a home, since I'm just a humble working
man. Still, I admire those homes as I cast into and along the edge of
the weeds in the lake in front of them. I catch largemouth bass there,
and northern pike, too. Sometimes, when I'm feeling lazy, I'll drop my
anchor and fish for sunfish and crappie on the edge of the weedline. I
like to fish. I release just about all the fish I catch, so that others
will be able to enjoy fishing as much as I do.
I'll bet you don't like seeing my little aluminum boat
anchored in the lake in front of your house, either. I'm sorta scruffy
when I'm fishing, and my crummy old boat is, well, a bit unsightly, I
must admit. Still, I don't try to cast my lures under your dock. I
could, legally, but I don't, since I do respect your privacy and
property.
It's a shame that you don't respect the very lake you
live on. It's not your lake, you know. It belongs to me, and everyone
else in the state. It's not yours, so you don't get to exclude riff-raff
like me from fishing in it. It's not yours, so you don't get to destroy
the fish nursery that the weeds create. It's not yours, so you don't get
to eradicate the life in the lake.
To readers: It's probably a waste of time to contact
Senator Gen Olson, since she introduced this disaster of a bill. You
can, though. Her email address is sen.gen.olson@senate.mn.
However, I do recommend that you contact your own state senator and
house member. Tell them that you don't want to destroy the life in our
wonderful lake resources. Tell them that you fish there, and enjoy the
lakes you help pay to preserve. Tell them to just say no to Gen Olson
and SF0506.
Don't wait! The bill is at the Environment and Natural
Resources Committee, right now for discussion. Let's stop this stupid
bill before it ever even comes to a vote. You can find your state
senator at this
link. You can find the names of the members of the Environment
and Natural Resources Committee, including Gen Olson, at this
link.
Don't delay. Send an email today!
2/12/07
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Me!
If you're impatiently waiting for the hard water to
appear so you can freeze your butt off trying to catch some fish through
the ice, you'll want to take in the 14th Annual Ice Fishing Show at the
River Centre in Saint Paul this weekend. Running from Friday through
Sunday, the show features equipment, seminars, speakers, travel
opportunities, and lots more. For just $7.50, it's cheap thrills, until
this week's frigid weather hardens up the lakes.
Click
Here for details on seminars and times.
11/30/06
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Me!
It could happen. The Mall of America is planning a big
expansion, with construction to begin sometime next year. Among the
anchor stores planned is a 300,000 sq. ft. Bass Pro Shop. This would be
big news for anglers in the Twin Cities Metro, but potentially bad news
for Cabela's and Gander Mountain.
With the two Cabela's stores located a good distance
from most Metro residents, the new Bass Pro Shop would be a powerful
attraction to local anglers and sportsmen. This shop, huge in size,
would prove a serious competitor for the much smaller Gander Mountain
stores. Being so close to the cities, a Bass Pro Shop would make a lot
of anglers think twice about driving to Rogers or Owatonna, too, to
visit the equally impressive Cabela's stores.
Worse for the competitors, and much, much better for
consumers, A Bass Pro Shop at MOA would cut down on the number of men
wandering around MOA, looking for a store that had anything of interest
for sale. While the family browses through the many shops at MOA, the
angler in the family would now have someplace to go for those normally
boring hours.
I'm for it!
11/28/06
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Me!
For a long time, Minnesota anglers and recreational
boaters have been giving their boats and trailers a good going over
after retrieving from the many lakes in the state already infested with
the evil Eurasian Milfoil. They have to. There's a serious fine if
you're caught with fragments of the worrisome weed on your boat or
trailer.
Still, more and more lakes have ended up infested with
the wily water plant. We won't get into a discussion today about the
actual damage caused by Eurasian Milfoil. It's questionable, and
the bass and northerns love it.
The news, now, is that the pesky plant has shown up in
several Metro lakes that don't even allow boating. That sent DNR
officials to their cubicles to scratch their heads. What the heck? Were
people carrying the slimy stuff in and maliciously planting it in these
small lakes?
That seems unlikely, although anglers are the most often
blamed culprits for the spread of the noxious water plant. But if not
anglers, who? Maybe the question should be what? It turns out that the
DNR folks now think it's ducks and other waterfowl who are spreading the
filthy foliage around the Metro.
Ducks? Waterfowl? Who'd've thunk it? Oh, wait....let's
see. Ducks and geese and other waterfowl freely fly from lake to pond to
lake. A little bit of plant on a webbed foot, and there you have it.
Could it be that ducks have been spreading the pernicious plant all
along? Is it possible that boaters and anglers aren't the only ones at
fault? So it would seem.
Perhaps the DNR should get into the business of checking
duck's feet for fragments of milfoil as they take off from infested
waters. Conservation officers could spy on the ducks with binoculars at
lakeshores, then cite the offending ducks for violation of the law. Even
better, equip the COs with shotguns and have them eradicate the
offenders.
Trouble is, PETA would be offended by this program. PETA
is offended by everything. Maybe an education program for waterfowl
would be more effective. The DNR could put solar-powered television sets
on the shorelines of infested lakes, running continuous versions of the
ads we're so familiar with. If that's too expensive, there are radio
versions of the same ads.
I'm just sayin....
9/18/06
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Me!
It's all over. Wisconsin DNR officials have discovered
eurasian milfoil in Lake Superior, in Twin Ports, right on the border.
With this intrusion of the exotic species, it's beginning to look like
the battle against the encroacher may have been lost.
While I don't want exotic species of anything in
Minnesota waters, eurasian milfoil is one of the least offensive
transplants, in my opinion. Still, it's one more in a long line of
imports, and that's not a good thing, even if the largemouths, panfish,
and pike don't seem to mind the stuff.
So, it looks like you can add Lake Superior to the many
lakes in Minnesota that will force you to go over your boat with the
proverbial fine-toothed comb, looking for the plant before heading back
out on the highway.
9/4/06
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Me!
Like a large number of Twin City area residents, I
listened last evening to "Bear Facts and Fish Tales," on KSTP,
AM-1500. Hosts Mark Fisher and Larry Bollig, as usual, provided their
usual mix of fishing tips and calls from listeners. Also, as usual, they
took some calls from the usual cast of fishing guides.
I learn a lot from the show, and apply some of it to my
own fishing, but I was struck last night with something that has
bothered me for quite a while. It's not just "Bear Facts and Fish
Tales," but the entire industry of fishing journalism that does
something bothersome to me.
Mark and Larry, last night, were bemoaning the decrease
in the number of anglers over the past few decades and were rightly
worried about the fate of angling in Minnesota (and elsewhere) if more
folks don't take up the sport. The future of fishing really does depend
on maintaining a large, active set of anglers. Without them, revenue
from license sales goes down, as does the political influence wielded by
the mass of anglers. Hunters have the same situation in their sport, but
I'm an angler, not a hunter, so that's where I'm going to go in this
article.
Mark and Larry, as do we all, recommended that you take
a kid fishing or take someone who doesn't fish with you and introduce
them to the sport. It's a great idea, and I do it whenever I can.
But there's a catch in this recommendation: Mark and
Larry, like a lot of seasoned anglers, have big, expensive boats full of
tackle boxes full of expensive tackle. They're fully stocked with
expensive electronics that let the anglers find the fish they want to
catch. They own dozens of quality rod and reel combos, and spend small
fortunes on maintaining their hobby. So, what does it mean if Mark or
Larry or any of thousands of other anglers take a novice on a fishing
trip?
Well, the novice will probably catch lots of fish,
certainly. These guys are great anglers. The problem is that fishing on
that level is frighteningly expensive, and the novice who accompanies
these anglers is very likely to believe that all that equipment is
essential for any angler. Mark and Larry would tell you otherwise, if
you pressed them, but they're in the fishing business, and the fishing
business thrives on the sale of all those boats and outboard motors and
fishing electronics and fishing tackle. The industry really doesn't want
you to think you can just go fishing on the cheap. They want to sell you
a pile of stuff, much of which you'll never need or use.
Then there are the fishing magazines, the fishing shows
on television, along with the annual boat and fishing shows in the Twin
Cities. All are designed to do one thing: Sell products. None are about
just plain, simple fishing.
So, is all that stuff necessary to catch fish? Certainly
not. So why subject novice anglers to the concept in the first place
that fishing is an expensive sport? As any fisherman knows, but may have
forgotten, fish are everywhere there is water in Minnesota. As any of
the dozens of kids in my neighborhood know, you can catch a bunch of
them with nothing more than an inexpensive rod and reel, a few hooks, a
bobber, and some worms out of your yard.
We've forgotten the joys of simple fishing, it seems.
I'm sure Mark and Larry haven't sat on a dock and dangled a worm under a
red and white bobber for a long, long time. It's way more fun to jump in
the boat, race across the lake, and cast $8 crankbaits at fish you
spotted on your LCD display. It's certainly fun to use a $200 rod, a
$200 reel, and expensive exotic line to battle the fish. You'll even
catch bigger fish more often, too.
Me? Oh, I have a boat. It's an old 12' aluminum boat
from the 1960's. It's on a rickety old trailer, and has a whopping 5 hp
outboard almost as old as the boat. I even have a garage sale electric
trolling motor and a 1980s LCD fish locator from another garage sale
that works most of the time. It shows the bottom, but rarely any fish. I
don't really turn it on much, except on lakes I don't know well. I have
about a dozen personal fishing rods, mostly spinning rods, with reels,
and almost all of them came from garage sales, or from the combo sale
rack at Mills Fleet Farm at the end of the season. I have a big tackle
box, full of tackle, too, most of it acquired, again, at garage sales,
end of season sales, and from miscellaneous gift cards nice people give
me at Christmas.
I think I may have about $600 total invested in my
entire suite of fishing equipment, including the boat. I take a lot of
non-anglers out fishing. We don't go to Mille Lacs. We go to places like
Bald Eagle Lake, where my tiny boat is more at home. Sometimes, I even
take non-anglers shore fishing. One thing's certain: My budding anglers
aren't going to get the idea that fishing is a horribly expensive sport.
They're also going to catch fish, since I'm a pretty good fisherman, in
an old-fashioned sort of way.
While I have that old LCD fish locator, I don't really
rely on it much. I use the old-school fish locating methods. I watch the
shoreline and project the structure on the fish locator inside my head.
I fish the same small lakes again and again, until I know where every
tree stump, rock, and hole is on the lake. If the bass aren't biting, I
fish for Northern Pike. If those aren't biting, I might try for some
walleyes. If none of those are biting, I'm not at all averse to
anchoring near the weedline and using ultralight tackle to catch some
panfish. I catch fish on every fishing trip. I haven't been skunked in
years, and neither have my guests.
On the metro lakes, you can even catch panfish from
every fishing dock that exists...just about anytime of day or night, and
anytime the lake isn't frozen. Sometimes, you'll have a nice surprise
and pick up a medium-sized bass or pike, too. Then there's the
river...the Mississippi River. From any accessible location along the
river, you can pretty much guarantee that you'll catch something just
about any day you care to go. A container of worms, some canned corn,
maybe some commercial catfish bait, a sinker, a few hooks, and you're
good to go. I like places like the public dock at Harriet Island Park in
St. Paul, but there are hundreds of other spots.
So, that's how I introduce non-anglers to the joys of
fishing. I don't overwhelm them with fancy equipment and expensive
boats. I just take 'em fishing. Normally, I'll try to go out the day
before and see which strategies are going to work, then I buy 'em a
one-day licence and take 'em fishing. I make sure they catch fish. I
make it easy for them. I always use spinning tackle for newcomers, even
kids. It's easy, and they don't have to learn the delicate art of
fishing with baitcasting tackle. I don't like spincast tackle much at
all, because it's not all that versatile, and when things go wrong, they
go way wrong. I can teach anyone over the age of 6 to cast with
spinning tackle in just a few minutes.
While we're fishing, I teach them a couple of
easy-to-tie knots. I identify all the fish we catch, and talk about
their life cycles and what they eat. I fish, too, and usually catch a
few different fish than my guest, and those get talked over, too. I sell
the idea of catch-and-release, too, and always have my digital camera to
grab photos of their first catches. I point out the loons and the ducks,
and any other wildlife we encounter, too.
So, they catch a few fish in a non-threatening
environment, using simple tackle. Usually, I start with worms and
still-fishing. It's a sure thing, most of the time, and the worms are
free. I just soak a bare patch on the lawn with the garden hose, and
gather the worms up. I just plain refuse to pay anyone for worms.
But...here's the final step: Remember those garage sales
I mentioned? I buy rod and reel combos all the time at those sales,
along with miscellaneous tackle and small tackle boxes. I tune up the
reels, respool them with fresh monofilament, then fill the small tackle
boxes with the essentials, including some spinners and small crankbaits.
Those are the rods, reels, and tackle my guests use. When the fishing
day is over, they take the whole outfit home with them. My cost is
almost always just a few dollars.
If I take them in the boat, I talk about how cheap it
can be to get a small boat, complete with running outboard. I usually
offer to have a look at any boat they are thinking of buying. If they
aren't interest in getting a boat yet, I tell them about some favorite
shore-fishing spots I've found in the Metro, including one that is less
than five minutes from wherever they live.
Yes, it's very important to get people started fishing.
I think it's even more important to keep them fishing. If they're scared
of the complexity and expense of fishing, they'll probably enjoy their
day on the water, but won't venture out on their own. If they have fun
and learn how they can keep having fun without breaking the bank,
they'll probably keep on fishing.
Of course, once they're hooked, they'll probably start
hanging out at the boat shows and making regular visits to Cabelas,
Gander Mountain, Joes, and Mills Fleet Farm. They'll become good
consumers of fishing goodies, so everyone will be happy.
8/14/06
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Me!
They're here! They're here! Spiny Water Fleas, once
limited to the Great Lakes, have shown up in Voyageurs
National Park on a fisherman's monofilament. The DNR is getting
ready to declare Rainy Lake an infested water, giving the folks up North
something else to do when they pull their boats out.
Spiny Water Flea
Down here in the Metro area, we'll already used to
draining our livewells and bilges, inspecting our trailers and pulling
off all the Eurasian Milfoil that has accumulated. Don't do it, and you
can get a big fine.
Spiny water fleas are another matter, though. They're
tiny, almost transparent, and darned hard to see. You can't just walk
around your boat and trailer, looking for strings of green stuff.
I'm not entirely sure how much of a hazard the spiny
water fleas are, really. They eat up plankton that would otherwise be
gobbled up by small fry. Fish don't like to eat 'em....because they're
spiny and give the fish a tummy ache. Other than that, I'm not sure what
hazard they represent.
For fishermen, though, they represent a real hazard. If
the DNR decides that spiny water fleas are a serious problem, watch for
new regulations. If you fish in an infested water, you may just have to
take your boat to a carwash and hose it down with a high pressure spray
of hot water. They could also require that you not relaunch your boat in
a non-infested water for a given number of days, to allow the pesky
little buggers to shrivel up and die.
The bottom line is that regulations might slow the
spread of this questionable pest, but, as with Eurasian Milfoil, the
reality is that the spread is inevitable. There's always someone who
doesn't check his boat carefully, or doesn't empty his live well
completely, then goes to a clean lake and continues the distribution.
The question is: How much should Minnesota fishermen be
inconvenienced to prevent the spread of the spiny water flea? Nobody
even knows whether this tiny critter poses a real risk to our fisheries,
so it seems to me that draconian regulations that have no real chance of
success are out of place.
By the way, one of my favorite places to fish for
largemouth bass is in Eurasian Milfoil beds. The bass seem to like
hanging out there, and so do the small 'gills and other prey fish. In
fact, I can't remember the last time I had my boat on a lake that wasn't
"infested" with Milfoil. I still clean it all off my boat and
trailer, but only because I don't want a fine.
8/1/06
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Me!
I drive around the metro a lot. Mostly it's visiting
garage sales and estate sales, looking for good junk to sell on eBay.
Today it was raining, and the garage sales were a bummer. Then, I drove
past Silver Lake on Hwy 120. I can never remember if it's in North Saint
Paul or Oakdale, but you get to the boat launch from Joy Ave, off Hwy
120. Don't get me started on 120...I had to write an entire article on
the bizarre street naming process along that road (Read).
I really wanted to see the boat launch ramp on Silver
Lake, since I'm thinking about heading over there next week. I found a
nice little ramp, if a bit shallow, and with maybe 6 parking spots for
trailers. The ramp is in a little cove, and lining the shore on both
sides are lily pads.
So, what the heck? "I might as well try some shore
fishing while I'm here," I thought. I went back to my car, opened
the trunk and got my car tackle out. There was a little sprinkle going
on, and the temperature was about 70 degrees, so I reasoned that I might
be able to scare up a little largemouth or something out of those lily
pads.
So, I tied on a little topwater weedless crankbait and
went to the water. I cast neatly alongside the edge of the lily pads and
started a slow, twitching retrieve. Bang! First cast...I hooked a cute 5
lb. Northern. Since I had a wire leader on, I managed to land it
on shore, then quickly released it back to fight again.
That was about enough for me, and the commotion would
have disturbed the little cove for a while, so I quit and packed my
stuff back up and went on my way. My total time? About 15 minutes, I
think.
If you fish, you should always have a way to fish in the
trunk of your car. In fact, you should have tackle in all your cars.
Here in Minnesota, you're never more than a couple of miles of some
water, and almost all of that water holds fish. Here's my suggestion for
a little setup you can put in your car. It's cheap, but has all you need
to catch Minnesota's variety of fish.
This business is simply unacceptable in the United
States of America. If the Red Lake Indian Band has any sense at all,
they will return the man's boat and trailer, and apologize for their
actions in confiscating it. I seriously doubt that will happen.
My opinion is that no Minnesota anglers should fish
Upper Red Lake at all, until all the waters of that lake are open to all
Minnesota residents, just as all Minnesota waters are open to all
Minnesota residents, including members of the Red Lake Indian Band.
Further, the MN DNR should immediately cease any further
stocking efforts on both Red Lakes. All Minnesota fishing license
holders pay for this stocking. If they cannot fish the waters being
stocked and regulated by the MN DNR, then no funds should be spent to
stock or manage such waters.
Next, the State of Minnesota should immediately file a
suit with the Supreme Court of the United States of America, the
judicial body charged with hearing all such suits. That suit should seek
access by all MN residents to all waters within the borders of the state
of Minnesota.
I expect neither of those options to happen. I do,
however, expect the first to happen. Any Minnesota angler who fishes on
Upper Red Lake is countenancing these illegal actions by the Red Lake
Indian Band. With all the other fine Northern lakes available to
us, there's no need to fish Upper Red Lake. Just skip it.
7/10/06
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Me!
Updated
News on This Story Here!
There's always a telescoping spinning rod and a small
tackle box in my vehicle. A guy never knows when he's going to encounter
a bit of water on his journeys around this state of umpty-thousand
lakes. I've had many fine times stopping by some water and fishing for a
short time.
So, yesterday, my wife and I attended a 4th of July
weekend gathering at the home of friends. They're fortunate enough to
have a home right on the shores of Prior Lake. After a period of
visiting with the gathering of nice folks, the sight of all that water
and docks extending out past the weed line just got to be too much. I
figured I wouldn't be missed, since there were lots of guests, busily
engaged in conversation and in consuming various beverages, so I hiked
up to the car and grabbed my traveling tackle.
When I returned, several people commented that I
couldn't expect to catch anything, what with all the boats in the cove
there. Now, they had a point, for that holiday weekend had brought
dozens of boats of all sizes into the cove, all populated with handsome
young men and decorative young women--all wearing as little clothing as
possible. There was much laughter, diving into the lake, and other
youthful frivolity.
Still, I reasoned, fish can't stop eating just because
there are people around, so I decided to have a try at it. There was an
empty dock next to my friends' house. I asked about it, and my friend
said that it was a public access dock, and allowed as how it would be OK
for me to fish there, so off I went.
For the anglers reading this, I rigged up with a bobber
and a little jig with a floppy plastic worm, putting the bobber about 3'
up from the bait. It was clear that I'd be fishing for panfish, so that
seemed the best move.
On the dock, I cast this rig out, first near the
submergent weeds, and then out over somewhat deeper water. From the
first cast, I caught fish. First, a nice hand-sized sunfish, then a
scrappy, but small, crappie, and finally a nice little largemouth bass
about 11-12" long. This was fun, and the guests at my friends'
gathering began to consider me part of the entertainment, tossing
wisecracks and jibes down at me.
Then, a boat pulled up to the dock where I was fishing.
Not a problem for me, since I was fishing the water on the other side of
the dock. "Did you know this is a private dock?" the boat's
driver asked. "No," I responded. "I'll leave, if you
like. I didn't mean to trespass." The driver said that he didn't
really mind if I fished there. He just wanted me to know that it was a
private dock. (He was wrong, but never mind).
So, I continued fishing, pulling something in at least
every other cast. The next thing I know, a little girl, about 4 or 5
years old, is standing next to me. She's fascinated with the process
and, of course, with the wriggling fish I kept catching and releasing.
She was on the boat, apparently, and had gotten off on the dock, while
Dad and Mom enjoyed the view and a beverage.
"What kind of fish is that?" "It's
a sunfish," I answered, holding it flat in my hand after I unhooked
it, giving her a good look. "See the bright blue markings, and the
green," I offered, then released the critter after she nodded, and
cast once more. The next cast brought in a black crappie, about 8"
long. "The hook is in it's cheek," the kid said. As I removed
the hook, I explained that the fish didn't seem to be harmed by the
hook, and it cooperated by being quite still as I pointed out the dark
spots marking its side, and the paper-thin mouth. She just took it in.
Next, I caught a nice little largemouth, about 12"
long, lipped it and held it up to remove the tiny little jig.
"That's a big one," she said. "What is it?" I told
her, and showed her where the fish's jaw extended to behind the eye, and
explained that was why it was called a largemouth bass.
Next thing I know, the kid plops herself down next to me
and keeps on watching. I keep catching, and she correctly identifies
each fish as I bring it in. I ask if she wants to touch one, and she
says, "Noooo....I hate fish!" So I hold one out and explain
that it can't hurt her and that she could touch it gently. Of course,
she does, and then watches the fish swim away after I release it.
I'm enjoying this little encounter, but I really need to
get back to the gathering, so I tell the kid that I'm going to have to
quit fishing for now, but that it was nice to meet her. She thanked me
very nicely for showing her the fish.
I got up, my knees creaking a bit, as they do now that
I'm beginning my seventh decade on this planet. As I was leaving, the
little girl asked her father, "Can we go fishing sometime." He
said, "Sure. Remember that Scooby-Do fishing pole we bought?"
I showed him how I was rigged up, and suggested that real worms would do
even better, then went back to the party.
I hope they get that pole out and Dad takes his little
girl fishing. A bobber, a hook, and a worm will guarantee that she
catches as many little sunnies, crappies, and nice little bass off
that dock as she can stand. The fishing's great in that cove, just about
anytime, but the connection he'll make with his young daughter will be
priceless.
If you have kids, take your kids fishing. Even if you
don't fish regularly, take your kids fishing. Sit 'em down on a dock,
put a worm on a hook, and let 'em catch a few. And, while you're doing
that, you can have a real-life conversation with them...a conversation
that will stick with them for the rest of their lives. You don't even
need a fishing license to take a kid fishing. As long as you don't fish
yourself, you can help them without a license. Who knows? Your kid may
even turn you into a fisherman.
7/2/06
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Me!
Bald
Eagle Lake is one of my favorite fishing lakes...any time of year. I
haven't been out on it, though, this year, until yesterday, and didn't
know quite what to expect. You'll find it just past White Bear Lake, off
Hwy 61 and County Rd. J. The lake has a good concrete ramp, with
courtesy docks, and offers a really good range of structure. Everything
from Walleye to Muskies inhabit the lake, so there's plenty to fish
for.
Thursday, June 29, was a decent, sunny day, with a high
projected to hit about 82 degrees. I launched at 8:30 A.M., and
immediately hit some small, but frisky largemouths in the weeds just
around the point from the launch ramp. I found some more in the sunken
cattail island, and there was tons of bait swimming in the weeds. I even
saw what looked to be about a 25 lb. snapping turtle over by the sunken
island.
I spent the rest of the morning trolling the 10-14' edge
on the southeast shore. I painted a bunch of fish on my locator, but
couldn't entice them to bite. A couple of more boats were also trolling
that area, but didn't have any better luck.
What was surprising to me was that I took the bass in
very shallow water in both spots, casting a chartreuse spinnerbait into
the weeds at the edge of the water and running it fast. All the hits
were in less than 12" of water.
If you try Bald Eagle, do it during the week, and in the
morning. As I was retrieving my boat at Noon, the skiers and personal
watercraft folks were launching. It's a busy, busy lake on the weekends
and during weekday afternoons when the weather's warm.
6/30/06
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Me!
So, it's time to buy a boat. Maybe it's your first boat,
and maybe its just another in the long line of boats that pass through
your hands. Here's a guide to things you'll hear from sellers of used
boat, along with an explanation of what they really mean:
1. "No, I've never seen it leak."
What the seller means is that he just bought this boat to sell it, and
has never had it in the water.
2. "The outboard ran great the last time I used
it."
The key words here are "the last time I used it." You can't
use an outboard that doesn't run, so he stopped using it when it broke.
3. "Great looking carpet, huh?. I just installed
it."
Yes, he did...to cover up the rotten plywood under it. Carpet's cheap.
Rebuilding a boat floor isn't.
4. "Those little cracks? Nah...that's normal for
these boats. Not a problem."
It's normal, all right. Normally, a short time after those cracks
appear, the boat sinks.
5. "The transom? No rot in there. I put those
braces on for that heavy engine."
Uh-huh. Yes indeed. He put those braces on to keep that heavy engine
from pulling the rotten transom off the back of the boat.
6. "Yah, these trihulls from the late sixties were
terrific. Don't know why they stopped making them."
Could have been the fact that they'll beat you to death when the water's
rough and the folks in front need to enjoy being wet.
7. "I had the engine checked out at the marina. The
technician said it was good to go."
He had it checked 5 years ago, and the technician told him it was time
for it to go...to someone else.
8. "They don't make trailer rollers like that any
more."
The ones he's pointing at need to be replaced, but you can't get them
any more, so you'll have to spend a couple hundred dollars for new
brackets and rollers.
9. "Water skiers? Heck, I pulled four skiers behind
this boat last season. She'll get 'er done."
All four were under the age of 12 and weighed less than 100 lb. They
"got done" all right. Their arms were completely worn out, and
they never did get up on the skis.
10. "I'm sure glad this boat's going to you. I know
you'll take good care of her."
Yup. You'll have to. Before you get to use his old scow, you're going to
have to spend another $1-2 Thousand getting it seaworthy.
6/19/06
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Me!
A guy doesn't have to leave the Metro to go after big
Muskies, it seems. Several Metro lakes are prime Muskie habitat, thanks
to the DNR's stocking programs. I've seen several caught in Bald Eagle
Lake, White Bear Lake, Lake Owasso, and even at Phalen Lake.
To learn more, check out this Pioneer Press article
about Josh Stevenson, who is probably the Twin Cities best Metro Lakes
Muskie hunter. Click
Here for the article.
6/18/06
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Me!
Planning a trip out of state? Heading for a business
conference, or accompanying someone somewhere you'd rather not go? Why
not go fishing while you're there? That's what I did on a recent trip to
Nashville, TN. My wife was attending a conference...a conference I had
no interest in. We were going to be in Nashville for two nights and just
one full day, so I decided to pack my travel rod and a small box of
tackle. But where to fish? I'd never been to Nashville. I knew that the
Cumberland River wove its way through the city, so I figured there could
be some decent fishing there, but access to city waters can be tough.
Here's what I did, and it's adaptable to any strange
waters anywhere in the USA:
First, I hunted down the Tennessee DNR site on the web.
Not all states use the DNR acronym, so you can also search for
"Fishing License TN (substitute the state of interest)" to
find any state's fishing and hunting authority. These days, most states
sell non-resident fishing licenses on-line, so I picked up a 24-hour
license for the day I'd be there.
Second, I had to find a spot to fish. I had only
about a 4 hour window for fishing that day, and had to shore-fish. I was
going to have a rental car. So, I needed a good spot on the river, not
too far from my hotel. I checked around on fishing sites on the web, but
nobody offered any shore-fishing sites anywhere near my hotel. It was
time to bring in the big guns.
Google Maps is how
you find fishing spots in unfamiliar areas. Type in the address of your
starting point, like a hotel, and the map will appear. Click
"Hybrid" at the top of the screen, and you'll switch to a
satellite photo image, centered on your hotel, with street names and
places like parks, etc. overlaid on the satellite image. Use the Zoom
feature to zoom in so you can see some detail, then start scrolling
around the map, looking for likely spots. You can follow a river or a
lakeshore easily. I was looking for public access, so I focused on parks
on the river. Once I found one, I centered the map on the park, then
zoomed in closer to see what structure was there.
I ended up deciding on a city park on the river. By
zooming in, I found that it had a boat launching ramp, rip-rap along
part of the shoreline, and even a small stream entering the river. The
spot looked ideal, and it was less than a 10-minute drive from the
hotel. I did great. I caught several keeper largemouths and some really
nice panfish from that spot.
Want to see where I fished? Click
Here! Looks like a good spot, right? Try this yourself, either for
your next trip or even in your own local area. It works great, and can
turn even a dull day into a fine morning of fishing.
6/5/06
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Me!
After getting my new boat (see below), ready for use, I headed for my
favorite test lake, Gervais Lake, in Little Canada. I needed to make
sure it didn't leak and that both motors ran OK out on the water, not
just in the barrel. Since I never take a boat on the water without the
full complement of fishing gear, I figured I'd fish a little, all other
things being OK.
The boat floated, and didn't leak, so I turned my attention to the
real reason to put a boat on a lake...fishing. Bass are always on my
mind in early June, and Northern Pike are a close second. Walleye? Never
mind walleye. They're overrated as a game fish, in my experience. Tasty,
but overrated.
Using my favorite chartreuse spinnerbait, I started fishing around
the shoreline of Gervais, working the weeds heavily. Suddenly, about 20
feet from the boat, some large fish was rolling on the water. What the
heck? I instantly cast over the ripples left by the rolling. Could be a
big muskie or northern over there. Nothing.
I drifted further into the weeds, with my attention focused on where
I was casting. Nothing was taking my spinnerbait, so I thought I'd
change to a surface lure of some kind, so I reeled in and opened my
tackle box and started picking through one of the drawers, looking for
just the lure that would entice the lazy bass in the lake.
Absently, I looked over the side of the boat. About three fish, each
at least 2 feet long, were swimming around and under the boat. What the
heck? (I'm repetitive, if nothing else). Carp! Big carp. They were
everywhere. That was what had been rolling on the water earlier. Carp!
Now, carp are commonly seen as "trash" or "rough"
fish here in Minnesota. They're disdained by all anglers worthy of the
name. Not so elsewhere. In England, they have a status amongst anglers
reserved for the Muskellunge here in Minnesota. Huge tournaments are
held in Jolly Old England to catch carp. An entire industry exists
selling specialized tackle to angle for this lowly fish. There must be a
reason.
Indeed, carp are difficult to catch, and fight harder than almost any
other freshwater fish of equal size. Yet, they are scorned here in
Minnesota, except for a small circle of anglers who understand the lure
of the carp.
Well, I didn't have anything in my tackle box suitable for carp
fishing. Kernels of corn, doughballs...nothing. Here in Minnesota, you
can even fish for them with a bow and arrow, and I didn't have one of
those in the boat, either.
Next trip to Gervais Lake, though, will be a different story. Since
my practice is catch and release for all species, I can see no reason
not to seek these carp. We'll see if my skills are up to carp fishing.
Heck! The state record carp is only 55 lb. 5 oz. I see no reason I can't
do better. Optimism...a fisherman's best friend.
6/5/06
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I recently sold my boat to a young guy who will be using it for
fishing and family recreation. It was too large for me, since I enjoy
fishing the smaller lakes around the Metro, and many of them don't allow
gasoline outboards. The new owner is a happy guy, and got a very good
deal on a good old boat. Moreover, Ramsey County has its pound of
property tax revenue flesh...and on time, thanks to the sale of that
boat.
That left me boatless, a dire affliction here in the land of
who-knows-how-many lakes. The fishing opener was history, the bass
opener was coming up, and I was without a boat. Oh, the horror! Adding
to the misery was the financial plight of the lone blogger. There
wasn't much in the family piggy bank to finance a boat purchase.
I needed a small aluminum boat and a trailer to haul it around. I
already had the requisite small outboard motor and an electric trolling
motor. So, the quest began with almost hourly checks of the Twin Cities
version of Craig's List.
The Boats section of that outstanding site is the place of choice to
search for the used boat of your dreams. In my case, my budget of just
$300 was a dream itself, for nothing in that bargain-basement price
range showed up for several days. Oh, there were plenty of aluminum
boats and trailers, but the going price was about $800 and went up from
there. Despair was beginning to set in. I was scouring the fishing web
sites, looking for places to fish from shore.
Then, on a Saturday morning, I saw it. A 12' aluminum boat, with
trailer, advertised for exactly $300. It was about an hour's drive from
my Saint Paul house, but there were even photos of the boat. Man, was it
an ugly thing, with paint covering it in patches. Its owner claimed that
"it floats, and doesn't leak."
The thing about Craig's List is that you must make contact at once.
Such a bargain was going to be short-lived, since many people are
searching for such a cheap, but seaworthy craft. A phone number was
listed in the ad...a rare thing on Craig's List, for obvious reasons. I
called. A guy answered and assured me that he had this boat still.
"I'll take it! " I said, no doubt with eagerness palpable in
my tone of voice. "When can I pick it up?" I had been carrying
three crisp new $100 bills in my wallet for two weeks, and they were
crying aloud to be spent.
"Where are you coming from?" the guy asked. When I told him
St. Paul, he said, "Hey, I'm running some errands in St. Paul this
afternoon. If you're sure you want it, I'll pull it over there and
deliver it." Such things do not happen! They simply do not.
"That'd be great," I said, in a state of disbelief. I gave him
my address, along with directions to my East Side house, and he said
he'd be there in a couple of hours. Another rule of Craig's list is that
nobody delivers anything. I could not believe my good fortune.
True to his word, he showed up at about 4 P.M., dragging this
incredibly ugly boat, tied haphazardly to a decent-looking trailer.
Funds and pleasantries were exchanged, the boat was backed up my
driveway, and the previous owner drove away, $300 richer and quite
obviously relieved to be rid of an eyesore.
Uffda! I inspected my purchase, stem to stern. Crudely painted
registration numbers decorated the prow of my new boat, along with a
registration sticker with a date of 1978. This boat had not been used,
legally, at least, for 28 years! Hmm... It had once been painted brown,
but roughly 75% of that paint was now gone, leaving ugly patches of
brown paint everywhere. It's origins were revealed further by the
patches of green lichen growing on whatever paint remained. Great globs
of pine pitch added to the motley finish of the exterior. This was a
cabin on the lake boat...long unused. Visions of lazy summer days
fishing at a family cabin drifted through my mind, followed by too-busy
lives, with a boat turned upside down under a pine tree for years.
The wooden transom panel was rotted away, but there was a decent pair
of oars nestled under the wooden seats. The foam-filled flotation boxes
under those seats had come loose and were just sitting there, held to
the seat with one screw each. More of the dirt-brown paint was on the
interior of this neglected craft. While the boat came with a trailer, it
was obvious that the trailer had been used for some other boat,
entirely. Still, the trailer was fairly new, with good tires and
well-greased bearings. Even the lights worked. A box of trailer rollers,
nuts and bolts, etc. was in the boat, all brand new. Things were looking
up.
There was much to be done here, before this ancient craft was going
to see another lake. I set to work (after a trip to the local Mills
Fleet Farm, of course, the second home for all owners of old boats).
Paint remover, plywood, many screws, and more nuts and bolts, were on
the list. Of course, I knew I'd be returning to the store a few more
times. You can never make just one trip to Mills Fleet Farm. That is an
axiom of a man's life.
So, the boat got flipped upside down on a pair of garbage cans. Paint
remover was slathered on, followed by scraping, followed by more paint
remover and more scraping. Eventually almost all the paint was gone,
exposing long hidden, bright aluminum. The paint on the inside of the
boat would have to wait, since the Bass opener was less than a week
away.
Next, the trailer. I installed the rollers to ease the boat on and
off the trailer. A new winch and rope got bolted to the trailer. Wooden
bunks, covered with carpet, to support the boat further, were another
need, but the boat had to be on the trailer so they could be properly
designed and installed. I cranked the boat onto the trailer, then
adjusted the rollers to hold it level.
Now it was woodworking time. I carefully cut and installed new
transom boards, painting them green, since that was the color of some
paint I found under my workbench in the garage. Green is good, it seems
to me. The bunks were next. I had not found appropriate hardware in any
of my trips to Mills Fleet Farm. They were out of what I needed. I
assume there were others, like myself, resurrecting old boats in the
Metro Area. I did not have time to wait, so I cobbled together some
brackets from yet another trip to the store, carpeted a couple of 2 X
4s, and spent an anxious couple of hours moving and adjusting and
re-adjusting these supports, until the boat sat proudly on the trailer,
perfectly level and even. The several loadings and unloadings of the
boat during this process gave me a nice, sharp lower back ache to remind
me of my labors.
Things were looking pretty good, so I decided to rectify the ancient,
outdated registration numbers and sticker. A nice lady at the Maplewood
City Hall, was very helpful, when I explained the history of my new
acquisition. "Since 1978, then?" she queried, skepticism redolent
in her voice. "That's pretty far back. I'm not sure we have a
record that far back. It will be harder if we don't have a record, you
see." She began frantically tapping on the keyboard of a computer
connected to the Minnesota DNR's boat registration site.
"Well, what do you think about that?" she continued,
"Here's your boat, right here, and after all those years. It looks
like it belonged to a fellow up in Lutsen, then. I don't suppose you
have a bill of sale." I confessed that I did not. She clucked her
tongue quietly, then took pity on me. "Well, the fellow is probably
dead after all those years, anyhow, and you don't seem the type to steal
an old boat," she offered. Then, with a few more clicks on the
keyboard, a tongue of adhesive registration tags emerged from the
printer. "That'll be $36, then, and you'll be all set." I
paid, and left, amazed at the flexibility of such things, here in
Minnesota. Such a thing could never happen in my old state of
California. I didn't even find out the name of the man from Lutsen. But,
never mind...wherever he might be, I'm sure he's pleased that his old
boat will once again be fulfilling its role.
Well...the story's almost over. The boat's sitting on my back lawn,
outboard ( fresh from a tune-up) and trolling motor firmly attached to
the transom. A couple of rod holders (another trip to Mills Fleet Farm),
a nice red gasoline tank and brand new deep cycle battery are in the
boat. Two life jackets, one throwable PFD, an anchor in a Fleet Farm
bucket and a pair of oars are in the boat. I'll load the rods and tackle
boxes tomorrow. All in just a week of puttering.
It's Bass opener tomorrow. If you want me, you'll have to head up to
Demontreville Lake over in Lake Elmo. I'll be the guy in the semi-shiny,
$300 (well, about $450 by now...do not speak to my wife of this, if you
don't mind), resurrected boat, happily casting for bass. I won't have my
cell phone on, so don't bother calling.
5/26/06
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