Just keep your feet wet,” my grandpa told me. I was 12, and he’d just handed me my first fly rod. He was explaining how I could explore the trout streams of northern Minnesota, even when they passed through private land. Minnesota’s “wet feet” stream access law is a positive relic of our troubled timbering … [ Read more]
Heirloom Muskie Lures: Supernatural Big Baits
May 29, 2018 by
The warehouse complex at 755 Prior Avenue North in St. Paul most famously houses entities like Can Can Wonderland and BlackStack Brewing. But in the northwest corner of the building sits Supernatural Big Baits, where founder and owner Duff Thury has been hand-making some seriously big baits for serious muskie anglers since 2013. Duff is … [ Read more]
Trout Run: Trail race meets fishing tournament at the Driftless Area Flyathlon
October 9, 2017 by
Social media swirls with events in the fall, like so many maple leaves on a windy sidewalk. The trick to capitalizing on these short and perfect autumn days is to choose activities that blend multiple interests together. Like the 2017 Driftless Area Flyathlon, a trail race with fly fishing along the route and craft beer … [ Read more]
On the Hunt for Dinner: Chef Jon Wipfli on his new cookbook, ‘Venison’
August 22, 2017 by
If you ask local chef and food writer Jon Wipfli, he’ll tell you that there are two types of meat out there. First, there’s the individually wrapped cuts on the supermarket shelf, uniform and predictable—you can cook the same thing every night. The other, more interesting, meat is the kind that’s still in its original … [ Read more]
Gotta catch ’em small: Growing “micro-fishing” trend has Twin Cities roots
April 25, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Aaron Bye is a Stillwater-based home inspector who built his business around an extreme attention to detail. He found a fitting hobby, almost by accident, and coined the term “micro-fishing” on a 2009 trip when the fishing was slow. “We were goofing around catching emerald shiners, and realized it was a ton of fun,” says … [ Read more]
Panfish to pike: An every-person’s guide to fishing
April 24, 2017 by Leave a Comment
It’s tough for lifelong anglers to imagine what it’s like to be a beginner. Those introduced to the sport through family traditions often had elder mentors who instilled not just the how-to, but also the why-to, and the ethics and ecology lessons that naturally follow. But for folks without that foundation, the barriers to entry … [ Read more]
Anglers are tying flies (and tying one on) at Twin Cities taprooms
January 30, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Minnesota fly anglers can always go to the liquor warehouse, buy a six-pack of domestic, and go to the big-box outdoor store and buy a blister pack of mass-produced flies. And sometimes we do. Sometimes that hits the spot. But on some rare special dark winter nights in the Twin Cities—cold, clear nights with blazing … [ Read more]
Raising hackles: The prized chickens at the center of fly fishing
September 27, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Nine hens and a rooster scuttle through the straw in a large pen in Steph and Eric West’s backyard in Grant, Minnesota. These are three-month-old Whiting True Blues—a breed that’s been selected to lay gorgeous blue eggs. The birds give a cockeyed warble to the Buttercup chickens rooting through the grass on the other side of … [ Read more]
Field and revenue stream: How hunting contributes to wildlife conservation
September 27, 2016 by Leave a Comment
In some parts of Minnesota, it’s no big deal to see trumpeter swans flying overhead, their black bills in stark contrast to their white bodies. It’s exciting to hear the trumpeting sound they make and exhilarating to feel as much as hear the thumping sound their wings make as they fly overhead. And while trumpeter swans … [ Read more]
The first cast: A fly fishing essay
September 27, 2016 by Leave a Comment
7am • Friday The coffeemaker does its thing just like every other Friday morning, perking away automatically at seven. But this is not any other Friday. There’s work ahead of us, of course—unloading, paddling, at least one serious portage—but this work is eagerly anticipated. Work that brings sweat, physical progress, distance made from city and … [ Read more]
Minnesota’s stunning streams lure trout anglers
June 22, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Anglers drawn by the lure of stunning streams have plenty of places to fish for trout in Minnesota. Southeast Minnesota, a land of forested hills and shaded valleys, is laced with high-quality streams that harbor brook, brown and rainbow trout. The state’s premier trout fishing destination, the region’s many streams—hundreds of miles of them—are among … [ Read more]
Mille Lacs is catch-and-release only for walleye this season
March 21, 2016 by Leave a Comment
For the first time ever on Mille Lacs, only artificial bait will be allowed this summer for walleye fishing, and all walleyes must be released beginning with the season’s first day, reports Star Tribune. The DNR made the announcements Monday morning in a media conference call. DNR fisheries chief Don Pereira said that the chance … [ Read more]
Minnesota receives $33.6M for wildlife restoration
March 10, 2016 by Leave a Comment
It’s that time of year again, when this year’s distribution of the revenues generated from excise taxes paid by the hunting, boating, and angling industries gets doled out among the states via the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration and Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration acts. The program raised $1.1 billion for state wildlife agencies in 2015, … [ Read more]
The Uncertain Future of Walleye in Mille Lacs
August 11, 2015 by Leave a Comment
The Star Tribune reports on the future of walleye fishing on Mille Lacs, perhaps the paragon of Minnesota’s popular fishing lakes. Stocking the lake with walleye, like the state did when population collapsed in Red Lake, may only be a temporary fix. According to fish biologists, rising temperatures and invasive species are also playing a … [ Read more]
Slay to Gourmet: Walleye Fish Tacos
May 7, 2015 by Leave a Comment
As the sun starts to hit the tree line, I can feel a noticeable change in the boat. Rod tips start to bounce more frequently, the bait cache is depleting more rapidly, and walleyes start to fill the live well. After a day of musky fishing with minimal action, it’s nice to end a warm … [ Read more]
