Bob and I rarely fish on weekends because no doubt, here in Wisconsin the waterways are for sure at their busiest. But suddenly the days of summer are passing rapidly. Too rapidly. We decided to take a long haul down numerous dusty roads to a river where the mosquitos and horseflies carry you away. There … Read more
Wow. I actually went four straight days without fishing. It was no wonder I was driving Granny crazy around the house yesterday to get her stuff together so we could get going. Finally, around 6:30 PM we began the winding drive to one of my favorite fisheries in Wisconsin so we could get an early … Read more
Boy, it’s been hard to get my man Howie (Matt Norton) on the water this summer. Howie has more company visit than anyone I know. And when he doesn’t, he’s often busy getting the Norton estate ready for the next round of guests. I’ve been razing Howie, but not too badly because he has … Read more
I cherish the longest days of the year and don’t waste a minute of them. I was checking my email at 4:20 AM as the birds were going off and daylight was bringing northern Wisconsin to life. I love it. My main fishing buddy Bob Butler likes to get up early … Read more
Granny and I are headed for Canada on Tuesday for ten days of fishing ranging from Red River catfish around Winnipeg to huge pike and lake trout up at Gangler’s North Seal River Lodge in Manitoba. It’s a trip we’ve been looking forward to all year and its finally around the corner. Being I won’t … Read more
I planned a big adventure with Granny this week to pack up our Outcast Striker Raft and explore a new river. Based on my Google Earth research of the stretch I chose, there were plenty of shallow raft-dragging rapids, a potential portage and being this is a boggy location, one could expect an abundance of … Read more
I grumble about an early morning once in a while, but for the most part I love them. My alarm was set, but as usual I was up without it by 4:15 AM. Today Bob and I met at 5:45 which meant a before daylight departure from home of around 4:50. I look forward to … Read more
Howie and I hooked and lost a couple honkers last week on Chequamegon Bay of Lake Superior. Mine was likely a gigantic smallmouth bass. We never saw it. Howie’s was for sure a big northern pike but it severed his bass leader in seconds. Today we left Washburn at sunrise with hopes of redemption. … Read more
Yesterday I mentioned getting my moneys worth this summer – meaning I’m fishing like a madman. Today I’ll tell you I’m feeling it. I love every ache and pain and this kind of tired, but man, I woke up one minute before my alarm went off. That was 3:59 AM. And every inch of every … Read more
The man who helped Granny and I with this move to Wisconsin more than anyone was my old Northland College roommate Matt (Howie) Norton. In the process Howie and I talked often about how much fishing we’d be doing once I got here. But since officially moving here on May 9th, we have fished together … Read more
1987, my first year working at the Jack Dennis Fly Shop, was a good one. At the end of the season Jack had a cancellation on a “Fly up to the Bighorn River in Montana” for two guided fishing days. The trip was fully paid for and the customer that cancelled told Jack to have … Read more
One of the many great things about being in the fly fishing industry for nearly 40 years are my affiliations with the top anglers, guides and companies. As Granny and I made our way towards Lake Michigan yesterday, I rang my friend Joe Wolthuis at Scientific Anglers. SA is based in MI so I figured … Read more