New water, new friends, new camera

With a sudden opening in my schedule, my habit of storing my fishing gear in the car paid off. Instaagram again gets a nod for connecting fly fishers. I connected with @hotdishflyfish recently and shot him a message. His work schedule usually results in free days/mornings, so we met for a couple hours on his local stream.

The water was new to me. It had plenty approachable holes and runs, but the clarity was a little too clear. Even with the overcast skies, the fish were jumpy. I managed a few flashes and finally landed a standard driftless brown.

Hot Dish spend the morning casting his Blue Halo with a nymphing rig. He had a few takes that were not sticks but nothing to hand. That was fine by him. Dry hands are warms hands in the winter.

We have a warm spell coming through. That should bring the trout out to feed especially as the snow melt leads to turbid waters.

On another note, I finally gave in and bought a camera other than my phone. We will see how it goes. I've always enjoyed taking pictures, so I think the Sony a6000 will do well for me. If not, you may see it re-listed on ebay :)

One last outing this season. For real this time.

Last Saturday, I got in two more hours before season ended in Minnesota's East Coast/Wisconsin's West Coast.

Courtney, @SculpinArmy, and hopscotched our away from run to run, pool to pool and tree stump to tree stump.

The overcast skies and mild weather were comfortable conditions for swinging large flies made of buck tails and rabbit strips.

We found plenty of easer smaller trout. Nothing spectacular, but fun. I was getting ready to announce, "You know, it is just great to get out one more time.  It doesn't matter if we catch any big ones..."

photo credit: Courtney Morris, @SculpinArmy



photo credit: Courtney Morris, @SculpinArmy



And that's when I had a nice take. I was throwing an articulated streamer tied by Courtney. Light in color, fast in action.

19 inches of browned butter sauce and black peppercorn. 

photo credit: Courtney Morris, @SculpinArmy



photo credit: Courtney Morris, @SculpinArmy



Now that is how you end a season of fishing in the Driftless Area.



photo credit: Courtney Morris, @SculpinArmy



8/9/16: Hopper Coulee Creek

I was able to get out for a few hours this week. I chose a stream that was well-known in the area and considered a class one stream.

There are a lot of access points along the stream at it is clear there have been plenty of stream improvement projects. 

I did notice that one of the landowners updated their fencing which blocked off one of the access points and made a section of the stream a little difficult to pass. 

Some of the signs were a little confusing indicating a possible harvest season but at the same time catching release only fishing. There was also a survey box asking about fish caught and kept. 

I must say, I didn't realize the Black and Yellow Argiope lived in Wisconsin. The spiders are harmless but I must say the thought of accidentally walking face first into one of their webs is frightening.

I had a lot of luck casting hopper invitations. The grasshoppers are everywhere this time of year and even is the water temperature approached 65°, the fish were still seizing the opportunity to take my fly. 

It's a beautiful time to be out on the water. The streams in the driftless area are easy to wet wade. 

What is amazing is that I probably only fished three quarters of a mile of the stream in the several hours I was out. There is just so much water to explore in my area, I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to do it all. But I'm up for the challenge:)

The Virginia Tribute Video: Virginia is for Fly Fishers

Virginia is for Fly Fishers from My Leaky Waders on Vimeo.

Four years. 

Four years was all I had to fish the heck out of the great state of Virginia. From the mountains to the coast. I paddled, hiked, drove, waded, climbed, crawled, camped, froze and sweat for these fish. I made lifelong friends, ate way too much BBQ Exchange in Gordonsville and indulged in my fair share of Virginia ales. 

It may be true that Virginia is for Lovers… But you know what? It is also for hard core fly fishers with opportunities to scratch any fly fishing itch. 

I didn't' even come close to exploring all the Virginia fishery has to offer. Muskies, tarpon, carp, CCBT drum and winter stripers, bass, gar, shad and on, and on, and on... I guess I'll just have to make an annual pilgrimage. 

Here's to you, Virginia. 

Music: Josh Ritter "Getting Ready to Get Down"

January 1. Winter trout season opener.

I lost a glove, broke a net, caught some great fish, and discovered why wing trout fishing in southeast Minnesota and the driftless area is amazing. 

New Year's Eve was spent quietly with my wife, Ryan Secrest, and a fly tying vise. 

New Year's Day began 16deg with a biting wind and a 2 mile hike through the snow. 

I'm thankful for the easement and property owners who have left this land undeveloped. 

The fish were generous and willing to take nymphs and streamers. 

Now, the big question is, when I got back to get my glove I lost somewhere by the stream, do I bring a rod?

Good Days

I love good days. They come in all shapes and sizes. Some are lazy. Some are long. Some flyby and they're gone before you know it.

Saturday was a good day.

We enjoyed a night in on Friday, and Saturday morning we walked to the park after a fresh pot of coffee and a quick breakfast. I had to run into work for about an hour but made it back in time to play befor a midday nap. While Sara and David slept, I went for a long run. Longer then I've run in a couple years. 9.75mi. It just felt so good to be out in the hot August sun, so I kept going.  I came home to a well rested house, and we headed straight to the neighborhood swimming pool for a hour of water play under the fountains and bubblers. We walked home in our suits and the little guy in a diaper and towel drinking a bottle of milk. 

The next stop was the Salem Glen Winery just 15 minutes south of Rochester. All the grapes are grown on site. The property rests on a hill where the observatory waits for nightfall. The wines were wonderful. Typically I think most northern wines end up being very sweet, but these were much more of the traditional variety with something for everyone. My favorite was the Marquette. It was dry, cherry flavored and peppery. Sara liked the LaCrescent and the Cygna. 

David paired his milk and matchbox cars with cheese crackers. He is wise beyond his years. 

He quickly moved onto the red wagon and explored the grounds. 

Not in the mood to cook dinner and hankering for smooth custard, we stopped by Culvers on the way home. A satisfying dinner was topped off with a game of Choo-choo while standing in a wok. Sara and I still aren't quite sure why David enjoyed this so much, but good things don't always need explaning. We just rolled with it. 

Tempting fate with a day that was already perfect.  I rushed out to the stream after putting David to bed. I haven't used my new rod yet and I wanted to fish a section of the stream I hadn't tried. I had a limited window before dark so expectations were low. 

However, this day could do no wrong. The Walton Powell Hexagraph casts beautifully. I was tossing a mini hopper into spots I shouldn't be able to. It felt like all I had to do was look where I wanted to cast, and I could make it happen. Still, I hadn't seen a fish in the 30 minutes I was there and darkness was upon me. 

There was a downed cottonwood that was creating some great structure, but it was the type of structure you normally pass up because it is understood you will lose every fly you cast anywhere near the tempting pools. (It brings to mind ships wrecked on the rocks after hearing the sirens call.) Today, however, a last chance at a fish seemed well worth the risk. 

I ended up walking out on to the cotton wood, balancing on the beam, mid stream. I landed the fly in a stretch the size of a 10-gallon bucket and the fish hit immediately. He hid under two trees before I finally got him to the surface. My balance got me so far as to net the fish before I fell backward chest high in the cool water. On a hot August night, with a big brown trout in your net, it is hard to be upset at something like that. I laughed because Sara had just gotten me a new waterproof case for my phone.  I smiled because I couldn't think of a better way to initiate my Hexagraph. 

Not all days are good, but when one comes along it pays to relish in it. It even felt good to walk back to the car soaking wet. So good I tried to give my very best Breakfast Club fist pump to the sky, fly rod in hand. 

Another one in the books, I guess. Tomorrow, we start all over again. 

Here is to another good day ahead of us. 

Painting Through Prosek: Von Behr Brown Trout

No apologies for the decrease in posts, from me. I've been busy with an amazing 8-month old and traveling for interviews. This time next year, I'll be exploring new waters. 

On to the painting...

This one has been a long time coming. One of my first attempts at painting was of a brown trout, and, man, did I struggle. I've gotten a little better control of color now, and I'm much happier with this result. I went for the warm colors of the colorful, small-stream browns when they wear yellow bellies and are sprinkled with red and black berries. 

Now, here's a question for you…. Wouldn't it be cool if we could get some shirts with these on them??