Me and Bob Joyce with the Due North/Rapid Marine Lund

My poor boat....  The Due North Outdoors/Rapid Marine Lund sits in the garage completely trashed and in desperate need of some serious TLC.  The carpet is soaked in a foul stew of splashed leech water, spilled Diet Cokes, layers of pungent pike slime, lots of human sweat and a layer of Canadian rain.  As a diehard angler,  I couldn't be happier.....  

Lake of the Woods...

Sunday, we headed north to Lake of the Woods to check out the hot summer walleye fishing with a few of our good friends.   The crew included Ryan Sirvio and Jim Denn, two of our partners from Fox Sports North who help make Due North Outdoors happen.  Ryan and Jim don't get a chance to fish as much as I do, so they were kinda hopin' for a highlight kind of trip.   I'd say we ALL got it.   We had temps in the low 80s and almost zero wind as our crew of 10 fished Northland jigs tipped with Northland Impulse plastics.  Let's just say the setup worked.  We had a hot pattern of fish.   Every person on the trip caught new personal bests for walleyes ('cept for me- Remember that 34 inch Tobin Lake monster?).

The Fox Sports North Boys Doubled Up! *again*

Jim and Ryan both caught personal records for pike too!  

       Another BIG pike for Jim!Ryan with another Dandy!
The numbers were astonishing.  Between three boats and three days, we had more than 100 fish over 24 inches.  Other friends on the trip included Bob Joyce of Radco Truck Accessories fame and Rick Kezar, who helps run Central Boiler.  Rick and Bob had no problem doubling up with big fish too!

Rick and Bob!

 Rick and Bill Double Up!

The coolest moment came when a pike snapped off Rick's last walleye jig (or so we guessed).  Five minutes later, Bob had a nice pike in the net.  He had Rick's jig back too!

After three EPIC days of fishing, I pointed the boat east for our 37 mile haul from Wiley Point Lodge back to the Totem Lodge launch. Skies looked heavy and Grey.  Bob Joyce had time for a quick "thumbs up" as we got the bimini top up just in time.

Heck, I could barely see as cold rain and wind kicked. Both pelted us on the ride back. I have to admit, the Rapid Marine Lund cut through HEAVY water as our best fishing trip of the year came to a sad end...


The Lund Wrestles Tough Conditions...

Leaving Lake of the Woods Behind...

My Big Fish of the Trip!

If you love walleyes, you love Lake of the Woods.  Experience a trip like this through a stay at a place like Wiley Point and you'll understand the lure of Canada's wild places......

  A Beauty!

Whadda ya say besides, "Whadda Walleye Spring!"  Seems the fish have been biting non-stop since opener four weekends ago.    We started the open season in the Brainerd Lakes Area of Minnesota.  Fish were biting well on spottail shiners on Lindys or Northland Fireballs.  Rapala's new Clackin' Minnows have been the trick trolling at sunset on the flats. 
My Favorite! #9 Clackin' Minnow in Silver!

Heck, even my 3 1/2-year-old got in on the action.  Way to go Brady!

Two weeks ago I spent a week up in Canada at Kabeelo Lodge and, of course, we caught more walleyes that we could count.  Up there, I LOVE the jig bite on a Fireball tipped with either minnows or Northland's Impulse shad patterns.   The other favorite of mine is draggin' #9 Rapala Shad Raps.  Boom!  Fish on!

Dad with a Canadian Dandy!

The last two weeks, the absolute hot bite, without question, has been on Mille Lacs Lake.  We've been up there every free moment catching amazing numbers of walleyes.  The good news?  They're biting.  The bad news?  They're biting. See, I'm convinced the bait fish are not in Mille Lacs and the walleyes are getting kinda desperate.  They're acting like they're willing to eat about anything.  

A Mille Lacs Beauty!

For us,   Two techniques have worked unusually well.  First, Lindys tipped with leeches.  I've been focusing on 20-30 feet of water on the edges of the flats.   The other has been a newer technique called slow death.  Ever heard of it?   Essentially, you rig a bottom bouncer (my choice is a 1-2 oz Northland Slick Stick) with a 10 foot snell tipped with a slow death hook.  They're odd shaped hooks that you thread smaller nightcrawlers onto.

Slow Death Hooks

   As that rig drags through the water, the shaped hook makes the crawler corckscrew.   One tip, don't hang giant crawlers.  I'll nip the tag end of the crawler to keep it no more than six inches long. 

 The walleyes LOVE it! So did our guests last week.  Fellow Rapid Marine/Lund Pro Perry Good and I took Rapid Marine dream trip winners Doug Meyenburg and his buddy Jerry Hobbs out to Mille Lacs to teach them slow death. 

By lunchtime,  Doug was absolutely blown away.  He'd caught so many walleyes they'd eaten right through his red slow death hook!  

My Poor Hook!Jerry and Doug with a Mille Lacs Monster!Perry with Another Trophy!

Sunday,  we were back on the lake and fishing buddy Brian Bitzan and I had the same good luck.
One of Brian's Biggest Fish

I think I've seen more BIG  walleyes this spring than any other I can remember.  That is a good thing!  How about you?  Next time your walleye bite goes cold,   try a slow death rig.  Something different to wake up the fish!  Up next, The Brainerd Classic!  One of the region's most popular annual tournaments.  I'll keep you posted on results!

Mississippi River Pool 4

Holy smokes! Our ice is gone.  Like that, "winter" blew by and the weekend wind blew away our ice.  That means open water fishing NOW!  I picked up the 2012 Rapid Marine Lund and fell in love at first sight. 

2012 Lund Pro V 1875

It's the new 1875 Pro V decked out with a 200 Mercury Verado,  two 900 series Humminbird units,  Two Minn Kotas, including a Terrova w I-Pilot up front and 101 Vantage in back.  All the bells and whistles you'd expect from a Pro V,  plus that darn bright green Rapid Marine wrap.

The boat sure looked good on the Mississippi River last week.  Pool 4 is open for business, judging from the number of darn boats out there.  We didn't find a lot of walleyes, but got our paws on a few fat saugers. 

If you plan on fishing the river, do me a favor.  Look closely at the following photo.  See anything?

The two poor guys in the little boat in the middle were hooked into a giant fish and it was pulling them all over the place.  Notice, no one bothered to get out of their darn way.   Good golly, give your fellow anglers a break! By the way, 45 minutes later, they landed a paddlefish that was wider than their boat! Very cool....
Holy Smokes!
Oh, and look at the Humminbird.  Talk about a pile of fish.....
Actually, Humminbirds have been my best friend twice in the last two weeks. Number one, on the river and two, up north in Saskatchewan.   I was sitting on Tobin Lake shooting a walleye story when I saw the biggest red blob on my Humminbird 55.  Here's what happened next...

I started the year up around Grand Rapids with Northland pro Greg Clusiau and buddy Blake Liend.  We found plenty of nice crappies on good ice.   Heck, it was 40 degrees out too.  An amazing day on the ice with good people!

         Nice fish Greg!
Wher e did we find them?  You'll have to ask Greg!   

IBill and Blake with dandys!

 St. James Lake

The Otter Pro Thermal looked a little lonely out on St. James Lake!   My sisters-in-law proved St. James still has fish, even after the big winter kill a year or so ago! 

Ellie and Zoie with a Whopper!

The best part about fishing with Zoie and Ellie? I've always got plenty of help getting the Otter off the ice, well, at least from Zoie...

 This week, we snuck up to Mille Lacs with buddy Chris Kuduk and Woody Sankey and, of course, we found plenty of nice perch.

  Woody and ChrisWhere exactly on Mille Lacs?  Ha!  You'll have to ask Chris!  But, check this out!  Here are a few quick snapshots from the new Aqua-Vu Micro underwater camera.  Amazing clarity in the palm of my hand. 

I could see finicky takes neither my electronics nor my rod could pick up and I caught a pile of fish using
the camera.  Thanks Aqua-Vu!    

Months before we had brainstormed an upland road trip.  Why not try and hunt three states in three days and document the whole thing for our television shows?  We'd pack the truck with hunting gear,  Jacob's 3-year-old black lab and drive.  Our plan was to hunt far-western Minnesota, then drive up to North Dakota where we'd camp behind the truck and then hunt sharpies and pheasants on public land.  Our final stop would be Daybreak Lodge in South Dakota where we'd walk fields alongside our Aberdeen Million Dollar Bird Hunt winners.  Aaron would document the trip with his video cameras.  Jacob would do the same with his still cameras.   Last Wednesday, we packed the truck, threw in a big tin of Tums and hit the road....
Our Road West

First stop was the Montevideo area to hunt alongside Pheasants Forever Biologist Eran Sandquist and local Pheasants Forever chapter president Tom Brusven.  We hunted both private and public land, kicking up just enough birds to keep the hunting slow, but steady.

Good Retrieve Tucker!

We called that first hunt mid-afternoon and headed north and west towards Hankinson, North Dakota.  The plan was to set up tents behind the trucks on the national wildlife refuges and get up early the next morning and hunt.  Our first challenge came moments later when a text came in from Jesse Beckers, our North Dakota buddy and Pheasants Forever Regional Biologist.   It read, "We can't find a single bird."  "Change in plan."  "Head west!"  So, we did.  Three hourse later, we pulled into a motel in the small farmtown of Edgely, North Dakota.   The good news?  We traded in sleeping bags and cold tents for motel beds...
Edgely's CafeNext morning, we filled up on hearty breakfasts at the local cafe and hooked up with Jesse and his buddy Matt Olson, who also works for Pheasants Forever.  Together, we decided to hunt two or three PLOTS properties, which are privately-owned, but open to public hunting.  We moved just outside the area where hail had been a big problem all year and started hunting.  We found a few roosters and even a couple sharptail grouse. 
Jesse Beckers and His Hunting Buddy
 For sure, the bird numbers were down.  Was it the tough winters?  Maybe the wet, cold spring and summer hail?  What about the burning slews all around us as farmers tried to milk every inch of their land to make a few extra bucks?  Whatever the reason, we could clearly see bird numbers down in Minnesota first, and now North Dakota.
More Pheasant Habitat Burning Up!

North Dakota Birds!
Our last stop would be Daybreak Lodge just north of Aberdeen, South Dakota.  There, we hooked up with Eric Mathiowetz, winner of our Aberdeen promotion.  He'd signed up online to win a two day hunt at the lodge.   Eric brought along his brother, Todd Dahna, another diehard bird hunter. 
The SD Hunting Party
We all awoke our first morning to the smell of fresh-baked cinnamon rolls and thick bacon.  After downing a few mugs of hot coffee, we loaded the lodge bus and headed out to one of Daybreak's best draws. 
Morgan and Mark Haglin
Mark Haglin and his son Morgan run Daybreak.  They also guide and run some of the best English Springer Spaniels we've ever seen. 
Excited to Hunt!
Morgan directed the dogs as we walked prairie draws and bottoms along the Elk River.  We found plenty of birds, although we never really saw classic South Dakota numbers, yet another sign that the bird population is down. 
Rooster!
 After harvesting a good number of roosters, we finished our Daybreak Lodge hunt around the campfire.  Lots of talk about missed birds, jammed guns, badger holes, all the stuff we love about hunting.
An Evening CampfireWhile the campfire flickered in front of us, Jacob happened to notices something up on the rivge above camp and snapped a quick shot. 
    The Hillside Above Daybreak Lodge
  Funny, but as we drove home on Sunday, Jacob, Aaron and I were still laughing outloud.  I guess that's aJ good sign that our first ringneck roadtrip was a success.  Guess we'll be planning another for 2012.  I'll keep you all posted...  
 

 Enjoy all  the photos from Jacob Gibb Photography!  Watch for a spread in Pheasants Forever's Magazine sometime in 2012!

 www.jacobgibb.com

A Lewiston, Idaho Sunset

Pre-Hunt Carbs!

Bess Likes Her Eggs Scrambled!

Idaho Habitat

Day One Take...

Hells Canyon is North America's deepest canyon.  I always thought that title went to the Grand Canyon, which is about a mile deep.  Turns out Hell's Canyon is about 8,000 feet deep. 

Hells Canyon

We zipped upriver through rapids in JJ's jet boat and pulled up on a sandy beach where the dogs hopped out and we geared up to hike to elevation and hopefully find a few wild mountain chukars.  The first five-hundred feet were a piece of cake. Slow and go as we moved up a brushy draw.  That's when I hit the star thistle. Waist-high plants with giant thorns on top.  I trudged through wide spreads of the stuff, cursing the stars and thorns poked me on every step. Within the hour, we made it up to roughly 1,300 feet above the river and started walking steep, brushy haunts, listening for the the cackle of chukars.  Every once in awhile, you'd be hanging from a pile of shale rock on a steep mountain side and a cover of birds would suddenly blast off.   It was downright tough to get a shot off without falling 500 feet!  That's the lure of chukars.  Tough birds that live in tough places.

Aaron Shooting

As we came off Craig Mountain,  I was happy to have gravity dragging me down the mountain.  Our legs were all pretty rubbery after seven hours up there.  The highlight was to dunk our hot, burning feet in the Snake River's cold, healing waters.   Looks like that mountain shale did a piece of work on my tired legs! 

  By evening, we had a handfull of birds and settled into the fish and game guest house along the river. Tomorrow, we'd be fishing steelhead in the Snake River's fast runs.  This trip was suddenly turning into the adventure I had dreamed up...
Mountain Chukars
The View Behind Our Cabin
Fall morning's in Hells Canyon tend to get a bit chilly.   As we zipped up the river in moring haze to one of JJ's favorite steelie runs, the bite of the cold air pinched at our cheeks.  

Aaron had both cameras along, just in case we needed to ditch the fishing and hike up a hill to cackling chukars.  In three hours, we hooked two fish, but landed neither.  Guys got a little short as the fishing slowed.  Finally, just before noon, I hooked and landed a nice 8 lb. fish on camera.  We had just a few hours to get back into the mountains and find a few more birds on camera.
                  Steelhead!
  As we stepped away from the jet boat and up on the first flat,  the dogs locked up.  A cover of huns flew and JJ and I knocked down two individuals.  Over the next 90 minutes, we would several more coveys ofWhat had been a trip that looked so dismal became one of the most profound television shoots in my 18 year career.    Hells Canyon

That night, as I packed my bags and laid down to get a few hours of sleep before the early morning flight home,  I winced in pain from two days hunting Idaho's mountains. I had blisters on my feet, my legs stung from the remote mountain climb and the fields of prickly star thistle, but I smiled as I popped a couple aspirin.  This kind of pain, I like….

Bow River and Canadian Rockies

 Last Monday, we arrived in Calgary and fished the famed Bow River alongside long-time guide Bob Haysom, who also happens to head up Pheasants Forever Calgary.   Last time I was up there, we lit up that darn river.   I think we had two or three fish over 18 inches in roughly 2 hours of fishing.   This trip, the river returned the favor....  In half a day of fishing on a perfect fall day without an ounce of wind, the Bow gave up exactly one fish.   A darkly-colored rainbow trout.   The good news?  She was a dandy caught on camera from every angle.  
A nice Bow 'bow.....
  The fishing didn't matter much, because our real mission was to tackle Alberta's upland hunting scene.  Tuesday morning, photojournalist Aaron Achtenberg and I were up and packed well before the sun made an appearance.  Bob picked us up and the three of us crossed the foothills on the Eastern edge of the Canadian Rockies and documented an amazing Alberta sunrise.  See the deer? A pile of GIANT mule deer also made an appearance.  Makes for some beautiful television.  
More mule deer
  About 60 kilometers and an hour later,  we geared up in blaze orange and headed, on foot, up a steep coulee in search of sharptail grouse.  Turns out, the area south of Calgary is supposed to be one of the best spots on the planet to chase sharpies.   You could have fooled me... Four hours into our "mountainside" hunt, we hadn't seen a single bird.  Suddenly, this Alberta adventure was turning into potential nightmare.  We'd had slow fishing the day before and now the birds weren't cooperating either.   We did scare out a couple of the biggest mule deer bucks I've ever seen.  Just wait 'til you see the video...
Our second coulee
I continued to hike the steep, grassy hillside and started thinking.  "What if I we don't get any birds and I go home to a steaming-mad boss?"  "Geez, I spent two months getting this trip together and now I'm gonna get fired."  I could feel the sweat dribbling down my back under my Filson vest and I started to get even more nervous.  Suddenly, eight birds flushed right in front of me.  The dog had not scented them.   I just flushed them mindlessly walking the coulee.  Without thinking,  I mounted my Browning and pulled the trigger.  The flushing bird directly in front of me dropped.  At that same moment, I noticed another bird flying off to my left.  I pivoted and instinctively pulled the trigger and the second grouse fell.   My first true double on sharpies.  I looked at Aaron, camera hanging on his shoulder, and we smiled.  Those ten seconds of flushing pandemonium completley changed our attitudes.  Over the next half hour, we documented several more sharptail flushes and we left that darn coulee with a greatly improved outlook.  
Our take...
 That afternoon, we made a quick stop on our way down to the town of Medicine Hat at a historic Canadian site called "Head Smashed In".  While it sounds a bit rough, it's actually a very cool destination.   It's the spot in Southern Alberta where the prairie people once ran herds of buffalo off the cliffs. 

Below those cliffs, researchers have discovered bone fragments nearly 12 meters deep, dating as far back as 6,000 years ago.  This is how, long ago, people gathered food and materials for clothing, shelter, tools, you name it.  Head Smashed In; 
The cliffs...
A pretty amazing stop if you find youself in Alberta.
We woke up the next morning in Medince Hat just a little bit sore, but ready for a full day of pheasant hunting with members of the local Pheasants Forever Chapter.  I chuckled as I pulled open the barbed wire fence along our first coulee.   Ever heard of the Chinooks?  They're famous, or should I say infamous winds up in that part of the world and they were blowin.   Forcast called for winds to 15 kilometers per hour.  My pants flapped and I almost lost my hat.  Turns out the weather lady had it wrong.  We were getting ready to hunt in a full gale.   We dropped into the first coulee and the dogs put up two hens and a rooster almost immediately.  In that wind, no one had a shot at the rooster.  He was gone in the blink of an eye.  For the next three hours,  not a single bird.  Aaron and I once again looked at each other and I could tell we were thinkin' the same thing; "What the heck did we do to deserve hunts like this?"  That afternoon, we finally found two spots where Aaron was able to document plenty of flushes and falling birds.  As we walked out of our final haunt, we both let out a tired sigh of relief...  Alberta turned out to be one of the most intense shoots I've ever been part of.  Guess that's why I didn't feel too guilty bellying up to a hot plate of poutine and a tall glass of Alberta "ceasar". 
Canadian junk food!
I'll have the bags packed shortly and a trip update from Idaho.  Hell's Canyon, here we come.  We'll be chasing chukkars and steelhead on the Snake River....

 Finland's Sokos Hotel Chandelier

Jet lag never quite kicked me like it did about week ago.  Sitting at a hip dinner table under a rather strange-lookin' chandelier in a Finnish hotel restaurant, buddy Mark Fisher looked across the table at my baggy eyes and partially-slumped body.  After he finally stopped chuckling, he said,  "Just stay awake until nine tonight buddy and you'll be alright."  "In the meantime, just drink this..."   He slid a cold bottle of beer in front of me and we spent the next two hours waxing about the world around us and all that is fishy. 
The Beer....
 I'd been up about 30 hours and was still kicking.......barely.  I had three hours until Mark’s 9 pm curfew.  See, first I'd taken a late-afternoon flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam.  After a morning layover, which included a tiny cup of overly-strong Lavazza coffee and a classic European sandwich that tasted like a sack of salted bass plastics, I climbed onto another plane and zipped north a few hours to Helsinki.   Now I was sitting in that hotel restaurant just a few miles from the very home of Lauri Rapala.  Let's just say the jet lag took a back seat as I realized the adventure that was about to unfold…
My Hotel Room Monitor.... Ha!

After a rough night of rest, our small entourage walked through the front door of Rapala's main production plant and got to work documenting the birth of a bait. 
Finland's Rapala Plant
It's downright  magical to see.  Trust me.  Plant manager Arto Nygren showed us every step in the process.  In here, about 160 Finnish workers build baits from scratch. 
Arto and Bill Discussing the Finer Points of RapalasRapala's Magic Machine...
This cool machine spins balsa and other light woods into rough baits.   While we weren't able to shoot these machines up-close  (think proprietary secrets), we were able to see the long pieces of wood spin in and the end result spit out.  Literally  buckets full. 
Baits Popping Out!
Get this.  In an average day, Rapala crafts 50,000 baits.  Yep.  FIFTY-THOUSAND....Almost unimaginable.   We saw workers hand-wrap foil onto baits just as Lauri Rapala did 75 years ago. 
Hand-Wrapping Foil onto Baits While Rapala’s painting secrets are just that, Arto did allow us to open a door in one paint room and peek in as artists zipped their air brushes over hundreds of baits.

  Notice their chairs mounted on wheels, which allow them to zip back and forth over long stacks of baits.   
A Rapala Painter
Looking at the drying racks is the strangest thing.  NEVER have I seen so many baits in one spot.  When I dream at night.  This is what I see.
Nick Shooting Rapalas

Holy Rapalas...
That same afternoon we had a chance to go see the very first bait Lauri Rapala whipped up back in 1936.  Rapala, a local lumberjack turned fisherman,  shaped pine bark and wrapped it in foil from a chocolate wrapper.  A buddy of Lauri’s was a photographer so he borrowed a few film negatives and melted them over that first bait to create a hard shell. 
The Very First Rapala Bait!
Guess what?  It caught fish, lots of them;  So Lauri got to work in the bait business and the rest is, well, you know…

  Lauri Rapala Cabin and Original Tools
After our day at the Rapala plant, Rapala buddies Petri Varis and Teemu Makela joined us and we all
road-tripped down to Petri’s cottage on the Baltic Sea.  Our goal?  Finland’s brackish northern pike!On the Baltic Sea w/ Petri! 

First day on the water we fought heavy, heavy wind.  What's the old joke? "How many liters in a mile?"  I think Petri's translation equaled to something like 35 to 40 miles an hour.  A strong breeze anywhere you are, especially on a sea! We did manage to land several fish on colorful Rapala Subwalks.  The size 15s are bait of choice out there. 
Rapala Subwalks Ready for Action!
Of course, Teemu landed big fish of the trip.  Makes sense considering he owns one of two known Lund boats in Finland. The model?  Mr. Pike.  There you go…
"Mr. Pike" in his Mr.Pike with Ms.Pike...
Our other goal was to land a few of Finland’s infamous perch.  We think we’ve got big ones around here?  Well, here are a few Finnish perch. 

You get the picture, er, pictures… I’m going to make you wait to watch the show to see exactly what we found...

 We also had a little fun with our underwater gear and a few Rapalas. I think this might be a first of its kind!

Our last day in Finland, we decided to check out Rapala’s headquarters right in Downtown Helsinki.  If you look really closely at the building, you should be able to notice something a bit unusual.  See it?
Rapala's Finland HQ

A Closer Look...
Up on the third floor, a world record just waiting to happen.   I’m wondering how the heck I’m going to get that thing in the Lund and troll it. 
A 9-Footer!
I’ll get to work on that.  Meantime, grab a normal Rapala out of the tackle box and take a good look at it. It really isn't just another bait.  Rapalas are a form of religion I've learned to love each time a fish hits.  "Holy Rapala...."

Watch for our Finland Rapala Special on Due North Outdoors.  It's going to be a VERY special journey! I’ll keep you posted on air dates...

Buddy Wayne with a nice fall fish!

If you're a MONSTER musky junkie, you can relate.

Here's a link to last year's Quest show we shot.  Good stuff! 

http://www.duenorthoutdoors.tv/watch-the-show/2010/11/29/due-north-outdoors-the-quest.html