Good evening and a belated Merry Christmas and a premature Happy New Year!  Things are busy and I can't wait for the all the sweets to be gone!  My knee still needs some work and I haven't been able to get as much exercise as I would like to.  In fact I was bouncing off the walls in the Nisswa Park warming house the other day as two of our three children were skating and I wasn't.  I have been doing some trudging around on the ice, pulling sleds and gear from spot to spot so I guess I am getting a bit of a workout.  I was out on the Whitefish Chain tonight with 5 teenage boys from the Ames area of Iowa.  We set some tip-ups and did some jigging.  We caught a 12, 18 and a 19 inch walleye and missed a few.  Pretty slow, but we fished a spot that typically holds some hawgs.  Perch colored Jigging Shad Raps and the new perch colored Salmo Chubby Darters are working well.  We had about 8 inches of ice.  We have been fishing Gull for the most part and the heavy snow that we received during Christmas has created a pretty sloppy mess for the time being.  I think a lot of the slush will freeze down in the next 8 or 10 days as the forecast looks cold.  Parts of Gull and Whitefish have 14 inches of ice but other parts of the lake only have 7 or 8 inches.  There is a truck on the bottom of Gull Lake and it's hard to say when they will get it out.  I guess the fellow was pulling out his fish house and didn't know the conditions of the lake, if you don't know what the ice depth is it might be a good idea to ask at your local bait shop or resort.  Fishing has been decent but once again the travel is a bit on the tricky side.  My 1982 Enticer has been a champ, but I do miss the Sno Bear.  The countdown to the Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza is on, are you coming to fish?  The contest is the 23rd of January and the area where it is held was one of the first areas to freeze on Gull so we should be in great shape by the 23rd.  I could keep on talking but I have to go pick up my 13 year old from her friends.  Good night!

Walleyedan       

Good morning to you.  It's 6:35 a.m. and we are at 1 or 2 degrees, it's warming up!  When I wrapped up the flooding on the backyard hockey rink last night it was a degree or 2 below.  Today and tomorrow should be good fishing days and I hope to wet a line tomorrow.  As you all can probably relate, things get quite jammed into a tight time frame this time of year.  9 days to Christmas, wow.  I was on the ice Monday and chiseled a spear hole for a couple of honeymooners from Long Prairie.  I did get a work-out because my auger would not stay running, I ended up doing the whole hole with my not so sharp chisel.  Joe and Luanne stuck one 4 pound northern and swung and missed a big eelpout.  I set them up on the Gull Lake Chain and we had 8 inches of ice, I'm sure there is about 10 by now where we were.  The walleye action is o.k. but not fantastic according to some reliable sources, one day you might go out and whack a nice batch but the gnarly weather has not been the best for a consistent "bite".  The best report that I have heard was from a friend and customer who was getting a few everyday but they were big ones (20-26 inchers).  Tip-ups and shiners were producing the best results.  The ice conditions are as good as we have seen in a number of years.  This bodes well for the Brainerd Jaycees annual ice fishing extravaganza which will be held on January 23rd this year.  If you have no clue what I am talking about, make sure you check out their website at icefishing.org.  Mills Fleet Farm has tickets at all of their stores throughout the upper midwest, stop in and pick up a pamphlet and look at the prizes you could win.  Today will be another busy busy day so I best wake-up the last of the 3 kids and get him ready for the big day at Nisswa School!  Have a great day yourself and make sure to call or email if you are in the market for a fish house rental, guided ice fishing trip or a set of Arctic Armor.  How about a fleece Walleyedan beenie? 

Walleyedan

Good morning.  We are getting some winter and it's not even winter yet.  We are in the single digits, the wind is blowing and we only received a light dusting of snow up here in central Minnesota.  Gull Lake appears to have some open water yet but some of the smaller lakes are being fished already.  Round froze-up very nicely and has about 4 solid inches, there have been fishermen/women out there since Monday evening.  Not sure if they are catching fish but I am thinking they are, Round usually produces early.  The birds are feeding, I saw a couple of deer on my way home from dropping the kids at the shuttle and was tempted on grabbing my bow and intercepting them but figured I better not.  Yesterday a.m. I tried to put a doe out of her misery but did not succeed.  She must have been hit by a car and is dragging her hind quarter.  If I see her again I will try and take her otherwise she will definitely be predator feed.  I need to get my rear in gear and get my ice fishing equipment ready to rock (today).  We have been getting calls and emails for guided trips and fish house rentals, we are doing both and Tim Hanske is going to be doing the majority of the fish house work and I will be doing some of the guided trips with Tim.  We will have a few hard sided houses to work with and we will also be using Eskimo portable shelters for those days where we run and gun.  I have been visiting some of the Mills Fleet Farm stores for the past couple of weeks and they are well stocked with all of your ice fishing needs and wants!  Make sure if you do visit a Mills Fleet Farm store you stop and pick up a Field and Forest magazine and a flyer and ticket to the Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza coming up on January 23rd!  The contest area is already frozen so let's just pray and hope that it is about 3 feet thick by the 23rd of January.  Have a great day and I wish you the best with your schedule leading up to Christmas.

God Bless,

Walleyedan      

Hello and happy December.  It's about 10 or 12 degrees and there are some flurries in the air.  We made some ice last night and I am guessing most of the small lakes are iced-up this morning.  Now we need the wind to pipe down tonight and we should get close to sealing up the big lakes pretty darn quick.  I was at Mills Fleet Farm in Alexandria last night talking fishing and earlier in the week I was in Hudson, WI.  The gear is moving off the shelf pretty quick so stop in and make sure you get the cream of the crop before they are gone!  Check out the Walleyedan end cap and see the new Salmo baits, they are probably the hottest on the market and if you don't have any in the "box", you better get some.  Mills also has Wildlife Research products on sale at I believe 50% off, get your scent eliminators and other goods now so you are ready for next season.  Perfect stocking stuffers too.  I think I am done fishing out of the boat for awhile maybe I should get it detailed and put away today.  Maybe I should do a lot of stuff today.  It's nice to have a brace on the knee, I already feel better and can't wait to be able to do something physical.  I just made a phone call to Brent Wiczek from Nisswa Marine to talk Sno Bear and he had just shot and missed (he thinks) a nice buck with his muzzleloader.  I could tell the adrenaline was still rushing!  I just saw a buck this a.m. as well but I was in the truck, might juts have to get out this weekend and see what is moving (or not).  If any of you readers are thinking about coming up to fish, give us a call or email, we are getting quite a few requests and bookings.  We are also selling a fair amount of Arctic Armor and it seems that the new all black suit has been most popular thus far.  We are all moved into our new shop on highway 371 north, make sure to stop if you see the "open" sign blinking at you.  Another thought for Christmas might be a gift certificate, we have wooden certificates that are pretty cool and can be used for guide trips and Arctic Armor.  We also have some very comfortable (and stylish) fleece stocking hats in black and in camo.  Next time I write I should have some more exciting things to talk about from the woods or from the ice!  Stay tuned and have an awesome weekend.

God Bless,

Walleyedan 

It must be White Wednesday (we have snow on the ground this a.m.) if Friday is Black Friday.  On this Thanksgiving eve, I am thankful, very thankful!  God has blessed us with so much it's impossible to not be thankful.  So, thank You.  Those of you that read this, those of you that are friends, family, customers, business partners all of you that are part of our life, thank you too.  Hey, thank you Dr. Rud too.  My knee is on the mend and I can't wait to go do the things I want to do.  I was fishing on Saturday with Dr. McDermott and we caught some.  We were fishing walleyes on Gull Lake and it was nice to be back out there again.  I am thinking I should be out there right now too but I have stuff to do, including a dental appointment with Dr. Miller.  Lots of Dr.'s in my life right now what's up with that?  Probably not much or maybe it's the age thing.  No, probably not much.  Muzzleloader season opens this weekend and it could be a good one, especially if we get some more snow.  I haven't been out in the woods since my knee surgery but I plan on getting out before ice fishing season.  The Ice Show is this next weekend and at this point I don't think we will be there.  I don't know for sure, but those of you that were thinking of purchasing an Arctic Armor suit from us in St. Paul, please take note and call or email us for "the deal".  I have a feeling that the winter is going to be a busy one, we are starting to get a number of inquiries and bookings for our winter fishing trips and fish house rentals.  We are looking at the possibilities of rounding up another house or two so if you have a lead please let me know.  I also know of a couple other people that are interested in purchasing a house (fish house).  I will be doing a handful of ice fishing seminars at different Mills Fleet Farm stores throughout Minnesota and 1 in Hudson coming up in December too.  Check out MillsFleetFarm.com for your ice fishing needs, they have an awesome selection and have always had the awesomely low prices!  Gotta go.

Walleyedan 

Good early Friday morning to you.  I am here in my recliner with my left knee up and being iced.  It's about 3:30 and I think I was slept out so I figured I would get up and get something done.  The knee surgery went well as far as I can tell.  I don't know if I am going to feel up for the road trip down to watch the Warriors play the Cretin clan but we will just have to see.  By the way, congratulations Brainerd Warrior football team on a big win last week and another great season under coach Stolski and the rest of the team.  I would like to see an Eden Prairie/Brainerd final and I will be there for sure.  The November weather has been awesome but I think I need to winterize my Triton today because I think winter is coming next week.  There have not been many folks out on the water but I have heard some pretty good reports.  Bruce has been out quite a bit in November and has been doing well dragging jigs in deep water.  If I don't fish today I think I may have to be done for the season.  I'm going to still plan on getting out with my bow and arrow although I will be hunting off of my management tag.  I was out in the woods on the evening before my knee scope and I had a little 4 pointer walk on by at about 35 yards or so, pretty fun just to watch them walk.  The Wisconsin gun season opens tomorrow and I am pretty sure there are some excited hunters that are getting ready for the big day.  Good luck, shoot straight, be safe and make sure to get all of your hunting and fishing supplies and licenses at Mills Fleet Farm.  I will try to get you a report before Thanksgiving but if I don't have a happy and thankful one!

Walleyedan

Friday the 13th, pretty scary!  What is going to go on in the world today?  Very hard to say but I can tell you what has been going on since I last reported.  I have been hunting, I have been in Las Vegas at the SEMA show with Mystik Lubricants, We have been putting together our new shop which is located on highway 371 north just south of Kurilla Real Estate.  Did I mention I have been hunting?  I haven't been on the water, but if these temperatures stick with us I will be out one of these days.  November 11, Wednesday was Veterans Day and first of all I would like to say thank you very much for those of you that were honorably discharged and for those of you that have served period.  Yesterday I was at Northern Orthopedics and while I was waiting to see Dr. Rud I picked up the Field and Stream magazine and read the article about the 7 best days to hunt.  Was it irony or what that I shot my 11 point buck (with bow and arrow) on Veterans Day, one of the 7 best days to hunt according to the article.  It was a nice buck and I shot him just down the road from my house.  I was pretty darn happy with the shot I made, I threaded the needle big time and nicked the bottom of his heart.  I was on the ground and that is two years in a row that I shot my deer from the ground.  I was using my compound and was shooting Carbon Express Maxima Hunter arrows tipped with a Nightmare broad head by NAP.  I picked a 3 pack of these broad heads at Mills Fleet Farm in Baxter and I loved them immediately, now I am even more impressed!  I love these broad heads and it is what I will be shooting when I am back out there with my Holm Made hybrid bow.  My daughter Alex has a gun license and I think we are planning on hitting the stand on Sunday afternoon, it's pretty hard to work around a teenagers schedule!  For those of you that are wondering about Arctic Armor, we are selling it and if you are interested in purchasing a set please give us a call 218-839-5598.  I must go, it's time to take the kids to the shuttle!  Have a great day and keep God first.

Walleyedan  

Good morning to you on this moist October morning. October sure has been a cool, damp one. I have not been on the water for one week but I will be out on Friday to see what’s shaking. My last outing was with Phil and Aaron and we did catch a meal but couldn’t have feed too many (we kept 5 walleyes and a couple of crappies). I put Joe Howard on a nice fish (27.5 incher) last Tuesday and I am hoping we can get a bigger one in the boat on Friday. The whitetail deer are starting to consume my brain and I will start hunting them pretty seriously now that we are in “that” chasing period. I am only looking for a mature buck, so all I can do is go out there and put in some tree time. I was in Camp Ripley last week and it wasn’t too exciting. But, there was a giant shot while we were in there (32 pointer). My fall turkey season starts today but because of the rain, I am going to put it on hold and wait for a little break in the weather. I haven’t hunted turkeys in the fall, so it will be an interesting hunt. Flash has the spot scoped out so we’ll have to see what comes by. I think today will be spent finishing up the clean-up at the old shop. If you have not heard, we are moving to highway 371. It’s a short move, but it should be a good one once we get everything set up. We are located just south of Kurilla real estate on 371 north. Same number, same services, bigger building, better exposure, less rent. No brainer! Have fun in the woods, on the water or where ever you may go. We do still have the boats out and ready to fish so if you have the urge, please call and book your guided trip today. We also have our Arctic Armor inventory so if you are in the market for some of the nicest cold weather gear out there.

Walleyedan

The rain is still coming down and the wind is still howling. This doesn’t make for the greatest of fishing conditions, but if you are brave I would suggest you go fish. The catching has been pretty darn good for the last couple of weeks. We have been focusing on Gull Lake and it’s been good to us. This week we had the crew out from Lawson Software, Todd Friesen and his crew and Galen and Father Fredrickson. We are catching the walleyes on Northland Fireball jigs tipped with rainbow chubs and also on Lindy Rigs tipped with red tail chubs. On the jig, don’t be afraid to add a stinger hook for some of the short biters. The best depth has been around 30 feet but you can give or take depending on the time of day and piece of structure you are fishing. Mornings and evenings will be the best from here on out, but if you slide a little deeper during the mid-day you will find some biter as well (especially if the wind is blowing). Yes, I do realize it is hunting season but with how mild the weather has been it was tough to get into the mood. But now that we are having some more fall-like weather my blood is starting to move in that direction (although it’s tough to beat the walleyes). I have been practicing a fair amount and my clothes and hunting equipment are all aired out and ready to rock! I will look for the right wind and I will be out. I am also heading back into Camp Ripley again this year with the hopes of getting a chance a big one. Shelley and I did fish the Walleye Alliance tournament this past Sunday and it wasn’t beautiful. We did catch some fish but not enough to get us in the money so we bagged it early and got to listen to the “the catch”. Congratulations to Sterling and Bo who took first place, it took some troopers in those conditions. Go Twins, go Vikes and good luck in the woods or on the water.

Walleyedan

Good morning. It’s a beauty here in central Minnesota and the fish are biting! Today is the first full day of fall and I think that is exactly what the walleyes were waiting for. The “bite” is on and it’s been fun the past few days. We are catching a lot of fish and a pretty good mix of sizes. There are a lot of 12 inchers in the Gull lake system right now, but if you hunt you will also catch some other nicer year classes. We have been fishing in 24 to 34 feet of water and catching the walleyes on a Northland Fireball jig tipped with a rainbow chub or a Lindy Rig tipped with a red tail chub. It’s been fun and I would suggest that you make your plans to fish now because I really think things are going to stay good. I was out yesterday a.m. with Gene Stunek and last night with Brianna and Brandon Dufour, fun stuff and some good eats! Gull has been pretty good, but I also need to mention that we were up fishing on Leech with Steve Olson, Dick Smith and some of the other folks that own and operate the Chase on the Lake. We caught quite a few fish but the action wasn’t quite like it was this spring. Yes I do know that it is hunting season, but I am not going to get too cranked up until I get my fix on the walleyes. My hunting clothes are all aired-out and in my Hunters Specialties scent proof bag, I have also been shooting my Hoyt Katera compound bow and I think when the wind is right and the time is right I will be o.k.. I was in Mills Fleet Farm yesterday and I was like a kid in a candy store checking out all the new hunting gear on the shelves. Hey, how about those Twins? And how about those Vikings? Things are good, now it’s time for me to get prepared for a couple of different corporate fishing groups (one out of Maddens and one out of Grand View Lodge). The boat needs to be cleaned, minnows need to be picked and rods need to be rigged…..got to go!

WD

I am here at the computer after just gorging myself with a lot of groceries, just the walleyes should be doing right about now. It’s that time of year when things are usually really fired up and the fishing is easy. But, that really hasn’t happened yet (on a consistent basis). Although, last night was a bit of an exception with Tim and Phillip Yeh. We started fishing around 3:00 and found a nice school of hungry walleyes in the 15-19 inch range (most were 18.5 inches). Phillip had the touch, landing 4 of the 7 keepers. We caught all of our fish on red tail chubs in 19-22 feet of water. I wasn’t out today but I was pretty darn productive on land, knocking off a fair amount of things on my “list”. Hasn’t this weather been unbelievable? It was 80 and sunny without much wind today and I believe tomorrow is going to be about the same. Fall will arrive next week (officially) and we’ll have to see what it brings. The deer archery season opens Saturday here in Minnesota as does the youth waterfowl season and the grouse season. Lots of things happening as we move into the middle of September. I am going to be quite busy with my fishing so I think I will focus most of my attention on the rutting bucks this year, although I will get out a few times early. If you are interested in booking a guided trip with myself, Tim, Bruce, Jeff, or any of our fill-in guides please call Shelley at 218-839-5598 and get on the fall calendar. Have a great remainder of the week and I will talk with you soon.

Walleyedan

Oh those fish. One day they drive you nuts and the next you feel like you’re on top of the world. We have been doing quite well overall but yesterday with Bill and Larry we found the bite to be pretty darn tough out on Gull. But, I just got off the phone with two of our guides (Jeff and Tim) and both did quite well this a.m.. Jeff was on Gull and Tim was on Pelican. I have been having some good fishing on Whitefish so I think the fall bite is firing up and the fishing should be good from here on out. We are catching fish on both Lindy Rigs and jigs in 17-36 feet. Find them, catch them and have a blast! It’s going to be a busy fall for our guide service, so I would suggest that you book early. Yes it’s time to get serious about the fish but it’s also time to start firing arrows so you are confident when it’s time to enter the woods for Mr. Buckaroo. Have you seen Scarface? You might want to check him out on the end cap at your local Mills Fleet Farm store, this might be the difference between getting a shot at Mr. Big. The Silver XP scent eliminator is also a product that will be with me in the woods this fall and you can buy this at Mills Fleet Farm as well. The biggest fish that we have boated in the last couple of weeks was a 27.5 incher caught by Jaxson Debol, who caught it on a big, red tail chub in 25 feet of water on the Whitefish Chain.

Walleyedan

The weather has been a little goofy, but the fishing has been decent. We have been fishing the Gull and Whitefish Chains and the overall action has been good. Gull has been good if you just want to catch fish but Whitefish might be the spot to try if you want a decent walleye or two. I was up on Whitefish yesterday with Glenn and Mark and it was the first time that I have been up there for a couple of weeks. We found some nice fish in 23-30 feet of water, they liked our red tail chubs. We also caught some northern and a 18.5 inch smallmouth bass. We haven’t been chasing the muskies much but things should start getting fired up pretty darn quick! If you would like to book a musky trip, you might want to get on the calendar and loosen up your casting muscles. Another thing to consider right now is fishing bass on the top, I absolutely love to fish top water baits in the month of August! Have you stopped by your local Mills Fleet Farm to see the Walleyedan end cap? Right now the Scum Frog clip is running and you will see a big pig that I caught on a Scum Frog, go check it out! The 2009 fishing season has been a good one but we are thinking that the fall is going to be exceptional. It’s sad to think that the fall season is not too far off but it’s also a great time to be on the water. Have you browsed through our new website? Check it out, and please continue visiting because we will have new content being added fairly frequently.

Talk to you soon,
Walleyedan

We are getting some more moisture here in the “lakes area”, things are going to be pretty darn healthy after this recent deluge. All of our regulars were on the water this morning plus one. The action was good, but the bass and pike made up for most of it. Toby and I fished with the Joseph’s and their buddies and we caught quite a few fish including some nice pike and a lot of bass. We fished the weed line and the fish were extremely easy to mark. Last week as I was down in Orlando at the ICAST show, there were some nice walleyes caught. Animal put some of his customers on some nice walleye’s including a 24 and 27 inchers. Gull Lake is just loaded with bait right now and I think the “bite” will be awesome as the supply gets eaten up! This has been a pretty strange spring/summer as far as the weather goes, today the surface of the lake was at 66.7 degrees which is way below the average temp for July 20th. We have been fishing Gull quite a bit, but we have also been on Whitefish, Hubert, The Mississippi River, Mille Lacs and a few other bodies of water around the area. We haven’t been on Leech for a couple of weeks but Harv did a couple of trips for us over the weekend and the fish are still eating up there. We would like to congratulate Toby on finishing the season as “Angler of the Year” on the FLW League circuit. He has qualified for the FLW Championship out in Bismarck, ND on Sept 30th. O.K., that’s about it for now I must get a bite to eat and move on. Talk to soon. P.s. Did you know that Fleet Farm now has minnows at its’ Baxter gasmart? They do (including redtails)!

Good Sunday morning to you.  The wind is whipping out there this morning out of the west, not sure if we (the family) will head out or not might be a bit on the choppy side.  Is it not hard to believe that the 4th of July is almost here?  I think it is kind of hard to believe, but I will deal with it and keep on keepin on.  I did not fish yesterday because of the weather but I did fish all of last week.  We fished Leech, Mille Lacs and Gull.  I was up on Leech with coach Tenopir and some of his players form the Cornhuskers football team.  They were not small guys, in fact my 20' Triton tiller was riding pretty low in the water with 3 offensive lineman and myself.  We found some walleyes up shallow and had a good time sight fishing them with a Northland gumball jig and minnow.  The fish we caught (7 or 8) were all over the slot (18 inches) but it was fun anyhow.  Toby and Tim ventured out into the big lake and did end up catching some eaters before the storm blew in.  We took the same crew over to Mille Lacs the next day and the water was calm and the bug remnants were coating the surface of the lake.  We did catch a few walleyes including a 26 incher but it was not fast action.  I had a trip later in the week where we did have fast action though.  I fished with Shawn McNiel, Tim Orourke and Kevin Beebler (3 EP grads and longtime friends of the family).  We chased the smallmouth bass and we mopped up on them!  We had our best success wacky rigging Gary Yamamotto Yamasenko's.  Mills Fleet Farm has a good supply of them right now, but I would guess they will be gone in a few weeks so get in there and get stocked.  Feel free to email me if you are wondering how to hook them or fish.  The color wasn't critical, but the bass love Senko's!  We also caught them on top water and crank baits, it was a blast and a absolutely fantastic day on the water.  Gerbs caught the biggest bass which was just under 20 inches.  After the Mille Lacs trip it was back to Gull and it was dull!  Things are not happening right now on our Gull Lake!  It will change, but right now the walleyes are hiding pretty well.  I forgot to mention earlier that Shelley did catch the "Lunker" walleye at the annual Camp Confidence fishing classic.  It was a 26 inch 5.5 pounder, she caught it on a fathead fireball tipped with a red tail chub.  We ended up 3rd in the mixed bag category.  The guide calendar has been pretty busy but we do have a number of open slots scattered throughout the month of July.  We are thankful that people are still coming to us for their guiding needs.  Shelley just woke, I think I will join her on the porch for a cup and then figure out our game plan for the rest of the day.  Have a great 4th of July and thank you to all the military people that have served or are currently serving to keep our country independent!  God Bless!

Walleyedan   

Good morning.  There is a lot of stuff happening, you would almost think that summer is coming.  Today is Friday and I am on the slate over at the Mills Ford store in Baxter from 1:30-7:00 to visit and talk a little fishing.  If you are in the neighborhood please stop by and register to win a free guided trip and also meet the Lunkers baseball team.  We had a pretty strong storm system roll through the area last night as we were finishing up our purchase of a couple Blackberry Storms, how fitting.  Hopefully this tool will help me better organize my life.  Fishing has been good!  I have been on Gull, Leech and Mille Lacs this week and all were good.  I am hoping the action continues as we move into summer.  I just received a couple of emails from one of Bruce's customers...two trophies in one day!  A 30 inch walleye that weighed 11 pounds and a 20 inch 6.5 pound largemouth..,congrats Randy (and Bruce).  After my Monday morning trip with the Folska's the success continued on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Tuesday we are on Leech (me, Patrick, Mike, John and Gene).  We fished through he rain most of the day but we had a great trip.  We ended up bring home a couple of nice meals and also releasing a dozen or so "overs".  The two 25 inchers at the end of the day was icing on the cake!  No, I guess I can't say that.  The icing on the cake was the meal that these guys made after our trip, simply amazing!  No it was not fish, it came from an animal that has 4 legs and moo's.  On Wednesday Steve, Jeff and I met over on Mille Lacs and fished for smallmouth, it was good.  Jeff caught a 19 incher and let me tell you these guys can fish!  They were the winners of a guided trip that was given to the second highest fundraisers at the Minnesota Teen Challenge fishing event held earlier this spring on Gull.  Yesterday I was over in Alexandria to help raise more money for a walleye stocking effort that the Viking Sportsman have taken on.  Mills Fleet Farm donated to the cause and I road tripped over to have a couple of plates of fish and mingle with the folks.  Thanks for doing what you do guys!  Tomorrow is the annual Camp Confidence Fishing Classic, I will be fishing with my wife and my dad.  The Confidence Learning Center is a facility that has been helping folks with disabilities for many years and this will be my 15th or 16th year participating.  Not sure what the game plan will be tomorrow, but it is a multi-species tournament.  I might have to try and put Shelley and Ike on a big walleye or two in the a.m. and then go for whatever wants to bite!  We will see what shakes down and if you are interested in seeing a neat event stop out to Cragun's and watch the weigh-in.  Have a great day and make sure to call and book your guided trip today with Walleyedan's Guide Service.

Walleyedan

Good evening.  I am sleepy, so I will give you the quick low down and then I will go lay down!  Leech has been a peach and Gull has been dull...at least until today.  I finally had my first good trip on Gull and it happened this a.m. with the Folska's (Dean, Donk and Zeke).  Vinny missed the boat and Dean filled in quite well for him, boating a 27.5 and a 24.5 incher.  We put those babies back and ended up with a couple of nice meals of eaters.  I have been running up to Leech a fair amount and it has been fun.  We are catching walleyes and northerns with regularity.  Casting a jig with a minnow or some Gulp Alive will do the trick.  Toby and Jeff (two of our regular guides) have had some great showings on the tournament trail.  Jeff started it out with a 17 place finish at the Leech Lake tournament and then Toby folled up with a 1st place finish at the FLW League and a 7th place finish at the Tour event this past week.  I need to go to bed, I am heading back up to Leech for a full day trip and I am wiped.  Talk to you soon.

WD

It sure looks like a beautiful, Brainerd morning.  I know it's cool, but it is a beauty and I'm sure their are countless kids that are anticipating the end...of school that is.  What are they going to do all summer so they don't get bored?  That I don't know.  O.k., on with the report.  The fishing season has not really started off with a bang although some days have been great.  It is my belief that things are going to get rocking here pretty quick.  The water temperature on Gull is right around 60 degrees and this should mean good things to come.  I fished last Saturday at the Minnesota Fishing Challenge (a day that was devoted to raise money and awareness to Teen Challenge).  Actually I did not fish, Tom and Mike Walters fished and I just ran the boat.  We caught a couple of really nice walleyes right away and had the 3rd three quarters of the way up and lost it.  We ended up in good shape anyway but if we could have rounded up that final walleye we would have been at the top of the heap.  The Fishing Challenge was presented by Mills Fleet Farm and also sponsored by Norson Construction, Full Throttle Outdoors and some other helpers.  If you want to get involved in something very special I would suggest you look into this for next year.  I do not fish many tournaments but this is one that I will make sure to keep on the calendar.  Another great event is coming up on Saturday, June 20th is the Confidence Learning Centers annual Fishing Classic.  This is another great cause and another event that I would highly recommend.  If you want to get involved in either of these, please do a search and I will see you there.  I have been fishing a number of lakes in the area and have also been up on Leech Lake a couple of times this year.  Our guides have been on the water as well but things are really going to kick into gear next week, if you want to get on our guide calendar please call Shelley at 218-839-5598.  My new boat has a little bit of work yet to be done but I am getting back in the "tiller groove" rather quickly.  The rest of the week is going to be packed so today I will get geared-up and spend some time at Kinderfriend Day and then the kids baseball game tonight.  Lots going on in Walleyedan's world and I really need to get things organized because it is going to be a whale of a summer.  I hope all of you readers have a great summer and have a great open water season.  Enjoy the day and God's creation.

Walleyedan

Good morning.  I hope you are enjoying this Memorial Day weekend, it's been a nice one that is for sure.  Today it looks as though we will get some much needed moisture and that will be a good thing.  I returned from my turkey hunt late yesterday afternoon and I am just starting to come around after the sleep deprivation and the walking of the steep hillsides of southeastern Minnesota.  No turkey...yet.  Might I go back?  My wife might kill me if I do try to get one more morning in but it could be worth it.  Jim and I had a good time and had some great opportunities to score but as you may be will aware it's not easy to capture a turkey kill on film without being busted.  I told Jim not to move as a huge bird came in from behind us.  It was only 15 yards out, but I didn't want Jim to turn around and risk the chance of being seen by this wary old gobbler.  I thought it would come back around but it just headed up the hill road and that was that.  It all happened just an hour into our hunt and it turned out it was our best opportunity.  We did have other great experiences and the trip was very memorable, I will not forget that image of the big red head coming through the green grass or the baby fawn curled up in the field.  The timing for this turkey hunt was not the greatest, especially with the fact that it fell right smack at the beginning of my busy fishing season.  Live and learn they say.  While I was gone my daughter and I received our Minnesota moose permit, this will be another interesting trip and I hope Alex will get a chance at a bull moose.  As for the FISHING......it's been pretty good!  I had a trip just before I left on my turkey hunt and Tim, Toby, Bruce and Jeff did pretty darn well by the sounds of things.  I am taking a little break on this Memorial Day Monday and will be back on the water Wednesday with Keith, Ted and Lee.  Can't wait to see and fish with these guys again, fun group of guys.  Should I try to hunt one more day?  As you can see I am itching to get back down there!  O.k., back to the fishing.  The bass season just opened up on Saturday so now all we have to wait for is the musky season and that will happen on the 6th of June.  The season has started off on a nice note and we just hope that the trips keep on coming in at a steady pace.  Fishing is going to get really good during these next few weeks and if you are anxious to come and wet a line make sure to book your trip soon.  Have a great day and let's all try to do something to show our appreciation for the military men and women of the past and present.

God Bless,

Walleyedan

Hang on to your hat!  The wind is howling up here again in central Minnesota.  I have been on the water the past few days and I am actually happy that I am here getting some work done instead of getting blasted by the wind out on the water.  I have a major list of to do's, but it's nice to know that I am wiping some of them off the list today.  I opened up on Gull with my wife and my dad, the fishing was o.k., we caught about 10 and only kept 3.  Monday I was up on Leech with David Koch and Wayne and the numbers were about the same but the size went up.  We had a 21, 22, 23 and a 24 incher along with some eaters.  Jeff was back up there yesterday and did quite well, limiting out and putting back some big ones.  We picked up at the Chase on the Lake both days and boy is that ever a beautiful place.  If you are interested in heading up to Leech while the bite is still hot, we would be happy to pick you up at the docks of the Chase and put you on some nice walleyes.  Call today and you will get in on the action!  I was on North Long yesterday and it was terrible.  I felt bad, but I did work my tail off and I think Tom and Paul do realize it.  I will not be back out there for a while!  I will be on Gull the latter part of this week and the way the wind is ripping, the walleyes should be piled-up on the beach.  We have been catching our fish on jigs and Lindy Rigs tipped with spot tail shiners.  The guys that are cranking at night are doing very well also.  Mills Fleet Farm has some exclusive colored Shap Raps by Rapala and if you want to have one up on the rest of your fishing buddies I would suggest you stop at your local Fleet Farm and stock up.  My boat is starting to take shape but I still need to have Wave Wackers installed and a few other minor details.  The bookings are starting to really come sailing in, so if you want to get in the book for a guided trip with one of our guides I would suggest you make the call pretty quick (June is filling up pretty quick).  The Minnesota Teen Challenge fishing challenge is coming up on the 30th of May, are you involved or would you like to be?  Shelley and I were at the annual fundraiser a week or two ago at Maddens Resort on Gull lake and we were really impressed with the whole program.  We were so happy we decided at the last minute to go, it was an eye opener and an event we wouldn't have wanted to miss.  I need to make it a point to stop down and see the new complex south of Brainerd one of these days.  If you would like to know more about Minnesota Teen Challenge, check out their website (MNTC.org.  Time to fly, have a great day!

p.s.  Have you booked your guided trip for the season? 

Walleyedan 

I'm pretty sure we are about 24 hours from the 2009 Minnesota fishing opener.  It has come up in a hurry and I am still going to be scrambling a bit tomorrow in order to feel "pretty good" about things.  I just returned from the shop where I was playing Mr. Rigger and I have the itchy feeling right now from the fiberglass splinters.  I installed a Panther bracket on the stern of my new Triton and I am just hoping that I did it somewhat right.  Tomorrow morning I will be heading up to Jim Wentworth's shop to have a little wiring done for my two Minn Kota trolling motors and I will be even that much closer.  A set of Wave Wackers, a wrap job and a little tackle organization and I will feel even better yet.  The weather has been nice, the moon is about full and I'm sure the walleyes are pinning the bait up against the rocks right now!  I am going to open up on Gull with my wife and my dad.  I think we will fish for a couple of hours and then head in and have breakfast with the rest of the gang at Lost Lake Lodge before they all head out.  The phone was ringing pretty regularly today says Shelleye and the bookings are starting to trickle on in.  As I get the boat ready my excitement level is starting to rise and I am starting to get pumped for the 2009 open water season.  Make sure to bring your pan fish gear along this weekend, the crappies and sunnies are chowing down big time!  My dad has been doing well from shore and I have heard some pretty good crappie reports including an 18 incher that was caught off the pier by Zorbaz.  The sunnies are eating up angle worms, but make sure to stop at Mills Fleet Farm and stock up on the plastics (including an array of Puddle Jumpers) for the crappies.  Also make sure to stop by the Walleyedan end cap and critique my Trigger X DVD.   It's pretty ironic that on the eve of the open water opener I had a meeting with Mr. Havel down in Big Lake to talk augers for the coming winter.  It sure sounds like things are going to be fun in the Strikemaster camp this winter and they have some very nice new augers coming to the market.  O.K. the back is getting sore and the fiberglass is still bugging me, time to shower and hit the crib!  Good luck/skill this weekend.

W.D. out!     

Good morning.  The lakes are wipe-open!  We have a pretty significant weather change on our hands this a.m..  Yesterday was a beauty and today is not.  Yesterday was garage cleaning day and our 14th anniversary, serious bonding.  This coming week is "crunch time".  Time to get a boat, get it rigged and get ready for May 9th.  The Minnesota fishing opener is fast approaching and once again I have many things to do before I drop my bait down on Saturday morning.  The crappie action has been pretty good and our guides are ready, willing and able to take you out after some tasty morsels.  We are all concerned about the state of the economy and how it is going to effect our business but the way things look at this point it should be another good year.  Our pre-bookings are at or above where they were last year and it seems with each passing day the calendar starts to fill.  Have you figured out what day you want to fish?  Please call today so we can get you down on the number one time slot you are looking for.  I am going to change the subject here a little and talk turkey.  My daughter Alex had season B here in Minnesota and we did not bag a gobbler.  Once again, we had them right on top of us but they (3 of them) were not showing us their heads.  Too brushy.  I have a few weeks before my hunt and can't wait.  South Dakota doesn't look like it's in the cards unfortunately but you just never know.  If any of you readers are looking for a little calling help for the "C" or "D" seasons give me an email and I will see what I can do to try and get out in the woods with you one of the days.  I'm serious.  The list of "to do's" is quite extreme, so I must buckle down and start working on the list before it gets any longer.  I really can't believe we are approaching May.  Where did that "ugly" winter go?  Maybe I shouldn't mention it because I think I already heard some mention of the white stuff in the forecast.  Hey, as I look out at my truck I see that it just started to precipitate and so far it's not in the white variety.  I just got the word from the boss, I have to get off the computer and get ready for church.  Good bye and have a great week.

Walleyedan   

Good Easter Monday morning to you.  I hope you had a nice Easter weekend, ours was nice and staying close to home was great!  We did go to Good Friday and Sunday service and Pastor Dan did and awesome job once again.  It is a nice morning here in Lake Shore, MN., I just returned from dropping the kids off at the shuttle and school.  This time of year I am thinking turkey, so I took a little detour on the way home in hopes of seeing a strutting Tom out and about.  No go, but I did enjoy my little country road detour.  It's always good for the brain to get off the beaten path for a little while.  I have been doing a fair amount of walking as of late in hopes of trying to get my knee into a little better shape.  I guess you could call it scouting too.  My daughter Alex (12) has a permit to hunt turkeys next week and I am trying to figure out where we will plop down and call in Mr. Tom.  We'll figure it out, but the popularity of the sport is tightening up some of the land that is available.  We did take a little scouting road trip yesterday after the Easter feast.  We saw 3 birds, 2 of which were henny penny's and one that look like Tom.  I will continue to put out the feelers until I have confidence that we are going to be in the right neighborhood next week.  She has not killed a turkey yet and we are not going to have a whole lot of time to get things done (with all the schooling activities, etc.) but I am still hopeful.  This week it's time to try and get my act together and finish up some unfinished business.  The open water guiding season is nearing and I need to start making some progress.  I'm still in the thought process of what to do as far as a craft but I am pretty content at the moment and I'm sure I will put together the right plan (with a little help).  Jeff Anderson and I might road trip up to the Rainy River to hook and "eye" or two before the close of the season on Tuesday.  I know that doesn't give us much time, but we might just have to anyway.  I have heard it's just been o.k. up there.  The ice around here will probably be unsafe after this week, so it look like the ice fishing season will be history!  There are a few other things I would like to mention.  Have you stopped at Mills Fleet Farm to see the new end cap?  The yelping is a bit loud, but I promise we will switch out the DVD before the fishing opener.  The Baxter end cap is set, the others will be put in place pretty soon.  If you are looking for a new turkey call for the spring, I have 3 favorites.  The Ring Zone slate call and Infinity Latex diaphragm calls by Hunters Specialties and the "Wet Box" (box call) by Primos.  These will be my "go to" calls this spring!!  You will find them on the end cap.  The other two things are "events".  The first event is the "Catch and Cook" walleye program at the Northland Arboretum in Baxter.  This will take place this Saturday a.m. from 9 until noon, call to reserve your ticket (218-829-8770).  I will do a walleye talk and the chefs will cook up some awesome fish recipes for everyone to feast on.  The food is awesome and I will try to give you some good stuff too.  The other thing that is coming up pretty fast is the Minnesota Teen Challenge Annual Banquet and Fishing Challenge.  The banquet is May 1st at Maddens Town Hall.  It starts at 6:00 p.m., call 218-833-8777 to check on availability (space is limited).  The Fishing Challenge is on May 30th on Gull Lake and if you are interested in this, you can contact me and I will put you in touch with the right people.  Wow, was that a long winded "report".  I best be going on to the next thing.  Have a great day!

Walleyedan

Hi.  The sun is shining and I am watching a robin try to feel for worms in the backyard.  I'm thinking he or she is not going to be having very good luck with that.  We still have a lot of snow up in these parts but I am hoping it won't hang in there much longer.  It does sound the forecast has some warmth to it, let's hope they are right.  I was over in Packer country last week at the Mills Fleet Farm sport show at Lambeau.  I enjoyed the trip and got to meet some nice folks including Bob Walker, Sheldon Lovelace, Michael Waddell and his wife and Matt Morrett.  Nice people and the show was a success, lots of goods sold!  Now it's back to grind stone to try and plan for the upcoming open water season.  Of course there are the turkeys that come first, but that really isn't much of a money maker for Walleyedan and family...it's just another passion.  I will be hunting with my daughter Alex in April here in Minnesota and will hunt on my own here in Minnesota in May.  Not sure what other hunt I will be able to swing this spring.  I have a lot of work to do between now and May 9th (our fishing opener) so we'll just have to see how things pan out.  I'm still trying to figure out what avenue to go down as far as getting a boat for the upcoming season.  As we all know things are pretty tricky out there right now and I will just have to see how things pan out.  I will have a boat, just not sure what kind right now.  I was thinking of putting pontoons on the Sno Bear but that probably wouldn't do.  I have thought of the canoe option but that probably won't work the best either.  I will keep the faith and see where it gets me.  The Rainy River is open and active!  People are catching fish and I am thinking pretty hard about going up to jig for a day.  I suppose I better try and get some business done first (that is business).  I have heard that the current is quite strong so if you are heading up, make sure you stop and get some 1/2 ounce jigs.  I do like the Northland Fireball jig with a stinger hook.  Don't forget to bring a jar or two of Berkley Gulp Alive along, the 3 inch Emerald Shiner or Smelt are both good choices.  As far as line, I like using Berkley Fireline or PowerPro.  If you are interested in booking a guided trip up to the river or would like to get in the book for a crappie trip this spring give us a call or an email.  Good luck to you on the water or in the woods. 

Walleyedan 

Hello to you.  Guess what?  Yep, it's snowing and it looks like winter out there once again.  I have had about enough but I also realize that does not matter.  So on with it I must go, trying to make the best out of this day.  Like Grandma Bren would have said, "It could be worse", and I guess she is right.  It can be a little tricky to try and stay motivated when you here we are supposed to get 7-11 inches of this nice, white stuff but I will do my best.  I have been busy trying to figure out the game plan for the 2009 season so I have not been out on the ice or on the open water for about 2 weeks.  I have been talking turkey and trying to get things in order for the spring season.  This is typically our "quiet time" and I try to use it as a chance to get things updated.  The website will eventually have a new look and we also have to put the finishing touches on our new brochures.  We have been booking trips and I sense that it should be another good season on the open water.  Our guides are getting excited and it sounds like they are pulling the boats out of storage and getting them organized and ready to rock.  If you are getting pumped up to wet a line, make sure you pick your dates and give us a call or email.  If you want to talk fishing, stop by the spring expo at the Brainerd Civic Center this weekend.  I believe Jeff and Tim will be there for a Q&A session.  I think they will be on stage at 2:00 p.m. Friday.  Toby will still be teaching and can't afford to bail out early.  Brewster and I will be at Lambeau at the Mills Fleet Farm spring sport show.  Hopefully the roads will be o.k..  I have heard a few reports coming from the Rainy River and they don't sound good.  High, murky water is the word and the fish are not too easy to catch right now.  Hard to say what the story is going to be with that.  Maybe we will have to wait for the open water crappie bite to take place.  If you want to book a crappie trip once the water opens, let us know.  My 2008 Sno Bear is now for sale, please call if you are interested.  I'm still working on a boat for spring, not quite sure what route I will be taking there.  But.....I will have a craft of some sort.  I was thinking my Dad's Grumman canoe and the "Green Box" that is on top of the cupboards.  Walleyedan goes green?  Might be a good idea or maybe not. 

Enjoy the day,

Walleyedan

Good morning.  It's a nippy one (about 10 degrees), but I will take this over what the people of Fargo are dealing with right now.  It looks like they are on the brink of disaster, I pray that they can see a miracle up in that neck of the woods.  I was sent some photos of Stu Mckay's Cat's on the Red and it did not look good.  I was up there a few weeks ago and by the looks of the photos, Stu's place might be in trouble.  I was just sent an email earlier in the week from Stu and he told me that a guy at his camp caught a 17 pound 3 ounce walleye last week.  Oh boy did that make my heart tremble.  I have been talking turkey this week and a little fishing too.  My first stop was in Little Falls at the Living Hope Church where I attended a wild game feed and did a talking to the folks.  Very fun night and great people.  Wednesday I was talking turkey in St. Cloud and last night I was talking turkey in Blaine at Mills Fleet Farm.  I left the Sno Bear down there for people to check out.  It is for sale as well and if you are in the market for a Sno Bear, this is a good buy.  We still have ice up here in the Brainerd area and in fact I saw a truck out on Round Lake yesterday.  I think I will be running the Wilcraft from here on out and I am hoping to take a trip on Monday somewhere into fish country.  Not sure where that will be right now, but maybe Red Lake.  The Rainy River will start putting out walleyes any day now.  This recent cold snap will slow things down a little but as we move into next week things should start getting really good.  If you are interested in a guided trip up on the Rainy River give us a call or email and we will get you out on the walleyes.  If you need a walleye fix, this should do it!  Have a great weekend and pray for the folks in the Red River Valley.

Walleyedan

The rain has been coming down pretty steady since midnight or earlier.  This should take of the snow and put a pretty good dent in the ice.  I have another trip or two scheduled on the ice, but we'll have to see how long this rain keeps up.  I think it's time to put the Sno Bear into hibernation for awhile and pull the Wilcraft out for some action.  According to the radar it looks like this first system missed the Red River Valley.  I know they are not out of the woods yet, so let's pray that they stay out trouble.  I didn't spend any time on the ice this weekend, but last week was good.  The sunnies (blue gills) and crappies were smackin pretty good.  No they really don't compare to the Lake Winnipeg walleyes, but they sure do taste good.  I have been talking turkey as of late and we had another really good showing of people at Mills Fleet farm in Baxter on Thursday night.  It certainly seems like the sport of turkey hunting is getting more and more popular.  Turkey hunting is now in my blood...big time!  If you have not hunted turkeys, you might not want to miss the deadline for applications next winter.  You truly are missing out on an awesome hunting opportunity.  If you have been drawn here in Minnesota or have plans to hunt elsewhere, I'm sure you already have the "fever".  Yes, the open water fishing season is right around the corner and I should have a lot better idea of what I will be running for a boat after this week.  Nisswa Marine has been been very good to us and we are thankful for their generosity and support over the years and I hope we can keep things rolling.  This is shaping up to be another busy week and I believe from here on out that is going to be the story of our lives.  The guiding season is sneaking up on us quickly and right now we are planning on sticking with the same crew as we had last year.  Myself, Tim Hanske, Toby Kvalevog,Bruce Meinz and Jeff Anderson.  This is a fun group of fishing guides and if you are planning a trip to Minnesota this year please keep us in mind.  We are currently booking trips for the open water season and if you would like to make your date call or email taday.  Have a great day and keep the Faith!

Walleyedan  

Good morning all.  We have a fresh 7 or so inches of puffy snow this a.m. and it feels like January.  I will say that I am looking forward to warm days ahead.  I just returned the other day from Lake Winnipeg.  We stayed at Stu Mckay's Cat's on the Red and had an unbelieeeeeevable ice fishing trip.  It was my best ice fishing trip ever and the walleyes are calling me back already, wish I could leave tomorrow but I am not able to.  We caught a lot of walleyes and a lot of big walleyes.  The biggest in our party was a 12 pounder that was caught by my buddy Jim.  A few of the other guys in our party caught 10's and 11's, my biggest was a 28 incher that I did not weigh.  These fish are hogs and if you are interested in getting in on this "bite", I would suggest you call Stu or email him.  His site is catsonthered.com.  He is a very nice guy and was very helpful during our trip to Manitoba.  I am going to be talking with Stu to see what kind of arrangements need to be made in order for me to take people up there to catch the biggest fish of their lives, so stay in touch and I will let you know what is up.  We were running the Sno Bear, but snowmobiles, 4 wheelers and trucks were all getting around quite well.  After this latest storm, Sno Bears and snowmobiles might be the ticket.  We had a great system down while hopping from spot to spot in the Sno Bear.  My machine is now for sale, please let me know if you are interested.  Now it's back to reality here and time for me to kick it into gear and prepare for spring.  I will be doing another turkey seminar tonight at the Mills Fleet Farm in Fergus Falls, MN and tomorrow I will be in Alexandria, MN tomorrow night.  If you want to talk turkey, come on out.  If you want to see the complete schedule of seminars and presenters, go to millsfleetfarm.com.  I hope all is well in your families, we have one that is under the weather and I am hoping that he will kick it soon.  I am sure many of you are getting open water fever and if you go down and vist the Northwest Sportshow this weekend I am sure the fever will get kicked into gear even more so.  My boat from last season is for sale at Nisswa Marine, it is a Ranger 620 VS with a 250 hp Mercury Verado and let me tell you it is a dream of a fishing boat and I did not have ANY issues with it whatsoever.  Call or visit Nisswa Marine (nisswamarine.com) to see this awesome rig.  I am not quite sure at this moment what I will be fishing out of this spring, but I do still have ice on my mind.  I think I will be spending a fair amount of time in both the Sno Bear and the Wilcraft during the next few weeks.  For now, it's on with the next thing and I guess I will have to look at the note pad to see what that is.  Have a great day and come back again soon as we will be making some updates to our site.......very soon!

Walleyedan    

Hi.  I wonder if the fish are feeding as voracious as I am, I just finished whoffing down about a dozen of Shelley's homemade chocolate chip coconut cookies.  I think the sunnies and crappies are going to be doing the same this afternoon but I won't be there.  I have been out a few times as of late and it's been pretty good.  One day I was out with Mike Keyes and his wife Laure from Keyes Outdoors and we had a great trip.  We caught some big bluegills and had a line breaker on film, must of been one of those 3 pound bluegills!  I was out with my family on Sunday and thought we could catch a nice dinner but I think I parked the Sno Bear right on top of a big northern.  Shelley finally caught it late in the day after we (I) already bored the kids to death.  It added some serious excitement to an otherwise uneventful trip.  It was about a 6 or 7 pounder and when I put my finger on its' upper jaw to try and get the hook out, it clamped down on me big time.  And then there were the photos of the kids holding it, boy oh boy.  I am going to head out of the country for my next adventure, I will be heading to Lake Winnipeg for some giant walleyes after I do a turkey seminar at Mills Fleet Farm in Fargo, North Dakota.  It sounds like the Winnipeg walleyes are huge....should be a blast.  I just got the numbers on my boat from last year, it is for sale and there should be a photo and some specs on this site any day now.  If in the meantime you are interested in my Ranger 620 VS from last year, call Nisswa Marine at 218-963-2292 and ask for a quote.  We still have a lot of ice up here and about 6 inches of snow on the lakes so if you are interested in a guided pan fishing trip, call or email us and we will put you on some fish.  If you are thinking ahead to spring, we are taking reservations for the open water season.  If you would like to go for a demo ride in the Sno Bear, I think we are going to have a little outing at Iven's on the Bay on March 16th from 4-7 p.m..  If you are interested please send me an email and I can give you the low down.  Another little bit of info, I will be giving some turkey hunting seminars at a number of different Mills Fleet farm locations throughout the month of March and early April.  Time to go read to my son, I am out of here.

Walleyedan

Good Monday morning to you.  I am trying to get the kids up and ready for school on this day after the close of the Minnesota walleye season.  If you would like to come up and fish around this Lake Shore, Nisswa, Baxter, Brainerd area it will be perch and pan fish from here through the 9th of May when the walleye season will open once again.  We had a busy weekend.  It started out Thursday night with the Fan Outdoors and host Billy Hildebrand who was broadcasting live from our fish house in front of Grand View Lodge on Gull Lake.  Friday morning PA and Justin took to the air waves and PA was very close to taking it to the ice.  I was pretty impressed with his balance, he not only knows sports he's got some coordination himself.  It was a fun couple of days with these guys and it was a good time just sitting in the house listening to the guys do their thing.  Minnesota Viking Jim Kliensasser came out and had a little sit down with PA as well and it was nice to meet the North Dakotan and his wife.  They are very nice people and I sure do hope that the Vikings will sign him for this up and coming season.  I think someone like that on the team is essential to a Super Bowl WIN!  I closed out the walleye season on North Long and Gull.  We caught a few decent fish on North Long and another mixed bag of walleyes, perch and pike on Gull Saturday afternoon and evening.  Saturday morning my wife and I headed up to Walker for the Eelpout Festival.  We cruised around in the Sno Bear for a couple of hours and also got the grand tour of the new Chase on the Lake by Steve Olson himself.  We will be working our guide service from the Chase again this summer and let me tell you, this is a top notch hotel.  If you haven't been to the Eelpout Festival, I think you should check it out.....very interesting.  It's going to be a busy week once again, and I think I need to start it out by cleaning up at the shop and then start working on the rest of the list.  Hey turkey hunters, are you ready?  I am getting there myself and I am going to start talking turkey very soon at a number of different Mills Fleet Farm stores throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota.  You can check out the seminar dates at www.millsfleetfarm.com.  It won't be long now and we will be out on the open water too.  We have been booking guide trips for over a month now and it might be a good idea to get a jump on things.  Right now at this point we are thinking we will stick with the same crew as last year and see who the trips start to stack up before adding number 6.  Tim Hanske, Toby Kvalevog, Bruce Meinz and Jeff Anderson and myself will be the starting 5.  If you are shopping boats, I will meet you at www.nisswamarine.com and we can both look at Ranger Boats together.  I have no idea what I will be running for a boat this spring, but I think I better figure things out.  Well I guess I should stop talking here and get the truck fired up and warmed up so I can get to the shuttle on time.  Have a great day and a great week.

God bless,

Walleyedan 

Good morning.  It's 6:33 a.m. here in Lake Shore, Minnesota and I am about to embark to Upper Red Lake.  I have been asked by a group of guys to take them fishing and because that is what I do, that's where I will be today...fishing (and helping others to fish).  I know that the fishing has been tough up there recently but we are going anyway.  It certainly can't be a whole lot worse than it is around here.  I have been on numerous lakes as of late including Leech, Mille Lacs, Gull, North Long, Whitefish, Hubert and today we will add Upper Red Lake to the mix.  Things are going well, but I am looking forward to the late-ice pan fish and of course it won't be long before my mind switches to the GOBBLERS.  We had some pretty funky weather here the last few days and a lot of the snow has melted (thanks to a pretty steady rainfall).  I would guess that we will still get some more winter out of this already long one.  Things have been going pretty good in general and we are excited that people are already booking open water trips for the 2009 season.  We had our first guide meeting of the winter and Animal, 2-Crank, Hook and Bigtooth look like they will be raring to go come May 9th (opening day for the Minnesota season).  Of course everyone is busy with everyday matters, but deep down I think everyone is tired of the long winter and the visions of open water are dancing through our minds.  We still have some of the best ice fishing ahead of us and the Sno Bear will be ready to rock.  If you are looking for the most awesome ice fishing machine ever, mine will be ready for delivery in a couple of weeks.  Call or email if you are interested in purchasing this machine.  I have to get the kids to school and then I am off to red, have a great day and let us know if we can help you.

Walleyedan   

Good morning to you.  We are waking up to just a little dusting of the white stuff this a.m., but not much.  The 19th annual Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza went off like it always does......smooth as silk.  A gentleman that just lives down the road won the new Ford F-150 pick-up truck (courtesy of Mills Ford).  It was said that the winning fish was caught on a red tail chub in about 45-48 feet of water.  That fish was caught about 10 yards from my wife and the rest of our group of fishers.  This was the first time in 18 years where I wasn't dropping a line when the shotgun went off.  I had the Sno Bear out on the ice and was shuttling both media and a number of folks with disabilities.  I guess this was my year to serve and we'll just have to see what next year brings.  Maybe this is what I am supposed to do.  The Sno Bear has been busy, today I have a trip, tomorrow another and next week a couple of more.  If you are interested in a neat experience and would like to hire me and the coolest machine on ice just call or email.  This year is the year that I have gained more appreciation for the Sno Bear, this machine is an unbelievable ice fishing machine.  If you would like to see it in action before you consider buying one of these state of the art machines, I will give you a demo.  Just call and let us know.  I'm getting a little heat from the kitchen area right now by my daughter, who is telling me I need to get in the shower so we aren't late for her school recognition this a.m., better get going.  I will get back to you soon and will give you the up to date fishing reports after my next two trips.

Have a great day,

Walleyedan

Hi.  I would have to say that this is a big day in history.  Sometimes do you wonder why things happen?  I am wondering why the clock in our shop stopped at exactly 12:00 (to the second).  I guess it is what it is.  Just make sure you stop an say a prayer for President elect Obama that he makes the right decisions during his time as the President of the United States of America.  I just returned last night from Orlando Florida where I was getting an education at the Shot Show.  Lots and lots of guns, ammo, knives, optics, decoys and about everything else under the sun that is related to shooting or hunting.  It's unbelievable to see all of this under one roof.  I am a little smarter now in some categories where I wasn't very schooled.  I have been mainly a shot gunner and an archer though my first 40 years and to see all of the different rifles, handguns, ammunition, scopes, rangefinders, etc. was quite interesting.  It sure was nice to miss the coldest week of the year.  Now it's back to the ice! The 19th annual Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza is coming up this Saturday, January 24th from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Gull Lake.  Will you be there?  Me too, this will be my 18th trip, I missed the very first year.  Thanks to the cold spell that we had last week, the ice conditions will be even better than they were.  I haven't been out to drill a hole since I have been back, but if I were to take a very educated guess, I would say we are going to be averaging about 18 inches and with the way the holes are spread throughout the contest area, this is plenty.  We will gain on the ice thickness this week and I will try to get you an updated report on Thursday.  I have heard that ticket sales are awesome and if you are a local, you might want to stop by Mills Fleet Farm in Baxter to check out all of the prizes.  Mills Fleet Farm will also be selling bait on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning for those of you that are coming through.  On Friday, there will be many industry representatives on hand at Fleet Farm to help you shop and offer their expertise on product.  It will be a zoo, but a fun one!! have the new 2009 Sno Bear for the rest of the ice season and will be offering guided trips, if you would like to experience a guided trip in a Sno Bear, please give us a ring or an email.  My machine is at Fleet Farm in Baxter, MN right now so if you are interested in taking a peek stop by and check it out.  If you would like to buy a unit, Nisswa Marine has them in stock and you can also check out the new Ranger boats while you are at it. 

Have a great day,

Walleyedan       

Happy New Year to you and yours!  Wow, what a busy life (especially these last few days).  Lots going on and with the 18th Annual Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza just around the corner, things are just about to get busier.  The ice conditions are the talk of the town (world) right now, as I guess they normally are leading up to the contest date (January 24th this year).  I just met with Bob Slaybaugh a few hours ago and we discussed a few things regarding the "big day".  14 inches of ice is about the average with up to 19 in some spots, things are looking good.  The plan is to try and knock some of the snow down so we can get the cold air to drive the ice down another few inches.  By the looks of the forecast next week, we will be gaining ice.  Do you have your ticket yet?  Thanks to my father and mother-in-law I am set.  Hal Peterson has told me what the lucky lure will be and I don't think I will unveil it until "game day".  We have been catching walleyes and crappies on a few area lakes including Gull.  Phyllis and I were out doing some filming the other night for Mills Fleet Farm and as we were doing a crappie shoot, we caught a 24 1/2 inch walleye.  That was a nice bonus and a fun fight on 4 pound test line.  I have access to a Sno Bear for the remainder of the season, it will be out and about a lot over the next couple of weeks.  Thank you Nisswa Marine and thank you Sno Bear.  I am excited to get it rigged and ready, tomorrow is my first outing and it will be out on Hole-In-The-Day Bay on Saturday grooming the Extravaganza sight.  If you are interested in checking out a Sno Bear, this might be the year.  Call, or email and we can set up a guided trip or a demo trip (218-839-5598).  For now, I need to fly and I will see you on the ice! 

Walleyedan