LAKE FLOAT (JUNE)

Back in June I came across some free time, and decided to get out in the raft for a Twin Cities Metro musky hunt.  The homie Travis met me at the boat launch and right when we were about to launch another small water craft pulled up and it was my other homie Lucas.  He was about to call it a day, but decided to stay out on the water and float around with us and fish.

It was a good day on the water, because, Lucas and I raced our watercraft against one another...and I won.  Lucas does have plans to add flames to his watercraft, which in theory give him a few extra ponies, but I still think I'll be able to take him.  We shall see.  Oh, and Travis caught his personal best northern pike on the fly!!  Well, at the time it was his personal best.  He has since caught bigger, and he's totally getting addicted to the warm water game.

Here's a short video from the day.

Travis Instagram - @The_Ravvit

Lucas Instagram - @Strangeflies

Lucas also does art and here's the link to his website -> CLICK HERE

FLAG DAY RIVER FLOAT

Took the Flycraft Stealth out on the Rum River in search of smallies, and gators on a glorious Flag Day.  I tested out how my trolling motor faired against the current of a river, fished some new fly patterns, had a good time, and finally saw some Minnesota beaver.

What'd you all think...I'm pretty smooth when releasing fish, aren't I?!   :)

MY GEAR

Camera - http://amzn.to/2hnMwkD

Lens #1 - https://amzn.to/2LzJ1B0

GoPro 5 Black - https://amzn.to/2JrjSHY

GoPro 6 Black - https://amzn.to/2LuA8IO

Microphone - http://amzn.to/2oGSMEq

Trolling Motor - https://amzn.to/2sVNrKB

*The above links are Amazon Associate links**

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TYING UP SOME MEAT

With Winters arrival up here in the Great White North, I have been getting back in the fly tying saddle.  It had been a long while since I've tied anything but baitfish for bass since the move up to Minnesota.  I'm slowly getting back in to the swing of things, and I must say, it's just like riding a bike.

There's ice on the lakes, so, this fly most likely won't see water until next June....unless I plan a winter trip somewhere warm that has big fish willing to eat an 8/0 Partridge Universal Predator X that trails behind a huge foam head.

It's always #SHARKWEEK

Who know the Great White North had Great White Mini Sharks.

MY GEAR

Camera - http://amzn.to/2hnMwkD

Lens - http://amzn.to/2hhdHJS

Rising Stellar Scissors - http://amzn.to/2yCE7wM

Vedavoo Bench Basin - http://amzn.to/2zGBU78

Rite Bobbin Half Hitch - http://amzn.to/2hzxKab

Peak Vise - http://amzn.to/2zXEBCd

**The above links are Amazon Associate links**

MUSKY HUNT WITH VOYAGEUR PURSUITS

Since moving up here to Minnesota, I had visions of hooking up with monster musky - regularly.  That's definitely not the case, and you're probably thinking to yourself, who the hell does this guy think he is that he's going to catch musky all the time.  Trust me, I think that same thing, but what can I say, I'm a dreamer.

My homie Tom Hazleton of Voyageur Pursuits heard I was on the hunt for my first Minnesota musky, so, he invited me out.  The conditions seemed almost too perfect.  It was the evening, and there had been gray skies all day.  I had such a great feeling that today was going to be the day I caught my first Minnesota Musky.

Well, the evening did not go as planned, but it was a great time none the less.  There were no musky caught, but we had a few beers, and brought a few pike to the boat before calling it a night.  Huge thanks to Tom for inviting me out and showing me that musky really don't exist in Minnesota.

Catching Northern Pike on the Great Wall of China.
Photograph: Tom Hazelton

Voyageur Pursuits

Website

Facebook

Instagram

FLOATING THE ST. CROIX

READY TO ROCK N ROLL

Got out for a float with my homie Aaron of Scavenger Fly on the St. Croix River.  The plan was to row up river and drift back down in search of musky, pike, and smallmouth.  Our friend Ted surprised us when he said that he was on the river, too.  He met up with us, and generously offered to tow us up river.  THANKS TED!  You da man!!

Ted with the clutch tow.

Aaron...Focusing in on his precision casting.

Overall it was a great float and we all hooked into some fish.  No musky, but that quite alright.  There's always next time, right?!?!

Teeth in the net.

Backhanded casting. Photo by:  Aaron

Check out the short video I made of the outing.  I'm still working on brushing up my recording and editing skills, so, please be kind. :) 

If you liked the video, give it a THUMBS UP!  Oh, and don't forget to subscribe.

Looking forward to the next float on the St. Croix.

Check out the link below.

SCAVENGER FLY - Website

SCAVENGER FLY - Instagram

FALL IS HERE

With today being the official first day of Fall, that means a few things to me.

• The days are shorter.
• The temperatures will start dropping. Get your hoodies out!
• Leaves will begin to turn, and blanket the ground. Making it hard to sneak around outside without making that leafy crunch sound.
• Real football weather. Go Bears (Say what you want - I stand by my team.)

and last but not least.....IT'S MUSKY SEASON!!!!

I will have you all know, that I am leaving tonight (9/22) for a much needed adventure in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.  I'll be exploring, hiking, kayaking, fishing, car camping, jamming out on my guitar, drinking beer, all while sitting by a small campfire and hopefully not eating cold hot dogs.  

Basically being a complete fish/outdoor bum for the next 4 days...rediscovering my old self and decompressing with some good old fashion outdoor therapy.

  It's going to be awesome, and I am stoked!

I hope everyone has a great rest of the week and weekend!!

It Has To Be The Shirt

My first time out on the Des Plains River this year.  Crazy, right?  Usually, I'd be in the double digits in visits, but that's just not the case this summer.  I'm going to make the most of what time is left, that's for damn sure.  Got out to my favorite, most frequented stretch of water on the DPR in Lake County.  The weather could not have been better.

Kept it simple and light this trip.  1 fly rod and just a few flies.  I was just looking to enjoy the day and not over complicate things.  We had some storms roll through the past few days, but the water levels were surprising low.  

What I was extremely surprised about the day was the amount of fish I seen swimming around.  I have never seen so much activity in the water before.  There were schools of bass, bluegill, and rock bass all over the place.  It was really awesome to see that the fishery is flourishing.

Floating along, enjoying the scenery, and casting near downed trees and debris, I was seeing a lot of action.  The Northern Pike were hungry, but man, do they have the worst accuracy.  Once I finally got a hook up, it turned out to be a fish I had never caught on the river.  A largemouth bass!  It must have been my Troutrageous! shirt that enticed the chunky little bass.

On my paddle back up river, I anchored down, so, I can take a break and listen to a live band that someone had playing in their backyard.  They were jamming all kinds of new and old music, and were pretty damn awesome.  I couldn't see them, because, of all of the forest but I could hear them loud and clear.

Here's the spot I was anchored down at...beautiful.  Crazy to think that this is the Des Plains River.  I may or may not have fallen asleep while laying back on my kayak.

Life is good when I'm in my kayak on the river...napping.

40 minutes later...I continued my paddle back to the launch were I parked.  Made a few more casts and hooked up with this feisty snot rocket.  I think I went 1 for 20 on Northern Pike.

Surprisingly, this was the only litter that I found in the stretch I paddled.  Free double buzz bait in Chartreuse...I'll take it!

-Here's a tip for all of you fishermen-

If your lure is snagged, don't cut the line at the reel.  Aim your rod straight at the lure and pull straight, putting zero bend in your rod.  It'll break off closest to the lure (In theory), and you won't litter or lose a lot of line.  Win for you, and win for any animals that might get tangled up in your mess.  Let's be smarter people!

I'm Back!

Just like Michael Jordan in 1995....I'm Back!!!!

I just want to say, thank you, to all of those who have stuck around.  I wasn't quite sure how long I was going to be on hiatus, but what I did know, was I would most certainly return...and here I am, white sunglasses and all.  Oh, how I have missed writing and sharing my fishing tales/blunders.

Looking forward to catching up with all of you!!

Pike On The Mind

My buddy DanK found this picture, and shared it with me not long ago.  I posted it on my Instagram, so, you might have seen it.  I really wish I knew the orgin of it, because, I LOVE IT!  I've tried a few Google searches but came up empty.  It gets me excited for the upcoming season.  I cannot wait to get into some predator fish with teeth!

I've been slowly building a stockpile of flies.  Some for myself, but most of them are for others.  The one below is an articulated double, and it'll find it's way into my personal box, and hopefully, it's next stop is the jaws of a musky or pike.

Trouterspace & The Remedy Fishing Channel

The dudes at Trouterspace and The Remedy Fishing Channel have uploaded a new video, and it's a fantastic.  Short, sweet, and get's me jazzed to get on my kayak to do some fly fishing for smallies and pike.

If you don't already, I suggest you follow them, because, they're always putting out quality stuff.  They also have one of the cooler blog names out there.  I'd name a few others, but I'll save that for a future post.

Click here for their website.

TROUTERSPACE

Musky Skittles

These were a big hit at the fly fishing expo.  Looking forward to making some more of these.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!!!

Exciting News!

I have been added to the Partridge family!

No, not that Partridge family, although, I do think I have the singing chops to join them.

I am very excited to announce that I have been added to the Pro Team of Partridge of Redditch.  I have been using their hooks for quite some time, and all of my predator flies would not have the same quality if it weren't for their high quality steel, so, accepting their invitation was a no brainer,  To have my name added to a group that includes Bob Clouser, Greg Senyo, Richard Strolis, Pat Cohen, Dave Hosler, Ad Swier, and Andreas Andersson...just to name a few....is a real honor, and I'm looking forward to representing Partridge of Redditch and creating some new and interesting patterns.

Musky Poppers

The top water theme at the CARF Outdoors vise continues!

Here we have some XL sized poppers ready to hunt.  Their mission, to make a raucous and piss off some dragons.

The Bruiser.

The popper heads are shaped and formed by yours truly with a dremel, and a lot of patients.  It takes time to shape these by freehand.  One mistake, and it's toast.

Oh, and if you're wondering, these cast like the most wonderful bag of bricks in the whole wide world.

"Mc-Pop-a-lot" - Southern Culture on the Fly aka S.C.O.F.

I've Got The Hook Up

My homie UA Dave hooked me up with some medium sized popper heads with eyes.  Just add a hook decorated accordingly and water.  Bass and pike should lose their minds over these.

Which one is your favorite color pattern?

1. Fire Tiger

2.  Orange Crush

3.  Red Hot

The beer is Pseudo Sue from Toppling Goliath Brewing in Iowa.  If you're a craft beer fan, this is one that should be on your list to try.  It's delicious.

Field & Stream Hook Shots

Have you ever heard of Field & Stream Hook Shots?

Well, you should have.  Joe Cermele and Captain Eric Kerber have been making, in my opinion, the best fishing videos on the interwebs.  Each episode is a maximum of 10 minutes long, and it's filled to the brim with killer content, quick tips, first rate commentary, hilarity, and some rad tunes.  Mix all of that together, and you have a recipe for some high quality fishy entertainment.

Joe also just hosted a pretty sweet fly swap that I wasn't able to get in on, but he hints he's going to be hosting more of them, so, be on the look out!

Do yourself a solid, check out their videos, and website.

HOOK SHOTS Website

HOOK SHOTS FACEBOOK

That CARF Outdoors deek looks great on your truck, Joe!  Hopefully, it brings you some fishy mojo on all of your trips!

If you have a CARF Outdoors sticker, take a picture and send it to me.  I'll get it on the sticker sightings page.  Looking forward to seeing where they all end up across the country.

DPR Northern Pike - A Winter Float

My homies UA Dave, Adam Alexander, and their buddy Chris got out the Des Plains River this past weekend.  Being the end of January, the weather was perfect out.  I wish I was around to join them on the float, but I was in SW Wisconsin fishing for trout.

Adam is a professional photographer and usually focuses on still shots, but this outing, he decided to shoot some video, and I think he did an excellent job!  The video is short, sweet, very well shot, and tells a nice story.  Check it out!

Get's me excited to get back out on the DPR.  I miss those toothy snot rockets.

Links

Adam Alexander Photography

Urban Assault Fly Fishing

CHI TIE

Flies Flying Off The Vise

T'was a busy night at the vise.  My buddy UA Dave and I are thinking about getting a table at an upcoming fly fishing show in Wisconsin - River Falls Fly Fishing Festival.  So, I've begun to stock up on some of my favorite patterns, and make them ready and available to purchase at our table.

Below you'll find 6 - 2/0 Musky/Pike/Bass baitfish in my favorite color pattern, I Hate Cotton Candy.  These just need to get eyed up, clear cure goo'd, and they're finished.

Reminder - If there is any interest in purchasing some of my flies, please feel free to shoot me an email at carfoutdoors@gmail.com.

I recently won some stickers from the ever so generous The Fly Trout.  These are some great stickers, and really wish the world would take note from the "Make Bugs Not War" sticker.  Check out their website for some really cool and fun apparel, hats, and stickers. 

Thank you, again, for having the contest The Fly Trout!!

Nautilus Reels Yeti Cooler Review

Last November, I entered a contest on Instagram through Nautilus Reels.  The grand prize was a Nautilus Reels branded Yeti Cooler 35, and never did I think I was going to win, but I did!  Check out the blog post here - I WON A YETI.

Well, this summer, I put that cooler to work.  Taking it on all of my trips, and I have to say, I'm impressed.  I really didn't get the hype around these coolers, but after using one, I get it.  This cooler really does keep ice longer, which is super beneficial when you're going to need it to for a few days.

I have found the best use of this cooler is to use it for any food that will need to be kept cold, if you're going to be out camping or on a trip for a few days.  Keeping beverages in a separate cooler.  If you're not going to be needing to be keeping any food cold, it works great for your beverages.

One thing I absolutely love about the model I received, the Yeti 35, is that it fits perfectly in my kayak.  This way if I'm floating with a few people, I can carry all of the drinks in my kayak, and others won't have to worry.  My kayak is a tank, and I don't mind or even notice that my cooler is behind me.

Some other great things about the cooler, is that it has been a great stool around the house.  When my GF and I were putting up new curtains and rods, I used the Yeti to stand on, because, it gave me that extra height and stability I needed.

Oh, and it floats!  So, if there is ever a time I have the cooler in my kayak and a friend of mine needs a ride down river, I can just tie a rope to the cooler and toss it in the water, so, my friend can sit down in the back of my kayak.  How great is that!  I guess it would make a great PFD in case I ever capsized and my life jacket was not doing the trick.

Conclusion of this review - I love this cooler!

Temporary Happiness

Des Plains River.

20 minutes to kill.

Bait caster.  Steel leader.  Rapala Husky Jerk (Firetiger).

High water.  Fast current.

Nothing.

20 minutes of satisfaction.

WCF DPR FLOATILLA

This past Labor Day weekend, I got out with a bunch of guys from a local fishing forum - WindyCityFishing.com.  I believe there were 13 of us that made it out to the Des Plains River with kayaks and canoes.  It was a great time.  I got to meet some good people from the forum that I haven't met, yet.  After the float there was food and drink provided by a few guys.  

Big thanks, to all of them for throwing this all together.

I made a video of the outing.  Everyone contributed to the video, so, I can only take credit for throwing it together.  Hope you enjoy it!  Hopefully, I'll be able to make the next one.