Tough Mudder

The brothers and I completed the Tough Mudder Saturday in Somerset - it was a blast and I highly recommend it.

Wisconsin Fishing Opener

I took the week off to work on cabin landscaping projects - which also happened to coincide with the Wisconsin fishing opener.  Everything was shaping up perfect except the rain.

Saturday Matt, Gus and I hit the St Croix way up by County Road T for a short and successful float (Gus really tested my knot-undoing-abilities - he's 7 and loves bombing casts).

 Matt's musky took a size 9 shallow shad rap in black and white right on the seam of this pool - it really whacked it too.

I caught this walleye in the middle of pool with a clackin-minnow.  The clackin-minnow in firetiger really works well on walleyes this time of year.  We also caught a few smallies on the smaller version of the whopper plopper which is a blast to cast.

Then the rain came.  This is the graph at Danbury and it was already a little above normal which happens depending on rain - but the increasing river levels and cloud cover cooled the fishing for Sunday. 

Sunday I missed on a nice smallie but that was it.  On Monday the fishing was better again and we hit the river right after lunch - which is really the best time for both visibility and water temp this time of year.  A few more smallies, a walleye and nice pike.

Otherwise for the rest of the week it was back to the landscaping and other cabin projects.  I broke free after lunch a few times and really hammered crappies and bluegills with the fly.  It's a real blast watching panfish slam a tiny popper or rubber ant.

Anyways, a very successful week - especially because I didn't get hurt - even though it was close.