2014 When Will I See My Driveway? #4

The last of the ice at top of the driveway.

We haven't gotten any rain so far as of 7PM, but I would say the driveway is 85-90% clear at this point.  The temp. has just now dropped below 40°F and we should be getting some rain and snow eventually.  I guess it has started raining in Brainerd.  I'm still guessing I will be able to see the full driveway this week.

2014 When Will I See My Driveway? #3

View from the Garage.

View from the Pole Barn is Clear

From Half Way Down

End of the Driveway

It didn't get up to 50 degrees today here in Hillman.  It was 60° in the cities today.  We are supposed to get rain and then a couple of inches of snow tomorrow into Tuesday with a chance of more snow Friday before it warms up again next weekend.  Depending on how much it rains tomorrow I might be able to see the driveway this week.

I Heard...

a red winged blackbird this morning and a Canada goose flying to the North.

2014 When Will I See My Driveway? #2

Snow height at the garage door.

The view out of the garage before I got the snowblower out..

We got 5" of snow today and after one trip up and back with the snow blower I broke it when I dug up a golf ball sized rock.  Not sure at this point if it's something I will be able to fix or not.  I'm guessing not.  It's going to warm up this weekend, but then we are probably going to get a another snow storm on Monday.

#TBT: My First Bass Jig

#TBT stands for Throwback Thursday.

One of my earliest memories of catching a bass was from when I was probably 4 or 5 years old and my dad gave me a little yellow hair jig that he called a "Crappie Killer" to use.  I went down to the "back bay," our cabin on West Sylvia had water we could fish on the front and back of the property, hoping to catch a crappie.  Instead of a crappie I got a largemouth instead.  Puzzled I went up and showed dad the bass I had caught.  He explained to me that just because it was called a "Crappie Killer" didn't mean that it would only catch crappies.  Satisfied with that explanation I threw back the bass, which weren't in season yet, and went back to try and get me crappie.   All I could ever seem to catch on these "Crappie Killers" were bass. No matter how much I tried, I don't think I ever caught a crappie on these jigs. As you can see from the picture, I still have a few of them. Judging from the pound test still tied on to the one jig I can see why I didn't get any crappies with them.

Mille Lacs Smallmouth Regulation Changes

From today's DNR press release:

Similarly, the smallmouth bass harvest season will be extended and limits relaxed. The smallmouth bass season on Mille Lacs will start May 10 and be exempted from the statewide catch-and-release regulation that begins in mid-September. This means anglers may harvest smallmouth bass from the opener until the last Sunday in February. Anglers may keep six fish, only one of which may be longer than 18 inches. The previous regulation allowed anglers to keep six fish 17- to 20-inches, only one of which could be longer than 20 inches.

I am totally OK with the changes.  We will just have to see whether or not I will be able to take advantage of the early start to the season.  It's been a couple of years since I caught a smallie from Mille Lacs and I haven't had the Trophy out there in at least 5 years.  The one thing that I don't care for is the fact that we can't be on the water until 6AM except for on the Opener weekend. I feel they should have made the start time 5AM. The night ban is in effect until December, so there will be no night fishing allowed on the lake this year other than on Opener weekend.

I feel bad for the Muskie guys.

2014 When Will I See My Driveway? #1

It's time once again for what has become a tradition here at Bass Pundit Blog; "When Will I See My Driveway."  I first started tracking this sign of Spring on March 5th of 2010.  With the way the forecast is looking.  I may not be taking any pictures for a couple of days.  However, the snow is probably going to go pretty quick as the ice is off of a lot of the driveway at this point from the melting we have already had.  I got the picture today because we had a light dusting last night that covered up the spots that were already bare driveway.

View from the garage.

New view this year from down by the pole barn

From half way down.

The end of the driveway.

Lilah's tracks

Kaylee's tracks

What Are Your Priorities In Fishing?

This Facebook status update from the guys at 5X3 Nation caught my eye.  I thought now that would make for a good blog post.  The 5X3 list is all about tournament fishing, while my list is not exclusively about tournaments.

My Priories In Fishing Are...

1. To Catch Fish-  Make no mistake, when I go fishing I am going to try my darndest to catch as big and as many fish as I can, whether I am fishing in a tournament or not.  (This coincide's with #5 on the 5X3 list.)

2. To Have Fun- Tournament or not my #2 priority when I fish is to have fun and to me catching fish is fun.  (See priority #1)

3. To Enjoy God's creation, cause if the fish aren't biting what else is there to do?

4.  To test my skills.  Mostly against myself, but also against others. That is a big reason why I like fishing in tournaments.

5. To have something to report here or at the Bass Pundit Fishing Log Blog.

6. To experiment with and buy new tackle.  Minnesocold winters are long and the bait monkey's on my back big time at this time of the year.

7. The brotherhood and camaraderie.  I like fishing with other people some of the time, but I also like the peace and tranquility of just me, the fish, and God.  However, my time spent on Facebook and on message boards revolves a lot around this aspect.

8. To make a little money.  Yeah right!  I'm not in it for the money.  But I did win the Baxter Bass Snatcher "Lunker" pot on Rabbit Lake last year, so I won my club dues back.  So there's that.

I Missed Winning A Rod By This Much @ FantasyBass.com

I like the way the Biobor hats look.  What's a new year for me without a new hat or two. Last year it was a Gander Mountain cap. The year before that Cabela's.  The year before that Bass Zone and the year before that Strike King and the year before that Angling Masters International.

Pioneer Press Write Up On The Gophers FLW Championship Win

Here it is...  I think they did a much better job of telling the story than the Star Tribune did last week.

Dead Trout Lure "This Just Ain't Right"

It's been a few years since I did a "this just ain't right post." Mattlures Upside Dead Stick - $59.99. Actually I think it's a pretty clever idea for places stocked with trout ,but $60 bucks. Ouch!

U of M Team Wins 2014 FLW College Fishing National Championship

Chris Burgan  (left), and Austin Felix

That's right, Golden Gophers traveled down to South Carolina and brought home the trophy's and entry into this summer's Forrest Wood Cup, which will also be held in South Carolina on Lake Murray.  Austin Felix of Eden Prairie will go as the Boater and Chris Burgan of Rhinelander, WI will go as a Co-Angler. Read the story at FLW here.

Way to Go Boys!!!

MN B.A.S.S. Nation Club Info

MN B.A.S.S. Nation Club Info

Good Article Over At AnglingAuthority.com on Harsh Winters And Bass

Effects of Harsh Winters On Bass

It talks about the possible repercussions of the past two winters here in the North Country.  I sure hope one of the effects isn't a partial winter-kill in Platte Lake this year.