Why Roughfish Don't Suck

Reason number nine thousand nine hundred and ninety nine why redhorse are beautiful.


Male Shorthead Redhorse in full spawning regalia, complete with tubercles.

Lake Sturgeon - Acipenser fulvescens

Finally, I have added the Lake Sturgeon to my lifelist. Sturgeon fishing is always something that I have always wanted to at least try. While the fish itself fascinates me, the method does not, basically a 1 oz weight or larger and octopus hook rigged up on a cat fishing pole, and a hunking gob of Canadian night crawlers. These fish feed primarily based on smell and hold deep, so a fly is not the ideal method for angling. Regardless, my first one is on the books at 33".


Acipenser fulvescens are a wonderful species, hailing from the era of the dinosaur. Closely related to sharks, these fish are cartilaginous and their skin rough to the touch. What makes these fish unique are their armour; these fish are the true badasses of the fish world and juveniles possess razor sharp scoots that will cut you like a surgical knife if not handled properly (I found out the hard way). These fish are long lived and can reach ages in excess of 100 years. Of particular concern is these fishes duration to reach sexual maturity, often into their thirties. This allows for a long turnover between spawning stock, a problem which plagued these fish and their recovery after being fished to near extinction in the late 1800's. In addition, habitat fragmentation due to the construction of dams and pollution have contributed to the major decline of nearly all sturgeons across the globe. The sturgeon Family Acipenseridae is the most threatened Family of all fishes with nearly all species threatened or near extinction.


If you give a damn about these fish, consider joining the North American Sturgeon and Paddlefish Society. In addition to all of the research and conservation work this organization does, they also have possibly the coolest tees on the planet. Respect the sturgeon!

Carp Slam 6

Yes, the rumors are true. No, I am not giving up carping to pursue the world of alien trout species... I will be competing in this year's Carp Slam on the South Platte in Colorado. And no, I didn't need to take a shot of penicillin after my last visit to Denver.


I will be participating in Carp Slam 6 this year, alongside industry pros like Barry, Reynolds, Kevin Morlock, Luke Bever, and Kirk Deeter. Pretty Humbling really, especially since I've seen firsthand what Kevin and Kirk can do with a fly rod and carp. It will also be great to hook up with buddies Will Rice and Michael Gracie (not competing this year), as well as finally get a chance to meet up with Alex Landeen, Nate Taylor, and last year's Slam Champ, Trevor Tanner, perhaps better known as McTage of Fly Carpin.


This tourney exists for one reason, and that's for Denver Trout Unlimited to raise money for the South Platte. Since stream restoration and habitat improvement are near and dear to me, and my bread and butter when the fly rods are tucked away in their cases, you can easily see why I'd get involved with such a worthy cause. So be a sport and help me raise a few dollars for the fish by donating a few of your hard earned dollars to the cause. Trust me, those dollars will be well spent!

Herding Sheep

Why freshwater drum aren't targeted more with a fly rod I'll never know. They can be aggressive, elusive, selective and can reach sizes over 50 pounds. They've even been dubbed the Great Lakes Permit. And if their saltwater cousin the redfish can be so popular among anglers, why not the drum? Seems to me like a perfect challenge for the fly angler.



An interesting tidbit about freshwater drum is the fact that they have large otoliths, often in excess of an inch in diameter. The otoliths assist drum with their vertical orientation in turbid water. These otoliths have been utilized for a variety of uses including jewelry, good luck charms, and even currency.


The freshwater drum is a fish of many names: sheephead, sheepshead, grunter, grunt, silver bass, gray bass, silver perch, shepherd's pie, "perch", silver bass, gray bass,Gasper goo, Gaspergou, gou, grinder, wuss fish, thunderpumper, bubbler, and croaker. I just call them fun.

the Carp-pocalypse

From Adam McNamara, Portland, Oregon Orvis Store Fishing Manager and co-owner of Castaway Guide Service:

CARPIN’ FOR A CAUSE
Last fall I started working on a little side project. I had an idea to throw a fly fishing tournament for Carp that would be a great chance for a bunch of people to get together catch some big fish, drink some awesome beer, eat some BBQ, and help the Native fish we all love. After some hard work and lots of help from from some awesome people at the Native Fish Society, Orvis, Ninkasi Brewing, Idylwilde Flies, John Montana, and others I am proud to say it has finally come together.

Today I am proud to announce the first annual Carp-pocalypse Tournament at Banks Lake in Washington. Clear water, shallow flats, lots of fish, and plenty of sun make this a perfect place for everyone to get together and have some fun while helping our native fish. This is a two day tournament with a tailgate party on Saturday night so come prepared to impress with your tailgating abilities as well as your mad flats fishing skills. All it takes to join is a minimum donation of $25.00 to the Native Fish Society. To sign up or get more information come see me at the Portland Orvis store or give me a call at 503-598-7680.

So here's your chance to meet and fish with legendary carpers like John Montana and Jim Pankiewicz and support a good cause like the Native Fish Society. Hogan Brown and Patrick Kilby will be representing Team Idylwilde, with rumors of a scruffy looking nerfherder making the voyage west to join the ranks. More details on that to be announced at a later date. Save the dates, August 11 and 12, 2012 at Banks Lake in Washington.

Sprung

Spring is running well ahead of schedule here in the Great White North, with the second earliest ice out on Big Detroit Lake, just barely missing the earliest ice out ever recorder in 1910 by one day. For a little perspective, the average ice out date for Big Detroit Lakes is April 19. To say that spring came a little early this year is an understatement.



The arrival of warm temps and early ice out threw a little curve in my game. The key to spring fishing is water temperature, though the photo period does play a role in fish activity and spawning. Water temps have of coursed risen earlier than the normal and so begins the chase of running fish. A few early scouting runs didn't produce any results, though I was only off by a couple of days. Diligence this time of year pays off as a single day can bring in hordes of fish staging for the spawn. As is the case around here, seasonal stream closures in a few areas that are designed to protect vulnerable spawning game fish throw a wrench in my fishing hot spots, as these spots are sanctuaries for many sucker species in addition to northern pike and walleye. That's where being adept at using a Delorme Atlas & Gazetteer, Google maps and aerial photos can make the difference between being on fish and being shut out.



My timing was perfect; schools of suckers and no crowds. The advantage to being on the ball when scouting is beating the crowds to the punch. By the time the local brigade arrives, I've already had my fun playing out these staging suckers. The bonus of these stream closures is that since the suckers spawn after the walleyes, the closed areas provide a haven for these spawning suckers until the fishing opener arrives. A little relief from the spear chuckers and bowfishing crowd never hurt anything.


Trying not to foul hook a sucker when they are stacked up like cordwood can be a challenge. Every once in a while, even while I'm trying to be careful, you hook up with a trash fish... the bottom-feeding walleye.

Tatonka

A bruiser caught a few weeks back during our "January thaw", when daily high temps topped 50 degrees for a couple of days.




To be honest, it's not really a thaw when there was no snow on the ground, daily temps were ranging in the mid to upper 30s and overnight lows were in the upper 20s. This non winter has been a joke, but at least I was able to take advantage of it and fly fish in the dead of January. Never thought I'd be able to pull that off in the Great Brown North.


Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a good release shot since this fish still held some vigor and wouldn't sit still for me. For scale, that is a Ross F1 #4 reel, 4" diameter spool. This fish is in the 30" plus class. It always fascinates me that without a good reference, it is difficult on film to capture scale on a large specimen. The typical fish porn grip and grin photo is so overdone it's lost most of its cachet, however, aside from the super-extendo arm thrust pose, it does serve as a decent reference for scale and proportion.

Either way you cut it, it's still a nice fish!

Working Girls

Carpiodes cyprinus.


I love chasing quillback. They can be some of the most frustrating of the suckers to escort due to their extreme skittishness and finicky ways. To add to the proposition, a john typically finds harems of quillback working the street corners in skinny gin clear water. To say one must creep up on these spooks like an undercover vice agent is an understatement. I've always had to play it low-key, leaving the bling and drama at home and fishing small nymphs like brassies or copper johns. Don't be a playah! Quillback have a small inferior mouth so you can't just force it in with a large fly; you gotta be smooth if you want to party. These ladies finally gave in to the Fresh Pimp Nymph. Then again, a fresh pimp slap will subdue just about any ho.



I love getting fin....

Soft Hackle Heaven

Whether you call it a partridge, thunderbird, thunder chicken, or a ruffed grouse, Bonasa umbellus is among the tastiest of all upland birds and game. It is also prized for its hackle in my fly tying stash. Fortunately, living in Minnesota provides me with the nation's premier grouse habitat and population, with over half a million birds harvested annually, making it Minnesota's top game bird. Life is good in the Great White North.


The rump feathers, while used to determine the sex of a ruffed grouse, are also a vital component of the venerable Carp Crack pattern. The ruff feathers, located on the sides of the necks of both genders, are used to form the collar on the Mustache Ride and Landing Strip patterns, as they are long and wispy, providing lots of movement in the water. They are the ultimate soft hackle for those larger streamer fly patterns.



Regardless of how you obtain a ruffed grouse skin, whether it be a a retail acquisition, roadkill salvage, harvested bird, or a donation from a fellow hunter, consider yourself blessed. The ruffed grouse is the pinnacle prize of keen fly tyers.

Summer Fields

It's late summer and things are beginning to wind down. The arrival of monarchs on their annual migration to Mexico and points south, blooming wildflowers, low temperatures hinting at dipping into the forties, and the rogue tree or two teasing with hints of gold and crimson on their periphery all mark the inevitable change in season. This is also the beginning of prime time for collecting tallgrass prairie and wildflower seeds. Yes, summer is near over and fall is almost here. Finally. Fall brings many of my fondest memories in the Great White North, often culminating with the first frost of the season. Water temperatures and fall turnover often result in some tremendous fishing. Some of my most memorable fish have come in late fall. In addition, flushing grouse from aspen groves, apple picking and hay rides with the family, and the explosion of pheasants from the remaining crop residue from the fall harvest are all some of my favorite pastimes, not to mention good eats. There's nothing like the smell of roast pheasant, apple pie, smoked duck, wild rice, or the flavors of fresh bratwurst and sauerkraut emanating from the kitchen. Sending the kids off to school in the little yellow bus is just a few days away, which begs the question, has anyone every come up with a monarch butterfly fly pattern? I bet the bass would hit that! And then my next question, how much vacation leave do I have saved up?

Kitty Kats

Day two on the water was considerably different than the day prior. Fish were present but were busy "sunning" themselves under the ironically cloudy skies. Perfect casts to slow cruisers resulted in no takes, nary even a look. Frustrating to say the least. Moving on to some backwater bays found some active fish. Tails could be spotted and even a few dorsal fins breaking the surface. Still tough conditions with the clouds on the sky, but with the surface breaks we were able to locate fish. In between a break in the clouds, we were able to find a bunch of large bigmouth buffalo filter feeding. Unfortunately, fishing to buffalo when they are feeding on plankton and filamentous algae is for naught. I have yet to catch a buffalo under these conditions, other for casting a fly directly into their gaping mouths and snagging the hook inside their throat. Hardly sporting at all. At one point, a lined fish erupted in a chain reaction of spooked fish, much like nuclear fission, resulting in a tsunami like wave over one foot high and sixty feet wide. The tip of the crest was so powerful on this wave that it even broke like a wave hitting the surf. An unreal sight. The day was saved after dredging up a very healthy channel cat from the bottom of the mud flats. A stripped fly was taken by the cruising cat whose dorsal fin was ripping through the surface like a shark. An easy five pounds for this fish. And now for the obligatory Hero Shot Gone Wrong shot: Even under high water, it's always a great time out on the backwater flats. Good stuff...

Northern Bog Violet

The Northern Bog Violet, Viola nephrophylla, near Glyndon, Minnesota

ol' whitey

No not that Whitey, but the white sucker.


I got into a large group of whiteys holding in a deep pool a few weeks ago. This spot warms up long before other spring sucker spots turn hot, largely due to the wide shallow channel common in this reach. The shallow muddy shoreline is lined with cattails and red osier dogwood, the dark bottom warming up much quicker than other parts of the sandy, rocky stream substrate. This warmer bottom helps heat up the water sooner in these shallow reaches, drawing in eager fish staging to spawn.



The 7 weight Level Series from Rise that I used to subdue these beasts may have been a bit overkill, but it still performed flawlessly. The tip was nimble enough to effectively tightline nymph my tungsten bombs through the current seams. One fish actually got down into the heavy current near a fast run and nearly had me into my backing. The rod doubled over. Half in surprise, I enjoyed fighting the fish in the rough stuff and the rod handled the rough stuff like a porn star. The first true test of fighting roughfish and the Rise rod rose to the challenge. Well done.

the harvest

While many of you were squeezing in last minute trips to the beach, fishing outings, or backyard barbecues, I spent much of my last summer weekends out collecting native prairie wildflower and tallgrass seeds. A great activity for the family, I was able to spend some high quality time with the kids out walking the tallgrass, taking the chance to embrace the much under-appreciated beauty of our prairies.


Now that the summer sun has faded and the seeds have dried, I took the opportunity to winnow the seeds and sort out the undesirable stems, leaves, and leftover cones. After a little fall cleanup around the yard, I overseeded the riparian area below the house, in efforts to enhance the diversity of the developing wildlfower community that I've established over the past few seasons. Being a good steward of our riparian areas is just common sense, something that many in our world seem to lack these days.



During those Fall walks down gravel forest roads in the brisk morning sun of the northwoods, something is needed to pass the time between flushes of ruffed grouse. I collected a bag of cones from some of the prized conifers of the boreal forest: red pine, white pine, balsam fir, douglas fir, jack pine, and the northern whitecedar. Hopefully some of these cones will take root in my wooded swamp.

Blazing Stars and Bluestem

Once covering the great expanse of the Glacial Lake Aggassiz basin, the eastern tallgrass prairie is now merely a shadow of its former self. Bisected by rowcrops of corn, soybean and sugarbeets, interspersed with beds of sunflowers and amber waves of wheat, the once blazing prairie fell victim to the blade of the plow. What's left is merely a pittance of a once prodigious parcel.

The following is a brief glimpse into one of the largest sections of virgin prairie remaining in Minnesota, and one of the highest quality prairie sites in the U.S.