The time has come, and the water is flowing.  Did you miss it?  The last few days have been beyond stellar.  Leading up to this point I was wondering if this years run would even happen.  Thoughts of the flooding high waters of a year ago rushed my memory and I figured this year would be even worse.  While this flood may still occur, and will likely do so soon, one thing is for certain - it didn't happen before we got a few great days on the water.

The last 3 days I snuck away to get my boat in the water for an extended period of float time.  Friday was the first day on the water and it couldn't have gone any better.  A couple of friends named  Mitch and Bails joined me for the madness.  It exceeded their expectations, and for that matter, mine as well.  It took us a matter of about 3 minutes to locate the fish and start catching.  We hoisted several small fish before we realized we were in dink land.  I headed to a past honey hole and we resumed our catching.  Only this time, they were bigger.  Before our perfect evening was over, we caught quality and quantity.  I managed to take first prize with a dandy of swine just after sunset.  It wouldn't have gone any better if I would have scripted it out myself.

Saturday was more of the same but with a different group.  Subtract Mitch and add Dusty and Dingwall to the mix.  Par for the course, these boys didn't skip a beat.  In fact, they brought a little more action to the table and matched the performance of both Bails and myself.  The only difference on this day was that we couldn't find a monster to take a picture with.  Most of our fish were in the 16 to 20 inch range with about a half dozen between 20 and 23 inches and the biggest fish only pushing about 4.5 pounds.  Not that we were complaining, but that kicker fish is always cool to top off a perfect day on the water.  Our fish to remember on Saturday was not the biggest walleye of the day, however a giant sauger that had a belly full of future river runners.  She was a dandy, and Bails was the lucky angler on that catch.

Sunday afternoon gave us another spectacular day of Minnesota spring weather.  Water temps jumped slightly and you could see the response in the fish.  Again we caught a pile of them, but this time I noticed more females showing up.  Yep, the big fat bellies that we look forward to so much this time of the year.    We only had a couple of hours of afternoon daylight to enjoy it, but this time it was Phillip and Mike's turn to join the madness.  They all did their share to hoist the fatties, and Phillip took largest fish honors with with one of his first fish of the 2010 open water season.  It just doesn't get any better than that.

Overall it was a picture perfect start to the open water season.  The weather was fantastic and the fishing followed along perfectly.  Everybody got in on the ation and we caught fish in every size range.  While this action was great, it is likely to be short lived.  The conditions are fast changing and the high waters are inevitable.  Once she breaks loose, you'll be lucky to find a safe launch to put your boat in.  Get out today, or maybe tomorrow, because after that it just might be too late.  Until next time, keep on livin' the dream!

Travis Frank - Travis@mnbound.com

For many Minnesotans there is nothing like walking on a frozen lake, carving a hole and pulling up an elusive fish from the depths below. When word gets out that there’s a good fish bite on a lake, ice anglers descend on the spot. Often that pristine environment becomes littered with bottles, cans, cigarette butts, or worse.

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) conservation officers say the biggest problem is identifying the perpetrators.

“Lakes are normally ringed by fish houses this time of year so conservation officers find it challenging to identify who is leaving trash on a lake,” said Capt. Ken Soring, DNR Enforcement northeast regional manager in Grand Rapids. “Another factor is the wind, which makes it difficult to prove where the trash came from. And we just don’t have enough conservation officers to thoroughly enforce litter laws.”

Litter is a petty misdemeanor criminal charge with a fine of up to $300.

Conservation officers also have Solid Waste Civil Citation authority. These civil citations are “by the pound” or “by the cubic foot” penalties, and since they are not criminal charges, they don’t require proof beyond a reasonable doubt. The person suspected of littering must pay the penalty and clean up the mess.

Conservation officers on Lake Mille Lacs utilize a blaze orange “notice” door tag with a label pasted on the back that essentially asks people to take their litter and blocking materials with them. Officers place the tag on fish houses, especially those that have litter around them. The tag also mentions the statute and potential penalty for violating the law.

“Officers will be documenting houses that have litter around them or look like they may be abandoned,” said Lt. Rita Frenzel, Lake Mille Lacs District Enforcement supervisor. “Given the size of Mille Lacs and the number of houses, this may be somewhat hit and miss. But we will be diligent in pursuing litter cases.” She noted officers will also be talking to resort owners about removing blocking material and remnants of ice bridges discarded on lakes.

The DNR offers the following tips to keep Minnesota waterways clean:

• Set an example for others, especially children, by not littering.
• Properly dispose of tangled fishing line to prevent wildlife from being trapped and injured.
• It is unlawful to dispose of ice fishing shacks anywhere in the state. Check with local refuse provider or landfill for disposal.
• Litter is a costly problem that we all end up paying for to keep our roadways, parks, and waterways clean. The act of littering not only hurts our pocketbooks, but it also causes  harm to our environment in many ways.
• Keep a litter bag or trash container in your fish house, dark house, or shelter.
• Secure trash container covers to prevent wind or animals from spreading litter.
• Cover and secure any vehicle, truck, or trailer carrying refuse.
• When visiting any recreation area, make sure to leave the area clean for the next person to enjoy.

I've done a lot of stupid things in my day.  I've put my life in some precarious situations more than once, and I've taken risks that many fisherman would likely think foolish.  I've seen some insane conditions and circumstances have unfolded in the past that left me shaking my head.  I thought I had seen a lot, that was until this weekend.  What I experienced makes everything else seem like no big deal.  I cannot imagine it could get any more intense than this.  Let me explain.

It all started out on Friday evening.  Mike Tengwall, of Buffalo, MN, and I hooked up the trailer, loaded the snowmobile and the portable shack, and headed for northern Wisconsin.  The object of our effection was Lake Trout on Lake Superior.  I've heard the stories about the ice and watched the news episodes about the guys drifting away on ice chunks, only to be rescued by helicopters.  In fact, that was exactly what we were discussing at about 10:30 PM as our snowmobile trailer ripped off the tongue and went flying out of control at 60 mph.  We got lucky and somehow the trailer stayed upright as it spun in circles attached to absolutely nothing.  God was looking down on us, because magically our gear made it through the disaster and the trailer never flipped.  To make a long story short, this was not the way we wanted to start our trip, and it took us the next 4.5 hours to get all of our gear to the hotel.

Our night was short and our morning consisted of trying to resolve our problem first thing before we went fishing.  We quickly discovered that northern Wisconsin is not the best place to shop for a snowmobile trailer.  We would have ended up with nothing, but found a local business owner about 50 miles away looking to sell a trailer.  After everything we went through, we bought it immediately.

Finally, we reached the ice shortly before noon.  It was at this point that we should have taken everything as a sign and turned dircectly around.  Our friends, Kent and Jenny, were already out on the ice and our goal was a GPS icon that had been so hot for Mike and Kent the years before.  Kent reached that 250 foot deep spot by snowmobile on Friday and had good ice beneath him.  In fact, the locals had piles of fish on the ice when he got there.  That was yesterday, this was today.

When we finally navigated our way 10 miles through the Apostle islands, it was very clear that the ice we wanted to fish no longer remained.  In fact, we were looking at nothing but open water as far as the eye could see.  It left an uneasy feeling in our stomachs to be so close to the water's edge, especially when one of the locals came up to us and said that this ice would soon be gone too.  We were so close but yet not willing to put ourselves any closer to the water and decided to fish for a short period before we left for the afternoon.  To fish in 230 feet of water only a few hundred yards from open water was just not right.  I had that eerie feeling in my stomach the whole time, but managed to pick up on the techniques and coax a few Lakers into eating.  Unfortunately I missed all 3 of them and we headed to shore without a day one fish.

Day 2 we figured we would get in on the morning bite and fish in a similar area from the day before.  As we came around the island, 2 of the locals that headed out before us were coming back our way.  Mike instantly said, "that's not good if they are coming back," and as we approached them it was very clear why.  The entire area that we had fished the day before was nothing but open water.  It broke loose in places that we didn't even think possible.  Somehow the current that was ripping through the islands had take out nearly all the ice in it's way.  It was simply incredible to see a mile of ice just dissappear only 12 hours after we had fished it.

As we stood on the ice trying to ponder our next move, things became even more interesting.  Jenny made an insane revelation when she said "guys, am I seeing things, or is this ice moving up and down?" She was right and it was beyond freaky.  If you stopped walking around, you could look in one direction and physically watch the ice raise and lower a foot or two at a time.  I didn't even think this was possible, but sure enough, as I looked at Mike and the others we were riding on waves.  At one point I would be a foot taller than Mike, then the wave would continue and I'd be a foot lower.  It put knots in my stomach instantly.  It was the worst roller coaster ride I had ever experienced, and to make it even worse, we were only on 6 inches of ice.  Every crack around us had water in it (the tell-tale sign that the ice is going to break free) and we were without ever knowing, in the heart of it all.  If I didn't think that I could fall through at any second, it would actually have been kind of cool to get my camera, set it up, and record the motion effect.  That was not the case though, and I didn't race for the camera.  Instead, it was a race to get the heck out of there.

With an entire 5 square mile section of ice now off limits, we opted for a somewhat protected location to try our luck.  It was a new spot a few miles away and around an island.  None of us had ever fished it before, but we didn't care and just wanted an area that we felt safe and could wet a line.  In our minds we were still shaken up and just wanted to fish comfortably.  This was the right idea and by 9:15 AM we were finally fishing.  Around 10:00 I finally iced my first Lake Trout.  Not a giant, but a Laker nonetheless, and out of 160 feet of water, it was pretty darn sweet.  Mike followed that up shortly after with a couple of his own and soon after Jenny and Kent each iced their first fish.  Entangled in the fun we almost forgot about our morning experience.  Mike then stole the show with a battle that was the exact reason for our insane adventure.  A dandy of a laker that gave me a new appreciation for a giant battle on ice.  It was at that point that we could almost enjoy the art of fishing again.  Unfortunately that was all about to change.

As the early hours of the afternoon started to pass Mike took a walk outside.  It was obvious that something drastic was changing under our feet.  All I heard from Mike was "Travis, you better get out here."  As I walked out of the house I noticed that it was wet every step I took.  All the cracks had water in them (the bad sign) and Mike told me to stand still.  Sure enough, I could literally see the waves in the ice.  We were raising and lowering as if we were in a boat.  I can honestly tell you that this is not cool when you are on ice.  Not even a little bit.  Our stomachs just dropped and we raced to get our gear packed up.  We tried to keep our cool, but you could feel the urgency in our work.  In a matter of seconds we were ready to go but the snowmobile was stuck in the wet snow.  Not cool.  As fast as two grown men could, we pushed the snowmobile and sled out and started heading back as fast as possible.  The only problem was the loose chunks of ice that we were driving over.  The smaller chunks would take on water as the weight of our machine would push them down.  I almost crapped my pants at that point, but thankfully the snowmobile could handle it and would skip over the bad spots.  It wasn't until a few miles and two large pressure ridges were crossed before we had any sense of comfort about us.  I can honestly say that I have never screamed "Go, Go, Go," so loud in my entire life.  The second we hit shore I knelt down, patted the ground and said thank you God.  For the first time in my life, I actually thought that I may have gone too far and tested the limits too much.  We were so pumped to be on solid land and without hesitation, we called it a weekend.  We packed the gear and drove 6 hours through a midwest snowstorm.

We figured we lost a good 5 years on our lives after that day.  Looking back on it all, I can say that I never truely felt comfortable on that ice.  I wore a life jacket and had ice picks, which I am usually too tough to wear.  There were several times that I will admit to being scared.  It sounds aweful to say, but I remember playing out scenarios in my mind for when we went through.  How would I get out?  What would I do if we both were in the water?  Things that I've never had in my mind on a fishing trip.  I can't explain it, it was just something that I am glad I made it through, and glad I was able to experience just once.  But, on the plus side, I was told that this was as bad as anyone has seen it up there.  So I guess I have seen the worst of it.  Will I go back?  I don't know that yet.  I'm still trying to clean my shorts.

P.S.  That ice we narrowly escaped from on Sunday...It's gone.  Until next time, keep on livin' the dream!

Travis Frank - travis@mnbound.com

Oh by golly have a holly jolly ice time...right now!  For this guy, the holidays mean more than just family cheer, christmas jingles and opening gifts.  If you have a hankering for ice fishing and walleyes, then right now is go time!

At this very minute, someone, somewhere is pulling a walleye through a hole of a Minnesota lake.  It is no secret that the early ice is the best time to land ol' marble eye.  For myself, I liken it to the opener of the fishing season in May, the deer opener in November or even the peak of the muskie fishing in the fall.  I simply love getting out on the ice for the first crack at a walleye dinner.  Not only is it new scenery, but the fishing is simply the best early in the ice season.  My escapades started as soon as we had walkable ice in Minnesota.  Well before most people even think about getting their shanties ready for water.  But I have to admit, I have landed a lot of very nice walleyes already this winter.  I used extra caution, and in this case, the early bird did get the worm!

While the early minutes of the 2009 ice season have already come and gone, it doesn't mean that "early ice" is necessarily over completely.  The next few days and weeks are going to offer up some of the best ice fishing of the season.  The ice has just now reached a point where anything is fair game.  I assure you that there are still spots on all lakes that haven't been fished yet, and that likely means first come, first walleye.  Here's where I have been, what I have heard and what I have found. 

I started my year on lake Minnetonka ice.  This metro gem is full of walleyes for anyone willing to work hard to catch 'em.  We found sizes either too big or too small for the frying pan so far.  If you want to head out there, focus on rock piles.  This is why I said "work hard" to find 'em.  You will want to drop a camera down there to see what you are on.  Generally speaking, the bigger bays offer plenty of the afforementioned goods that the walleyes love.  If you find rocks, sand and weeds near deep water, get ready for an overnight sit, because you are in for a treat.  Just remember your digital camera, because Tonka is full of trophies!

Two words - Mille Lacs!  This lake is back on again.  The last two winters brought iffy ice and lots o' snow and slush.  So far, the ice is growing fast, and there is no snow keeping you from any spot you desire.  What makes it all the better?  The walleyes are biting again too!  I have spent two days on that lake so far, and we have about 80 walleyes to show for our efforts.  Not to mention the bonus jumbo perch, otherwise known by my fishing crew as "BBJP" or Big Bellied Jumbo Perch.  Mille Lacs should be on every anglers choice again for 2009.  And like I said earlier, they are biting right now!

Lake of the Woods is once again an anglers haven.  I personally have not been there yet, but after talking with Gary from Ballards resort and a bunch of my fishing buddies, one thing is clear, they are biting!  Here is a very common phrase from everyone I have talked with so far.  "yeah, about 100 fish a day." 

I know it is early in the year, but the conditions have made travel such that anglers are now able to fish anywhere they would like.  The traffic from the vehicles will likely hit the ice within the next few days, so the early ice season is almost to the mid-winter point.  Whether you hit any of the lakes I just mentioned, or find one of your own, this holiday season I encourage you to wet a line for a fresh walleye dinner.  Who knows, you just might surprise yourself!  Good luck and Happy Holidays!

Travis Frank - travis@mnbound.com

Ahh yes, it's about that time again.  Time for the big girls to come out and play.  For most, November means deer hunting, pheasant hunting, or just hunting in general.  For me, this still applies, but I also go hunting for the one.  The biggest, fattest, meanest fish swimming in fresh water.  I tend to give her a personal name, but we all know her best as the state record muskie.

If you haven't followed my quest in the past, here is a bit of info to get you up to speed.  Each fall, specifically the month of November, I begin a quest to land the next state record muskie.  I know this might sound rather stupid to think that I can just go out and catch a state record fish, but it really isn't that out of line.  See, in the fall these fish become larger.  Given the right lake with the right forage, these muskies can literally weigh an extra 10 pounds heavier during November than at any other time of the year.  Finding the right locations and timing things perfectly put the odds in your favor to land muskies exceeding 50 pounds.  This isn't simple by any means and it takes great patience and persistence in the worst elements mother nature can throw out, but the rewards can be incredible.

For the last two seasons I have been concentrating my efforts on Lake Mille Lacs.  It is no secret that this lake holds some of the largest muskies ever grown.  Coupled with the tullibee population, these beasts reach peak weight just before the ice forms.  It is cold, it is exhausting, but I have found ways to cope and I have found fish willing to strike.  Two years ago I landed a fish that still leaves me wondering.  She was a beaut that no doubt surpassed the 50 pound mark.  The next day I scored another giant that might have only been a few pounds shy of the record as well.  It was those two fish that fueled my fire to catch a fish larger than the current record.

Last season was another epic quest that gets me excited to start this years journey.  I located 3 fish that I figured would have topped the scales around that elusive 54 pound mark.  Two of them were near the record, and one of them totally blew the rest away.  I nicknamed her Diane, and we fished her hard when the weather would allow for the better part of two weeks.  I estimated her at about 60 pounds, and I am not making this up or exxaggerating.  Some days I could get her to follow and others she would have none of my business.  When she would come to the boat, it was a sight out of this world.  Picture a five gallon bucket nearly 60 inches long following your bait and you will understand what I am talking about.  She was almost surreal.  I don't remember the date, but there was one time that we got her to eat.  It was with my good buddy Mike that day, and after releasing a nice mid 40 inch muskie, we quickly drove to her location hoping the short window of opportunity was till open.  I pointed to her home, and Mike landed the lure spot on.  She devoured the bait the second the lure hit the water, and chaos broke loose.  It was a battle that I will never forget, and one that left Mike in tears on the back deck of the boat.  As the fish came around the boat, she did a barrel role and the over-sized lure popped free.  It was an experience that you literally had to be there to understand.  Sure it's only a fish tale at this point, but something so large and powerful still leaves me sleepless at night.  I know what we had, and we had the next state record inches from the net.

So with that, I hope you understand my quest for the one.  It is not made up, it is not exxaggerated, it is not a ridiculous feat to accomplish, but it is the most insane fishing one can imagine.  As the water temps continue to fall to the perfect degree, I will soon be trailering the boat north.  When you are in your deer stand, I will likely be on the water.  When you are ice fishing the first frozen lakes, I will likely be chipping the access free to launch my boat.  When the weather cooperates and the winds lay down, I will likely be somewhere on that big pond.  This year I will have more guests than ever before.  Clients, Newspaper writers, television crews and good fishing friends are all on the menu to join the insanity.  It's all gonna be a hoot!  What will we do when we land that beast?  I just don't know, but I hope that you follow along and join me for the entire experience.  Until the state record strikes, keep on chasing your dream!

Travis Frank - travis@mnbound.com