Our Outdoors: Duality
Our Outdoors: DualityBy Nick SimonsonSecond perhaps to the day after New Years, the Sunday following the Fourth of July is one of my most dreaded days of the year. I know it’s just a number, and I know that health and fitness overall is more than the red-line numerals on the readout in the dim light of my bathroom on that inevitable morning; but man is it disappointing to see where a holiday week’s worth of bratwursts, chips, snacks, parade candy, and less than healthy beverage choices have put me when it comes to that weigh-in.However, I also find that […]
Our Outdoors: A Parade of Progeny
Our Outdoors: A Parade of ProgenyBy Nick Simonson There was almost an air of concern in my mom’s voice as I wandered back in from my morning stroll to the end of the dock to watch the sunrise and inspect the shallows. A few quick casts of the neon green fly line sporting a beadhead pheasant tail nymph connected with a handful of small bluegills, but before long it was time to refill my coffee cup, walk the dog and get on with the day. “Have you seen the ducklings yet,” she inquired from her early morning post at the table […]
Summer Disruption
By Nick Siminson As shifty as the weather has been leading up to the official start of summer, it’s no surprise that recently rough conditions have seemingly targeted each weekend of this past month, throwing a bit of a monkey wrench into many anglers’ plans. Whether it’s a cold front bringing thunderstorms on a Thursday night and a plunge in temperatures on its backside for the weekend, or an extended all-day rain washing out a perfectly good Saturday, the only constant with weather is its variability. In other words, if you don’t like the conditions here in the upper Midwest, […]
Our Outdoors: Low Water Angle
Our Outdoors: Low Water AngleBy Nick Simonson Scattered below the bass tube dragging slowly just beneath the surface of the gin clear water was a herd of fish in every shape and size the small water could offer up. From my view in the seat of my kayak, I watched the lead bluegills eye up the remaining undulating tentacles of the soft plastic, while the bigger bulls lagged behind, letting the younger year classes do the reconnaissance for the greater school. Behind them, a couple handfuls of crappies tailed the amassing squad of intrigued fish, each speckle-sided panfish getting larger […]
Our Outdoors: Fly Fishing Not All About Trout
Our Outdoors: Fly Fishing Not All About TroutBy Nick Simonson With the heat of summer finally settling into the region, those cold-water loving trout which were stocked in area lakes and reservoirs are seeking out the depths, and aside from some cooler hours in the morning and evening, are a bit tougher to target on the fly rod and likely will remain that way until early fall. Luckily, around the upper Midwest, there are plenty of other fish to take their place on the long rod and many ways to catch them. What follows are five warm water species to […]
Our Outdoors: Weighty Matters
Our Outdoors: Weighty MattersBy Nick Simonson I crossed the finish line inside the Fargodome a few weeks back at the start of the first nice day this non-winter season conveniently had offered up and checked the exercise app on my watch which was tracking my effort. 1:41:33 it read as I clicked the End button on the display. If correct, I bested my half marathon time by over four minutes. The next day I checked the official results on my phone and it displayed a time of 1:41:26 which worked out to a pace of 7’45” per mile; not too […]
Our Outdoors: Summer Bounce
Our Outdoors: Summer BounceBy Nick Simonson With the rapid warm-up over the past week and the unofficial start to the summer season in the books, it’s tough not to think about longer days, humid evenings and the slow tick-tick-tick of the metal peg on a bottom bouncer dragging along the substrate of a favorite walleye lake. While normally I turn to trolling as a last resort for my fishing activities, the deployment of dozens of favorite spinners I’ve crafted behind a bottom bouncer is a nice compromise between dragging crankbaits and simply watching the rod tip wiggle and jigging for […]
Our Outdoors: The Intercept
Our Outdoors: The InterceptBy Nick Simonson Calculating when fish will be where is as much a part of the angling process as threading a plastic on a hook, switching up the blade color on a spinner, or firing up the boat motor. For most of us, life limits the windows in which we can access our favorite waters, particularly during this busy time of year. Add in a late spring, cooler lakes and shifting weather patterns and trying to intercept fish going in and out of their seasonal movements is an even greater challenge. Even when the fish you’re looking […]
Our Outdoors: Six Spring Smallie Spaces
Our Outdoors: Six Spring Smallie SpacesBy Nick Simonson Smallmouth bass in spring stake out premier spawning sites, with the biggest fish getting the best pieces of territory. Typically, the shallows where they make their beds have many structural elements and knowing what to key in on as these fish make their moves will help connect you with more bass this spring. What follows is a super six-pack of smallmouth haunts to explore with your favorite jig, tube or soft plastic this season. On the RocksAreas of rip rap, boulders, and naturally occurring rock are smallmouth magnets. These spaces warm up […]
