Not Much Going On

Its been one of those weeks that before you know it it's a week later.  It's amazing sometimes you seem to be so busy you can't find time to do much of anything yet it seems like you have done everything.  Besides snowing every day this past week I did make it back home on Saturday to see my dad.  He got a positive report from the doctor that his cancer was knock down as he continues to learn to swallow normal food.  Before stopping there I dropped my wife off with her sister and cousins and hit a few of my favorite spots in the area.  First stop was the Leinies Lodge in Chippewa Falls.  Leinenkugels Beer is brewed in Chippewa and they have a nice store where you can get a number of branded apparel.  My goal was to get a more formal Stormy Kromer hat, one with Leinenkugels embroidered on the side.  I like my red plaid Stormy Kromer but it's a little too farmer for those special occasions.  Finding a charcoal colored hat, I am pretty well set for any event!  My next stop was Schell's Sporting Goods in the Oakwood Mall.  I like Schells as they seem to have a good collection of stuff as well a full selection of Green Bay Packer merchandise.  I found the perfect shirt for my friend Phil Gordon.  A Packer green T-shirt with gold letters that spelled out "Brett Who?".  Obviously us Packer fans have all but forgot Mr. Favre as we celebrate the second round of playoffs with Aaron Rodgers.  Phil lives in Indiana yet he is a die hard fan and tells me he is on his way to see the game in Atlanta.  I hope the shirt brings him and the team good luck!  My next stop was to check out the rumor that Walter's Beer was once again being brewed in Eau Claire.  Back in my younger days Walter's beer was a staple of the area.  It's tag line was simple, "The Beer that is Beer". As a teenager I would work with guys like Bud Tollefson or Ronnie Semingson and Walters is what kept us going.  Like many local breweries, the Miller Lites of the world took it's toll.  Walter's closed in the late 80's, a victim of the changing times.  Arriving at the brew pub, yes they had Walter's, another goal in reach!  I ordered a glass, trying to relive that taste I had not experienced in over 25 years.  It was ok but I guess it just seemed to be better when I was 25 years old.  I did buy a six pack for home, it will give me something to talk about with the neighbors.

I did make it fishing to Mille Lacs on Sunday.  Deciding to try to evening bite, my friends Jason Rombalski and Lory Brasel filled the empty seats in my truck.  Getting a late start we headed to the pond and drove out past Indian Point.  Heading for my spot in 28 feet of water, we got the holes drilled and houses set up just before the witching hour, 3:00 - 5:00.  Although we have been fairly successful the last few times, the fish were skittish and I ended up with 2 smaller walleyes.  Jason had a few chasers and Lory caught a small one.  Certainly not my best trip, as always, it's nice to get out.  On Thursday I plan on heading down to the St. Paul Sportsman's Show to check out the first big show of the year and say hi to my friend Keith Holtan.  Keith and his wife own  Beaver Creek Cabins on the Kenai River in Alaska and was our guide in 2002 when we chartered with my friend Jeff King. 

I am leaving you with a picture of my dad, his brothers and sister.  From left to right is my uncles Gordon(Dewey), my dad Don, Uncle Keith, Aunt Lavonne, and the little guy in front is my beloved Uncle Jerry.  This picture was probably taken around 1937 or 1938 and really shows the style of the day, bibs!  Implying that time flies, although this picture was taken almost 74 years ago, dad remembers it like it was yesterday.  It's a great reminder to enjoy life while you can..........

Lack Luster Weekend

This weekend was pretty calm despite being about as perfect a weekend to be ice fishing as I have seen. Unfortunately I was relegated to taking it easy recovering from an angiogram on Friday. This is an interesting procedure where they insert a catheter into your femoral artery and go take a look at your arteries from the inside. Usually this is done if you might have coronary blockages however in my case it was to look at my aortic aneurysm. The males in my family have been known to suffer from this genetic anomaly and when told that we all should have this checked out, like most of us, I ignored the advice. A few years ago while fighting pneumonia, a sharp doctor noticed the problem on a CT scan. Although no laughing matter, it's a heck of a lot better discovering it now rather than on the autopsy table! The results were as expected with my coronary arteries being as clean a whistle, it's probably time to fix the aneurysm. A normal aorta is about 1 inch in diameter and mine is almost 2 inches. Doctors orders were to lay still till Saturday evening as well limit lifting to a max of 10 pounds for a few days. Well that means my ice auger, loading my house, and with a little luck holding a fish fitting that description. There are still a lot more opportunities to get out and hopefully the weather holds off this weekend. The above picture is one I took Tuesday morning behind the house. A heavy fog overnight and temperatures below freezing created this stunning hoar frost on the trees. One of the delights of winter, it was a great reminder how beautiful life is. 

The St. Paul Sportsman Show was last week. It is the first major show of the year and although not as large as the Northwest Sportshow at the Minneapolis Convention Center, it's a good chance to get in the mood. Frankies, my dealer, is the largest Ranger dealer in the world and he had 18 boats on display. It was good to see Frankie and his wonderful wife Deb as they always treat me as their number 1 customer. I spent some time with Keith Holtan of Beaver Creek Cabins and Guide Service, Kenai, AK. Keith was our fishing guide out of Jeff King's in August of 2002 that I wrote about last August 18, 2009. It was great to share war stories as well reconnect with him and hopefully we can get together again before he heads north. One of the things I love to do at these shows is check out all the new products and did I find a gem. Pictured is one of those "Why didn't I think of that" gadgets called the EZ lube. Based on a garden sprayer, it has a bottom hose attached to heavy duty valve with a rubber cone end. It's purpose is to make refilling your outboards lower unit a snap. Simply drain the gear lube out, fill the EZ Lube with good quality gear lube, screw in the pump assemble and pump it up. Hold the rubber end into the bottom fill plug and squeeze the valve. No messy pumps, no squeezing tubes like toothpaste, no almost having all the gear out of the tube yet it's still not full......I just had to have one. As a bonus, Steve Carney, one of my favorite Outdoor News writers and local guide was working the booth. It was great talking with him and hopefully I will win the free trip with him they were giving away. Anxious to test, I will definitely post it's usefulness some time in the future.

On the left side of my layout is a list of Blogs I follow as they are my favorites. I have mentioned Jeff King's Mile 14 in the past and his recent posts have been nothing short of fabulous. Jeff and his wife MP spend a number of weeks in Mexico each winter fishing, relaxing, and escaping from the cold and darkness of Alaska. Jeff fishes every morning and his fishing reports give the feeling of being right there next to him, casting for rooster fish, corvina, and toro. Jeff and his friends work the shorelines along the beach like I work the reefs on Mille Lacs. It's a welcome break from staring out the window looking at the snow! Check out mile14 and experience the thrill of surf fishing in Mexico. Here is a picture from one of Jeff's posts featuring the first rooster fish he caught this year. Although not the largest he has bagged, they certainly are an interesting looking fish. This picture also features the rare evidence of needing a jacket in Mexico.

This week is the Minneapolis Boat Show. My brother Steve has threatened to by a new boat for the last 10 years now and I have reminded him he'd better do it soon before he needs a lift to get in it. The boating industry has seen better times and I have been encouraging Steve to do his part to help the economy. I am sure he appreciates my advice! With my weight lifting restrictions off my goal is to get back out fishing soon.  I know the fish are missing me for sure.