Minnesota Steelheader

(Released August 12, 2013) Cloquet artist Stuart Nelson’s painting of a rainbow trout leaping to consume a mayfly has been chosen for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) 2014 Trout Stamp. The painting was selected from 13 submissions for the annual contest. Nelson won the 1999 trout stamp contest with a painting of a brook trout but hadn’t submitted an entry since, instead choosing to paint other subjects. Asked why he chose to enter this year after the hiatus, Nelson said fans of his previous work wanted to see him paint another trout, and he decided to oblige. Four entries advanced to the final stage of judging during the contest. Other finalists were Stephen Hamrik of Lakeville, second place; Nicholas Markell of Hugo, third place; and Timothy Turenne of Richfield, fourth place. The five member panel of judges this year were Amy Beyer, DNR creative services graphic designer; Ron Anderson, Outdoor News graphic designer; Bruce Vondracek, University of Minnesot...

I f you were to ask a non-steelheader to look at what a steelheader does, and then have them repeat what they are seeing, it would make for some interesting commentary-     “So there’s this woman or this man. They’re all decked out in long boots and a bulky vest jammed so full of stuff that the 50 or so pockets are absolutely bulging. I’m guessing it’s really heavy too because every so often, they put their hands on their low back, straighten up and stretch."        " They’re wearing a knit cap over a baseball cap, a neck warmer, a heavy jacket and fingerless gloves because they’re standing in the middle of a roaring stream that’s full of frozen foam and ice chunks.   It’s pretty cold out to be standing in the water like that, there’s a sleet/snow mix coming down out of a leaden sky, and it’s making icicles on the net hanging off their back. They also keep blowing into their hands, and every so often, they hold the pole with one wh...